6/6/25 - Chaos Chain Update 1.72.0 (Balance Adjustments, QOL Improvements, ETC)

Chaos Chain

Attention, freelancers. I've got a new update for you!

Here is the next update for the game. I did a lot of changes to game balance, player agency in terms of viability of different builds, and a whole lot of other improvements! Check out the full change log below!

*Please note that these changes are not in any particular order.*

[h2]BETA Update 1.72.0 Changelog:[/h2]

Bug Fixes:

FIXED some typos
FIXED enemies with cyware that could use synergy stims in combat but didn't have them in their loot drop lists
FIXED the campfire inside the shipping warehouse area (After the related quest) not acting as a campfire object (It was visual only but now it works like other campfires - giving you increased stamina regen nearby it and allowing you to rest and save, manage your squad, etc)
FIXED red shipping container side graphics saturation not matching the front graphics
FIXED a bug caused by my own testing (I left a small buff on the main character in the public branch)


Changes & Additions:

Finished work on the Piker Cemetery: Service Tunnel area (Just need to finalize the quest associated)
Added some map-specific soundtrack settings for a few areas (Didn't add new music, just set specific tracks for certain areas)
Added razor blade misc loot item ("1984" called to say hi)
Added tactical fatigues body equipment (Inv: 2, Body, Protection: 1, Armor, 5% Rupture, -10% Target Rate,
+1% Critical Evasion, +1% Evasion, +3% Ranged Evasion)
Indigo now starts with tactical fatigues instead of a stab vest (This will only affect new playthroughs)
Added support armature equipment (Inv: 3, Gear, Support, Init: 15, -5% Interference Res, +3% Ability Point Regeneration, +5% Critical Evasion)
Clarified some skill descriptions for easier readability
Added new item icon art
Updated several areas
Expanded various dialogues with unique NPCs
Added thug hacker enemy graphics (Sprite and battler images)
Added thug hacker enemy type (He uses an icebreaker hackpad and an armican d10 trickster pistol as backup --- This is the first enemy hacker in the game, but many more will be coming now that I have a baseline to work with)
Added enemy hacker combat profile (This isn't perfect by any means and it is intended to be this way --- Enemies using hackpads and combat hacks will NOT always target the best/optimal target for their attacks and may even make mistakes --- This is intended to simulate them not being aware of who is the most vulnerable to interference through electronic warfare)
Added new randomized road travel event "Dog eat dog world"
Added a new ammo box tile entity graphic variant
Added a new generator tile entity graphic
Updated several shop listings
Updated randomized loot lists
Steady now gives 33% instead of 20% to avoid losing AP when hit by a melee weapon or an exotic weapons
Psionic abilities/skills are now marked separately with parenthesis around the names (Just a way for me and players who use the special background to keep track of them easier)
Added Unbreakable learnable talent (3 Skill Point cost, makes it so the character does not become panicked and lose mettle when an ally is downed)
Updated learnable skill lists
Mend psionic ability now cures poison and sickness but it now costs 15 mettle instead of 11
Remedy psionic ability now cures burnout and burning but it now costs 11 mettle instead of 7
Concussion grenades now do 65% shock instead of 75% shock but also gives 70% stunned and 60% confused instead of 65%/55% (The main utility of these have been improved)
Flashbang grenades now do 55% shock instead of 65% shock but also gives 65% stunned and 65% confused instead of 60%/60% (The main utility of these have been improved)
Updated enemy grenade skills to reflect the changes above
Enemy chance to use grenades/bombs is now based on ALIVE members of their group in combat instead of TOTAL (Kill more of them, the chances decrease - this is intended to replicate the fact that as your own characters/companions die, your options usually decrease in terms of what you can do)
Further reduced overall enemy chance to use grenades/bombs by 10% (It should be rare seeing as how they are quite catastrophic)
Reduced chance for enemies to use skills like "Jump In Front" as well as target related skills by 5%
Boss related team support skills such as "Priority Target" and "Encourage" are now based on target related skill chances for being used instead of time/round based
Updated several enemy loot drop lists
Increased base chance for all kinds of lootable containers to spawn loot
Randomized containers now have a higher chance to spawn low tier ammo such as battery packs and nails
Randomized lootable ammo containers can now spawn a very small amount of grenade launcher type ammunitions
Randomized lootable ammo containers can now spawn an extremely small amount of rocket launcher type ammunitions
Randomized lootable ammo containers can now spawn a small amount of arrow type ammunitions (For bows)
Randomized lootable ammo containers can now spawn a small amount of bolt type ammunitions (For crossbows)
Doubled the base chance for regular ammo types (Bullets) to spawn inside randomized lootable ammo containers
Increased chance for dud rounds item to spawn inside randomized lootable ammo containers (This is just an additional chance - it does not affect the chances for real usable ammo to spawn inside them)
Added extra visual effects to some interior areas to liven them up (Puddles, roaches, smoke, flickering lights, etc)
Added more texture to the crosswalk tiles (They looked too pristine)
Changed some exterior tileset colors slightly (Trying to add a bit more color to the environments to make them not look so samey and dark)
Deleted some leftover assets no longer being used
Added some more NPC blocks to a few exterior areas with tight passages to prevent them from body-blocking the player
Cleaned up A LOT of item icon art
Removed some extra overlay graphics that were redundant in certain exterior areas
A LOT of other minor tweaks and adjustments

Please let me know of any bugs or issues you may encounter so I can fix them. This update will be available for download shortly.

A friendly reminder: if you're enjoying the game so far or have ideas you'd like to share, please consider leaving a review for the game. This not only helps with much needed visibility, but also gives me important feedback for the game to help it become a better final product. Also, if you have questions, concerns, or requests, please visit the official Chaos Chain Steam Forums or join the official Discord Channel!

Official Links:

That's all for now, enjoy!

Stay Alert. Stay Armed. Stay Alive. Don't lose your humanity.

-Cryptic ːCStudiosː