ICARUS Week 42 Update: New Mount System, Riding Equipment, and Moa Creature

ICARUS just took a giant step–or ride–toward the likes of survival sandbox games like Ark, 7 Days to Die, No Man’s Sky, and Medieval Dynasty. All of these games all have craftable or tamable transportation.

That’s right! This week we are talking about the brand new mount system available to prospectors who want better travel or cargo transport options on their missions. One of the mounts is the new Moa creature, an extinct, flightless bird once native to New Zealand that we have been hearing about in the patch notes. While the mount system was teased last week, for this update, Rocketwerkz also gave us a very exciting glimpse into the future of the Mount system! Read on to find out.

New Mount System

If you ever asked the question, “What are Buffalo for in this game?”, today you get your answer. Both Buffalo and Moa can be tamed to be mounts. Both can be equipped with saddles that provide some extra storage. All mount equipment can be crafted at Tier 2 or Tier 3 workstations, including bedding and food and water troughs.

The Buffalo is a pack animal and can be equipped with a harness for expanded storage. It has great stamina, and you can even control its headbutt attack (although it is fairly weak). On the other hand, the Moa is built for speed to allow you to outrun danger and cover long distances quickly.

Acquiring your mount will take a stronger stomach for violence than in many other games. Only juvenile (younger) versions of these creatures can be tamed to ride. You will have to isolate one by killing off its parents and any nearby adult version of the animal that the juvenile could run to.

Taming will only take about 15 or 30 minutes, but during that time you will have to provide for all your prospective pet’s needs: food, water, bedding, warmth, and shelter from exposure. Once you are finished, you will have a loyal riding companion for the rest of the mission. You can tame multiple mounts on a prospect, use the one that works best for you, and share the pack with friends.

The Future of Mounts

The biggest news this week is where RocketWerkz is going to take the mount system in the future. Here is what we know:

• Mounts eventually will persist across missions.
• Mounts will have levels and their own Talent Tree.
• Mounts will be buffed different ways, depending on their diets.
• Mounts may play a role in a new “Open World” concept the developers are working on.
• We will hear more over the next month.

Upcoming Content

Of course, RocketWerkz continues to work out the Data Decentralization system to support Dedicated Servers. As for next week, while the development team focuses on research to regenerate their creative juices, they will be reintroducing a long-thought extinct creature to both the Olympus and Styx maps.

Could this be the mysterious creature only know as “M”? Will we see roaming Mammoths again? Could it be the Mastadon, or perhaps some other extinct creature beginning with “M”. Here is what the patch notes tell us this week:

• It will be neutral or aggressive, since we know it has aggro and attack sounds and fight music.
• There will be a juvenile (“teenage”) version.
• Attacks will include a stomp and something that makes a “whoosh” sound.
• It will occurs regularly across Icarus (both Olympus and Styx), since it has a spawn rate.

The rest of the patch notes forecast more new content and DLC material:

• The new map(s) will contain lava lakes, frozen rivers and waterfalls.
• A new Iron sledgehammer weapon/tool is in development and has “shattering damage” and “yield” characteristics.
• A “Needler” is being worked on (perhaps an animal or a predator’s attack).
• Clay brick buildings and deployables will be available.

Are you excited about the Mount system? Are you even more excited about what the developers plan to do in the future? Let us know what you think is the best part of this update in the comment field below. Enjoy your new rides!