Core Keeper News

Did you know that August is National Fishing Month? We’re sure you Explorers have been doing lots of fishing since the arrival of The Sunken Sea Biome, and there are over 20 individual fish to catch in Core Keeper so far, plus lots of other fishable loot. We wanted to celebrate our fishing system, which wouldn’t exist at all without our amazing community, so read on to find out how it all works.

[h2]Where Did Core Keeper’s Fishing Mini Game Come From?[/h2]

We hadn’t always planned to include fishing in Core Keeper, though it was something we were considering in the early stages of development. Initially, we were focusing a lot more on balancing the game and developing features like boss scanners and the skills system, but the community began asking whether or not there would be a fishing system in the game after we showed off some images of water in the Dirt Biome.

There was such a strong interest from the community, and this made us realise it was something we wanted to start working on right away. Things were going according to schedule, so we were able to allocate a little time to developing the fishing mini game, and we announced this in October 2021!

[h2]How Does Fishing Work in Core Keeper?[/h2]

Fishing is a mini game that requires a fishing rod and a body of water. The basic mechanics are as follows…

1. Equip the fishing rod, approach a body of water, then hold the right mouse button to cast your lure. If you come across a patch of water with lots of ripples, you might just have found a fishing spot, which will lower the waiting time on fishing and increase your chance of catching a fish instead of an item!
   
2. Wait for the lure to wiggle, indicating that there is a fish (or item!) on the hook.
   
3. Click the right mouse button to reel your line in.
   
4. If there is an item on the end, this will automatically be added to your inventory. If there is a fish on the end, this will start the fishing mini game!
   

At the start of the mini game, you will notice two bars appear on the screen. The top one is a progress bar that shows how close you are to reeling the fish in, and the bottom one is the line tension bar; this shows how close the line is to breaking. The aim of the game is to reel the fish in towards the left-hand side of the top progress bar (by right clicking) without breaking the line.

Line tension increases whenever the fish tries to break free. This is indicated by the fish turning red and pulling towards the right-hand side of the progress bar. When the fish is trying to escape, you should stop reeling it in and allow it some slack, otherwise the line will snap. When the fish turns orange again, you can start to reel it back in. A successful catch requires the player to get the fish icon all the way to the left-hand side of the progress bar.

You’ll notice different fish have different patterns that will impact the tension bar, and you’ll have to familiarise yourself with these patterns in order to successfully catch each individual fish.

[h2]How do Fishing Rods and Bait Work?[/h2]

Until you have a high enough fishing skill, certain biomes may require a higher level of rod in order to fish. You’ll know your skill level isn’t up to snuff when you begin to fish, nothing happens for a while, and you get the “I need better tools for these waters” message. So far, there are five fishing rod types in the game, ranging from Wood to Octarine!

We also added a brand-new Bait feature as part of The Sunken Sea Update! This allows players to craft Bait using the new Bait Workbench. Each Bait type has a unique effect on your fishing experience. Some make you more likely to catch fish over loot, others attract rarer types of fish, and there’s an aquatic creature in The Sunken Sea Biome that can only be summoned with a particular kind of bait…

[h2]What Kind of Loot Can I Fish Up?[/h2]

That’s for you to find out! We want to encourage you to cast your rod in as many different biomes as possible, as each comes with its own unique fish and unique loot for the taking. You may fish up minerals, such as ores or valuable crystals; you might find useful resources such as scrap metal or fiber; you may even fish up accessories that’ll give you a little buff. Of course, there’s always the chance you’ll pull up a load of kelp. It’s anybody’s guess!

We hope you enjoy fishing as much as we enjoyed developing this feature. As we mentioned at the start of this post, it wouldn’t exist at all without your suggestions and enthusiasm! We’re always keen to hear more feedback from our community, and you can share your thoughts with us on the official Core Keeper Discord!

