Tactical first person shooter Insurgency: Sandstorm moves a little further away from its subtitle with the winter update. The 2018 follow up to Insurgency focuses on desert landscapes and sandy maps across its Middle Eastern locations. However, the developers are looking to mix things up with the “Bab” map, which takes place in a snowy mountain village.
Operation Cold Blood sounds as far away from a sandstorm as you can get, but the new map still delivers on what makes Insurgency, well, Insurgency. It’s still set in the Middle East, but a blanket of snow has arrived in this mountainous village. The team ensures the map will cater to all playstyles though, with long sightlines for snipers and street-level alleyways for those looking to get up close and personal. Then there’s the new guns.
Bringing in the big guns
The winter update brings two new battle rifles to Insurgency: Sandstorm for the Marksman class. These are semi-automatic weapons ideal for mid to long range combat, which the rooftops of Bab look to provide. The Security faction is getting the US army M110 SASS, while the Insurgents are picking up the classic M1 Garand. This iconic World War II weapon also brings unique attachments to the battlefield, like the M1C sniper scope.
That’s not all on the weapons front. Across the board, Operation Cold Blood finally delivers toggleable optics for Insurgency: Sandstorm weapons. This allows for more adaptability during combat, with sniper scopes offering multiple zoom levels, and other attachments bringing close and long range options.
As is the norm, the content will be free to keep the community together and offer a level playing field. However, there are premium DLC packs also dropping with the winter update. Two new character outfits are coming, including a stealthy leaf suit for Security and an appropriate snow suit for Insurgents. There’s a new weapon skin for each faction too.
Operation Cold Blood is out now for Insurgency: Sandstorm on PC.
