The Hive News

[h3]Includes 1.4.1 changes[/h3][p][/p][h3]Highlights[/h3]

• [p]Added autosaving at checkpoints[/p]
• [p]New unit tooltips: roles and special abilities shown when hovering a unit name[/p]
• [p]Tooltips are now easier to read: improved background, positioning, and highlight colors[/p]
• [p]Units now show unit class tags (example: Light - Biological) to clarify what upgrades affect them[/p]
• [p]Unit groups no longer show during cutscenes[/p]
• [p]Fixed a Level 2 progression freeze on “Look into the Abyss”[/p]
• [p]Win/Lose screen now appears more reliably at the end of missions[/p]
• [p]Updated the Avatar icon[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Additions and Improvements[/h2][h3]Autosave[/h3]

• [p]Added autosaving at checkpoints[/p]

[h3]Tooltips and UI clarity[/h3]

• [p]All units now have a tooltip explaining their role and special abilities when hovering over their name[/p]
• [p]Tooltip background and position adjusted to improve readability[/p]
• [p]Tooltips now use a highlight color for certain names or key words[/p]
• [p]Unit class tags are now displayed under units (example: Light - Biological) to make upgrade effects clearer[/p]

[h3]Cutscenes[/h3]

• [p]Unit groups no longer show up during cutscenes[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a bug where you could restart a level and keep items instead of starting from a fresh save[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where some players could not finish Level 2. The game could freeze on the final objective “Look into the Abyss”, preventing progression[/p]
• [p]Win/Lose screen now shows up more reliably at the end of a mission[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Visual[/h2]

• [p]Updated the Avatar icon[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Feedback[/h2][p][/p][p]If you run into any issues with inventory, groups, achievements, or cutscenes, please report them in the Steam forums. Balance and mission pacing feedback is also always welcome.[/p][p][/p][p]If you are enjoying The Hive, leaving a Steam review helps us a lot and supports future updates.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Update 1.4.0 (Major Update)[/h2][p]We have combined the patch notes for 1.307, 1.308, 1.309, and 1.3.10 into this post, with 1.4.0 at the top.[/p][h2]1.4.0 Highlights[/h2]

• [p]New Group Selection UI: clearer group controls, new visuals, and the UI is now clickable[/p]
• [p]Better control groups: distinct unit icons for groups, and group counts refresh in real time[/p]
• [p]Inventory QoL: Inventory button pulses when you pick up a new item[/p]
• [p]Selection improvement: double-click a unit portrait to select only that unit (single-click still works as before)[/p]
• [p]UI clarity pass: improved font scaling, tooltip formatting, and readability across screens[/p]
• [p]More UI guidance: new tooltips across inventory, resources, and common actions[/p]
• [p]HUD info upgrade: unit class is now shown on the HUD[/p]
• [p]Inventory and gear fixes: fixed cases where items could disappear, or equipped gear could be removed incorrectly[/p]
• [p]Achievements improvements: fixed healing achievement tracking, plus improved difficulty completion tracking[/p]
• [p]Balance: Gatekeeper AOE cooldown increased from 7s to 14s[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]1.4.0 Additions[/h2][h3]New Group Selection UI[/h3]

• [p]Group controls are now easier to use and clearer to read[/p]
• [p]Added distinct unit icons for control groups, making group displays easier to read at a glance[/p]
• [p]Group UI has received new visuals and is now clickable[/p]
• [p]The Inventory button now pulses when you pick up a new item[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]1.4.0 Improvements[/h2][h3]UI and Tooltips[/h3]

• [p]Updated the minimap to be more accurate[/p]
• [p]Improved difficulty tooltips in the main menu for clearer explanations[/p]
• [p]Added helpful tooltips across the inventory and resource UI:[/p]
  • [p]Inventory slots: helmet, armor, shield, amulet, accessory, weapon[/p]
  • [p]Resources: food, materials, DNA, population[/p]
  • [p]Actions: equip, dissolve, open inventory[/p]
• [p]Unit class is now shown on the HUD, so it is easier to understand a unit’s role at a glance[/p]
• [p]Improved tooltip positioning so tooltips stay within the UI and do not go off-screen[/p]
• [p]Clarified upgrade button descriptions to specify which unit types they affect[/p]
• [p]Improved UI readability across multiple screens:[/p]
  • [p]Better font scaling and sizing for cleaner text[/p]
  • [p]Updated tooltip text to clearly explain that “Dissolve All” converts unequippable items into DNA[/p]
  • [p]Added a sound effect when pressing the “Dissolve All” button[/p]
  • [p]Overall tooltip and text formatting refinements[/p]
• [p]Improved the look and clarity of item name UI:[/p]
  • [p]Cleaner text layout (size, alignment, spacing)[/p]

