SnowRunner - Season 9: Renew & Rebuild Review Summary

Enjoyable maps and a beautiful region make this a treat, and the Derry Special DLC is worth grabbing despite its poor handling, though the broken water system may dampen the experience.

Maps are enjoyable: The maps are described as laid-back, accessible, decent, and very enjoyable. Players find them pleasant to traverse with a good balance of difficulty.

DLC is worth buying: Players consistently praise the DLC as high quality, enjoyable, and useful in the game. The positive reception indicates strong value for the purchase.

Derry Special is excellent: The Derry Special 15C-177 is highlighted as a beast of a truck, versatile with add-ons, and a great addition to the North American lineup. It is considered one of the best heavy American trucks.

Region is beautiful: The region is praised for its beauty, with some calling it one of the most beautiful in the game. The scenery and views are a major positive point.

New trucks are cool: The season's trucks are described as cool, powerful, unique, and fun to drive. Players appreciate their performance and distinct characteristics.

Derry Special handles poorly: The Derry Special 15C-177 is criticized for being slow, heavy, and stiff, with poor maneuverability and a tendency to tip over easily. Players find it underwhelming compared to other heavy trucks.

Water system broken: Water towers and the water system are poorly implemented, with missions not providing water as expected and towers being useless or inconveniently placed. The mechanic fails to function as intended.

No actual fires: The game lacks real firefighting gameplay, as there are no actual fires to extinguish, only burnt-out trees. This undermines the core premise of the firefighting DLC.

ZiKZ 566A underwhelming: The ZiKZ 566A is small, has limited use, and offers a small selection of modules, making it feel lacking compared to other vehicles. Players find it has little practical value.

DLC lacks content: The DLC loses its appeal quickly and is underwhelming, offering little substance from the start. Players feel it does not justify its cost or expectations.

Firefighting missions included: The game features firefighting missions that require transporting water to extinguish fires. This is a core mechanic of the DLC, involving water delivery and firefighting trips.

Water delivery core mechanic: Water transport and delivery are central to the gameplay, with tasks focused on filling water tanks and delivering water to burnt structures. This is a key part of the firefighting system.

DLC adds Derry vehicles: The DLC introduces the Derry Special 15C-177, a fire truck, and other Derry vehicles, along with ZiKZ trucks. These are exclusive to the DLC and expand the vehicle roster.

Water tower network system: The game includes a water tower network mechanic, requiring players to build and manage water towers and booms. This adds a strategic layer to water distribution.

Off-road driving challenges: Driving involves navigating through forests with fallen trees, burnt stumps, mud, snow, and river crossings. This tests vehicle capability and driver skill.

Performance issues on DLC maps: Players report unstable frame rates, stuttering, and lag specifically on the DLC maps, even with capable hardware like an AMD 6700xt at full HD. The expansion appears poorly optimized, causing noticeable FPS drops.

DLC not recommended: Multiple reviewers advise against purchasing this DLC, citing it as a waste of money and not fully recommendable. This sentiment is echoed across several clusters, indicating a strong negative consensus.

Positive purchase recommendation: Several reviewers explicitly recommend purchasing the DLC, with some saying it is worth the money and giving it a thumbs up. This positive feedback contrasts with the negative reviews, showing a divided opinion.

Recommended for fans: The DLC is recommended for players who already enjoy the base game or are fans of the series. It is seen as a good fit for both new and veteran players, especially those who liked previous regions like Michigan and Wisconsin.

Wait for discount: Reviewers suggest waiting for a sale before buying, as is common with Snowrunner DLCs. The content is considered worth the money only if purchased at a reduced price, not at full price.

Region recommended: The region is recommended, and players can go to this map right after Michigan and Taymyr. It is especially useful for beginners to get a lot of vehicles, making it a good early-game destination.

Game completion: 40.0h.

The DLC is widely reported as boring and tedious due to repetitive water hauling and slow vehicles, with no reported turning point to enjoyment; a minority find it fun, especially in co-op.

Friction: repetitive hauling tasks; slow vehicles; tedious water transport; lack of animations; water towers not working as expected; reliance on mods to make tasks bearable.

Veteran Season Critic: Methodical and analytical; compares regions, tests mechanics, reports bugs, and evaluates content against prior seasons. Motivation: Seeking a polished and challenging Snowrunner experience consistent with previous seasons; disappointed by this DLC's grind and bugs. Stance: no buy.

Chill Casual Driver: Casual and relaxed; drives powerful trucks, enjoys the scenery, and doesn't seek difficulty. Motivation: Relaxation and fun with powerful trucks on easy, laid-back maps without challenge. Stance: buy.

Solo Grind Complainer: Solo-focused; works through missions alone, but finds the repetitive water tower tasks tedious and grindy. Motivation: Completing missions solo, but frustrated by the heavy grind and pointless water tower tasks. Stance: no buy.

Monetization: The user reviews focus entirely on the quality and value of the DLC, with mixed opinions on whether it is worth buying. No review mentions microtransactions, gacha, pay-to-win, or any form of in-game real-money purchases. The only cost discussed is the one-time DLC purchase, which is not considered predatory monetization. Therefore, the game's monetization appears fair and non-exploitative.

DLC lacks content: The DLC is criticized for having a small amount of content, with the region completable in a couple of days. This suggests the expansion feels thin compared to expectations.

DLC better than previous seasons: The DLC is considered better than the previous two seasons and more worthy than other addons, though not as good as first-year seasons. It is also compared favorably to seasons 7, 8, and 10.

Developer criticism: Developers are criticized for being lazy, not adding building animations or influence on the game world, and outsourcing updates. They patched some bugs but critical ones remain.

Derry Special vehicle comparisons: The Derry Special is overkill for this area due to good road conditions, compared to the Zikz 605R as not S tier but more versatile, and not as good as Azov trucks. Its mission wall only involves setting up installations with ingredients nearby.

DLC pricing and value: The DLC is compared to other Snowrunner DLCs in terms of pricing structure and is worth its price even without a discount. It is also compared to Yukon and the Kola Peninsula.