'Game changing' ArmA Reforger update adds attack helicopters, mortars, and destructible buildings: 'nowhere on the battlefield is safe anymore'

ArmA Reforger has come a long way since its rather thin launch in 2022. A multiplayer-centric military roleplaying toolset, Reforger is part ArmA 3's Zeus dressed in Bohemia's snazzy new engine, and part testbed for ArmA 4. It wasn't vastly well liked when it was released out of Steam Early Access, with the community accusing Bohemia of abandoning it. But that is from the case, as is demonstrated by its latest update.

Described by Bohemia Interactive as "game-changing", update 1.3 adds several substantial features to the Czech studio's latest military simulator. While the update is headlined by the addition of two new APCs, the LAV-25 for the game's US faction, and the BDRM-2 for the Soviets, the more significant change is that ArmA Reforger now has fully destructible buildings and trees.

"Solid cover is now temporary, destruction changes everything!" writes Bohemia in the update's Steam post. "Buildings can be destroyed, entire forests can be cleared, sightlines can be expanded, and chokepoints can be bypassed." There's an image of the destruction systems at play below, and it looks like buildings can be completely levelled, leaving players exposed to enemy attack.

Alongside the destruction system, the update adds several new toys to facilitate it. First, there are two new "offensive helicopters"—the Mi-8 and UH-1H. Both gunships come equipped with "fully adjustable collimator sights, detachable rocket pods, and various ammunition options", letting you deal explosive death from above to your enemies. For more terrestrial obliteration, the update folds in "realistic and immersive" mortars. With these, players can coordinate with spotter teams to "delay enemy advances, cut off supply routes, level towns [and] support friendly attacking forces from kilometers away".

The goal of the update is to ensure that "nowhere on the battlefield is safe anymore". Not everything added is destruction focussed, however. Single-player ArmA fans get a little love from Bohemia, with a new elimination scenario casting players as a U.S Spec-ops soldier tasked with taking out a Soviet officer. There's also a bunch of tweaks to vehicles so they can carry more supplies, and an overhaul to ammunition supply depots so players must rank up before they can use better equipment, which Bohemia hopes will prevent "arsenal spam."

It's too early to tell what effect the update will have on the game's Steam rating, though it's already come a long way since launch. Debuting with a "Mixed" rating back in 2022, Reforger now has a "Mostly Positive" overall rating out of over 23,000 reviews, and a "Very Positive" recent rating from approximately 2,000 reviews over the last 30 days.

It's heartening to see Reforger slowly earn the community's trust, not least because they'll be waiting another few years before ArmA 4 arrives. You can read the full changelog for update 1.3 here.