Jun 22, 2021

[Stories] Guiding star: light beneath the ground (part 5)

Crossout - XO_Team

You can read the previous part here.

The storm covered the Wasteland with a lead cap. It rained violently on the deck of the ship with the Fallen Star sign and solar panels attached to the mast. Under the low, heavy sky, the ark rushing on the soaked off-road seemed like a lonely wanderer in primal darkness.

— Grant me a grain of luck, Omniscient. I don’t ask for much. Pure mind to master the knowledge. And the courage to use it, — whispered Seeker Ochre, without ceasing to monitor the operation of the devices in the navigation cabin.

A thin sawing sound merged with a rhythmic squeak of equipment, transmitting data on the movement of the ship. It was the knob of a children’s music box that Ochre once picked up in the ruins of a farmhouse. The toy miraculously survived Crossout, the agony of the passing era and timelessness in piles of forgotten junk... The Seeker loved it — a precious fragment of the old world. But now the simple melody only bored her, reminding of what couldn’t be brought back.

Unable to stand it, the woman put the box on a dashboard and opened the door of a deckhouse.

It was raining heavily overboard. The Seeker climbed the bridge, not noticing how cold droplets soak her clothes and roll on her back. Ochre’s thoughts were far from here: behind the curtain of rain, she seemed to see the pillars of black smoke. Smoldering remains of container ships at the Ship Graveyard. Rusty barge frames scorched by the dancing blaze.

— The inhabitants of the Valley have destroyed each other before, —Ochre said slowly. — The whole history of New Humanity is a chronicle of endless war. So what’s wrong with another looted caravan? How is this massacre different from the others?
And immediately she heard her own voice:

— The fact that the blood was spilled only from one side.

A couple of hours later, the control system notified the end of the route. The liner stopped under the shadow of a rock with bizzare cogs. Grabbing the camping lantern, Ochre moved with a pounding heart toward the mouth of the cave at the foot of the ridge. A wide concrete ramp provided an entrance to an underground bunker — the closest Scavenger base south of the Ship Graveyard.

Ochre hoped the unrest had not affected this place. Maybe the camp owners know more about the imminent threat?

— For the common good, let them be alive, — muttered the Seeker, carefully walking on sharp stones. — There’s too much chaos and turmoil these days…

The beam of the lantern tore the gates in the interior of the cave out of the darkness. Like the last visit, they were locked, and Ochre considered it a good sign — at least there were still people in the bunker. The Seeker knew that it was useless to knock, so she only increased the brightness of the lights and prepared to wait. But soon the thickness of the rock trembled from the push, and the canvas creaked upward, inviting the guest to enter.

An empty corridor leading to the main premises of the bunker appeared ahead.

— On behalf of the Order of the Fallen Star, I greet the survivors, — Ochre shouted, clamping a metal medallion in her hand. — Who meets the Seeker? Name yourself!

Nobody answered. Ochre shrugged and quickened her pace. Two years ago, she had to go through a disinfection chamber to get into the impregnable lair of one of Scar AB’s posts. It’s strange that the Scavengers changed the rules. Unless something terrible made them change the rules...

Having entered a giant, dimly lit hall, Ochre cautiously looked around. A huge scrap metal landfill appeared in front of her. Where there used to be a garage and spacious workshops, there were distorted cars, crumpled cargo cabins mixed with rusted sheets of covering and bristling fittings. The stranger remembered the park of simple, but durable armoured vehicles standing here — many of them turned into rubble.

White sparks cracked on the other half of the hall. As she got closer, Ochre found a group of Scavengers wearing welding masks and dirty rags. They fussed around the monstrous cabin, sewing every inch of the hull with plates made of wreckage of their own equipment.

— What happened her...—

Survivors waved their hands, suggesting the guest to proceed further — sixty meters down.

