The update revamps the gameplay, overhauling armor and weapon classes with changes to directional damage bonus and weapon penetration. The tech tree has seen a balancing pass, and a new Reinforce function is available for all modes. War Games has been updated with 45 new Artifacts (including Ultimate Artifacts) and an Interstitials System, which features three new encounters.

As for the paid DLC, it includes the Somtaaw and Taiidan factions for War Games. The former offers two new fleets and units – the Acolyte and Storm Frigate – alongside ten new challenges and 32 Artifacts. The latter also includes two new fleets, 11 new units, 52 Artifacts, and ten challenges.

Homeworld 3 is available exclusively on PC. Check out our review. As for the franchise’s future and what Blackbird Interactive has in store next, stay tuned for updates.

Homeworld 3 Patch 1.3 Update Notes

Game Patch Highlights

All Game Modes:

Extensive combat balance tuning:

• Overhaul and tuning of armor and weapon classes
  – Reworked weapon penetration
  – Reworked directional damage bonus
• Strengthening unit roles and identities (strengths, weaknesses, counters, etc.)
• Balance Tuning
• More!
• Improvements to ship combat behavior and unit responsiveness
• Tech tree balancing pass
• Resourcing changes
• New “Reinforce” ability added in all modes

War Games:

• 45 new artifacts
  – Ultimate Artifacts!

New Interstitials System

– 3 Interstitials encounters
– 9 New challenges

Updated Tech Trees for War Games Fleets

Skirmish:

• Hyperspace & Hyperspace Inhibitor abilities added to Skirmish mode
• Improved the pacing and flow between early game, midgame, and endgame play in Skirmish, with a focus on strategic decision making
• Tactical Missile abilities added to both the Hiigaran Mothership and the Incarnate Titanship
• New Skirmish Tech Tree
• New AI player “Personas”
• Heightened AI player difficulty

Campaign:

• Pacing changes
  – Added “player controlled mission end” to more missions

Gunfire Games will reveal more details closer to launch, but The Dark Horizon promises to be the “most expansive DLC” for the title yet. The reason for pushing back the release is to ensure more time to deliver “the best possible experience that you deserve.”

Alongside the DLC, the developer is also working on a new game mode that will be free for all players. A new progression system is also in the works. While The Dark Horizon is the final paid DLC, it’s not confirmed whether it marks the end of support for the co-op shooter. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Remnant 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review for the base game here. You can also read our thoughts on the first DLC, The Awakened King, and the second, The Forgotten Kingdom.

Up to three players can venture through the landscape, tackling enemies and collecting materials before facing the various bosses dotting the regions. The goal of the Breakers is to light the beacons and take out the Abyss King, which is easier said than done. Fortunately, as players build their home base and unlock new upgrades, they’ll stand a better chance.

Hyper Light Breaker features many of the same fundamentals as Hyper Light Drifter, though players have new traversal methods like hoverboards and gliders. There are two separate dashes for exploration and combat alongside new weapons and abilities to leverage. Stay tuned for more details and updates on early access in the coming weeks.

As Valah traverses levels, she’ll dash through obstacles, grind on rails, double-jump and bash enemies. Her drone, AYO, helps her glide through the air and tag the environment below en route to the more impressive graffiti spots. Valah can also activate the Defacer to pick up speed and continue chaining together traversal techniques.

Earning currency allows for purchasing entirely new outfits or separate clothing pieces like jackets, tops, skirts, sneakers and more. Valah can also customize her graffiti and AYO in different ways.

RKGK / Rakugaki retails for $19.99 on Steam. No other platforms have been announced, but stay tuned for updates.

Recently, prior to its release, we had the chance to reach out members of Homeworld 3’s development team at Blackbird Interactive to ask about some of the game’s biggest improvements and additions, and learned quite a bit in the process. You can read our conversation with the devs below.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.

"For us, it involved a lot of experimenting and listening to players to find that balance and figure out how we can modernize aspects of Homeworld without sacrificing what made it so distinct."

Homeworld 3 is coming more than two decades after its predecessor came out. What has the process been like of ensuring that it captures the series’ unique identity while also modernizing the experience? Has that balance been especially hard to strike for a franchise that has the kind of legacy and fanbase that Homeworld does?

Iain Myers (Senior Producer): The task of nailing the feel and experience of the original Homeworld games while bringing the gameplay up to the standards of modern RTS conventions has been exceptionally challenging. Homeworld is a series fueled by enormous amounts of nostalgia. Fans have been waiting literal decades for a new installment that really captures the scale and splendor of the originals.

