First Dwarf News

Good Day, Tips Fedora
Our goal for Ragna, Tru, and their Mech is to make them as exciting to use for exploring the world of Driftland as our small team can manage. This time, Ragna received the upgrades!

Instead of endlessly holding Shift to sprint, tapping it now makes Ragna flap her wings with powerful force, launching her forward in a temporary speed boost. Time it right and you can pull off two quick boosts – BUT with Dragon Boost Plus, you can chain three in a row!



Additionally, Ragna can gain a boost by diving. The longer she dives, the longer the speed boost lasts. Combine this with a regular boost to create long, high-speed bursts!

We hope these changes will enhance Ragna’s scouting abilities and make traveling more fun and cool! ːsteamhappyː

We've also added some long-awaited user experience updates! And there will be plenty more of those coming soon!

Changelog for Update #29 (ver. 0.8.59):

[h2]🌟 Overhaul for Ragna’s Flying 🌟[/h2]
🔷 Ragna can now boost her speed for a couple of seconds
🔷 Changed skill “Dragon Dash” to “Dragon Boost Plus” – enables chaining up to three flying boosts in a row if timed correctly
🔷 Ragna now charges kinetic energy while diving, and upon exiting the dive, she gains a high-speed temporary boost
🔷 Added and tweaked visual & audio effects while flying

[h2]😎 User Experience & Fixes 😎[/h2]
🔷 Added option to skip cutscenes
🔷 Added master volume slider in audio settings
🔷 Added camera auto-center on/off switch in controller settings
🔷 Characters’ flashlights now turn on in caves
🔷 Improved visual cues for enemy waves and color grading, similar to Seer encounters
🔷 Ragna now sees icons of discovered places from afar in Scout mode
🔷 Technology and skills icons are now bigger
🔷 Fixed environment at the edge of the island where players could fly inside and get stuck
🔷 Polished environment for Archseeker camp
🔷 Polished environment near the river on the second island
🔷 Polished environment for airship crash trail on the first island
🔷 Smaller environmental fixes for other islands
🔷 Added some missing icons
🔷 Various smaller fixes

We want to thank you for your patience and for playing our game! If you haven't joined our Discord
What are you waiting for? 😮

See ya soon,
Damian

[p]
[/p][p]In this update, we are giving you the option to tame Ferins (and other animals in future updates). Tamed animals, when given shelter, will produce useful items. But first, you need to figure out how to do that :)[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve also made big improvements for Steam Deck users. First Dwarf already has the “Playable” status, but we’re pushing further to get the “Verified”✅ badge. Now, when you launch the game on Steam Deck, everything should configure itself automatically. Savegame naming will bring up the on-screen keyboard right away, and text size should be better adjusted to the smaller screen. Enjoy a smoother and more comfortable experience!
[/p][p]If you're having trouble figuring out how to unlock the hidden tech needed for taming Ferins, here's a guide:
Spoilers Ahead!
To unlock Ferin Treats, you first need to heal a slightly tainted Ferin using the Taint Cleansing Bolt. Then, go to the Technology menu, and Ferin Treats should now be unlocked. To tame a Ferin, place the treats near it, but be careful not to scare it. If you are within its sight while it eats the treats, it will become tamed and no longer run away from you. Once tamed, you can lead the Ferin to the new structure called the Ferin Shelter. When everything needed is provided, the shelter will start producing Ferin Teeth.[/p][p]New Hidden Technology system – there will be some technologies that you will need to figure out how to unlock by finding something in the world, talking with an NPC, or doing something. More of this kind of tech will come in the next updates :)
[/p][h3]Changelog for Update #28 (ver. 0.8.54): [/h3][p]
[/p][h2]🌟HIGHLIGHTS🌟[/h2][p]🔷 New Ferin Taming mechanic[/p][p]🔷New Ferins will now be born in nests over time if their population drops below the island Ferin limit value.[/p][p]🔷 New Hidden Technology: Ferin Treats[/p][p]🔷 New Hidden Technology: Ferin Shelter[/p][p]🔷 Steam Deck Optimization[/p]

