Wasteland 3 News

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Looks like we made it! Here we are in the final stretch before Wasteland 3’s release on August 28. It’s been a long haul since our introduction of Wasteland 3’s Fig campaign back in 2016, all the way up through this year.

2020 has not been without its challenges, not the least of which for us was the introduction of working from home and a subsequent delay from our previous release date. It was a daunting prospect filled with unknowns, but the team rallied, and we quickly adapted to these new complexities. The extension on release also offered us more time to consider the feedback from the Beta and to implement much needed polish, general refinements, and focus on additional elements. We shared some of those in our last update, and we have a few more for you.

Let’s get down to it.





You asked for it. We did it. Feedback from the Beta overwhelmingly called out that the absence of crouch made players feel less in control of the tactical options they expected in isometric turn-based combat. In addition to the tactical abilities that characters had control over in the Beta, they will now be able to improve their hit chance, evasion, and detection time when crouching.



Wasteland 3 already had a deep combat system that we think players will be learning to master for quite some time, but we were happy to act on Beta feedback and get this feature in before launch. Crouch is always accessible from the action bar:



In that previously mentioned update we teased some of the newly-minted options in the UI, including the ability to toggle custom armor visuals, as well as the addition of the much coveted ‘sell junk’ option. In addition to those, we’re happy to announce that the merchant interface has also been overhauled and improved. Each individual character will now be able to be selected while you’re browsing a store’s wares, to make for easier comparison and identification of necessary gear while perusing the merchant’s goods.



We’ve also implemented a minimap to help you locate nearby points of interest and vendors. This won’t take the place of the existing map, but will give you an always-available means of identifying where you’re at in the world. For those who prefer less clutter in their lives and on their screen, there’s an option to disable the minimap if you so desire.





A few of the more hardcore among you have asked us for permadeath in Wasteland 3. We actually went back and forth quite a bit on this as an option, mainly because we knew the amount of development work it would need. When you can welcome story critical NPCs into your party, and approach the game content in essentially any order, and those critical story NPCs can permanently die from anywhere in the story… it’s a lot to account for. So, we are working on permadeath, but because of the additional effort, this is going to be a post-launch feature we’ll patch in for the hardcore among you for your second or third playthroughs.





As you’ve no doubt seen, the Wasteland 3 Collector’s Edition was finally released into the wild. In particular, we were very fortunate to see CohhCarnage spend some time digging into this delectably radioactive treat (not actually radioactive).

We’ve really enjoyed seeing everyone’s reactions on social media when they realize how much we upgraded the Collector’s Edition (thank you Microsoft!) from what our original backer page had promised. It was a labor of love, and serves as a huge thanks to our backers, as we would not be where we are without them.

We’d also like to thank our Mac and Linux backers who we previously spoke to in our last update. As stated, it’s our intention and priority to get the Mac/Linux versions out the door just as soon as possible. We expect to be able to share that good news before the end of the year. Until then, thank you again for your patience. We want to deliver the best quality game to you that we can, and we know you’ve been very excited to share in this experience.



It’s mind-blowing to think that we’ve reached the final days before the release of the game. We can’t wait to see your reactions and follow along with your adventures as you and your squads work to build a Ranger foothold in Colorado … or bury what’s left of them into the powdery snow. Though we’re soon to cross a milestone with the game’s release, this is a product we’ll be supporting for the foreseeable future, and we’re already cooking on some post-release ideas.

Thank you again, Rangers! We look forward to seeing you in Colorado as the saga of Wasteland continues. Wasteland 3 releases on August 28 for Windows 10, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

-The Wasteland 3 Team

Greetings Rangers,

Your testing and feedback during the Beta was invaluable, and we’ve already incorporated a number of your requests—in addition to fixing bugs, improving performance, and continuing to finish up the game. We wanted to share details on a few of those with you today.

First though we have some news for our Mac and Linux players—we’ve made the difficult decision to focus Wasteland 3’s initial release on Windows 10, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. We’re prioritizing the work for Mac and Linux post-launch, and expect it to be complete by the end of the year. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but ultimately will result in a better overall product for Mac and Linux as well. We’re still a small studio considering the size of the games we like to make, and this allows us to keep our engineers dedicated to the core game systems.

We know that for some of you the additional wait will be frustrating, and we want everyone to feel satisfied with their experience, so we’ve taken steps to ensure we can offer refunds beyond the standard Fig and Crowd Ox refund cutoffs. We know Wasteland 3 will absolutely be worth the wait, but we respect your pledge, and we want you to be confident in continuing the journey with us. Contact us through the inXile support site if you’d like to discuss that option. Please be aware that once retail keys are distributed, and/or physical rewards are shipped, we will no longer be able to offer refunds—rewards are expected to be sent in the next few weeks.


Before we get to the improvements we’ve been working on since Beta, it’s important to note that this isn’t a comprehensive update on all the features, fixes, and feedback we’re working on—these are some of the things that we have fully implemented. We’re looking forward to sharing a few more as development wraps up.


One of the most common requests from Beta participants was bringing back firing modes for automatic weapons. Our thought in removing them was that the types and variety of weapons we have in Wasteland 3 will more than make up for single- and multi-shot choices, but the message was well received.

That said, we couldn’t just throw it back on a few assault rifles and call it a day. Wasteland 3 (like everything else) punches it up to 11, and we’ve added additional firing modes to many weapons across the game. That’s right, no matter what weapon type you’re using, be it a shotgun, assault rifle, pistol, or sharpened road-sign, you’ll likely have access to an alternate firing mode. These are attacks that aren’t inherently better, but provide you with situational flexibility—and in the right circumstances they can be devastating. These alternate firing abilities won’t generally be found on powerful or unique items, or weapons with their own secondary effects.

Here’s a quick look at some alternate firing abilities that can be found.




This one wasn’t so much a Beta request as a question we get from time to time, and we can confirm that custom portraits are in, and they are spectacular. This is a PC-only feature that allows you to create, name, and once again add a custom face to each of your squad members. Might we recommend a squad made entirely of your family and friends? Or the various ingredients in a ham and cheese sandwich?

However you choose to roleplay your squad, custom portraits can help put on a finishing touch.



Custom portraits should be 420x337px as either a JPG or PNG and placed into a self-created folder named: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\My Games\Wasteland3\Custom Portraits\


Yes, we will indeed have a sell junk button when visiting merchants. We’re not exactly challenging the paradigms of game design here, but it was a common Beta request/mention. Good job, you.



We shared this on social a while back, but this is a good place to show it again—with an update! Based on Beta feedback we’ve added the ability to hide your armor, and that now also includes leg armor.



One of the features we’ve gotten consistently positive feedback on has been the Animal Whisperer system and bringing animals along with you in the game; however, there was a clear message we received that people would like to see more animal friends taking an active role in combat. You’ve spent the points, you’re bringing these furry friends with you, and so it only makes sense that they’d be able to assist you with claw and fang as you explore Colorado.

To that end we’ve added attacks and attack animations to all creatures in Wasteland 3, allowing all animals to join you in combat, and making this a more fulfilling skill to put your points into. We’ve also redone all the animal walk, run, and idle animations.

Here’s a short video of their attacks in action:
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As we mentioned at the top of the article, this isn’t an exhaustive list of Beta feedback-led changes and adjustments but are some of the systems that are already fully implemented.

We’re of course looking forward to continuing to share updates as we near Wasteland 3’s release on August 28!