Greetings, Caretakers! We have a special treat ready for you—Update 3.5: Shadow Drop is now live for all Early Access players. While these fixes were originally slated for the fourth major update, your valuable community feedback convinced us at Channel37 that waiting wasn’t the right move. We’ve finalized these improvements, so we’re delivering them to you immediately.
Shadow Drop is an unscheduled release aimed at two primary goals: first, refining the core gameplay experience, and second, enriching our world with a collection of new content that makes exploring the depths more rewarding than ever.
▶ Watch the Update 3.5: Shadow Drop trailer:
-
Comprehensive refinements & optimizations addressing persistent state issues, faulty cabling, fabrication errors, progression blockers, and regional graphical hitches.
-
New Photo Drone designed for scouting, snapping screenshots, and gaining a fresh perspective on our submerged world.
-
PECO cartridges & playable minigames to test the sharpness of your robotic reflexes.
-
Expanded exploration with numerous hidden chambers, subterranean vents, and tucked-away secrets across familiar zones.
-
World enhancements, including a new storm-tossed region, helpful support buoys, and elevated environmental detail.
-
Fresh customization options for weapon aesthetics.
If you’re wondering exactly what has been smoothed out, Shadow Drop directly addresses the pain points you’ve shared with us. This update focuses on making the game flow more naturally:
-
Improved reliability for drones, equipment, cables, and interactive world objects.
-
Seamless fabrication and item placement.
-
Optimized graphics performance, specifically in asset-heavy environments.
-
Elimination of nagging edge-case bugs that previously stalled player progress.
In short: less friction, more immersion.
▶ Full patch notes: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1783560/discussions/0/804596796626077049/
We Value Your Input
Should you encounter any hiccups, please provide actionable reports including:
-
Your current activity at the time of the issue.
-
What you expected to happen.
-
The actual outcome.
-
Steps for replication, if available.
-
Any relevant screenshots or video clips.
Join the conversation and share your feedback with us here:
Discord:
Our Request:
If the direction of the game resonates with you, please jump back in and experience Shadow Drop for yourself. We pushed this update early precisely to ensure the game feels as polished as possible for you today.
Rest assured, development for Update 4 remains firmly on schedule. We simply didn’t want to hold back vital quality-of-life improvements while the major content expansion continues to take shape.
Our dedicated team has conducted a rigorous overhaul of core systems, including data persistence, cable physics, object fabrication, buoyancy, AI navigation, vehicle handling, and UI/graphics efficiency. These adjustments stabilize world state reconstruction and interaction behavior.
Below is a summary of the most significant changes. While we’ve logged thousands of technical adjustments behind the scenes, we’ve condensed the list for your convenience.
New Content & Features
-
New craftable Camera Drone for scouting and photography.
-
PECO terminals now support game cartridges.
-
Added interactable kitchenware (pots and pans) to the world.
-
Expanded aesthetic options for weapon paints.
-
Discovered new hidden rooms, caves, and vents across various locations like Sanctuary Dock 37, Nomad Tower, and various Quarantine Stacks.
-
Added a treacherous new storm zone in the northern sea.
-
Implemented new Human Pods near the Hall of Humanity and rocket launch zones.
-
Enhanced Lazarus holograms with new models and environmental cues.
-
Deployed support buoys—including Electrical Supply Buoys—to assist early-game survival.
-
Fishing nets may now occasionally yield Dead Swarms.
Bug Fixes
-
Rectified an issue where recycling Dead Swarm parts erroneously yielded food.
-
Resolved various Camera Drone physics, audio, and control issues.
-
Fixed persistent cable glitches, including floating connections and detachment errors.
-
Corrected fabrication issues, including placement orientation and welding failures.
-
Fixed collision zones across multiple maps to prevent getting stuck.
-
Resolved various quest progression blockers and interaction triggers.
-
Addressed malfunctioning doors, hatches, and interaction points.
-
Fine-tuned Lazarus hologram animations and pod power-state persistence.
-
Corrected wind turbine behavior to respect indoor environments.
-
Fixed improper resource sharing between elevators.
-
Corrected container behaviors, including item spawning and socket interactions.
-
Fixed weapon attachment persistence and positioning.
-
Stabilized shark movement patterns.
-
Prevented creature eggs from inflicting damage through geometry.
-
Fixed various agricultural issues and plant behavior.
-
Polished UI/UX, including subtitle formatting and missing localization strings.
-
Resolved visual glitches like texture mirroring, mesh clipping, and shadow artifacts.
-
Enabled rain effects in open ocean zones.
-
Standardized loot categories and fixed missing inventory icons.
-
Refined boat mechanics, including anchor and floodlight functionality.
-
Fixed stackability issues for consumables and glowsticks.
General Improvements
-
Revamped forklift audio engine and functionality.
-
Enhanced save-data persistence for equipment and world objects.
-
Boosted performance across demanding scenes, particularly within the Lazarus complex.
-
Optimized energy distribution across grid networks.
-
Refined cable aesthetics and physics for more natural movement.
-
Improved boat floodlight reach to deter pests.
-
Lowered wind turbine maintenance frequency.
-
Adjusted electrical repair costs to scale appropriately with damage.
-
Reduced scan requirements for the “Friendly by Design” quest.
-
Updated tooltips and descriptions for improved clarity.
-
Enhanced global lighting and weather transitions for greater atmosphere.
Safe travels.
–Channel37