Howdy there, Explorers! We hope you're having a BLAST with our new Bags & Blasts update. While you've been busy getting acquainted with our new Explosives skill tree, hunting down the new Arcane Symbiote egg, and battling giant cicadas, we uncovered a brand-new Notes From the Underground journal entry. It seems our wayward Explorer is turning their hand to science, with a little help from some "borrowed" equipment.
A localised transcript of this journal entry has been provided below the image.
Notes From the Underground #4 - The Power of Science
"Call me big-headed, but I’m continuously impressed with the things I manage to cobble together from the resources in this world. Lately, I’ve been turning my hand to science, crafting all kinds of wonders in my new laboratory. Well, I say “new”, more like upcycled…with scientific equipment I found in some sort of abandoned research station.
Who knows what kinds of experiments were being conducted there? It looked like whoever was in charge left in a hurry. I almost passed right by, but I’m so glad I didn’t. As I was filling my bag with what I could salvage, something started snapping at my feet! It scurried away before I could get a proper look at it, but I managed a sketch so I’ll know what to look out for next time. Perhaps this creature can be tamed?
There was something else intriguing that caught my eye at the research station. A mysterious sigil that kept cropping up. Perhaps it is some kind of rune or ancient language? It doesn’t quite match any of the Caveling symbols I’ve spotted on my travels. I’ll see if it shows up again when I head back to grab the last of the equipment tomorrow – there’s a water cooler that I’ve got my eye on!"
1.1.0.2 Post-Update Stability Patch
Gameplay:
Improved Nimruza’s defenses against exploitative strategies.
Throwing grenades into water may now drop fish.
Added a setting to hide Hotbar arrow buttons.
Other:
Slightly increased indirect lighting for the Arcane Symbiote.
Delayed the chest spawn for Nimruza.
Fixed a few text and translation issues.
Game Balance:
Adjusted the speed and lifespan of the Core Commander's orbs’ projectiles.
Lower magic pet drop rate.
The minion detonator no longer drops in The Forgotten Ruins or in digging spots in the Azeos’ Wilderness.
Bug Fixes:
Minions no longer explode when the player teleports while having the Desert Guardian set equipped.
Garden Trowels can now generate golden crops when the player has the Expert gardener skill.
Breaking Oasis Blocks should no longer create Obsidian Walls that persist until the world is reloaded. This fix also applies to worlds already affected by this issue.
Toggling the in-game UI no longer results in floating texts from Signs being invisible until the game is restarted.
Floating texts from Signs now have a black outline again.
Combat-related skill points should no longer be gained when no damage was dealt from attacks or explosives.
The chance to gain extra items from the Alchemist skill should now correctly affect the Laboratory Workbench.
Summoning items should now only trigger one summoning area to spawn an enemy.
Cicada Burrows should now belong to the same faction as Cicadas, thus no longer taking damage from creatures of the same faction.
Critters should be more accurately squashed when walking over them.
Fixed a bug that prevented the Core Commander from healing back to full health if the player died while in the second boss phase.
Exiting the world while the Core Commander is doing the void area attack no longer results in a void attack with no safe areas when the world is reloaded.
The Core Commander should no longer trigger their void area attack after healing back to their first phase.
The Solarite Ore that drops from the Crystal Snails’ shell should now be pulled towards the player, similar to other loot drops.
Garden Trowels should now be able to be upgraded more than once.
Garden Trowels should now be able to be resized after being upgraded.
Chests now drop their contained items when destroyed by boss attacks that typically destroy objects without dropping loot, such as Ghorm’s charge.
Fighting multiple hydra bosses in a single session no longer causes the second hydra boss to display the name of the last defeated hydra.
The text from other players’ Tombstones should no longer be illuminated.
Adjusted the button widths in the content menu to avoid text extending outside the buttons.
Gold Ore on walls is no longer invisible during the Valentine’s seasonal event.
Pandorium Crystals no longer appear in different colors on the map based on their size.
Covered pit objects should no longer affect the functionality of planting with Garden Trowels.
Fanhare’s projectiles now correctly pierce enemies.
Quick stacking is no longer possible while playing instruments.
Minions should no longer display being affected by radiation from other players’ minions in PVP.
