Roguelike city builder Against the Storm is one of my favorite strategy games in recent years. The colorful dark fantasy world is a welcome alternative to the pleasing mundanity of Cities Skylines 2, and despite its post-apocalyptic setting, it feels much more warm and cozy than the harsh brutality of Frostpunk 2. As developer Eremite Games tests a new biome coming with the next update, you can hop into the experimental branch right now to try it out and offer feedback on how it works.
If you’ve yet to try Against the Storm, you can read our Against the Storm review to find out why Josh hailed it as a “near-perfect roguelike strategy game” at launch. If you’re already a fan, whether you have been playing since early access, picked it up recently, or were enticed by the launch of new DLC Keepers of the Stone and its addition of playable frog people, there’s even more to look forward to. If you own the expansion, you’ll soon be getting another biome to explore – the Ashen Thicket.
Eremite Games has already been doing some testing on the biome, and is in the process of tweaking the identity of the new zone. A once-thriving forest of towering spruce trees, the effects of both the old mining industry and the Blightstorm have left it a ravaged and dangerous zone. Venture there, however, and you can gather Thunderblight Shards to use in the new Cornerstone Forge, where you can create entirely new Cornerstones – the powerful modifiers applied to your settlements.
You’ll find Thunderblight Shards while mining the Ashen Thicket, with more acquired as you gather additional ore, coal, and salt. The last of these is an all-new resource, which you’ll obtain by building a mine close to salt veins, and collecting it can also earn you additional sea marrow. Salt has now been added to a range of recipes such as biscuits, paste, and jerky – either functioning as an additional ingredient or replacing one of the existing components.
Fortunately, the rich resources of the Ashen Thicket amplify the chances of earning double yields when you have multiple workers in a given mine. There are also additional salt-related orders and a perk to increase the overall yield of salt production. If you’re curious to explore the new biome ahead of the official launch in update 1.5, simply right-click on Against the Storm in your Steam library, click properties, head to the betas tab, and choose the ‘experimental’ option in the drop-down list. Saves are separate from the live build, so it won’t affect your progress in the actual game.
The test version of Against the Storm update 1.5 is live on Steam. You’ll need to switch to the experimental beta testing branch to try it. Note that the Ashen Thicket biome requires ownership of the Keepers of the Stone DLC. You can check in on the full patch notes for the latest update courtesy of Eremite Games.
For more run-based fun, the best roguelike games are always a winner. Or you can put your settlement management skills to the test with the best city-building games on PC.
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