What's up, Rockhounds!

We’re back with our fifth playtest update! We’ve heard your feedback: diving into high-stakes contracts solo can be a steep challenge. To give you a smoother start before you bring in a crew, this update introduces a brand-new mission type designed for a more gradual onboarding and better gameplay variety.

This is just the beginning: Expect even more mission types over the coming weeks. If you haven't dropped in lately, now is the perfect time to see how Rockhounds is evolving. We’ve also packed in numerous quality-of-life changes to make your experience smoother.

Highlights for this update

• Improvements to Low-Risk Missions

  • We're introducing a new "mining rig" layout designed for smoother, more accessible gameplay.

  • We've added "Kill Targets" as a new mission type, enabling shorter missions and setting the foundation for future objective variety.

• Progression & Rewards

  • We have revamped the progression flow: Rewards are now communicated more clearly, and content unlocks automatically as players advance.

• Deploy Screen Upgrade

  • Added loadout previews to the deploy screen, allowing players to review and strategize gear selection before missions.

• Enemy Spawn Rebalance

  • Focused on improving the first-time user experience in low-risk missions, with better pacing between enemy waves.

• Enemy Behavior improvements

  • Enhanced enemy behavior across all enemy types for more dynamic and challenging encounters.

• Visual & Audio Updates

  • New Music Tracks – Immersive soundtrack updates to match the intensity of your missions.

  • Weapon Visuals – Refreshed designs for select weapons.

Other notable improvements

• Reduced network traffic. Lowering data usage and improved multiplayer stability, especially for players on lower-quality connections.

• Improved ammo distribution reducing the risk of shortages by increasing ammo drops from enemies and loot containers. Expanded build limits for ammo replenishment blueprints, enabling to stockpile and strategize more effectively

• Ammo Resupply Standardization: Removed the Engineer’s dedicated ammo replenish tool. All players can now resupply turrets using their multi-tool, while Engineers retain a faster resupply speed for tactical advantage.

• Resolved issues preventing sales of unequipped items until screen exit.

• Fixed false "game outdated" alerts from cloud code.

• Streamlining cloud code calls to reduce wait times.

• Corrected pack content to ensure only class-specific equipment is included, eliminating cross-class items.

And last but not least

If you want to join our mission to make Rockhounds a huge success, here are a couple of ways you can help us reach more players:

• Wishlist on Steam: This is the single most important thing you can do to help our visibility.

• Squad Up: Remember, your Playtest key includes 3 extra invites. Bring your crew in. Rockhounds is meant to be played as a team.

• Spread the Word: If you have a favorite streamer who loves extraction games, let them know we’re live.

New Recruits Incoming: We’ve just sent out the next batch of Playtest invites! If you’re one of the new arrivals, welcome. Jump into our Discord to find a squad, report bugs, or give us your raw feedback.