LEVEL ZERO: EXTRACTION

Doghowl Games’ extraction shooter is currently in early access, so technically, it can get better- but that isn’t the trajectory it has followed thus far. Level Zero: Extraction had a promising enough premise, but was let down by significant gameplay and balancing issues even at launch. In the time since then, the developer has consistently made updates that have proven unpopular with players, leading some to wonder just how healthy the game’s future is going to be.

Several other titles previously received confirmation through their respective PlayStation Store listings. Check out the full list below:

• Alan Wake 2
• Albatroz
• Apex Legends
• Arma Reforger
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• EA Sports College Football 25
• Dead Island 2
• Demon’s Souls
• Diablo 4
  
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Dying Light 2 Reloaded Edition
• EA Sports FC 25
• Enlisted
• F1 24
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Fortnite
• God of War Ragnarök
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
• Kayak VR: Mirage
• Lies of P
• Madden NFL 25
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Naraka: Bladepoint
• NBA2K 25
• No Man’s Sky
• Palworld
• Paladin’s Passage
• Planet Coaster 2
• Professional Spirits Baseball 2024-2025
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil 4
• Resident Evil Village
• Rise of the Ronin
• Rogue Flight
• Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
• Star Wars: Outlaws
• Stellar Blade
• Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown
• The Callisto Protocol
• The Crew Motorfest
• The Finals
• The First Descendant
• The Last of Us Part 1
  
• The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
• Until Dawn
• War Thunder
• Warframe
• World of Warships: Legends

The stand-outs include Star Wars: Outlaws, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (which could function similarly to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2), Assassin’s Creed Mirage, The Last of Us Part 1, Warframe, EA Sports College Football 25, etc. However, more were confirmed separately from the article’s publication, like Killing Floor 3, Starship Troopers: Extermination, and Off the Grid, though whether they’ll be enhanced at launch is unknown.

The PS5 Pro is available on November 7th for $699.99 worldwide. It doesn’t come with a vertical stand or Blu-ray disc drive – both must be purchased separately. Head here for more details.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s 1.0 launch.

"When Helldivers 2 launched, we were excited to see a resurgence of interest in cooperative shooters and a growing appreciation for team-based, sci-fi action. This validated our belief that there is a strong appetite for games of this genre. 2024 definitely has been a treat for bug hunters."

Given the age of the Starship Troopers property, why did you feel the desire to tap into it for this game? 

Gareth Woods (Head of Marketing): Starship Troopers has a lasting appeal, especially among fans of sci-fi. Layer on top of this franchise themes like cooperation, teamwork and humanity’s fight against overwhelming odds, a sprinkle of 90es nostalgia (not to mention a bit of suspicious government activity) and you have the recipe for a compelling universe that resonates deeply with players today. Our goal was to bring the classic film’s universe to life in a way that feels fresh and exciting both for long-time fans and newcomers alike, to create the “authentic Troopers experience”.

The release of the game ended up being timely, with the release of Helldivers 2 earlier this year causing a resurgence in Starship Troopers’ popularity. As developers working on an actual Starship Troopers game, what was the impact on the team when Helldivers 2 launched?

Woods: When Helldivers 2 launched, we were excited to see a resurgence of interest in cooperative shooters and a growing appreciation for team-based, sci-fi action. This validated our belief that there is a strong appetite for games of this genre. 2024 definitely has been a treat for bug hunters. The positive response to Helldivers 2 energized our team, and we saw it as a great opportunity to differentiate Starship Troopers: Extermination further, with its unique features like 16-player co-op gameplay, base-building, and our innovative Carnage system.

How has the early access period been for you? What were your key takeaways in terms of feedback from the community?

Woods: The Early Access period has been incredibly valuable. We’ve gathered crucial feedback from the community about balancing, progression, and various other elements of the game that needed fine-tuning. Players loved the scale of the battles and the sense of camaraderie. I think EA has earned a bad reputation from some developers who may use it as a “cash grab” and never actually use it for the benefit it can be. We’ve certainly done our best to listen to player feedback and do our best to implement it wherever possible. One key takeaway from players is the need to expand on the variety offered, be it missions, bugs or guns and this is something we look forward to doing in the future.

"We look forward to growing the solo play mode in the future as we continue the story of General Rico and the Special Operations Group in future updates that will be completely free DLC to those who own Starship Troopers: Extermination."

