Barotrauma's paid expansion, Home & Harbor, releases on 2 December. It adds player-owned outposts and a new story built around the Descendants, a high-tech faction. The update every server actually needs comes a week earlier: the free Companion Update on 26 November. FakeFish hasn't yet said what a dedicated server needs to run the expansion's content, or whether everyone in a session has to own it.
What's in the expansion
FakeFish has been working on Home & Harbor "for about two years", and the 26 October blog post finally gave it a date. More posts are promised before release.
Player-owned outposts
The headline feature. You can "acquire, manage and defend" your own outpost, or several "if you're feeling industrious". The blog explains how you get one and what it's for:
There are a number of ways you can acquire an outpost, from conquest to missions. Once you have an outpost, you'll need to manage it… and defend it against attackers. In return, you will gain resources, new technology, and a place to call home.
The Steam store page fills in the rest:
- Expand the outpost by adding new modules.
- Manage NPC inhabitants and build workshops "to establish an industry".
- A dedicated research and unlock tree for new technology.
- Customisation options, so the outpost can be "an inviting and optimized habitat, or a run-down and shoddy dwelling".
FakeFish calls it "a huge chunk of new gameplay from building and management to new kinds of combat", and says it "eventually ties into the main story of the expansion".
The Descendants
The other half of the expansion is a new story arc. The Descendants "trace their lineage to the original settlers of Europa", and they look nothing like the rest of the game: "sleek, lab-coat white visuals" next to Europa's rusty submarines. They can "outfit you with some truly powerful new equipment", but they also "have a problem they can't overcome alone".
One of their ships has already been shown: the Vulgar Display of Logistical Supremacy, a Descendant transport submarine that FakeFish calls "a behemoth with a laser gun". The store page adds that the Descendants are "technocratic, body-modified" and use alien technology.
A busier world
The store page also promises more depth to the faction system. Roaming submarines "directly contribute to NPC outpost economy", you can trade with allies or fight enemies, and NPC factions "interact with each other, trade, gain or lose ground, outside of player actions".
Built as a code mod
According to FakeFish, "the DLC functions as a code mod", built on the new plugin system that the free Companion Update adds on 26 November. That's why the Companion Update has to land first. FakeFish hasn't explained what this means for dedicated servers.
What your server needs to do
- Update for the Companion Update on 26 November. That's the base-game update every server takes, DLC or not.
- Back up your campaign saves before 2 December. Outposts are a large new system, and FakeFish hasn't said whether a campaign started before the expansion can pick them up. Keep a copy from before you try.
- Check for a server update on 2 December. Then read FakeFish's release-day notes for anything the server needs to run expansion content.
Running your own dedicated server? It's a separate, free tool on Steam (app 1026340), installed anonymously:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 1026340 validate +quit
Tip: On a LOW.MS server, the Game updates card on the Overview tab shows when an update is waiting, and its Update button installs it. Create backup on the Backups tab takes a copy first, and your campaign saves are in config/saves/ on the Files tab. Planning a campaign around outposts? See Barotrauma server hosting.
What's coming next
- Over the next few weeks: more blog posts. FakeFish says it will "write more about all of that in another blog post a little later", meaning the outposts and the story.
- 26 November: the free Companion Update, with the new plugin system, partial versions of several DLC systems and networking fixes.
- 2 December: Home & Harbor on Steam. No release time yet.
FAQ
Does everyone on the server need to own Home & Harbor? FakeFish hasn't said yet. The announcement doesn't cover DLC ownership in multiplayer, so check the release-day notes before buying copies for a whole crew.
Does the dedicated server need the DLC? Not announced. The dedicated server is a free download that doesn't need a Steam login, and the DLC "functions as a code mod", but FakeFish hasn't said how the server gets the expansion's content.
Will my existing campaign get outposts? Unknown. The studio hasn't said whether saves from before 2 December carry over into the new outpost system. Back up first.
Which platforms is it on? The Steam store lists Windows, macOS and Linux, the same as the base game.
Do I need the Companion Update first? Yes, in practice. It arrives a week earlier "to establish the systems that the expansion needs to function together with the main game", and it's free.
Sources: FakeFish: Home & Harbor DLC coming on December 2, Steam: Home & Harbor DLC coming on December 2, Steam store: Barotrauma - Home & Harbor Expansion.