[h3]Achievements[/h3]

• [p]Completing the game on a higher difficulty now also counts for the lower difficulty completions
  Example: beating it on Hard will also award the Normal completion achievements[/p]

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• [p]Gatekeeper AOE cooldown increased from 7 seconds to 14 seconds[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]1.4.0 Fixes[/h2][h3]Inventory and Equipment[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where equipped weapons and other gear could be removed incorrectly[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where items could disappear when unequipping or moving gear[/p]
• [p]Fixed inventory issues where items could fail to return correctly or behave incorrectly after reloading[/p]
• [p]Fixed item tooltips appearing in the wrong place[/p]

[h3]Groups and HUD[/h3]

• [p]Fixed unit group counts not properly accounting for revived units[/p]
• [p]Fixed group UI counts so they now refresh in real time[/p]
• [p]Fixed HUD selection so you can double-click a unit portrait to select only that unit[/p]

[h3]Achievements[/h3]

• [p]Fixed the healing-related achievement not tracking correctly[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Update 1.3.10 “Swarm is Back” (January 3, 2026)[/h2][h3]Includes changes from 1.308 and 1.309[/h3][h3]Engine and Visuals[/h3]

• [p]Major engine upgrade for improved stability and future support[/p]
• [p]Lighting upgraded and all maps rebaked[/p]
• [p]Water rendering updated[/p]
• [p]Increased post processing intensity from 0.5 to 0.8 for improved overall visuals[/p]

[h3]Cinematics and Cutscenes[/h3]

• [p]Restored full length cinematics to their original versions[/p]
• [p]Added a failsafe to ensure the mouse cursor is always returned after cutscenes[/p]
• [p]Made skipping cinematics faster (hold time reduced from 3 seconds to 1 second)[/p]

[h3]UI and Resolution Support[/h3]

• [p]Added UI scaling improvements across multiple menus for better behavior on different resolutions[/p]

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed inventory issues where items could fail to return correctly or behave incorrectly after reloading[/p]
• [p]Fixed an animation issue on insectoid worker legs[/p]
• [p]Fixed a particle effect error with the artifact beam in the final level[/p]
• [p]Fixed terrain lighting issues in the final level[/p]
• [p]Fixed a few incorrect subtitles[/p]

[h3]Balance and Gameplay Changes[/h3]

• [p]Restored squad based units and adjusted related build times and costs[/p]
• [p]Adjusted building costs[/p]
• [p]You now gain two Wasp units at the start of Map04[/p]

[p]Building cost adjustments[/p]

• [p]Conch: 50 minerals (down from 150)[/p]
• [p]Burrow: 30 minerals (down from 50)[/p]
• [p]Turret: 50 minerals (down from 75)[/p]
• [p]Hive: 100 minerals (down from 150)[/p]
• [p]Nestling Mound: 100 minerals (down from 150)[/p]
• [p]Spring: 75 minerals (down from 100)[/p]

[h3]Platform Updates[/h3]

• [p]Added a Linux build for GOG players[/p]
• [p]Updated the macOS build to match version 1.3.10[/p]
• [p]Windows default renderer selection improved: the game now prefers DirectX 12 when available. Previously, some systems could default to OpenGL if it was available[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Update 1.307[/h2][h3]Achievements and Difficulty[/h3]

• [p]Fixed: the game now correctly saves and loads the selected difficulty[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Hard and Insanity completion achievements should now unlock properly after finishing the campaign[/p]
• [p]Fixed: the Avatar skill and squad mechanics are restored, so “Play of the Game” is obtainable again[/p]
• [p]Improved: added extra checks so end game achievements trigger more reliably[/p]
• [p]Note: older saves did not store difficulty correctly. For these fixes to fully apply, start a new playthrough or make new saves after updating[/p]

[h3]Squad Mechanics and Balance[/h3]

• [p]Legionnaires restored to a squad of 5 units[/p]
• [p]Hunters restored to a squad of 3 units[/p]
• [p]Population cost increased to match the larger squad sizes[/p]
• [p]Resource costs only slightly increased. Fast build speeds and earlier quality of life improvements are kept[/p]
• [p]Hive building resurrects dead squad units again for a small food cost per unit[/p]
• [p]Goal: bring back the more swarm like feel, without losing the previous improvements[/p]

[h3]UI and Visuals[/h3]

