[p][/p][p]Knights, we have a couple of huge updates for you this week which tap into your mercs' backstories to create more merc-driven stories within the game. With this first Depths of Loyalty update, mercs who have reached 60%+ Loyalty will now be able to kick off their own events, offering the Knight and crew the details about a secret they have held on to, perhaps for a long time - the knowledge of a megacorporate shadow site they gleaned at sometime during their tenure at a corp they used to be affiliated with, before their bloody or sudden exit and descent into the criminal underground.[/p][p](UPDATED) We have now also released the second piece of Depths of Loyalty, Contacts who are on a Power Play may put a bounty on your head and send Head Hunters after you. They may do so because of specific story reasons (you boosted their star scientist in Truck Job 2) or for backstory or personal reasons (you were part of the undercover task force attempting to kill them before things went … very wrong). This comes along with 3 brand new Head Hunters teams who use new challenges, new henchmen enemy types and new Talents to try to collect the bounty on your head.[/p][p align="start"]We're excited to keep expanding the game as we work on our ambitious post-launch roadmap. This update continues an already very busy October where we've added 2 new maps, a new Power Play storyline and a new major story arc with Truck Job part 2.[/p][p align="start"]If you want to see what else we've got cooking - check out the full Post-Launch Roadmap![/p][p][/p]

Our Save Game Policy and Updates

[p align="start"]First, since you're going to be seeing a lot of updates around here, we want to share our saved game policy up front so everyone understands our commitment to your games. No saved game will ever be invalidated by an update. All new content and features will be added immediately to all saved games (with the reasonable exception of New Game options). You never have to restart if you don't want to. This is a studio commitment that we have made and kept for many years and games. We stand by it. So do not stress about the deluge of updates that is coming your way - heist on my good heisters.[/p][p][/p]

Shadow Site Secrets

[p][/p][p]The first type of new merc-driven storylines we're releasing are shadow sites – highly secret, often entirely illegal facilities where megacorps keep the things they don't want any of their rivals (or remaining governments) to know about. Some of your mercs with a megacorp background may have mentioned during their recruiting interview a shadow site they had uncovered. But at that time they didn't know if they could really trust you, the Knight, and kept the details to themselves.[/p][p]If that merc reaches 60%+ Loyalty they are now willing to share, and can kick off their own story event where they offer you the details on a high-risk, high-reward raid against that faction's shadow site. You can raise their Loyalty through merc Limit Breaks for a number of long-term benefits.[/p][p]Once the mission is completed - win or lose - the merc's backstory tag will switch to a "Divulged Shadow Site" tag which removes them from the running of coming up with another such storyline.[/p][p][/p][p]These storylines aren't limited to the specific recruits who have a mention of shadow sites in their recruit interview dialogue options. Any merc with megacorp entanglements in their background may come forward to tell you they've uncovered or previously knew about a Shadow Site. Sharing that kind of information too freely can be a death sentence, so it's still on you to raise your merc's Loyalty to 6+ if you want them to consider turning that secret into an actionable (and valuable) mission for you.[/p][p][/p]

Sigma BLACK Sec AI

[p][/p][p]To protect these shadow sites, the corporations have modified and removed intelligence-level safety protocols from the regular UltraTek-developed Sigma security AIs. The gloves are off; these specialized Sec AI are the worst of the worst opponents - pushing the boundary in every way. They drop more reinforcements, they are relentless about keeping their security device network up, they push Tally per Turn to the max.[/p][p]Your Shadow Site Raids won't come easy with these Sec AI overloads hunting you - so get in, get your rewards and get out.[/p][p][/p]

New Head Hunters on the Hunt

[p]With Update #44, three new famous Head Hunters can now join in the hunt, filling the ranks of possible varied and powerful enemies that might come at you on the battlefield. There is Le Sidewinder, known for rolling with an escort of mechanized infantry, and the bombastic War Elephant and Six-Gun Sal and his lethal revolver packing Pure Damage that has dropped many a bounty target.[/p][p]These new Head Hunters can join in any hunt, so they might appear as the Hunters in Syndicate Debts or any other Head Hunter storyline. But, with their addition to the game, the ranks of Hunters has swelled enough (with more coming) to start to offered enemy Contacts to deploy them via Limit Breaks.[/p][p][/p]

Enemy Contacts Limit Break for Head Hunters

[p]Enemy and Burnt Contacts now have a new option if they get a Limit Break and have achieved a Power Play - they can put a bounty on your head! Those enemies who hate you, your crew or you have trashed the relationship all have this options and now you have extra incentive to try to keep them off Power Play or block their Head Hunter calls (unless you want that kind of trouble).[/p][p]This is the first way that new Head Hunters may be sent after your team as part of the underworld story simulation, but others will be following shortly as there are often Factions and not individual contacts who are "hunting such and such merc" from their backstory. Soon, these backstory complications will have the option to manifest in the form of Head Hunters![/p][p]We've also added a new Limit Break option if a Contact is Compromised that can put them into hiding for twice as long as usual. This full disappearing act might be very painful if you rely on them but is the type of thing that the Compromised tag is welcoming.[/p][p][/p]

v2.2.53 - #44: Head Hunters Hunt! - 10/22/2025

[p] - Added 3 new famous Head Hunters - Le Sidewinder, War Elephant and Six-Gun Val[/p][p] - New enemy Head Hunters have cool new abilities and Talents - smoke grenades, other grenades, shielding, cloaking, mecha infantry[/p][p] - Contacts with specific hatred or story grief may send Head Hunters after you as a result of Limit Break when on Power Play[/p][p] - Enemy and Burnt Contacts may send Head Hunters after you as a result of a Limit Break when on Power Play[/p][p] - New extra bad Contact Exposure Limit Break option when Compromised - go Hiding for 2X as long[/p][p] - Standardized and reduced cyber surgery recovery times for cybernetics where the timeline was very long (15+ days)[/p][p] - Fixed bug with Cascade Precision Power Play where you could in fact delay the missions[/p][p] - Fixed bug with Contact Limit Break Influence breaks sometimes turning negative if you reload while they are on screen[/p][p][/p]

v2.2.51 - #43: Depths of Loyalty - 10/20/2024

[p] - New Shadow Site storylines can connect to mercenary backstories, offering high-risk and high-reward raids on specific Factions[/p][p] - Revealing the secret about the Shadow Site storyline to the Knight requires Loyalty 60%+ on merc, Team Power Level 5+[/p][p] - Shadow sites offer challenge multi-stage missions and unique faction specific rewards[/p][p] - Over 50 unique and valuable rewards scattered across different Shadow Site raids[/p][p] - New Sec AI - Sigma BLACK is the worst of the worst opponents; guards megacorporate Shadow Sites[/p][p][/p]