- What is War Games?
- War Games is an all-new, 1-3 player co-op mode that extends Homeworld 3 beyond the campaign. War Games fuses Homeworld’s RTS gameplay with roguelike inspiration. Up to three commanders take on a randomized series of fleet combat challenges. Commanders will need to manage fleet strength across each battle and claim powerful artifacts that augment ships with each completed objective. Based on the results, players will unlock additional artifacts and starting fleets that keep the challenge fresh.
- Are the events and fleets present in War Games canonical?
- No. War Games are battle simulations designed to challenge the Hiigaran Navy’s best fleet commanders (you!) to adapt to a wide array of combat scenarios. Commanders will have access to units, upgrades and combat scenarios that they would not face in the course of a normal campaign. Expect the unexpected.
- How do I play the demo?
- The demo will be available for free to all Steam and Epic Game Store players from February 5 at 10am PT until February 12 at 10am PT. Players can visit the Homeworld 3 store page on their platform of choice to be prompted to download the demo.
- Can I play with my friends?
- Yes! Players can invite friends through the platform friend’s list or play cross-platform through the in-game SHiFT integration. Players are also able to create game lobbies or join games through Quick Match.
- Can you have bots fill in the co-op slots?
- You will not be able to add AI bots in War Games. However, Difficulty scales based on the number of human players in a game.
- What main differences are there between starting fleets?
- Starting fleets are a sub-selection of ships and artifacts that the player can build and create specific strategies and playstyles around. Below is just a sample of the starting fleets available during the demo:
- Strikecraft – Balanced, predetermined starting artifacts.
- Recon – Starts off with less ships, but more resources and lets you choose the starting artifacts. Allows you to build toward more customization at the start of the run.
- Bomber – Strength/Destruction, starts with two torpedo frigates and predetermined starting artifacts.
- Starting fleets are a sub-selection of ships and artifacts that the player can build and create specific strategies and playstyles around. Below is just a sample of the starting fleets available during the demo:
- What are Artifacts in Homeworld 3: War Games?
- Artifacts are the experience-defining system of War Games. During War Games, you’ll frequently choose between a randomized set of three Artifacts. Some tweak and enhance your ships’ capabilities, while others dramatically reinvent them — opening up whole new dimensions of strategy. The longer you survive in War Games, the more Artifacts you’ll obtain, resulting in a fleet that feels completely unique and different with each new run.
- Acquired from Artifact Boxes, they can be obtained from completing objectives or found hidden throughout a mission in War Games.
- Read more about Artifacts in the latest Dev Update here!
- How does Enemy Escalation work?
- Enemy opposition will escalate in strength and number over time. Enemy fleets will progressively start sending more powerful ships in greater numbers. Protect the carrier, collect resources, complete the objective, and advance before being overwhelmed.
- What is a Commander Rank & how does a player level up?
- The commander level refers to the meta-progression system attributed to a player profile.
- By completing objectives and progressing through runs players can gain experience points to level up and unlock additional artifacts for their starting pool and new starting fleets.
- Will Fleets and Artifacts that I unlock in the War Games demo carry over when Homeworld 3 launches?
- Yes! Steam players using Cloud Saves will see their unlocked fleets and artifacts have carried over when Homeworld 3 launches. For players not using Steam Cloud Saves or playing Homeworld 3 on EGS, make sure to NOT delete your demo files as we’ll be sharing info on the exact transfer process later.
- What maps will be available in the War Games demo?
- There will be four mission areas available in the War Games demo.
- Kesura
- Naraka
- Under the Ice
- Production Bay
- Kesura
- There will be four mission areas available in the War Games demo.
- In what ways are players able to find and gain artifacts in each run?
- Artifacts can be found on the Mission Level, by completing Objectives and by completing Challenges. An example of a challenge is destroying a set number of hostiles that will unlock the Beam Assault Frigate artifact to use in your runs.
- Are the Incarnate playable in the mode? Will other factions be playable in the mode in the future?
- Yes, the Incarnate will be playable during the demo. Additional factions will be added in future DLC.
- What is the ‘level cap’ for meta progression in the War Games demo?
- The level cap during the demo is set at level 10.
When the game launches, the level cap will be set at 35, but this may change after launch. We will continue to monitor how players engage with the mode and make adjustments.
- The level cap during the demo is set at level 10.
- What are the rewards to a successful War Games ‘run’? Do these rewards carry over into the campaign?
- A successful run is achieved by completing 3 mission levels and their objectives. Completion of a run rewards you with Commander Rank experience which unlocks additional starting fleets and artifacts. These will be able to be used in your future War Games runs. The unlocks will not carry over into the campaign.
- How long does an average War Games run take? How much content (in terms of ships, playtime, etc.) should I expect in War Games?
- Each successful run of War Games can range from 30-45 mins on average. We focused a lot on making every run feel unique and kept replayability in mind throughout the development process. We want to keep War Games interesting for players well after completing the campaign.
- Will we see any additional content for War Games following launch?
- Post-launch, we will be adding to the mode through DLC packs in the form of free content updates and 3 premium DLC packs, which will also be available through the Year One Pass. These DLC packs will expand its replay value and shake up the meta.
- Why does the Homeworld 3 – War Games demo include Denuvo DRM?
- We’ve activated Denuvo DRM on the demo to ensure that it is not a valid vector to then pirate the game once it officially launches.
