Yesterday, when we reported on the new space ambulances coming to Star Citizen in alpha 4.3.1, we noted that there wasn’t any date or timing for the new build. Well, evidently CIG decided that timing was immediately after that story: Alpha 4.3.1: Virtue’s Descent is now online.
This patch once again focuses on the recently added Onyx facilities, with new missions that guide players back to these POIs to plumb additional levels in order to find new samples and attempt to shutdown an unstable core that threatens to eliminate the evidence.
Another major feature is a series of changes to medical gameplay, as respawning and healing at medical beds now requires charges from a new MedGel consumable that can be attached to individual beds. In addition, the respawn distances for the three tiers of medical beds has been adjusted, which will be important to note for those who are flying the aforementioned RSI Apollo space ambulances. A primer for medical gameplay as it is now has been assembled by CIG.
Other updates in alpha 4.3.1 include a new lightning LMG along with the proliferation of weapon shops in Lorville, increases to ship missile damage radii, decreases to ballistic resistance for ship armor in most cases while resistance to ballistic damage for shields has been increased, and a new wrinkle for outpost raiding in Pyro that sees enemy dropships arrive to bring reinforcements unless watch towers are disengaged. All of the details and more are in the patch notes.
source: official site (1, 2, 3) Longtime MMORPG gamers will know that Star Citizen was originally Kickstarted for over $2M back in 2012 with a planned launch for 2014. As of 2025, it still lingers in an incomplete but playable alpha, having raised over $800M from gamers over years of continuing crowdfunding and sales of in-game ships and other assets. It is currently the highest-crowdfunded video game ever and has endured both indefatigable loyalty from advocates and immense skepticism from critics. A co-developed single-player title, Squadron 42, has also been repeatedly delayed.
