Eventually, Naughty Dog would bring its craft to perfection with the Last of Us games, building on everything that had worked in the Uncharted games to a polished sheen, and delivering some of the greatest titles in the history of the medium in the process. But for as great as the Last of Us games are – and I say this as someone who legitimately feels The Last of Us Part 2 is one of the greatest games of all time – they are also fundamentally very different in the mood, tone, and aesthetic they strike as compared to Uncharted. For all the similarities that the two franchises share, if you wanted that globetrotting, swashbuckling, treasure hunting adventure, filled with some great action set pieces, some great historical fiction, and maybe a supernatural twist or two? The Last of Us is very decidedly not it.

Very few things are, as it turns out. Earlier, I mentioned Tomb Raider as an inspiration for Uncharted, and within the video games medium, at least, Tomb Raider absolutely is the best equivalent. And for what it’s worth, fans of Uncharted do have potentially three other games they might like a lot to check out in the new Tomb Raider trilogy, if they haven’t checked them out already. Those games rebooted the franchise, taking inspiration from Uncharted liberally (how the tables turn, and what have you). And while none of the new Tomb Raider games ever match Uncharted’s brilliance, they are still really good in their own right. If you want more games along those lines, they are well worth checking out.

But those games themselves are old now, and the Tomb Raider franchise has itself been inactive in terms of new releases for almost as long as Uncharted has. Inherently, it’s not unreasonable to assume that if there was any Uncharted fan who wanted more games along those lines, the seven years that have passed since the release of the final game in the modern Tomb Raider trilogy have provided more than enough time for them to look into those games for their fix. So pointing to Tomb Raider hardly helps here.

Where hope comes from for Uncharted fans in these cases ends up being a very, very unlikely game– in more ways than one. This month, Microsoft will release MachineGames’ fantastic Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5. The game, which launched in December last year for Xbox Series X/S and PC to great acclaim, is being brought over to the PS5 as part of Microsoft’s continued multiplatform publishing push. Admittedly, the idea of a Microsoft game acting as a stand in for a flagship PlayStation franchise is hilarious, as is the idea that Indiana Jones, the granddaddy of Uncharted and Tomb Raider to begin with, has come in with an eleventh hour win here- but the game’s quality speaks for itself. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a marvelous single player action adventure game that really hits the perfect tone and aesthetic, takes players to multiple locations around the world on a globetrotting treasure hunting story, has a great historical fiction infused central plot and mystery, and has some really strong storytelling- which, of course, is typical for MachineGames.

They are obviously not perfect equivalents. Indiana Jones is largely a first person game, for starters, which creates a fundamental change to the flow of the moment to moment gameplay. It is also far less focused on combat than the Uncharted games. Naughty Dog’s franchise is, of course, so combat focused that it has given rise to a whole class of memes about how the series’ protagonist Nathan Drake is a mass murderer (and even led to the rise in awareness of ludonarrative dissonance, and what it may mean when it comes to video games). Anyone who has seen the Indiana Jones movies, of course, knows that that level of killing and violence isn’t exactly what the eponymous main character is known for. And so it makes sense that The Great Circle de-emphasizes action.

Instead, the game is designed almost like an immersive sim. Rather than guiding players through linear areas interspersing light platforming and puzzle solving with heavy combat encounters, The Great Circle moves players into small sandbox style semi open areas, giving players objectives but mostly leaving it to them to figure out how to go about them. In other words, it almost plays like an immersive sim lite. In any area, in any part of the game, Indiana Jones will have to contend with a lot of armed opponents, but he will rarely be shooting them away in grand shootouts. Instead, The Great Circle emphasizes stealth and melee combat, it emphasizes puzzles, and it emphasizes exploration and discovery within its areas for players to figure out how to progress.

This is a fundamentally different type of game than Uncharted in that sense. If you were in it purely for linear and high octane action packed gameplay, and the roller coaster style set pieces and combat encounters that Uncharted is known for, then little in The Great Circle would scratch that itch (though it does admittedly have some excellent set pieces). At the end of the day, it’s not really going for that sort of experience, so if that’s the sort of Uncharted-style game you’re looking for, your search for something new that fills that niche is sadly going to have to continue.

However, for other fans, who primarily want Uncharted’s pulpy, high octane, swashbuckling tone, its globe trotting adventure stories blending fact and fiction, for those fans who want Uncharted’s vibes more than anything, The Great Circle is a fantastic pick, one that carves out a very comfortable place for itself in the pantheon that Naughty Dog and Uncharted had monopolized for the better part of two decades now. That’s an amazing feat, and hopefully, MachineGames gets the chance to build on that with the follow up to this game.

