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This article contains the major changes expected in Season 3 and the future of the game. For upcoming content and hints, please visit Future Content instead. |
| Release Date | March 29 |
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Announcement Video
Changes to the game
The state of The Cycle will have several large changes in the near future along with the release of Season 3. Listed below are some of the major ones, what they mean and how it will impact the game moving forward.
The game will no longer have forced wipe after each season. The last global wipe will happen on March 29'th along the release of Season 3 and several things are being looked into to accomodate this change.
No forced wipes
No more global wipes does not mean that players themselves cannot initiate a wipe.
- Manual Wipe for players
- Players will be able to manually wipe (prestige) their progress, rather than have the forced wipe. This allows anyone to start fresh at any time, while not forcing anyone who does not wish to do so.
- Potential rewards will be handed out for players that prestige.
Changes to economy and gear
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The current economy system as we know it WILL NOT BE THE SAME in Season 3 and we can expect a large overhaul of the systems that tie into the economy. |
In order to accomodate for not having any more wipes, there will be some big changes too economy and gameplay to allow for more longevity. More information on this will be provided later.
- Quest changes for more longevity.
- High-end Gear more expensive and harder to obtain.
Changes to Matchmaking
For the game to have longevity and allow players to manually wipe, without putting themselves in a bad spot, changes will be made to the matchmaking.
More information on this is expected closer to start of season 3.
Changes to starter-packs
How starter packs works will be changed.
More information on this is expected in the near future from the E-commerce team at Yager.
Public Test Server
A public test server will become available.
More information on this is expected closer to release of season 3.
Confirmed content
Below is content that is to some extent confirmed in dev-updates and statements, to be slated for S3.
Howler
The howler will freely roam the skies of Fortuna, changing how Prospectors approach each area.
Using sound for locating and attacking prospectors from a distance, this new menace will provide new challenges and tactics for both low and high-tier prospectors.
Howler Nests
Scattered throughout Fortuna is nests that the howler makes, containing eggs that will protect themselves from unwanted threats.
A good source of loot, prospectors need to be careful when approaching the eggs in a nest and be prepared to relocate and heal when necessary.
Loadout presets
Prospectors will have the possibility to save certain loadout-presets in order to more quickly get back on the surface for further prospecting.
Changes to the station
The station is getting a rework for season 3, overhauling the experience a prospector have on the station.
New skins and archetypes
As always new skins and archetypes are slated to come with S3 and we got a sneak-peak on some of those during Frosty Frontier Fest.
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New archetype coming in season 3 called 'Unbound Synth'
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New archetype coming in season 3 called 'Artillery'
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New Advocate skin coming in season 3
Unconfirmed content
Below is content that is hinted or rumoured, but not yet confirmed as part of S3-launch. This could appear before or after the start of S3 as well.
- No more global wipes, previously hinted but now confirmed[1]
- Manual wipe-mechanic for potential rewards[2] was announced in the dev blog and reiterated on Discord. But the exact rewards are not yet set in stone or revealed.[3]
- More redeemable codes can be expected in S3[4]
- Changes to end-game and it's meaning[5] has been mentioned several times[6]
- Matchmaking changes[7]
- Economy changes was announced during the December Dev update.[8] This was also briefly touched on at end of the Frosty Frontier Fest Livestream[9] and later reiterated along the news of removing seasonal wipes.[10]
- End-game gear will be harder too obtain and more expensive in shops as mentioned in vlog[11]. This has later been reiterated several times[12] on Discord as part of making progression slower and more focused on longevity[13] and resulting in an overhaul of the economy as we know it[14].
- Complete rebalance of the game for longevity[15] is also looked into by making questing slower and making early-wipe last longer.[16]
- Starter-pack changes as wipes no longer happen[17], more info will be provided by e-commerce team later, but we can expect them to likely be granted periodically and be slightly adjusted for the new gameplay[18].
