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Major Icarus Update Released Dangerous Horizons Improvements
Major Icarus Update Released Dangerous Horizons Improvements

Friday, March 13, 2026 at 3:57 PM

Major Icarus Update Released: Dangerous Horizons Improvements, Lithium Workshop Pack, Hoverframe Fixes, OEI Clarity Update, and More

A major new Icarus update has arrived, building on last week’s Dangerous Horizons release and refining many of the systems players have been digging into since the expansion went live. After watching how players explored the new world and listening closely to feedback from the community, the developers have pushed out a substantial patch focused on clarity, fixes, balance adjustments, quality-of-life upgrades, and system improvements across several areas of the game.

This update touches a lot of important survival gameplay: Elysium, the Orbital Exchange Interface, Lithium tools, Hoverframe behavior, mount handling in caves, resource access on other maps, and even multiplayer-friendly world rules for tame ownership. On top of that, the developers have already teased what is coming next: an expansion to the creature breeding system with wolf breeding and pups.

For players who enjoy co-op survival, base building, tech progression, taming, transport systems, and running their own persistent world with friends, this is exactly the kind of update that makes a dedicated server even more worthwhile.

Rent your Icarus server here:
https://xlgames.gg/games/icarus

If your group wants to explore the new content at its own pace, test the latest mechanics without interruptions, or start a fresh survival run with full control over the world, now is a very good time to launch your own server.

What This Icarus Update Focuses On

Following the release of Dangerous Horizons, players jumped into the new map and quickly began sharing impressions, suggestions, and pain points. The development team responded with an update aimed at smoothing out rough edges, improving how key systems are explained, and fixing a number of issues that affected progression, mobility, and power usage.

One of the bigger changes is improved messaging around the Orbital Exchange Interface on Elysium, making it much clearer how players are supposed to regain OEI functionality on that map. The patch also improves Hoverframe placement and stability, resolves a cave-related mount audio bug that could mute the game or play combat music incorrectly, and corrects several power consumption problems affecting Lithium tools.

Another important progression change is that Lithium Ore is now available across all maps through the Workshop. However, it is not simply handed out from the start. These purchases require Uranium Rods, meaning players still need to push into Elysium first before unlocking that access for use elsewhere.

Notable Improvements

The developers highlighted several particularly important fixes and improvements in this patch:

  • fixed multiple issues when riding a mount inside caves, which could previously mute all game audio and cause combat music to trigger incorrectly

  • fixed an issue where diagonal railings could not snap properly to industrial stairs

  • fixed the Stone Spikes recipe, which had been crafting the wrong item

  • Limestone can now be mined with lower-tier pickaxes, including Stone and Iron

  • Packed Fuel Bricks now provide 1.5x the amount of Transmutable fuel compared to coal and stack up to 25, making them a much stronger and more practical fuel option

For players who enjoy optimizing production, planning out long survival sessions, and squeezing more efficiency out of every resource chain, these are the kinds of changes that matter in actual gameplay rather than just on paper.

This Week: Lithium Workshop Pack

Since Dangerous Horizons launched and players started exploring Elysium, one of the most common requests has been the ability to use more of the new Tier 5 equipment on other maps where Lithium does not naturally spawn.

That is now possible through the Orbital Workshop.

Players can now access Lithium-related items outside of Elysium, but there is still a progression gate in place. These items require Uranium Rods to purchase, which means players must first explore Elysium and unlock that path before bringing those tools and materials into:

  • Olympus

  • Styx

  • Prometheus

  • Outpost drops

So while the developers have opened up the new Tier 5 gear for broader use, they have deliberately kept Elysium relevant as the first step in that progression. It gives players more freedom without removing the value of the new world.

In the same update, the price of the Limestone workshop bundle has also been reduced so it lines up better with other resources in the same category.

This Week: Lithium Tool Fixes

This patch also puts a spotlight on Lithium tools, especially after players reported issues with how their power usage behaved in practice.

Most Lithium tools can be toggled on and off, but until now, disabling a tool did not properly stop its per-action power drain. That has now been corrected. When the tool is turned off, it will no longer continue draining energy, which makes it much easier to preserve power when you do not need the effect active.

The Lithium Axe also received a specific fix. Previously, its power cost was being calculated incorrectly based on the total amount of wood generated, rather than only the additional bonus resources it produces, namely:

  • Tree Sap

  • Organic Resin

That logic has now been corrected, resulting in a major reduction in power consumption. In practical terms, the Lithium Axe should now run significantly longer before its battery is depleted.

For players heavily focused on harvesting, resource runs, and large-scale building projects, this is one of the most useful functional changes in the entire patch.

This Week: Orbital Exchange Interface Update

The developers also addressed confusion around the Orbital Exchange Interface (OEI) on Elysium.

Their goal with Elysium was to shake up the usual rhythm of survival and progression, pushing players to approach supply systems a little differently. But in doing so, they introduced confusion around how the OEI works on that map and did not communicate those rules clearly enough in-game.

