RoE Dev Blog — Welcome to Boreas Isle

Welcome to our first Dev Blog for Rules of Engagement: The Grey State. Going forward, we'll use these posts to share new content, take you behind the scenes, and answer the questions we hear most often.

Last year, we introduced our squad-based PvP mode: hunt, grow stronger, and compete with rival squads for The Vertex. Today, we're revealing a separate three-player co-op PvE mode set in the same Horrorverse.

To get you ready, we've asked Ada (the AI assistant assigned to every Strider by the Grey State Agency) to give you a pre-deployment briefing on our new map, Boreas Isle.

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Hello, Striders! I'm Ada, your AI assistant and tactical advisor. Today, I'll walk you through what to expect in the field on Boreas Isle. Some of you are probably wondering what happened on Boreas in the first place, and why the GSA keeps sending Strider squads in. Let's start with what we know.

>>> The Basics

Boreas Isle is a remote, rugged island in Northern Europe. The cold wind is usually the first thing new arrivals notice. My advice? Grab a hot coffee before you head out.

Creatures from the Grey State arrived with the Haze and never left. They seem quite comfortable in their new home, nesting and multiplying across the island. Unfortunately, peaceful coexistence is not an option. They may have claimed Boreas, but the GSA has no intention of letting them spread any farther.

The Grey State Agency was established to eliminate threats from the Grey State and protect our world from its influence. Boreas is where the GSA draws the line. Strider squads are sent in to make sure the infestation ends there.

Still with me? Good. The GSA won't be sending you in empty-handed.

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>>> Surviving Boreas

Guns will handle plenty of problems on Boreas, but they are far from the only firepower available to a Strider. When a horde closes in, a flamethrower can hold it back. If a heavily armored creature shrugs off gunfire, bring out the recoilless rifle.

Before deployment, choose your Special Equipment with the rest of the squad in mind. The better your loadouts complement one another, the better your odds of bringing everyone home.

When guns can no longer hold the line, call in Tactical Support. High-explosive shells blast open a path, while incendiary rockets turn the ground into a sea of fire. By the time the barrage falls silent and you've wiped the dirt, gravel, and ichor from your visor, the horde that blocked your path is nothing but smoldering remains.

The creatures on Boreas won't always come at you head-on. They're fast, they hunt in packs, and they know how to flank. If one has your attention, another may already be closing in from the side or behind. So don't get tunnel vision. Watch your squadmates' backs.

One more thing: Boreas is shrouded in the Haze, and no two deployments unfold quite the same way. Terrain, objectives, and hostile activity vary from one operation to the next. A route that worked last time may not even exist on your next run. Be ready to adapt.

These are lessons Striders learned on Boreas, often the hard way. They should serve you well. But sometimes an operation takes a stranger turn, and you find yourself inside the Grey State.

That is where the real test begins.

>>> A Field Guide to the Grey State

The Grey State is our name for an unknown world that resembles our reality but never quite follows the same rules. Physics, time, and even life itself can drift out of alignment. On Boreas, doors sometimes appear where none should exist. Step through one, and you enter the Grey State.

The GSA still cannot determine how the different spaces within the Grey State connect to our reality—or to one another. If a door opens, your priorities are simple: get in, recover whatever you can, and get back out.

Based on reports from Striders who made it back, the GSA has compiled the following provisional guidelines. Be advised: the spaces and the entities within them continue to change. These rules may not remain valid.

1. Do not turn your back on the Bandaged Man.

2. Gravity anomalies are normal.

3. If black liquid begins seeping from the walls, evacuate immediately.

4. If you hear movement above you, do not look up. Call for help immediately.

5. Do not look directly into any camera.

6. If the spotlight finds you, close your eyes.

7. If you see a household appliance moving on its own, do not hesitate. Run.

8. Once you take ████, keep moving. Do not look back.

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All right. That should give you some idea of what awaits on Boreas Isle. But as Striders like to say, one run in the field is worth a stack of briefings.

I'll see you out there, Strider.

>>> What's Next

In our latest trailer, you'll catch glimpses of Boreas Isle: a radar station shrouded in the Haze, monster hordes pouring through a valley, and a Tactical Support strike setting the battlefield ablaze.

You'll also see some of the stranger sights inside the Grey State—a washing machine walking on four legs, a glowing mass of fused metal, and an ancient mechanism hidden among the ruins.

These fleeting shots are only a first look. Next month, we'll have more to share. Stay tuned!