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Latest Homeworld 3 update adds needed improvements

Umito November 22, 2024

What you need to know

Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox release update 1.3 for Homeworld 3.
This update adds a number of gameplay overhauls and improvements, while accompanying all remaining DLC packs, allowing players to command the Somtaaw and Taiidan forces in War Games.
This is the last major update planned for Homeworld 3, although Gearbox will keep an eye out for server issues.

This is a very bittersweet day in the world of space strategy.

Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Software have released update 1.3 for Homeworld 3 Thursday, making a number of significant balance changes to the experience, while also fixing some bugs and adding quality of life features. The team previously confirmed that this would be the final content update for Homeworld 3, with all the remaining DLC packs promised arriving with the update.

I had the chance to test the DLC and update 1.3 a little earlier. I’m happy to say that the changes seem significant, with the overhaul of the armor system in particular shaking up the flow of combat.

New fleets and features

A Somtaaw fleet engages in combat in Homeworld 3.

The Somtaaw and Taiidan fleets require new strategies. (Image credit: Windows Central)

While there is a very long list of changes introduced in Update 1.3, by far the most significant is the overhaul of the armor system, with different ship classes getting a different level of armor.

There are some variations, but in general, the heavier a ship, the heavier its armor, which can negate much more damage. Armor can scale from just 10% on lightly armored strike ships to 30% on destroyers, or even 50% on your mothership.

This change comes with a new bonus for hitting ships from behind, something that already existed in the game but is now even more noticeable, with a 2.5x multiplier for any damage a ship takes on its tail . Over the course of several battles, I was able to take out waves of enemy craft by ambushing them from behind, which was technically possible before but felt more responsive now.

I also tried out the new DLC fleets, the gameplay of which is quite different from the existing offerings. The Taiidan use their carrier to gather resources, meaning you need to be much more careful when approaching your objectives. Meanwhile, the Somtaaw (referred to as the “Pilgrim” and “Beast Slayers” fleets, due to their history and role in the events of Homeworld: Cataclysm/Emergence) do not have dedicated support roles but can use their resource controllers to repair other ships. The Somtaaw in particular are really fun to play with, and I can see myself using them for several more races.

Ultimately, I would encourage anyone who bought Homeworld 3 but fell through to give it another chance, and I’m having a lot of fun leading War Games again with these new fleets. Still, I wish we could have gotten a lot more. Homeworld 3 wasn’t perfectbut I certainly had fun with it at launch, and seeing future campaign DLC had been a hope of mine for a long time. With this update marking the last new content, it’s clear that won’t happen.