After months of Alpha 2, Headlight Studio has revealed the new features and locations we can expect in the upcoming third phase of the survival game Rooted’s alpha. Being slightly delayed due to some yet undisclosed circumstances, they can now get back into coding in full swing.

Starting with the next update, you will now spawn in a proper starting zone. Here is where your journey starts as you wake up and follow the story. Not only that, but it is also a great place to teach you some basic survival skills. One of these is fishing: you can craft fish traps and place them in lakes or rivers, or you can just take a small boat out and fish on the open water. Hunting is another must-know skill, and hunting traps are not the only way to get your prey. Helping you take down the local wildlife is the game’s first firearm, a rifle. While the original plan was to introduce combat in phase 4, as seen on the roadmap, the devs decided to add it in sooner, as it would make hunting a little more difficult if you had nothing to shoot with.

During the launch of the alpha, you could explore the Communication Tower. In this update, it has been reworked and turned into a centerpiece of the story and a huge landmark to help you find your way around the world.

Besides the mega tower, the drone on your backpack will also be able to guide you when exploring or with certain survival tasks. But not everything is here to help you. Phase 3 introduces terrible storms that can damage the player if they do not find proper shelter in time.

Are you looking forward to the first iteration of combat being added to the game? Let me know in the comments.