Assemble your team - it's time to explore Galatea 37 together!
We are delighted to tell you that we are finally ready to show you what we have been working on. The Riftbreaker 2.0 update is now live in Open Beta. We have been working very hard, improving the Co-Op mode and preparing the entirety of the game for the launch of The Riftbreaker 2.0 update - the most significant free expansion the game has received up to this point. Every owner of the full game can now try out the latest update ahead of launch and see what we have been cooking up all this time. This article provides an overview of the update, including how to access it and when it will be available to everyone.
This trailer will tell you everything you need to know about the update. Share it with your friends - we would really appreciate that!
Yes, we have implemented a dancing emote. No, Mr. Riggs can't learn any more dance moves. Unless you mod them in, that is.
The Riftbreaker 2.0 update has two major components. The first is the Online Co-Op mode. The entire Story Campaign and Survival Mode can be played by up to four players. All the missions and features that you know from the single-player game are here, adapted, and improved with multiplayer in mind. The second part of the 2.0 Update is the Expanded Story Campaign, with new, long-term progression goals. After completing all the main missions from the main portion of the Story Campaign you will now have the option to stay on Galatea 37 and prepare it for human colonization. This will begin a brand-new story arc involving massive Megastructures. They are specialized buildings that will test the limits of your economy and logistics. Completing these Megastructures will lead you to a new conclusion to The Riftbreaker’s story. Apart from these two major components, the 2.0 Update brings improvements to almost all aspects of the game - new features, better balance, and massive performance optimizations.
Sharing responsibilities will allow you to get going much quicker than in single-player modes. Naturally, you will also face much more significant challenges along the way, but it's nothing that you can't solve by working together.
The Riftbreaker 2.0 Update is available for all game owners on the experimental branch on Steam. It is available on an opt-in basis - it will not get downloaded without your explicit permission. You should definitely make a backup copy of your saves before you try playing the beta. Once you update to the new version, your saves will no longer be compatible with the older releases, so this is very important.
With all these warnings out of the way, here’s how to access the co-op beta branch:
As long as you have sufficient resources (easy), team cohesion (not so easy) and a plan (impossible), setting up new resource outposts is a piece of cake!
That depends on how adventurous you feel! We tested this update and it should largely work fine, but this is still a beta. Some features are incomplete and might not work entirely as expected. You might experience instability or poor performance. As we stated, this is the largest update to a game we have ever done. There is a good chance that something managed to slip by us. If you want to help us get through this final stretch, then this test is definitely for you. We also encourage you to give it a try if you have an “unconventional” PC setup. 5 displays? Driving sim rig permanently plugged into your PC? Playing on a trackpad? Give it a shot! There is a chance that we can catch issues with that configuration early and get it ready for release. However, if you don’t feel like experimenting with branches, feel free to skip the beta. It won’t be long before the update is officially out.
The development of the Co-Op Mode has been running in parallel to our other releases for the better part of the last 4 years. There’s barely any part of the game’s code that remained untouched by this point. Preparing a detailed changelog for an update like this would not make sense. Let’s stick to the main features instead.
Having each other's back is much easier with no friendly fire - you can shoot through each other, so don't worry about blocking your projectiles.
FOUR-PLAYER CO-OP – Gather your team and conquer Galatea 37 together. You can play the entirety of the Campaign and Survival Modes, as well as the Prologue mission.
Megastructures are the main focus of the Expanded Endgame Campaign. These buildings have massive requirements, but offer completely unique bonuses as a reward for completing them. Trying to fit them all in one map is a fun challenge, but you can also build them all around the planet.
EXPANDED ENDGAME CAMPAIGN – A brand-new story arc involving Megastructures - specialized buildings with massive resource and upkeep requirements that will test your planning skills and grant powerful passive boosts in return. The 2.0 update is fully voiced by Francesca Meaux and Ryan Laughton, reprising their roles as Ashley and Mr. Riggs. The new plot adds as much story content as each of our previous World Expansions: 40 minutes of new dialogues, giving you new insights into the world of The Riftbreaker. The Megastructures, which are the backbone of this part of the game have seriously extreme requirements. Let us know if we should adjust them!
The Omega-Strain creatures are not only faster and stronger than their regular counterparts. They also look much more menacing. All Omega models have received a complete visual overhaul, including custom elemental variants.
NEW OMEGA-STRAIN CREATURES – These are new, more powerful and tougher versions of the existing species. They are the new backbone of the enemy hordes, bringing destruction wherever they go. Defeating them will yield great rewards. Our artists had the opportunity to let their imagination go wild and have updated Omega creature models to command respect. Omegas also come in “elemental” forms, requiring you to vary your arsenal while fighting. Each Omega creature receives additional abilities from a wide range of available options - we have explained all of them in this article.