With a frightening clang, the elevator descended into the shaft. Through the metal grating, Ochre saw a crowd — all the inhabitants of the bunker gathered on the lower platform. The Scavengers could hardly stand on their feet. Someone stood resting on the shoulder of a comrade, someone sat leaning against the wall. Clothes covered in blood, bandaged heads with scarlet spots on bandages… It seemed that the squad visited the other side.

A heavy man in a yellow vest stood out in the crowd. Slightly limping on his leg with a prosthesis attached below his knee, he nervously walked between the wounded and gave orders to his assistants.

The Seeker waved her hand at him.

— Scar! I was worried you might be attacked — I was right, it seems. Are the losses heavy?

— Peace be upon the Order, Ochre, — the leader of the Scavengers barely glanced at the guest. — We lost enough to disrupt our plans for the next quarter. And enough to give me a lot of trouble. The Brotherhood doesn’t care how many people go on assignment. And how they will fight off these wretches...

— Who are you talking about?

Scar AB spat.

— About these arrogant coloured strangers... Syndicate. What else can there be? It’s not enough for them to mess with the Lunatics, wander around the Valley — they managed to get the Nomads too. A week ago, it got completely out of hand. Because of them we will lose the base at the Ship Graveyard.

— Easy, Scar. What makes you think you were attacked by the Syndicate?

— You mean, did we see the massacre? — he grinned in disappointment. — No, we didn’t. The signal came too late. But the wretches didn’t even think to flee. Who else do you think it could be?

— I saw what was left of the base. The attackers used plasma cannons. Remember the nature of the damage: severe deformation, breaks with melted edges. The technical level of the Syndicate is higher than that of many old inhabitants of the Valley, but they behave differently.

— How do we know?— A vile voice sounded behind Scar AB’s back. — We haven’t even seen the Syndicate! They sent their henchmen to us — those who just want to earn extra money. If their mercenaries carry such “sweet” tech, who knows what their bosses are capable of?

— All right, you lazy idiots! — The leader of the Scavengers exploded. — You don’t like the work I provide — you are free to go. You can die out there with the other idiots, for all I care — I won’t take you back. Got it? Are there any other “sweet tech” enthusiasts here?

Scavengers were shamefully silent.

Ochre took Scar by the hand, pulling him away from the crowd.

— Listen, the Syndicate is not the main threat. Someone captured the Ravager technology, and soon all of us will face them. Now the Ravagers don’t erase memories, they kill people! And if they gain control over the entire Valley?

Ochre’s voice trembled, but she quickly coped with her emotions.

— Nomads think this is Lloyd’s doing. While you and I are arguing, there’s an army of combat vehicles somewhere nearby that obey a fanatic. We cannot ignore that! Scavengers, Engineers, Nomads, and even Lunatics must unite to prevent the disaster.

Scar pulled his hand.

— What do you want, woman? You want me to give up on my old commitment because of somebody’s foolishness? You think the Brotherhood is waiting for me to preach peace in the whole world? I have enough problems: “Steppenwolfs” refused to help, it’s necessary to resume deliveries, to strengthen protection of caravans… And all I have to work with is a handful of these cowardly worms!

Scar angrily pointed his finger towards the wounded.

— You can alert the entire Kaganate. Good luck! I will do more important things, such as restoring justice. When we launch the mass production of the new weapons, I think I’ll test them on the Syndicate.

— You’re unbearable, Scar! Lloyd already tested his plasma cannons on you. I managed to capture a Ravager: I know exactly the model of installation and the power of the shells. They can quickly call for reinforcements — thanks to the alert system. They are difficult to disable — their protective modules absorb damage.

A shadow of interest flashed on Scar Ab’s face for the first time. His love of collecting complex inventions was known even In the farthest corners of the Valley — even during critical moments, it hadn’t faded.

— Bravo, Ochre! Your sense for curious toys is sharper than mine. I offer you a deal: the machine in exchange for a pass to my bunker. If you’re so scared, you’ll sit out the invasion underground. Clear your mind of depressing thoughts. And then life will return to normal.