- New enemy – The Howler.[20] More footage of the howler[21] will be shared before S3
- There might be a questline tied to the howler according to the Frosty Frontier Fest Livestream.
- New Quests[24]
- Both Campaign and Missions as revealed in December Dev Update[25]
- New gadgets / consumables for more tactical depths[26]
- New Sci-Fi weapons[27] in an update during the Frosty Frontier Fest Livestream, it was hinted that there might not be new weapons, or maybe just 1.
- New Fortuna Pass content[28]
- Anti-Cheat improvements[29]
- Loadout presets finally confirmed and scheduled for season 3.[30]
- Free loadout run was announced in the December dev update.[31] Allowing a player to go in with a free set that they will be able to keep if they successfully extract with it (This can be compared to Scav in Tarkov from the sound of it).
- Potential map-changes[32] seem to be hinted by Feralus in a response to a suggestion on Discord.
- Audio improvements appear to be coming in S3 according to the Frosty Frontier Fest Livestream.
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "there will be no more mandatory server wipes after the release of Season 3."
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "With mandatory wipes out of the way, we are currently exploring options for personal, voluntary wipes.", "We’re also contemplating rewards for choosing to do so, but we’ll get back to you on that once we figure out the right approach."
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "... we would love to implement this so that you can experience that and receive progressional rewards on top of it for your efforts."
- ↑ Feralus, Discord Message: "What exactly of it? The code part, yes absolutely." was stated in response to "If I had to guess the Frosty Frontier Fest was a systems test for S3 things. This is all wildly speculative though"
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "We intend to expand on what end-game content means even further."
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "The goal is for you to not feel like there is nothing left to do, and we have ways to achieve this by not only balancing what is currently in the game..."
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "The trick here is to make sure that one player who wipes themselves during the game is not outmatched"
- ↑ Yager, Youtube dev-vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU-9dfyfMdk?t=147 timestamp 2minutes 27seconds
- ↑ Reference needs updating
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.com webpage: "we’ll need to rebalance the whole game and economy to be more long-term oriented"
- ↑ Yager, Youtube dev-vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7IrwuVh4HA&t=177s timestamp 2minutes 57seconds
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "someone is ready to tear down everything you know about that, and they will fly through it! 😂 We are keeping this in mind to make sure that even this has its own limitations."
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "Weapons will be much more rare, much more expensive, and you won't have an infinite stash of stuff."
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "We understand that this change only works if an overhaul of the economy happens."
- ↑ Yager, Youtube dev-vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7IrwuVh4HA&t=182s timestamp 3minutes 2seconds
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "Oh you won't have quests finished in the first week, no no no", "The early game is fun, and we're still wiping in Season 3, and you'll have the bonus of experiencing that early grind for much longer."
- ↑ KevOnTheBus35, Discord Message: "We'll have more info on how starter packs will work moving forward from our E-comm team on that"
- ↑ Feralus, Discord Message: "The plan is to grant them in intervals and slightly adjust them for now, more info on that will follow."
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "New Tools of the Trade"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "New enemy – The Howler is a force to be reckoned with, and their ability to fly makes for a new and unique threat on Fortuna III. "
- ↑ Justin, Discord Message: "can't wait for you folks to see the Howler footage."
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "Improvements to the Station, Fortuna III, and some QoL updates"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "Events"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "New Quests"
- ↑ Yager, Youtube dev-vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU-9dfyfMdk?t=136 2minutes 16seconds
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "New gadgets / consumables for more tactical depths"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "New Sci-Fi weapons"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "New Fortuna Pass content"
- ↑ Yager, thecycle.game website: "Anti-Cheat improvements"
- ↑ Yager, Youtube dev-vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU-9dfyfMdk?t=156 timestamp 2minutes 36seconds
- ↑ Yager, Youtube dev-vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU-9dfyfMdk?t=161 timestamp 2minutes 41seconds
- ↑ Feralus, Discord Message: "I think you will like what's happening in S3 then" was stated in response to "I think you should consider to modernate and change existing maps rather then adding new"