The Beta Weekend format of unlocking new features, quickly fixing bugs and optimizing every two weeks has worked really well for our team and the health of the game.
That also means there are some features you haven’t experienced yet: Outposts, more Missions, Tier 4 tech, mining Exotic Matter and Orbital Workshop tech.
Launching 4 Dec
Icarus will launch worldwide on Steam this weekend at:
- 2pm Friday 3 December 2021 PST
- 10pm Friday 3 December 2021 UTC
- 11am Saturday 4 December 2021 NZT
Launch Content Loaded
At launch Icarus will have 64 square kilometers of terrain to explore, over 35 missions ranging from days to weeks in duration, over 240 talents, 6 different building materials, over 95 building pieces, 40 weapon and ammunition types, 35 armor set pieces, 15 crafting benches, more than 140 other items to craft, 11 different minerals to mine and support for nine languages.
It amazes us that there are thousands of people with well over 100 hours playing Icarus and we haven’t even fully launched.
We’re still offering a 10% discount if you pre-order the game. For people who prefer to wait to see how our launch goes, the 10% discount will also be available for the first weekend.
Outposts
Outposts are permanent 1km x 1km maps with no time limit and limited dangers, ideal for building. You can do just about everything you do on a Prospect mission but without the threat of storms and animal attacks. Only one of your characters can be on an Outpost at a time, but while you are there you can invite your Steam friends to visit.
Icarus comes with a Forest Outpost map for everyone as standard. Players with the Supporters Edition (formerly known as the Deluxe Edition) get an extra Forest Outpost and an Arctic Outpost. We’re excited to see what you build in your Outposts, and how you build, so we can design new and interesting Outpost maps for you in future.
Outposts aren’t the only place you can build on Icarus. Some Prospects last for weeks, giving you more than enough time to construct a base under more challenging conditions.
Tier 4 Planetary Tech Tree
Once your character hits Level 30 you’ll gain access to Tier 4 of the Tech Tree that makes advanced engineering and electronics possible.
This tier begins with unlocking the Fabricator, a 3D-printer-like device that provides materials like Titanium and Composites for your tools, armor and weapons.
Naturally, electricity requires a Generator. Once placed and fueled you can run cables to power other nearby electrical devices such as the Refrigerator (for the Desert), Heaters (for the Arctic), the Electric Furnace and Hydroponics. This electrical system lays the foundation for automation and other mechanical systems to be added to Icarus in future.
Hydroponics is a valuable addition to our Farming system, which wise Prospectors invest time and effort in. For example, the Reed Flowers used in making Stamina Buff Paste are only found along river banks or around lakes. By taking the time to farm them and other rare plants you can create your own crop close to your home base or in a biome where they don’t grow at all.
Prospects and Missions
Prospectors on Icarus are granted Prospects - an area of land with the right to explore and exploit it for a limited time - by the UDA (United Development Agency).
The erratic orbits of the Orbital Stations and of Icarus itself mean that Prospects last for varying but limited time. If your Station goes out of range at the end of the Prospect timer, there is no chance of rescue.
Icarus has over 35 varied missions available at launch.
Prospects can vary hugely in length from days to weeks. A limited duration doesn’t mean you always have to be in a rush, just aware of your situation and surroundings at all times. Long-form open-ended survival gameplay is always possible too.
On Icarus you’ll always have to pay attention to surviving, exploring, gathering resources and building shelter, and the mission objectives provide some extra direction and rewards on top. Your missions will range from deploying and defending survey equipment, gathering hostile or rare bio-samples, recovering valuable tech before others do, extracting Exotics or setting up a base with special equipment or a secret purpose.
Along the way new Prospects will be unlocked and you’ll learn more about the motivations of the governmental and corporate factions vying for control on Icarus.
Exotics
Unlocking Tier 4 also grants you access to one of Icarus’ most sought-after tools, the Extractor which is necessary for mining Exotic Matter.
When Icarus’ terraforming failed the planet was nearly abandoned, until a team of researchers discovered the cause: deposits of Exotic Matter believed to exist only within the hearts of collapsing stars. While these ‘impossible’ materials had corrupted the terraforming and poisoned the air, they were also valuable beyond measure. Their properties would enable widespread interstellar travel, affect mass, alter biology and spark extraordinary new scientific breakthroughs.
The UDA and the Factions operating on Icarus reward Prospectors handsomely for any Exotics they can bring back to orbit.
Orbital Workshop
As you complete Missions and return Exotics to orbit, you’ll be able to research and purchase advanced new technology in the Orbital Workshop on board one of the stations above Icarus.
Orbital Workshop items are permanent and you can choose which to take with you when you plan your Loadout for your next drop. The only way to lose them is to be careless or die while on a drop.
The orbital tech unlocks a variety of ways for you to choose how you want to play Icarus.
Over time you’ll fill your Inventory with orbital tech and will have to strategize your approach with gear suitable for the challenges of different missions. You could specialise in certain skills by taking advanced weapons or armor for an extermination mission, prepare for a biome with special armor, invest in gear to speed up harvesting, or pre-prepare food so you don’t have to scavenge for it planetside and get to your mission objectives faster.
Orbital tech may even grant new abilities (such as seeing friend’s locations on the map with Player Locator Module) or passive bonuses (such as the Mass Dampener Module which you can equip to your Envirosuit).
You can bring Orbital Workshop items and Exotic Matter back to orbit in your dropship when you complete your mission - but tools and weapons crafted on the planet cannot be brought on board.
Offline Mode
Don’t always have an internet connection? Offline mode stores your Prospect or Outpost’s progress on your local hard drive so you don’t need an internet connection to play.
10% XP bonus for our pre-order customers and Beta Testers
If you pre-ordered Icarus and participated in our Beta Weekends, your characters and progress will be wiped at launch. Don’t worry - everyone who pre-ordered gains a special 10% XP bonus for the first three days, so you will progress faster the second time around.
Languages
The factions and companies vying for power and riches on Icarus come from around the world, and so does our player community.
At launch Icarus will be available in English, German, French, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
We know there are fans keen to help translate Icarus to even more languages, which is something we may consider working with the community on in future.
A lot more coming
While DLC chapters New Frontiers and Dangerous Horizons are planned for next year, we’ll be making regular updates to the base game too for no extra cost.
The session-based nature of Icarus makes it possible for us to add new mission types, for Factions to sell new powerful and rule-changing items in the Workshop, or for the planet itself to evolve.
See you planetside, Prospectors.
- Shammgod
