Tempest Rising Levels Up Its Late Game
Tempest Rising is already a solid love letter to classic Command and Conquer style real time strategy, but its next update is cranking the chaos up another notch. The developers at Slipgate Ironworks are introducing two new superweapons, one for each main faction, designed to reshape how late game battles feel in multiplayer.
These are not just one off cinematic nukes. Each superweapon arrives as a buildable structure in your base, with its own standard abilities plus a powerful charged attack that can turn the tide of a match. Think of them as high tier tech choices that reward map control, scouting, and timing.
Whether you enjoy turtling up and launching brutal strikes or pulling off sneaky surprise attacks, this patch gives both playstyles some serious new tools.
The GDF Drone Strike Station
The Global Defense Force, Tempest Rising’s more traditional high tech army, gets access to the drone strike station. Slipgate describes this structure as a battle management node that hooks into the GDF’s satellite network to coordinate orbital strikes.
Even before you fire its big weapon, the station changes how you play. When constructed, it creates a massive vision radius around itself. That extra intel means:
- You can spot enemy movements earlier.
- Your intel based abilities become more effective over a larger area.
- You are better able to punish greedy expansions or unprotected tech structures.
The real star however is its fully charged ability. Once the station is primed, you can target any visible point on the map and call in a drone strike. At your chosen location, nine drone turrets crash down from orbit like meteors, dealing heavy explosive damage on impact.
Anything that survives the initial blast does not get much of a break. The turrets then rise from the smoke and start firing on nearby units and structures. Used at the right time, this can:
- Delete a clustered army that is trying to push your base.
- Punish a greedy late game expansion by wiping out defenses and harvesters.
- Crack open a fortified position so your army can follow up.
Because the strike needs vision and timing, it rewards players who scout well and control key parts of the map instead of just sitting behind walls.
The Tempest Dynasty Excavator Platform
On the other side of the conflict, the Tempest Dynasty gets a completely different style of superweapon. Their new toy is the excavator platform, a hulking siege engine that leans into stealth and surprise more than raw orbital destruction.
The platform can garrison up to 18 units inside armored drill pods. Once loaded, those pods can burrow underground and emerge behind enemy lines. This opens up a lot of tactical options:
- Launch backdoor attacks on economy structures and tech buildings.
- Force your opponent to defend multiple angles instead of just the front line.
- Combine surface assaults with underground flanks to overwhelm static defenses.
When the excavator platform is fully charged, it unlocks an even nastier option. You can deploy a special combat excavator which functions like an upgraded drill pod, able to carry troops while also delivering serious impact damage.
On arrival, the combat excavator unleashes three huge shockwaves, each dealing heavy damage to anything caught in the blast zone. If your opponent is stacked too tightly or tries to turtle around a central base, this weapon becomes a terrifying way to open them up.
Together, the drill pods and the combat excavator reward creative players who like mind games, diversions, and surgical strikes rather than straight up frontal assaults.
What This Means For Multiplayer And The Future
Both superweapons look very strong on paper. The drone strike station favors players who hold ground and control vision, while the excavator platform boosts those who love surprise attacks and mobility. The real test will be how they fit into Tempest Rising’s existing balance, especially in competitive multiplayer.
Slipgate Ironworks has made it clear that they are excited to see how players experiment with these additions in online matches. The patch should shake up late game metas, forcing players to think harder about:
- Where to place key structures in their base.
- How tightly to group their armies.
- How much to invest in scouting and map vision.
- Defending flanks and the back of the base against underground threats.
There is also a big question hanging over future content. Superweapons are not the only major feature coming. The studio has teased more news about what is next for Tempest Rising, and many fans are focused on one thing: the third playable faction.
Right now the game features three armies in its world, but only two are actually playable in multiplayer. The third group, the alien Veti, appears as an AI enemy in the campaign only. Before launch, Slipgate said a third playable faction would arrive later, but as the end of 2025 approaches, that has not happened yet.
With the addition of these superweapons and hints of further content, it would not be surprising if the next big announcement finally involves making the Veti a full multiplayer faction. A third army with a very different tech tree and end game arsenal could push Tempest Rising even closer to the classic Command and Conquer feeling that inspired it, while giving RTS fans more reasons to keep coming back.
For now, though, GDF and Tempest Dynasty players have some new toys to master. If you enjoy classic base building RTS games with big explosions and late game spectacle, this patch is a good excuse to jump back into Tempest Rising, experiment with the drone strike station and excavator platform, and see just how wild the battlefield can get when the superweapons start firing.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/tempest-risings-next-update-will-add-massive-superweapons-thatll-let-you-unload-devastating-payloads-onto-the-enemy/