But with a fanbase as big as ours, there are also a lot of differences in opinion on what the ingredients of Homeworld truly are. For example, though the controls from previous Homeworld games are definitely a bit arcane and unwieldy, some players absolutely love them. So, for us, it involved a lot of experimenting and listening to players to find that balance and figure out how we can modernize aspects of Homeworld without sacrificing what made it so distinct.

The story was always an important part of the Homeworld games, but given how long the series has been dormant, was there ever any trepidation for you as developers about how closely Homeworld 3’s narrative should be tied to its predecessors? For instance, was the idea of a reboot ever considered?

Lance Mueller (Game Director): We thought long and hard about the story for Homeworld 3. As we refined the story, we found that anything going too far from an extension of what Homeworld 2 had set up felt too disconnected. Through this process, we found a premise that really stood out to us all: A new adventure to discover the fate of Homeworld’s original protagonist, Karan S’jet, and a mysterious, destructive Anomaly shutting down the hyperspace gates that connected the galaxy and its peoples together.

Homeworld 3 is set to feature fully 3D modeled and voiced cutscenes. How significantly is that going to enhance the game’s narrative and storytelling ambitions?, especially compared to previous entries?

Dylan Brown (Vice President, Animation Studios, Blackbird Interactive): The idea to tell Homeworld 3’s story through fully-rendered 3D cinematics and voiced cutscenes stemmed from our desire to expand upon the incredible storytelling of the previous Homeworld games. If you zoom out and look at the whole series, there’s always been this theme of discovery in Homeworld. Discovering your ancient past, discovering you’re not alone in the universe, discovering unfathomable, ancient power and the consequences of trying to wield that power. But across each game, there’s also this sense of discovery in how the story pulls back the curtain just a little more on who its primary characters are and the factions and societies they fight for. Homeworld 3’s 3D-rendered cutscenes and characters are a very natural progression of that journey. It’s about giving players an even closer glimpse into this universe, the factions within it, and the characters who bring it all to life.

"We thought long and hard about the story for Homeworld 3. As we refined the story, we found that anything going too far from an extension of what Homeworld 2 had set up felt too disconnected."

Megaliths are looking like they’re going to be one of Homeworld 3’s most interesting additions. Can you tell us about the biggest ways they’re going to impact the flow of battles?

Mueller: Terrain is a game-changer for engagements in Homeworld 3. When engaged in long battles players will be able to move in and out of the terrain to block incoming fire and try to stop flanking maneuvers from hostile forces. Megaliths add more strategic variety and ways to soften ship counters.

You’ve spoken in the past about terrain is going to be a major factor for players to keep in mind with Homeworld 3. What can you tell us about how players will be able to work it into their strategies both in and out of battles?

Mueller: Players are going to be able to ambush, kite, and set up defensive lines in and around terrain. This will change how players play against each other and the AI. Using the far side of a Megalith, players will be able to lure hostile forces into a barrage of fire of waiting ships and turrets. Tunnels and trench runs will allow ships to move undetected around the map so players will need to place scouting ships to make sure hostiles don’t flank you and take out your resource lines.

How did the idea of War Games first come about? Was it a case of wanting to modernize the Homeworld experience with a fresh, new mode, or is it something that the series’ core gameplay elements just naturally lend themselves to?

Mueller: We knew we wanted to do a new mode for Homeworld 3. Something that created variety and unique gameplay experiences. With that we were looking at what games and game modes transfer the best. Risk of Rain 2 ended up being the game that we loved and thought brought so much of what Homeworld does well. So much of the gameplay of Homeworld works in a roguelike and we tried to build as much fun and unique gameplay experiences as we could into this exciting new mode.

The follow-up to classic strategy games, Homeworld 3 takes place a hundred years after the events of Homeworld 2. The game features a new protagonist from the S’Jet family—Imogen S’Jet—who has to take on the role of Fleet Command in order to figure out the mystery surrounding Karan S’Jet’s disappearance.

Alonogside a new single-player campaign, Homeworld 3 also features a new co-op mode that fuses the game’s RTS gameplay with elements of roguelike games, dubbed War Games. Players get to take on a series of combat missions, each presenting unique challenges. Alongside solo mode, the War Games mode also allows for co-op for up to three players together.

The studio has also revealed a content roadmap, featuring free and paid content coming to Homeworld 3 throughout the year and going into 2025. As part of the roadmap, Homeworld 3 will get plenty of free content, such as new maps, challenges, and War Games content, as well as paid DLC in the form of playable factions fleets, and artifacts and challenges.

For more details on Homeworld 3, check out our review.

However, for a true-blue sequel to happen, it took a whopping 21 years. Homeworld 3 is finally here, though, and while it won’t necessarily blow you away, there’s enough solid sci-fi strategy goodness to keep you going.

