1. Section 13
  2. News

Section 13 News

Next Up: PAX East 2025!

Hello, ODS Community!

Time really flies–it’s PAX season again! Ocean Drive Studio will be in Boston for PAX East 2025, at Booth #15035!

We are bringing a fully horde-packed booth with demo stations for 3 games: Section 13, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, and God Save Birmingham! For Section 13, we are also bringing co-op to the floor, so you can team up with friends (or strangers!) to take on the base’s anomalies.

Of course, our demos come with cool swags!
Taking on the massive hordes of QTs in Section 13 will win you an LED armband that makes it easier to spot your fellow Agents.


Surviving the onslaught of the Fallen in Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch will reward you with a foam hat in the shape of a sword–a telling sign of how you made it out alive on Anareios.


Experiencing your first day of survival in God Save Birmingham will get you knighted–with a paper hat to keep you safer in the zombie-infested medieval town.


Come stop by our booth to be fully decked out for the triple zombie onslaught!




- ODS Team

DISCORD | X/TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111870/

[UPDATED] 0.31.1 Hotfix Patch Notes

Update #2 (4/24 7:09 PM PT): We addressed the issue and will be patching soon! Patch schedule has been updated.
UPDATE (4/24 5:41 PM PT): We have found an unexpected issue, and will delay the hotfix. We hope to provide updates here soon!

[h3]Patch Schedule[/h3]
  • PT: 7:30 PM, April 24, 2025
  • ET: 10:30 PM, April 24, 2025
  • CEST: 4:30 AM, April 25, 2025
  • ICT: 9:30 AM, April 25, 2025
  • KST: 11:30 AM, April 25, 2025

Agents,

We are deploying a hotfix patch (Ver 0.31.1) to bring bug fixes. We are grateful for our community sharing their experience so that we could look into them. We will continue to review all your feedback and reports to constantly improve Section 13.

For the changes included in this patch, please see below.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
  • Addressed the issue that could sometimes cause the game to crash in the final area before the mission is completed (after you clear the Isolation Chamber level)
  • Fixed the issue where spent Data Nugs would be returned to you when you got disconnected during multiplayer, spent Data Nugs, and rejoined the same session

Please note that if you are playing at this time, your game will not be interrupted. You will be prompted to download the patch the next time you open Section 13. Please install the update as soon as possible for the best experience.


- ODS Team

DISCORD | X/TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111870/

Replayability Tips: Power-Ups, Bonus Maps, and Difficulty Levels

Hello, it’s Yeongseok Heo again, a designer on this project.

As a roguelike, Section 13 contains a number of design elements that make each run a little bit different. For newer players who might not be aware of them, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce those elements to you, and share some tips from my own gameplay experiences.

[h3]Body Modifications[/h3]

Body modifications are randomized perks and side-effects that change each time you roll them. They can be purchased from the Body Modifier in every Safe Room, after the player has found a Body Mod Permit on the Lobby Level.



Body Mod Vouchers can be collected during gameplay, and are spent at the machine like tickets, to roll for upgrades.


Spending a ticket will always grant two choices of mods, which will always grant some kind of benefit, and may (but not always) come with a side-effect. These effects stack without limit, and they also reset each time you die, so it’s best to spend vouchers as soon as you can and think about what kind of build you’re going for this run.

(If I were given the choices in the image, I would take the one on the right, since the Arc Cannon is my favorite weapon.)

[h3]Weapon Modification[/h3]

Weapon modifications can be made at the Weapon Bench in every Safe Room, which can be unlocked with the Weapon Mod Permit. That can be found early in the Office Level and, like the Body Mod Permit, is retained even after death.

Weapon modifications are extremely powerful, so they take a bit more to unlock than body mods.


First, you’ll need to find modular Weapon Attachments throughout the facility, to unlock sets of perks. The perks obtained for each weapon are permanently retained and can be checked in the Armory of the Command Center. (In the 0.31 patch, we provide 4 perks each for the Assault Rifle, SMG, and Shotgun, as a default.)

Next, you’ll need to collect Perk Vouchers during a run, and spend them at the Weapons Bench to attach a perk to a gun.




Spending a perk voucher fills a slot with one randomly-selected perk from all the ones you’ve unlocked. Once filled, you can also spend some credits to reroll a slot.


Weapon modifications are some of the most powerful single-run progression elements in the game. The fourth perk for the AR, in the image above, is one of the rarest in the game – so make sure to select it, if you ever come across it. The Aftershock and Pierce perks are also personal favorites.

[h3]Parking Garage Security Room[/h3]

While exploring Section 13, you will likely stumble across the Security Room Code.


This can be used in the security booth just outside the main gate in the Parking Level, to access a hidden armory.


