Everspace 2: Titans Review

Rockfish Games is at it again with their biggest release so far. They already made a name for themselves with the initial release of Everspace, but then they went a step further with Everspace 2. After some time in Early Access, they finally released their beast of a game into the wild, which was incredibly well received by the fans.

However, there was a lot of room for further improvement and content expansion, and they did exactly that. Several updates later, and now the Titans DLC, the DMZ is about to go through a massive shakeup.

The Titans DLC isn’t a massive expansion that completely reworks everything or throws in a new game mode, and it does add a bit more to the DMZ for you to explore and experience. The most notable things are two new encounters with their respective quests for you to do.

First, the name itself should give you a decent indication of what to expect. They’re big, not just as big as a ship, but absolutely massive. So, meet the Leviathans, starting with the first quest, which turns into random encounters.

You can literally compare them to space whales, not simply for their size but also for their hunger. The quest itself for this side of Everspace 2: Titans is pretty straightforward; you’ll be helping Dr. Maya Kapadia research an ancient species that most thought went extinct in the Living Fossil quest.

Granted, it’s not all smooth sailing; you’ll have to deal with the Redeemer faction, as they have plans for this whole escapade. A few jumps later to the Khait Nebula, and you’ll be on your way to getting started until the Redeemers show up to slow you down around every corner.

One of the biggest things for this side of Everspace 2: Titans is the gigantic set of bones in the Khosh Orbit. We all suspected that it would form part of something else, but the way it was worked into a story quest was brilliantly handled.

Moving on, you’ll soon get to meet the Cloudgrazers and need them for the main attraction. These strange creatures can be annoying and beautiful in their own way, but you’ll need them for their pheromones to attract the Leviathan.

Cloudgrazers aren’t the only way to get the pheromones you need; there’s almost always going to be a batch of Redeemers nearby, and destroying their ships will also leave a nice cloud behind for you to fly through. From there, all that’s left is to collect enough pheromones and attract a Leviathan to... Swallow... Your ship.

That’s right; if Pinocchio had been set in space, this would have been the best rendition of it. However, Everspace 2: Titans has more than just getting devoured by a giant spacefish in mind for you. Aside from exploring the inside of the Leviathan, you’ll get to take in moist sights and eventually reach the pearl.

The pearl is your objective in this whole scenario since you can then take it back to the good doctor, and she’ll help you crack it open for a decent chunk of loot. The one thing to keep in mind with this event is that the inside of the Leviathan can change, meaning the way forward will present new challenges, too.

All in all, this is a nice pace change for those looking for something else in between missions or while exploring. The best part is that these events are random and repeatable, too.

Now, the really big part of Everspace 2: Titans. The Leviathan is a nice warmup, but there’s a bigger threat involving a Dreadnaught and some outlaws who stole it. The Dreadnaught is essentially a massive capital class warship, and the quest behind it should not be underestimated.

The Early Retirement quest will have you working with Cardenas, a retired military officer who will fill you in on the stolen Dreadnaught that you and several other freelancers will have to retrieve. However, retrieval isn’t an option, and even though Cardenas says it was decommissioned, the outlaws who stole it are working to repair it.

Your objective will be to take cripple it again and make sure the outlaws can’t auction it off; granted, this is easier said than done. Taking down a capital class ship is far from easy if it’s in working condition.

You’ll be staring down the barrel of several drone bays that will launch fighters and drones at you, a mess of guns and nearly impenetrable armor; nearly. Outlaws are messy, and their repairs to the ship show as much. You and the other freelancers will have to work together to make sure it can’t leave the DMZ.

The quest itself sounds simple, but there’s a lot more to it that we can’t go into without spoiling anything. However, after each encounter with the Dreadnaught, it’ll leave behind a few crates with great loot after it escapes.

Between the Leviathan and Dreadnaught, there’s not much aside from a fun change of pace, but there is something you’ll love with this DLC that can be well worth the effort. Simple, repeatable events are nice for those who want to farm some XP or loot, but you’ll eventually hit endgame and need gear to match.

This is where Rift Incursions come in with Everspace 2: Titans. Not to be mistaken for Ancient Rifts, though, Rift Incursions are an extra random event with many extra challenges, but the loot is also well worth it. These events are usually very short-lived and can appear anywhere.

However, they can range from easy to hellishly difficult. The reward will typically be some crafting materials and gear along with a reliquary you can use open in an Ancient Rift for legendary gear. So, are you willing to take the risk?

Not much else has changed with Everspace 2: Titans; there’s still the same level of detail we all know and love when it comes to exploring the Leviathan; the Dreadnaught looks pretty standard, though.

However, if you’re after visuals, you’ll definitely have a blast with the Rift Incursions and everything that comes with it. However, it looks like things are shaping up to aim toward more content built around the Ancients in the Everspace Universe.

Overall, Everspace 2: Titans has some great and okay aspects. It definitely won’t be what you’d expect, but it can also feel a little lacking in some regards. There’s a lot more to explore and see, and diving deeper into Everspace 2 is great, but it seems there could be just a bit more to get to than just repeatable events. This isn’t to say they’re not great, but they can be underwhelming if you’re already way past the endgame.