Opening a cracked egg should no longer cause the pet to be instantly equipped.
Core Keeper’s Bags & Blasts Update is Out Now!
It’s time for our very first major content update of 2025, and we’re starting things off with a BANG! That’s right, Core Keeper’s Bags & Blasts update is out now. This free update features a whole host of new content added to the game as well as bug fixes, performance improvements, and quality-of-life updates. Read the full patch notes here!
An Explosive New Update
We’ve added a new “Explosives” skill tree with 8 new skills to the game, and what better way to hone this skill than with the addition of new bomb types? From the powerful Void Bomb (which drags in nearby enemies and then explodes) all the way to the Blunder Bomb (which triggers a series of explosions).
Bombs aren’t the only way to make a bang in the underground though! We’ve added a whole new type of explosive to the game in the form of throwable Grenades with unique effects. Whether you’re looking to stun your enemies, set them on fire, poison them, or even charm them, there’s a grenade for every occasion.
Inventory Overhaul
We’ve been keen to revisit Core Keeper’s inventory management system ever since we launched in 1.0, and we’re pleased to report that we’ve made lots of improvements to this feature. First up, we’ve introduced Pouches, an all-new management system that comes in different sizes and rarities. These handy additions allow you to carry items like ores, seeds, fish, and other valuables with you in separate, dedicated spaces, providing new ways to house your items without sacrificing valuable inventory space.
Secondly, we’ve added a handy new hotbar swapping feature, allowing you to choose which inventory row appears in your hotbar at the push of a button (or the click of a shortcut). We know how important organisation can be, which is why we’ve also added a new quick-stack button to the player inventory UI, allowing you to send items to all nearby chests (there’s a shortcut for this too). Oh, and we’ve also introduced a new inventory item-locking feature in case there are any items you’d like to keep exempt from sorting and quick-stacking.
Nimruza, Queen of the Burrowed Sands
What’s a major content update without a little challenge? Meet Nimruza, Queen of the Burrowed Sands – a brand-new boss. You’ll find her deep within the Desert of Beginnings, but be warned! It’s not just Nimruza you’ll need to contend with, but her brood of super-cicadas too. Explorers with keen eyes will have spotted references to Nimruza’s brood across the underground from all the way back to Early Access, and we’re excited to build on this mysterious piece of Core Keeper lore!
Welcome to the Oasis
With an all-new boss comes a brand-new sub-biome: the Oasis. These pockets of paradise can be found all over The Desert of Beginnings, and are home to hardy Aloe plants and Water Reeds, as well as a new breed of cattle known as the Drohmble! These adorable creatures drop a valuable (but stinky) resource that’s useful for crafting explosives.
More Magic
We’ve been keeping an eye on community requested features and we know you’re keen for us to build on the Summoner and Mage playstyles. With that in mind, we thought we’d start off with a new multi-purpose weapon known as the Corrupted Meteor Staff, a new offhand item called the Minion Detonator, and a magical new pet known as the Arcane Symbiote…and this is just the beginning! We’ll be building upon Core Keeper’s magic system in future updates too.
Tools, Workbenches, and Decorations
One of our favourite parts about major updates is getting to add content across the entirety of the game. Explorers will be able to build and craft from two new workbenches – the Laboratory Table (craftable from the Galaxite Workbench) and the Pouch Workbench (bought from the Bearded Merchant). We’ve also added a new tool type known as the Trowel, which will assist Explorers with seed placement, giving them more control over their crops. You’ll also find two new paintable decorations within your workbenches: Tapestries and Banners!
Update Your Existing Worlds
Core Keeper is growing with every update and we’ve been working on a way to ensure that players can enjoy some of our newer content without having to start new worlds. Keep an eye out for the addition of the Content tab to the World Info menu. This tab gives players the option to overwrite previously explored areas to add new content from various updates (such as boss dungeons) to their existing worlds. Using this feature means that players won’t always have to start afresh to enjoy features that are usually tied to world-generation. Please note that this new feature does not apply to Classic worlds.
So Much More…
You’ll spot all kinds of new additions as you explore, including new achievements, over 25 new pieces of equipment, enemies, and more. We could keep going, but this Steam post would just get longer and longer! For a full look at everything we’ve added in Bags & Blasts, check out the patch notes here.
