Patchnotes

Limited Time Holiday Event

• Santa's Arrival: Keep your eyes peeled on every map for the jolly red figure. He's making his way through the wasteland, and it's up to you to find him!
  
• Milkfor Santa: Once you locate Santa, you can give him a bottle of milk. In appreciation of your good-hearted nature, he might gift you an entire sleigh of gifts!
  
• Santa's Sleigh: Each sleigh of gifts has a chance to contain unique Christmas-themed items, including exclusive armour, Santa’s weapon, and a magic backpack*. But there's a twist! These magic drops attract attention... Not only are ghouls and bandits interested in Santa’s gifts, but bosses like Kibba or Arman too! So, be prepared (or don’t).
  

Upcoming Features

• Full Controller Support: In an upcoming update, we're introducing full controller support, enhancing the game's accessibility and playability for those who prefer using gamepads.
  
• Major UI Functionality Changes: We're working on a major overhaul of the user interface, aimed at improving functionality, user experience, and accessibility.
  
• Skill System Rework*: Our comprehensive overhaul of the Skill System and introduction of a New Perk System are set to significantly enhance ZERO Sievert. This rework will add a new layer of diversity to both gameplay and gunplay, allowing for more personalised and tailored experiences.
  

Patch Notes

Major Changes

• Enemies will now panic shoot (start shooting with impaired aim) if the player is chasing them, rather than always running to their weapon's effective range.
  
• Acid rain will no longer occur at the start of a raid.
  
• General reduction in rain chance during raids.
  
• Recoil rebalance across all weapon types, with recoil amount now corresponding to weapon categories.
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where experience couldn't exceed 64,999.
  
• Adjusted the pricing for the Ash12 20-round magazine.
  
• 12.7x55mm ammunition is now included in quest ammo rewards.
  
• Fixed a bug where the cursor would get stuck in the middle of the screen if the player extracted/died while consuming a consumable.
  
• Crimson Corp, Hunter, and ??? factions can now correctly spawn Cyclops troops.
  
• Fixed a crash triggered by right-clicking while throwing a grenade from the inventory.
  
• Fix a bug where armour didn't take durability damage when bullets were completely blocked.
  
• Fixed a crash when dying in permadeath mode.
  
• Fixed a bug where BB91 Kerr suppressor is not correctly aligned.
  

Balance

• Reduced recoil while shooting and aiming with optical scopes.
  
• Armour durability damage from anomalies is now reduced by half.
  
• Improved Recoil and Ergonomic stats for several EC74 handguards.
  
• Lowered base recoil stats of guns in the EC series (except EC 101).
  
• Further balance tweaks for certain weapons.
  

Hunters,

We're thrilled to announce the release of Update 0.40 for ZERO Sievert. Before diving into the details (which you're probably already familiar with if you've read the devblog), we want to assure you that Controller Support is actively in development and will be released before our next major content patch, along with UI functionality changes. Additionally, we've undertaken a significant amount of behind-the-scenes work. This update isn't just about new content; it's also setting the stage for more exciting features and developments in the future.

As always, your feedback is essential to us. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to hearing your thoughts now 0.40 it is in your hands!

New Features

• Grenades
  
  
  
  • T1 Grenades
    
  • RDG-5 Grenades
    
  • SGN Impact Grenades
    
  • Flashbangs
    
  
  
• Mines
  
• New Weapons
  
  
  
  • SVT-40
    
  • AVT-40
    
  • Groza-1
    
  • Groza-4
    
  • Ash-12
    
  • SCAR-L
    
  
  
• New Calibre
  
  
  
  • 12.7x55mm with PS, HP, and AP cartridges.
    
  
  
• New End Game Faction
  
  
  
  • New hostile faction that will be appearing in Zakov after the completion of the quest “The Crystal”.
    
  
  
• New Enemy Tier System
  
  
  
  • New NPC Difficulty Levels: (Rookie, Intermediate, Skilled, Expert, Veteran, Legend)
    
  • New NPC Armour Tiers: Stat and visually distinctive
    
  • Note: Tier 3 enemies will only show up after the quest “Clear the Way” is completed, tier 4 and Cyclops enemies will only show up after the mall map is unlocked. Enemy tier is also linked to player character level, the higher the player level the higher the chance for spawning high tier enemies.
    
  
  
• New experience tier beyond “Master”.
  
• New Armours.
  
• New Map Generation Loading Screen Backgrounds for each map.

Combat and Gameplay Overhaul

• Glancing system
  
• Weapon effective ranges rework
  
• Recoil system rework
  
• Crosshair placement rework
  

• Revised flanking system
  
• NPCs now react to players aiming at them.
  
• Enemies will now move into the effective range of their weapons before opening fire.
  
• Reduced enemy vertical view distance.
  

• Improved Path System for Dynamic NPCs: NPCs now follow paths inside the game view.
  
• Scoping Moving Delay: Now also depends on weapon accuracy.
  
• Changed default view distance.
  
• Scopes now increase the maximum view distance.
  

Performance

• Improved Map Generation Time
  

Quality of Life Improvements

• Emission Change: Introduces breaks between waves for free movement on the map.
  
• Trader money has been increased from 15,000 to 50,000.
  
• Decreased the chance for NPCs to have armour-penetrating bullets.
  
• Repair kits are now craftable from the beginning of the game.
  
• The Hunger/Thirst Decay Rate has been reduced by approximately 25%.
  
• Prices for healing and refilling needs have been significantly decreased.
  
• Weapon attachments now affect the weapon's stats by a flat amount, not by a percentage.
  