[p] 🔸 Auto-detect Steam Deck and set up display settings[/p][p] 🔸 Auto-detect Steam Deck and enable bigger UI[/p][p] 🔸 Steam Deck keyboard will appear automatically now[/p]

[p]🔷 Changes to Tru’s swimming – you can now jump into water even if your stamina is 0. This should help with getting out of some wet situations.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]🛠️ IMPROVEMENTS & FIXES 🛠️[/h2][p]🔷 Hunters Guild – sometimes the objective “Acquire the raven” wouldn’t register as completed[/p][p]🔷 Easier path to the Resin Tree on the 1st island[/p][p]🔷 Removed duplicate dialogue on the first island: "Next time, we'll be more prepared."[/p][p]🔷 Fixed bug where there were two Ragnas in the first cutscene on the second island[/p][p]🔷 New, more detailed giant roots on the fifth island[/p][p]🔷 Fixed bug where "Build & Clear Area" didn’t actually clear the area[/p][p]🔷 Fixed bug with building walls on Canyon Island (there were places where the grid was green, but you couldn’t build walls anyway)[/p][p]🔷 Fixes to gate building – "Build & Clear Area" didn’t always clear the area correctly[/p][p]🔷 Environment and collision fixes on islands[/p][p]🔷 Scholars Guild bug fixed – when the player went to the third island but didn’t complete the questline, then proceeded to the fourth island, a bug occurred where two guilds would arrive on the fourth island at the same time, while the Scholars Guild stayed near the port on the third island. This fix works only on new saves, unfortunately![/p][p]🔷 Fixes to destroying building animations[/p][p]🔷 Added sound effect for fully charged high jump in the mech[/p][p]🔷Fix for not auto-assigning ammo after picking it up[/p][p]🔷Fixed an issue where, with 0 crossbow ammo, the VFX from the previous ammo type(acid/lightning/resin/etc.) was still displayed.
[/p][p]We are working on the next BIG update with more taming, and finally some work for settlers! And maybe we’ll also meet someone new 😮[/p][p]By the way - in case you missed it, we recently dropped a small but mighty update packed with UX improvements, shortcuts, and bug fixes ⚙️. It’s not numbered like the big ones, but it made the game smoother in many ways. You can read the full notes here: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]See you soon, adventurers![/p][p]Over and out

[h2]Hey, Explorers![/h2]
[p]Sometimes it’s the small tweaks that make the biggest difference – and this update is packed with them. 😊
If you enjoy building quickly, navigating menus smoothly, or want your minimap to guide you exactly where to go, you’ll be happy with this one. Plus, we’ve squashed some bugs and made life easier![/p]
[p]Here’s what’s new and improved:[/p]

[h2]🌟HIGHLIGHTS🌟[/h2]
[p]🔷 Quick Building Shortcuts – Press [1]-[9] in build mode to instantly select buildings in your current category. Icons now show their shortcut number right on screen.[/p]
[p]🔷 RPG Menu Exit Shortcuts – Press the tab’s shortcut again (e.g., M for Map) to instantly return to the game.[/p]
[p]🔷 Hold-to-Assign Points – Skill points and tech unlocks can now be assigned by holding the button, making it way faster to spend multiple points.[/p]
[p]🔷 UI Improvements – Clearer “Available In” section in crafting, minimap objectives more visible at the edge of the circle, plus lots of little UX polish touches.[/p]

[h2]🛠️OTHER FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS🛠️[/h2]
[p]🔹 Crafting Change – Taint Cleaning Bolt is now crafted in the Workstation, not the Alchemy Station.[/p]
[p]🔹 Research Center level 3 is now disabled (it had no new content but was still upgradable).[/p]
[p]🔹 Added exits from the lake on the 5th island.[/p]
[p]🔹 Fixed water on the 5th island so you no longer fall under it without any reaction.[/p]
[p]🔹 Fixed bug where using Taint Cleaning Extract on bee trees didn’t return the watering can.[/p]
[p]🔹 Fixed approach to Seer enemies on the 5th island.[/p]
[p]🔹 Terrain topology tweaks to prevent the player from getting stuck.[/p]
[p]🔹 Improved animation of repairing with the wrench when playing as Tru.[/p]
[p]🔹 Various smaller fixes and polish changes.[/p]