Scar AB stretched his lips in a grin, deliberately ignoring Ochre’s indignation.

— New world is not a place for panickers, Seeker. Last time, an invincible army of Ravagers was stopped by a bunch of Engineers. What prevents us from using them again? That’s what I said to that girl… Foxy, when she showed up a couple hours ago.

— Foxy was here? What did she want?

— No idea. Didn’t even listen to the nonsense about the rise of the machines. She’s still here, trying to lower the price of the gas pump.

— Scar! When are you gonna stop being such a pain in the back? I need to talk to her right now.

For more information on Crossout, follow these channels:

Jun 17, 2021

[Update] [PC] Crossout 0.12.70. Guiding star

Crossout - XO_Team

Hello! Welcome to the new season “Guiding star”! In this major update, we can expect not only new unique parts, but also: a special PvE brawl, the return of the updated map “Ship Graveyard”, redesign of engine perks and the updated mechanics of mixing cosmetic objects.

New season “Guiding star” and Battle Pass

Attention! The event will last until September 12 inclusive!

[expand type=details]

There are 75 levels with unique rewards in the event. Raising the level of the event will unlock new rewards.
If the player has a Battle Pass, 20 in-game coins are rewarded for levels from 76 and above.
All players without exception (both with and without a paid Battle Pass) can unlock:
- New structural parts of the Lunatics, Nomads and Scavengers.
- Recipes for the production of weapons/chassis/cabins/hardware.
- Recipes for the production of fused weapons/chassis/cabins/hardware. ATTENTION! These recipes will only be available temporarily during the current season. Once it is completed, the recipes for already fused parts will be unavailable.
- A banner logo that displays your current level in the event.
- Upgrade stabilizers.
Players who have acquired a Battle Pass may receive the following additional rewards:
- Parts that have been crafted before. Please note that such parts are already issued with certain upgrades and cannot be sold/bought on the market.
- In-game coins.
- Cosmetic items: paints, stickers, decor, backgrounds and logos for personalizing the banner, holograms.
- New decoration and attractions for ranges.
- Additional upgrade stabilizers.
Rewards marked with a lock icon are only available in the Battle Pass.
All locked parts (except for structural parts) can be purchased on the in-game market from other players.
Structural parts can be unlocked some time after the event.

Important changes

With this season, the rules for crafting new legendary parts are slightly changing. Now their production becomes more similar to the production of parts during the visits of the Knechte and Ravens:

Now unlocked recipes for the production of new legendary parts are available only during the current season. We remind you that production recipes are available to everyone and they are included in the list of free rewards of the season.
This means that you can craft new legendary parts as many times as you want, but only until the season “Guiding star” is over.
After the end of the season, you can get these items on the market by purchasing them from other players.
The light recipes for the production of legendary parts (with a “discount” on the amount of required parts and resources) are going to be available during the season.
In the future, the production recepies of these parts will be returned as rewards for participating in various in-game events.

Event Level Up

You can increase your level in the event by completing special challenges:
- Daily challenges
- Challenges completed during the week (weekly). Updated on Thursdays.
At the end of the day, all uncompleted daily challenges are reset and replaced with new ones.
Every Thursday, after updating the list of challenges, all uncompleted weekly challenges are carried over and added to the list of new challenges.
Weekly tasks of the season are divided into “main” and “additional” groups. At one time, 4 “main” and 2 “additional” tasks are issued.
Please note that it is possible to get the maximum level in the event by completing only daily and “main” challenges. Completing “additional” challenges will help you increase your level even faster.
Try not to miss challenges to open all available rewards as soon as possible.
When the event level is increased, the reward is issued automatically.
You can still complete regular daily and weekly challenges, save badges and other resources.

[/expand]

Cabins

Epic cabin “Aggressor”

Lightweight cabin.
PS: 1800.
Max. speed: 105 km/h.
Tonnage: 3800 kg.
Mass limit: 7800 kg.
Adds energy: 12 pts.
Durability: 265 pts.
Weight: 600 kg.
Perk: For every 30 meters driven in a straight line, receive a charge that increases the damage of the weapons by 7%. Stacks up to 3 times. Loses charge every 0.5 sec. when turning.