The updated Orbital Scanner interface allows you to choose a mission type you want to play: exploration or resource extraction. It will also tell you the most important details about the newly-found location. You decide where you want to go.
RANDOMIZED MISSION GENERATOR – After completing all of the main missions in any given biome, you will now have the option to look for new planetary locations. You can either look for hidden treasures and Bioanomalies in exploration-style maps or you can set up new resource outposts in resource-rich areas. The Campaign is no longer limited to a predefined set of maps. The Randomized Mission Generator gives you access to countless variations of maps with unique characteristics. Utilizing this tool will grant you access to additional resources, equipment, and space to relocate your infrastructure if needed. Here's a more detailed article about this feature!
You can now find powerful items in Bioanomalies, Biocaches, and as drops from Omega Creatures. Use them, give them to your co-op buddies, or disassemble them for extra resources.
LOOT SYSTEM REWORK – Crafting is not the only way of getting new gear anymore. You can now find weapons, mech upgrades, and other useful items as loot from enemy creatures, Biocaches, and Bioanomalies. The items you find have the potential to be much more powerful than those you can craft yourself - always check for upgrades! As you complete research tree nodes, the lootable items will progress as well, increasing the pool of available items. You might even find ones that exceed your current level of research, making each find exciting. And if you don’t find what you want - you can always disassemble the junk and enjoy the extra resources. It’s a win‑win. Read more in this article.
Think twice before confronting an Omega Gnerot head-on. This guy packs quite a punch.
GAME BALANCE ADJUSTMENTS – We have rebalanced the entirety of The Riftbreaker campaign, taking all your feedback into account. The difficulty modes in version 2.0 have been redesigned to fit the majority of players better. Easy Mode has been toned down to allow for a more casual, leisurely style of play. Hard and Brutal Modes have been “intensified” to offer a greater challenge to those who want their skills tested. Additionally, difficulty levels are customizable, meaning that you can adjust the game parameters exactly to your liking.
Omega creatures come equipped with unique skills. The higher the difficulty level, the more Omega skills they will receive.
WEAPON SYSTEM REWORK – We have rebalanced the entire weapons system to improve firepower scaling across the entire campaign. Weapons that were previously too weak have received significant upgrades, making more builds viable. We have also introduced functional changes to some weapons, like Root Gun and Laser. We highly encourage you to experiment with all of them. You might discover a new favorite! We have also taken a good look at the weapon mods to make sure that everything you find and install in your guns has a meaningful impact on your firepower. We've discussed this process in detail here.
The Randomized Mission Generator will help you build resource farms even in the most inhospitable places. We have added many new map tiles to help you find the perfect spot for your new cactus garden. We do not guarantee it is pest free, though.
RESEARCH REWORK – All research items in the Story Campaign will cost not only time but also resources. Adding a research item to the queue will require you to pay a one-time resource fee. This cost will offset the extra resources that you will get during the new campaign. Survival Research tree remains unaffected. We highly encourage reading the article that we have written on this topic. You can find it here. It explains our reasoning behind this change.
The Campaign Mode is no longer limited to a predefined set of locations. You can delete unused outposts and set up new ones in better locations. Crystal Caverns are great for harvesting mushrooms, for example!
QUALITY-OF-LIFE IMPROVEMENTS – We’ve added many features, such as mass item disassembly, research search bar, quick multiplayer teleports, and many other options to make your gameplay experience as smooth as possible. These tools have been added thanks to the feedback from our brave Beta testers, who suggested some brilliant solutions. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Maintaining even the most complex bases is much easier when you have teammates around. Remember to communicate with each other - you share all resources apart from ammunition.
MASSIVE PERFORMANCE GAINS – Since this update required us to rework the entirety of the engine, you will now be able to enjoy The Riftbreaker with much smoother performance, able to handle truly massive bases and enemy numbers.
The list of major changes we have included above is not exhaustive by any means. During the development of the 2.0 Update, we have introduced several smaller changes that you will notice when playing the game. The new game balancing has dictated some of them, while others have been long-standing feature requests that we had no time to implement in other updates. On paper, some of them might seem weird at first, but we encourage you to give them a shot. They are a result of an extensive rework of major parts of the game. Countless iterations, following hours of internal and closed beta playtesting, have all led us to this point. The game is significantly improved and more enjoyable as a result.