There isn’t a day that goes by where a member of the Pugstorm team, or a member of our publisher’s team, doesn’t pop up on Discord with an amazing Core Keeper video they wanted to share. We love watching all of your creations across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and beyond. Some are funny, some are helpful, some are dramatic, but all of them are awesome.

We wish we could share every single one of your clips here on Steam, but then we’d have no time to actually develop the game! So, with that in mind, we’ve rounded up a couple of our favourites to share with you today.

[h3]8bitDee Destroys Felica Day’s Things[/h3]
Watch here

You ever just jump into a friend’s world and accidentally choose violence? Well that’s what 8bitDee did when she joined this multiplayer game and immediately began blowing up the base!

[h3]“What’s Happening?”[/h3]
Watch here

Can you remember how you felt the first time you encountered Ghorm the Devourer? Jadziax reacts the same way we imagine most people do when they feel their screen shaking and a giant insect appears.

[h3]“They’re Destroying our Light Sources”[/h3]
Watch here

Therm and co take a trip through the Clay Caves and run into some friendly, playful, and not at all deadly larva.

[h3]Do Some Killing[/h3]
Watch here

Twitch Streamer, mee_shell, was all set to go out and “do some killing” but oh how the tables then turned…

[h3]“You Will Die You Stupid Pigeon”[/h3]
Watch here

Someone get Azeos some aloe vera for this sick burn.

[h3]Bombs Away![/h3]
Watch here

There’s nothing more peaceful and relaxing than a spot of quiet fishing in the Dirt Biome…

[h3]Gooey Tulip Salad[/h3]
Watch here

Kson gives an appropriate reaction to being presented with a salad described as “gooey”!

These are just a couple of our favourites, but we’re always keen to see more of your Core Keeper clips! In fact, why not share them with us over in the official Core Keeper Discord or tag us (@CoreKeeperGame) in your Tweets? Let us know which of the clips we shared was your favourite in the comments!

Did you know that we added six new enemies to the game as part of our first major content update, The Sunken Sea? And that’s not including bosses! With so many new mobs joining the Core Keeper roster, we thought it was time to expand our Creature Compendium. You can read parts one and two first if you fancy it, for a detailed overview of the enemies you know and love, or you can start right here and find out about the…

[h2]Bubble Crab[/h2]
Location: Sunken Sea Biome
Attacks: Ranged bubble attack

The Bubble Crab is probably one of the first enemies you’ll encounter in the Sunken Sea biome, but don’t expect a warm welcome. This naughty crustacean is quick to attack any Explorers that cross its path. Keeping your distance can help, but the Bubble Crab does boast a ranged attack that you’ll want to watch out for – as the name suggests, it shoots a flurry of bubbles from its mouth. Not only do these bubbles deal damage, but they also apply the slippery effect to the player, making your movement much less manageable!

Here’s a fun fact, the Bubble Crab was inspired by one of Julian, our Lead Artist’s, concepts for a four-legged insect that could have appeared in Azeos’ Wilderness. This design eventually got repurposed for the Sunken Sea biome, but you can see the concept art for the early design below.



[h2]Tentacle[/h2]
Location: Sunken Sea Biome (water only)
Attacks: Uses jellyfish as projectiles, and will strike the player if you get too close

By now, you’ll probably be familiar with the Mold Tentacles in the Mold Dungeon, and we’re sure you’ve enjoyed their pesky attacks. Well, we’re pleased to report that there’s another species of Tentacle native to the Sunken Sea biome, and it is just as friendly and fun to deal with (we really hope that our sarcasm is coming through here).

The Tentacles within the Sunken Sea biome can be found in the water only…but that doesn’t mean that you’re entirely safe once you’re on land, as these naughty creatures have been known to hug the shores and shoot jellyfish for a frustrating ranged attack. They’re also prepared to strike Explorers that get a little too close for comfort, and will take a whack even when you’re just passing by in your boat! While they’re not particularly hardy, they are a nuisance, and they can be a real problem when several band together in the same area.

