Aloft To Add New Ecosystem Restoration Features In Future Updates

Aloft developer Astrolabe Interactive released their latest Devlog post on the game's Steam page, which details the game's Ecosystem Restoration mechanic. This feature allows players to identify islands "in need of rejuvenation" using the visual cues present and consulting their Field Guide to help them restore the island's environment.

While this developer blog provided players with some guidance on restoring the ecosystem, crafting a Field Guide, and more, it also revealed a roadmap for new content to be added to this mechanic soon. The developer hasn't confirmed the timeline yet, but it's possible that it may arrive in a future content or patch update.

The developer has announced a few new features for the Ecosystem Restoration mechanic that are coming soon to Aloft. The first new addition is a current issue players have faced when discovering animals on previously corrupted islands, for which bringing them back to their home islands has seen players resort to ingenious ways.

Moving animals will be more fine-tuned, as animals they've discovered can adopt the player once the island's ecosystem has been restored. It's unclear if players must first pet or feed them for this interaction to be triggered, but once achieved, they can relocate the animals much easier than building platforms between islands or using an Skyship to travel and carry them to the island.

A new crop type will be introduced to the sky islands, which players can find on smaller corrupted islands called Dream Herbs. While the developer hasn't stated whether this plant can forage using a Stone Sickle or hand-picked, the Dream Herb is used in crafting a new consumable that allows their in-game character to have lucid dreams and control their progression for which a new mechanic, the Dream system, will be introduced.

Lastly, the developer will also introduce Life Trees to the world of Aloft, which are stated to be "a massive tree species that wilted with the coming of the corruption." These trees have felt the effects of the corruption plaguing islands, and once players restore them to vitality, the Life Trees will be revived, revealing a hidden pathway to more rewards to claim.

The developer added that once the Life Trees have been revived through the Ecosystem Restoration mechanic, this act "imbues the sector of that biome with benefits, like favorable weather, the revival of long-lost crops, and more." Players can also forage various resources from the Life Tree itself, like Life Fruits, which have ranging properties integral to rearing animals and have unique effects relating to the Stormchaser system.

As mentioned before, it's unclear when these new features for the Ecosystem Restoration mechanic will arrive at Aloft, but players can more than likely anticipate them being included in a future content or patch update. Likewise, we cannot confirm the release dates for the forthcoming content and patch updates, for which we'll update this page once new information comes to light and the developer has confirmed the updates.