With all this buzz about a certain post-apocalyptic Obsidian game that came out late last month, we had almost forgotten about our friends over at Fallen Earth. As if our negligence had been predicted, a shiny State of the Game letter showed up on our virtual doorstep today – and what a state it is in.

…I mean that in a good way, of course! Icarus Studios is been positively electric with activity these days; from physical combat improvements to graphics fixes to Black Friday festivities, there is certainly no shortage of material for me to relay to you. Don’t believe me? Jump past the cut to find out exactly what has been going on behind the scenes of everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic MMO.

The team at Icarus has taken steps (both forward and backward) to assure the quality of Sector 4 content. Marie P. Croall, Senior Game Designer at Icarus, confirms, “We’re now at a place where we are ready to move forward and deliver significant content patches in a timely fashion.” Sector 4′s first area, Alpha County, will increase the level cap by 5, introduce new recipes, gear and consumables to the game.

November is packed to overflow with planned gameplay and visual updates, while December will usher in “high-end group content/world boss mechanics”, tweaks to the serendipity system, Progress Town balances, and a few other treats. Combat changes will revolve around Dodge skills & mitigation, as well as NPC range & reload time; the team is still collecting and analyzing player feedback on this aspect of the game.

Events! Dynamic events in Fallen Earth hold a special place in many a heart; from engaging moderators to skilled and dedicated role-players, the wasteland fun seems never-ending. Black Friday (the last Friday of November) should be renamed Bloody Friday in honor of Fallen Earth’s “Free Ammo Blood Sports Weekend”. So indulge that trigger finger – the lead’s on the house.

Check out the full State of the Game post here, and keep an eye out for future updates on Icarus’ Fallen Earth here at the Crunch.