Starship Troopers: Extermination is receiving a large update on August 14th that will impact how enemies spawn, improve performance, and add new content. This patch aims to smooth out gameplay, add tactical depth, and address a variety of bugs players have encountered. If you’ve been playing the Galactic Fronts or just enjoy blasting bugs, this update might change how your battles feel.
One of the biggest changes is a brand new spawning system called The Director. It’s designed to control enemy waves more precisely by constantly assessing the battlefield, player position, and mission objectives. Instead of just sending bugs at you randomly, it tries to deliver the right pressure at the right moment, making combat feel more dynamic and less unpredictable. It also promises better performance on both server and client sides, which is a welcome relief when the screen fills with Arachnids.
Alongside The Director, projectile handling has been improved. Most weapon projectiles now perform better and have more visible tracers that last longer. Some projectiles can even ricochet off surfaces or armored bugs, adding a little extra tactical nuance. Explosive projectiles like rockets and grenades remain unchanged in this case.
There’s also a new very important Strike mission where troopers venture into deep underground reserves of Archigeon on Valaka and Agni Prime. Troopers will fight separated from squads and face rumors of larger bug presences guarding the prize. Sounds like a tough challenge, right? You’ll need to complete side objectives to earn extra XP and rewards, which might be just what you need to survive.
Adding to the challenge, the bugs have developed “Bug Holes”, tunnel entrances that pour enemies directly into Federation assets. Troopers will have to close these with explosives, preferably nuclear devices like Nuke Detpacks, to stop the flood. The M-55 Rocket Launcher has been upgraded too, now firing guided rockets that you can steer mid-flight. But don’t get careless; the ammo is limited and reloading is slow, so sticking close to teammates is important.
Galactic Fronts now feature a leaderboard showing Company rankings during events. This public display adds some friendly competition and lets officers decide how to respond to their Company’s performance.
Quality-of-life improvements include a clearer FedNet Approval feed to avoid confusion with XP, automatic forward spawn points in Hive Hunt to reduce backtracking, and the introduction of the Royal Guard Elite, a stronger bug mutation. Federation forces are also building new outposts on Boreas to hold their ground.
Tuning changes touch on both Arachnids and weapons. Royal Guards now resist explosives better, requiring troopers to be more cautious. The TW-205-E Morita II plasma launcher has improved handling and accuracy, especially while moving. The Chi-Hong grenade launcher gains a new holo trajectory sight mod at level 4, helping players better estimate grenade impact. Proximity Mines get a big boost in explosive damage, and Nuke Detpacks have improved hit registration, making them more dependable against clusters of bugs.
Mission tuning reintroduces Arachnid Extermination objectives in Advance and Secure missions. New mutators will appear with the next Galactic Front, including Bug Batteries, Rescue Mission, and M-55 Cache mutators. Weapon and utility crates will now spawn in clusters and more visible spots to make supply runs easier.
Several bugs and glitches have been addressed, from fixes to ragdoll physics and spectating camera issues to UI improvements and audio restorations. Console players get fixes for virtual keyboard access, menu scrolling, and platform invite functionality on PS5 and Xbox. Visual tweaks cover weapon skins, animations, and environmental details like floating rocks.
Performance improvements also come from projectile optimizations and better spawn management. Explosions from Chi-Hong Adhesive Rounds now have proper VFX and SFX, and some AI behaviors have been refined for smoother gameplay. Players won’t see bugs spawning during Horde build phases anymore, and some annoying UI bugs like repeated “Mission Failed” prompts have been squashed.
Wow, that’s quite a list. This update seems to be a solid step forward for Starship Troopers: Extermination, especially with The Director system setting the stage for more controlled and enjoyable encounters. Curious how it will feel in action? The developers will be watching player feedback closely to make adjustments as needed.
What do you think about these changes? Are you ready to face the new Elite Royal Guards and steer those guided rockets? Let me know in the comments below!
Update 1.6 Patch Notes
- Server Performance Improvements
- Projectile optimizations for most weapons (excluding explosive projectiles)
- Projectiles are more performant
- Tracers are more visible and last longer
- Some projectiles can ricochet off surfaces or armored bugs
- The Director Spawning System
- Overhauled enemy spawning system for better control, scalability, and performance
- Spawns are more consistent and controllable
- Scalable across modes and difficulties, including future content
- Improved CPU load during high-intensity combat
- Allows crafted gameplay moments with tension and relief
- Critical Strike Mission
- New mission on Valaka and Agni Prime involving Archigeon retrieval
- Troopers fight separated from squads and face larger bug presence
- Side objectives provide extra XP and rewards
- Bug Holes
- New bug tunnel entrances appearing near Federation assets
- Must be closed with explosives, preferably nuclear devices
- Top priority for Vanguard Troopers
- M-55 Rocket Launcher
- Now fires guided rockets controllable mid-flight
- Limited ammo and slow reload require teamwork
- Available through Galactic Front phases and total victory
- Galactic Front Leaderboard
- Company performance publicly displayed during Galactic Fronts
- Members can see standings; officers decide response
- Quality-of-Life Improvements
- FedNet Approval feed visually distinct from XP feed
- Automatic forward spawn points in Hive Hunt phases
- Introduction of Royal Guard Elite bug mutation
- Federation expanding outposts on Boreas
- Arachnid Tuning
- Royal Guards gain 50% resistance to explosive and demolition damage
- Armory Tuning
- TW-205-E Morita II plasma launcher improved handling and accuracy
- Chi-Hong grenade launcher gains Holo Trajectory sight mod at level 4
- Nuke Detpack hit registration improved
- Proximity Mines explosive damage increased from 1000 to 6000 and hit registration improved
- Mission Tuning
- Arachnid Exterminations reintroduced to Advance and Secure missions
- New mutators: Bug Batteries, Rescue Mission, M-55 Cache (activated after certain Galactic Front phases)
- Mutator weapon/utility crates spawn in clusters and more visible spots
- Known Issues
- Players may ragdoll into the ship and need revival to respawn
- Some weapons inconsistently track XP; fix in future patch
- Other Fixes and Improvements
- Fixed explosive rounds on Morita XXX not applying correctly
- Improved Tanker Bug pathfinding
- Re-added Extermination side objectives to AAS missions
- Fixed T.O.A.D Canister respawn and spectating camera issues
- Resolved multiple UI bugs including weapon mod UI stretching and untranslated texts
- Audio fixes for Chi-Hong Adhesive Rounds and main screen
- New mission maps for Critical Strike on Agni Prime and Valaka
- Animation and visual fixes for weapons, skins, and environment
- Gameplay fixes including stun damage calculations, spawn timing, and bug AI behavior
- Console fixes for virtual keyboard, scrolling, platform invites, and connection issues
