Hello, Engineers!

Based on the feedback gathered during the recent Community Feedback Updates, Classic Survival Start is now available directly in the game world creation screen. This means players no longer need to use a mod to access that style of survival experience!

More broadly, this update also includes a few general gameplay improvements for all players. The Smelter Block is now part of the initial unlocks, it has been integrated into the FTUE, and we added a map marker to make it easier to find. We also improved the HUD notification for ore collection, which now displays across two lines for better readability.

Thank you for helping us make the game better!

• ➡️ Changelog: https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/announcement/space-engineers-2-alpha-vs2-2-mechanical-blocks-weapons
  
• 🛠️ Support Portal: https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc
  
• 🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh

Features

• Added Classic Survival Start option to the World creation screen (New Game -> Worlds -> Classic Survival)
  • Introduced voxel-based resource yields from planetary terrain (does not apply to asteroid materials)
    
  • Soil-like materials now yield Iron
    
  • Rock-like materials now yield Nickel
    
  • Sand-like materials now yield Silicon

Classic Survival: Balance Adjustments

• Limited the number of components available for backpack building
  
• Rebalanced welder and grinder speeds
  • MK1 speed increased to 1.25×
    
  • MK2 and MK3 adjusted for better progression
• Tweaked hand drill secondary mode radius (slight increase)
  
• Updated ore yield balance (minor changes overall)
  • Iron yield slightly reduced
    
  • Nickel and Silicon yields slightly increased
• Simplified basic block recipes
  
• Adjusted starter component crafting costs
  • Includes steel plates, construction components, steel tubes, and glass

Classic Survival: World & Difficulty Notes

• Voxel ore changes apply only to planetary terrain (asteroids voxels remain unchanged)
  
• Space gameplay remains intentionally challenging
  
• Overall experience remains very close to the community feedback mod version, with minor ore balance tweaks

General Gameplay Balance

• Added the Smelter Block to initial unlocks
  
• Integrated the Smelter Block into FTUE (First-Time User Experience)
  • Added a map marker for easier discovery
    
  • Updated onboarding tooltips to include production blocks (not just the Gearforge)
    
  • Helps prevent early-game softlocks

UI Improvements

• Updated the HUD notification for ore collection - now displays across two lines for better readability

Please keep in mind that VS2 is still an Early Access and Alpha version of Space Engineers 2. We are planning daily hotfixes after the initial release.

• Some features of this update will need a new game to be started / Will need new save to be visible: Credits + Trading / Economy, Cargo Ships, Loot System, Asteroid rings & clusters, Moons, New Verdure Contracts
  
• Hinge Blocks, Subgrid Projection Support: Copy/pasting projections of blueprints with subgrids is not fully supported YET. You can build on pistons and rotors individually in VS2.2, but when you paste a grid that includes connectors, rotors, or pistons, only the main grid will be projected for now. We are definitely planning proper support for subgrid projections in a future update.
  
• Hinges are not included in VS2.2 - but we are not forgetting them. Hinges are planned for VS2.3, alongside Wheels and additional mechanical features that will further expand what you can build
  
• Conflict Detection in Controls has not been released yet and is a planned feature
  
• Iron Sight aiming for Character Weapons is planned
  
• Economy: Selling grids is not supported yet, but planned
  
• 3rd person view: Ship guns shoot exactly where they are oriented now (not where the crosshair is). It will be changed in VS2.3
  
• Rotor does not maintain its speed after reloading
  
• Tower made of Pistons behaves erratically when external forces are applied to it
  
• Planet modding is not fully supported at this stage of development - we will bring you modding support for planets at later stages!
  
• We are always keeping previous versions of the game available after major updates. This means you can return to an earlier version at any time and, for example, save your blueprints or creations. You will find these builds in the Steam Beta tab
  
• We also want to be upfront about one important thing. We already know that water will be such a monumental change for the game that you will need to start a new save when VS3 arrives. We try to minimize situations like this, but during the alpha stage of development they are sometimes unavoidable.

Thank you for helping us make the game better!

Image Credits: Screenshot by Commander Exorcist

🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/


https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/games/1133870/announcements/detail/529876585129448253 https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/games/1133870/announcements/detail/529876585129443437 https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/games/1133870/announcements/detail/529876585129443382

I’ve been seeing a lot of questions lately asking: “Should I buy Space Engineers 2 right now?” My honest answer is yes. Of course, you could say that’s exactly what a company CEO would say – and you would be right. So instead of only taking my word for it, I’d recommend checking out this video from AndrewmanGaming, who gives a community perspective summary:

One of the things that keeps amazing me is how fast Space Engineers 2 is progressing, and how quickly ideas that once felt far away are becoming real and playable. A great example is this Clang Walker, put together by one of our programmers. Yes – this is already possible in VS 2.2 right now.

This kind of thing makes me really happy, because it shows how much the game is opening up already. All of our teams are doing a great job, and it’s exciting to see everything moving forward so well.

Last week I showed you the new LCD screens, and I wanted to share one more detail that I find really satisfying. The 150 cm version fits perfectly into our planned Wall Insert holes!

We’ve also been continuing work on weapon blocks, and today I want to show a bit more of that process. Here you can see the Large Rocket Turret evolving from concept art to final model. I always like these comparisons because they show how an early idea gradually becomes something real in the game – shaped by gameplay needs, visual language, technical constraints, and a lot of iteration along the way.

And here are the construction stages:

I also want to show you this adorable little guy – your future Small Rocket Turret. It has a very different presence compared to the large version, but it follows the same overall philosophy. We want these blocks to feel functional, readable, and believable as parts of a larger ship or base, while still having enough character to stand out on their own.

Construction Stages:

And now that you’ve seen how rocket turrets look when they are being built, it only feels fair to show the other side of the equation too – here is a video of them getting destroyed:

Full Dev Diary: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2026/04/mareks-dev-diary-april-16-2026/


🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/


https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/games/1133870/announcements/detail/529876585129443382 https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/games/1133870/announcements/detail/525372351496323887 https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/games/1133870/announcements/detail/525372351496323831