Hellsweeper VR News

Hey Hellsweepers, are you ready to pull more friends into the fiery depths of hell? The Alliance Free Update is here -- From expanding co-op to 3 players to the all-new Gauntlet Mode, a relentless boss in Avarice, and Day & Night System, this update is packed with content that will test your endurance, teamwork, and style.

And as always, your feedback has been crucial in making this happen. So grab your weapons, rally your squad, and let’s dive in!

[h3]Watch the highlights here:[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]New Game Mode: Gauntlet[/h2]
Endless. Relentless. Brutal.
The Gauntlet is a trial of pure endurance, throwing waves of enemies and bosses at you in an endless loop.

How far can you descend into hell before your strength gives out? This mode is available in both Single-player and Multiplayer. Bring your A-game (and a buddy or two) because hell doesn’t hold back.

[h2]Co-op now supports up to 3 players![/h2]
One of the most requested features is here—3-player co-op! Grab two friends, sharpen your blades, and see how long your alliance holds in the face of unrelenting demons. Huge thanks to our beta testers on Discord for helping us battle-proof this mode. You’re the real MVPs.


With the update finally live, our team will be doing another sweep to check the build's stability, and we thought... what better way to do it than with all of you? If you're in the mood for a co-op sweep, join us on December 12th from 9 PM to 10 PM EST for a game or a chat. We'll be opening several public rooms in the game!


[h2]New Boss: Avarice[/h2]
Greed has kinda ascended, and its penchant for chaos is insatiable. Meet Avarice, the wheel of destruction that rolls across the battlefield with relentless force. Simple in form, devastating in action—don’t let your guard down. Sometimes, the deadliest enemies are the ones you underestimate.


[h2]Day & Night Mechanics[/h2]
The Day & Night System brings a new layer of strategy to your runs:

• ☀️Daytime: Totems will remain dormant, but treasure? A little scarce. Certain enemies prefer day time.
  
• 🌙Nighttime: Treasure chests are more abundant, but darkness brings offensive totems and more of certain enemies.
  

And while not necessarily related to the Day and Night mechanics, here’s a fun bonus—torches are now interactive! Light them up with Fire Magic or extinguish them with Frost Magic... just for fun. :p



[h2]Show Off with Weapon Skins[/h2]
What better way to celebrate dragging a third teammate to hell than showing off your weapons in style? With the addition of Weapon Skins, you can finally personalize your tools of destruction.



[h2]Bringing Back Launch Options for Steam Players[/h2]
Important: We've brought back the Runtime launch options by popular request!

• OpenXR - This can be described as the one-size-fits-all mode. It will allow devices to use their proprietary app, eg. Oculus devices using the Meta Quest Link app. However, the customization is lacking as it is not possible to make any changes outside of the game.
  
• SteamVR - We recommend this to Valve Index users. This allows customization outside of the game, like putting bindings on certain buttons for controllers we don't support. The downside is that certain devices have to run their app through SteamVR, which will cause a bit of performance issues.
  

[h2]And as usual, there’s moar.[/h2]
This update comes with a slew of improvements to make your runs smoother and deadlier than ever like new Traits, Epithets, Max Skill levels and community-requested QoLs.


[h3]Please refer to the full patch notes below. [/h3]


If you’ve enjoyed Hellsweeper VR’s free content updates, help us keep the fire burning! Share the game with your friends or on social media. We know it’s not a new game anymore, but we hope these updates continue to give you something to look forward to.

Lastly, you could help playtest our studio’s next game 13Z—it’s not in VR yet, but we’d love to bring it to VR if there’s enough demand from the community. Your feedback could make all the difference!



Thank you, Hellsweepers, for being part of this ever-evolving journey. From all of us at Mixed Realms, happy holidays ahead. Let’s tear through hell together one last time before the year ends!

Discord | Reddit | Twitter | Tiktok.

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms





All items with (*) were inspired by community suggestions! :)

[h3]New Content[/h3]

• New Game Mode: Gauntlet
  
• New Boss: Avarice
  
• Added "Day & Night" mechanics.
  