As for Uncharted? Hopefully, a new one of those is on the horizon as well. Thankfully we have something great and new that has a lot of the same vibes– but MachineGames’ take on Indy is ultimately its own thing (which is arguably one of the reasons it’s so good, and doesn’t just suffer from a knock-off syndrome). It’s not the exact alchemy that led Uncharted to becoming one of the most beloved brands in the industry. When the next one of those is coming is anyone’s guess– in a couple of years, it will have been a whole ten years since the last time the franchise was active. Hopefully there’s a new release well before then.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

A major part of Skull and Bones moving into its second year is that there is a season reset. As part of this, players can only carry over up to 50,000 Pieces of Eight into the new season.

As for the story, Skull and Bones Year 2 Season 1 picks up right where Year 1 Season 4 left off with the reports of the DMC trying to strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean. Now, players will have to deal with an arms race between DMC and the Compagnie as they battle for control over the Indian Ocean. Along with all of this, there is also new technology being developed in the background, which can alter the course of war.

One of the major new features in the latest update to Skull and Bones is Item Ascension. Once players hit Infamy Tier 9, they will get the quest “Ascension and Modification”, which in turn will lead them to the Blacksmith where they can unlock the new feature. Through this, players can ascend their weapons with new modifications. Ascensions have three grades: Basic, Advanced, and Special.

Ascending an item also gives it Modification Slot, which can turn the item into an incredibly powerful tool for players to use in their adventures through the game.

For players that might want more challenge from the game, a new World Tier system has been added to Skull and Bones. With the pre-existing world being considered World Tier 1, players will be able to ascend up to World Tier 2: Cutthroat Seas when they reach the Kingpin Infamy Tier.

World Tier 2 will feature increased difficulty, but players will also start earning more loot and resources. Rewards across various activities, including world events, ships and towers, are increased when playing in World Tier 2.

A new ship-type has also been added to the game: the Schooner. Available after unlocking 45 tiers in the Smuggler Pass, the Schooner is a medium-sized ship that focuses on explosive damage. Its main perk is Fury, which, when activated, increases the damage and explosive effects of broadside weapons. A secondary perk, Volatile, can be unlocked at Ship Upgrade Rank 6, which further increases explosive damage while reducing weapon reload time.

The Honorless is a new time-limited event that will go live from May 6. Available until June 10, the event involves players taking on the titular Honorless for lucrative rewards that can be picked up at the event vendor. Rewards include the Divine Wind epic Bombard, the Kleine Kartouwe epic Demi-Cannon, and the Fuse-Fusing Station rare minor furniture.

Skull and Bones is available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details about the game, check out our review from its launch period.

The Edge of Fate could be the name of the upcoming expansion codenamed Apollo. Launching in mid-June, it includes new stories and locations (some brand new to the franchise), a new raid, the start of the next saga for Destiny 2, and the ability to choose your own story path.

The season consists of two major updates, Arsenal and Surge, one every three months adding new and reprised activities, gear and Artifact Mods, events, new raid weapons and more. Each will have a Rewards Pass containing a new Exotic weapon and ornament, cosmetics, Legendary gear ornaments, and resources.

Of course, we’re yet to know what all this could be, so stay tuned for more details in May. Destiny 2 is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. It’s currently in the middle of Act 3 of its third Episode, Heresy.

The new subclasses bring their own abilities, complete with unique cantrips, visual effects, and summons. The Oathbreaker Knight also receives new voiced dialogue to accompany the new Oath of the Crown Paladin.

The modding toolkit also gets a big update with partial level editing for items, characters and triggers, thus incentivizing bigger projects. It’s also a way for Larian Studios to “pass the torch” to the community.

For more details on Patch 8, check out the massive 48-page notes here. Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. While the developer is moving on to new projects, Hasbro said it will discuss more about the franchise’s future soon.

The new mission takes players back to Avarax, where they will have to take on a Trygon as a boss fight. The boss, according to the announcement, will make use of guerrilla tactics, and can go underground to pop up behind defensive lines. To help take on the boss, players will also have access to the new Inferno Pistol as a secondary weapon.

In the new mission, which is the ninth PvE mission part of the Operations mode in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, players are tasked with getting to an Adeptus Mechanicus facility where a Tech-Priest was last heard from refusing an order to withdraw. Players will have to fight their way through the facility and evaluate the status of the Tech-Priest.

The update also brings with it a host of new quality-of-life improvements, including the addition of Prestige Ranks and Prestige Rewards, reworked weapon perks, customisation options for the colour of cloth, tabards, and hoods, and custom PvP lobbies.

