What’s the deal with “taste of fire,” you might ask? Aren’t all captains used to the smell of Heavy Nuclear Torpedoes in the morning? Well, we have something much bigger than what normally comes out of the end of a barrel: a brand-new, infernal battleground named Amirani!

Get ready for your first taste of this fiery new map—and check out the many other changes (German launch!) we made beneath its red-hot, rumbling and steaming surface. Read on to find out exactly what lies below!





WHAT'S NEW

A FIERY NEW MAP: AMIRANI

Amirani is one fire pit that you’ll look forward to diving into. The bubbling magma and fallen structures of this once-thriving human colony make a prime spot for waging war. Are you ready to fight above this lava-covered landscape?

In 2280 CE, Amirani’s fire was tamed by the Transhumans during their Bronze Age of terraforming and turned into a serene, livable colony.



In 2413 CE, Troja founded a research colony around the derelict outpost. Unable to repair the failing terraformers, Amirani eventually returned to its natural, infernal state.



Amirani’s Transhuman-built structures fully reveal themselves under the pale sun. Do you prefer to battle in broad daylight—or under the cover of darkness?



DREADNOUGHT IS NOW IN GERMAN!

Käpt'n auf die Brücke! We’re excited to announce that you can now play Dreadnought in German! We’re also creating a German-language version of our website and Facebook page.





MATCHMAKING IMPROVEMENTS

Matchmaking continues to get even better. Now you will be matched only with players in the same fleet queue. That means if you queue up for a Veteran match, you’ll only be matched with other Veteran players (same with Recruit and Legendary). This rule always remains true, no matter which five ships you have in your fleet when you start matchmaking.

To further reduce wait times, we also put a cap on the time you can spend waiting for a match in the queue. When this time limit is reached, any vacant player slots will be filled with AI ships.

Previously, we used the player's fleet composition to decide which other fleets he/she should be playing with. For fleets with only T2 or T4 ships, this led to quite a few issues. As stated above, players will only play with and against other players who are using the same fleet as them. For example, when you queue with your Recruit fleet, you will only be matched with/against other players with Recruit fleets.

We've also made significant changes to how the teams are balanced once players are found for a match. We've fixed several issues, and our hope is that from now on, you will see much more balanced teams.

Additionally, when matchmaking, the play button now says "Finding Match" instead of "Matchmaking." Also when a match is found, it says "Match Starting" instead of "Server Starting."





IMPROVEMENTS TO NEW CAPTAIN TRAINING

We’re continuing to improve how we introduce new players to the game. In this update, our goal was to improve the training match as well as the hangar introduction that follows it. For example, in the training match, that means showing the weapons range overlay right after a new player defeats the first enemy. In the hangar, it means clearly introducing players to their captain avatars and Recruit fleets before they launch into a Proving Grounds match.

We’ve also streamlined the transition from the initial staged training match to the first Proving Grounds match. Now you’ll get the full Dreadnought match experience when entering the Proving Grounds (including the pre-match orbit phase), a proper end-of-match screen and the standard UI that you’ll see in future multiplayer matches.

The objectives in the tutorial and training match have been re-ordered and the combat has been fine-tuned to create a less hectic experience. The above changes and work on the AI are also designed to make Proving Grounds matches more representative of "real” PvP matches.

Only new players who have not completed the tutorial will experience the tutorial, training match and hangar changes.





ADDITIONAL CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS

You will no longer be spammed with crew members announcing “weapons lock” - We get it, random officer #5, you can aim the weapons.

Improved ship selection before match start - At the beginning of the match, the ship selection is open and the player has to select a ship to spawn in orbit. If no ship is selected, the player will spawn into the match with their most recently used ship.

We reduced the Battle Bonus price for the Legendary fleet from 3500 to 2500 Credits.

Your friends list no longer overlaps the “add ship” menu in the hangar.

Improved server-wide announcements - now we can fine-tune our in-game announcements. We hope that leads to even better communication with you - Stay tuned for some in-game messaging!