Inside, you can obtain a Prime Nethercube – a special drop that only offers Platinum-grade Synaptic, making it very useful.

This, combined with the Reroll Enhancements and Sign-On Bonus upgrades (which let you reroll Synaptic Enhancements and start with more credits) will let you start every run with an immediate and powerful head-start.

[h3]Cargo Elevator [/h3]

By exploring the base carefully, you can find a code to unlock the Cargo Elevator. (But the code is randomly generated and unique to each player, so you won’t be able to just look them up online!)


On some variants of the Parking Level, you’ll have access to the elevator. Just punch in the passcode and climb aboard…


…where you’ll find your former coworkers ready to throw you a welcome party.

Clearing the elevator within the time limit and/or without taking any damage grants you better rewards at the end.

The elevator also takes you directly to the Office level, bypassing the Lobby. I recommend this challenge to agents who want good rewards and quick progression.

[h3]Sanitation Tunnels[/h3]

You can enter the Sanitation Tunnels after you obtain the DNS Bypass item.


These can also be accessed through one of the Parking Level variants.


The Sanitation Tunnels are procedurally generated – meaning, the layout will change each time you enter. They’re great for Agents who want exciting rewards and a really scary, unpredictable combat experience. Like the elevator, they’ll also shortcut you directly to the Office level.

[h3]Location Unknown[/h3]

When it gets too hard to focus at work, a trip to bathroom is always an option… unless you work at S2P, where such things tend to get weird.

If you come across a strange portal in the restrooms of the Office Level, take a step inside. You may just find yourself transported to an exciting, cheerful wonderland full of new friends.


Location Unknown is another procedurally generated level, with a more horror-flavored atmosphere than the rest of the game. If you wind up here, you’d better look for the exit and get back to the office as soon as possible. After all, you still have work to do.)

If you can make it back to the Office from Location Unknown, the entire level will reset – which means the chance to gain more credits and upgrades than you would otherwise.

So if you want a power boost and don’t mind spending a little extra time to get it, get your butt in the hole!

[h3]Adjustable Difficulty[/h3]

This is the Isolation Chamber, the last level after the March patch. In the current game, you can acquire Cell Samples by reaching this point.

(After the official launch of the game, the final stage will be a new boss fight: the Nephilim.)


The number of Cell Samples you have determines how challenging your next mission will be. Difficulty level starts at 0 and maxes out at 3.

On higher difficulties, you’ll have limited ammo and stronger enemies. You’ll also find longer dodge cooldowns, slower Fear recovery, and so on. These difficulty modifiers apply in both solo and the recently restored multiplayer mode.

Multiplayer also has a few settings that can be toggled at-will when creating a room, including Friendly Fire and Unlimited Ammo. So whether your group wants a tense, tactical experience, or something a little faster and more arcade-y, it’s your choice.

Between the bonus levels, difficulty settings, and other new content, we hope you’ll enjoy all the new experiences to be had down in Section 13!


Sincerely,
Yeongseok Heo

0.31.0 Balance Patch Notes

[h3]Patch Schedule[/h3]
  • PT: 6:00 PM, April 9th
  • ET: 9:00 PM, April 9th
  • CEST: 3:00 AM, April 10th
  • ICT: 8:00 AM, April 10th
  • KST: 10:00 AM, April 10th

Agents,

Here comes the April balance patch (Ver. 0.31.0), containing various adjustments, improvements, and fixes–especially those reported by our Agents! After we deployed the “Party Up” patch last month, we have been reading all feedback and taking note of various playstyles, both singleplayer and multiplayer. Your feedback has been crucial for us to come up with many of the changes in this patch.

We continue to work towards our official launch next month, as well as keep listening to your suggestions and thoughts. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts via the Steam discussion boards or our Discord server!

For the list of changes in this patch, please see below.

[h3]New Content/Features[/h3]
  • Added the new power-up unlock structure in the DNS Defragmenter
    • Synaptic Enhancements are now grouped in specific tiers instead of everything being available from the start
    • Permanent upgrades are grouped in specific tiers as before
    • STAR Pins are used to unlock each of these tiers, gradually providing access to more powerful upgrades
    • This applies only to new Agents. Agents with an existing save will retain their unlock progress
  • Added Japanese language
    • All in-game text will be localized in Japanese, while the voiceover remains in English
    • We have not been able to complete a full check of the text, so please share any feedback as a comment on this Steam discussion board post

