Version 0.153 is a big update. Above all, you can now see what you’re playing for.
Upgrades you can see
Weapon level, engines, armor, shields and targeting now hang on the ship as real parts. The turret on the spine grows with your weapon, and from level 10 wing cannons join it. The nacelles get stronger engines and the wings carry armor. In the shipyard, every module shows before you buy what the ship will look like afterwards, and new parts light up.
Loot worth repeating for
Modules now come in five qualities, from Standard to Legendary. Missions from ★★ up, every Guardian and the Core drop better ones, and when a better version drops, yours gets upgraded. A Legendary Afterburner pushes almost twice as hard as one from a station.
Bandit outposts
Bandits have dug in across every system: platforms linked by wall bridges, topped with rotating gun turrets. The turrets only fire once they point at you, and they glow just before they shoot, so crossing their aim lets you escape. Take out every turret and the outpost falls, along with its loot.
Laser, Core and speed
The Ion Laser gets thinner and brighter with each level instead of wider. Where it hits, a hot spot scorches the neighbors, and sweeping it leaves a glowing trail. The Core is now the longest fight of the flight. And everything runs smoother: in a dense fight the game draws three times as fast, with nicer stars and soft shadows.
All details are in the patch notes.