• --- Certain enemies have increased chances of spawning in the day, while others at night.
  
• --- Island and Vault are considered to be neither day nor night.
  
• --- No totems will attack during the day. More treasure chests at night."
  
• Added skins for the weapon skills.
  
• Added Phantom Limb to the Katana skill.
  
• New Epithets:
  
• --- Sun Walker - Increased stats during the day, special mechanics at night.
  
• --- Bulwark - Increased defences."
  
• New Traits:
  
• --- Mana Engine - Casting spells with the spellball will not delete it, allowing players to keep casting spells.
  
• --- Hex Payback - Increase duration of status effects.
  
• --- Springboard - Applying the Haze status effect will throw enemies into the air.
  
• --- Dust Devil - Increase the movement speed of Haze Tornado.
  
• --- Gazing Snake - Default special trait for Haze Magic.
  
• --- Winged Serpent - Players can ride a Haze Serpent and fly around the level.
  
• --- Fully Loaded - Guns will spawn with max ammo and buffs but cannot be reloaded.
  
• --- Mimic Quiver - Arrow Conversion will no longer consume the item.
  
• --- Chasing Comet - Axe Glaive will hit additional targets before returning.
  
• --- Silk Steel - Increase flail damage but reduce the chain's length.
  
• --- Radiant Technique - Players can conjure Energy Spike without releasing the trigger, it appears after a thrust."
  
• Laser, Haze and Charge magic have their own status effect. This secondary status effect will not replace the primary status effects like Burning or Freeze.
  
• --- Laser - When the enemy takes damage, it will shoot out additional laser projectiles towards nearby enemies.
  
• --- Haze - Applying it for the first time will stagger the enemy. It will deal damage to all nearby enemies.
  
• --- Charge - Target takes increase damage from all sources, the damage is then stored. When the duration is up, it will explode with all of the accumulated damage."
  
• Players can extinguish torches with Frost magic and ignite them with Fire magic... just for fun!
  
• Increased the max skill level for all skills.*
  

[h3]Multiplayer Updates[/h3]

• Increased the max number of players for MP to 3.*
  
• When clients abandon the run, they will disconnect from the host instead of causing everybody to return to Hub.
  

[h3]Updates & QoL[/h3]

• Changed skill XR system, players have to pump in 'Echoes' into the skill and once it is full, the augment is unlocked.*
  
• Added new resource, 'Echoes', which is used to rank up skills.
  
• Experience is Gold' now gives echoes when completing an Act. It is removed afterwards.
  
• Updated the behavior of Axe Glaive, allowing it to stay around longer.
  
• Improved Phantom Limb system, the weapon will follow the swing and angle of the main weapon.
  
• Added button binding for Levitation and settings for "Complex Levitation".*
  
• --- Players can now levitate objects while holding onto an item.
  
• Added button binding for Quick Infusion.
  
• --- Holding down the button, players can open a small menu for the current magic skills to infuse the held item.
  
• --- Move the hand over to the magic skill and release the button to infuse.
  
• Added button binding for Reload.*
  
• --- Pressing the button will reload the currently held gun for that hand.
  
• Added option to adjust controller vibration strength.*
  

Yup, 3-player co-op is coming! From November 25th to December 9th, we’ll be running a playtest to introduce the 3-player multiplayer mode along with a brand-new game mode. This is your chance to experience and test some of the upcoming features before they officially go live (and help some pretty anxious devs haha :D).

[h2]What’s in the Playtest?[/h2]
The playtest build doesn’t contain all the new content for the upcoming update (of course, we need to same some of the goodies for the actual launch! ;)). It mainly focuses on the stability and performance of multiplayer, with these key highlights:

• 3-Player Co-op Mode: As requested by many in the community, multiplayer sessions now support three players instead of two.
  
• New Game Mode: Dive into a fresh multiplayer mode. Details are under wraps for now, so jump in and discover it for yourself!
  
• Focus on Multiplayer Stability: While this playtest doesn’t include all upcoming content—such as the new boss—it’s designed to test and refine multiplayer performance ahead of the update.
  

