Selaco’s Machines of War update adds 19 maps on November 13

Selaco’s free Machines of War update arrives on November 13 with 19 new campaign maps and major revisions to the existing shooter. Altered Orbit Studios estimates six to eight hours for Chapter Two, while also reworking enemy behavior, presentation and progression across the game.

The expansion continues Dawn Collins’ story aboard Selaco, the space station sheltering humanity’s survivors after Earth’s fall. The game’s premise begins with Dawn investigating the station’s history before an invasion interrupts her work. The new chapter introduces a pursuing machine and an ally who fights alongside her for part of the campaign.

New weapons are only part of the combat changes

The update announcement lists a minigun, an explosive heavy machine gun, a jetpack and new deployables. Its heavy-ordnance system lets players pick up powerful battlefield weapons for temporary use instead of treating every weapon as a permanent addition to the normal inventory.

Enemy AI has been extensively rewritten, including pathfinding, decision-making and a rally system. Enemies also patrol outside active combat. That changes the setup of encounters: a player may be able to observe or approach a patrol before committing, rather than have every fight begin as a fixed ambush.

Selaco’s existing identity combines destructive environments and coordinated enemies with exploration. The advertised revisions extend those systems rather than simply attach a separate map pack. Chapter One is receiving another pass on lighting and set pieces, so returning to earlier areas is part of the update’s scope.

Progression is being made less dependent on missing one secret

The update allows most missed Weapon Kits to be bought in Safe Rooms, excluding the ultra-secret kits. Each weapon can also hold two kits that can be switched during combat. These changes address different problems: recovering a missed option and making more than one configuration useful during a fight.

Completion tracking is changing too. Secrets will no longer be required for the standard 100 percent total, which instead tracks upgrades, Weapon Kits and datapads. Players who want the older style can use an optional Completionist mutator. That is a concrete change to how the game signals completion, not a removal of exploration or hidden discoveries.

The developers also describe revised lighting, particles and asset streaming. Their stated performance improvements remain developer claims until the release is tested across different machines; the exact benefit should not be assumed from the size of the content update.

Old saves require a decision before updating

Existing saves are incompatible with Machines of War. Players who have finished the original campaign can begin at Chapter Two, while the team recommends a fresh run to see the revised opening.

For an unfinished playthrough, the announcement offers a specific fallback: select the CHAPTER1 branch through Steam’s Properties and Betas controls to continue on the previous version. The player can then return to the updated build afterward. Weapon Kit unlock progression is retained even though the saves themselves cannot be carried forward.

That distinction avoids treating all progress as lost. The update replaces the playable campaign state, but preserves the stated unlocks and provides access to the old branch. Chapter Two is still part of Selaco’s Early Access development; the third planned campaign chapter is not included in this announcement.