What can players expect from the single player campaign in terms of its scale, especially given the involvement of Casper Van Dien?

Woods: The single-player mode is initially more of a solo-play tutorial, designed to give players a softer landing before the chaotic action of the multiplayer “main” game. It was great to be able to work with Casper who truly embodies the role of General Johnny Rico. We look forward to growing the solo play mode in the future as we continue the story of General Rico and the Special Operations Group in future updates that will be completely free DLC to those who own Starship Troopers: Extermination.

What are your post-launch plans for Starship Troopers: Extermination in terms of both single player and multiplayer content?

Woods: We have exciting plans for both single and multiplayer. As mentioned single-player will see us continue the story of General Rico and SOG (and maybe some other iconic characters in the Starship Troopers universe). For multiplayer we have an extensive roadmap that we have shared with the community already which will see us introduce a ton of quality-of-life updates, social features as well as new toys and to play with and Arachnids to squash.

Are there any plans to make the game PS5 Pro enhanced? 

Peter Maurice (Project Lead): Not immediately, as the development hardware has not been made available to our Studio at this time.

"We target 60 FPS on 1080p and 30 FPS on 4K across all platforms."

What resolution and frame rate will the game target on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and on the PS5 Pro (if supported)?

Maurice: As of right now, we target 60 FPS on 1080p and 30 FPS on 4K across all platforms.

Of course, then Helldivers 2 launched earlier this year. It made no bones about its inspiration, twisting it to deliver clever satire while offering high-octane battlefields with objective variety, exceptional production values, fun weapons, and an addictive gameplay loop.

"Right away, the lack of soul or pretty much anything charming about the franchise is evident."

Comparisons between Helldivers 2 and Starship Troopers: Extermination are perhaps inevitable. While their gameplay is different, I believe the latter has some significant problems and would struggle to shine even if the former didn’t launch earlier this year. There’s some potential, but it’s buried under a load of metaphorical and literal bugs, bad design decisions, repetitive action, and continued performance issues.

Starship Troopers: Extermination doesn’t have a “story” per se. The Galactic Front is perhaps the closest equivalent to any direction, with the discovery of some planet filled with bugs, which the United Citizen Federation wants to cleanse (shocking. However, it’s more of a long-running community goal that awards cosmetics. How it will affect the long-term plot is unknown, but it currently boils down to participating in matchmade missions non-stop to earn Victory Points. Unfortunately, this is also handled poorly due to the Company feature, but we’ll get to that.

Right away, the lack of soul or pretty much anything charming about the franchise is evident. Sure, you have those faux news broadcasts before missions and decals that unenthusiastically proclaim that the “only good bug is a dead bug,” but that’s it. There’s very little chatter between Troopers during missions. The Arachnids at least come across as threatening enough, so there’s that.

From the outset, you can select a randomly generated mission to matchmake for or opt for Quick Play, which will take you anywhere. You want to focus on the former upon reaching higher ranks, which offer higher-difficulty missions that net more XP. They could have more challenging modifiers like increased Tiger Bugs, Grenadier Ambushes, or explosive melee attacks, but successful completion means significant gains in progress.

"The mindlessness can feel somewhat appealing, even if it removes whatever dynamism the other mission types would present. The underwhelming number of building options also doesn’t help the later waves feel more exciting."

Why not separate the difficulties and award increased XP based on the same? Probably to funnel players into certain objective types. A typical Extermination run involves landing on the planet, capturing some territory or setting up a mining rig, and then building up your base to defend against the Arachnid hordes until your Arc generator gathers intel. As time passes and objectives are complete, you’ll face larger waves of enemies. The final phase is often an unrelenting assault, and whether you’re successful or not, it culminates in an extraction.

Combat is first-person, but there are some elements of real-time strategy mixed in. After setting up a base, you need to mine and transport Ore canisters to it to build walls, turrets, ammo crates, etc. Sometimes, you must harness fuel canisters to power the Arc and begin its grand analysis. Unfortunately, said mining rigs are often hundreds of meters away, necessitating constant back and forth.

Unless you’re rocking with a group doing their best Navy Seals impressions, it can turn into a chaotic mess of slaughtering Arachnids, hauling resources, repairing defenses, reloading turrets and weapons, and questioning whether all this is really worth the Citizenship.