[h3]Community-Based Changes/Improvements[/h3]
  • Large Medkits now heal some of the injury damage
  • Chillax Corners in the Parking Lot and the Lobby levels will now have a fair chance to sell medkits
  • Chillax Corners in the Office and the Isolation Chamber levels will now have a high chance to sell medkits
  • Decreased Beaker’s active skill cooldown: 300 seconds → 240 seconds
  • Adjusted enemy HP
    • Adjusted the HP scaling of mid-to-large enemy types
    • Lowered the base HP of the Exosuit by 50%
    • Adjusted the HP scaling of the Exosuit based on difficulty & single/multiplayer mode modifiers
  • Changed Scalpel’s active skill to deal a fixed amount of damage, no longer impacted by damage reduction
  • Changed so that the access code items can now be obtained in multiplayer (for unlocking the Parking Lot level’s security room and the Cargo Elevator level)

[h3]Other Changes/Improvements[/h3]
  • Made weapon attachments (items that give weapon perks) easier to obtain
    • New Agents will receive level 1 attachments for the Assault Rifle, the SMG, and the Pump-Action Shotgun by default
    • Adjusted the weapon attachment drop table so that they drop more frequently than before
  • Improved Chillax Corners (shops) to provide better options
    • In multiplayer, Chillax Corner items are now specific to each player, instead of being shared by the whole group
    • Chillax Corners in the Office and the Isolation Chamber levels now have increased number of selections sold
    • Made weapon purchases more affordable by adjusting the number of perks they spawn with
  • Increased Credit and Data Nug drops
    • Increased the max Credit drop per bundle, resulting in a higher potential to find more Credits by searching objects
    • Increased the drop rate of Data Nugs
    • New Agents will start with at least 30 Data Nugs
      • Skipping the tutorial gives 30 Data Nugs
      • Playing the tutorial guarantees at least 30 Data Nugs
    • Added guaranteed Data Nug drops for defeating mid-boss enemies for the first time: Disposer (25 Data Nugs) and Exosuit (75 Data Nugs)
  • Adjusted Injury build-up rates
    • We are continuously monitoring Injury build-up and plan to make balance tweaks as necessary
  • Adjusted the Jackpot Synaptic Enhancement to scale better across tiers
    • Each tier of Jackpot is split into different grades, instead of all 3 tiers being Platinum grade
    • Adjusted the credit amounts according to their respective grades
      • Jackpot I
        • Grade: Platinum → Silver
        • Credits: 1,000 → 500
      • Jackpot II
        • Grade: Platinum → Gold
        • Credits: 2,000 → 1000
      • Jackpot III
        • Grade: Platinum (unchanged)
        • Credits: 3,000 (unchanged)
  • Added the option to remove keybindings (i.e., disabling the action)
  • Improved self-revival perks that trigger automatically (e.g., Second Wind permanent upgrade)
    • Added a brief invincibility window upon being revived
    • Added sound effects for better indication when they trigger
  • Now you can only recruit one character per session. If you recruited a character and still have more to recruit, you will see another one in the next run

[h3]Community-Reported Bug Fixes[/h3]
  • Fixed various locations where players could fall through the map or get stuck/locked out, including those reported in the Deep Storage, the Crucible, and the Isolation Chamber levels
  • Fixed the issue where some map objects could not be searched in the Isolation Chamber level
  • Fixed the issue where the Tactical Crossbow’s reload speed bonus perk was not working properly
  • Fixed the issue where spent STAR Pins were given back if you disconnected from multiplayer

[h3]Other Bug Fixes[/h3]
  • Addressed various issues that could cause the game to crash
  • Fixed the issue where killing an enemy with Scalpel’s active skill did not grant Astral status if you were Panicked
  • Addressed the invisible walls (some blocking movement, some blocking only projectiles) in the Supermax Lab and the Isolation Chamber levels
  • Fixed the issue where your Fear gauge would be full if you died while Panicked and were revived by a teammate

[h3]Known Issue[/h3]
  • Joining the same multiplayer room with different save files will display character information from the previous save file instead of the new one
    • When switching save files while playing multiplayer, we recommend creating a new room instead of rejoining the same room

Please note that if you are playing at this time, your game will not be interrupted. You will be prompted to download the patch the next time you open Section 13. For the best gameplay experience, we recommend installing the update as soon as possible.


- ODS Team

DISCORD | X/TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111870/

Section 13 Will Support Japanese!

Agents,

We are announcing that the upcoming April patch will bring Japanese as a new in-game language! All in-game text will be in Japanese, while the voiceover will remain in English (same as with all languages!).

We would like to ask our Agents for help in order to iron out any rough edges in the new language. Adding an entirely new language can come with unexpected issues, and we have not completed a full check of all Japanese text in the game yet.

Any suggestions or text issues in Japanese you find while playing Section 13 can be reported in this Steam discussion board post as a comment so that our team can make improvements and have it in tip-top shape for official release!

See you down in Section 13!


- ODS Team

DISCORD | X/TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111870/