A year after Gearbox released Risk of Rain 2 DLC so broken the developer admitted it put the game 'in a really bad place,' it's finally got a win: the new DLC's 96% positive reviews have blasted it up Steam's top sellers chart

Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective | Launch Trailer - YouTube

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Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective, a new DLC for the ultimate numbers-go-up roguelike, launched on Steam yesterday to something new for Gearbox since it took over the game: Player acclaim.

After taking over development duties from original indie developer Hopoo Games last year, Gearbox stepped in it pretty hard, releasing DLC so bad that it broke the game even for players who hadn't purchased it. The fact that it cost $15 didn't help, and most players at the time were mourning Hopoo's exit and what they saw as a naked attempt to cash in. Things are going a bit better this time.

While also costing $15—nearly two-thirds the price of the base game—Alloyed Collective adds a whole lot to the game, including two new characters, seven stages with new music tracks, and a new final boss. More importantly, it doesn't seem to be breaking fundamental game systems like physics and how damage is calculated. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive, at least among folks who've bought the DLC.

The Risk of Rain 2 Steam forums have not been so generous, with reactions like "Gearbox slop" and complaints that the DLC isn't free all over the place. That's apparently hater central, while the subreddit, surprisingly, is loving it.

If there's any whisper of controversy with Alloyed Collective, it's a change to Risk of Rain 2's drones, which are little repairable bots you can find scattered around stages that will follow you and lend some firepower. The DLC adds seven new drone types, while a patch to the base game is simultaneously reworking drone AI to make them smarter while nerfing an item that once made drones far more powerful.

"Spare Drone Parts (SDP) was initially balanced around the fact that drones used to be pretty ineffective combat allies—even so SDP was considered to be one of the strongest items in the game," Gearbox says in the patch notes. "With the new drones, increased drone acquisition and new drone AI in DLC3, SDP would essentially play the game for you and almost always guarantee a (pretty boring) win, so we have decided to reduce its effectiveness by 50%."

Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective - OPERATOR REVEALED! - YouTube

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It sounds like a pretty reasonable change, but it's a bit awkward that players who don't buy the DLC will experience the rebalancing without access to those seven new (and presumably more powerful than the base game's) drone variants. Gearbox knows the tweak might be a bit controversial, though, noting that it will "keep a close eye on community feedback and sentiment regarding this change."

One other tweak to drones sounds quite cool for everyone, though: a new "remote operation" feature that allows any player who's died in a multiplayer session to take control of a drone until their friends have finished the level. I love to feel like I'm helping, even when I'm not!

As the Steam forums' sourest pusses have pointed out, there's no launch discount for Alloyed Collective, but it's an easy add to my wishlist for a future Steam sale. I just hope my Risk of Rain 2 Goku mod gets updated to support the latest build.