Balance

• Difficulty Presets have been adjusted to achieve parity between the Survivor and Hunter difficulties. The primary difference is that players will lose all equipment upon death on the Hunter difficulty. Please note that this adjustment is currently a work in progress, meaning that they are not fully aligned yet. Also, be aware that all changes made apply only to new game saves.
  
• Enemy now always drops armours on all difficulties.
  
• The number of wolves in each pack has been reduced, although the overall frequency of wolf pack spawns remains unchanged.
  
• HP of Wolves and Ghouls have been reduced for better close-range combat experience.
  
• All preset loadouts now come with a sidearm, as well as a bottle of vodka for tackling early game radiation. We also swapped out a loadout for a tactical operator loadout that comes with flashbangs. They are now revamped to align more closely with various playstyles.
  

Known Issues

• Grenades currently do not damage armour.
  
• Armours will now drop from NPCs regardless of the "NPC Drop Armour" difficulty setting. This change is intentional to ensure that existing game saves benefit from armour drops in line with new changes.
  

Correction on Glancing System and Crosshair Mechanics

• Red & Pink Crosshair: A red/pink crosshair indicates a narrower angle for full hits but doesn't solely guarantee glancing hits. Precise shooting can still achieve full hits. What this means is that in close-range combat with weapons that are not specialised for such range, such as Assault Rifles, you can still achieve a full hit so long as you shoot more accurately.
  
  Do note that this is not the case for long range weapons such as DMR or Sniper Rifles, as they should not be used for close-range-combat.
  

Illustration for Better Understanding

Elevating Combat to New Heights

Introducing Grenades

• Variety of explosive grenades
  
• Flashbangs
  
• Mines

Shooting System Overhaul (Gunplay 2.0)

AI Enhancement

• Flanking & Enemy Response: Players will benefit from a revised flanking system that allows for more strategic engagements. Quick repositioning after an attack can catch enemies off-guard, as they now react more slowly to being flanked, especially from behind or at a distance. Conversely, enemies will respond promptly if you attempt to re-engage from the last known position, incentivising varied tactics over repetitive peeks.
  
  
• Tactics: Enemy AI has been fine-tuned for more realistic engagements. Now, enemies will move into the effective range of their weapons before opening fire, and their vertical view distance has been reduced. This adjustment means enemies won't shoot at or show aggression towards players from off-screen, demanding more strategic positioning and awareness from both AIs and players in every encounter.
  

Introducing New Enemy Tiers

New End Game Faction

Other major additions and improvements

• Loadout Changes: Loadouts have all received a bit of love, each now coming with a sidearm, as well as a bottle of vodka for tackling early game radiation. We also swapped out a loadout for a tactical operator loadout that comes with flashbangs. All loadouts have been thoughtfully revamped to align more closely with various playstyles, ensuring that each one offers a unique and sensible approach to your adventures in Zakov. Expect further changes in future patches!
  
• New Calibre: Experience the impact of an entirely new calibre added to our ammunition options.
  
• New Weapons: Discover six exciting new weapons to enhance your arsenal.
  
  
• New Armours: Gear up with a range of new armours, each offering unique protection and style.
  
• New Experience Level: Push your skills further with a new experience level cap beyond “Master.”
  
• New Loading Screens for Each Map: Delve into each map with a unique visual introduction. Our update brings a new loading screen for every map, enhancing your journey into Zakov with distinct and immersive visuals. Here is a sneak peek at the loading screen of your favourite forest! Big shoutout to Roman Stevens for the amazing artwork!
  
  
• Improved Map Generation Time: Enjoy faster loading times, getting you into the action quicker than ever.
  
• Gameplay:
  
  
  
  • Changed default view distance.
    
  • Scopes now increase the maximum view distance.
    
  • Repair kits no longer need gunsmith skill levels in order to be crafted.
    
• Balance
  
  
  
  • Difficulty settings have been adjusted to create parity between “survivor” and “hunter”, with “hunter” difficulty now essentially being almost the same, but with the effect of losing your gear when you die.
    
  • All player needs refill values from bunker NPCs have had their costs drastically reduced from 4000 roubles (from empty to full replenishment) to 500 roubles to better accommodate early game play.
    
• Emission Changes: This update offers a reprieve between waves, allowing players to freely move across the map.

Insights into the Shooting System Overhaul

Weapon Effectiveness

Hit Outcomes

• Full Hits (100% damage): Achieved when engaging within a weapon's effective distance with accurate
  
• Glancing Hits (50% damage): Occur within a weapon's overall range but without precise cursor tracking, or when a weapon is used at suboptimal distances.
  
• Null Hits (0% damage): Happen when attempting to engage outside a weapon's total range, indicated by an 'X' on the crosshair.
  

Visual Feedback

Crosshair Dynamics

• White: Indicates within effective range, where precise cursor placement will result in full hits.
  
• Red: Indicates within an ineffective range, guaranteeing only glancing hits.
  
• Pink: Marks the edge of effective range. Glancing hits are more likely here, indicating you should adjust your position to return to full effective range.
  
• X Mark: Beyond effective range, resulting in null hits.

Cursor Placement

Recoil Mechanics

Gun Rebalancing

Change in Weapon Attachments Mechanic

Coming Next

A Note on Localisation

Special Note

Final Words

Hunters,

We can't believe how the time has flown by! A year has passed and we've grown our community to 50,000 members. To celebrate this moment we've compiled some of your game highlights and will be running giveaways across various social channels all week - be sure to keep an eye out. Thank you all again for an incredible year and we are excited to share what's coming VERY soon!

- Modern Wolf Team

Key Giveaways

Halloween Community Events

The Great Spider Hunt

Fan Art Competition