Since the successful Steam Early Access of Everspace a couple of weeks ago, the Hamburg-based indie studio Rockfish Games has released the second major content update for its Kickstarter hit on Steam and GOG. The previously released first major content update will hit Xbox One and the Windows 10 Store later this week and will continue to support Xbox Play Anywhere including cross-saves compatibility as well as buy once, play anywhere. The team also continues to work closely with ID@Xbox on bringing the most recent content update to Xbox One and the Windows 10 Store, soon.

Update v0.2

The biggest addition is the all-new Colonial Scout which players can unlock as an additional player ship. It features extreme maneuverability and a higher top speed than the Colonial Interceptor. Also being much smaller in size, space pilots can dash even better through dense asteroid fields and maneuver inside large asteroids or structures. Thanks to its cloaking device and sniper weapon, players can sneak up on their enemies or hit them from a distance. They should fly carefully though, as the Scout’s hull is fairly weak and even a light collision could mean sudden death. The ship comes with increased sensors and stasis missiles making it the best choice for doing spec ops runs.

The new “Easy” difficulty will grant players more time to explore before the interceptors and warships drop in. It also features fewer enemies, jump suppressors, mine fields and natural hazards to deal with and doesn’t punish collisions as harshly. Players will encounter more traders and service stations and find more resources, too. But this comes at a price: They will receive less credits during their runs. The difficulty level “Hard” is geared towards the opposite. Players will face more and tougher enemies, more natural hazards and other challenges. As reward, they will not only receive more credits but will also have a higher chance of finding precious blueprints.

Update v0.3

The most recent update features the Colonial Gunship as the 3rd player ship. It is a real flying fortress with a massive hull and lots of firepower. It comes equipped with a fusion blaster and flak cannon as primary weapons as well as heavy missiles, cluster mines, scanning probes, combat drones, and an automated Gatling turret which can be upgraded. The fact that the Gunship does not have a shield generator is much slower and less agile will keep combat interesting, especially when players find themselves outnumbered. It will surely come in handy that the nano bots cap for the Gunship has been raised.

To increase the differences between the three player ships and to add even more replay value, perks have been split into pilot and ship-related perks, with the latter being tweaked quite a bit while still retaining the overall long-term progression of the pilot-related perks. To differentiate the playstyle of the player ships even further, ship-exclusive perks like “armor” for the Gunship and “sensor range” for the Scout have been introduced as well.

Furthermore, two new pilot perks – “Trading” and “Diplomacy” have been added. While “Trading” grants benefits at shops and service stations, “Diplomacy” increases the pilot’s standing with the G&B faction. With the latest update, G&B units will occasionally report player attacks, turning them hostile in the current and the next location. With the Diplomacy perk players can make them a little more forgiving and every now and then they might even jump in to the rescue when being outnumbered by outlaws.