"Overall, the signature tone of the previous games – of being isolated and alone in space, a mere speck in a much bigger conflict – is still very much intact."

The story concerns the disappearance of Karan S’Jet, a central character from the previous titles, during a mission to leverage the hyperspace gates spread through the universe. Not much is known about her disappearance, save for the mysterious Anomaly’s containment. As the new navigator and Karan’s successor, Imogen, players control the Khar-Kushan, a state-of-the-art mothership, with Intel Officer Isaac Paktu at the helm and embark on a journey to perhaps stop the Anomaly.

Thematically, Homeworld 3 is more gritty military sci-fi. That can often mean less heroics and more grounded sacrifices, though Imogen and Isaac serve to humanize many of the more grim occurrences. Throughout all of this, there’s also an air of mystery as the navigator witnesses strange visions whilst jumping through hyperspace, struggling to understand them. Not every line is a winner – some of it is seemingly trying too hard for a weighty feel (and there are instances of some dialogue overlapping others), but it’s executed for the most part.

Aside from these two, the fleet and personnel of the Khar-Kushan make themselves known through chatter during missions. It’s not overbearing and updates you on their combat status, which is useful and adds to the atmosphere. Overall, the signature tone of the previous games – of being isolated and alone in space, a mere speck in a much bigger conflict – is still very much intact. That’s further helped by the presentation, with extensive cutscenes before and during missions, the latter sometimes interrupting the pacing as missions evolve and enemies make themselves apparent.

Nevertheless, the visuals are stunning throughout, whether you’re reactivating data ports to get a warp gate working again as enemies pop out of the derelict architecture, navigating a dense nebula which makes it challenging to spot foes at a distance, and even surviving an asteroid field. Performance is relatively solid, though things can get heavy as you zoom out and dozens of units collide with enemy forces. While the voice-acting is spot-on throughout, the music is particularly endearing as heavy drums resound as the tension picks up.

"If that weren’t enough, you can also research upgrades for the Mothership and each ship type, activate different abilities, direct Resource Collectors to capture enemy ships and add them to your fleet and more."

Even if you haven’t played any previous Homeworld titles, some aspects of Homeworld 3 will feel familiar. Your Mothership packs enough firepower, deploying resource collectors and defending itself from smaller ships. It can also produce small Recon fighters that are quick and cheap but lack much resilience, especially against Frigates and Carriers. As you progress, you unlock the ability to create Interceptors that are more skilled at dogfighting, Bombers that can briefly cloak and make short work of bigger ships, and so on. There are caps on the number of ships you can build, so finding the right amount of Railgun Corvettes, Ion Frigates, Assault Frigates and Support Frigates to go with your fighters is paramount.

You can utilize different formations, each with unique functions – the V-shaped Delta is ideal for spreading ships and reducing AoE damage, while the Wall Formation is more suited for concentrated firepower against capital ships. Formations can be switched on the fly to balance out maneuverability and damage, while a ship’s stance – which determines whether it’s relentlessly aggressive or neutral, only reacting when necessary – can also be set beforehand.

If that weren’t enough, you can also research upgrades for the Mothership and each ship type, activate different abilities, direct Resource Collectors to capture enemy ships and add them to your fleet and more. That last bit is important if you want to leverage enemy technology and gain an early advantage, especially since units carry over between missions.

It can seem overwhelming, especially when factoring in the Z-axis and approaching targets from above and below. Formations also tend to break down in battle, and considering the different weaknesses of each ship type in the middle of a battle can induce some panic. Fortunately, you have a Tactical Pause for either slowing down or completely stopping the action while you think through different situations. I opted for Modern controls, which were responsive enough when selecting batches of ships and assigning tasks to each type. The pathfinding of ships, especially Recon units, left something to be desired when navigating tunnels, but it was only an occasional nuisance.

"While more akin to a wave-based survival mode than a rogue-lite crawl through various locations, War Games is still a fun distraction and it’s set to grow over time with more content planned."

Mission design could feel a bit repetitive, with some objectives falling back on the standard “Navigate to three points to capture or analyze.” Nevertheless, Blackbird Interactive suffuses some surprises throughout, whether it’s introducing a new enemy ship type, or flipping the script. A mission primarily focused on stealth capturing different data points can suddenly turn into an all-out war against a mysterious carrier.

Another could see you fighting off all odds while the Mothership desperately attempts to get its hyperspace drive back online. Furthermore, sitting back and watching some space battles unfold can be hypnotizing, even as Imogen cautions about mounting losses. I enjoyed the use of cover in some instances, as both allied and enemy ships weaved through portions of rubble, while turrets positioned on capture points provided support.

