Gearbox decided to put the Homeworld license to some good use this year, with the release of the first new Homeworld game in over a decade. Deserts of Kharak is a great, hell of a story based real time strategy game that recalls the classic games in its genre of the years past. It’s a title more focused about using the genre to deliver an epic single player story, than it is about sidelining the campaign in favor of some eSports guided multiplayer push.
You’re probably going to need help if you want to achieve everything that there is to achieve in Deserts of Kharak. And so, here we have ready for you a full guide- this guide includes a list of upgrades and unlocks, a guide to expeditions, and some general suggestions and tips for the game.
So without further ado, let’s get on with it:
TECH UPGRADES AND UNLOCKS
Like any strategy game worth its salt, Deserts of Kharak presents the player with a tantalizing set of possibilities in the form of an enormous tech tree. The tech tree represents further upgrades that you can unlock for yourself by researching them over time. To the newcomer, these tech trees can be flat out daunting and overwhelming- so we’ve decided to at least list them out here with their benefits and type, so you can make a decision if you need or want to.
Level 1
- Support Cruiser Anti-Air
Support Cruisers get anti-air capabilities
Upgrade
Unlocks nothing - Power Reserve 1
Gives 5 more power to Carrier
Upgrade
Unlocks – Power Reserve 2 - Light Assault Vehicle Fabrication
Opens LAV
Engineering Type
Unlocks – Railgun, AAV, LAV Assault Pack, LAV Armor Level 1
Level 2
- AAV Fabrication
You can make armored tanks
Engineering Type
Unlocks- Upgrade Carrier Production, Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 1, Missile Battery, Battle Cruiser, Assault Cruiser - LAV Assault Pack
LAV enhanced with 2 armor
Upgrade
Unlocks – Vehicle Damage Level 1 - Power Reserve 2
Carrier gets 5 more power
Upgrade
Unlocks – Power Reserve 3 - Tech Fighter and Gunship Fabrication
Opens fighters
Engineering Type
Unlocks – Tactical Bomber Fabrication - Railgun Fabrication
Railgun fabrication allowed
Engineering Type
Unlocks- Railgun Mag Accelerator Upgrade
Level 3
- Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 1
Adds 2 armor to AAV, Railgun, Missile Battery
Upgrade
Unlocks – Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 2 - Vehicle Damage Level 1
LAV gets 2 more damage
Upgrade
Unlocks – Vehicle Damage Level 2 - Battle Cruiser Fabrication
Battle cruiser unlocked
Engineering
Unlocks nothing - Assault Cruiser Fabrication
Assault cruiser unlocked
Engineering
Unlocks – Assault Cruiser Anti-Air Capabilities, Artillery Cruiser - Upgrade Carrier Production
Upgrades carrier production by giving additional production queue
Upgrade
Unlocks – Upgrade Carrier Production - LAV Armor Level 2
LAV gets 2 armor
Upgrade
Unlocks Nothing - Power Reserve 3
Carrier gets 5 more power
Upgrade
Unlocks Power Reserve 4
Level 4
- Assault Cruiser Anti-Air
Assault cruiser gets anti-air capabilities
Upgrades
Unlocks nothing - Vehicle Damage Level 2
LAV gets 2 more damage
Upgrade
Unlocks nothing - Upgrade Carrier Production
Gives additional production queue
Upgrade
Unlocks nothing - Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 2
AAV, Railgun, and Missile Battery get 2 armor
Upgrade
Unlocks – Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 3 - Artillery Cruiser Fabrication
Artillery cruiser unlocked
Engineering
Unlocks nothing - Power Reserve 4
Carrier gets 5 more power
Upgrade
Unlocks – Power Reserve 5
Level 5
- Power Reserve 5
Carrier gets 5 more power
Upgrade
Unlocks – Cruise Missile Silo - Heavy Vehicles Armor Level 3
2 Armor added to AAV, Railgun, Missile Battery
Upgrade
Unlocks nothing
Level Nukes
- Cruise Missile Silo
Takes half a carrier’s health and 2-minute cooldown
Upgrade
Unlocks nothing
GENERAL TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a rather nuanced and complicated real time strategy game. Fans of the original game, or of other classic RTSs, should be able to get a handle on it very quickly- especially since the new game basically uses a control scheme and mechanics that are all but identical to the original game (which got a remastered release last year).
However, whether you’re a veteran or a complete newbie, a crash course on some basic but helpful tips can’t hurt. Here are some basic tips and strategies you should keep in mind:
- Use the overlay map. You activate it by pressing [Space], and it takes you to a stripped down view of the map, which lets you issue orders to to your units far easier.
- Double click a unit, and all units of that type will be automatically selected.
- Use the EMP ability that Rachel S’Jet has to disable multiple units if you are ever being mobbed or swarmed.
- Rachel also repairs units.
- Observe enemy units, and try to learn their movement and attack patterns. Use that knowledge to your advantage.
- Kapisi Carriers are basically tanks- they can take a lot of beating, as long as they are managed properly. Keep an eye on their power levels, and make sure they are not too close to running out of health, and they can be used to hold back an attack.
- Finally, don’t complete tasks assigned to you by missions straight away. Take the time first to bolster up your resources and your defenses, and when you feel confident enough to proceed, you can do so.
ERRORS AND GLITCHES
Please be advised that the following methods are to be used at the sole discretion of the platform owner. GamingBolt or its staff members take no responsibility for problems that may arise or issues that may occur from trying the below. Always remember that official support is always the best support.
Access Violation/KERNELBASE.DLL error
- Verify game cache files on Steam to restore any missing .dll files.
“Your Game Crashed” error
- Verify game cache files on Steam to restore any missing files.
Framerate issues
- Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is not optimized for overlays and background applications and operations. Turn off the Steam overlay;
- If that does not work, switch your game to lower settings.
Game crashes to the desktop randomly
- Make sure you are not running the game on an integrated GPU- switch over to your discrete one.
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