Completed career goals will now show up at the top of the list - No more scrolling through the whole list to claim that sweet reward!

The dashboard UI style has been updated to be consistent with the rest of the Dreadnought UI.

Team Elimination game mode has been removed from the "Any" queue - We never felt that it quite fit in the same rotation as Onslaught and Team Deathmatch. But don’t worry, you can still select and queue for Team Elimination!

You can now change the minimap rotation in the settings - Have it fixed or rotate with you—your choice.

Coming soon: special offers in the in-game market! We are now able to offer discounts on items in the market. - Just in time for the end-of-summer sales, you’ll now be able to get some good deals on new clothes….uh, coatings and other customization items!





MARKET UPDATE: A SPIDER, A MONKEY AND THE SPIRIT OF MUTINY

What do spiders and monkeys have to do with the founding of Sinley Bay? A lot, actually. They’re just two of the many folklore-inspired symbols associated with outlaw captains’ struggle to protect their free and independent way of life. Check out what’s new below!

THE ANANSI PACKAGE

A trickster spider god from Ghanaian folklore, Anansi is known for his ability to deceive and defeat much larger foes. Due to this strength and resilience, he came to symbolize rebellion to many outlaws—especially the Great Mutiny during the destruction of Neptune.

Pick up this group of spider-inspired items for 3,400 GP!

Note: the double stripes (seen here in white) of the Anansi pattern are only available for Oberon medium Tactical Cruisers. The cobalt-blue, charcoal and white of the Anansi coating can be used on any ship.



A BRIEF HISTORY: THE ANANSI AND BIX

Bix first stepped aboard the Anansi’s Wisdom as a PCF engineer early in the war. The ship was named by PCF Captain Kwame Judge after the trickster spider god from Ghana, who used tricks to steal wisdom from creatures more clever than him—but ultimately smashed the pot where he stored it, scattering it to humanity. To Captain Judge, the ship represented humanity’s ability to make great leaps in progress.

During the Uranian campaign, Bix took command of the Anansi’s Wisdom. As captain, he witnessed the PCF deploy countless Transhuman-inspired prototype bombs—and watched as the PCF became obsessed with victory at any cost. As a result, his outlook of the war darkened, and he cut the optimistic name of his ship down to Anansi. He finished the transformation of the vessel by repainting its hull with a cobalt-blue coating and a jagged spider-back pattern.

ANANSI PATTERN AND COATING

This powder-blue coating (400 GP) is named after the Poecilotheria Formosa species of tarantula, an arachnid known for its fast movement and powerful venom. The matching double stripes of the pattern (300 GP) are also reminiscent of this menacing creature.

Reminder: buying a coating enables you to use it on the ship you bought it for as well as ships of the same type (i.e. all Oberon Tactical Cruisers). The Anansi Pattern is only available for the Aion Tactical Cruiser (as pictured above).



ANANSI EMBLEM AND DECAL

Originally applied to Bix’s ship, the Anansi, this emblem (275 GP) and decal (50 GP) are rooted in the destruction of Neptune at the end of the war. They commemorate the Great Mutiny—and the rage the mutineers felt after being betrayed by the PCF.

Etched under a fractured Neptune are the words “We won’t forget”—a direct reference to the PCF betraying its own members and the Great Mutiny that followed.



The Anansi decal in all its glory.

GO BIG WITH THE SINLEY BAY DEFENDER BUNDLE

Equip yourself with power and pride. For 12,300 GP, the massive Sinley Bay Defender bundle gives you everything you need to protect the outlaw way of life—and the lone outpost that many captains call home.





Besides the complete Anansi package described above, the Sinley Bay Defender bundle contains 180 days of Elite Status and the Tunmen Hero Ship, an earth-shaking heavy Artillery Cruiser!

Note: the Tunmen is also available as a stand-alone Hero Ship.