Legendary cabin “Machinist”

Heavy cabin
PS: 2100.
Maximum cabin speed: 60 km/h.
Tonnage: 9100 kg.
Maximum weight: 24000 kg.
Adds energy: 11 pts.
Durability: 540 pts.
Mass: 5300 kg.
For each 1000 pts. of armoured vehicle’s durability increases the durability of the weapons mounted on the cabin by 5%. Maximum bonus is 20%.

Weapons

Epic course shotgun “Gremlin”

PS: 550.
90% resistance to melee damage.
Lets 50% of the damage through.
Durability: 180 pts.
Energy consumption: 2 pts.
Mass: 126 kg.
When colliding with an enemy, the damage of the “Gremlin” increases up to 30% for 5 sec. The bonus depends on the strength of the hit and is equally distributed between all mounted “Gremlins”.

Epic grenade launcher “Thresher”

PS: 1650.
Ammunition: 75 pcs.
Durability: 180 pts.
Energy consumption: 6 pts.
Mass: 220 kg.
Hitting the target at a 20 m. distance increases the damage by 7% for 1 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.

Legendary frontal machine gun “M-32 Vindicator”

PS: 1200.
Durability: 225 pts.
Energy drain: 3 pts.
Mass: 210 kg.
As the weapon heats up, its damage resistance increases up to 40%.

Legendary autocannon “AC80 Stillwind”

PS: 2000.
Durability: 404 pts.
Energy drain: 5 pts.
Mass: 513 kg.
The invisibility effect after the shot lasts for 2 sec. Doesn’t affect other ways of deactivating invisibility.

Chassis

Epic “Buggy Wheel” (normal and ST)

PS: 250.
Tonnage: +1200 kg (ST: +600 kg).
Power: -5% (ST: -10%).
Durability: 248 pts.
Mass: 116 kg.
Perk: Reduces the speed requirements for bonus activation by 40%. Does not stack. The bonus is reduced when used in conjunction with other chassis.

Hardware

Special recharge booster “KA-1 Discharger”

PS: 190.
Durability: 171 pts.
Energy drain: 1 pts.
Mass: 162 kg.
Boosts the reloading of weapons and rockets by 10%.

Epic recharge booster “KA-2 Flywheel”

PS: 275.
Durability: 323 pts.
Energy drain: 1 pts.
Mass: 384 kg.
Boosts the reloading of weapons and rockets by 20%.

The progression and receipt of faction part blueprints occur within the in-game event “Guiding star”.

New attractions for the range

The owners of the battle pass will also be able to get new unique objects for the range

Fire and plasma rings

Test yourself and your friends at the range! But remember that these attractions don’t forgive mistakes!

Jumping pad

We are sure that you will find a lot of different applications for this device! All you need to know is that it can launch any car or any leviathan, who will dare to go over it, straight into the air.

“Battle Pass” (Deluxe edition) pack

Upon purchasing this pack, the player gains 15 levels to his current progress in the event. All additional battle pass rewards for already received levels are automatically made available.
Provides access to additional rewards: crafted and upgraded parts, decor, paints, portraits, backgrounds and logos for personalizing the banner and coins.
The pack can be purchased only once.

“Battle Pass” pack

Upon purchasing this pack, the player gains 1 level to his current progress in the event. All additional battle pass rewards for already received levels are automatically made available.
Provides access to additional rewards: crafted and upgraded parts, decor, paints, portraits, backgrounds and logos for personalizing the banner and coins.
The pack can be purchased only once.

Special game mode - Operation “Gozu”

Attention! The mode will be available until July 8 inclusive!

[expand type=details]Operation Gozu is a special PvE brawl that covers the events that take place during the season. In addition, it’s a great occasion to test your strength and team skills and get memorable rewards!

