Defiance 'Silicon Valley' expansion will launch free on August 5

The newly free-to-play MMO Defiance will get a new expansion on August 5, and in keeping with the whole free theme, you won't have to pay for it.

will get a new expansion on August 5, and in keeping with the whole free theme, you won't have to pay for it. Entitled 'Silicon Valley', it will be the first to introduce whole new areas to the shooter. It also introduces a new 'Encryption' mechanic, which is a new modifier for weapons and shields.

According to the studio, Encryption is "a status which buffs damage or capacity while preventing rarity upgrades via the Salvage Matrix." Storywise, the expansion will run parallel with the second season of the TV series Defiance.

"Karl Von Bach has disappeared into Silicon Valley with his EGO-imbued followers, but it's not quite the paradise they promised," the description goes. "The valley is overrun with Grid and a strange cult, the Pilgrims of the Guiding Light, has taken hold in locations across the zone.

Questions abound: Who are these pilgrims, and what do they want? What challenges face the newly formed Defiant Few? Will history catch up with Doctor Eren Niden?"

If you're curious to see the expansion in action before launch, Trion Worlds is running a livestreamat 3PM Pacific time.