So Atlas’ big early access Tradewinds update was supposed to launch last night. You’ll notice it didn’t. Wildcard and Grapeshot announced last night that it was postponing the patch “to verify the quality of the update,” which sounds so innocuous as to feel actually ominous. Nevertheless, the patch is now slated for tonight, and in the meantime, the teams have opened up the public test realm on Steam for players to come break things.
What’s in the update when it finally releases into the wilds? New saddles, new tameables, modular railing customizations (I’ve never typed these three words together in my life), a new tower and foundation, new munitions storage, and of course, the tradewinds routes themselves.
“The most significant differences can be seen on the map in the form of Tradewinds. Tradewinds are predictable sailing routes throughout the new map, providing ships with a wind boost when traveling along the wind’s trajectory. Even the most veteran of captains will need to learn a few new techniques to master these new travel corridors and fully utilize their strategic potential. Maps have been altered to accommodate these new Tradewinds, as well as provide new strategic zones and opportunities for satisfying engagement.”
Since you’re going to ask: No, the game hasn’t left early access; no, it can’t actually handle 40,000 players per server; and no, it hasn’t recovered from it’s playerbase collapse. It’s currently hosting under 2000 players at peak. Maybe Tradewinds will help.
