As its title suggests, MechWarrior 5: Clans is all about the Clans of BattleTech lore: a highly advanced civilization that exists separately from the factions of the Inner Sphere where MechWarrior games are generally focused. Developing independently and building up a technologically superior military, the Clans eventually launched a bloody invasion of the Inner Sphere that would lead to the Clans' defeat and the near-total annihilation of clans like Smoke Jaguar.