It's been a while since the last major content update. In fact, that was all the way back before multiplayer and close-combat builds were introduced!
Today, I'm pleased to finally bring you Sector 4 – Phase 2, the next chapter in the Star Vortex story.
The final story update is planned for release before Christmas, bringing the main storyline to its conclusion. After that, I'll be turning my attention to creating the endgame systems.
Alongside the new content, this update brings performance improvements, balance adjustments, and plenty of other changes detailed below.
Sector 4 - Phase 2
Activate the Singularity Key and venture into the next phase of Sector 4, where new enemies, dangerous elites, and a couple of formidable new bosses await.
To help you survive the challenges ahead, I've also added Advanced Hull Nanobots and Advanced Shield Batteries. These new consumables provide healing and shield regeneration over a longer duration than their Large counterparts.
New Game+ has also been expanded to accommodate the additional content. Enemy levels now increase by 25 with each cycle. If you're already partway through a New Game+ run, the changes should take effect when you complete your current cycle.
Depending on how far you've progressed, you may notice some changes to the sector levels in your subsequent runs. I'll also be updating the Infinite Levels Mod to accommodate this new rotation.
Fluid Clouds
This is a feature I've wanted to add for a very long time. There's now a new graphics setting, enabled by default on desktop, which adds fluid physics to the previously static cloud layer. Rather than simply drifting in the background, clouds can now swirl and flow around ships, creating a much more dynamic environment.
Super Catalyst by Mc.Sim (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=334)
Anyone who's played Reassembly should feel right at home with this one! And if you prefer the original look, you can disable them at any time in settings.
Void Anomalies
Some of the new content extends into earlier sectors. You'll now encounter fractures in space that allow you to travel vast distances across sector maps. Approach them with caution, however, as you may emerge directly into an encounter with enemies far above your level.
You may also encounter unexpected entities from Species-XI, that can create powerful new Elites in battles throughout earlier sectors.
Junker and Outcast Redesigns
Thanks to an unexpected contribution from the community, both the Junker and Outcast ships have received complete visual redesigns!
These fantastic new designs come courtesy of NotABot87746, one of our Discord community members, who's done an incredible job giving both ships a distinctive new identity.
You can find more of his designs and others in our community shipyard.
Shipyard Link: https://star-vortex.com/ships.php
Build / Weapon Nerfs
This is less fun and I don't particularly enjoy nerfing builds, especially when players have invested time into perfecting them. However, a handful of combinations have become so powerful that they've made balancing the rest of the game increasingly difficult.
Some builds had reached the point where they could effortlessly clear the highest difficulty, leaving very little room for meaningful challenge.
Rather than simply making every enemy tougher and punishing all the builds that are performing as intended, I've focused on addressing the specific interactions that were getting out of hand.
Only your highest Damage vs debuff bonus now applies. Before, an enemy carrying every debuff would take every bonus at once, which is a big part of why stacked Halo builds melted everything.
Holo Drive clones now deal 40% of your weapon damage, as they were outdoing pretty much every other special.
Regular enemies now resist stuns for 2 seconds after one, so they can't be stun-locked. Stuns that get cut short end in Aftershock, a slow that still triggers reactions.
Phase Shift cooldown no longer shrinks with level, so it can't be kept up permanently.
Overlapping reactions now hit each target once per tick instead of stacking, and merged Gravity Wells deal their strongest stack rather than the total.
Shield Ward now holds your shields instead of refilling them, so quickly tapping it can no longer be used to instantly restore your shields.
I appreciate that some of these changes may affect builds you've spent a lot of time putting together, and I don't make them lightly. I try to avoid nerfs wherever possible, but I've also received feedback recently that the game has become a little too easy, particularly at the highest difficulties.
Hopefully these adjustments will help restore some of that challenge while keeping a wide variety of builds viable.
To celebrate the update, in about 6 hours, Star Vortex will be 20% off for the next 14 days! If you missed the Autumn Sale, now's a great opportunity to grab a copy, or perhaps pick one up for a friend and make them play co-op with you!
As always, full details of all the changes are listed below. Enjoy!
Patch Notes
New Features / Content
• Sector 4 - Phase 2 is now available, unlocked with the Singularity Key.
• New Advanced Hull Nanobots and Shield Batteries heal for longer than Large.
• New Implosion Mine Launcher special weapon lays mines that pull enemies in.
• New Forgotten Beacon special calls in friendly Forgotten ships to help you.
• Community ship designs can now join the battles behind the main menu.
• Lasers, bolts, torches, halos and assault weapons can now roll Tick Rate.
• Junker ships re-designed by NotABot87746.
• Outcast ships re-designed by NotABot87746.
Balance Changes
• New Game+ enemy levels now rise 25 per cycle to fit Sector 4 - Phase 2.
• Holo Drive clones now deal 40% of your weapon damage, as they outdid you.
