Winter Survival News

[p][/p][h2]Hey Survivors! ❄️[/h2][p]We appreciate all the feedback and information that you are providing us from the in-game bug reporter, on the forums, and on Discord. We're currently focusing on stability (especially crashes and any story blockers) and bugfixes across the board. [/p][p][/p][h3]Stability & Crash Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a crash related to animals that was causing issues at game ending.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash related to animals that was causing a crash at approaching Act 2 Gate.[/p]
• [p]Fixed crash when destroying walls, windows and doorframes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash in Cold Wave when adding things to the totem.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash in Cold Wave related to Golden Bear site selection.[/p]

[p]
If you have any crashes that are not GPU crashes, that are reproducible by doing something please get in contact with F7, on Discord or on Forums as fixing them is our top priority. Same for any blockers related to the Story mode where you need to reload, or get stuck on something.[/p][p][/p][h3]New & Reworked[/h3]

• [p]Free Crafting Option - New option in Gameplay Settings that lets you build tools, clothing, shelter parts and other crafted items without gathering resources. Only works in Story mode. The option can be enabled / disabled at any moment. (We received a lot of feedback that some of you really enjoy the story mode and want to experience it in whole - but really don't find the gathering of resources to be interesting so providing an option to skip that part.) [/p]
• [p]New Survival Scenario - Accident - you’re tasked with keeping a badly injured Joel alive for as long as you can. You start with generous supplies, but his condition demands constant attention, smart rationing, and addressing new threats. How long you last depends on how well you balance tending to Joel, managing your resources, and adapting to the environment’s pressure. [/p]
• [p]Adaptation Disorder Rework - the whole adaptation disorder system has been reworked slightly to be less confusing and have less steps. As soon as you complete the challenge from the disorder - it will now automatically recover the section that you started the recovery on. [/p]
• [p]Antipsychotic Pills - are now enabled again and let you bypass the entire recovery process. Using them immediately resolves the active challenge and recovers the disorder you had in recovery. They can also be used without a disorder challenge being active to reduce trauma by 50 (in order to avoid disorder or symptom completely.)[/p]
• [p]Cold Wave Pioneer Tournament - tournament has ended, and the top five players have earned a permanent place in the world. A new in-game board now displays their nicknames for all future runs as a tribute to the best survivors of the event.[/p]

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• [p]Rope weight adjusted to 0.3 from 0.75 so it's not heavier than the ingredients it's made out of.[/p]
• [p]Added new recipes to get Tree Bark.[/p]
• [p]Berry bushes and plank weight changed.[/p]
• [p]Balanced fishing of metal parts to now be able to drop in multiples instead of 1 on some of the metal pieces.[/p]
• [p]Joel heating handling rebalanced to be slightly harder on easier difficulties.[/p]
• [p]Changed amount of energy gained after fainting to be higher on all difficulties, to allow you to react when passing out and not just pass out repeatedly.[/p]
• [p]Added more obsidian knives and spears on the map[/p]
• [p]Improved selection of closest Golden Bear treasure sites.[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where you could sometimes regain movement by dodging after shimmy on Wolf Spear tutorial.[/p]
• [p]Fixed swamp island collision and IK response on track mounds.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue on Truffle Pasta Quest where the objective to interrupt the boar would not complete and the boar would respawn.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Treasure Hunter quest auto-completing when chest was already dug out.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave rabbit quest.[/p]
• [p]Added validity checks for player state and Treasure Sites.[/p]
• [p]Added core tutorial to Adaptation widget when core unlocks.[/p]
• [p]Fixed resource range for several crafting stations so they have proper range for chest detection.[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing journal updates and multiple tutorial trigger issues.[/p]
• [p]Updated Hot Spring journal and added Act 2 and Act 3 tutorials.[/p]
• [p]Updated "First come first served" journal and Act 1 → Act 2 slide journal.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Flashlight issue during Bear Boss fight.[/p]
• [p]Fixed XP gain from collecting notes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed padlock door light that was missing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed disorientation tree pivot, distances, and world placement.[/p]
• [p]Reset Insanity properly at the start of the final bear fight.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Act 3 objective triggering at proper time and not too early.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Endless Sarah shelter foundation location.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave collect-objective logic.[/p]
• [p]Fixed book-reading objectives auto-completing when the required book was already read which could cause blockers in quests that required reading of a book.[/p]
• [p]Added AI behavior to ignore players while sleeping.[/p]
• [p]Added missing Catgut String schematic in Story.[/p]
• [p]Fixed one of the cases where "New Objective" could be spammed in screen repeatedly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Transfer All button not working in storage boxes or when looting animals after applying items with Left-Click → Right-Click apply mode (Batteries, Cloth Patches etc).[/p]
• [p]Gave Woodcutter Knife the same tags as Metal Knife (fur collection now possible).[/p]
• [p]Fixed gun hiding behavior when approaching Beth for shooting range (only hides now if the player has no gun in hand).[/p]
• [p]Fixed bait item tags and quest worm item being recognized as a quest item.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Beth Hut Dream fence doors.[/p]
• [p]Prevented building in Puzzle Cave (Cold Summit) and added an additional fireplace.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave Rabbit miniboss scale.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some of the hunting tower positioning so that you are less likely to fall through the world.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various minor quest and objective logic issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various localization issues.[/p]
• [p]Corrected naming of large Tinder stacks - (“Haystack”).[/p]
• [p]Various AI Behaviour fixes.[/p]