Note: Single-player content is unavailable during this playtest. You’ll have access to multiplayer game modes and the Training Hall only. You’ll start with a mid-level profile and receive extra souls and echoes to level up or purchase cosmetics.

[h2]How to Give Feedback[/h2]
To help us refine multiplayer gameplay, we’d love for you to share your thoughts and report any issues.

• Head to our 3P Co-Op Beta Announcement Thread on Discord (under #news) and include the following details:
  
• Number of players in your session.
  
• Devices used by each player (e.g., PCVR, Meta Quest 2/3, etc.).
  
• Game mode played (Roguelike or Gauntlet).
  
• Issues faced, if any (e.g., bugs, performance, or connection problems).
  
• A recording of the issue (if possible) to assist us with troubleshooting.
  

If your feedback is related to connection issues, it'll be helpful to our team if you could follow the following format in your report:

1. What was the message or error encountered?
   
2. Did you use any third-party apps or VPN?
   
3. Please provide us with your Player Name. You can find this info in the in-game profile page.
   
4. Please share your region/state. We want to make sure the game is pinging the right / nearest servers.
   

[h2]How to Opt into the Playtest[/h2]
The playtest beta is available for PCVR [Steam] users and Meta Quest 2/3 users. Follow the steps below to access it:
For Steam Users:

1. Right-click Hellsweeper VR in your library.
   
2. Select Properties > Beta.
   
3. In the dropdown menu, select (Beta) 3P Multiplayer Playtest.
   

For Meta Quest 2/3 Users (applies to Meta store only):

1. In either your Oculus App or Web Store Page, select Hellsweeper VR.
   
2. Select Additional Details > Change Version > Select Channel: (Beta) 3P Multiplayer Co-Op
   

[h2]Why This Matters[/h2]
This playtest is all about making the 3-player multiplayer mode as stable and enjoyable as possible. Your participation helps us optimize the experience, ensuring the smoothest gameplay when the update drops. Thank you for helping us make Hellsweeper VR a better game!



Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms Team

We've got a quick drop of fixes ~

- Fixed the objective length in Roguelike scaling incorrectly.
- Fixed crash caused by the Chieko avatar upon death.
- Fixed crash caused by equipping the Mr. Unknown mask on the Sweeper avatar upon death.
- Increased the amount of souls given by the Souls reward.
- Increased the amount of loot converted into Souls at the end of an Act.
- [MP] Fixed player getting double damage on the client side.
- [MP] Implemented an experimental fix to a bug preventing players from finishing objectives on certain missions.

If you've got bugs to report, please create a thread under the Hellsweeper #support channel on our Discord. :)

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms Team

**Known Issue** This isn't part of the hotfix yet. We've just discovered a bug that causes the selected difficulty to not apply to the first Act, resulting in its difficulty being either higher or lower than the chosen level. We're on it!

--

Fresh from the Blacksmith's forge.
All items with * were inspired by community suggestions!

**UPDATES**
- [PSVR2] Increased frequency of saving.
- [Non-PSVR2] Quitting the game from within will cause a slight delay to allow the game to safely save the data before closing the application.
- Updated camera rotation to prevent hands from getting tangled during snap rotation.
- Corruption's armor bar is now greyish to differentiate it from other shields.
- *Tweaked the recalling power of the Katana.
- *Added a new option for katana grip.
- Updated the calculation for the number of giant ice shards.
- *Player's can use their non-master hand to adjust the distance of the in-game canvas.
- *Improve responsiveness of guns attached to the Rifle's Mounting Bracket, activated by the offhand grip.

**BUG FIXES**
- Fixed dropping both katanas together while trying activate the bow mechanic causes the game to crash.
- Fixed stat crystals displaying incorrect values.
- Fixed max health going negative due to hands being stabbed.
- Fixed spellball pull not working as intended.
- Fixed Tribute in Vault triggering a fight.
- Fixed 'Last Touch' functionality with attached weapons.
- Fixed missing durability texture on Elite Pride’s katana.
- Fixed 'Sweat & Iron' causing the gun to cost 0 mana.
- Fixed Epithet not being set when starting two back-to-back 'Empty Loadout' runs.

