Painkiller News

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Painkiller's open technical test is now closed.[/h3][p][/p][p]We would like to extend a thank you to everyone who participated in the open technical test and filled out the survey, your feedback is invaluable. 🤘[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]We are running an open technical test to test Offline Mode variants with bot companions disabled. This option is designed for players who have asked for a way to experience Painkiller without AI companions present. In this build, you’ll be entering raids completely alone: no bots, no co-op partners. [/p][p]
[/p][p]Q: Is this test open to everyone?[/p][p]A: The test is open to anyone who owns the game on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: How do I access the build?[/p][p]A: If you own the game, you should see "Painkiller - Technical Test" in your library. After you install that, launch it, and you should be good to go! (If you do not see the build, ensure that your Steam client is set to "online" mode and restart Steam.)[/p][p][/p][p]Q: How do I access the mode without bots?[/p][p]A: You can now select the "Disable Bots" option in raid setup. [/p][p][/p][p]Q: What are you looking for feedback on?[/p][p]A: We are interested in any feedback you may have, but primarily focused on:[/p]

• [p]How fun and balanced the individual difficulty levels are[/p]
• [p]How the balance of the in-game economy feels[/p]
• [p]UI/UX clarity [/p]
• [p]Any performance issues (FPS drops, crashes, stutters). [/p][p][/p]

[p]Q: Where do I leave feedback or suggestions?[/p][p]A: Please complete the feedback survey at https://sabr.gg/PK-TechTest. We also have a dedicated sub-section in the community hub that we will monitor, where you can discuss the test with other participants, found here: https://sabr.gg/PK-Test-Forum. [/p][p][/p][p]Q: How do I report an issue?[/p][p]Q: If you encounter an issue as part of your time with the test, you should file a ticket with our dedicated support team here: [/p][p]https://support.saber.games/hc/en/painkiller/articles/how-to-report-an-issue-2[/p][p][/p]

[p]Painkiller is loud, fast, and brutal - the audio has to keep up! Join the developers from Anshar Studios as they explore building a mix that thrives in chaos. From the challenge of mixing a battlefield full of explosions and enemies, to the subtle audio cues that guide players through the action, this episode breaks down the craft behind Painkiller’s sonic identity.[/p][p][/p][p]So, throw on your headphones, crank the volume, and rip into the sonic fabric of the underworld![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]The Metal as Hell update has arrived, and the halls of Purgatory are about to ring out with the sweet sounds of slaughter. Step forward, Champion, and embrace your fury. Let every foul enemy feel the crushing chorus of their destruction! Listen, do you hear? The first notes have already been struck. It begins with…[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][h2]Rogue Angel:[/h2][p][/p][p]The crucible gets ever more fearsome as new challenges enter the fray:[/p]

• [p]10 additional arenas have been added to the pool[/p]
• [p]One additional Boss, "Anak The Soulbinder" has been added to the pool.[/p][p] [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][h2]Items:[/h2][p][/p][h3]Demon Blood[/h3][p]A strange artifact bursting with the blood of demons. Use this item to unleash three vials and seize one to harness the power of demonic essence. Empowered, your attacks will strike with doubled brutality, each kill siphoning a small surge of stolen life back into your veins.[/p][p]Power this raw was never meant for mortals.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][h3]Holy Orb Turret[/h3][p]Behold: the Holy Orb Turret, a floating sphere cloaked in the tortured faces of the judged. When activated, the Orb's celestial wrath stirs to life, and searing white beams erupt forth in a merciless rotation. Anything caught within its radiant sweep will be annihilated.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Additionally:[/h2]

• [p]Added a visual progress bar to character revivals.[/p]
• [p]Added a push-to-talk voice chat option.[/p]
• [p]Added 'Screen Space Shadows' setting to the graphics settings.[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]
[/p][h2]New Champion Skins: [/h2][p][/p][p]Shred through the unholy in our new Metal as Hell DLC. Wrapped in leather, bristling with spikes and ready to amplify the carnage, each playable character receives a unique skin forged from legend and tuned for maximum stage presence.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p]

• [p]Punk Paladin (Ink)[/p]
• [p]Furious Four-String (Roch)[/p]
• [p]Black Swan (Sol)[/p]
• [p]Spectral Riff (Void)[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]New Weapon Skins - Silver Requiem:[/h2][p][/p][p]Forged from purest silver, these weapons are ready to leave their mark on undead flesh. Turn up the slaughter and play loud with the Silver Requiem weapon skins for Painkiller.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Electrodriver:[/h3][p] [/p][h3]Revolver:[/h3][p][/p][h3]Rocket Launcher:[/h3][p][/p][h3]Shotgun:[/h3][p][/p][h3]SMG:[/h3][p][/p][h3]Stakegun:[/h3][p] [/p][p]The "Metal as Hell" skin pack includes both Champion and weapon skins and is available as part of the Painkiller Season Pass or as a separate purchase through the storefront.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p]

