The developers have finally responded and announced big changes in the upcoming Last Oasis Season 5 update.

Last Oasis was one of the biggest survival games of 2020. A huge open world, massive battles, and Walkers, unique mobile bases were just a few promises that caught gamers’ attention. The game’s launch peaked with over 30,000 players online. It looked like a bright future, but it did not last long. Last Oasis quickly started to lose players, and it was just a matter of a few months before the game could barely reach one thousand players online.

The Great Collapse

So what led to the fall of Last Oasis? The game experienced some serious server issues after launch, but it was not the main reason. The problem was deeply rooted in the game design choices made by the developers. Zerging, large groups of players attacking small groups and solo players, was one big reason that repelled a lot of people. A premise for massive battles turned into the constant killing of players who could not defend themselves.

Another reason is the lack of PvE content. The game simply could not offer much except farming and fighting other players.

The developers have spent over a year fixing the game, adding more content, and making Last Oasis more solo player friendly, but it could not recover. After a year and a half, no more news was announced on the Steam page. It felt like the end of the game or was it?

A New Direction

After 6 months, Donkey Crew, the developer of Last Oasis, made an announcement. The new post explained the current situation and revealed big changes that are coming to the game in the next update.

“A question that often pops up is whether or not there is a formalized vision for Last Oasis – we’ve always had a vision for the game but clearly that approach wasn’t working out for a variety of reasons. We believe that we’ve come up with a much better direction for Last Oasis, and we seriously cannot wait to show you.” Donkey Crew’s community manager said.

The developers have revealed that their new focus is improving the game world and creating a better PvE experience.

The Changes

One of the first big changes is an overhaul of the AI system. The current enemy behavior is pretty basic and creatures play a small role in the game. They are mainly used to harvest resources and prepare for PvP. The developers aim to achieve a better open-world PvE experience by creating more depth and complexity in the game world. This will ensure that fighting other players would be a thrilling option, not the end goal.

The next step is adding a bigger variety of creatures with different combat mechanics. In the upcoming Season 5 update, all creatures will be categorized into 2 different groups. One group will consist of the wild versions of the creatures that will wander around the oasis or guard certain points of interest. Another group of mobs is known as “Battle Mobs”. They will be a lot more dangerous enemies equipped with a variety of siege weapons. Battle Mobs are designed to fight players on their walkers and have a different AI system compared to wild creatures that are normally fought on foot.

Donkey Crew has also mentioned that they are working on improving the game progression where you always have more difficult challenges to overcome. Knowing that there is something bigger and stronger out there makes the game more meaningful and motivates you to improve your character.

The developers are working on more content and gameplay mechanics that will be revealed in their next devblogs before the Season 5 launch. It looks like the game is moving in the right direction.

Do you think the new changes will bring players back to Last Oasis? Are you going to join Season 5?