MENACE Roadmap: 2026 Updates and What Comes in 2027

MENACE Roadmap: What Is Coming Next?

The MENACE roadmap gives you a reason to rethink your next campaign: the balancing overhaul is live, with new characters and a substantial story expansion next in line. Those updates matter whether you want to rebuild your squad, slow down progression, or face more Construct enemies. The MENACE roadmap also extends into 2027, with System Map mechanics, additional planets, and deeper character interactions on the way.

The latest update covered here is v0.7.17, Hotfix #13. The remaining 2026 milestones follow a planned release order, with development targeting the end of the year rather than individual launch dates.

Update or milestone	Status	Main additions
Balancing Overhaul	Live in v0.7.16	Broad equipment, perk, character, and OCI changes
Hotfix #13	Live in v0.7.17	Performance improvements and Lim’s Zig-Zag perk return
Squad Leader Update #2	Next planned major milestone	One squad leader, one pilot, and Extended Campaign
Main Story Expansion #1	Planned after the character update	Story progression, Construct units, Level 2 Blueprints, and items
System Map update	Planned among the first 2027 updates	New map mechanics and interactions

Read the MENACE roadmap as a sequence of milestones. The balancing overhaul has already moved from a future goal into the playable game, while the character and story updates remain ahead.

For your next run, the practical decision is which change matters most: revised combat builds, a slower campaign, or access to newly added story content.

The Balancing Overhaul Is Already Live

The balancing update changes how you build a force across several connected systems. Squad leaders, perks, weapons, accessories, and Operational Capability Improvements all receive adjustments.

The goal is broader build variety while preserving equipment and abilities with specialized roles. Some options become cheaper or stronger, while dominant choices face tighter limits. That makes revisiting your loadouts worthwhile before carrying an older setup into another operation.

System	Change in v0.7.16	What to review
Sprint perk	Move up to five tiles for 40 AP, followed by the winded effect	Leaders whose perk trees now include Sprint
Take Aim perk	Delay the unit’s turn and gain +10% accuracy and +30% critical hit chance	Builds that previously used Standby or Take Aim
Critical hits	Gain 50% increased armor penetration	Weapons and perks with critical hit bonuses
Damage reduction	Capped at 90%	Defensive combinations
Blind fire	Receives a -60% accuracy penalty	Attacks aimed at tiles without a visible target
Heatsink accessory	Increases vehicle maximum heat capacity by 50%	Vehicle accessory selections
Individual First Aid Kit	Adds 25% squaddie rescue chance and guarantees one squaddie is rescued	Infantry accessory selections

Several changes reach beyond those headline additions. The Mining Laser’s damage increases from 130 to 160. Multiple machine guns gain accuracy or suppression improvements, while several support OCIs become less expensive.

Recalculate your supply spending before copying an old loadout. The BR3A3 Kr-BaR “Crowbar,” for example, drops from 12 ammunition to 10 and increases its supply cost from 9 to 11. Other weapons move in the opposite direction, creating different equipment choices within your available supplies.

Promotions and Ironman Need Attention

Version 0.7.16 works with existing saves, but its perk changes refund all promotion points. Reassign those promotions before deploying.

Ironman also receives stricter enforcement. Quitting or closing the game during a mission aborts that mission, and reloading can no longer restore squad leaders who were downed or killed through the previous loophole.

Finish your Ironman mission before closing the game. Also, revise any strategy built around repeatedly stunning a Hive Queen: that enemy is now immune to stun effects.

Hotfix #13 Updates the Picture

Version 0.7.17 temporarily disables Screen Space Global Illumination because of its performance cost and potential crashes on some GPUs.

It also restores Zig-Zag to Lim by replacing Solid Grouping. Lim’s promotions are reset and refunded for that adjustment, so check his tree again even if you already reassigned everyone after the balancing patch.

The immediate MENACE roadmap milestone is therefore playable now, with a follow-up hotfix already addressing performance and a character perk change.

Squad Leader Update #2 Adds Characters and a Slower Campaign

The next major MENACE roadmap milestone brings one new squad leader and one new pilot. They are being developed with different personalities and playstyles, expanding the roster on both sides of your deployment choices.

At the roadmap announcement, both characters were close to completion, with remaining voice barks, polish, and testing still underway. A dedicated Dev Diary about the characters is planned.

The same update introduces Extended Campaign, an option designed for players who want slower progression.

Addition	Planned change	Detail for campaign planning
New squad leader	Adds another character with a distinct personality and playstyle	A dedicated Dev Diary about the new characters is planned
New pilot	Expands the pilot roster with another distinct character	Part of Squad Leader Update #2
Extended Campaign	Reduces progression speed to roughly half the current rate	Provides a slower campaign pace

That progression change is the key distinction. Extended Campaign slows the rate at which you advance; it is not a fixed promise about total playtime.