The new DLC added to the game as part of its season pass are the Space Wolves Chapter Pack, and the Imperial Fists Champion Pack. The first one brings with it a new Champion skin for the Vanguard class, weapon skins for the Chainsword, Bolt Carbine and Thunder Hammer, and more than 50 unique cosmetics from throughout the Space Wolves’ Great Companies.

The Imperial Fists Champion Pack includes a Champion skin for the Tactical class, along with a weapon skin for the Plasma Incinerator that also pays homage to the Sons of Dorn.

While content for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is being continuously developed, Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive had also confirmed back in February that the next game in the franchise had also begun development. Appropriately titled Space Marine 3, the game will feature a new campaign, as well as new multiplayer modes.

In the meantime, the publisher has confirmed that work on Space Marine 2 is still continuing, and that post-launch content support for the title is “far” from over.

For more details about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, check out our review. The title has been quite popular, having been played by more than 6 million players as of January.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Update 7.0 Patch Notes:

New Features:

• New PvE Operation: Exfiltration
• Prestige Ranks in PvE
• Private PvP Lobbies
• New Secondary Weapon in PvE and PvP: Inferno Pistol
• New customisation options: 2 new colours, Bulwark cloth colouring, hands colouring

New Season Pass content:

• Space Wolves Chapter Pack
• Imperial Fists Champion Pack

Gameplay & Balancing:

• Extended weapon arsenal in PvE
• Weapon perks updated in PvE
• Improved Matchmaking in PvE and PvP
• Various changes, bugfixes and improvements

While the remake of Gothic aims to be fairly faithful to the original when it comes to offering depth of gameplay as well as narrative, it will also feature some refinements to its gameplay and narrative that the studio hopes will elevate the classic RPG. This is along with a visual overhaul that makes use of more modern graphics technology and hardware.

“Our job was to find out what elements should stay exactly as they are and what elements should be expanded,” said studio director Reinhard Pollice. In the video, he explains that the narrative refinements being made to Gothic in the remake will mostly work to patch up inconsistencies, plot holes, and contradictions.

The studio is also focused on making sure that the Gothic remake features a believable, breathing open world that the original is known for. This goes beyond just setting up NPC schedules, according to lead game designer Javier Untoria. Rather, the studio wants to make a more in-depth living world.

“We’re not just configuring NPCs’ homes or schedules,” said Untoria. “We are creating a living world with a lot of character.”

The first Making Of video, released back in February, focused on the developers talking about the “essence” of Gothic. Throughout the video, developers spoke about wanting to tap into the key aspects of the original Gothic that have gone on to be beloved by its fans. This includes the lack of any sort of hand-holding, leaving players to figure things out on their own.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

The Gothic remake doesn’t yet have a release date. It will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. In the mean time, PC players can check out the Nyras Prologue demo that was released back in February as part of Steam Next Fest. While originally intended to be a limited-time demo, it is still available for free.

In the mean time, the original Gothic series is also available at discounted prices through the official THQ Nordic store. The discounts also apply to merchandise related to Gothic, including collector’s editions, mugs, glasses, and T-shirts.

For more details about the remake, check out 22 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay that was released back in February. The video showcased early parts of Gothic, and even highlighted one of the key aspects of the game: its brutal combat. We also got to see what early-game sections like the mines and adjoining countryside look like.

“Many players know about Concord, and what happened with that project,” wrote the developer. “Concord failed to inspire players, and the messages was heard loud and clear. It was gut wrenching to see our project fail, and be the laughing stock of many online. I have learned that failure, is what drives me to succeed. No one feels as bad as the people who put their time on the line, hoping it will entertain the masses of gamers across the globe. I am not asking for pity, or even sympathy because, after all this is the name of the game, you win or lose. The margin for success is very thin. I took a chance, and lost.”

The developer also talks about being excitement after getting a look at Marathon, as well as seeing the people working hard at making the game.

“Some of you probably smell blood in the water, and probably want to roast me for no longer lurking, and exposing myself,” they continued. “I hope you don’t, and see that people create these projects, and work very hard to be the next big thing. Seeing the faces of the developers on the Bungie stream, gave me hope, and excitement for what is to come for Marathon.”

“I commend them for taking a chance, trying something foreign to them, that isn’t proven, nor guaranteed to succeed. It takes a lot of courage.”

Further in the Reddit thread, the developer spoke about how players shouldn’t already be judging a game before its release. In a comment, they wrote that “to call [Marathon] a failure before it’s even out, is wild to me.”

Details about Marathon were revealed over the previous weekend with a gameplay showcase. Among the things revealed was the fact that Marathon will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 23, with a closed alpha test starting on April 23. At launch, the extraction shooter will feature 3 maps and 6 playable characters, referred to in-game as Runners.