Where did this massive cannon of a ship come from? The story goes that outlaw hijacker Yolanda Fudeng stole this potent Jupiter Arms prototype just before its official release in 2440 CE. However, when she arrived at Sinley Bay to sell the ship, she had a change of heart. The Trojan Navy had mounted an attack on the outpost, and she used every ounce of power in this heavy Artillery Cruiser’s guns to decimate half the fleet and defend her home.





THE HANUMAN HERO SHIP

Add some legendary flair to your fleet for just 1,500 GP! The Hanuman is the first Tier-III Hero Ship to come through the Dreadnought market—and it offers plenty of bang for your GP (just ask any ship salesperson in the Solar System).





Named after a monkey deity from Hindu mythology, the Hanuman is known for its strength and tenacity during the prolonged Battle of Atlantis. It was part of the PCF Grand Fleet during Operation Themis in 2412 CE, a battle that ultimately broke the Transhumans’ hold on the Neptunian system.











KNOWN ISSUE

We are continuing investigation on a significant bug involving late-joining present in this build. In some instances, late-joining players will receive an infinite loading screen and never actually enter the match. Right now the work-around for this is to close and re-launch Dreadnought.

We need your help in squashing this bug! If you are met with an infinite loading screen when joining a match, please reach out to our Customer Support team here so they can assist in gathering your log data. These reports will help us in finding a fix much quicker.









Fixed a bug with the Proving Grounds where no AI would spawn if 8 players were queueing for the same Proving Grounds match.

Fixed a problem during onboarding where new players would automatically apply customization items by hovering their mouse over them.

Fixed a bug that could cause disconnects during "hangar to match" transition and trigger the Battle Bonus cooldown. Some instances of this bug might still occur and we’re working on further improvements for patch 1.9.1.

Fixed a bug where doing damage as a Destroyer doesn't update the “Wreak Destruction” career progression goal.

Fixed a grammar error in the description of the "Committed Commander" career progression goal.

Fixed a text issue with Elite Status purchase. Attempting to buy Elite Status with insufficient funds resulted in a "failure error.”

Fixed an issue where featured items were missing the "featured" label.

Fixed a text issue with the game’s crash reporter that might have given players the impression that the crash reporter did not work.

Fixed a grammar error in the description of the Dover's Beam Turrets I

Fixed an issue with the squad system. Previously, when a player joined an existing squad of two or more players while already being in a squad with other players would result in the squad user interface disappearing.

Fixed a bug that caused the explosion animations to disappear too early.

Fixed an issue where certain coatings on a Dreadnought would not apply to equipped modules and weapons.

Fixed an issue that would occasionally cause the orbit / ship selection screen before battle to be pitch black.

Fixed a bug where players (and entire teams) would end up stranded on the orbit screen instead of warping into battle.

Added missing textures to the Hannya emblem on the Athos Destroyer.

Fixed various clipping issues on the Highlands and Ixion maps.

Fixed a bug that allowed Elite Status to be bought multiple times by accident (clicking the purchase button multiple times).

Fixed a bug that caused AI players to not attack anything during the new player tutorial.

Fixed an issue that caused secondary modules of the Artillery Cruisers to launch missiles to the front and back of the ship (instead of directly upwards).

Fixed a tutorial bug that caused enemy Artillery Cruisers to occasionally gain altitude until they hit the “ceiling” of the map.

Fixed a bug on the end-of-match screen that would sometimes cause all captains to stand idle.

Fixed an art bug where a river in the Elysium map would display above ground.

Fixed a bug where mouse input could stop working after “alt-tabbing” to desktop.

Fixed an issue with the display of various Tech Trees.

Fixed an issue in the market that would cause the “time remaining” on Elite Status to not display for the player.

Fixed a bug where the hull of the Murometz heavy Artillery Cruiser would interfere with the Ravenswood emblem.

Fixed multiple causes for crashes and freezes.

Let us know what you think of the 1.9.0 update on the forums!