XCOM spiritual successor Phoenix Point launches a colossal update inspired by its best mod, and it's 60% off right now

I'm just as eager to see the words XCOM 3 as any tactics enthusiast, yet there's still no word on a return for one of the best strategy games on PC. We're on the brink of the ten-year anniversary of XCOM 2, and most of its core designers have moved on from Firaxis Games. But spiritual successor Phoenix Point, built by the original X-COM creator Julian Gollop and his team at Snapshot Games, has just launched a vast overhaul that might well scratch the itch. Dubbed the Firebird update, this colossal free upgrade is heavily inspired by its most popular mod, and has been built alongside the team that made it. The result is a rebirth worthy of the game's name, and it's under half price to celebrate.

While Phoenix Point is a solid offering in its own right, its Terror From The Void mod is so beloved that even Snapshot Games has repeatedly praised its improvements. "For more than three years, the TFTV team has been tirelessly updating and refining their version of Phoenix Point," Snapshot writes. "In fact, many of the changes in this update were inspired by TFTV." Don't worry that this is somehow a counter-programming move, however; the developer has worked closely with the mod squad while making this new patch to ensure "full compatibility, even for ongoing TFTV campaigns."

So what does the Phoenix Point Firebird update bring to proceedings? First up is campaign pacing and progression. "One of the main issues we identified is that the campaign, especially in the mid and late game, can start to drag, feeling repetitive and overstretched," Snapshot admits. As such, research times have been cut down and construction times for the major, faction-ending project buildings are sliced in half. You should "reach more interesting decision points sooner, without rushing players or removing depth."

Resource scarcity has been identified as slightly too punishing, leading to "tedious loops instead of meaningful strategic choices." The costs of both ammo production and facility construction have been slightly lowered to ease pressure in the early game. The regularly occurring Haven Defense missions have been made more consistent in their difficulty, calculating challenge more accurately to ensure "logical and fair battles," while improved defensive options means havens are more capable of looking after themselves.

Many encounter types have been tweaked slightly to improve their value and threat in the overarching structure. Rescue missions are rebalanced to "preserve the tension" without random instant soldier deaths making them feel unforgiving, and Ambush missions have been made more common and rewarding, with both loot crates and skill points up for grabs.

Snapshot has also worked to make the strategy layer "smoother and more intuitive." The manufacturing screen has been redesigned, with better presentation of hover information in your storage, and partially used magazines are now clearly displayed. Hidden late-game enemy scaling that could occur when you successfully defeated foes or destroyed bases has been removed to ensure a fairer difficulty curve towards your campaign's conclusion.

Each of Phoenix Point's five DLC packs has also been given some love and rebalancing, with the most attention paid to Festering Skies and Corrupted Horizons. The former will now "give you more meaningful ways to interact with, disrupt, and counter the Behemoth's behavior." For the latter, the focus is on making the Acheron support units less oppressive while still retaining their identity as disruptors that can complicate your plans mid-battle.

The Phoenix Point Firebird update is out now, and the game is 60% off on Steam through Thursday December 18, so you'll pay just $9.99 / £7.79 for your copy. Find it here. If you've been craving some alien-snubbing strategy then it's an ideal time to see what Phoenix Point has to offer. If you like it, Snapshot also highly encourages you to check out Terror From The Void (and so do I).