Get ready to start fresh, because the Generation Zero Dark Skies update has arrived. In addition to adding a new flying machine enemy to rain terror from above and a zippy moped with which to escape it, this patch includes the new option to completely start over in the Scandanavian open-world game. The patch arrives alongside a new paid DLC that adds even more high-speed vehicles in the form of motorbikes, as well as a free Halloween event.
Dark Skies is named for the new enemy: it’s the Soviet Firebird, and it’s Generation Zero’s first flying enemy that can actually fight back. This fearsome machine can be armed with autocannons, howitzers, Teslacoil spikes, and trip bombs. You’ll run into it in northern Östertörn, but make sure you’ve got the equipment to take it down if you head up that way. Developer Systemic Reaction says it’s worth the trip, though – the Firebird carries valuable loot that’s yours for the taking if you can bring one down.
The biggest update in Dark Skies, however, is the new game revamp. Up until now, the world of Generation Zero has been one that persists – after your first character, any new games you begin will take place in that world, with quests the first character did being permanently completed. The patch adds a new option to start a fresh new world, so you can play through the campaign from the start once again.
Before, you could have up to four characters and one world. Now you’ll still be able to have four characters, but you can have four separate worlds if you so choose.
Dark Skies also adds the new tuned moped vehicle – a big upgrade from the bicycles added back in 2019. The patch also introduces a weapon skin system with five free new weapon skins to collect from the smouldering wreckage of rivals you’ve defeated.
Generation Zero is getting in on the seasonal Halloween fun, too. Every time you defeat a machine between now and November 2, there’s a chance it’ll drop a piece of one of four new vanity sets. These include the Nightmare, Slasher, Vampire, and Arctic Halloween outfits.
If the moped is still too slow for your tastes, check out the new Motorbikes DLC. It includes three different models that each has its own handling characteristics and capabilities. You can get it on Steam for $6.99 USD / £6.99 GBP.
Check out our Generation Zero beginner’s guide if you’re ready to start out fresh in the wilds of rural Sweden in the ’80s.