Do you hear that in the distance? That rumbling getting closer every day? Watch out, it's the Version Highlights for Steel Hunters version 0.41! And with our new version comes our first new Hunter, Taurus! This raging bull of the Syndicate has beef with everything in the Hunting Grounds!
In the words of our devs: "He is big, he is mean, and he is here to bull-y you! Pun intended... He’s making a headfirst entrance to our roster—just like he loves to dive into battle with his Bull Charge. He isn't afraid to claim the battlefield with his banner, Power Pylon, and he's ready to back up his smirky comments with his Heavy Shotgun (beware of his zoom!). He’s in your face, living on the edge, and disrupting everything in his way while he's at it."
Look out for upcoming publications diving deeper into Taurus' kit and playstyle.
You're probably wondering how you'll be able to add Taurus to your Hunter roster. For version 0.41, Taurus makes his debut exclusively in our "Infamous" BattlePass. But don't worry—we're committed to ensuring that all Hunters, including Taurus, will always have a free path to unlock them.
For just 100 Platinum—easily obtainable through combat missions—you can upgrade to the PRO BattlePass. Reach level 59 and Taurus is yours to keep!
Alternatively, upgrading to the PREMIUM BattlePass for an additional 100 Platinum (200 if you skip PRO) grants you instant access to Taurus. The PREMIUM track also includes exclusive skins, credits, and plenty of other goodies to unlock as you progress. We've designed the BattlePass to feel valuable and rewarding, let us know what you think!
! Should you miss out on this BattlePass, Taurus will become available for Constructs like our other Hunters starting in version 0.42.
A new version wouldn't be the same without some balance updates! We're still compiling all the information you've been providing since Early Access launched, but a common point has been Heartbreaker. She's a bit like Marmite: some of you love her, some hate her, but it's strong opinions all around!
We're rolling out some large updates to her Railgun and Sonar Pulse to help empower her team play. Key points include shifting more power into her scoped fire and adding more support utility into Sonar Pulse.
Just because she's sitting back and laying down precision fire, shouldn't mean that her team mate feels alone in the front! You'll be able to see the full scope of these changes in Changelog v0.41 soon.
You might have seen that we're updating the in-game HUD. This is in response to hearing your feedback from our playtests that the center of the screen was too cluttered. We think the new one looks pretty snazzy, even for a starting point, and there will be more improvements on the horizon. Even this picture is just a work-in-progress, and the scale of abilities and consumables should be larger by the time it's in your hands!
We're also introducing our first pass at our new in-battle Stats screen. With it, it should be easier than ever to see how strong you are at any stage of a battle.
We've also redone all the models for the all the interactables minus Enhancement Cores. (Sorry Enhancement Cores!) We wanted to make sure that even the basic Energy Cell has some Steel Hunters flair, and is deserving of its place in the near, post-apocalyptic future!
With some awesome new effects included, we want to make our game look unique while improving visibility. Is it really worth going after that Special Kit in the middle of a firefight? Well now you can easily tell it's a Shield Dome, it might just be!
We'll also be rolling out the first changes toward what we call Melee 2.0 with version 0.41. We want melee combat to be a satisfying part of your battle plan. Just because you're a 20 foot tall dog with a rocket launcher, doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to get up close and personal with your claws!
We're starting small, with reductions to cooldown and range, and a more reliable prompt to let you know a target is in range. But we want to hear how it feels to you, and how you would like to see it develop from here.
We know that our current progression system can feel a bit jarring. We hear you! We're continuing to look at pain points in the leveling process and will be making changes and adjustments. This kicks off with a 50% Credit cost reduction to all Unique Nodes to balance their cost vs. other nodes.
You can find more information about Unique Nodes, and their role, in the System Tree article here.
Anyone who has purchased of these Nodes in version 0.40 will be issued a refund for the Credit difference. This is just the starting point for many iterations to come, as it is called Early Access for a reason!
Finally, version 0.41 will include the first iteration of our Shop. There, we'll have Skins for all your favorite Hunters available for Platinum. The offers will rotate weekly, so just because you don't see what you're looking for immediately, doesn't mean it won't be there during version 0.41 or beyond.
Our team is hard at work cooking up some especially cool Skins, so jump in when the patch drops and take a look at our sweet Shop offers!
Thank you! We can't wait to moo-ove around the Hunting Grounds with the rest of you when version 0.41 drops at the end of the month. Let us know what changes you're most excited for when the Changelog drops in the near future.
All the best,
Raegnim
Your favorite cat with human ears