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

• [p]Fixed landscape without affecting existing Endless foundations.[/p]
• [p]Fixed floating resources.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Fishing Village visual bugs.[/p]
• [p]Added missing Boar marker asset.[/p]
• [p]Fixed VO text issues.[/p]
• [p]Removed static meshes that looked like Garlic from the map so that there is less confusion.[/p]

[p][/p]

[h3]Our very first Cold Wave Tournament has officially come to an end — and what an unforgettable ride it has been! [/h3][p][/p][p]We were genuinely blown away by the determination, skill, and sheer resilience you brought to the challenge. The battle for survival continued right up to the final moments, keeping us all on the edge of our seats. The excitement, tension, and competitive spirit were absolutely unmatched.[/p][p][/p][p]Below, we proudly present our Cold Wave Tournament pioneers. A big round of applause for you![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Your enthusiasm exceeded all our expectations. Seeing so many players push their limits and support one another throughout the event was truly inspiring. Because of the incredible level of interest and participation, we’re thrilled to announce that the Cold Wave Tournament will return at the beginning of next year. And, of course, we’ll introduce brand-new rewards to make the next edition even more exciting.[/p][p]Thank you once again for joining us in this frosty, adrenaline-packed adventure. Your passion fuels our work and motivates us to keep delivering unforgettable experiences.[/p][p]Stay warm out there, survivors — and see you in the next Cold Wave![/p][p][/p]

[p]I’m thrilled to announce that the first ever Cold Wave Tournament is starting RIGHT NOW and will be running until December 10th! Fight the worsening weather, collect gold bars, complete side quests, and eventually escape and climb up the ladder to claim your title.[/p][p][/p][h2]But first, let’s talk about the prize 🏆[/h2][p]When December 10th ends, we’ll take a look at the leaderboard and see who claims the first five spots. The prize? Well… being part of Winter Survival forever, literally. Those who finish the tournament in the first five places will be included in the special pioneers board that will be implemented within the game later on.[/p][h2]How to Join? 🤔[/h2][p]It couldn’t be simpler, to be honest. All you have to do is hop into Cold Wave Mode and put your skills to the test. That’s basically it. Your goal? To achieve the best cumulative MMR score this world has ever seen! Every attempt counts, so no matter how many times you fail – there is always room for improvement.[/p][h2]We’ll be hosting an AMA on Reddit! 📢[/h2][p]Want to ask the devs anything about the game, the tournament itself, future updates, or maybe how many litres of coffee have been poured during the development of the game? Well… you’ll have a perfect opportunity to do just that. We’re hosting a Reddit AMA on Wednesday, December 3rd at 5 PM GMT. Join us right here: \[AMA on Reddit] [/p][p][/p][h2]Nominate Winter Survival! 🎮[/h2][p]If you’re enjoying Winter Survival or if it regularly kicks your butt, you can nominate us in the “Best Game You Suck At” category for the Steam Awards. It takes just a moment and helps the game tremendously. Thank you! ❤️[/p][p][/p][h2]Stay up-to-date 📰[/h2][p]So, that’s it for today. Before we finish, I would like to wish all of you good luck with the tournament. May the wolves leave you at peace, gold bars come easy, and the Marshal mind his own business while you test your skills against the others. Last but not least, if you want to help us improve the game, consider leaving a review. Until the next announcement! 👋[/p][p][/p][p]
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]~Sewek[/p]

[h2]Hey Survivors,[/h2][p]Once again, thank you for your continuous feedback and for reporting the issues you’ve encountered. We’ve prepared another hotfix for you — you can find all the details below.[/p][p][/p][h3]Stability & Crash Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed instability caused by spawners only using stored references.[/p]