• [p]Painkiller weapon improvements:[/p]
  • [p]Improvements in the way "hook" points are displayed.[/p]
  • [p]Improvements to weapon sound and visual effects.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed issues with weapon swapping.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where player input could be blocked after switching to/from the shredder.[/p]
  • [p]Network optimizations.[/p]
  • [p]Other minor bug fixes.[/p]
• [p]Stakegun weapon improvements:[/p]
  • [p]Improved weapon visual effects.[/p]
  • [p]Improved Unholy Frag & Sticky Grenade visual effects.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the Sticky Grenade may not stick correctly.[/p]
  • [p]Other minor bug fixes.[/p]
• [p]Improved the collision behaviour of thrown objects, such as explosive barrels and Blood Tanks.[/p]
• [p]Improved gore effects on enemies.[/p]
• [p]Weapon masteries for unlocked weapons can now be progressed through Rogue Angel Mode.[/p]
• [p]Improved the Combo Panel: each subsequent kill of a certain type will now also reflect how many times that kill type has been performed within the combo.[/p]
• [p]Added an option in Settings to turn off narrative voice-overs.[/p]
• [p]All button prompts now have the option to be activated by mouse click.[/p]
• [p]Added common monitor refresh rates: [/p]
  • [p]30Hz ((Steam Deck)[/p]
  • [p]40Hz (Steam Deck)[/p]
  • [p]75Hz[/p]
  • [p]100Hz[/p]
  • [p]144Hz[/p]
  • [p]175Hz[/p]
  • [p]180Hz[/p]
  • [p]200Hz[/p]
  • [p]360Hz[/p]
  • [p]480Hz[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where achievements could not be tracked properly if the game was force-quit.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players selecting Quick Play could encounter an error.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various issues that may occur if the player was attempting to join or re-join matches of either raids or Rogue Angel mode.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Roch couldn't be revived in the Prologue level.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with French language localization in the Prologue level. tutorial[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Blood Tank could fall beneath the terrain.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where bots could get stuck in a secret area within the Death Quarry level.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where there was missing ambient audio in the Winding Canyons level.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where enemies could assume the default model skeleton pose (A-Pose) upon death.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players could appear to have duplicate characters after loading into a raid.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player may be unable to change their weapon properly upon defeating an Elite enemy.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the codex entries for Roch, Sol, and Runner would not unlock correctly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple collision issues on boss and elite enemy models. [/p]
• [p]General performance improvements.[/p]

[h2]New Features[/h2][p]
[/p][h3]Leaderboards [/h3][p][/p][p]Track your path through Purgatory. Each location now has its own leaderboard, ranked by the score earned during a raid.[/p]

• [p]Accessible directly from the Lobby.[/p]
• [p]Leaderboards are platform-specific.[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Improvements[/h2][p]
[/p][p]Controls: [/p]

• [p]The communication wheel mouse navigation has been reduced to improve feel.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Dialogue:[/p]

• [p]Reduced the frequency of in-mission voice lines.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Dialogue timing adjusted to occur less often during combat.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Certain voice-over variants now have a much lower chance to play.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Display Options:[/p]

• [p]Added a setting to switch the active display monitor.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Lobby Enhancements:[/p]

• [p]Added sound effects for reward windows.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Tarot Cards:[/p]

• [p]"Hunter’s Due" and "Hellborn’s Gift" descriptions now properly reflect their in-game functionality.[/p][p][/p]

[p]UI Improvements:[/p]

• [p]Added more accurate error messages when experiencing issues joining raids.[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Resolved Issues[/h2][p]
[/p][p]Achievements[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the "Shred on Arrival" achievement would not progress correctly.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Crashes:[/p]

• [p]Fixed several of the most common crashes.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Gameplay Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed incorrect enemy spawns, missing enviro collisions, and movement bugs
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Orion of the Bloodswarm's (first boss) collider would not despawn properly.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Blood Tanks had incorrect collision.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Static Blood Tanks could have incorrect inactive tank markers.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Soul Cages could behave incorrectly when being held during fast player movement.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where bots could spawn outside the arena on Winding Canyons.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with bot possession after player death in Rogue Angel mode. [/p][p][/p]

[p]Localization[/p]

• [p]Fixed missing French localizations of tutorial elements in the Prologue.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Offline Mode[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where Ancient Soul rewards could be counted incorrectly upon successful completion of a raid.[/p][p][/p]

[p]UI Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the Sharpness option was missing a description.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with player markers displaying incorrectly.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Raid Summary screen incorrectly displayed character visuals.[/p][p][/p]

[p]User Experience[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where quickly pressing the middle mouse button during the tagging tutorial could block the alt-shot input.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Voice Chat[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where communication settings would not save unless the game was restarted.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Visuals & Effects[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the Electrodriver’s alt-fire electricity effect was missing in the Prologue. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where unintended world effects and visual interference could appear on the Character and Weapon selection screens.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the pressure plate platform in Canyons would visually twitch or glitch.[/p]

[p]

[/p]