Season 3


Release Date	March 29

Announcement Video

Roadmap

Each week leading up to Season 3 will contain more information from the development team and will be presented in the below order. CW means Calendar week for each information-release.

CW 4 - Giving a fair chance to everyone
CW 5 - A new menace
CW 6 - Technical updates
CW 7 - Prospect Station upgrades
CW 8 - Visions of TC:F
CW 9 - Public Test Server
CW 10 - Pass of the Fortuna kind

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

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

Several changes as tweaks for matchmaking is planned for season 3 in order to ensure longevity and allow players to manually wipe, without putting themselves in a bad spot, changes will be made to the matchmaking.

Work is also being done in otder to further ensure that players get the best experience possible, with more fair matchmaking, but also making sure to keep the mix of tension and excitement of not knowing who you will run into.

All these changes will be done through changing and adding additional parameters into the matchmaking and should hopefully result in a better experience for everyone.

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 season 3.

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.

Promising 2-phases, the howler will require more than normal monsters to bring down, but will not be the only risk involved as other players will hear and see the fight from afar, forcing anyone brave enough to take on this beast, to also keep an eye on their surroundings.

Howler Nests

Scattered throughout Fortuna is nests that the howler makes, containing eggs that will protect themselves from unwanted threats, slightly altering the surrounding area, making old areas more exciting and giving new reasons to revist old locations.

While 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.

Anyone entering the area of a howler nest will need to stay alert and be able to adjust their plans accordingly.

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.

Free Loadout Runs

When dropping onto fortuna, prospectors will be able to select if they want to use their own gear or use a random faction-based loadout for free.

This Free Loadout Run allows players to land on the surface without the risk of losing any gear, while still being allowed to evac with anything the can bring out.

The feature is aimed to help players that are down on their available gear and items, as well as allow players to try out new weapons and items, without having to worry about losing money in the process.

In order to mitigate large impact on the economy, the loadouts are limited to maximum Rare (blue) items and a cooldown on the system is in place. For those that do not like their free loadout, they can re-roll it once every 24hours.

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 season 3 and we got a sneak-peak on some of those during Frosty Frontier Fest.

New archetype coming in season 3 called 'Unbound Synth'
New archetype coming in season 3 called 'Artillery'
New Advocate skin coming in season 3

Weekly updates and developer media

Below is a list of official articles and media released, covering content and changes for Season 3.

Articles

Giving a fair chance to everyone by providing Free Loadout Runs for players, reworking the matchmaking and planning for the future.
A new menace, Howler is coming in season 3, along with minor map-changes, new loot, quests and more.
The war on cheats is continuing on all fronts. A lot has been done but more is on the horizon and Yager is dedicated to reduce the impact from cheaters.

Media releases

Youtube videos

Livestreams

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 season 3 as well.