Despite continued rumors, I’m not prepared to hold my breath for a Half-Life 3 announcement quite yet. But Valve’s epochal series lives on in spirit with the magnificent Abiotic Factor, a boisterous survival game that draws inspiration from the worth of Black Mesa and Aperture Science. Boasting a spectacular 96% Steam review score – earning it the elusive ‘overwhelmingly positive’ rating – it’s one of the best co-op games in recent years, and developer Deep Field Games is gearing up for its departure from early access with the first big reveal of its next update, Cold Fusion.
The Abiotic Factor Cold Fusion update is the final stage on the Deep Field’s early-access roadmap, and is set to transition the survival game into its full 1.0 launch. It will see us traveling to the Residence Sector, where something has caused the environment to plummet well below safe living temperatures. You’ll need to investigate what’s responsible – a failed experiment, an encroaching force from an Anteverse, or something else – and try to put things right.
That new zone is just the beginning, however. A new station called the Enhancement Bench is coming that unlocks a way to upgrade weapons, armor, and some other item types. This will allow you to take your favorite gear that might be falling behind the curve and improve it to a viable level. Deep Field teases that its current build features “about 15 to 20 permutations” in the works for weapons alone, although the final number may vary.
Use the Enhancement Bench on military-grade weapons and you’ll fit them with “substantial improvements” while also removing any biometric locks. These upgrades shift them in a more scientific direction, offering new firing methods and additional damage types. Deep Field notes that “upgrades are optional and not always the immediate best choice,” stressing that in many cases they’re more about adapting gear to fit your chosen play style.
There’s one particular military-tier weapon type that has been highly requested – the Artifact weapons used by Gatekeepers. These will become accessible in Cold Fusion, but you’ll need to first earn a new tier of Biometric gear (considered an upgrade to the existing arm wraps) in order to wield them.
Unfortunately, the inclement weather appears to be stretching beyond the residential district. Reports of cold snaps, rolling blackouts, and a concerning black fog are coming in across the facility, so keep a close eye out for weird weather phenomena. Elsewhere, a strange entity appears to be leeching energy from batteries and power supplies. It doesn’t seem hostile if left alone, but it’s probably best to not let it suck up all your surplus juice.
Base assaults are being overhauled with Cold Fusion. “We heard a lot of feedback about how they just kinda stink,” Deep Field explains. As such, the team has changed how your bases are detected to avoid enemies simply spawning inside your facility over and over. “While this will never be absolutely perfect,” it continues, “we expect assaults to feel a lot more unique and varied, and to start, generally, well outside of your base.”
Rounding out this initial look at Cold Fusion are a few more quality-of-life upgrades to help you tidy up. Trash cans will now actually let you get rid of items for good. If you’re eager to reset your character, there will be a way to do that. Deep Field promises “a lot more” to be revealed in the future, including paintable tier-two beds and a follow-up for the Core Keeper crossover seen in the Dark Energy update.
The Abiotic Factor Cold Fusion update is set to launch in summer 2025 alongside 1.o. This will also see the game’s console release and the introduction of optional crossplay features. Take a look through the full blog post courtesy of Deep Field Games for all the details.
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