Though Arma 3 is known for its gritty, sometimes excessive, military realism, that doesn't mean it's now allowed to be a bit silly if it wants to be. That seems to be the thinking behind today's release of the new Contact spin-off expansion that came out today. As you can probably guess from the name, this does indeed involve aliens.
This expansion was apparently revealed just a few weeks back. We seem to have missed that one when it first showed up. Our bad. Let's quickly catch you up to speed on what this expansion is all about then, yeah?
Arma 3 Contact is all about military science fiction. Contact offers up a new single player campaign where you play as a NATO drone operator that has been deployed to the made-up Eastern European country of Livonia. A giant alien ship shows up and you are sent out on a recon mission to investigate the extraterrestrial presence. Your job is to learn who they are and why they're here. Expectedly, the tension and chaos result in armed conflict between the humans and the aliens. Ha, whoopsie!
Gameplay is a mix of the expected infantry combat encounters, which are mixed with some investigation focused gameplay segments. You get your own sampling laser and biopsy probe. Let's see how the aliens like being the ones on the receiving end! Players also get control of the electromagnetic spectrum with the Spectrum Device. This allows you to gather intel, jam communications, and transmit misinformation.
There is also some other, non-alien focused improvements with this expansion. The most notable is the addition of a new 163 km2 terrain of Livonia. The area is temperate Summer for the climate, and is made up of forests, farmland, towns, railroads, the Biela river, and a number of landmarks. Other additions include the Livonian Defense Force, Russian Spetsnaz, five weapons, two vehicles, new gear, and more. There are also more than 100 new decorative props and terrain objects for content creators to use, in addition to new scenarios for Zeus Game Master, Combat Patrol, and Warlords.
Arma 3 Contact can be yours for $27.99 (USD) via Steam or the Bohemia Store. There is a 10% discount available until August 1. If you do not yet own Arma 3, you can instead check out the Arma 3 Contact Edition or the Arma 3 Ultimate Edition.
Key Features of Arma 3 Contact
- Singleplayer campaign “First Contact†– You are a member of a NATO training deployment to a remote region of Livonia, presented with a mysterious event that will forever change the face of human history.
- 163 km2 Livonia terrain – A temperate summer environment set in a partly abandoned militarized region of the (fictional) Eastern European country of Livonia.
- 2 Factions – Livonian Defense Force and Russian Spetsnaz, equipped with their own gear, new character faces, and Polish or Russian radio protocols.
- 5 Weapons – Promet Assault Rifle, RPK-12 Light Machine Gun, AKU-12 Carbine, Mk14 Classic Hunting Rifle, and Kozlice Shotgun.
- 2 Vehicles – ED-1 Mini UGV (a small electric tracked robot with a modular chassis and swivel arm that comes in both a Science and Demining variant) plus the Tractor.
- Gear – CBRN clothing, masks and backpacks, Spectrum Device, radio backpack, blindfold, and tin foil hat.
- Multiplayer Scenarios – Additional Zeus Game Master, Combat Patrol, and Warlords scenarios for the new Livonia terrain.
- Free Bonus Content – NATO woodland camouflage, civilian clothing, 100+ decorative props and terrain objects, and more. These will be made available for free to all owners of Arma 3.
