RimWorld is getting an add-on for its Royalty DLC

(Image credit: Ludeon Studios)

RimWorld's Royalty DLC and 1.1 update snuck up on us last week, with Ludeon Studios typically only updating players once things are finished cooking. It looks like that's changing, however, with players getting a rough idea of what's to come courtesy of a blog post

Along with hotfixes, the next thing on the agenda is a content add-on for Royalty. The goal is to make it play nicely with mods and not break saves, but as for everything else, it's still up in the air. Nothing is decided, but the add-on could include new combat psycasts, tweaks to mech clusters and extra quests. 

The mech clusters are one of Royalty's big new additions. They're tricky mech bases made up of connected buildings with special elements like alarms, turrets, shields, factories that spawn more mechs. They're affected by extreme world conditions, too, filling the air with poison or blotting out the sun. They require players to go on the offensive, but the tweak being considered would make leaving them dormant for a long time worthwhile.

"The dramatic tension of having a mech cluster present on the map, but not yet fighting it, seems valuable," writes designer Tynan Sylvester. "So, if we can find more ways to have players intentionally keep clusters around it could add a lot of interest to play stories." 

Further away, a 1.2 update is also on the cards—though Ludeon Studios' plans for that will probably be a mystery for a good while yet. In the meantime, players will be able to check out updates before they're live by hitting up the unstable development branch on Steam.

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.