Choose the slower option if you want more room to settle into a campaign’s pace. Keep the standard progression setting in mind if you prefer moving through the existing progression more quickly.

The roadmap compares the intended appeal to XCOM’s Long War: taking your time with a sustained campaign. That comparison concerns pacing. The feature announced for MENACE is the reduced progression rate.

If campaign tempo is your main reason to restart, wait for this option to arrive before committing to that run.

Main Story Expansion #1 Changes the Campaign Decision

Main Story Expansion #1 is the largest update planned during MENACE’s Early Access period. It advances the central story and adds content across much of the game, with a particular emphasis on the Constructs.

Your force also gains new equipment options through Level 2 Blueprints and additional items. This makes the expansion a substantial content milestone alongside its narrative role.

The MENACE roadmap places it after Squad Leader Update #2, with a target of releasing during the remaining part of 2026.

Expansion element	Planned addition	Campaign compatibility detail
Main narrative	Advances the game’s central story	Some update content requires a fresh campaign
Constructs	Adds a substantial selection of new units	Part of the broader content expansion
Player equipment	Introduces Level 2 Blueprints and new items	Expands the available equipment
Existing campaigns	Remain playable and can be continued	A restart is not required simply to keep playing
Development milestone	Takes the game beyond 60% complete	A step toward full release

Keep Playing or Start Fresh?

The important save distinction is straightforward: existing saves continue to work, but some expansion content unlocks only in fresh campaigns.

Continue your current campaign if you want to finish its operations and keep playing with that force. Plan a fresh campaign after the expansion if your priority is accessing the content tied to a new start.

Save compatibility and access to every addition are separate questions. A working old save does not mean every new campaign element will appear inside it.

Avoid reading the “more than 60% complete” milestone as a countdown to version 1.0. It describes the planned state of the game after the expansion. The roadmap still includes additional story, planetary, and character work beyond that point.

For players mainly interested in the overarching threat in the Wayback, this is the update to watch most closely when choosing a restart window.

What the 2027 Roadmap Means for Your Next Run

The MENACE roadmap continues into 2027 with changes to both the strategic layer and the worlds where you fight.

One of the first planned updates focuses on the System Map, adding mechanics and ways to interact with it. The broader development plan also includes additional planets and factions, revised environments, more squad leaders, and the final portion of the story.

Development area	Planned 2027 work
System Map	New mechanics and interactions
Existing planets	Environment and asset updates
Additional planets	Missing planets and their associated factions
Character roster	More squad leaders
Character interactions	Relationships, personal history, and background development
Main story	The final piece of the narrative

Character interactions are a meaningful part of that plan. The aim is to explore how the named characters relate to one another and reveal more about their histories. That gives future roster additions a narrative role alongside their tactical differences.

The early roadmap also outlined at least two central narrative expansions. Main Story Expansion #1 is the next named story milestone, while the later plan continues toward completing the overarching narrative.

Pick Your Restart Around the Feature You Want

Use these milestones to decide where to spend your next campaign:

• Play now for the combat overhaul. Reassign refunded promotions and review equipment costs before deployment.
• Wait for Squad Leader Update #2 for slower progression. Extended Campaign arrives alongside the new squad leader and pilot.
• Start fresh after Main Story Expansion #1 for its new-campaign content. Existing saves remain usable, but some additions depend on a fresh start.
• Watch the 2027 updates for strategic and planetary changes. System Map interactions, environments, planets, and factions remain part of the development plan.

MENACE entered Early Access on February 5, 2026. Its roadmap now offers several distinct reasons to return, depending on whether combat, roster choices, campaign pacing, or story progression matters most to you.

If you are ready to begin, visit MENACE on Steam to get the game. Before deploying an existing force, check those refunded promotions—the latest balance changes can affect your next mission immediately.

FAQ

What is next on the MENACE roadmap?

Squad Leader Update #2 is the next planned major milestone after the live balancing overhaul. It adds one squad leader, one pilot, and Extended Campaign. Main Story Expansion #1 follows it in the planned release order.

Will the upcoming updates require a new save?

Versions 0.7.16 and 0.7.17 support existing saves. Main Story Expansion #1 also lets you continue existing campaigns, although some of its content unlocks only when starting fresh.

What does Extended Campaign change?

Extended Campaign reduces progression speed to roughly half the current rate. It arrives with Squad Leader Update #2 and gives players an option for a slower campaign.

What is planned for MENACE in 2027?

The plan includes new System Map mechanics, environment and asset updates, additional planets and factions, more squad leaders, deeper character interactions, and the final portion of the main story.