Phoenix Point’s free Firebird overhaul folds in the Terror From The Void mod

Why the Firebird update actually changes Phoenix Point for the better

This caught my attention because it isn’t another cosmetic patch or microtransaction scramble – it’s a full-on rebirth five years after launch. Phoenix Point’s free Firebird update is a major overhaul inspired directly by the community’s most-loved mod, Terror From The Void (TFTV), and it was built with the mod team. For tactics fans still craving an XCOM successor now that much of XCOM’s core team has moved on, Firebird might be the version of Snapshot’s game that finally clicks.

• Campaign pacing and build times are shortened to stop the mid/late-game slog.
• Resources are less punishing; ammo and facility costs are reduced.
• Encounters and DLC are rebalanced; strategy layer UI is cleaned up and clarified.
• Full compatibility with the TFTV mod and ongoing campaigns – this is mod-to-dev collaboration, not appropriation.

Breaking down what actually changed

Snapshot lists the problems plainly: the middle of Phoenix Point could drag, resources felt needlessly scarce, and late-game enemy scaling could sneak up on you. Firebird addresses those issues with concrete mechanical shifts rather than vague promises. Research and the build times for big, campaign-defining projects are cut – construction for those faction-ending buildings is roughly halved — so you hit meaningful strategic choices earlier.

They’ve also dialed back the economic chokehold. Ammo production and facility construction costs have been nudged downward to avoid “tedious loops” where you spend more time grinding for materials than making decisions. That’s a welcome change for anyone who’s been punished by Phoenix Point’s earlier, lean economy.

Combat encounters get a rethink: Rescue missions still have tension but are less random-death frustrating, ambushes are more common and actually worth your time (loot crates and skill points), and Haven defenses are now scaled more logically so defending your base doesn’t feel like roulette. On the strategy screen, the manufacturing UI shows partially used magazines and better hover info — small QoL touches that add up.

Why the mod team’s involvement matters

Mod communities often refine a game’s best ideas into a clearer vision — TFTV did that for Phoenix Point. What’s rare and encouraging here is that Snapshot didn’t just copy the ideas; they worked alongside TFTV’s creators and ensured full compatibility, including for ongoing TFTV campaigns. That makes this less like a studio stepping on modders and more like the opposite: turning community learning into an official path forward.

It’s a healthy model. We’ve seen mods influence official content before, but rarely with such an explicit collaboration and a free, major patch. If Snapshot keeps listening, Phoenix Point could become a textbook case for studios working with their mod communities instead of ignoring or monetizing them.

What this means for players and for XCOM fans

If you’ve been curious about Phoenix Point but stalled on its original pacing and economy, now’s a prime time to jump in: the Firebird update smooths the rough edges that kept the game from fully delivering on Julian Gollop’s ambitious vision. For entrenched players, the rebalances to DLC like Festering Skies and Corrupted Horizons mean previously oppressive mechanics (the Behemoth, Acheron support units) are retooled to stay dangerous without feeling cheap.

Skeptically: balance is personal. Players who loved the punishing grind might bristle at these fixes — and any major rebalance risks upsetting existing meta and mission flow. But Snapshot’s approach to keep TFTV compatibility and to clarify late-game scaling suggests they’re trying to preserve depth while cutting cruft.

Why now — and why it matters for the genre

With XCOM 2 almost a decade old and the original X-COM mind behind Phoenix Point, this update matters because it signals a living game that learned from its community. It’s the kind of post-launch evolution fans ask for but rarely see delivered with genuine partnership. For anyone waiting for a modern tactical game to scratch the same itch, Firebird makes Phoenix Point a much stronger contender.

Snapshot is also spotlighting the game with a 60% Steam sale through December 18 — you can pick it up for about $9.99 / £7.79 while the patch is fresh. If the idea of tactical, big-picture thinking plus deliberate, high-stakes ground combat appeals to you, that’s a low-risk entry point.

TL;DR

Firebird is a meaningful, community-driven overhaul that fixes pacing, eases resource sting, rebalances encounters and DLC, and tidies up the strategy UI — all for free and with the TFTV team’s blessing. It won’t convert everyone, but for players who wanted Phoenix Point to feel more like a focused, choice-driven strategy game, this is a big step in the right direction.