What's Different?

This guide is solely intended as a "changelog" for players who already have experience with other SS13 servers centered around humans fighting Xenomorphs. If you're new to this sub-genre, check Handbook to Merc. If you're new to SS13 entirely, you're pretty much on your own for now.

Universal Changes
- The average human is now more powerful than the average Xeno. This is due to a massive balance change listed below. On this server, Xenos are closer to a zombie horde than intelligent murderous parasites with impractical reproduction.

- Rounds are MUCH faster. Deployment can happen at 12:10 and is forced at 12:15, and the round will almost never last more than an hour.

- Xenomorphs are now Zurganids, creatures composed entirely of animated Xenomorph resin, due to evolutionary changes. What might otherwise be Marines are MercDonalds mercenary contractors.

- Multiple round types are in the default Secret rotation. Extermination is the one you are familiar with, but there is also objective defense VS AI-controlled mobs, and Mercenaries defending the ship against actual U.S. Marines controlled by other players.

- Every Extermination round ends with an assault on the Mercenary ship, the Saltshaker. Yes, even Mercenary victories. Rounds are won solely by Mercenaries setting off their anti-xeno nuke, or by Zurganids crippling the ship's four ISPs and causing it to crash.

- RP standards are nonexistent; referring to the lead developer Mport in radio chatter will be met with laughs (assuming you say something funny) and not punishment (even if you don't).

- Z-Levels are fully integrated. Mercs can fire down from rooftops, and flying Zurganids can try to attack Mercenary bombers. Press the F key to look up or down.

- Movement is pixel-precise, not tile-precise.

- Running into an enemy will automatically hit them with the strongest melee weapon you have in your hands.

Marine/Mercenary Changes
- There is no friendly fire. Including Orbital Bombardments. The only exceptions are landing vehicles and barbed wire. This is also a consequence of the extreme balance change further down.

- There is only ONE full deployment dropship, the Dawn Crawler, usually piloted by the CO; it functions like the dropships on other servers, but the Zurganids want it destroyed, not hijacked, and it can land anywhere under open sky. There are two smaller ships piloted by the Transport Pilots, which move freely through the air via extreme levels of code wizardry.

- Squads have specific mechanical roles. Alpha is the entire normal ground force, Beta has jetpacks to flank Zurganids or guard the smaller dropships, Gamma is the tanker crew with slow but stun-immune power armor, and Delta is a squad of Specialists, albeit with less extreme gear.

- Medicine is extremely simplified; there is only one combat damage type, and no amputations or organ damage whatsoever. However, there are also no defibrillators.

- The only shipside roles are Staff Officers (who are now screaming emoticons known as Overscreeches) and "Crewmen," who handle engineering tasks on board the ship. All other jobs that you might expect are taken by more Screeches, which are not player-controlled. The CO is expected to deploy.

- ALL combat equipment, including attachments, is acquired at the same equipment machine, and every role is given a separate weapon and gear budget depending on their job description. Armor is chosen first, but generally doesn't impact the budget or options.

- DEFCON still exists in a different form, and only determines when you've done enough to start the firing sequence of the Saltshaker's superweapon. Collecting enough Resin Cores from dead Zurganids, while rescuing a unique Ronald Screech or securing an artifact container (both found inside of Vault containers) will raise it by 2. You need 6-10 in order to fire, depending on players.

- Skills have been simplified into a MERCS score, detailed at MERCS and You. Importantly, they only impact efficiency; any Mercenary can use anything, but they might need someone else's ID to do so.

- All Mercenaries are immune to overdoses and facehuggers due to rapid advances in medical implant technology.

Xenomorph/Zurganid Changes
- Zurganids respawn infinitely. They drop Resin Cores important to the Mercenary faction when they die, and respawn at deployed Hive Zurganids, which are the only caste that cannot respawn, or the Queen, who can. Any dead player may join the Zurganids at will. This is the reason for both bolded points above.

- Zurganids no longer rely on the dropship to assault the main ship. They instead can compact themselves into resin pods and launch themselves into low orbit. Be aware; the Saltshaker's powerful ECM device will sever any Zurganid's hivemind connection and kill them instantly if the hive is not strong enough. Your Stats tab will tell you how close the hive is to overcoming the device.

- The Queen has lost her stuns in exchange for becoming a mobile spawn point; she also has the ability to summon the ENTIRE Zurganid team to her location on an extremely long cooldown. In a pinch she can spam facehuggers, but they won't do more than blind the Mercenaries. Her death drops a more valuable Resin Core, instead of crippling the hive like you may expect.

- Zurganids can eat dead Mercenaries to contribute to the hive's overall strength level. More important roles count for more biomass.

- There are only eight castes, including the unique Queen and non-respawning Hive. There is also no tiering system; Zurganids can individually upgrade their stats in one of four places as the hive gains more biomass.

Refer to Zurganids for more detailed information on the faction.