Insurgency: Sandstorm gets its first free major content update
Team Deathmatch! New weapons! More!
Developer New World Interactive's team-based tactical shooter Insurgency: Sandstorm has just received its first major content update since launch, adding a new Arcade playlist mode, new weapons, and more.
The biggie here is the Arcade playlist, which, says the developer,"lays the foundation for adding fresh, new, non-traditional game modes". The idea is that the playlist will be expanded over time, with new modes and rulesets steadily being added into rotation.
To start things off, Sandstorm now has a 24-player Team Deathmatch mode, which removes faction restrictions on weapons and upgrades, and adds a greater number of supply points from which weapons, upgrades, and attachments can be purchased.
New World has also introduced five new weapons for a bit of extra variety on the battlefield. The MP5A2 and the MP5A5 are "low caliber weapons with good recoil control, perfect for close quarters combat", while the M240B and MG3 are both machine guns, offering "high-caliber damage and an absurd rate of fire respectively". Last up is a new Security handgun, the PF940, which features 9mm rounds and a high capacity, 31-round magazine upgrade.
In normal play, the PF940, MP5A5, and M240B are Security faction weapons, while Insurgents get the MP5A2 and MG3. In Team Deathmatch, of course, those restrictions are lifted.
Elsewhere, Sandstorm's latest update, free to all players, reworks flash grenades, making them more effective by blinding for longer, slowing movement, and reducing look speeds upon detonation. It also brings an array of performance and quality of life improvements, bug fixes, plus a significant number of new cosmetics - including eyewear, masks, tattoos, and a new camouflage pattern. All of the above, and more, is outlined in greater detail on Steam.
New World says that players should see the new update as "a sign of things to come", and promises "major, regular, free updates with new content and big gameplay improvements" - with a new map, new weapons, and modding support on the horizon.
Additionally, for those looking to be swayed into a purchase, Insurgency: Sandstorm is discounted on Steam by 20% (it's currently £20.79 in the UK) until March 5th.