Though I didn’t try out the online multiplayer, Homeworld 3 does have plenty of other content to keep you busy. There’s the standard Skirmish for engaging in battles with and against up to six players (including AI combatants) with parameters for end conditions, starting resources and more, with six maps available. War Games will probably be the more attractive solo and co-op option – it’s a roguelike mode where players can choose a Fleet Type (which determines their starting fleet) and partake in PvE combat.

"Homeworld 3 isn’t a game-changer for the franchise – it’s not going to uplift it or set new standards for the genre as a whole."

You can opt for different difficulty modifiers, like greater enemy incursions, reduced resources, additional objectives, and so on, to really up the challenge. They also add to the XP earned, used to unlock additional Fleet Types. There are also Artifacts to discover when completing objectives and salvaging wreckage, which can provide significant upgrades towards runs, increasing your chance of survival. While more akin to a wave-based survival mode than a rogue-lite crawl through various locations, War Games is still a fun distraction and it’s set to grow over time with more content planned.

As noted earlier, Homeworld 3 isn’t a game-changer for the franchise – it’s not going to uplift it or set new standards for the genre as a whole. Instead, it offers tight strategy gameplay with a few hiccups, a relatively polished technical experience (with only a handful of bugs encountered during my playthrough), and an intriguing story with a compelling mystery. Its additional modes provide further longevity for those who enjoy the combat, and the presentation is noteworthy. All of this adds up to an experience that’s more than the sum of its parts, even as some stand out more than others.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Set after the events of Homeworld 2, the sequel sees the Hiigarans at war with a new threat in The Anomaly. With a new mothership and Imogen S’jet as its Navigator, players embark on a journey through the system, fending off attacks, collecting resources, building new units and more. New units are unlocked as the campaign progresses, though you can also capture enemy ships and deploy them as your own.

Homeworld 3 adds several new features with the classic formula, from cover mechanics via derelict gateways to ship abilities that can turn the tides. It also features a new rogue-like mode, War Games, which supports up to three players in co-op. Check out our feature for more details.

Valah can glide through environments with the help of a drone, grind on railings and dash through the air. Chain together different traversal techniques and activate Defacer for even more style, eventually culminating in tagging a central objective. The graffiti style is reminiscent of Jet Set Radio mixed with cyberpunk, but with cel-shading and movement that calls Hi-Fi Rush to mind.

Of course, you can also discover secrets and hidden paths, with options for customizing Vallah’s look and paint included. Throughout the game, Valah will have to face B Corp’s powerful robots throughout levels and Mr. Buff, capable of mind-controlling citizens. Stay tuned for more details en route to its launch.

SETTING

It’s been a long time since Homeworld 2, but its sequel is set to pick things up where it left off. The 2003 title ended with protagonist Karan S’jet emerging victorious over the Vaygr, following which the discovery of an ancient network of intergalactic hyperspace gates brought about a new era of booming trade and progress throughout the entire galaxy. Predictably enough, however, that era of peace seems to be coming to an end, with a new threat casting its shadow over the galaxy.

STORY DETAILS

The main new threat in Homeworld 3 is known only as The Anomaly. When the hyperspace gates were opened, not only did Karan disappear, the mysterious Anomaly also leaked out, and now, a century later, it’s spreading its scourge across the galaxy. Races are being wiped out and entire star systems are going dark. It now falls to Karan’s successor Imogen S’jet to not only figue out what The Anomaly is, but also how to defeat it.

CINEMATIC COMBAT

Cinematic and explosive combat has always been a hallmark of Homeworld games, and developer Blackbird Interactive is looking to recapture that in the series’ long-awaited comeback. Speaking in an interview with PC Gamer, game director Lance Mueller explained that similar to is predecessor, Homeworld 3 will be a more deliberately paced game than most real-time strategy games, but will also make “spectacle” a priority in combat.

“Homeworld has always been a lower action per minute kind of game,” Mueller said. “We want to keep it that way. It’s more about moving your forces to a point. Your fighter pilots know their job. At the same time, we really want to promote playing at your own pace. With tactical pause you can slow it down, do what you need to do, and then let the game play through. Cinematic combat is also a huge pillar of the franchise: we want you to be able to get in there, find the coolest camera angle, and enjoy the spectacle.”

MEGALITHS

One of Homewold 3’s biggest new additions that Blackbird Interactive has highlighted are megaliths. Previously only visible as background art in past games, megaliths are massive, hulking derelict ships that will serve as the battlegrounds for numerous battles, and, according to Blackbird, will “bring 3D terrain into the classic Homeworld battlespace.” From trench runs and ambushes to using their massive structures to hide your fleets, megaliths are promising to bring some interesting wrinkles to the Homeworld gameplay formula.