[p]Short, sweet, and straight to the point – but trust me, these changes will make your time in the game much smoother. 😉[/p]
[p]We’re putting this out as a small update, but in the meantime, we’re cooking up a bigger one. We just didn’t want to keep you waiting – especially since we’re also moving the game to the newest Unreal Engine version, which might slightly extend the timing of the next release.[/p]
[p]If you missed Update #27, it’s worth checking it out – it brought some big additions! 👉 Update #27 here[/p]

[p]See you in the next update![/p]
[p].misha. Rock and Stone! 🪨⚒️[/p]

[h3]Good Day![/h3][p]With every update, the game keeps getting better and better, we hope you’ll enjoy the fixes and new additions! 😊[/p][p][/p][p]Many of you asked for stone walls, and we added them in the previous update, but why stop there? That’s why, in this update, we’re introducing a new special type of structure/wall called Battlements!
They’re much stronger than other walls (and more expensive too), BUT they also act as platforms, making it easier to defend your base using ranged weapons!
One more important thing, they add more visual variety for those (like me too) who like to tinker with the aesthetic side of settlements. 🙂[/p][p][/p][p]💡Battlements will get visual lifting in the next update.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]We’ve always wanted to improve the wildlife in our game, but major bugs and other features kept getting in the way. I’m happy to inform you that we’ve finally started making changes!
From now on, Ferins will roam the world, respond to the player, and search for food, water, shelter, and more. 😊[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]The world should also feel more alive thanks to new improvements in enemy AI.
Lone monsters will now wander the world, and if they choose to, they’ll taint the berry bushes.
This ties neatly into the Ferin AI: if a Ferin eats the tainted berries, it will get sick and eventually transform into a monster version, UNLESS you heal it with the new Taint Cleansing Bolts! Then, it will become friendly to you.[/p][p][/p][p]💡Ferins, and other animals, will continue to receive upgrades in the near future. [/p][p]💡Not all the monster have the ability for tainting the berries, Hunter Felfs can do that. This way this should be more balanced.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]We’ve also added the ability to refuel mana through the mana pipeline connections!
If you build a proper pipeline network across the island, there’ll be no need to search for mana springs anymore. 🙂[/p][p][/p][p]As for playable characters, we want to make traversing the islands easier, more enjoyable (and cooler).In this update, we’ve upgraded jumping for the Mech, you can now adjust jump height depending on how long you hold the jump button.
If you hold it long enough, you’ll charge it to the max. Only this max-charged jump will consume mana :)[/p][p][/p][p]💡Next in line are improvements to Ragna's flying, and after that, Tru will finally get a cool way to travel across the islands![/p][p][/p][p]We’ve added shortcuts to every tab in the RPG menu!
Please keep in mind this is still a work in progress—exiting the game using the shortcut for the current tab will be coming in the next update![/p][p]