Some more straightforward missions provide a base from the outset and send waves of enemies with increased attack modifiers. It functions more like traditional Horde mode, as you earn resources after every wave to spend on improving your base. The mindlessness can feel somewhat appealing, even if it removes whatever dynamism the other mission types would present. The underwhelming number of building options also doesn’t help the later waves feel more exciting.

"As such, the gameplay does have its moments, especially when visibility is obscured by alien gunk and screen shakes as corpses pile up and explosions go off."

The gunplay is serviceable, though the number of times I wished my character would reload while continuing to ADS is too high. Unlike, say, Helldivers 2, you have multiple classes, each with unique perks, weapons, and unlocks, which I like. There’s enough distinction between the Guardian, who specializes in staggering Arachnids with machine-gun fire and setting up a fortified position, and the Ranger, who can boost around and detect emerging bugs with their sensor.

Unfortunately, they all start rather underwhelming, and you must grind XP to unlock their essentials, like a perk that halves melee damage from enemies for the Guardian. It wouldn’t be an issue if each class didn’t have to be leveled separately, further feeding into the repetition and monotony of replaying missions that offer increased XP. I’m fine with weapon XP, but why not divide every class into different skill trees where earning XP nets Skill Points? These can then unlock the required perks, and maybe even allow some mixing and matching to spice up the variety.

It’s obvious why Starship Troopers: Extermination goes for the current class setup. It wants to reinforce the squad mentality, with players presumably filling different roles. While not the worst approach to balance, it doesn’t help the tedious leveling (and if your allies don’t have the tools for busting heavily armored Arachnids, it’s GG).

As such, the gameplay does have its moments, especially when visibility is obscured by alien gunk and screen shakes as corpses pile up and explosions go off. I also like how some of the larger foes are actual threats. Even if it’s frustrating in the early going without the necessary survival tools, you have to worry about the positions of Grenadiers and leverage high ground against Warriors and other threats in melee range.

"While you can make a Company all by yourself, there’s no system for adding friends or even an in-game directory for finding other players."

However, the performance is simply abysmal. Despite going above and beyond the recommended requirements on PC, it nose dives when things get hot. While it necessitated dropping the quality significantly to approach anything resembling playable, the results were still underwhelming. Then there are all the other issues, from bugs simply teleporting out of nowhere to rubber-banding when they’re not standing around admiring the weather.

Capping all of this off is the Company system. To participate in the Galactic Front, you earn Victory Points from missions and Company Operations. The latter is initiated with Intel and can provide additional objectives and Medals for more VP, which contributes to advancing the Front. This goes much faster with more players in your Company since you can pool Intel.

While you can make a Company all by yourself, there’s no system for adding friends or even an in-game directory for finding other players. Instead, you need to count on the game randomly recommending players to join. Create your own Company, and the option to join other Companies completely disappears.

"It may have a different gameplay loop, but stick with Helldivers 2 if you want anything remotely resembling a compelling Starship Troopers experience."

It’s possible to matchmake with other players’ companies, but the wait times for my own Operations didn’t make it worth it. As a take on Clans, Companies are simply terrible, presenting a significant barrier to anyone who wants to grind away on the Galactic Front. Not that the rewards (three underwhelming cosmetics) are necessarily worth it right now.

After exiting early access, Starship Troopers: Extermination is indeed pitiful, just by sheer virtue of its slow progression, asinine Company system, performance issues, and jank. The positives are whelming at best, but perhaps the worst part is that it just fails to immerse you in the universe, much less like anything you do matters. It may have a different gameplay loop, but stick with Helldivers 2 if you want anything remotely resembling a compelling Starship Troopers experience.

This game was reviewed on PC.

In Q1 2025, it will add new abilities, Perks, Bug Holes, the Morita Under Barrel Attachment, and five new levels for class progression. After that, Q2 2025 will offer a new map, Bug type, and Chapter 2 of the S.O.G. Solo Play Tutorial. Beyond that, plans are unknown, so stay tuned for more details and updates (alongside potential surprises).

Based on the movie (which inspired other media, including Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers), Starship Troopers: Extermination allows up to 16 players to team up on giant maps to fight hordes of Bugs. There are six classes to choose from, each with different weapons and base-building, as players can tackle hundreds of bugs at certain points.

