Gearbox's first Risk of Rain 2 extension gets hammered by Steam users as the developer admits that the PC version is 'in a really bad state'

Fans were not overjoyed by Gearbox's purchase of Risk of Rain 2022, as they feared the studio would ruin it. Here we are, the first Gearbox-made expansion for Risk of Rain 2, Seekers of the Storm. It's a trainwreck.

The cost was the most obvious problem with Seekers Of The Storm. The cost of the expansion was significantly higher in certain countries than in others. It was also out of line with the previous Survivors of the Void extension. Steam users reported that Seekers of the Storm costs twice as much in Brazil as Survivors of the Void, even though both are listed at $15 in the US.

Gearbox addressed the issue in a post yesterday, stating that it will change the price of Seekers of the Storm in "selected markets" to make it more comparable with the previous expansion. People who paid inflated prices are advised to refund the expansion through Steam and re-purchase once it is available at a lower cost.

The bigger problem isn't as easy to fix. Seekers of Storm is a mess. To make matters worse, these problems aren't just limited to those who purchased the expansion. A Risk of Rain 2 patch released alongside the expansion introduced bugs into Risk of Rain 2 that affected everyone.

The most important issue is that the Seekers of the Storm Update has tied Risk of Rain 2’s physics system to its framerate. When asked about it on Discord, Gearbox developer GBX-Preston said FPS-related issues, "and all the ramifications on balance/physics/attack speed/movement/etc. The errors were not deliberate. This is one of the top issues we're looking into." He suggested that players who are experiencing problems should lock the game to 60 frames per second as a temporary fix.

GBX-Preston stated that the team is aware of this problem and is actively working to fix it. "But for the time being, playing at 60 will provide the expected behavior to most of the issues that are caused by this bug."

He also acknowledged the PC version of Risk of Rain 2 is "in a really bad spot" following the update - a very honest admission - and encouraged players to report any bug they discover.

The net result of this is ugly. The Seekers of the Storm extension currently holds a "mostly-negative" rating on Steam - only 34% of user comments are positive - and Risk of Rain 2 has recently been dragged to "mixed." It's an embarrassment Gearbox would have preferred to avoid, considering that it is still stinging from the reaction to the Borderlands movie.

There are memes that are positive.

I'm looking at the timeline and it looks like anyone but Gearbox could have acquired RoR2 via r/riskofrain

According to r/riskofrain, damage is now tied to frame rate.

Trying to be positive is exhausting these days, says r/riskofrain

You pc bastards will now experience 0.0001% of an average console update when you visit r/riskofrain

r/riskofrain

Gearbox stated in a PC Gamer statement that they have been closely monitoring player feedback regarding Seekers of the Storm. "We are working fast to address this feedback, starting yesterday with the roll out of regional price adjustments. We will continue to update you as we progress in addressing reported issues.