In an interview, game director Joe Ziegler spoke about wanting to give players the polish they expect from a shooter developed by Bungie with layers of gameplay that will help players tell their own emergent stories through wins and losses in the gameplay sandbox.

“I do think that the ceiling could rise from where it’s at currently,” Ziegler said. “And part of that is I think that we have a whole generation of people who are growing up in sandbox experiences. We have [battle royale] players, we have players who are playing other sandbox shooters as their main game as they were growing up. And for them, they’re creating a lot of these stories, but a lot of the stories that they’re creating are framed by the systems that those games embrace, right?”

Marathon will not be a free-to-play game. Bungie, however, has not yet confirmed its price.

The brilliance of the cinematic short, written and directed by Albert Mielgo, earned universal praise. The mood around the gameplay is a different story altogether. Some praised the art direction; others found the assets flat and the smattering of colors unusual. Content creators lauded the gunplay and responsiveness, and considering the studio’s pedigree, you can at least be assured that pulling the trigger in Marathon will feel good.

However, others noted the lack of narrative, with Bungie itself confessing (at least per Skill Up) that there isn’t much story right now and that it would evolve with time. Character progression is tied to completing missions for factions and slightly improving your character’s actions. They don’t seem particularly at odds – forget their relative aim, you don’t even really interact with them, much less other players outside of matches.

Granted, all of these impressions are based on an alpha build, and there’s still plenty that Bungie could add or change in time for launch, which leads to another stickler – the price. Marathon isn’t a free-to-play title, but it’s also not full-priced (whether that means $60 or $70 is unknown). Its retail price is unknown, with more details coming this Summer, but the monetization is set, with a Battle Pass and seasonal model in place.

As director Joe Ziegler explained in the Friends Per Second Podcast regarding the decision not to go free-to-play, “Everyone’s got their own definition of the right price.” However, that’s doubly so when it comes to value. Some people may enjoy Marathon at launch even though it will only have six playable characters and three maps, with a fourth arriving after, which is valid.

It’s just as valid for fans and newcomers alike to look upon the current work and mildly despair for lack of content or game-changing features, much less anything that really sets it apart from the crowd outside of its visual style.

As someone who poured over a thousand hours, maybe more, into Destiny 1, and hundreds of hours into Destiny 2, Marathon isn’t necessarily meant for me, and Bungie acknowledges that. It advises against jumping in if you’re looking for a PvE-only experience since you eventually have to fight other players. There are some PvE elements since you can battle hostile NPCs and complete random field objectives, but it’s a far cry from the current structure in Destiny 2.

I’m not necessarily complaining because, despite all the doom and gloom post-The Final Shape, it’s still getting content updates and “expansions,” even if raids and long cinematic campaigns may be a thing of the past.

That’s not the biggest issue, though. Neither is the fact that PvP is much more grounded than the power fantasy in the Crucible or the lack of an underlying hook that really sets Marathon apart in today’s extraction shooter market. Or the fact that this has been in the works for over four years with more than 300 developers involved, among rumors of troubled development.

It’s that Bungie is shipping what’s seemingly the framework of a title, however nice it feels to play, and asking fans to foot the bill. No early access tag to tie it down and ensure some systemic level of obligation either (for whatever that’s worth in this day and age).

It sounds harsh but that’s pretty much what described the Year 1, Destiny 1 experience. Lackluster story, satisfying gameplay saddled with repetitive mission design and objectives, a laissez-faire faction system, and relatively simple character progression. Bungie can talk as much as it likes about building the game alongside players, taking feedback and whatnot, but charging them to essentially serve as testers is a little iffy.

And while Ziegler and his team are pretty upfront about what you should expect from Marathon at launch, plenty remains nebulous. The idea behind the seasonal model is that “every season should be a moment to go on adventures, commemorate them, and then, some of those commemorative elements you can use as expressive elements for yourself in the future, whether they be skins or titles or things like that as a new season starts – a new opportunity to go on a new adventure,” as told to GameSpot.

The onus is on the team to “make sure every adventure that every season offers is in and of itself different and feels different to create those new stories.” Let’s not get into the seasonal wipes where players’ inventories are reset to zero to ensure a clean slate.

Marathon could very well end up as one of Bungie’s biggest risks – not because of some major revolutionary feature that will forever change the genre (which it could very much do with). Instead, as a Destiny player from the outside looking in, it seems like yet another project that the studio wants you to stick with, through thick and thin, before it really becomes something. Anything.

If the first season doesn’t land, maybe you’re encouraged to stick around and see where things end up. Perhaps you’ll like certain elements, and they could improve with enough feedback. For all the backlash and outright hatred Bungie gets, it has shown a willingness to respond to player complaints, even if that can sometimes take months or years.