Here are the select changes in the 2.0 Update:
As with every beta release, there are some features that are not 100% there. These are the known issues that we know are present in this build. They will be fixed/activated in the upcoming updates for the beta build:
The Expanded Endgame will allow you to reach new heights in Galatean colonization. Both figuratively, and narratively.
Q: Can I run a dedicated server for the game?
A: Yes. You can run The Riftbreaker in dedicated server mode by selecting that option while creating the game. You need a separate Steam account with a copy of the game to do that at the moment. We are working on a free, standalone app to do that instead. PLEASE, DO NOT BUY additional copies to run dedicated - you will not need them after the beta!
Q: Is there crossplay between Steam and other platforms?
A: The Open Beta is limited to Steam at the moment. We are looking into the possibility of allowing crossplay between different PC storefronts.
Q: Will it work on Linux/SteamOS?
A: At the moment, we can’t guarantee that the game will work on platforms other than Windows. We will likely try to make that happen at some point, but Windows is our focus platform at this time.
Q: Do mods work in multiplayer?
A: As with every major release, expect mods to become incompatible. Additionally, during the beta testing period, we aim to prioritize getting the vanilla game working smoothly first. Please try playing unmodded first.
Q: How beefy should the host PC be?
A: The more cores, the better. Eight-thread CPU or higher is recommended when hosting a four-player game. Other than that, there is not a huge performance overhead. Clients can run our minimum configuration. Single-player should work faster than before on all CPus, though! As with every online game, though, we recommend playing on a wired network, as WiFi is magic and works in mysterious ways.
Q: Will my old saves work in the 2.0 update?
A: Yes. Your old saves are backwards compatible, and you can continue playing your old campaign in the new version, however, only in single-player. If you want to play with friends, you have to start a new, multiplayer save.
Q: How do I get to the endgame content?
A: Let the Rift Station portal collapse and stay behind on Galatea 37.
Q: Will we get the option to set up more outposts at the same time?
A: We've increased the number of maximum allowed outposts from 12 to 15 on PC. Other platforms will remain unchanged due to hardware limitations. Additionally, you can now delete all the old story-locked outposts to make room for new ones.
Q: How do DLCs work in multiplayer?
A: In campaign mode, unfortunately, all players must have the same DLCs installed as the host. You will get a pop-up window if you try to connect to a server that is running a DLC you do not own. We tried to find a way around it, but we couldn’t. We’re sorry about that. Survival Mode gameplay is unrestriced by DLC ownership.
Q: How long do you plan the Open Beta to run?
A: We expect two or three months of intense testing/bugfixing before this update is ready.
Q: What will happen to The Riftbreaker Multiplayer Playtest app?
A: The playtest app will serve as a demo of the Survival Mode, allowing you to play all biomes until the official release of the 2.0 Update.
Q: Can I keep playing the game without these changes?
A: Yes. The pre-2.0 version will be kept forever on a legacy branch. You can keep playing the current version of the game but will no longer receive any updates.
Revive your buddies if they fall in combat. An active mech is the most terrifying force on the battlefield.
All kind of feedback is welcome at this point. We want to know how the game performs for you - both when playing solo and online. We want to hear about the difficulty level, the new endgame features, and all the reworked aspects of the game. We want to hear about every potential roadblock you encounter in the campaign. Are there any options that we are missing? Any features that you would like us to add? Every bit of information is useful to us at this point. Also - make sure you send in all crash reports and state whether you have been running multiplayer or singleplayer.
The Riftbreaker 2.0 Update has been a long time in the making. It is a collection of features and improvements that we originally envisioned for the game long before its release in October 2021. The entire Riftbreaker project began in February 2018, and the original concept already featured many of the ideas included in this update, such as the Randomized Mission Generator. Our limited resources did not allow us to make all those plans a reality. Slowly but surely, over the four years of post-launch support, we have been adding bits and pieces of our original design into the game. The Riftbreaker 2.0 Update is the best version of the game so far. We would like to thank you all for the ongoing support, feedback, and “Co-Op When” posts that have fueled our progress to this point. The work is not yet done - the last 10% always takes 90% of the effort. However, in a couple of months, we think that you will all be able to enjoy the definitive Riftbreaker experience.
We hope that you will enjoy what we prepared for you in The Riftbreaker 2.0 Update. Let your friends know about it and try playing together. It is the final stretch before the official release of this update. If you have any additional questions, please let us know here and on our Discord at www.discord.gg/exorstudios - we have also set up “looking for a game” channels to help you find a team, as well as voice chat rooms to coordinate your conquest of Galatea 37.
Have fun!
EXOR Studios
