CINDER CITY Closed Alpha II Expands With Larger World, New Dungeons and Combat Changes

CINDER CITY is preparing for an expanded Closed Alpha Test II on Steam, scheduled to run from December 4 through December 6, 2026. NC, formerly known as NCSOFT, and developer Bigfire Games are using the new session to put a heavily revised build in players' hands following the game's August Pre-Alpha Test.

The upcoming test is not positioned as a small balance pass. The team says it has reviewed nearly 3,000 individual pieces of player feedback, with the December build adding onboarding missions, changing the ammunition economy, expanding the accessible map, revising combat interactions and introducing more co-op content. The story will also progress farther than it did during the earlier test, while the open-world section covering Yeoksam, Seonjeongneung and Nonhyeon has grown substantially.

Registrations open November 12 at 6:00 a.m. PDT and remain available until November 30. Players in North America, Europe and Asia can register for the waitlist through Firstlook.gg. As a closed alpha, participation is not guaranteed simply by signing up, but the test offers an early opportunity to see how the project is changing before its wider release plans are announced.

When CINDER CITY Closed Alpha II takes place

The three-day test has a limited daily play window rather than running continuously. On Friday, December 4, servers are scheduled to be available from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. PST. The schedule changes on Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6, with each day running from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST.

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• Friday, December 4: 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. PST
• Saturday, December 5: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST
• Sunday, December 6: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST

Those short windows make the test especially focused on collecting reactions to its new systems and content. The developers have highlighted both practical quality-of-life revisions and changes aimed at making the opening hours easier to understand, while also making encounters farther into the world more demanding.

Feedback drives a new onboarding and ammo economy

A major focus of the revised build is teaching players how CINDER CITY's survival and action systems fit together. New guide missions will explain central activities including making ammunition, repairing weapons and producing equipment. These additions address a common challenge for games with intertwined crafting, combat and loot systems: players need to understand the tools at their disposal before they can make meaningful decisions under pressure.

Ammunition, in particular, has received extensive attention. The new build increases average ammo drops by more than 30 percent and makes gunpowder appear more frequently. Players will also be able to secure ammunition from enemies in more active ways. Executions and melee attacks against foes that are reloading can yield the ammo those enemies are carrying.

For another perspective on this story, read CINDER CITY Closed Alpha II Brings Bigger Map, New Dungeons and Combat Changes.

That creates a clearer risk-and-reward element for close-quarters fighting. Rather than treating melee only as a last resort when a gun is empty, survivors may have a reason to push toward vulnerable opponents at the right moment. Major hubs will additionally feature new supply missions, providing another route for acquiring resources.

The opening prologue has been polished after A/B testing, with the intent of establishing a smoother difficulty curve. That does not mean the entire experience has been softened. While the early flow has been adjusted, open-world encounters are being made tougher through improved enemy AI and more aggressive flanking behavior. The resulting design direction appears to be one where players are better equipped and better informed, but must still react carefully when fights become larger or more coordinated.

Movement and melee receive further refinement

The December build includes several adjustments to the feel and readability of action. A shoulder-swap feature has been added, giving players more control over their view and firing angle around cover. Sliding has also been improved, while melee behavior and related user interface feedback have been refined for greater clarity.

For newcomers, CINDER CITY's highlighted systems suggest that direct engagements will require more than sustained gunfire. Ammunition can be crafted from the inventory even in the middle of combat, potentially giving squads a way to recover from a resource shortage without retreating. Melee encounters support shielding and parrying, offering defensive answers when enemies close the gap.

Players are encouraged to prioritize enemy weak points for stronger damage. Bosses also use a separate stagger meter. Filling it can open opportunities against more formidable targets, and the rate can be improved through certain pieces of equipment or well-timed parries. Together, these mechanics point to an action loop that rewards positioning, targeting and confident defensive timing alongside gear preparation.

A fourfold expansion for the open-world city area

The most visible content increase is the enlarged world space spanning Yeoksam, Seonjeongneung and Nonhyeon. The previous play area measured 1.2 by 1.2 kilometers; Closed Alpha II expands that area to 2.4 by 2.4 kilometers. In terms of total area, that makes the available world four times larger than the prior version.

A larger footprint alone does not necessarily make a playtest richer, so the update also increases mission activity. The new build has more than three times as many side missions across this portion of the city. There is also a new field boss, the Rampage Mech, giving roaming squads a larger-scale objective beyond standard missions and dungeon excursions.

For an alpha, a map expansion of this size is useful for more than simply offering more ground to cover. It can help the team gather feedback on navigation, combat pacing between missions, resource distribution and the overall value of exploring optional spaces. Those areas will be especially important alongside the redesigned ammo flow and tougher enemy behavior, since resource availability and encounter frequency often shape how a survival-focused action game feels from one district to the next.

Two new squad dungeons and more story to explore

Co-op progression is also receiving meaningful additions. Closed Alpha II introduces two new squad dungeons: Yeoksam Grand Building, which features Hydes, and Chamber Zero. These locations expand the list of structured challenges available to groups and should give players more opportunities to pursue higher-value rewards.

Higher-tier equipment requires Blueprints, which can be earned through dungeons or repeatable missions. That makes these activities a key part of the progression path rather than optional diversions. The addition of in-dungeon save points should make that loop more accommodating as well, allowing squads to resume their progress instead of needing to complete a dungeon in one uninterrupted push.

The narrative has been expanded through Chapter 3. The prior test reached Chapter 2, Episode 2, so returning players will have a new continuation to pursue after revisiting the reworked early content. The combination of additional story, larger city sections and new dungeons means the December test is set to offer more material for both solo-minded explorers and teams focused on coordinated objectives.

Ways to form a squad

Although players can encounter CINDER CITY's systems individually, the test emphasizes squad play. Groups can enter dungeons by using the icons displayed on the map, inviting other players directly or turning to Auto Matchmaking. The multiple options should help participants find a group even if they are entering the closed alpha without a pre-arranged team.

Squad coordination could be particularly useful in the new dungeon content and against the Rampage Mech. Parrying, stagger damage, weak-point targeting and ammunition management all appear to create opportunities for players to divide responsibilities naturally. One player may focus on drawing attention and defending at close range, while others concentrate on weak points, supplies or using gear that accelerates stagger buildup.

As with any alpha, systems and content remain subject to change, and the value of this test lies partly in seeing how its revisions perform with a broader pool of players. Still, the scope of the December update indicates that the August feedback has led to tangible changes rather than purely numerical tuning.

What to expect from the December test

CINDER CITY Closed Alpha II will offer a more complete look at the game's developing identity: a city-based action experience with crafting, weapon maintenance, melee defense, boss mechanics and squad-focused dungeon progression. The team has responded to concerns around learning core systems and maintaining ammunition, while increasing the complexity of world encounters for players who move beyond the opening stretch.

Steam players interested in taking part have until November 30 to join the waitlist. With three limited testing sessions scheduled across December 4-6, selected participants will be able to explore the expanded 2.4-by-2.4-kilometer city zone, push the story into Chapter 3, challenge the Yeoksam Grand Building and Chamber Zero dungeons, and see whether the revised combat and economy make surviving CINDER CITY feel more intuitive without making its dangers any less serious.