While there are plenty of negative reactions to Marathon for being an extraction shooter and yet another live-service title, which has been confirmed for a while, there’s also a significant section who are more confused than anything. Imagine newcomers watching that sleek cinematic and then watching the gameplay to see this basic-bones extraction shooter with a few intriguing mechanics (like not being able to immediately transfer items from other players’ death boxes, instead waiting for them to “decrypt”).

After a decade on the Bungie-certified rollercoaster across two titles and multiple expansions with dramatic upswings and mind-boggling dips, I’m unsure if I want to go again. However, that practice offers some kind of excitement for some long-term fans and new players – that they could indulge in something that feels good to play right now and will fundamentally improve with time. And credit where it’s due, Bungie does have a habit of pulling out the stops and surprising people, even when it’s seemingly on the back foot.

For the foreseeable future, I’m keen to take a “wait and watch” approach with Marathon. Forget its immediate competitors, who already have years of support and content to go with unique gameplay loops – it’s also competing against other major releases for your time and money. Whether its newness will be enough to carry the signature Bungie gunplay further into the future remains to be seen.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Among the content that got added to Forever Skies thanks to its 1.0 update are new biomies, a host of new locations, and several new points of interest to explore. The new biomes are dubbed Silent City and Overgrown Ruins. Each biome will have its own unique vibe, and will have different things that players can scavenge for. Check out the full patch notes of the update below.

Back when it had announced the 1.0 update release date for Forever Skies, Far From Home had also revealed a loose roadmap of future content for the game. Summer 2025, for instance, will be getting the Airship Expansion update. There is also a major content update planned for Fall 2025, and December will see a seasonal event.

Forever Skies 1.0 Patch Notes:

New content:

World

• The world has been split into 3 different Biomes, with unique visuals
  – Silent City
  – Overgrown Ruins
  – New Nature
• Different gates surround different biomes
  – The Wall
  – Charged Blockade
• New locations
  – Cosmodrome
  – Workshop
  – AI-Tree Surface Lift
  – AI-Tree Roots
• New small locations / POIs
  – Loot Containers
  – Luciferin POIs
  – Three unique Colossal Life Form POIs
• Murals
  – 20+ unique world murals

Story / Progression

• The story finale has been added with more than one possible ending
• New Research: Computers with blueprints for Airship parts
• Discoveries tab in the Studies menu showing all the collectibles (replacing Scanner tab)
• Lore tablets in the Ark Capsule Drop random event

Tools & Devices

• Cutting Tool
• Extractor module: Organic
• Mural Frame
• New Balloons
  – Bulky
  – Flat
  – Tech
• Three Colossal Life Form Eggs for airship decoration

Resources

• Luciferin
• Machine Scrap
• Technology Token
• Basic Research Part
• Advanced Research Part
• Unique Research Part

Settings & UI

• Ingredients Auto Crafting added – you can now craft items in printers for which you don’t have all the necessary components, but you have resources to craft them.
• Scalable UI (up to 120%)
• HUD elements highlights (Select Item, Flashlight, Helm’s Lock Speed) for better visibility of useful key shortcuts
• HUD discoveries count while exploring locations
• All action bar slots are possible to bind
• A UI widget that shows when the game is being saved
• Difficulty settings description added to the main menu when starting a game
• Building mode description added to the main menu when starting a game
• Database button to mark all entries as read
• Option to leave the game to the desktop from the Pause Menu
• Gamepad input settings to Settings
• DLSS Frame Generator

Changed:

World / Locations

• The Lower Greenhouse platform changed into a small early standalone location
• Locations and their surroundings changed their height/altitude to adjust them to the relevant biomes
• Dust color presets have been assigned to each biome to make them look more visually distinct from one another
• Rains less often (every 15 minutes, more or less)
• Clients’ weather, especially rain, should now be better synchronised with the host’s session (small issues may still appear, though)
• Locations general level art and level design pass
• Sewer lid under Sleeping Lilies moved to its correct position on Underdust: Suburbs
• Moth Swarms spawn time reduced
• World generation minor changes to prevent spawning locations on other locations
• Collisions on some locations adjusted

Story / Progression

• First Immunity drop moved from Greenhouse Tower to Underdust: Tunnels
• Second Immunity drop moved from Underdust: Tunnels to Overgrown Lift
• Researching Encrypted Data no longer needs Evolved Flora Hologram as its crafting component
• Food and Water tutorial quests made as optional
• Item economy balance to progress the main quest path has changed
• Extracting Biomass grants a blueprint for Biomass Fuel
• Organic Printer removed from the Blueprints menu

