Recruit new pilots from the Barracks menu in an industrial hub.
Pilots cannot be recruited from Conflict Zones - they all contribute to Internal Warfare, so you need to go to an Industrial Zone if you want to hire new talent. Find the systems connected by a dotted line and walk over to one of them. Once there, access your Barracks menus and select Pilot Hire.
In this menu you will find a list of drivers looking for work. Their skill level is the cumulative total of their six skills across Ballistics, Energy, Missile, Shield, Heat, and Evasion skills. The higher their general skill level, the higher their individual skills will be. You'll always want to review the six skills themselves (a pilot with ten in ballistics will get more difficult content if their evasion is two). The higher number is their skill cap, and the lower number is where they're currently seated (meaning you'll need to upgrade new pilots in order for them to reach their maximum potential).
After the skills, you will notice the cost of hiring and the salary of the pilots. The rental cost is the initial charge required to bring a pilot to your lance, while their salary is the one that will be added to your quarterly bill along with the maintenance of the mechs in your active hanger. The fees aren't too bad, everyone said, but the best pilots cost more to hire and support over time. You will ultimately have to eat that cost, because the harder the missions, the better your pilots must be. I promise you: hiring and paying a pilot is cheaper than fixing a robot and replacing damaged equipment.
At any time you want to remove a driver, go to your driver list and delete the driver you want to remove. You can do it from anywhere, no industrial hub is needed.
This is how you hire new pilots in MechWarrior 5. For more guides, keep an eye on our guides page.