We hope you have fun getting to grips with all of Core Keeper’s new additions, Explorers! Keep an eye out for more hints at what’s to come from our Notes From the Underground series, and don’t forget to let us know what you think about this update over on official Core Keeper X, BlueSky, and Discord.
Core Keeper - 1.1.0 Major Update - Bags & Blasts
Gameplay:
New boss: Nimruza, Queen of the Burrowed Sands. Found in The Desert of Beginnings biome.
New cicada enemies added in Azeos Wilderness and in Nimruza's dungeon.
New enemy variation of the Bomb Scarab. Found in Nimruza’s dungeon.
New sub-biome: Oasis. Found in The Desert of Beginnings biome.
New cattle: Drohmble.
Drohmbles roam in the Oasis and eat crops to produce Blasting Dung.
A total of over 35 new pieces of equipment, including armor, accessories, and weapons.
Added 4 new bombs:
Mouse Bomb;
Blunder Bomb;
Proximity Bomb;
Void Bomb.
Added new types of explosive throwable consumables: “Grenades”.
Grenade;
Stun Grenade;
Fire Grenade;
Poison Grenade;
Charm Grenade.
Added an “Explosives” skill tree with 8 new skills.
New inventory-management feature that can come in different sizes: Pouches.
Ore and Block Pouch;
Seed and Crop Pouch;
Fish Pouch;
Valuable Pouch.
Mage & Warlock playstyles have been expanded with new features as part of our ongoing improvements, with more to come in future updates.
New pet: Arcane Symbiote.
New multi-purpose weapon: Corrupted Meteor Staff
New offhand: Minion Detonator
Minions have been made more aggressive: they will now actively pursue and attack enemies.
New armor sets
Desert Guardian armor set
Lily Pad armor set
Blast armor set
Tassel armor set
New seed placement tool: Garden Trowel.
Added a Content tab to the World Info menu. In this menu, players can opt-in to add new content to their existing worlds created in 1.0 or later, even if doing so may overwrite already explored areas in these worlds. This can, for example, include new boss dungeons that appear in existing biomes. Worlds that don’t opt-in will not see any changes to already explored areas, but might miss out on some of the new content.
New hotbar swapping feature. The hotbar can be swapped to other rows in the inventory by clicking the new arrows to the left of the hotbar or using the shortcuts.
Quick stack to nearby chests has been added as a button to the player’s inventory UI. A shortcut can be used to quick stack items to all nearby chests while the UI is closed too.
New inventory item locking feature. Items in the player’s inventory can be locked using the new lock button in the player inventory UI. Locking an item will block it from being sorted and quick stacked.
New Workbenches:
Laboratory Table. Craftable in the Scarlet Workbench.
Pouch Workbench. Bought from the Bearded Merchant.
New biome-specific explosive wall variations.
2 new paintable decorations:
Tapestry
Banner
5 new achievements.
Floracadas are less aggressive towards players until they have been damaged.
It is now possible to break, pick up and place Cicada Burrows. "
Minion Detonator’s description is now rewritten to reflect how it actually works, by avoiding the word explosion to not confuse it with explosion-type damage.
Other:
Added support for in-game Asian language input.
Reworked the World Info menu to use a tabbed layout instead of having world generation parameters as a separate popup menu. The Create World menu also uses a similar layout.
Added in-game hints to new characters if they haven’t completed basic tasks like crafting a torch within a few minutes of starting the game. The hints are automatically skipped if the player completes them before they are prompted, or if they reach certain milestones like defeating the first boss. They can also be disabled in the Gameplay settings.
Lowered visual rarity of secondary scanners.
Added a fallback “missing” icon when an inventory slot contains an invalid item, for example due to a bug or from uninstalling a mod. Previously, the slot would appear empty but still behave like it contained an item.
Dedicated server files now include an ARGUMENTS.txt file which describes the available command line arguments in more detail.
Added a -hashedworldseed flag to allow dedicated servers to set the hashed seed directly instead of using a string seed that is then hashed.
When a dedicated server generates a random seed, it now first generates a random-seed string, which is then hashed, instead of generating the hashed seed directly. This means dedicated server seeds now behave identically to the regular game client.
