Unexplored 2's Final Prerelease Content Update Is Marang Machinations, and It's Here Now

If you like procedurally generated RPGs with gorgeous art and amazing sound design, you should definitely be playing Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy. This top-down board-game-style adventure is a must-play for anyone who can successfully log into an Epic Games account. (It’s also coming to Xbox consoles in 2022.)

Unexplored 2 is, however, still in Early Access, though that will be changing soon. Today, the game received its final prerelease update, titled Marang Machinations. That means the next big update will be version 1.0.

Marang Machinations adds ancient machines that players can activate to change their world. Unexplored 2 Game Director Joris Dormans explains how this works:

By turning on or off giant ancient machinery, players change the world state, making it easier to reach the endgame. Or, making the endgame itself easier. It’s up to the player to make those choices. Remember, when you die in Unexplored 2 the world remains, you continue as the new Wayfarer a few years later. But… if you die during the endgame, all is lost, the world is wiped from existence. And from your drive.
So, these are important decisions the player makes, over multiple runs. What seems to be a good option for the world right now, might not be so at all times or for all possible worlds. It creates an exciting puzzle with many different solutions based on your choices and execution.

Additionally, the difficulty settings menu has more depth now, allowing players to toggle specific features to create the exact experience they are looking for. Also, if you drop into the Big Sugar Discord channel, you can partake in a community challenge that will give adventurers the chance to leave their own fingerprint on the broader game world.

It should be noted, of course, that this update will break old game worlds. So if you have any loose threads to tie up in a current world, you’ll want to make sure you do that before you update to Marang Machinations.

Here’s a complete list of changes, straight from a recent press release:

New and improved content

New World Settings menu available when you generate a new world that allows you to adjust difficulty and request specific content. (Not fully controller supported yet, some of the options will later be locked behind achievements)
New major Marang machines: Infernal Flame, Helico, Lightning Machine, Earth Shaker

New minor Marang machines: Hearth Flame, Magic Well, Root Singer
New adventure destinations: Mountain Top, Mountain Top Temple, Lake-bed Temple, Way Shrine, Hidden Tower, Forest Shrine
New unlockable backgrounds: Sky Summoner, Master Artisan, Tinkerer, Honor-bound Warrior

New regional characteristics: biting cold, predators, drought, burning sun, underground passages, withering away, fierce winds, tremors, magic lightning, restless snap trees, thick thickets
Restructure of the main quest: you need to visit Raaf temples to reveal the main quest objectives
Improved travel locations: underground passage

Improved and expanded the quest to find the Flow Elemental
Improved destination: Forge of Destiny, Hill-Top Ruin, Barrow, Detona Spire, Monster Cave, Bernhilde’s Tomb, Barren, Wind Temple, Bone Temple, Lakes
New and improved equipment: windbreaker cloak, shimmering shard, fallen star, marang machine manifest

Gameplay changes

You can pick-up dropped and thrown weapons after a while during combat
Your speed with a drawn bow is reduced

You can buy more food in settlements
Food prices have gone up, bandages are cheaper
Wounded status is less frequent and less impactful

Locations indicate better if food and prey are available
Improved distribution of inscriptions and secrets in the world
Presence is reduced when you arrive at a destination and only when you do not gain presence during the journey