**BUG FIXES (Multiplayer)**
- Fixed creation of katana bow causing the game to crash.
- Fixed Chieko Rig disappearing intermittently.
- Fixed Blood Lance not working as intended.
- Fixed excessive crystal spawns on Elite Pride’s altar.

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms Team

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Hey Hellsweepers, what a ride it’s been! Since launching Hellsweeper VR on September 21st last year, we've delved deep into the fiery pits together—squashed bugs, created an evil twin, added a fresh coat of paint to hell’s walls along with more enemies, and rehauled some of the systems for good measure.

And we are not done yet! A few days shy of our first birthday, we’re releasing another free content drop.

Thank you for your amazing support and suggestions, which have been instrumental in keeping the updates coming. If you love what you see and would like to toss some warm virtual hugs our way, please consider spreading the word, leaving a review for Hellsweeper, or supporting our studio’s upcoming game.😉

[h2]New Weapon: Katana[/h2]
The Katana - or the Sheath, as you’ll come to understand more later - is the most extensive weapon we’ve added to the game to date. It is more than just a sword. It is a new system on its own.


[h3]We’d let you have fun with the weapon and figure out the ins and outs but here are some highlights:[/h3]

Multi-purpose Sheathe: Far from just a scabbard, the sheath serves as a centerpiece for weapon modifications, allowing for various weapon abilities to be attached (excluding Stonefist, Hellhound's Toy, Magic Orbs, and Sweeper's Broom).


Blossom Mechanic: Execute a precise cut, then sheathe the Katana for maximum impact ala Brook’s Kasuriuta: Fubuki Giri from One Piece.


Flashspeed: Unsheath rapidly for a swift slash that not only damages enemies but can also deflect projectiles. Perhaps, if you upgrade your Katana enough, you can get a teeny bit close to Vergil’s Judgment Cut with a single slash ;)


[h2]New Miniboss: Pride Ascends[/h2]
You know him, you love to hate him, and now, Pride is stepping up his game. While his normal variant continues to torment souls as usual, his newly ascended form brings a tougher challenge and might show up when you least expect it. Although Ascended Pride comes with less homing orbs, his targeted attacks pack a deadlier punch with each hit. Watch out for those summoned portals, too!

[h2]New Avatar: Chieko H.[/h2]
What better way to celebrate Hellsweeper’s birthday than by paying homage to the OG hero who paved the way for our studio’s humble beginnings back in 2016?
We’re excited to introduce Chieko, the female protagonist from our very first game, Sairento VR, as a playable avatar in Hellsweeper.

Of course, we've made some adjustments to her design to match Hellsweeper’s theme while retaining her identity as a Sairento agent. If you’d like to see collectible lore pieces for Chieko added in future updates, please let us know in the comments below!

[h2]New Difficulty Tiers: Infernal & Hellsweep[/h2]
Up for a tougher challenge? Our new difficulty levels, Infernal and Hellsweep, are ready to test even the most seasoned players. Dive into deeper and darker corners of hell and reap greater rewards for your bravery.

[h2]Quality of Life Updates and Bug Fixes[/h2]
This update also addresses various quality-of-life improvements and pesky bugs (like the notorious texture bug on PCVR). Check out the full patch notes below for all the details.


[h2]Special Invitation: Join the 13Z Playtest![/h2]
Before you dive back into the underworld, we also invite you to check out our new game, 13Z, set somewhere much closer to heaven.

If you share our studio’s passion for fast-paced, frantic hack-and-slash action with a strategic layer of roguelike elements, your feedback will be invaluable during our playtest. While it's not available in VR yet, we’d love to bring it to VR players if possible. It’s launching its playtest on Steam today at 12 PM EST.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2348250/13Z/



[h3]We couldn’t have reached this milestone without you, Hellsweepers. Here’s to continuing our first year journey through the Lands in Twain with swords drawn and spirits high! Happy Hellsweeping![/h3]

[h3]Full Patch Notes:[/h3]
All items with * were inspired by community suggestions!

