Selaco's second chapter has a date. Altered Orbit Studios says Chapter 2, subtitled The Machines of War, arrives on 13 November as a free update for the early access shooter, and the studio's own description of it is "an absolute behemoth".
That's not just hype for the sake of it. According to the studio's announcement on Steam, the update adds 19 new campaign maps, which Altered Orbit puts at roughly six to eight hours of extra content. Full patch notes and a trailer are promised at launch; for now the studio is sharing highlights only.
What Chapter 2 adds
The theme of the update is in the name. Altered Orbit says Chapter 2 digs into the backgrounds of both factions and pits players against "an unstoppable machine" that is hunting them down, with levels it describes as faster and more relentless than before. Protagonist Dawn gets a voice, more characters are voiced, and for part of the chapter she has a companion fighting alongside her, who can be told to stay put if you'd rather go solo.
On the combat side, the Steam post lists:
- New enemies, including Skirmishers, Tanks and Incinerators.
- New weapons, including a minigun, a heavy machine gun that "fires literal explosions" and a jetpack.
- A heavy ordnance system: in the post's words, "grab heavy weapons on the battlefield for a burst in firepower, then ditch them when they run dry".
- New deployables such as Sentinel Drones, Mini-Turrets and Mobile Cover.
- New weapon kits (Dragon's Breath, Storm Shield and Cluster Grenades among them), plus the option to carry two kits per weapon and swap between them mid-fight.
PC Gamer, which reported the announcement, compared the heavy ordnance pick-ups to Gears of War.
The AI rewrite is the big one
PC Gamer describes Selaco's enemy AI as FEAR-inspired, which makes this the change worth watching. Altered Orbit says the AI has been "rewritten almost entirely from scratch", with smarter tactics, better decision-making, improved pathing and a new Rally system. Enemies now patrol their territory, so you can sneak around and pick when a fight starts. The studio says ambushes still happen but won't make up the bulk of the campaign any more.
There's a long list beyond that. The post mentions a new baked lighting system, a further-optimised particle system that it says allows more on-screen chaos with less of an FPS hit, asset streaming that it says cuts general VRAM use by 19%, reworked sound and effects, improved navigation and more responsive controls. Weapon kits you missed can now be bought in Safe Rooms, apart from ultra-secret ones, and secrets are no longer needed for 100% completion unless you switch on an optional Completionist mutator.
Chapter 1 hasn't been left alone either. Altered Orbit says the whole game got another pass, with improved lighting, improved set pieces and "new surprises".
What happens to your saves
This is the practical bit. Because the changes are so large, Altered Orbit says existing saves won't work with the update. Its suggestions:
- Finished the original campaign? You can start straight at the Chapter 2 levels, though the studio recommends starting from the beginning because the remastered levels give the later ones new context.
- Mid-run? Finish before 13 November, or switch to the pre-update build through Steam's Betas option (the branch is called CHAPTER1), finish there, then come back. Or pause the run and start fresh once the update lands.
- Weapon kit unlocks carry over for everyone.
PC Gamer notes that Selaco launched into Steam early access in 2024 and that The Machines of War is the second of three planned chapters. In its announcement, Altered Orbit says it went into early access "because we always had plans for more".
Beau's take: The new guns will get the headlines, but enemy patrols are the change that matters most to me. Letting players choose when a fight starts turns a shooter that leaned on ambushes into one where scouting and positioning count. If the rewritten AI is as smart as the studio says, Chapter 2 could reward patience as much as reflexes. The save break is a pain, but the CHAPTER1 beta branch is a decent safety net, so don't panic if you're halfway through.
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