Piranha Games has published its first developer's blog for MechWarrior Online:

Players will be able to pledge allegiance to a particular faction, join a mercenary company, or remain neutral. This choice alters the effects of loyalty points (earned through dutiful service, winning matches, and generally destroying of enemy Mechs). Faction members gain ranks and privileges (skins, xp, membership in elite units) with their loyalty points. At the highest ranks, faction members will have a say in grand strategy, helping to determine which planets their faction targets. Mercenary companies work differently, with ranks divvied out by the mercenary leader. Loyalty points gained by mercenaries are shared by their company and collectively determine the type of contracts they may bid on. Loyalty points earned by lone wolves have no positive or negative effects.

As mentioned previously, there are planets to conquer. Here is a rundown of the types of worlds in the game.

• Core Worlds - Are managed by the dev team. These are worlds that necessary for future planning and part of major historical events.
• Faction Worlds - Are fought over by Faction players. These planets buffer core and border worlds, and do not play a significant role in major historical events. Rewards for controlling these planets are directly linked to global bonuses and abilities associated with a player's Faction.
• Border Worlds - Are fought over via a contract bidding system by player run Mercenary Corporations. These planets change hands on a regular basis, and have no impact on historical events. Rewards for controlling a boarder world are significant and go directly to the occupying Merc Corp.