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Homeworld 3’s latest free update and paid DLC probably won’t fix its negative Steam receptionIt’s tough in space right now
It’s tough in space right now
Image credit:Gearbox Publishing
Image credit:Gearbox Publishing
I’m not sure iftoday’s free Homeworld 3 updateis the one I’m waiting for, but it does encompass “a host of gameplay improvements, bug fixes, [and] free Skirmish maps”. It will launch alongside the Kalan Fleet pack DLC, which adds two new fleets to the spacestrategysim’s roguelike War Games mode, including the Kalan Raiders from the story, along with three new ships.
The Kalan Raider fleet are a mix of Kalan and repurposed Hiigaran ships. The other new fleet is the Capture Fleet, who blend Incarnate with Kalan vessels - guess what they’re good at. If you guessed “stealing other people’s frigates”, then go away and sulk, for I have no medals to give out. The DLC also includes 11 new challenges and 40 Artifacts. I don’t get the sense that all of this will address the complaints I’m reading on the Steam forums about the single player campaign and - oh wow, the current Steam user review consensus is Mostly Negative. Is itreallythat bad?
Revealed to much rejoicing in 2019, Homeworld 3 has had a troubled gestation. It was repeatedlydelayed to address player feedback, withthe controls proving a particular bugbear. Creators Blackbirdlaid off staff in February this yearfollowing some unannounced project cancellations.
According to Blackbird’sseason pass roadmap from April, we can expect another paid Homeworld 3 DLC in October which adds a new playable faction, starting fleets, faction artifacts and challenges. There’s also a further free update in the works with maps and challenges for around the end of the year. A third paid DLC pack and free update combo are planned for 2025, with a similar balance of goodies.
It’s hard to imagine all that moving the needle of player reactions to the story campaign, but still - best of luck, Blackbird. This is deep space survey ship USG Evans-Thirlwell, signing off until further notice.
Little update: the game’s Steam user review consensus was Overwhelmingly Negative at the time of writing but had changed to Mostly Negative soon after publication. Given the timing, I’ve decided to change the headline and body copy to suit.