[h2]Blue Slime[/h2]
Location: Sunken Sea Biome
Attacks: Melee only

Like the passive Orange Slime, the aggressive Red Slime, and the poison Purple Slime, the Blue Slime has one primary method of attack: tackling any Explorers that get too close. These Slimes are native to the Sunken Sea Biome and will attack on sight, dealing damage and applying the slippery effect on its enemies for roughly 10 seconds. They also leave behind Slippery Ground Slime that has the same effect on the player’s movement. While they’re not too difficult to defeat, as they’re relatively easy to dodge, we advise you to watch out for groups of Blue Slimes and make sure you don’t find yourselves backed into any corners.

[h2]Caveling Scholar[/h2]
Location: Forlorn Metropolis
Attacks: Melee and ranged using a staff

Caveling Scholars are a much more advanced version of the Cavelings you may have encountered in the past. They dwell in the Forlorn Metropolis and provide a slightly more accurate representation of Caveling society than the isolated and primitive Cavelings you can find in the Forgotten Ruins.

Much like the Caveling Shaman, Caveling Scholars use a staff as their weapon of choice, and they can make both a melee and ranged attack with this. While the Shaman shoots a ball of fire, the Scholar shoots a ball of pure energy at the player, and this attack packs a serious punch. It’s not just the Scholar’s attacks you need to be wary of, though, as this Caveling also has the ability to heal other Scholars and its Core Sentry companions.



[h2]Core Sentry[/h2]
Location: Forlorn Metropolis
Attacks: Energy shockwaves (ranged) and a nasty kick!

You wouldn’t be blamed for mistaking the Core Sentry for a statue at first, as these giant golems fit in nicely with the décor of the Forlorn Metropolis. In fact, you may even come across an inactive Sentry first and let your guard down, only to be spooked when one of these statues suddenly springs to life further into the Metropolis.

Core Sentries were built as powerful guards, designed to protect the Forlorn Metropolis and all who dwelled within it. These stone automatons have continued with their duties long after the collapse of the Caveling society. They typically shoot three energy balls at a time – and these can break through any destructibles that an Explorer may be taking cover behind – making dodging their attacks a lot more challenging. Taking them on in melee combat is also dangerous, as a Core Sentry won’t think twice before kicking you!

[h2]Shrooman[/h2]
Location: The Dirt Biome
Attacks: With an adorable charge

Have you come across any patches of Fungal Soil in the Dirt Biome lately? You might be thinking you’ve hit a mushroom gold mine here, but watch out. If you go mushroom picking, a mushroom might just try to pick a fight with you! The Shrooman is a brand-new enemy introduced to the Dirt biome following The Sunken Sea Update. This enemy wasn’t originally planned, but after we created the Fungal Soil Ground Cover to help players farm mushrooms, we thought it would be fun for this terrain to also spawn little mushroom people too!

Shrooman are possibly one of the cutest enemies in Core Keeper, and their clumsy charge attacks make it hard to find them particularly threatening. These critters are aggressive and will attack you the minute you cross their paths, but they find it difficult to change their trajectory once they start moving, so a well-timed dodge makes them easy to avoid. They’ll crop up wherever there’s Fungal Soil, so you may want to dig it up if you find there are too many Shrooman spawning near your base in the Dirt biome.



And there you have it, Explorers! A whole new batch of baddies for you to tackle. Of course, there are also two new bosses hidden away in the Sunken Sea biome, and we may touch upon Morpha and Omoroth in another boss-exclusive Steam post later on. Until then, why not discuss your enemy defeating strategies over on the Core Keeper Discord?

It feels like it was only yesterday that we released The Sunken Sea Update! Time really flies, doesn’t it, Explorers? With all the excitement of our first major content update, we jumped straight into working on the next one. While we can’t share any details with you at the moment, we can say that we’ve had plenty to show off in our weekly meetings with our publisher.