Tools / Devices

• All special rewards from the Kickstarter campaign, the Holiday event and the WDC charity DLC have been moved from Device Fabricator into Furniture Fabricator
• Airship decoration items moved from Device Fabricator into Furniture Fabricator
• Boosters research recipes moved from Device Fabricator to Suit Printer tab
• Crossbow research recipe moved from Device Fabricator to Suit Printer tab
• Medium Backpack research moved from Device Fabricator to Upgrade Fabricator
• Bolt’s research moved from Device Fabricator to Suit Printer
• Radar visual changed to highlight surrounding biomes better
  – Biomes representation on the outer ring
  – The biome you’re currently exploring is represented by the background colour
  – Murals icons added
  – Container icons added
  – World events icons added
• Filtering Deck Extractor now allows you to select Biomass for extraction
• Basic Turbine and Advanced Turbine now give not only an altitude bonus but also a maximum weight bonus (+50 / +100 respectively)
• Altitude bonus for Advanced Turbine is now +30 (instead of +20)
• Airship ascends/descends faster now – it’s permanent, not related to Turbines
• Repair Thrower and Airship Builder now has a longer-lasting battery
• Both Automatic Extractors need Crystal Batteries
• Small Backpack moved from New Nature Territory to Greenhouse Tower
• Medium Backpack moved from Underdust: Suburbs to New Nature Territory
• Plant Oil and Organic Fertilizer are the default Distiller recipes now
• Low stamina animation with Knife plays its animation faster
• Wrecked versions of Repair Thrower and Paint Tool added so they match all the other Wrecked tools research process
• Crossbow bolts tweaked for a better lifespan, especially on long distances, e.g. for destroying the 3rd Biome gates
• Automatic Deck Extractor size reduced
• Automatic Deck Extractor crafting recipe changed (Fiberglass added)
• Metal Collector cannot be moved when there are some Metals gathered already
• Better detection range of Garden Pots placed under Sprinklers, less probability of those not being watered down with Sprinklers
• Sprinklers watering time reduced
• Sprinklers work when Garden Pots are out of water only
• Garden Pots collisions reduced so they can be placed closer together
• Paint Tool now contains 4 basic paints after acquiring this tool

Airship

• The Ladder Room module now has a proper ladder matching climbing animation
• Landing the airship at high speed will no longer cause damage

Resources / Balance

• Changes to flying debris:
  – Silicon is found in the Silent City biome
  – Biomass is found in the Overgrown Ruins biome
  – Glass is found in the New Nature biome
• Repair Patch stacks improved from 5 to 10
• Biomass stacks changed from 50 to 100
• Solid State Battery and Upgrade Fabricator crafting cost reduced
• Paint Tool moved from Furniture Fabricator to Suit Printer
• Energy Crystals are now craftable
• Fiberglass is now craftable
• All Keycards no longer need Access Modules as crafting ingredients
• Costs for crafting Polymer changed from 3 to 5 Plant Oil stacks
• Picking up a Firecracker plant now rewards with its fruits (with a random chance on getting its seed)
• Artifacts can’t be recycled anymore – they can only be sold in Artifacts Printers on the Dust Territories only
• Plants from the Overgrown Ruins biome need Organic Fertilizer for their growth process aboard your airship
• Plants that are pickable in Underdust locations only need Dust Fertilizer for their growth process aboard
• Radio Towers artifacts pool raised (from initial 2 to 6), so players can find a bigger variety of items
• Glowweed Seeds added as a loot on Infected Gardens
• Glowweed Seeds added and Petit Bruiseflower removed from Overgrown Lift
• Some plant spoiling timers were prolonged
• Rebalancing research and craft recipes
• Stacks Balance
  – Energy Crystal: 10->50
  – Polymer: 20->50
  – Epoxy: 20->50
  – Transformer: 10->25
  – Machine Parts: 25->50
  – Synthetic Compound: 25->50
  – Luciferin: 20->50
  – Solid State Battery: 10->25
  – Upgraded Battery: 10->25
  – Copper Element: 25->50
  – Virus samples 1->10
• Energy Crystals can now be found on both Wild Habitat and New Nature Territory
• Energy Crystals can now be found in the Colossal Life Form cave in the New Nature biome
• Stamina Booster is now a reward from extracting Photophobia Virus Sample (previously assigned to Pyrexia)
• Biomass Fuel crafting recipe changed (Clean Water >> Dirty Water)
• Lobster Pepper plants added to Greenhouse towers again
• All Plants should have their boiled versions (instead of an Overcooked Meal)
• Synchronize the growing times with the water quantity in the soil

