The MechWarrrior computer games are combat simulators that put the player right into the cockpit of giant stompy robots called BattleMechs. These combat 'Mechs are fighting for supremacy in the known universe. The Inner Sphere, the great region of colonized planets, has been divvied up into feuding interstellar nations, with the Federated Suns being the largest of them.

For centuries, the Federated Suns has been ruled by the noble House Davion, and it has been a military powerhouse ever since. House Davion has conquest on the agenda, and time and again, the Davions march into battle. But sometimes, they bite off more than they can chew.

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The Federated Suns Dawns on Humanity

davion mechwarrior

The Federated Suns started small in the 2300s. For a time, it was no stronger than its neighbors, such as the Draconis Combine and the Capellan Confederation. However, by the 2700s, in the later era of the Star League, the Federated Suns had grown enormous -- and it had a military to match. By the time the Star League Defense Force (SLDF) fled the Inner Sphere for good after a devastating civil war, the five great nations went to war against one another, and the Federated Suns was more than ready for a fight.

The Federated Suns slowly but surely expanded after a few false starts, and it soon became the dominant nation in the Inner Sphere. During the era in which the MechWarrior computer games take place, the FedSuns is widely acknowledged as the #1 state in the Inner Sphere. Still, House Davion can't easy; it's made more than a few enemies over the centuries.

From 3029-3030, House Davion launched the Fourth Succession War, claiming nearly half the Capellan Confederation's worlds at great cost. It had allied itself with the Lyran Commonwealth nation to form the mighty Federated Comm0nwealth. The Davion and Steiner royal families were united against their enemies, and they fought together when the warrior Clans invaded from beyond known space.

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However, by the 3060s (as the computer games show), the Federated Suns is proven to be far from invincible. The Davion and Steiner families were torn apart when Victor Steiner-Davion and his scheming sister Katherine came to blows in the early 3060s, and the Federated Suns suffered greatly in the ensuing civil war. But House Davion survived, and it was ready when the villainous Word of Blake launched an all-new war of epic proportions. The Federated Suns see themselves as Arthurian knights fighting for justice and honor, and they'll take on the Clans, the Word of Blake and any other foe with gusto.

The Federated Suns in the MechWarrior Games

rifleman mechwarrior

The Federated Suns did not appear in 1995's MechWarrior 2, since that game focused on the Refusal War between Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon. However, the Federated Suns was the setting for 2000's MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, in which the player assumes the role of Ian Dresari on the planet Kentares IV.

Ian is a classic Davion MechWarrior, and he suffered bloody betrayal at the hands of his cousin, William (who is loyal to House Steiner). Ian rallies his fellows to fight back against William's forces, and this family feud echoes the larger FedCom Civil War, when Steiner and Davion allies turned on each other as Katherine schemed to rule with an iron fist. The game featured many classic Davion, Steiner, and even Clan 'Mechs, such as the Uziel, Mad Cat, Mauler and more.

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Among other factions, the Federated Suns also appears in the 2018 real-time strategy title BattleTech, by Harebrained Schemes. The player controls a mercenary outfit from the all-new Aurigan Directorate (a Periphery nation near the Federated Suns). The player may accept contracts from Davion officials and fight off bandits, traitors and even Capellans and Taurian Concordat soldier within the Federated Suns' borders. If the player so chooses, they can repeatedly side with the Davions and earn their favor.

A handful of staple FedSuns 'Mechs appear in MechWarrior Online, such as the Uziel chassis. This is a  highly mobile 50-tonner that has jump jets and weapon pods in its arms, the quintessential medium-class 'Mech. Another FedSuns must-have 'Mech is the Enforcer, another 50-tonner that's a fine choice for newer players who want to try out medium 'Mechs. It's tough for its size, and it has big laser guns and autocannons built into its arms. Players who want to go big can pilot a mighty Mauler, a 90-ton monster that is slow, but packed with autocannon hardpoints, beefy missile launchers and arm-mounted large lasers.

As for customization, the player can mount a rotary autocannon 2 or rotary autocannon 5 into any 'Mech's ballistic weapons slot and fire away. These RAC weapons need a lot of ammo, but in return, they fire much faster than regular autocannons. They can quickly pelt an enemy 'Mech with a barrage of fire that tears up their armor and disorients the pilot. Plus, firing two RAC weapons on the same 'Mech is bound to overwhelm the opposing player in no time, Davion style.

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