[h3]New & Reworked[/h3]

• [p]Added marker for totems and disabled spatial loading for them.[/p]
• [p]Added a Nails Mould item to the game, that allows you to craft Nails at the smelter and placed it in multiple places in the world.[/p]
• [p]Added additional spring for the gun-making quest and outline for related objectives.[/p]
• [p]Added hint for required cold protection in the Freezing Zone objective.[/p]
• [p]Added Golden Bear Points MMR multiplier in Cold Wave.[/p]
• [p]Added summary update for moving items between inventories in Cold Wave.[/p]
• [p]Added new objective name for Cold Summit quest to show required cold protection.[/p]
• [p]Made hunting animal IK trace checks run only on death..[/p]

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• [p]Reduced trolley parts in Act 1.[/p]
• [p]Added more items that ignore Cold Wave gather multipliers.[/p]
• [p]Removed trolley parts from Tier 2 chests.[/p]
• [p]Cold Wave damage to players adjusted after Wave 51 to be higher the longer it lives.[/p]
• [p]Spears removed from Act 2 start to prevent accidental loss and throwing issues.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted Broken house near bridge area key weight.[/p]
• [p]Snitches can no longer be destroyed by snowballs/rocks and will call a marshal when hit.[/p]
• [p]Made certain quest traps and beds/firepits indestructible.[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where wolves would refuse to exit combat for long periods of time, potentially causing large insanity gain from cornered when not intended.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with dodge where Dodge would not work if you rebinded movement keys.[/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues with Hunting Quest where you could get stuck unintentionally in various stages of trying to catch the deer. If you still experience any issue here please report with F7.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that there were two buttons to reassign dodge in keybinds menu.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with navigation mesh that could cause wolves to get stuck on fence posts when running towards the player near the Hunting Grounds Shelter.[/p]
• [p]Fixed knife multiplier in Cold Wave game mode.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Winter Collection side quest not starting when Cold Summit quest begins.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave golden bars rays not showing after the first wave.[/p]
• [p]Fixed gun reloading during interactions.[/p]
• [p]Made starting shelter in Sickness scenario destructible, which now allows it to be expanded.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave radar ladder issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Survival Mode Bear behavior where bear was not despawning after fleeing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed deer hunting issues, markers, and blocked unstuck exploits.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where you could get stuck when impaling delusion animals.[/p]
• [p]Fixed falling bridge collision until the fall sequence is complete.[/p]
• [p]Fixed checkpoint naming issue.[/p]
• [p]Fixed windowframe and doorframe colliders for interactions.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave summary update for inventory transfers.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Bone Jaw Trap not being interactable when dropped from inventory.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where you could get multiple markers on Fallen Dawn quest at same time in Story Act I.[/p]
• [p]Fixed lighthouse beds and firepits being destructible.[/p]
• [p]Fixed stench tutorial.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue with wooden windows when trying to place multiple in row would switch it to thatch window.[/p]
• [p]Fixed reinforced door collision and reinforced doorframe collision.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Adaptations tab showing before the Crafting tab is opened.[/p]
• [p]Restless sleep will now properly remove itself if Nightmares symptom ends.[/p]
• [p]Fixed herbal calming extract awarding Calm Mind and removing selenophobia.[/p]
• [p]Fixed alcohol & nicotine craving end timing.[/p]
• [p]Fixed unnamed syrup item being renamed properly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed paratrooper quest behaviors.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Survival Game mode scenario "Home" fireplace not removing unease debuff.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple AI issues related to rabbits.[/p]
• [p]Fixed wolf missing items after endings and stat resets.[/p]
• [p]Fixed unpickable small bones.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave objective update.[/p]
• [p]Fixed unpickable dollar coins.[/p]
• [p]Fixed push/pull box arena near rabbit glade.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave leaderboard text.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Nicotine Addiction symptom to properly give the nicotine craving effect.[/p]
• [p]Fixed paratrooper rock adjustment.[/p]
• [p]Several fixes with axe tutorial in Act 1 - related to wolf.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple localization issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed rare issue with paratrooper pointing logic.[/p]
• [p]Fixed runaway points for Survival Mode Bear.[/p]
• [p]Fixed potential stuck states for wolves during attack warnings.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted boar navigation to prevent getting stuck.[/p]