Settings / UI

• Blueprint menu adjusted to uniform UI look
• Database entries stripped of any irrelevant data (like edible and nutrients sections)
• Suit Printer tab moved to the leftmost space in the Research Station
• Cooldowns to many repeatable VOs and message log lines
• Distiller message log informs about finishing the whole process instead of every stack of distilled liquid
• Hold time on an Insect Catcher device reduced
• Hold time on picking up placeable objects has been reduced
• Removed greyed out layer from locked slots, color change and paddle shake added instead
• Slight change in a selected inventory slot for better visibility
• Removed color coding from object health indicator, outline added instead
• Minor changes in UI for localization purposes
• Inventory gamepad bindings – “Move” is on Facebutton Bottom (X/A) and “Use” is on Facebutton Left (Square/X)
• Posters were rescaled
• Database icons and backgrounds adjusted
• Simplified controller’s Adaptive Triggers conditions for some tools

Other

• Clients can’t join the session while the host is operating lift to or from Underdust locations to prevent further session problems
• Elevator ride “interactive loading screen” changed not to generate so many frame drops
• Scrapwing Hatchery no longer spawns when all players are sleeping at the same time
• Insect Catcher sound tweaked
• Player breathing sounds tweaked
• Player coughing sounds for Dust tweaked (oxygen threshold for coughing lowered)
• Ladder climbing sounds tweaked
• The virus, which the player is infected with, is named Grey Plague and updated in the Database entries
• Only the first intake of the Cure plays its animation
• Viewing Corner dimensions adjusted
• Stair Rooms dimensions adjusted
• Inverted Cockpit model adjusted
• General texts polish
• Many optimization works to boost the performance of the game
  – Further optimization of airship flight physics
  – Elevator rides should be less choppy
  – The intro movie should play more smoothly
  – Hosting a co-op game should now be less taxing on the host’s CPU
  – Other CPU-side optimization
  – Draw call reductions
  – Lighting optimization
  – Reduction of memory consumption of models and textures

Fixes:

