Update #51 brings our first new character class to the game, a tanky shotgun specialist that uses their nano-hive implant to manipulate organics, fool biometrics, and create deadly poison effects: the Scourge. With multiclassing, this increases the number of playable classes to 28 combinations! Tons of opportunities to find new character build combinations and try new tactics with your squad. We've seen some strong possibilities in playtesting and can't wait to see what you all come up with. UPDATE: the first hotfix is now live for Scourge, see the bottom for the updated change log

The Talent Tree

The Scourge has access to many talents that cause enemies to suffer ongoing poison damage and other toxic debuffs each turn.

• Bio-Coat Bullet makes a special attack with your gun and poisons an enemy on hit.
• Tox-Cloud releases a swarm of chemical-producing nanites to create a large zone that will slowly move each turn, poisoning any enemies or teammates that pass into the cloud.
• Venom Trap is a throwable trap that will poison the first enemy to trigger it.

Scourges can train a passive talent, Purge, to avoid the effects of their own poison and enemy damage-over-turns effects, but other squad members will need to be careful to avoid tox-clouds and other area-of-effect talents like Morass, which slows down units and reduces their armor and evasion.
Shotguns are a specialty for the Scourge. Their attribute and small bonus nodes linking these talents include bonuses to close-quarters accuracy and ballistic damage, and they have two talents that offer special attacks for shotguns. Callous is another talent useful in close range fights, sacrificing movement speed for a significant buff to your or a teammate's armor.
Other buffs in the Scourge's arsenal include:

• Metabolize, increasing the duration of combat chems and chance of multiple uses.
• Reknit offers quick healing in a pinch (although the recipient may not like it).
• Bio-Mimic engulfs the Scourge in nanites, imitating the biosignature of enemy guards well enough to trick many security devices.

Tricking security devices isn't the only manipulation a clever Scourge can pull off. Using the most terrifying capabilities of 23rd-century nanotech, you can target an enemy's brain and neural link, disorienting them or even causing them to temporarily turn against each other.

Ready to play?

With this update, there are two easy ways to get a Scourge into your squad:

• You can multiclass any member of your squad into the Scourge class by installing a Chem-Hive cybernetic implant. For now, you can install the Chem-Hive with Dr. Ashe without any investment needed. Remember that you can't respec out of cyber-classes at this time, so once you dive into this deadly side of nano-hiving, you're in.
• A new starting Scourge, August, has joined the character template line up in new game, giving you additional options to swap between Zasha, Liat and August. This is the only way currently to get a pure single-class Scourge into your group, but the Scourge is one of the best multiclass options out there so either single or multiclass option is very viable.

In the next couple of days, we'll be adding a new recruit storyline is in the works that will bring another Scourge character into the game as well as a new contact that can provide the specific Chem-Hive implant they use and other exciting cybernetic enhancements.
We may tweak Talents as data comes in, and of course if you spot any bugs our own testing hasn't caught, please F10 to report in-game; we'll fix it quick. Big thanks to all the players in the Steam forums and our Discord who offered feedback and ideas for this new class concept!

Full Trese Brothers sale to celebrate!

If Cyber Knights has been waiting on your wishlist, it's a great time to pick up the game, with more big updates right around the corner. For all of you already supporting us in EA, thank you! It makes a big difference to the final quality of the game. We have the full Trese Brothers catalog on sale right now (including the Android and iOS versions of our previous releases), and just released a new "Best of Trese Brothers" Steam bundle for a bonus discount on any games you don't already own. More squad tactics in Templar Battleforce, turn-based ship and crew combat in our sci-fi captain RPG Star Traders: Frontiers, and old-school fantasy tactics in our party-based RPG Heroes of Steel. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/37813/Best_of_Trese_Brothers/

v1.4.1 - 2/22/2024

- Added new class: Scourge uses their chem-hive implant to manipulate organics, fool biometrics, and create deadly poison effects! - Implant a Chem-Hive from Dr. Ashe's higher level cybernetics to get a Scourge - Now up to 28 multiclass combinations - Improved balance of all Shotguns, adding Dmg and up to +2m range, Ironback increased ammo but +1 AP to reload - Improved default filtering settings for equipping (show what can be equipped now) and all inventory (show all) - Updated all class descriptions - Fixed issues with Extraction and Wound healing in the timeline

First Hotfix is live!

v1.4.3 - 2/22/2024 - Fixed mistake with Chem-Hive being Deep Brain (conflict with Hacker) instead of Fast-Brain (no class conflicts) - Fixed Chem-Hive should have -5% Stress and Wound Res instead of +5% - Swapped Scourge class tree location of Dissolve and Bio-Coat Bullets (may need to respec) - Swapped Scourge class tree location of Venom Trap and Tox-Cloud (may need to respec) - Fixed missing upgrades for Callus Talent - Fixed issues with upgrade display for Metabolize % chance to skip consuming Combat Drug use - Adjusted the ordering of some Tox-Cloud upgrades in the second row - Fixed missing debuff improvements in Nervo-Tox Shell upgrades - Fixed incorrect mention of +25% Pure Dmg in Hacking Talents and Aero-Shrap Shell - Fixed typos and name issues in new starting Scourge August's backstory - Fixed issue with Soldier appearing in wrong position of rooftop after tutorial