The launch build changed the demo in three headline ways: Endless Mode is now separate from Classic Mode and no longer starts automatically after a Classic run, modules can be built in any empty module slot, and artifact icons and names have changed. The launch post calls that list incomplete, and the rest of the differences are just as relevant to how you play.
The three headline Hull Rupture changes since the demo
- Endless Mode is separate. It no longer begins automatically after you complete a Classic run, and it no longer shares Classic Mode's tuning. The endless mode guide covers the rewrite and what it means for late-game performance.
- Modules can be built in any empty module slot. In the demo, a slot only became available once there was a completed module next to it, and that rule confused a lot of players, so they removed it. Empty hull blocks still have different visual designs, but those differences no longer affect where modules can be built.
- Artifact icons and names have changed. In some cases an icon that belonged to one artifact in the demo is now used for a different artifact, so a demo-era icon guide does not carry over. The artifacts guide covers the unlock rules as well.
The rest of the launch-build changes
The same announcement cycle confirmed a longer list of differences:
- The post-battle shop now sells themed loot boxes — Defense, Humans and Rare — instead of individual kits, and modules can arrive with modifiers pre-installed.
- Turrets can be moved for free, but the move is very slow and the turret has a downtime period afterwards. Modules still cannot be moved.
- Converters have an experimental Auto button.
- Guarded locations and combat-encounter stars arrive on higher difficulty levels.
- The full game adds many more combat-facing artifacts and modifiers, plus a mode that leans much more heavily into combat.
Hull Construction is what replaces the old fixed Shipyard layouts, and the hull construction guide covers the rules you have to work inside while you reshape the hull.
Old advice that no longer holds
| Demo habit | What the launch build does |
|---|---|
| Waiting for a Shipyard in order to expand | You enter Hull Construction during flight, and it pauses travel — see the hull construction guide |
| Rotating a hull piece until it fits | Blocks cannot be rotated, and they cannot be removed once placed |
| Buying each individual kit in the old shop | The shop now sells themed boxes — see the post-battle shop guide |
| Moving every built module | Only turrets move, and moving one is slow with a downtime period — see the turret placement guide |
| Assuming demolition returns the kit | Demolition returns construction resources, but not the kit |
| Reading the income display as a future balance forecast | Info Mode reports the current rate per minute — see the production chain guide |
That last row is the one that quietly breaks a lot of plans. The number on screen is the rate you have right now, not the rate you will have after you finish building.