In the previous update to the post-war shoot ‘n’ loot game Vigor, the team focused on technical improvements, significant looting and crafting reworks, and the addition of the possibility to play with a friend. Building upon the fundamentals, the new update “Breach” — availble now on Xbox One — lets us bring some interesting gameplay additions to showcase the intended path for future development of the game.

Breach the Barricades

The core of encounters, or matches, in Vigor is looting, surviving, and optionally trying to get the most valuable reward: the airdrop. In the future, we want to bring more variety to the formula, to which we take the first steps in the “Breach” update. Players can look for the Barred House: a barricaded interior area with a safe inside. Removing the barricade to get in takes some time, as does unlocking the safe itself; and whilst the safe is being unlocked, everyone in the encounter knows it’s happening. If you want to claim the reward inside, you need to plan your advance carefully, as well as be ready to bear the tension of waiting for the unlocking sequence to finish. Do you brave the additional risk?

If fighting is your cup of bitter post-war tea, beware. Once an Outlander kills three other people, the killer is marked to other Outlanders as a Threat, which lets them stay safely away ‑ or actively hunt the killer down! For more experienced players, this adds a new exciting level of challenge, whereas more careful Outlanders can use it to keep themselves a bit safer… hopefully.

Both these new events, as we call them, present new more-or-less optional objectives to spice up encounters. We’ll be adding more in the future; our intention is to randomize some events to change how one encounter feels compared to another, and essentially to add more fun to the gameplay. With the first events in, make sure to let us know how you like them!

Party for Two

The “Ally” update main feature was, naturally, the addition of duos. We continue to monitor how they work, and implement some quality-of-life improvements, like the shared custom map markers. In 0.7, we answer players’ feedback about the reward: when there’s a duo in an encounter, the airdrop will contain two Boxes of Valuables. Will you share equally, or will you agree with your teammate to give both to either of you? The choice is yours. Additionally, if there are solo players present, the higher threat from duos is compensated by the potentially bigger reward.

In case you wonder how solo players and duos may mix up, let me elaborate. To preserve reasonable wait times before encounters, we may ‑ when necessary and as a temporary solution ‑ merge the two queues (solo and duo) together. That being said, we already implemented some improvements to the matchmaking system, which should result in shorter queue times for most players. We’re aware of problems mostly with Australia, Oceania and South American regions, and we’ll do our best to improve the situation in the future.

The 0.7 update also introduces Eva, our first female Outlander. While our work on her, and more women characters, is still in progress, we decided to let you try playing as her already, so we can gather your feedback.

Games in the Game

Complementing the gameplay and player character additions, the “Breach” update brings two fancy Outlander gadgets to your Shelter. In the Firing Range, you can find handsome scarecrows to test your guns on. They take damage in the same way as Outlanders, so you can learn how much damage your weapons cause in various conditions. If you’re tired by all that shooting, you can calm down by solving the iconic puzzle cube, which can be found inside your shelter. If you fit into a certain age group, the cube comes with an additional effect of inflicting nostalgic memories.

In general, Vigor 0.7 Update: Breach is the first step in adding more gameplay content to the game. We plan to introduce more features akin to the aforementioned ones in the future, but at the same time, the team still works hard on fixing bugs and polishing the game. One of the top-priority issues at the moment is server performance, which sometimes hinders players’ experience during gunfights. Optimizing the game is an ongoing process and we hope to deliver some notable updates in this area in the foreseeable future. We also continue to gather your feedback (please keep it coming!), so we can build a unique and fun game together with you. On behalf of the whole Vigor team, thank you for your continuous support. Stay safe, Outlanders.

Vigor (Game Preview) is available now via the Microsoft Store on Xbox One as a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.