💡 We’ll also be adding numeric shortcuts for structures soon.[/p][p][/p][p]Oh, and thanks to your feedback, we’ve added the ability for Tru to swim!
A popular misconception is that dwarves don’t swim. The truth is, they do! They just don’t enjoy it much… but their pride, resilience, and stamina keep them afloat. 😄 [/p][p][/p][p]Check out the full list of improvements and fixes below.👇[/p][p][/p][h3]Changelog for Update #27 (ver. 0.8.27):[/h3][hr][/hr][h2]🌟HIGHLIGHTS🌟[/h2][p]🔷 New Technology – Battlements[/p][p]🔷 New Technology – Taint Cleansing Bolts[/p][p]🔷 Adjustable High Jump ability for the Mech (depends on how long you hold the jump button)[/p][p]🔷 Added new mechanic that allows the Mech to refuel mana at mana pipeline connections[/p][p]🔷 Tru can swim now[/p][p]🔷 Added shortcuts for all tabs in the RPG menu[/p][p]🔷 Crows Improvements:[/p][p]  💠 Fixed collision for crows' nests and surrounding areas – they should no longer go underground
  💠 Crows now fly between the Raven Watchtower and the Main Base, depending on the player's location
  💠 Increased interaction radius when claiming a Raven
  💠 Failsafe added for a bug where crows would spawn and fall underground, just in case[/p][p][/p][h2]🪄 AI & WORLD IMMERSION 🪄[/h2][p]🔷 Ferins (fox-like creatures) now roam the world dynamically, searching for food, water, and shelter[/p][p]🔷 Berry Bushes can now be tainted by Hunter Felflings[/p][p]🔷 If berries are tainted, you can no longer pick them[/p][p]🔷 Tainted berries can be purified using Taint Cleaning Extract[/p][p]🔷 If a Ferin eats tainted berries or drinks tainted water, it becomes sick – eventually turning into a Tainted Ferin[/p][p]🔷 Sick Ferins can be healed by hitting them with Taint Cleansing Bolts[/p][p]🔷 Ferins will behave differently toward the player depending on their current state (Healed, Sick, Wild, Tainted)[/p][p]🔷 Enemies now guard their origin area and roam around it[/p][p][/p][h2]🛠️Other Improvements & FIXES🛠️[/h2][p]🔷 Added SFX cue for attack timing, helping with combos[/p][p]🔷 Improved gate placement grid, allowing for more flexible building and chaining[/p][p]🔷 Default key for rotating structures is now ‘R’[/p][p]🔷 (Co-op Fix): Status visual effects (like fire) now disappear properly on the client side[/p][p]🔷 Fixed an issue where settlement requirement popups wouldn’t appear near crows[/p][p]🔷 Quest “Bees”: Objective now refreshes properly[/p][p]🔷 Quest “Lake and Bees”: Removed the objective to craft a Watering Can[/p][p]🔷 Healing bees nest no longer requires a Watering Can[/p][p]🔷 Fixed Tru’s getting damage visual effects[/p][p]🔷 Building ruins now emit smoke effects[/p][p]🔷 Polished animations for burning bushes[/p][p]🔷 Polished animations for snow melting[/p][p]🔷 Added some missing icons[/p][p]🔷Fix for settlers that sometimes they teleport if you change their home, delate current and build new one[/p][p][/p][p]If you want to chat with us about the game, or just hang out and talk about hobbies, other games, or life, join us on Discord! 🙂[/p][p]We always welcome your feedback![/p][p]On that note, I want to thank all of you for reporting bugs and sharing your thoughts about the game.
Shoutout to SilverSpeedy for another great piece of feedback, much appreciated, as always![/p][p][/p][p]See you soon![/p][p]Damian Rock and Stone! 🪨⚒️[/p][p][/p][p]Just for laughs, butt drifting Ferin:[/p][p] [/p]