Added scroll bars to scrollable pages in the main menu.
All settings menus now automatically become scrollable if they contain too many options to fit in the available space.
The mouse scroll wheel can no longer be used to cycle through values in option menus, since this interacted with scrolling menus in unintuitive ways.
Restored the frame surrounding chat messages, which was unintentionally removed in 1.0.1.
Fixed a few text and translation issues.
Graphics:
Updated loot sprites for some backpacks with newer graphics.
The Geode Wall Display now correctly uses its unpainted look when placed, instead of the purple variant.
Updated certain buttons in the inventory to make them more distinct.
Audio:
Lowered the volume of the ambient sound effects of the Seasonal Merchant and the Rift Statue.
Game Balance:
Lowered the price of slime boss scanners.
Slightly increased the loot drop for Nilipedes and Clay Burrowers.
Performance:
Worlds are now compressed using Brotli instead of Gzip, which is significantly faster. The .gzip file extension is still used to avoid cloud sync issues.
The list of available converter types is now computed when the game boots and reused, instead of being recomputed every time a world is loaded.
The Join Game UI is now more responsive while preparing to establish the connection.
Fixed a rare lag spike caused by the world autosave sometimes being forced to run on the main thread on low performance machines.
Removed several cases where the main thread would wait for worker threads to finish the tile map update.
Ranged weapon projectiles can now cause damage to Snare Plants.
Bug Fixes:
Terrariums no longer visually swap contained critters when they come into view.
Fixed a frequently reported issue where mobs (most notably cattle) were loaded before non-moving objects, meaning they could escape from enclosures.
Added xterm as an alternative to gnome-terminal in the dedicated server launch script for Linux. This fixes an issue where the dedicated server would fail to launch when using the Steam Linux Runtime.
Fixed a bug that caused inconsistent spacing between objects when placing them while moving.
Fixed an issue that caused mobs spawned during boss fights to incorrectly drop loot even though they were not supposed to.
Fixed several custom scenes which contained invisible Abyss Trees.
The ingredient filter in the Cooking Pot’s cookbook is no longer limited to 40 ingredients.
The clickable area for ingredient filters in the Cooking Pot is now better aligned with the visible part of the icons.
Fixed an issue that caused Azeos' Easter variant color to unintentionally be carried over to regular Azeos.
Added visible condition effects for Crystal Snails.
Pets and minions now correctly target the Hydra's ice crystals.
Dropped items no longer combine with other items being picked up by different players.
Fixed an issue with bouncing projectiles colliding with wall corners, which would cause them to pass through the walls.
Bouncing projectiles now correctly bounce in PVP.
Piercing projectiles now correctly pierce in PVP.
The Hunger bar should no longer be displayed as empty when the Mana bar toggles on.
The damage text popup should now more correctly show damage after absorption.
The amount of ores dropped from the Crystal Snail is now more accurate to their lost health.
Bomb tick sounds should no longer be played once the bomb is destroyed.
Paint Brushes no longer attempt to paint objects with the same color.
Fixed an issue with the player's sprite that happened when using a shield while holding another shield of the same type.
Fixed general misprediction issues for enemy attacks such as charging, that caused multiple damage numbers to appear.
When placing objects, the chosen rotation should now be saved when swapping items.
Fixed issue that locked a player’s movement when toggling guest mode for a user playing with a controller and holding an item.
Fixed an issue that caused the incorrect text to be shown when the player spoke to the Core during a specific interaction.
Fixed an issue that caused the Wooden Spike Traps to not show their spikes.
Fixed an issue that caused Stone Fence Gates to incorrectly be placed in certain scenes instead of Wood Fence Gates. This will only affect newly generated scenes.
Fixed an issue that caused watered Grass ground to be shown in the map as a different color than the normal Grass ground.
Fishing is now interrupted when removing or swapping baits in the Off-hand slot.
Previously, removing or swapping the bait at the final moments when fishing could cause the bait to not be consumed or non-bait offhand items to be consumed instead. The result of said action now is that no rewards are provided, and the bait isn't consumed.
Fixed an issue with Ghorm’s targeting logic that caused it to very often fail at charging towards the player while fighting it.
