Starseeker's Laser Array update adds giant cannons and voice chat

Devolver Digital released the Laser Array update for Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions today. The 1.3.0 patch brings a new Voidbreak Offensive, squad-based voice chat, and a community challenge to the Early Access co-op game.

The game launched into Early Access back on June 11. It's a spin-off of System Era's original base-building sandbox, shifting the focus to extraction mechanics and cooperative cleanup tasks. The original Astroneer was about quiet exploration and snapping tethers together. Starseeker is about grabbing loot and getting out before hostile creatures eat your squad.

The new Voidbreak Offensive centers around the titular Laser Array. Players have to run uplinks, retrieve cores, and clean up corrupted void terrain before they can press the button to fire a massive energy beam into the planet. The trailer shows off a lot of frantic running from Bog Hounds, which is pretty standard for extraction games. They also added squad voice chat, so you'll now clearly hear your friends panicking when the local fauna gets too close.

The gear stays intact

Beyond the giant laser, the 1.3.0 update includes a few quality-of-life adjustments. The best change is the removal of gear-breaking mechanics. Your equipment will actually survive the drop now, which removes a layer of tedious inventory management between runs. There's also a new community event called the Identity Crisis challenge, alongside a set of log-in rewards for active players.

The core gameplay loop still involves dropping onto alien planets, sucking up resources with a terrain tool, and completing objectives for a corporate overlord. The addition of the Laser Array offensive doesn't just give teams a louder objective to coordinate around, it gives them a massive cannon to fire. You still need to manage your squad's positioning and keep the void corruption in check.

The trailer features the usual cheerful co-op banter you expect from a Devolver Digital published game. Characters are shown spraying liquid to clear out purple void corruption, tossing objective cores to each other, and generally trying to survive the hostile environment. When the massive laser finally fires, it completely alters the immediate terrain. It's a big visual payoff for completing the uplink tasks.

For players coming from the original Astroneer, the transition to an extraction shooter format is a big shift. You aren't building sprawling bases or setting up automated resource lines anymore. You drop in, shoot the laser, grab the loot, and leave.

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch 2. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can download it directly from the catalog. The development roadmap is still rolling out, but firing a giant orbital weapon is a solid way to spend an afternoon.