DayZ creator's monster-hunting survival game gets major new DLC offering brutal endgame challenges with lavish loot: 'Survival games should be challenging, after all'

Back in June at the PC Gaming Show, Rocketwerkz revealed what's next for its co-op survival game Icarus: A major DLC called Great Hunts Campaigns that effectively turns Icarus into a first-person monster hunting game. Rocketwerkz said at the time that Great Hunts would launch "soon," and today it got more specific by announcing that it's out, well, today.

The "campaigns" part of Great Hunts Campaigns is important, because you won't just be heading off to shoot a really big beast in the face. The DLC includes three separate campaigns with 34 missions branching across all three of the game's open-world maps, leading up to "three high-stakes boss encounters in dedicated arenas." Powerful gear including unique legendary weapons awaits players who can take them down, but it won't be easy—this is very much endgame stuff.

"Great Hunts is designed for seasoned Icarus players as rewarding endgame content that truly puts them to the test. Survival games should be challenging after all," Rocketwerkz CEO Dean Hall said. "The boss encounters are cinematic, multi-phase battles designed to deliver some of the most epic moments in Icarus to date, and provide rewards that make it all worthwhile."

Rocketwerkz also said that more Great Hunts are on the way: "As we update the base game and release more new content, we will continue to update the content and features provided by the Great Hunts Campaigns."

If that sounds like something you're not quite ready to dive into, you won't be left empty-handed. The Copernicus update is also live today and it's free for everyone, with some pretty sweet stuff:

• 5 Legendary Weapons
• 8 Workshop Consumables
• 36 Crafted Items
• 1 Armor Set
• 1 Building Set
• 1 New Epoxy Recipe
• 78 New Achievements

Icarus: Great Hunts Campaigns is available on Steam for $22.49/£18.89/€22.05—10% off the regular price—until July 31.