All minions should now be able to attack and move on water.
The attack range calculation for ranged minions and enemies is now similar to how the chasing stop distance and melee attack distance are determined. This means they now consider a combat radius, allowing them to attack from greater distances.
Minions and pets no longer need to have line of sight to a target in order to chase an enemy that is engaged in combat with a player.
Strolly Polies and Kelples no longer display walking animation while not moving.
The sparkle particles highlighting the inventory icon no longer appear while in the pause menu.
Fixed issues with the physics collisions for Lava Rocks.
When changing the area of effect of a tool (such as shovels), the chosen size should now be saved when swapping to another slot.
Core Keeper’s Bags & Blasts Update Is Coming March 10th!
Explorers, get ready to dig into some brand new Core Keeper content! We’re very happy to announce that Core Keeper: Bags & Blasts, the first big update for the game since launch, will be available on all platforms on March 10th 2025. This is a major new content update that will be available to download to all Core Keeper players, so get ready to uncover lots of exciting new additions throughout the game, whether you’re just starting your underground adventure or you’re well on your way to powering up the Core.
A Brand-New Boss
Move over Ra-Akar, there’s a new insect in the desert, and she makes for a royal challenge! Introducing Nimruza, Queen of the Burrowed Sands – a super cicada emanating a dark and malevolent energy. Nimruza can be found within The Desert of Beginnings and brings an exciting new boss fight to Core Keeper. If you’ve been keeping up with our Notes From the Underground series, you’ll have spotted references to Nimruza and her brood’s complicated history with the Cavelings. Can you do what they could not and defeat this royal family once and for all?
Oasis Sub-Biome
Picture this: you’ve been wandering The Desert of Beginnings for what feels like forever when, suddenly, you come across what looks like a veritable paradise. Fear not, Explorer, this is no mirage, it’s our new Oasis Sub-Biome! This warm and welcoming desert sanctuary features all-new flora, in the form of Aloe plants and Water Reeds, as well as a new species of cattle that produces a handy (albeit, smelly) resource!
Bags…
There are a lot of treasures and trinkets to find in Core Keeper, but an abundance of items can often mean a full inventory, and this is something we’ve been keen to revisit for our first major update. There have been plenty of community suggestions and requests for an updated inventory management system, and we’ve thought long and hard about how best to implement this. The solution? Pouches! These handy add-ons allow you to carry items like ores, seeds, fish, and valuables with you in separate, dedicated spaces, providing new ways to organise your items without sacrificing valuable inventory space.
& Blasts
There’s no prizes for guessing what’s coming based on the “Blasts” portion of the update title, but give yourself a pat on the back anyway if you correctly guessed that we’ll be adding more bombs to the game! We’ve had lots of fun coming up with unique ways for each of our new bombs to interact with the world, but the fun doesn’t stop there. We’re also bringing a whole new set of explosives to the game in the form of throwable grenades, each with their own individual effects. Oh, and you can expect a brand-new “Explosives” skill tree to master alongside these new additions.
New Equipment!
It wouldn’t be a major content update without a whole host of new equipment. We’ve added all sorts of new and exciting loot for you to find, including tools, armour sets, weapons, off-hand items, and workbenches. From Garden Trowels, to help with seed placement, all the way to the scientific Laboratory Table, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.
And More!
That’s right, the new boss, sub-biome, pouches, explosives, and equipment are just the tip of the iceberg! Bags & Blasts is a major update, which means it’s just bursting with new additions. From even more inventory management features (quick-stack to nearby chests, anyone?) all the way to new decorations, enemies, and more. You’ll find new content across the entirety of the game, with plenty of community requested features – including more content for the Mage & Summoner classes – and lots of fun surprises along the way.
We can’t wait to hear what you think of the Bags & Blasts Update when it launches on March 10th. In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye out for more insights and info about the new update over on the official Core Keeper X, BlueSky, and Discord accounts!
Happy Lunar New Year 2025!
Happy Lunar New Year, Explorers! We added the Lunar New Year seasonal event to Core Keeper around this time in 2024 and we’ve got a little bit of new content to celebrate 2025 🎇
As many of you already know, there’s no set update schedule for seasonal events, meaning we don’t add new content each and every year. This year, however, we wanted to bring you a couple of new decorative items such as the Folding Screen and Lucky Cat, along with some performance updates and bug fixes. Check out the patch notes here.
