Aloft Launches First Major Content Update, Adding Plenty Of Critters & Wonders

Ahead of Aloft's Early Access release on PC via Steam in January 2025, developer Astrolabe Interactive revealed the game's roadmap, which detailed several gameplay features, adjustments, optimizations, and Quality-of-Life (QoL) updates that would be added to Aloft. Likewise, the developer has revealed new gameplay content available to Sky Sailors throughout the year, including "critters, insects, and beekeeping."

The latter content addition has arrived to Aloft in the game's first major update, the Critters & Wonders Update, available for free to all PC players. The developer has also released its patch notes for the content update, which saw multiple bug fixes, adjustments, and optimizations, as well as new miscellaneous content included in the update.

Arriving in time to celebrate the spring season, the sandbox survival game Aloft received its first major content update, which shows new critters being welcomed to the Sky Islands. The Critters & Wonders Update is available through Steam Early Access on PC, through which Sky Sailors can "say hello" to their "new best friends in the sky" as "critters can be found scattered across the world of Aloft."

As explained in their Changelog, the game's patch notes, some of the small animals and insects that can be discovered in the open world include bats, bees, birds, butterflies, frogs, ladybugs, worms, and more. These new critters can be found in multiple spawning locations, and once found, they can be caught using a net or feeder and, alternatively, lured using food before being picked up and placed on their home islands with new habitats to craft, which are unlocked through acquiring the recipe from a Knowledge Stone or by sketching its plans.

As such, new building pieces like beehives and vivariums were added in this update, which bees can be placed in hives and begin honey and wax productions, which can see more bees spawning near the hives. Additionally, hives and nests will spawn throughout the Sky Islands, which can be harvested for honey and, occasionally, Queen Bee Larvae, which the latter can be used to craft a beehive.

On the other hand, vivariums can be built and placed on their home island to display the colorful insects caught in these new ecosystems, but the recipe for vivariums can be obtained from Knowledge Stones and using the Sketchbook. It's important to mention that critters can contribute to restoring the ecosystem as a new ecosystem needs, "Small animal diversity" has been added, and collecting critters and placing them on a corrupted island can contribute to progress in cleansing it.

The Critters & Wonders Update also brought new balance changes to the Personal Home Islands system, which includes the "introduction of Shared Homes Islands," accessible via the Home Island kite. Shared Home Islands encourages Sky Sailors to "share and collaborate" with each other in multiplayer sessions to build, discover, and restore ecosystems without needing various permissions.

Lastly, Wonder Islands have been added to this content update so that Sky Sailors can discover them during their explorations across the sky. These unique islands remain "fixed in the world" and offer unique gameplay experiences when locating them and uncovering "mysterious ruins, rare treasures, and other secrets."