You will be able to complete the brawl stealthily or by direct assault, and this style will directly affect the amount of time spent on completing the brawl and the received rewards. But one thing at a time:

The battle takes place on a map, created specifically for this brawl, “Desolate town”.
Your objectives:
- destroy the Ravager tower;
- break into enemy territory and upload the Syndicate virus to the data center;
- destroy the Ravager leader.
In addition to ordinary enemies, you can meet:
- Surveillance cameras. Track the movements of possible enemies and is always ready to raise an alarm if you get caught into their field of view. If you aren’t looking for problems and aren’t ready to confront reinforcements - avoid them.
- Patrolmen. Patrol the territory and raise an alarm when the enemy is spotted. Don’t forget about coordinated team actions to get into enemy territory unnoticed.
Two styles of completing the brawl are available to you:
- Stealth. Avoid watchmen and patrolmen and sneak into enemy territory. For those who prefer to do business without unnecessary noise and problems.
- Assault. Every time you are detected by a surveillance camera or patrol, you will have to confront the reinforcements. Needless to say, this will not only test your strength, but also increase the time spent on the operation. Compared to the stealth mode, this way you can earn more resources (if you actively fight enemies).

Special rewards

You have 3 challenges that can only be completed in the new mode. You will receive a reward for completing each challenge:

Deal 20,000 damage to the Ravagers. Reward: 2 stickers “Return of the Ravagers!”
Destroy 30 Destroyers. Reward: 2 stickers “Stop them together!”
Destroy 50 red eyes of the Ravagers. Reward: object for the range “Trophy Ravager”.

[/expand]

Updated map “Ship Graveyard”

The visual component of the map has been completely redesigned:

improved quality of used assets;
large vegetation on the map now becomes translucent and does not overlap the view;
added a lot of visual effects;
the appearance of a number of environment objects and the sky has changed;
improved lighting on the map.

Factory

large vegetation on the map now becomes translucent and does not overlap the view.

Engineers garage and Assault Force garage

large vegetation on the map now becomes translucent and does not overlap the view.

Recycling — updated mechanics of mixing cosmetic items

We have redesigned the obsolete mechanics of mixing items and offer you a new option, thanks to which you can always get rid of unnecessary or unnecessary cosmetic items, and in return get useful consumables or extremely rare cosmetics.

Now you can recycle not only paints and decor, but the stickers as well.

As a result of recycling 5 stickers, paints or decor, you can get one of the predetermined rewards. These can be rare stickers / paints / decor or useful consumables. You can familiarize yourself with all the rewards in the recycling window.
The higher rarity of recycled paints, stickers and decor increases the chance of receiving the rarest and most valuable rewards (which is also displayed in the window interface).
Certain paints, stickers and decor may not be available for recycling. You can always check whether a particular thing can be used in recycling or not, directly in the game.

Raids

Now you can take part in difficult raids only on a car from 8000 PS and higher.

Bedlam

The maps “Terminal 45”, “Dead Highway” and “Wrath of Khan” were added to the mode’s rotation.

Hardware

Changed the perks of the following engines: “Hot red”, “Colossus” and “Oppressor”:
- Hot red: Increases the reverse speed of wheels up to 50% of standard. The effect disappears if the engine is destroyed.
- Colossus: Increases the durability of all chassis by 25%. The effect disappears if the engine is destroyed.
- Oppressor: Speeds up the rotation of the weapons in proportion to the armoured vehicle’s speed. Maximum bonus is 100% at 80 km/h. The effect disappears if the engine is destroyed.
Other engine parameters have not been changed. “Colossus” and “Oppression” still consume 1 pts. of energy.

Wheels

Improved handling of wheeled armoured vehicles:

The drifting has been slightly reduced, and the behavior of the car while drifting has become more predictable for the player.
Improved handling at high speeds.
Surface grip no longer depends on the type of ground the vehicle travels on.
The quality of surface grip increases along with the rarity of the used wheels.