We’ve got a fantastic community of Explorers from all over the world, and we know many of you have been keen to see a little more Lunar New Year content. In turn, we’re looking forward to seeing all the wonderful ways you incorporate it into your bases. Make sure you share them with us over on X, BlueSky , and Discord!
1.0.2 Minor Update: Lunar New Year Patch Notes
Gameplay:
The Seasonal merchant has new Lunar New Year-themed decorative items for sale:
Folding Screen.
Lucky Cat.
Potted Tree with Red Envelopes.
Performance:
Avoid frequent memory allocations originating from Steam rich presence functions.
Bug Fixes:
Exiting a world while using a scanner no longer results in the scanner animation being paused when re-entering the world.
The Failed Titan (crystal cicada husk) now correctly drops the Crystal Shard Club and materials again.
Fixed dedicated servers having a small chance to crash on errors.
PlayStation:
Fixed PlayStation not always sending the whole map in cartography table.
Want to Get Your Hands on a Radical Rabbit Stew Steam Key?
Hi there Explorers, we've got something a little different for you today! Some of you may already know this, but Core Keeper is not Pugstorm's first game. Our debut title was the hare-raising action-arcade game, Radical Rabbit Stew!
While we're hard at work developing Core Keeper and working towards our 1.1 update, we wanted to show a little bit of appreciation for our community. With that in mind, we spoke with our publisher, Fireshine Games, and arranged a Radical Rabbit Stew Steam key giveaway. All you have to do to enter is to sign up using the form here, and Fireshine Games will be in touch with the winners via email.
We know that die-hard Core Keeper fans may be thinking "JUST GIVE US BAGS & BLASTS!", and we want to say a big thank you for your patience while we work on this major content update. We can't wait for you to see what we've been working on and encourage you to check out the latest entry in our Notes From the Underground series for a teaser of what's to come.
Notes From the Underground #003
Happy New Year, Explorers. We've got an exciting excerpt from the Notes From the Underground to share with you. In this journal entry, our wayward Explorer encounters something truly terrifying while out collecting resources 👀
A localised transcript of this journal entry has been provided below the image.
Notes From the Underground #3 - The Chase
"I’m not sure where to start. It all happened so fast and my ears are still ringing as I write this. Everything is a blur, but I’ll try to note down what I can recall.
It started with a trip back to the Wilderness to check on the progress of my latest automation. I’d set up a series of conveyor belts and robot arms to help with the collection of the ore I was mining from a huge Scarlet Boulder. Everything was running smoothly, so I decided to scout the area for resources while the drills were at work.
I was low on food, so I set off in search of plants to cultivate. I don’t know how long I was out looking, but my seed pouch was nearly completely full before I realised I was much further into the Wilderness than I’d ever gone before…and something felt wrong.
I heard it before I saw it. A low, persistent thrum that grew into an ear-splitting buzz. Whatever it was, it was huge. I ran without looking back, but I could feel it closing in. In a panic, I let loose a couple of the grenades from my backpack and the greenery around me erupted in a sea of flames. Still, the creature persisted.
I thought I was done for, but then I spied it in the distance. A Waypoint! I swear I could feel its mandibles on the back of my neck as I teleported out. That was too close a call."
Get the Core Keeper Digital Soundtrack on Steam!
We’re delighted to announce that the Core Keeper digital soundtrack is now available to download on Steam! Created by the talented Jonathan Geer, the Core Keeper OST features 42 enchanting compositions that give our mysterious underground world the ambience you know and love. Relax and unwind listening to ‘Golden Meadow’, enjoy ‘Glowing Waters’ as the backing track to your work/studies, or get amped-up to ‘Dark Sacrifices’ – warning: that last one comes with the risk of flashbacks to the Malugaz boss battle!
Upon download, you’ll receive all 42 Core Keeper tracks as .wav files, which you will be able to access from your game directory and enjoy across any audio playback device. We hope you enjoy this wonderful soundtrack, and make sure to let us know what your favourite Core Keeper song is in the comments!