• Only the highest Damage vs debuff bonus now applies, so bonuses can't stack.
• Regular enemies resist stuns for 2s after one, so they can't be stun-locked.
• Stuns cut short now end in Aftershock, a slow that still triggers reactions.
• Phase Shift cooldown no longer shrinks with level, so it can't be kept up.
• Drones and turrets now gain hull with level like beacon ships, so they last.
• Mine launchers now lay 1 more mine for every 10 levels.
• Rebound projectiles have up to 200% more health so PDLs can't erase them.
• Shuriken Thrower starts with 3 shurikens, not 2, but gains 1 per 50 levels.
• Grub Launcher grubs fly 60% faster so they can keep up with fast ships.
• Arrow Launcher burns deal 243% more and Fire Bolas 53% less, matching DPS.
• Shield Ward now lasts 23.8 seconds at level 100, up from 13.9 seconds.
• Shield Ward holds shields instead of refilling them, so a tap won't heal.
• Resonant Shielding replaces Sentinel hull repair, so armor protects shields.
• Overlapping reactions now hit each target once per tick instead of stacking.
• Reactions no longer hit missiles, mines or other projectiles.
• Merged Gravity Wells now deal their strongest stack instead of the total.
• Species-XI Eels now only shoot lasers from their head(s).
Quality of Life / Accessibility
• New Fluid Cloud Style setting, smoke that ships and debris swirl through.
• Rebound weapon item cards now show estimated DPS, not only hit damage.
• Co-op keeps silent players for 20 seconds, not 10, so brief drops recover.
• Menu battles now open with your latest ship and stop repeating one design.
Performance
• Eel splits now build new heads and tails over a few frames, ending stutter.
• Projectiles, debris and effects now update in one batch, easing busy fights.
• Damage numbers no longer rebuild while fading and update 10 times a second.
• XP and credit pickups now fly at most 25 particles each, easing slowdown.
• Drone bays no longer build each drone's laser twice when launching it.
• Destroyed ships hand back their health bars at once, easing spawn hitches.
Bug Fixes
• Drone bay Damage vs modifiers now apply to the drones' weapons.
• Rebound projectiles now chase your target when theirs dies or is missing.
• Missile splash and other area effects no longer hit shielded ships twice.
• New Game+ now works while hosting co-op, taking every player to Sector 1.
• Co-op hits are now sent in batches, so big AoE builds are no longer kicked.
• Starmap territory borders are now cut exactly, fixing gaps and shared stars.
• Co-op players now see piercing torpedoes explode at every enemy they pass.
• Repeat stuns on bosses and elites now show for every co-op player.
• Discharge and Shrapnel no longer kick co-op players when their source dies.
• Critical hit labels no longer flash over your own ship before the target.
• Ships no longer flash at their landing spot for a frame before jumping in.
• Sector gateways no longer fly you backwards in New Game+ 3 as levels match.
• Laser/Bolt/Torch Damage Rate now only speeds up lasers, bolts and torches.
• Vortex Array item cards now include tick rate bonuses in their DPS.
• The glossary now correctly says faster tick rates raise damage per second.
• Loot and storage filters no longer list modifiers that never roll on items.
• Controllers can now reach Reset and Save from the last row of settings.
• The keep display settings prompt now keeps controller focus on its buttons.
• Pressing back on the keep display settings prompt now reverts the change.
• Controllers can now move past disabled buttons in the control bindings menu.
• Beacon item cards no longer overstate damage below level 15.
• The Howitzer description no longer says its shots pierce.
• Burning, Radioactive and Impaled now obey the damage cap as hits always did.
• Enemy beam orb debuffs are 67% weaker, as they counted all three beams.
Modders
• DamageEvent/DamageResult are now batches and MsgDamageEvent has hitCount.
• AutoDestroy ticks via ManagedUpdate/ManagedFixedUpdate, overrides call base.
• Projectile.netExplosionCount streams mid-flight blasts to rendered copies.
• New ImplosionMine class, negative knockback power now pulls targets inward.
• Upgrade.Key.ShieldToHealth is now ArmorToShield, see ShieldDamageReduction.
• Modifier.Type.BeamTickRate is now 113 (was 9030) and rolls on weapons.
• Beam.GetTicksPerSecond now takes the weapon, see Beam.GetTickInterval.
• New PhysicsController.OverlapCircleObjects returns each hit object once.
• New StatusEffectReactions.TryClaimHit limits reaction hits per target.
• New GameShip.GetHullShapeVersion and Damageable.GetObjectCollider.
• New Star.GetDebris returns the star's debris list.
• New MirrorImage.playerDamageShare and GameShip.disableLockout fields.
• TerritoryCluster.polygon is now fillQuads plus outlines (outer, then holes).
• TerritoryGeometry uses Clipper2Lib, old subtract/clip/Triangulate removed.