2K Games has announced Civilization: Beyond Earth's first expansion pack 'Rising Tide', a £19.99 add-on due for release this autumn.

Rising Tide's major new feature is the introduction of 'aquatic gameplay', a new feature that lets players explore the oceans for colonization and battle against marine aliens.

Four new playable factions are included, too, including a group of explorers descended from wealth and resilient Middle Eastern states known as the Al Falah, along with an improved diplomacy system that adds further layers to the game's choices.

"Rising Tide builds upon the lore of Beyond Earth, breaking away the historical boundaries of the original franchise and furthering mankind's search for a new home in outer space," said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. "Whether colonizing the planet's oceans, acquiring new Affinities or meeting exotic new leaders, aliens and units for the first time, Rising Tide offers more ways for players to write their own stories on a new world."

Key features of Rising Tide:

Building floating settlements and accessing natural resources hidden beneath the seas of the alien planet, while alien beasts with unique abilities inhabit the water and challenge players in distinctive ways;

Shaping the diplomatic landscape by upgrading traits, changing diplomatic relationships, and leveraging the benefits of your allies, all with political capital;

Unlocking a dynamic set of Diplomatic Traits while activating different combinations in response to the changing world;

Playing as one of four new factions, including the Al Falah, a group of nomad explorers descended from wealthy and resilient Middle Eastern states;

Investing in multiple Affinities to unlock hybrid Affinity units and upgrades for the first time;

Collecting and combining alien relics via a new Artifact System that unlocks powerful benefits;

Exploring one of two new biomes, Primordial world, an untamed biome rife with volcanic activity and indicative of a chaotic landscape still forming in the new world.

An exact release date for Rising Tide has yet to be announced.

Source: 2K Games