Last week in Star Citizen featured significant updates including backend maintenance, the rollout of alpha patch 4.2.1 with gameplay and ship adjustments, and the full reveal of the revamped referral program launching July 2nd with enhanced rewards and a new leaderboard. Additionally, the Wikilo mission system received major improvements, new in-game items and ship features were introduced, and ongoing PTU testing continued to refine gameplay and systems in preparation for a content-rich July.
Last week in Star Citizen saw a range of important updates and announcements, starting with Cladipia Games’ routine weekend starters and a scheduled backend maintenance on June 26th. This maintenance was expected to last about an hour and would temporarily disrupt all RSI services, including web access, launcher functionality, the issue console, and gameplay servers, making the game unavailable during that time. Alongside this, a preview of an upcoming communication focusing on the long-anticipated overhaul of the referral program was confirmed for release on June 26th.
On June 24th, alpha patch 4.2.1 progressed to wave two of the public test universe (PTU), introducing several gameplay adjustments. These included a rebalance of cargo amounts to better reflect resource gathering yields, an increase in backpack carrying capacity, and various ship and vehicle updates such as the removal of ground flaglight turbulence and improved friendly target cycling. Weapon balance changes were also implemented, including reduced spread for the S7 ballistic gun and an extended self-destruct timer to 30 seconds for player evacuation.
Thursday, June 26th, was a major day with the full unveiling of the revamped referral program set to launch on July 2nd. This new system retains all previous referral progress and introduces a new leaderboard with filters for various timeframes. New players will now receive a 50,000 aUEC starting bonus, up from 5,000, and a notable new reward, the MISK Raptor vehicle, has officially entered development. Additionally, the Wikilo mission system received significant updates, shifting to deterministic rewards so players know exactly what they will earn before accepting contracts, along with improved mission categorization and plans for future quality-of-life enhancements.
Further improvements came with the wave three PTU update later that same day, featuring more refinements to the Wikilo system, security reworks around Stanton Space Stations, and gameplay tweaks such as reduced refining costs and removal of Discord fees. Visual polish was added for resource gathering, and new in-game items like the vault pistol and small pure caronite material were introduced. Ship updates included new defense cannons for the Reclaimer, corrected turret health for the Idris, and new door panel assets for the base Valkyrie.
The week wrapped up with alpha 4.2.1 opening to all PTU waves on June 27th, bringing additional polish to Wikilo missions, AI improvements for creature behavior, and activation of the Redeemer’s new point defense systems. These ongoing iterations highlight CIG’s commitment to refining gameplay and backend systems while engaging with player feedback. With the referral program relaunch imminent and continued PTU testing, the stage is set for a busy and content-rich July in Star Citizen.