Until Dawn Remake

Before it dabbled in horror anthologies and that one underwhelming Dead by Daylight crossover, Supermassive Games had its big break with Until Dawn. It’s getting the remake treatment, launching on October 4th for PS5 and PC, courtesy of Ballistic Moon. Rebuilt from the ground up on Unreal Engine 5, it features improvements to character models and textures, liquid physics (like, say, blood spatters), effects, facial animations, and more.

There’s also a new third-person camera, providing an alternative perspective on classic scenes, new areas prompting new interactions, and even a reworked prologue. PC players will have to suffer mandatory PSN requirements, but if you’re interested in Supermassive’s best work yet, then Until Dawn’s remake could be worth it.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Counterpoint: Wait four more days and experience Bloober Team’s remake of one of the best horror games ever. Silent Hill 2 remake arrives on October 8th for PS5 and PC, with “other platforms” (they know who they are) having to wait another year. The story of James Sunderland as he ventures into the mysterious Silent Hill at the behest of his deceased wife is intact, as is the series’ iconic fog and horrors like Pyramid Head.

However, almost everything else has seen an overhaul. A new third-person view and combat mechanics, new enemy attacks, changes to enemy locations and items, more buildings to explore – the list goes on. Whether it lives up to the original or not, Silent Hill 2 remake looks to prove itself.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake

Of course, if neither of the previous two options works out, there’s one more remake – Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8. Based on Koei’s turn-based strategy from 2001, it features a revamped aesthetic, new features like Tales and Destiny (the latter altering events significantly), and the option to play as any officer (with the total number raised to 1000 from 600). Unorthodox? It doesn’t offer the over-the-top hack-and-slash action of Dynasty Warriors, but Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is still worth checking out for fans when it launches on October 24th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Following numerous rumors over the years, Guerilla Games finally revealed Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and it’s on track to launch on October 31st for PS5 and PC. Leaving aside the necessity of the release, several changes and features could make it worthwhile for old and new fans. Hours of conversations have been re-recorded, and multiple improvements can be seen in the character models, animations, and lighting.

There’s also support for the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, support save transfer from the original game, accessibility features from Horizon Forbidden West (which should make grinding for materials less painful), and a $9.99 upgrade option for current owners. At $49.99 for new players, it’s not the worst way to experience the 2017 open-world action RPG and its expansion, The Frozen Wilds, especially given the sheer amount of content. It even supports the PS5 Pro out of the box.

Throne and Liberty

A new free-to-play MMORPG? In this economy? Technically, Throne and Liberty was meant as a sequel to Lineage and announced as such in 2011. Plans changed, and it morphed into the current game, which launched in December 2023 for South Korea. It’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 1st, bringing its mix of castle sieges, massive PvP battles, combat styles, and even transformations to North America, Europe and Japan. Will it stand out and offer a fun new experience? We’ll find out soon enough.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

You’d be forgiven for not remembering the ending to Diablo 4, especially with how its big bad turned out. Venturing to Nahantu to search for Neyrelle, the Wanderer encounters new enemies, dangerous new locations, and the Spiritborn, a new friendly faction that joins the fight. Players can choose the Spiritborn as a new class, harnessing different spirits and elemental properties to annihilate their enemies.

Regardless of how the story turns out, Vessel of Hatred promises tons of new content, from new Mercenaries with unique skill trees, the return of Runewords, and a new co-op activity, the Dark Citadel, to master. It launches on October 8th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, alongside a free update that overhauls progression, introduces new skills per class, and much more.

Starship Troopers: Extermination

Arrowhead Game Studios’ latest update for Helldivers 2 appears to have dragged it out of an unfun state. However, if it’s another co-op-focused alien bug-stomping shooter that you want, then Starship Troopers: Extermination may be the ticket. Exiting early access on October 11th and becoming available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, it features a new campaign starring Johnny Rico from the original film with 25 missions. This is on top of all the base defense, fast-paced first-person shooter combat, 16-player co-op, and extraction that makes the current product such a blast.