New Content & Main Gameplay Elements

• New playable avatar: Chieko
  
• New weapon: Katana: it's a brand new system!*
  
• New Mini Boss: Pride has ascended!
  
• New Traits:
• --Instant Reflection: Mega Laser becomes a one-hit attack but damage is greatly increased.
  
• ---Mounting Bracket: Certain weapons can now be attached to the underbarrel of the Rifle."
  
• Tribute and Roulette will now appear in Vault.
  
• Added 2 new difficulties:
• --Infernal
  
• --Hellsweep
  
• Stats can be used as tribute for the Tribute objective.
  
• Added 2-handed effects when using the Mace's Flail mode*
  
• Curved Laser' trait can be cast continuously instead of a one-hit attack.*
  
• [MP] Players can now choose to start the game with 'Empty Loadout'.*
  

Balancing

• Added a curve for certain types of trait effects, the incremental gains will decrease with more stacks.
  
• Limited the number of projectiles gained from certain traits but damage is improved instead.
  
• Fire-infused weapons will deal 25% more damage.
  
• Volt-infused weapons will behave faster. eg, guns will fire faster.
  
• When reloading the Shotgun, the numbers of bullets added will be based on the size of the magazine instead of 3.
  
• Updated the icon for the Map Modifier Removal effect for Roulette. It will no longer trigger combat after Roulette as well.
  
• Added Empty Slot effect for Roulette, when it grants nothing. It will not trigger combat after the Roulette.
  
• Levitation Reload will only restore 70% of a gun's ammo.
  
• Capped the shop prices based on the difficulty.*
  
• The 'Prime Shot' and 'Smoking Barrel' traits now affect a certain percentage of bullets in the magazine instead of just the first and last bullet.
  

General and QoL Updates

• Reduced loading time in between levels.
  
• Added toggle for Bullet Time in the Options, allowing players to toggle Bullet Time instead of a 3 second effect.*
  
• [STEAM] Added slider to adjust the sensitivity of the grip sensors of the Valve Index controllers.*
  
• When items are destroyed due to reaching the item limit, it will priortise items that are not in use first.
  
• Added more descriptions to traits so that the effects are easier to understand.*
  
• Advanced Melee Grip will be disabled when Sticky Grip is enabled, it will default to Double-Tap.
  
• Switching the Rifle's firing mode can now be done while holding a weapon.
  
• Added a latch to Shotgun's pump-action mechanism, allowing players to pump it while holding a weapon.
  
• [MP] Weapons held will not despawn when the weapon cap has been hit, prioritizing unused weapons first.
  

Bug Fixes

• [PCVR] Fixed 'Texture Quality' buttons not working as intended.*
  
• Fixed Charge Magic's augment tree not displaying as intended.*
  
• Fixed enemy crystals not spawning when gore is disabled.
  
• [PCVR/PSVR] Fixed player shadows not casting properly.
  
• Fixed difficulty modifiers are not applied in the first Act.
  
• Fixed enemy health slider not working in the Training Room.
  
• Fixed too many traits causing loadout issues.
  
• [MP] Fixed issue where guns have a different buff tier when seen by different people.
  
• [MP] Fixed weapons dropping slowly like a leaf when released.
  
• [MP] Fixed issue where holding magic orbs for too long in MP will cause them to detonate.
  
• [MP] Fixed issue where holding weapons will always appear to be held at the base grip position (i.e. holding only the shotgun slider will appear as holding the handle by other players)
  

[h2]Looking Ahead: The Alliance Update[/h2]
Anticipate more action with the upcoming Alliance Update, potentially landing as early as December this year. Featuring a new game mode, another daunting miniboss, fresh weapon skins, and map tweaks—we're pushing hard to deliver it ahead of schedule!


[h3]Finally, we’d like to end this update by once again thanking each and every one of you who has played a role in Hellsweeper’s journey.[/h3]

To our amazing players—both old and new—thank you for diving into the fiery depths with us. A special thanks to the content creators who’ve helped spread the word and showcase our game to the world. And to our incredible community members, including our Discord moderators and active participants who welcome and guide newcomers through Hellsweeper’s challenging mechanics—you are the heartbeat of our community.

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms