V Rising's new offline mode still isn't satisfying solo players
No more online requirement, but that doesn't really mean a good time in single-player
A V Rising update has introduced an offline mode that lets you play without an internet connection, but it's not providing enough options to satisfy players who want to go entirely solo.
The v0.5.41448 introduces LAN mode, which you can toggle from the host game screen, and whenever you start up a server. It'll let you play the game either with your friends on a local network (talk to your parents about LAN parties, kids), or entirely solo.
While offline play is a nice option, it doesn't offer solo players much benefit beyond what's present in existing private servers. You still can't pause the game even while offline, and the default server settings are balanced for full multiplayer worlds where everyone is grinding for rarer materials. There's no in-game way to change server settings once you've started, and though it's possible to make adjustments by directly editing your save files, some players are calling for a simpler way to make those changes.
The bigger issue is that there's no way to make the game's passive progression timers move forward when a given server is not running. So if you send a servant out on a 24-hour mission to gather materials, you can't just log back in the next day to see the results - you won't enjoy the benefits on a solo server unless you actually leave it running for those 24 hours.
As part of the patch notes, the developers say that "we will work on improving the LAN Mode as we continue to develop V Rising during Early Access," though there are no details on what additional features we can expect.
For now, V Rising is focused on the multiplayer experience, and it's been massively successful at it. The game's already sold over 1 million copies just one week after launch.
For more details on how to make use of the V Rising offline mode, you can follow that link.
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Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.