• Fixed a bug where Thunderstorms were looping indefinitely, which resulted in lowering performance
• Corner View room tops do not overlap with floors anymore, and its glass material has been corrected to standard airship modules’ glass
• Hanging Cabinet pivot lined with the center of the cabinet
• Fixed collisions on Infected Garden, blocking entry to one of the location branches
• Large Bloom Two-Deck Cockpit icon changed to a proper one
• Fixed a bug where the player could pick up Thorn Bee Hive, resulting in bees staying in the world forever
• Fixed a bug where players could rescue two Friendly Insect pets
• Fixed a bug where players couldn’t join a co-op session if their Steam names included some special characters
• Fixed a bug where clients in co-op sessions didn’t see plants growing
• Fixed a bug where non-picked-up items in buildings containing Wrecked Objects needed for main quest progression (e.g. Wrecked Basic Turbine) appeared again floating mid-air on the next visited locations
• Fixed a rare bug where the Sleeping screen (when a player got exhausted) didn’t fill the whole screen
• Fixed a bug where the Friendly Insect animation breaks when more than one player tries to pet it at the same time
• Fixed a bug where eating Green Colander raw treated the Pyrexia disease
• Fixed a bug where players caught anything other than Dust Moths during the tutorial
• Fixed a bug where clients in a co-op session didn’t see the dust on the Underdust: Suburbs
• Airship shouldn’t get stuck in a location’s geometry
• Fixed a bug where Charged Blockade sound wasn’t playing properly
• Fixed a bug where both biome gates weren’t playing sounds
• Underdust: Suburbs level design tweaked so Mantis enemies do not get stuck in the floor
• Fixed a bug where clients in a co-op session saw incorrect Docking Plank movement
• Fixed a bug where the Blueprints screen showed placeholder items on the first opening
• Fixed some bugs with levitating items
• Fixed bugs with the wrong interactive material setup for some objects
• Fixed a rare bug where the healing sound from a Medical Station didn’t end after healing was completed
• Fixed a bug where trigger for running a lift was present on the whole lift
• Fixed a bug where new Room frames were weirdly rotated in ghost mode
• Fixed a bug where player was stuttering while snapped to Helm during flight
• Fixed a bug where Filtering Bottle was showing durability 0/0 after crafting
• Fixed a bug where player could block themselves when building Balloon Core
• Fixed a bug when player is using a gamepad and is in the splitting menu, pressing anything on the mouse causes them to lose focus
• Fixed a bug with Dust shader visible on entering both combat locations
• Fixed a bug where Copper Elements on the Lower Wind Farm could be picked up again after saving and loading a game
• Fixed a bug where Alternator switch doors weren’t working on Underdust: Suburbs
• Fixed a bug with the wrong message being played and shown in the log when Engines were being placed
• Fixed a bug where items dropped on the airship were detached from it after save / load
• Fixed a bug where Moth Swarms were blocking players from interacting with world objects (no triggers were shown)
• Fixed a bug where some objects in a Greenhouse Tower weren’t visible for clients in a co-op session
• Fixed a bug where players couldn’t use the Artifact Trade Station properly with a controller
• Fixed a bug where clients in a co-op session saw some strange items in the middle of Underdust: Suburbs
• Fixed a bug where clients in a co-op session stopped seeing the Dust after they returned to the same location for the second time
• Fixed a bug where the crosshair disappeared after opening and closing the pause Menu
• Fixed a bug where clients, after joining a co-op session, saw an empty Radar (and it got refreshed only after moving the airship)
• Fixed a bug where some in-game screens lost their focus and couldn’t be interacted with when using a controller
• Fixed a bug where resources on a Standard Wind Farm lower landing pad were visible & floating midair after scanning the Wrecked Basic Turbine and then visiting a different Standard Wind Farm
• Fixed a bug where consuming items from dropped stacks removed the whole stack but gave a boost from a single item only
• Fixed a bug where clients, after joining a co-op session, couldn’t see the quest log on their HUD
• Fixed a bug where the Garden Pots preview stayed visible after the player moved the Sprinklers
• Fixed a bug where the ghost previews for Garden Pots, flickered while the airship was moving
• Fixed a bug where the Select Item menu was opening when the player wanted to pick up an object from the ground with a controller
• Fixed a rare bug where a client in a co-op session saw the Extractor ray pointed in a weird direction instead of towards the extracted object
• Fixed a bug with the player changing their look direction after using the Select Item menu with a controller
• Fixed a bug where Descent to the Underdust “!” mark stayed on the Radar after leaving this location
• Fixed a bug where Radar was placed upside down after loading a game or moving it
• Fixed a bug where player could lock their movement after using Cure from any container other than the inventory
• Fixed a bug where Friendly Insect Pet stayed in its cage after being rescued by a client in a co-op session
• Fixed a bug where Medical Station collisions prevented placement of other devices on the floor down below it
• Fixed a bug where a player standing from a chair could’ve been flying and falling off an airship
• Fixed a bug where a player using a controller had an additional, invisible row between Inventory and Backpack
• Fixed a bug where Friendly Insect Pet could get lost forever after player death
• Fixed a bug where Soft Cushion could be lost when placed on Catwalks and taken by a Scrapwing Hatchery
• Fixed a bug where blueprints in Artifact Trade Station and Technology Printer could be bought more than once
• Fixed a bug where the player couldn’t switch filters on an empty container of a Filtering Deck Extractor
• A set of vines, which could spawn on Wild Habitat arenas removed
• Level design and level art improved in some locations for a better exploration
• Several of the most common sources of a crashing game have been removed
• Final texture added to the recharge strap of the Extractor tool

Known Issues:

• There’s a rare bug where the radial menu (C key bind) stops working and requires a save and reload to start working again
• There is a bug where the player’s position while using the Medical Station change when an airship is flying

As lead systems designer Kyle Koenig told IGN First, “We’ve significantly increased the number of Perks with over 90 of them – each requiring various Skills to unlock. As you invest in Skills, it changes how you can invest in Perks and leads you down many different paths.” For example, Run and Gun allows one to fire a shotgun, SMG and assault rifle while sprinting and sliding. Pretty potent, but it shines even more with the bullet-time-esque Tactical Time Dilation.

Space Ranger, on the other hand, buffs damage based on Speech and opens up new dialogue options. “The way we looked at them when designing them was to look at all the different modes of gameplay the player has, and what are all the actions they can take and how can we modify them.”

It’s also possible to build around different types of elemental damage. As Koenig notes, “Even if you want to mix and match them, you can be a character that’s all about plasma and burning things alive while getting healing from it – or using shock damage to scramble automechs and have them fight for you temporarily while paralyzing creatures and humans – or using corrosive damage to take away all their armor and make it so all your attacks against them are critical hits that deal insane amounts of damage.”

If you’re someone who thrives off slaying NPCs, Psychopath and Serial Killer are the ticket, permanently increasing your max health. “Especially in an Obsidian game where we allow you to kill anybody – the game’s going to respond, it’s going to roll with it, and you’re going to still be able to complete the game. It’s actually a really fun way to play in a second or third playthrough to see how far you can take it,” said design director Matt Singh.

Launching later this year, The Outer Worlds 2 sees players controlling an Earth Directorate agent who ventures to Arcadia to stop an outbreak of rifts. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC (including Battle.net), with a Direct scheduled for June 8th.