Undisputed

Amid all its sports titles, it’s a shame that Electronic Arts hasn’t brought back Fight Night. Until then, Steel City Interactive’s Undisputed will have to fill that gap when it exits early access on October 11th for PC while also becoming available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Featuring over 70 fighters, multiple traits and attributes, +60 punches, and a Career Mode with champions from the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization, and International Boxing Federation, it could very well be worth the wait.

Post Trauma

October isn’t just about highly anticipated sequels and blockbusters – it’s also prime horror season. If Silent Hill and Until Dawn aren’t enough, Red Soul Games’ Post Trauma launches on October 29th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It sees a train conductor, Roman, trapped in a bizarre world and attempting to escape, solving puzzles and escaping from horrifying monstrosities. While it channels old-school survival horror titles with its fixed camera angles, Post Trauma offers various control types, from modern style to tank style, for a truly classic experience.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead

Those seeking something scary based on a film franchise might want to check out A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. Picking up right after the murderous aliens arrive on Earth, players control Alex Taylor as she attempts to evade their cruelty and protect her loved ones. The focus on not making any sound, avoiding unnecessary contact with the environment at all costs, and even retrieving inhalers makes for some tense gameplay. Whether it translates into genuine scares or a memorable story remains to be seen, but it’s out on October 17th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Unknown 9: Awakening

Reflector Entertainment’s Unknown 9: Awakening is out on October 18th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC after being announced in 2020. The action-adventure occurs in the 19th century and stars Haroona, who possesses unique abilities tied to the Fold. She seeks answers while fighting off a dangerous organization known as the Ascendants, who have sinister plans for the Fold.

With the ability to cloak, possess enemies, and slip into the Fold, Haroona will traverse the globe, visiting India, Portugal and many other locations. Even if the gameplay could use more polish, the set-up is intriguing, and we’re curious to see how it pans out.

Europa

If an adventure with a more animated art style is your thing, Future Friends Games’ Europa is an option. Launching on October 11th for PC and Nintendo Switch, the story sees an android, Zee, venturing through Jupiter’s moon Europa. With utterly gorgeous environments to discover secrets, the gameplay mixes exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving combined with a mystery that could make for a more emotional tale amid all the serious offerings this month.

Alan Wake 2: The Lake House

Something wicked this way comes in Alan Wake 2’s second and final paid DLC, The Lake House. It returns to Cauldron Lake in Bright Falls, venturing into a facility of the same name set up by the Federal Bureau of Control (of Control fame). While very little is known about the story, it’s clear that something has gone wrong. Narrated from the perspective of Kiran Estevez, the story occurs parallel to the base game’s events, potentially opening up new clues about the lake’s powers and the Dark Presence.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the expansion is that this isn’t a humorous or kitschy experience like Night Springs. Remedy Entertainment has focused on delivering a “chilling survival horror experience”, and while there’s more yet to be revealed, it’s teased that “monsters wear many faces.” Alan Wake 2: The Lake House launches in October and is available only with the Deluxe Edition and physical Collector’s Edition.

MechWarrior 5: Clans

Suffering a slight delay from October 3rd to 17th, Clans is the other half of the MechWarrior 5 experience, the first being Mercenaries from 2021. It features a standalone cinematic story where players participate in Operation Revival after graduating from the Smoke Jaguar program.

With your customizable BattleMech and numerous options, including an overhauled MechLab and Hardpoint systems, you harness new weapons, upgrade pilots, and lead your squad to victory. With dynamic destruction, the same brutal grounded combat fans know and love, and support for up to five players in multiplayer, MechWarrior 5: Clans could be a dark horse when it launches for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Sonic X Shadow Generations

Sonic X Shadow Generations offers a remaster of Sonic Generations, which features a “Greatest Hits” compilation of 2D and 3D Sonic levels from across the series (up to 2011). However, the main attraction is the standalone campaign starring Shadow the Hedgehog, which sees him battling the mysteriously resurgent Black Doom.

Shadow sports new powers and traverses areas from his memories, whether it’s venturing through Kingdom Valley from Sonic ’06, or battling the Biolizard from Sonic Adventure 2. There’s a lot to look forward to and some excellent re-renditions of classic tracks when Sonic X Shadow Generations launches on October 25th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Max Caulfield, protagonist of the first Life is Strange, returns in Double Exposure. Located at Caledon University, she settles down and finally feels comfortable after a long time. Unfortunately, when her new friend, Safi, is murdered, Max attempts to reawaken her Rewind powers and instead opens a portal to a parallel dimension.

