X4: Cradle of Humanity second major expansion to X4: Foundations, brings the X series back to Earth, greatly increasing the size of the universe with new sectors and welcoming two new Earth factions. The expansion will explain the events that occurred on Earth in the decades following the shutdown of the portals.
We want to thank you Egosoft for giving us a code for this new expansion.
The return of the solar system
X4: Cradle of Humanity will allow us to return to our solar system within the universe of X and interact with the Earth Protectorate or Segaris pioneers, a sub-faction of Grounders.
The Protectorate and the Pioneers introduce two new campaigns that will lead us to unlock the player's HQ as we learn about the new Earth economy and the war between humans and Xenon. The Yaki, a faction of pirates with relations to the Xenon that was absent during the events of X Rebirth.
In the Protectorate campaign we will find ourselves repairing satellites, fighting Xenon and infiltrating the Pioneers of Segaris while operating as a special agent for the Protectorate's secret services.
The naval army of the Protectorate
With the arrival of the Earth Protectorate Their ships and stations also arrive in the universe of X which are generally slow and capable of absorbing more damage, compared to those of the other factions, with weapons that have higher fire rates and damage at the expense of the range of engagement.
S-class ships:
- Frog (Courier)
- Kopis (Mineral Extractor)
- Nimcha (Ricognitore)
- Rapier (Scout)
- Takoba (Caccia)
- Kukri (Hunt)
- Kalis (Heavy Hunt)
- Gladius (Heavy Hunt)
- Moreya (Hunt Pirate)
Class M ships:
- Jian (Cannoniera)
- Baldric (Transporter)
- Bolus (Extractor present in two variants: for Gas and for Minerals)
- Katana (Corvette)
- Falx (Fregata)
- Kuraokami (Heavy Corvette Pirate)
L-class ships:
- Osaka (Destroyer)
- Syn (Heavy Destroyer)
- Okinawa (Transporter)
- Okkaido (Extractor present in two variants: for Gas and for Minerals)
XL-class ships:
- Asgard (Corrazzata)
- Tokyo (Aircraft Carrier)
- Honshu (Auxiliary Ship)
Naval Equipment
- Earthlings engines are the best at accelerating and using afterburners but have the slowest travel speed of all.
- Ground weapons have high firepower, at the expense of the range of engagement which is compensated for by a high rate of fire.
- The regeneration and capacity of Earth's shields is superior to all other races.
- The AFT XL beam weapon, mounted on the Asgard battleship, it is capable of destroying all the ships in the game (except two) in one hit but has a very long recharge time.
The expansion also brings 18 new game sectors 13 for the Earth Protectorate, 3 per i Segaris pioneers and 2 for Xenon. Grounders have a different internal economy than other factions already in the game.
Technical sector
The technical implementation of the new ships and stations is well designed and very detailed. Ship models in particular might make someone turn up their noses as some have an asymmetrical style.
While the new designs and the implementation of volumetric fog could be a plus, it is possible to notice several graphics bugs, some that affect the overall experience of the title making it almost unplayable. We hope these issues are resolved with a day one or post launch patch.
In conclusion
X4 Cradle of Humanity adds 3 new factions, 18 new sectors, 22 ships and a new economy that differs from the one already seen in X4 Foundations. The expansion brings a free update to the base game that includes graphical improvements, such as the new volumetric fog, and the new terraforming locations.
In all we can say that the expansion is valid for those who want to immerse themselves in a space simulator with a particularly high learning curve, but to play at its best you will need a relatively powerful machine and wait for the many graphic bugs to be solved.
