42.17.0|Apr 20, 2026
View on Steam↗Build 42.17.0 Unstable Released
3/5 Moderate
UNSTABLENew skill-based VHS tapes added alongside a massive rebalance of occupation costs, trait values, and game mode difficulty settings.
Key Changes
- 1Added new Skill VHS tapes for Aiming, Animal Care, Blacksmithing, and more
- 2Major occupation rebalance: Most professions now have reduced point costs
- 3Increased Wound Infection Damage Factor in Apocalypse, Outbreak, and Rising modes
- 4Fixed Zombie speed settings in Multiplayer and improved DDoS protection
- 5Animals now gain less stress and petting them is more effective
- 6Fixed a critical bug where infected players would not zombify on death
- 7Reduced filter drain rate for gasmasks and respirators
- 8Added new static spawn points for several towns in Sandbox mode
- 9Compacted and improved the Crafting and Building UI windows
- 10Fixed basement walls being disassemblable into the void
All Changes
🆕New Content(6)
- newSurvival Guide: Updated the Survival Guide with new content
- newSandbox Mode: Added additional static spawn points to Sandbox Mode for Brandenburg, Echo Creek, Ekron, Fallas Lake, Irvington, March Ridge, and Valley Station
- newVHS Tapes: Added new Skill VHS tapes for Aiming, Animal Care, Blacksmithing, Electrical, First Aid, Knapping, Pottery, Tailoring, and Welding
- changeFluid Containers: Fluid container empty rates now depend on the type of container
- newBooks: Added new book 'The Moments of Darius' by Ignas
- changePet Names: Updated Pet Name list in memoriam
👤Occupations & Traits(11)
- fixChef: Chef now gives +1 Short Blade instead of +1 Short Blunt
- buffDIY Expert: DIY Expert now gives Inventive Trait instead of +1 Carving; point cost reduced from -4 to -2
- buffDoctor: Doctor point cost reduced from -2 to 0
- buffElectrician: Electrician point cost reduced from -4 to -2
- buffFarmer: Farmer now gives +1 Strength
- buffNurse: Nurse point cost reduced from -2 to 0
- buffRancher: Rancher point cost reduced from -2 to 0
- buffWelder: Welder point cost reduced from -6 to -4
- buffNutritionist: Nutritionist point cost reduced from -4 to -2
- nerfHigh Thirst: High Thirst point value increased from +1 to +2
- buffSmoker: Smoker point value increased from +2 to +3
⚖️Game Modes(6)
- buffApocalypse: Apocalypse: Vehicle gas spawn increased from Low to Normal; 'Other' loot spawn rate increased from 0.6 to 0.8
- nerfApocalypse: Apocalypse: Wound Infection Damage Factor increased from 0.0 to 1.0
- nerfExtinction: Extinction: Wound Infection Damage Factor increased from 0.5 to 1.0
- changeOutbreak: Outbreak: 'Other' loot spawn rate increased from 0.6 to 0.8; Wound Infection Damage Factor increased from 0.0 to 1.0
- changeRising: Rising: 'Other' loot spawn rate increased from 0.6 to 1.0; Wound Infection Damage Factor increased from 0.0 to 1.0
- nerfSandbox: Sandbox: Vehicle 'Chance Has Gas' setting value for 'Normal' reduced from 70 to 45
🐄Animals(5)
- buffAnimals: Animals gain less stress from zombies, rain, and sound
- buffAnimals: Petting animals now reduces stress more effectively
- buffAnimals: Animals will now start destroying objects at 80 stress instead of 70
- buffAnimals: Animals flee less often due to stress
- fixAnimals: Fixed petting animals not increasing acceptance or decreasing stress
🛠️Gameplay Systems(6)
- buffGasmask: Reduced the rate that gasmask and respirator filters are drained by corpse sickness
- buffTailoring: Reduced tool degradation for Tailoring recipes
- buffMedia: Added moodle buffs to Radio and TV shows that were previously missing them
- changeItems: Adjusted encumbrance values for coffins and gym mats
- changeCarpentry: Adjusted Carpentry XP awards for WoodFloorLvl2, WoodFloorLvl3, SofteningBeam, TanninBarrel, and ChurnBucket
- changeLoot: Added guardrails to 'Other' loot distribution to prevent items spawning in inappropriate containers like trash or fridges
🌐Multiplayer(8)
- fixZombies: Fixed being unable to set Zombie speed in Multiplayer
- fixServer: Added Thread-safe DDoS protection for RakNet
- changeMap: Moved map progress from the client to the server
- newMap: Added 'Friends and nearby users' option to Map remote player visibility settings
- fixVehicles: Fixed a rare server crash occurring when driving vehicles
- fixFirst Aid: Fixed an issue where multiple players applying a bandage to the same wound consumed all bandages
- fixZombies: Fixed zombies teleporting when hit
- fixPerformance: Fixed memory consumption spikes when players explore beyond map bounds
🎮UI & Controller(5)
- changeController: Implemented additional WIP controller changes and improvements
- newUI: Added a dedicated Credits Screen
- changeUI: Rearranged and compacted the Crafting window, Building window, and recipe filter boxes for better efficiency
- changeUI: Clamped XUI to screen size and improved Admin Powers window scale
- changeUI: Updated icon for 'already read' literature to be more readable
🐛Bug Fixes(9)
- fixZombification: Fixed infected player characters not zombifying on death
- fixWeapons: Fixed firearm magazines not increasing encumbrance when loaded with ammunition
- fixBuilding: Fixed being unable to place light switches
- fixZombies: Fixed standing zombies not crawling under cars even when sandbox settings were set to 'always'
- fixAnimals: Fixed rabbits being able to spawn in water
- fixStability: Fixed freezes and crashes when selecting Random Traits in the Polish language
- fixCharacter: Fixed character not coughing or sneezing when they have a cold
- fixBuilding: Fixed player-made buildings being automatically powered
- fixBasements: Fixed walls being disassemblable in basements allowing players to fall into the void
🔊Audio(4)
- buffAudio: Increased animal vocal sound range from 40 to 70
- changeAudio: Increased vehicle engine sound radius to 70
- changeAudio: Removed distance cap for gunshots and explosions
- fixAudio: Fixed M16 shooting sounds when zoomed out to maximum distance
Summary
Build 42.17.0 for the Unstable branch introduces significant progression and balance changes. Players can now find new Skill VHS tapes for various crafts, while almost every occupation has seen a point cost reduction or stat adjustment. Game modes like Apocalypse and Outbreak have become deadlier with increased wound infection damage, balanced by slightly higher loot rates. The update also includes an extensive list of multiplayer stability improvements and hundreds of bug fixes ranging from controller interactions to animal behavior.