Not only is Safi alive in this world, but things are significantly different all around. Time is ticking down, however, and Max must locate her killer before it’s too late again. With intriguing mechanics and puzzles that facilitate carrying over items between dimensions, Life is Strange: Double Exposure offers another compelling supernatural mystery. It’s out on October 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Last but certainly not least is Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new title for the series in almost ten years. While Solas, the Dread Wolf, is a wild card, you have seven companions to join your cause, each with distinct abilities and skill trees, unique quests and motivations.

Unlike Inquisition, Veilguard offers a mission-based campaign with real-time action RPG combat. Players can choose from three classes, each with three Specializations, and command two other party members, setting up combos and destroying enemies accordingly (with a tactical wheel available to plan everything). With an immense scale, gorgeous visuals, and a promising story, Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be BioWare’s long-awaited redemption when it launches on October 31st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

The trailer also reveals that the game will be exiting its early access phase on PC on October 11, which is also when PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game will be out.

Rather than focusing on the gameplay, the latest Starship Troopers: Extermination trailer instead chooses to focus on the trials and tribulations of being a Starship Trooper, with players having to take on gigantic hordes of bugs while also trying to complete various objectives.

Starship Troopers: Extermination pits players in a massive team of 16, where they will drop on a planet to complete a few objectives. Typically, these missions culminate in a massive defense-oriented objective, where players also have to build structures in order to survive against never-ending hordes of enemies, before extracting off the planet.

The First Descendant

NEXON Games’ The First Descendant is an upcoming looter shooter where players assume the role of Descendants who are the last line of defense for humanity in the war against alien invaders. Each Descendant has different active and passive abilities, and you can use a bunch of items and weapons to customize your character with whatever feels best suited for your purposes. The First Descendant comes out for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 2nd.

The studio has also announced that Casper Van Dien will be reprising his role as Johnny Rico for the single-player game mode that will be available in Starship Troopers: Extermination when it leaves Early Access.

The single-player experience will have players join an elite spec ops group in the Mobile Infantry. As part of this group, players will get orders from General Johnny Rico as they take on massive hordes of Arachnids alongside three NPC allies. The single-player mode will include 25 missions and a host of different PvE combat scenarios.

Starship Troopers: Extermination was first released as an Early Access title on PC back in May 2023. The game has since gotten several updates that brought with it new content like weapons and new objectives for players to take on. The primary game mode in Starship Troopers: Extermination pits 16 players together against hordes of Arachnids as they try to complete different objectives.

Alongside the addition of the new game mode, the update also brings with it a rebalancing to XP, while also now providing players a real-time XP feed in the HUD during gameplay. On the gameplay front, the update brings with it two new weapons: the Morita XXX Sniper Rifle, and the TW-2 Special Light Infantry Tactical (SP.L.I.T) Shotgun, the latter of which has tree distinct variants depending on your class.

There are also new utility items for players of all three classes, from the new Shock Field Device for Hunter players, to the Rally Beacon for Operator players. Each class also has new perks that provide bonuses like increased repair range, the ability to reinforce structures, and the automatic bug scans.

Check out the complete changelog for the Starship Troopers: Extermination – Hives of Valaka update. The game is currently available as an early access title on PC.

UPDATE NOTES:

New Gameplay

Weapons:

• Morita XXX Sniper Rifle: a powerful sniper rifle for Hunters
• TW-2 Special Light Infantry Tactical (SP.L.I.T) Shotgun with 3 variants:

1. Operator: Standard Pump-action Buckshot
2. Hunter: Pump-action Slug
3. Bastion: Full Auto Slug

Structures/Base Building:

• Ammo Stockpile: Provides 15 deliverable ammo boxes for weaponized structures.
• Ammo boxes can be picked up from the Stockpile, and inserted into weaponized emplacements (Twin MG and Sentry) using the interaction key (default E).
• Ammo boxes can be thrown by holding down the attack button.