Miscellaneous

Now the negative effects of “Typhoon” shells and “Enlightenment” beacons increase the damage dealt by the “Harvester”.
Now the level of weapon heating can exceed 100%. Previously, the last shot in the burst could heat the weapon weaker than it should, in order not to exceed the 100% value. Now the last shot can heat the weapon above 100%, which will slightly increase the cooling time.

Regarding the torque mechanics:

Changes are still planned and are currently being finalized. We plan to release them with a separate update when everything is ready. Let’s briefly answer the main questions that were often asked in various discussions:

After the changes are implemented, the cabins will not provide the tonnage, but will still determine the weight limit of the vehicle. The tonnage can be increased by installing chassis and engines + fusing these parts.
In most cases, the vehicles will accelerate faster, as the chassis will consume “torque” and will not reduce the parameter of vehicle power. We remind you that power determines your car’s acceleration.
Upgrades for cabin tonnage are planned to be replaced by the upgrades for torque. All cabins with the tonnage upgrade are planned to be automatically replaced with the same cabins with upgraded torque.
Also, along with the implementations of torque, the ratios of maximum speed and weight limit in cabins of higher rarities can be revised. This will make it possible to further distinguish between mobile, light and heavy vehicles and slow armoured vehicles. Of course, you will be able to check these changes on the test server first.

The appearance of the news window has been updated.
Improved the patches tab in the player profile and added a table of contents.
Improved the formula that is responsible for the weapon damage parameter displayed in the parameters card. Thanks to this, the displayed parameter will allow a more visual comparison of damage of similar weapons. The bonus from the perk is not taken into account in the displayed parameter (previously it was taken into account for some of the weapons). ONLY the visual display of the parameter changed, the damage itself remained the same.
A number of enhancements have been made to visually improve the functionality of markers on the map and on the mini-map.

Improved the balance of a number of sound effects (explosions of cannon projectiles and “Mandrake” projectiles).
Improved the sounds of the “Kapkan” minelayer: the sound of destroying a part and the sound of a harpoon hitting the target.
Improved the sounds of heavy shells hitting the vehicle.
Improved sounds of vehicles colliding with stones on the game maps.

Now, if your car does not have a car jack installed, and you can't flip it over the first time after 30 seconds, then you don’t have to wait another 30 seconds for additional attempts.
A new object for the range has been added to the “Building” workbench and it can be produced from building materials — “Concrete ring”.
Updated appearance of the parts “Chameleon” and “Chameleon Mk2”.
Now the matchmaking system ignores forced “Asia” or “Australia” region setting in Clan battles.
Now the laser pointer of the missile launcher “ATGM Flute” is not blocked by destroyed environmental objects.
Improved a number of faction blueprints.
Added a new model and sound effects for heavy autocannons shells.
Improved the hangar roof in the Engineers garage.

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Fixed a bug that made it possible to move faster on overloaded cars by alternating left and right turns.
Fixed a bug that allowed to get outside the limits of the “Blood Rocks” map.
Fixed a bug where a car with wheels and mechanical legs could stop when turning right.
Improved a number of environmental objects on the map “Powerplant”.
Fixed a bug with incorrect inverse rotation of the chassis “Omni”.
Fixed a bug where “Tank track” could hang in the air and did not lower the car with hovers to the ground.
Fixed a bug where the perk of the “Hermit”wheels did not work against explosive damage.
Fixed a bug where it was impossible to select an invisibility module in the “Battle Royale” immediately after selecting other equipment.
Fixed a bug where changing the screen resolution could reset filters already selected in the game interface.
Fixed a bug with incorrect display of the car’s location on the mini map and the map in Battle Royale mode.
Fixed a bug with the locking of blueprints/ranges scroll buttons when all available blueprints or ranges were viewed.
Fixed incorrect display of news flip buttons in the news window when switching to the gamepad.
Improved a number of texts, descriptions and icons.

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For more information on Crossout, follow these channels: