Just a few weeks after having its open beta, developer GFA Games has announced that MMO shooter PIONER will be getting its Early Access release on PC (via Steam) on December 16. The announcement was made alongside the release of a brand new trailer which you can check out below.
PIONER will be available in the form of a standard edition and a Deluxe edition. The latter will include a host of in-game items along with the game: the Renegade armour and gear skin, a unique skin for all weapons under the AR classification, the exclusive in-game Founder title, 500 Efritanium Crystals, the Creepy Charm weapon accessory, and the Katana watch inspired by classic 1980s-era Japanese wrist watch designs.
The open beta for PIONER, which was kicked off earlier this month, included quite a bit of content. Among the kinds of content that players can partake in were five acts of the story campaign, as well as the manufacture raid and a training raid dubbed Crash Site. For those who prefer some PvP action, the open beta also featured Deathmatch and the Carnage tournament modes.
Players who might not be too familiar with the kind of gameplay offered by PIONER can check out a gameplay trailer that was released back in March. The trailer gave us a great look at the title’s slow-paced tactical shooter gameplay. Along with this, it also showcased the action and survival mechanics, with players needing to explore dilapidated buildings to get their hands on resources.
Some of the enemies shown off in the trailer included airborne jellyfish, a massive flying leviathan, as well as more human enemies that run the gamut from poorly-equipped bandits to well kitted-out mercenary crews that have access to heavy weaponry and better armour.
PIONER was first announced all the way back in 2021, and GFA Games has described it as trying to strike the perfect balance between offering action gameplay as well as tense horror moments. Underneath all the gameplay is also an RPG system with progression that rewards players with new active and passive abilities that can then be used to take on even more challenging missions.
Since it is an MMO, PIONER will have quite a bit of emphasis on multiplayer gameplay, with players being able to take on missions alongside a group of friends. These missions will also offer greater rewards. Along with this, the title will also feature designated PvP zones where all bets are off.
Among the core features of PIONER will be its crafting system, which has been described by GFA Games as being flexible and in-depth. Using the system, players can craft a variety of powerful weapons and other equipment by making use of artifacts, scavenged materials, and anomaly energy.
The core game modes in PIONER include the Shadowlands mode, which makes use of extraction shooter-styled mechanics, and will offer high-stakes survival and treasure hunting where players have to deal with environmental hazards as well as potentially-hostile players. To take on these multiplayer challenges, the title will also offer a variety of social tools, including a clan system that can be used to form larger communities that can communicate with each other in the game, as well as share resources.