However, it can’t be all work and no play for the Pugstorm team, which is why we’re going on vacation to give us a chance to rest, recuperate, and come back fresher than ever! In Sweden, it’s customary to take four weeks of vacation time in the summer, and we’re going to take full advantage of this now that we’re on track for our next major update.

We want to say a big thank you for your ongoing support – we’ve got such an amazing and positive community, and it’s because of you that we feel as though we can enjoy a little time off so that we’re feeling our best when working towards future updates. We’ve got a great team supporting us at Fireshine, so you’ll still be seeing plenty of Core Keeper activity on Twitter and Discord while we’re away.

[h2]How Are We Spending Our Vacation?[/h2]

We’ll each be spending our vacation time a little differently, taking the opportunity to be with our families and play some games.

COO, Pixel Artist, and Lead Animator, Sven is keeping the start of his vacation free so that he can plan activities as he goes, but he is very keen to relax, enjoy the sun, and go swimming in Lake Sommen. He’s also set aside some time to play games like Darkest Dungeon and Escape from Tarkov, and he’s got a gritty post-apocalyptic book called "The Road" on his to-read list! Later in the vacation, he’s going to travel to Greece with his brothers to enjoy even more sunshine and to experience the food and culture.

Programmer and Designer, David, will be spending his vacation enjoying the company of his brand-new puppy! And now seems like a good opportunity to introduce everybody to Harry, who is an eight-week old Cockapoo. Harry will need plenty of love and training, and this vacation seemed like the perfect opportunity to provide it!



Our programmer, Max, is also keeping his plans fairly loose for the vacation, though he intends to spend plenty of time enjoying the nature of Sweden. He’s also got plans to visit his good friend David, a visit he has assured us is definitely social and nothing to do with seeing the new puppy at all. Whatever you say, Max! He’s also thinking about channelling his inner Explorer and visiting mainland Europe for a little adventure.

In true Lead Artist fashion, Julian has informed us that he’s going to be spending his vacation drawing and painting miniatures. You can take the artist away from the studio, but you can never stop him from creating!

Finally, our CEO Fredrik and his partner have just welcomed a baby boy into the world, and they will be spending their summer vacation enjoying some wholesome family time with the little lad.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be an eventful vacation for the Pugstorm team, wouldn’t you say?

[h2]NPCs[/h2]

• Enemies no longer start to regenerate health when stunned.
  
• Enemies are no longer stuck in the stunned state after being stunned.
  
• Fixed an issue where The Hive Mother could be stunned.
  
• Fixed an issue with the boss health bars showing the wrong value on hard difficulty.
  
• Azeos and Omoroth no longer spawn from Ground Acid Slime or other similar environmental-damaging sources being placed in their spawn locations.
  

[h2]Items[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where the Blow Pipe would give more range skill points than intended.
  
• Table Saws no longer can be placed on top of Electrical Wires (which was causing them to not function properly).
  

[h2]Menu / UI[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where map sync would stop working, causing certain areas in the world to be black.
  
• Fixed an issue where the pause menu could not be opened after trying to exit the game while the game was still loading.
  

[h2]Lighting / Render[/h2]

• Fixed a visual bug in the reflections of the Ground Slime (which caused it to jitter while moving).
  
• Fixed the lighting on the player teleport effect to appear correctly.
  
• Fixed the render order of the Robot Arm base to be displayed on top of bridges.
  

[h2]Networking / Dedicated Servers[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where certain characters were unable to join a world.
  

[h2]Collision and Systems[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where closed doors and gates would sometimes not block the player from moving through them.
  
• Fixed crash in automation system due to invalid access.
  

• Ghorm now destroys any Ore Boulders in its path. Ore Boulders destroyed by Ghorm will not drop any ore.
  
• Reduced the amount of particles spawned by Sprinklers when particle quality in video settings is set to low.