Star Citizen 4.3.1 introduces exciting new content like the Frenel electric LMG, expanded ASD missions, and medical gameplay elements with the Pyro Technica armor and Airpollo ship, but suffers from uninspired armor designs, limited medical role depth, and ship balancing issues. The reviewer appreciates the additions but calls for more creativity, engaging medical missions, and improvements to ship functionality in future updates.
Star Citizen 4.3.1 introduces several exciting additions, including the new electric LMG Frenel, which features a striking design with gold and skull motifs and delivers powerful performance. The patch also expands the ASD facilities with fresh missions, enhancing gameplay variety. Additionally, the Elissium pirate patch bundle offers a Frenel suit armor and the Cutless Black ship at a discounted price. However, the armor’s design feels like a lazy copy-paste job from previous high-spending rewards, with minimal changes apart from color and minor details, which disappointed the reviewer.
The Cutless Black’s new paint job stands out as a more unique and appealing aspect of the bundle, contrasting with the armor’s uninspired design. Ballistic weaponry has also seen improvements in this patch, making ballistic ships more viable than before, although they still have room for enhancement. Despite these upgrades, the reviewer plans to melt the armor due to its lack of originality and the fact that the paint cannot be purchased separately, tying the bundle together in a way that limits player choice.
One of the major highlights in 4.3.1 is the introduction of new medical gameplay elements, featuring the Pyro Technica armor and the Airpollo medical ship. While the armor is praised for its unique and well-crafted design, the medical gameplay itself falls short. The Airpollo, despite its impressive appearance and capabilities, lacks meaningful gameplay use. The current medical mechanics do not support sustained or engaging play, and the reviewer stresses the need for missions involving NPC rescues to make the medical role worthwhile.
The reviewer also critiques changes to medical beds, noting that the Idris ship has lost its Tier 1 medical bed, which has been replaced with a Tier 2 version that doesn’t fit logically. They argue that the Idris should retain its original Tier 1 bed to maintain gameplay consistency. Furthermore, the Airpollo ship faces issues such as limited capacitor power and underwhelming combat potential, which diminish its utility in bounty hunting and other activities. The reviewer calls for fixes and improvements to these aspects in future patches.
In conclusion, Star Citizen 4.3.1 brings promising new content but is hampered by flaws that need addressing. The medical gameplay requires more depth and engaging missions, especially involving NPCs rather than players. The armor designs could benefit from more creativity instead of reusing old assets, and ship balancing issues remain. The reviewer encourages the community to share their opinions and hopes for future updates that will make medical gameplay and other features more compelling and enjoyable.