[h2]Hey, explorers!🧭[/h2][p]We’re back with Rock'n'Stone Update #26, built together with you and for you. This time we’re bringing something many of you have been asking for: Stone Walls![/p][p]Until now, your settlements stood behind wooden palisades. Now it’s time to level up your defenses with solid rock. These new stone walls open up new ways to plan and fortify your base, and we can’t wait to see the creative layouts you’ll come up with.[/p][p]Alongside this, we’ve added more balance tweaks, fixes, and small improvements that make the world feel smoother and more alive, all inspired by your feedback.[/p][p]If you missed the 1st Anniversary Update, it introduced the 5th island, new story quests, tons of quality-of-life upgrades, and more. You can catch up on it here:[/p][h2][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/h2][h2]🛠️Update #26 (build ver. 0.8.16)[/h2][p][/p][h2]🪨 Rock Walls![/h2][p]🔷 The first iteration of Stone Defensive Walls is finally here. Stronger and more durable than wooden palisades, they are perfect for taking your settlement defense to the next level.[/p][p][/p][h2]🌟 Balance[/h2][p]🔷 Spawners now drop pickups when destroyed
🔷 Medium difficulty has been tweaked. It should feel more balanced and challenging with each new island
🔷 Hard difficulty has also been adjusted to deliver a more balanced and challenging experience as you progress
🔷 There are more active spawners on the 5th island (four slightly tainted that will activate over time and four active from the start)
🔷 Enemy nests in the Acid Cave on the 4th island now spawn stronger enemy versions on medium and hard difficulties. They also create them faster and in higher numbers[/p][p][/p][h2]⚡ Performance & Optimization[/h2][p]🔷 Optimization pass including LOD improvements for architecture, AI, and optimized animation bones
🔷 You should see higher FPS, especially when your settlement grows or during big enemy waves[/p][p][/p][h2]⚙️ Other Improvements & Feautures[/h2][p]🔷New walls - Stone Wall [/p][p]🔷New technology - Resin Bolt (It leaves a sticky, resin-based liquid that slows down enemies who stand on it)[/p][p]🔷 Improvements to the crafting menu. The interface now hints if items in a given category can be crafted at a different crafting station
🔷 New cutscenes[/p][p]  💠 Sending the raven for settlers [/p][p]  💠 Settlers' arrival [/p][p]🔷 New visuals for settlers from the Berserkers Guild
🔷 Environment work on the 5th island
🔷 Polished effects and visuals for some buildable structures
🔷 Character model now updates hands, legs, cabin, and tank visuals in the character menu
🔷 Icons for completely destroyed buildings are now removed from the map
🔷 Added a link to release notes from the version number in the main menu
🔷 Settlers now repair gates too
🔷 You can now mine on the 5th island manually with pickaxes
🔷 Grid improvements on the 5th island
🔷 Crafted items in the Workshop now nicely lay on the table after crafting
🔷 You now use a Watering Can to craft Taint Cleaning Extract, and after using it you get back an empty Watering Can
🔷 Blast trap is now correctly set up in the Technology tab[/p][p]🔷New Fluffgig sound effects[/p][p]🔷New sound effect for tainted meteorite impact[/p][h2]🛠️ Fixes[/h2][p]🔷 Eskom chest now opens correctly
🔷 Fixed minigun issue. No more charging FX when out of ammo
🔷 Blast trap no longer gets triggered by other explosions during construction
🔷 Overheat indicator for minigun is now visible on the crosshair
🔷 Improved ranged weapon hit indicator for the second player (client)
🔷 Area projectile hits now correctly trigger blast traps and boomboo
🔷 Fixed raven falling through terrain on the 4th island
🔷 Fixed issue where item quantities sometimes did not refresh correctly in the equipment menu and inventory
🔷 Fixed bug with the immortal spawner on the second island
🔷 Nests UI now properly shows slots on the client in co-op
🔷 SFX for the Seer is now set up properly
🔷 Fixed bug that prevented unlocking the Community Hut on the 5th island
🔷 Nests with flufgigs now spawn more of them
🔷 VFX added and animations improved for opening chests
🔷 Fixed issue where "send a raven" objective would not complete[/p][p]🔷Enemies won't glitch out and walk on walls[/p][p]🔷Berries sometimes didn't despawn after healing tainted Ferin[/p][p][/p][h2]💬 Stay connected![/h2][p]Join our official Discord server to share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback directly with the team 🧝‍♂️🧙‍♀️🛡️🧑‍🔧🤖🐗🪄⛏️[/p][p]We love seeing your builds, hearing your stories, and working together to shape the future of First Dwarf.[/p][p]Thank you for your continuous support and for being part of this journey with us. [/p][p]We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next...[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]See you in the skies![/p][p]Star Drifters team ⭐🚀[/p]