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

• [p]Fixed decal meshes for animals (Instinct).[/p]
• [p]Fixed Cold Wave load screen icon.[/p]
• [p]Base Knife added for crafting spear stick and updated name/icon.[/p]
• [p]Improved paratrooper visual cues.[/p]
• [p]Improved environment materials and pushed LOD fixes.[/p]
• [p]Updated multiple Cold Wave icons (load screen, main menu tab).[/p]
• [p]Updated animal decals across modes.[/p]
• [p]Updated icons for Nail mold, base knife, and related items.[/p]
• [p]Fixed landscape IK trace issues in Acts 1–3 meaning footsteps will be more accurate.[/p]
• [p]Applied additional LOD fixes.[/p]
• [p]Updated Bear Killer buff icon.[/p]
• [p]Fixed animal decal passes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed proper cinematic for trolley gate destruction when outside the trolley.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Motion Blur would not apply properly or be overridden by local post process / weather effects.[/p]

[h3]Audio[/h3]

• [p]Improved SFX: hand trolley breakdown, item placement, sleeping bag, battery swap, execution loading music.[/p]
• [p]Added proper destruction SFX and cinematics for trolley-related sequences.[/p]
• [p]Fixed battery swap, sleeping bag SFX, and loading music issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed placing items in main inventory slots SFX.[/p]
• [p]Fixed danger and combat music trigger in Prison Escape.[/p]

[p]We're so thankful for the amount of positive feedback we've received since the 1.0 release of Winter Survival. Your reports, suggestions, and reported issues have helped us track the issues you've encountered, and here we are with the first hotfix. Full patch notes are available as always below! [/p][h3]Stability & Crash Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Further improved the stability of shader precaching and PSO building.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash issue related to picking a Golden Bear Spot in Cold Wave.[/p]

[h3]New or Reworked[/h3]

• [p]Added narrative music loading when entering Act III from any save.[/p]
• [p]Added full tutorial set: cowcatcher, trolley basics, trolley advanced, chests, fox, and stone foundations where they were missing.[/p]
• [p]Reworked paratrooper hallucinations to properly disable after finishing “Missed in Action.”[/p]
• [p]Added retroactive fix for missing truffle spawns.[/p]
• [p]Added localized % to the language selection to show how much of a particular language is translated (mainly for community-translated languages, so that it's clear how far along they are).[/p]

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• [p]Increased insanity gain on Survivalist difficulty by 10%.[/p]
• [p]Decreased the speed at which the player gets tired by 10% in Survivalist difficulty.[/p]
• [p]Reduced the amount of damage caused by Weather to buildings by 66% as the amount of repairs required was significantly higher than intended.[/p]

[p]
We will continue to monitor the effects of balance changes and make further adjustments.[/p][h3]Bugfixes [/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug that Cloudy Weather was damaging buildings.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Leaderboards for Cold Wave still showing Season 1.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where leaderboard values would wrongly display 0 - needs an extra run per person for refresh.[/p]

• [p]Improved navmesh validation on Wolf Cave in Act 1 to prevent blockers in case the wolf doesn't spawn.[/p]

• [p]Fixed collision on Meat Pile, as it could prevent the bear from reaching it in some rare cases.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some outlines on quest items.[/p]
• [p]Fixed collision issues on some drawers so that you can't pick up items through the drawers without opening them.[/p]
• [p]Added missing Cave Volume, between the Act 1 to Act 2 transition area, so it is now properly treated as a cave.[/p]
• [p]Fixed sneaking/chase wolf using incorrect animation.[/p]
• [p]Delusional Rabbit will no longer count for completing the quest in Act 1.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some wood placement on the tracks in the swamp area, as it could cause issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Act 1 Broken House door near the bridge might have been opened after loading incorrectly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where baits for rabbits were sometimes not working correctly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where boar digging might not have been working correctly.[/p]
• [p]A minor building adjustment is needed so that when targeting the foundation, the wall is properly placed on the intended foundation rather than on the opposite side.[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing mound outline + clearing outline for “Missed in Action.”[/p]
• [p]Fixed harbor landscape collision.[/p]
• [p]Fixed floating resources and missing wetland pond VFX.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where wolves would sometimes not respawn on checkpoint loads, leading to broken quest chains in the worst-case scenario.[/p]

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

• [p]Improved harbor gate visuals.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted decals in the basement, in Woodcutter's Hut in Act 1 Area for clarity.[/p]
• [p]Polished multiple LODs and removed outdated wood assets.[/p]
• [p]Improved texture upscaling and LOD pop behavior.[/p]
• [p]Improved rock texture set.[/p]
• [p]Improved the readability and contrast.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted building placement visual clarity (starting location).[/p]

[h3]Audio[/h3]

• [p]Potential fix for the heavy breathing sound triggering incorrectly.[/p]