To fix that, the text and messaging in the Orbital Exchange Interface on Elysium has now been revised for clarity.

The key thing players need to know is this: the standard OEI used on other maps does not function normally on Elysium. That is explained in the mission story, but many players still ran into uncertainty about what they were supposed to do next.

There are now two clearly explained routes to regain OEI functionality on Elysium:

1) continue progressing through the mission until you reach Eden, then use the OEI there
2) push further through the tech tree, unlock the Advanced Orbital Exchange Interface — effectively a landing pad — and deploy it wherever you want

The developers clearly like this system because it also solves a long-standing player request: the ability to decide exactly where the Supply Dropship lands and takes off.

For players who care about base planning, logistics, route efficiency, and custom infrastructure layouts, that is a very meaningful improvement.

This Week: Hoverframe Improvements

Players who have already unlocked the Hoverframe should notice a number of welcome improvements in this update.

The patch includes several fixes and refinements focused on:

  • easier placement

  • more reliable dismount behavior

  • cleaner visual effects

Deploying the Hoverframe on the ground should now be much easier than before. Previously, its size and its distance from the terrain meant placement often required an unusually flat surface. Those placement restrictions have now been relaxed.

As an added quality-of-life bonus, placing the Hoverframe now automatically claims it, which means one less interface window to deal with before you jump in and take off.

The developers also addressed reports from players who were being teleported underground when trying to dismount the Hoverframe in tight spaces. The logic used to determine seated exit points, and the rules that decide whether those points are valid, have both been improved in this patch.

There was also a graphical issue that some players noticed while piloting the Hoverframe: shadowy or broken-looking visual artifacts while moving. That problem turned out to be caused by an interaction between one of the particle systems and Terrain Deformation, and it has now been resolved.

This Week: New Custom World Setting for Mount Ownership

Over the past few weeks, the developers received a lot of feedback from the community around one recurring issue: players wanted a way to stop other people from unclaiming mounts that did not belong to them.

In response, a new Custom World Setting has been added to do exactly that.

The new setting is called:

“Mount Unclaim Requires Ownership”

When enabled, only the actual owner of a tame or mount will be able to unclaim it.

Like other Custom World Settings, this option can be toggled by:

  • the host player in a locally hosted world

  • anyone logged in as admin on a dedicated server

This setting is disabled by default, so existing multiplayer worlds, previously tamed creatures, and ongoing servers will not be changed automatically.

For communities running shared worlds, co-op groups, or larger multiplayer environments, this is a very useful server-side control, especially for preventing griefing, ownership disputes, or unwanted interference with other players’ tames.

Coming Next Week: Wolf Taming and Juveniles

The developers also offered a preview of next week’s update, and it is one that creature-focused players will definitely want to watch.

The breeding system in Icarus is being expanded with wolf breeding.

Tamed wolves will be able to produce pups, allowing players to raise the next generation and gradually build their own pack on the surface.

As with other bred creatures, wolf pups will inherit traits from their parents. That means players will be able to selectively breed wolves that better match their own playstyle and priorities.

With time, planning, and proper care, it will become possible to raise stronger companions and shape a pack that fits the way you survive on Icarus.

For survival players who enjoy taming, progression systems, long-term creature management, and meaningful world development, this looks like a very strong next step for the game.

Why This Is a Good Time to Rent an Icarus Server

Large updates like this are exactly when having your own server becomes especially valuable.

A private or dedicated Icarus server gives you the freedom to start a fresh run, revisit Elysium with your own group, test the new Lithium progression, build around the revised OEI mechanics, use Hoverframe improvements properly, and get ready for the upcoming wolf breeding update without dealing with the pace or priorities of random players.

That kind of control matters in a survival game like Icarus, where progression, logistics, taming, crafting, and world planning all feel better when your group can play on its own terms.

Rent your Icarus server here:
https://xlgames.gg/games/icarus

If you have been waiting for the right moment to launch a fresh prospect, rebuild your base setup, or move your group into a dedicated world, this update makes for a very strong reason to do it now.

Full Patch Highlights at a Glance

In this latest Icarus update, the developers have:

  • improved Orbital Exchange Interface messaging on Elysium

  • made Lithium Ore available on all maps through the Workshop, gated behind Uranium Rods

  • reduced the cost of the Limestone workshop bundle

  • fixed incorrect power drain behavior on Lithium tools

  • reworked the energy calculations for the Lithium Axe

  • improved Hoverframe placement and stability

  • fixed cases where dismounting the Hoverframe could place players underground

  • resolved visual particle artifacts affecting the Hoverframe

  • added the new Mount Unclaim Requires Ownership custom world setting

  • fixed cave-related audio and music issues while riding mounts

  • fixed diagonal railing snapping on industrial stairs

  • corrected the Stone Spikes recipe

  • made Limestone mineable with lower-tier pickaxes

  • improved Packed Fuel Bricks as a far more viable fuel source

  • teased next week’s breeding expansion with wolves and pups