• [p]Fixed: pause menu no longer stretches on ultrawide resolutions[/p]
• [p]Restored: intro and ending cinematics are back to their original full versions[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Feedback[/h2][p]If you run into any issues with inventory, groups, achievements, or cutscenes, please report them in the Steam forums. Balance and mission pacing feedback is also always welcome.[/p][p]If you are enjoying The Hive, leaving a Steam review helps us a lot and supports future updates.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Achievements and Difficulty[/h3]

• [p]Fixed: Game now correctly saves and loads the selected difficulty setting.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Achievements for completing the game on Hard and Insanity difficulties should now unlock properly once the campaign is completed.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: The Avatar skill and related squad mechanics are now restored, making the "Play of the Game" achievement obtainable again.[/p]
• [p]Added extra checks so end game achievements trigger more reliably.[/p]

[p]Note: Older save files did not store difficulty correctly, so you will need to create new saves or start a new playthrough after updating to 1.306 for these fixes to fully apply.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Squad Mechanics and Balance[/h3]

• [p]Legionnaires are restored to a squad of 5 units.[/p]
• [p]Hunters are restored to a squad of 3 units.[/p]
• [p]Population cost has been increased to match the larger squad sizes. Resource costs have only been slightly increased, and fast build speeds plus other earlier improvements are retained.[/p]
• [p]Hive building now resurrects dead squad units again for a small food cost per unit.[/p]

[p]These changes bring back the more “swarm-like” feel of your army, while keeping previous quality of life improvements.[/p][p][/p][h3]UI and Visuals[/h3]

• [p]Fixed: Pause menu UI no longer stretches or scales incorrectly on ultrawide resolutions.[/p]
• [p]Restored the intro and ending cinematics to their original length and versions, as most players preferred the full cuts.[/p][p][/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]We Want Your Feedback[/h3][p]If you still encounter any issues with difficulty, achievements or squad behavior after updating to 1.306, please let us know in the community hub, ideally with your save details and difficulty setting.[/p][p]We are also always interested in general feedback about balance, pacing, mission design and quality of life improvements, so feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions.[/p][p]Every Steam review helps us a lot and supports future updates. If you are enjoying The Hive, please consider leaving one.[/p]

[p]

This update focuses on some of the most requested features from our community, aiming to improve early-game clarity, progression, and rewards.[/p][p]New Features[/p]

• [p]Item System Tutorials Added
  Added pop-up tutorial screens that explain the DNA and item drop system. These appear contextually when you first encounter key items, guiding you through their purpose and use.[/p]

[p]Gameplay Updates[/p]

• [p]Improved Enemy AI in First Level
  Enemy units in the first level are now more aggressive and will actively seek out the player base in certain areas, adding more challenge and strategic tension.[/p]
• [p]XP Rewards Rebalanced for Enemy Types
  Different enemy types now grant varied XP rewards based on difficulty, ranging from 25 to 500 XP. This makes defeating tougher enemies more rewarding and progression more dynamic.[/p]
• [p]Improved First Wraith Boss Loot
  The first Wraith boss now drops significantly better loot, giving players a more satisfying and rewarding early-game boss encounter.[/p]

[p]Achievements[/p]

• [p]Adjusted several achievements for clarity and relevance.[/p]
• [p]Removed Silencer (skip cutscenes) achievement.[/p]
• [p]Removed Hivespital (resurrect X units with Hive) achievement, as the mechanic is now obsolete.[/p]

[p]We Want Your Feedback
We’d love to hear your thoughts on these changes, especially whether the new tutorial is clear and if you’d like to see it expanded to cover other systems.

Every Steam review helps us improve and supports future updates. If you’re enjoying The Hive, please consider leaving one.[/p]

[p][/p][p]
🌊 The Hive – 75% Off for the First Time Ever! 🌊

To celebrate the Steam Summer Sale, The Hive is now available at its biggest discount yet.
[/p][p]Take control as the insectoid hive mind and lead your swarm through a hostile, beautiful world filled with ancient ruins, colossal creatures, and secrets buried deep beneath the surface.[/p][p]Whether you're new to The Hive or returning for another campaign, there's never been a better time to experience the game.
[/p][p]🧬 Build your colony
🧬 Harvest DNA from enemies
🧬 Unlock new units and abilities
🧬 Face massive bosses and adapt your strategy
🧬 Uncover the mysteries of New Eden
[/p][p]The Summer Sale ends July 10th, so don’t miss out!

While you're enjoying your holidays, the Skydome Entertainment team is sweating through the summer, hard at work on our upcoming game. We wish you a fantastic holiday season and thank you for supporting indie developers like us!

[/p]