TERRAIN

Terrain in general is looking like it’s going to play a much larger role in battles in Homeworld 3. The aforementioned megaliths will, of course, contribute to that significantly, while on top of that, players will also encounter other things such as shipwrecks and asteroid fields, which you will be encouraged to strategically leverage to your own benefit during battles, whether as chokepoints, blind spots, or more.

SPACE HAZARDS

Of course, the things that you will find in space won’t always work to your advantage, and will often present hazards that you will have to contend with. For instance, those aforementioned asteroid fields will be as capable of damaging you and your fleet as they will be for your enemies, while you may also encounter other dangerous space phenomena like particle storms.

FLEET FORMATIONS

Building up a massive fleet and watching it fly through space and dive into battles is what makes Homeworld games as gripping as they are, and Homeworld 3 will hammer that point home as well. According to the developers, players will be able to set their fleets in different kinds of formations, which, in addition to just, you know, looking cool will also come with gameplay advantages, based on each units’ role and where you place them in your formations.

NEW SPEECH SYSTEM

One of Homeworld 3’s more intriguing innovations is its new speech system, which will essentially replace the classic barks of units that RTS titles are known for with full-fledged conversations amongst them, with the intention being to humanize them. Each ship in the game will have two voices- one for a ship commander that will focused on key commands and gameplay-related things; and one that will be more flavour-driven, and will focus on contextual conversational chatter.

FULLY 3D MODELED CUTSCENES

Blackbird Interactive is placing a great deal of emphasis on storytelling with Homeworld 3, which is going to be reflected in the significantly higher production values of its cutscenes. Gone are the simplistic and fairly static cinematics of older Homeworld titles. In Homeworld 3’s campaign, all cutscenes will be fully pre-rendered and 3D modeled, featuring full voice acting and English lip syncing.

WAR GAMES

Though the single player campaign is going to be one of Homeworld 3’s biggest draws, there will be plenty more to dive into outside of that as well. Take War Games, for instance, which is an entirely new roguelike mode. War Games, playable both solo and co-op, will task players with advancing through a series of randomly generated battles, with challenges growing progressively stronger, and new unlocks and upgrades becoming unlocked as you progress further.

SKIRMISH MODE

In addition to its campaign and War Games mode, Homeworld 3 will, of course, also feature PvP options. Those will come in the form of Skirmish mode, which will allow players to hop into six-player battles. Those six players can divvy up in a number of different permutations, from 3v3 to 2v2v2 to even 5v2 or 4v2. At launch, the game will feature eight Skirmish maps.

TECH DETAILS

Blackbird Interactive has also touted a couple of Homeworld 3’s more impressive visual and technical features in the lead-up to its launch. Built on Unreal Engine 4, the RTS uses a Physically Based Rendering System for a more realistic simulation of light and how it reacts to different surfaces and materials, which will enable dynamic lighting with real-time reflections, shadows, and global illumination. Meanwhile, Blackbird also says Homeworld 3’s nebulae are going to come in the form of dynamically generated gas clouds, which will not only make them look more realistic, but will also bring gameplay opportunities, like hiding a ship in a particularly dense nebula by flying deep into it.

MOD SUPPORT

The Homeworld franchise is no stranger to active modding scenes, and Blackbird Interactive says it intends to keep that going with Homeworld 3. Players will be given access to the Unreal game editor, which will allow you to rebuild maps, add new content, tweak finer settings, and much more. The game will also feature in-game mod-io integration, which means players will be able to seamlessly and smoothly download mods created by the community.

YEAR 1 ROADMAP

Blackbird Interactive has multiple paid and free DLC drops planned for Homeworld 3’s first post-launch year. A free content update will first arrive in June, then in August, then in Q4 2024, then sometime in 2025, bringing new challenges, Artifacts, maps, and more for the War Games mode. Meanwhile, three paid expansions are also planned. Launching in August, October, and sometime in 2025, new playable factions, challenges, fleets, and more.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Homeworld 3’s system requirements on its lowest in-game presets aren’t particularly demanding. On the lowest settings, for instance, it will require either a GTX 1060, or an R9 480, or an Intel ARC A380, alongside either an i5-6700 or a Ryzen 5 1600X, in addition to 12 GB of RAM. On the other hand, if you want to play it on its highest possible settings, at 4K with max ray tracing options enabled, you’ll require either an RTX 4070 Ti S or an RX 7900 XTX, along with either an i7-12700K or a Ryzen 7 7700X, and 16 GB of RAM.