New Utilities:

• Shock Field Device (Hunter): Deploys an electric field in a circular pattern that shocks arachnids
• Speed Stim Dispenser (Operator): Deployable station that Troopers can use to grab single use Speed Stim injectors
• Guardian UAV (Operator): Defensive flying robot with a machine gun that shoots at Arachnids near the user. Can be toggled between Guard/Follow modes, or be remote controlled
• Rally Beacon (Operator): A high power transmitter that creates a fixed beacon for Troopers to redeploy on
• Deployable Shield (Bastion): A small deployable shield called the Wartime Adversary Limiter (W.A.L) that can be deployed to provide quick low-level cover
• Overcharge Module (Bastion): Boosts effectiveness of offensive structures for 30s, at the cost of structural integrity over time
• Sentry Turret (Bastion): Placeable automated machine gun that automatically shoots at Arachnids from a fixed position. Best suited for point defense

New Perks:

• Mobile Training (Hunter): Increases climbing speed, enemy melee attacks don’t stop your sprint
• Watkins Trigger (Hunter, Bastion): Make your sacrifice mean something! Your explosives trigger upon death
• Running Start (Hunter): Get some extra height when you sprint and jump at the same time
• Spotter Training (Hunter): Automatically scans bugs when they are pinged
• On Your Feet (Operator): The ability to revive troopers at a distance
• Refined (Operator): Repairing a running refinery while it’s at maximum health speeds up the ore extraction process
• Long Range Repairs (Bastion): Increases repair range
• Reinforced Repairs (Bastion): Structures can be repaired past 100% to give them extra durability

Balancing/gameplay changes

• Full audit of our XP sources, outlined in above tables
• Morita Mk1: Increased damage output slightly
• Morita Carbine: Increased damage output slightly
• Chi-Hong Grenade Launcher: Blast radius decreased by 50%
• Recruit (Easy) difficulty: Reduced the extra health given to Troopers
• Recruit (Easy) difficulty: Reduce health regeneration by roughly 20%
• Recruit (Easy) difficulty: Magazine size is no longer increased on Recruit
• ARC mode: ‘Gather Ore’ objective now has to be completed before the ‘Gather Gas’ objective
• Increased the damage output of the Sentry MG structure, to compensate for it needing Ammo
• Increased the health of the Sentry MG structure
• Twin MG and automated Sentry MG now require ammunition
• Twin MG no longer degrades while firing

Quality of Life and Other Changes

Accessibility

• Added Accessibility section under Settings
• Added Color Blindness options under Accessibility
• Added Brightness setting under Accessibility
• Moved Screen Shake options under Accessibility

Miscellaneous changes

• Class selection now shows what other players have picked
• New unlocks are now highlighted in the Loadout menu with exclamation marks
• Improved matchmaking times by 10 seconds on average
• Quick Play Button removed – Quick Play is being redesigned as a part of our transition to the Galactic War in the new year.
• Hero of the Federation difficulty tier “coming soon” tease was removed, as it will still be coming to the game around the 1.0 launch window with a top secret experience codenamed “Regimented Assassinate Insect Deployment”

Engine Upgrade

• Updated to Unreal Engine 5.2.1, from the previous engine 4.27. We will be taking advantage of the new features in UE5 over time, where possible. Please be aware that tentpole UE5 features like Lumen and Nanite are not a part of this release. As we get more comfortable with the engine we will look to explore these and other UE5 features in the future.
• New Trooper Models: We’ve updated our engine to Unreal Engine 5.2.1. With this, each of the three classes have been updated with a new Trooper model with significantly more detail

Bug Fixes & Known Issues

Notable bug fixes

• Matchmaking: Fixed a rare issue where a player could end up in a different game mode than they selected
• Settings: Fixed an issue where changing a setting would cause other settings to be re-applied
• Settings: Fixed a crash when changing video settings
• Weapons: Improved Field of View handling with scoped weapons
• Audio: Fixed several crashes related to weapon audio, by upgrading to UE5’s metasounds system
• Crashes: Fixed a rare crash when a player was incapacitated

Known Issues

• A major engine upgrade may always cause unforeseen issues with various hardware combinations. We will be monitoring for crashes and fixing issues in future patches.
• The Watkins Trigger Perk is currently unusable in Horde and Hive Hunt game modes, since players do not have a bleed out timer. This will be fixed in a post-update patch
• Some UI graphics still need to be updated with the new Trooper model
• Rendering: The Hive Hunt maps may appear somewhat darker on Low/Medium Effects quality setting, as this setting affects lighting and fog rendering