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Steam News28 April 20262mo ago

UPDATE #42: Horn Of Taint

Sometimes a feature just clicks... and suddenly the game opens up in a completely new way. UPDATE #42 is one of those moments. With the Horn of Taint, you're no longer just reacting to danger. You can call it. Shape it.

In this update5

Full notes

Full First Dwarf update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

4 fixes3 additions6 changes1 removal
  • Gameplay
  • Events
  • Balance
removedSometimes a feature just clicks... and suddenly the game opens up in a completely new way. UPDATE #42 is one of those moments.With the Horn of Taint, you're no longer just reacting to danger. You can call it. Shape it. Push it as far as you dare - and see if your defenses can actually handle what you've unleashed.
changedSometimes a feature just clicks... and suddenly the game opens up in a completely new way. UPDATE #42 is one of those moments.And while you're experimenting with the Horn, we've been tightening the world around you - from smarter spawning systems to settlers who finally show how they actually feel about life on these islands.
changedNEW STRUCTURE: Horn Of Taint 😈Horn of Taint can be unlocked in the Scholars’ Guild technology tree.
changedHighlightsIf you carry items for Val’s gathering quests, she’ll wave at you when nearby and an alert will appear above her.
changedHighlightsImproved monster spawning system - monsters should now always spawn correctly from their nests.
changedHighlightsIncreased the maximum number of animals roaming the island.

First Dwarf changes

removedWith the Horn of Taint, you're no longer just reacting to danger. You can call it. Shape it. Push it as far as you dare - and see if your defenses can actually handle what you've unleashed.
changedAnd while you're experimenting with the Horn, we've been tightening the world around you - from smarter spawning systems to settlers who finally show how they actually feel about life on these islands.
changedHorn of Taint can be unlocked in the Scholars’ Guild technology tree.
changedIf you carry items for Val’s gathering quests, she’ll wave at you when nearby and an alert will appear above her.
changedImproved monster spawning system - monsters should now always spawn correctly from their nests.

Sometimes a feature just clicks... and suddenly the game opens up in a completely new way. UPDATE #42 is one of those moments.

With the Horn of Taint, you're no longer just reacting to danger. You can call it. Shape it. Push it as far as you dare - and see if your defenses can actually handle what you've unleashed.

And while you're experimenting with the Horn, we've been tightening the world around you - from smarter spawning systems to settlers who finally show how they actually feel about life on these islands.

Changelog UPDATE #42

NEW STRUCTURE: Horn Of Taint 😈

  • Horn of Taint lets you summon a monster wave on demand:

    • Provide an offering - up to 3 crafting items. Different combinations influence the wave’s monster roster.

    • Fuel it with additional items - the more you use, the stronger the wave.

  • Choose which wave type to summon (Infestation or Raid).

  • Set the monster tier of the wave.

  • Horn of Taint can be unlocked in the Scholars’ Guild technology tree.

Highlights

  • Plant popups now display status after the name (Regrowing, Harvestable).

  • If you carry items for Val’s gathering quests, she’ll wave at you when nearby and an alert will appear above her.

  • Improved monster spawning system - monsters should now always spawn correctly from their nests.

  • Increased the maximum number of animals roaming the island.

  • Improved animal respawning - when more animals of different types die, they now respawn faster in their nests.

  • Added a crafting recipe for Dark Stones (unlocked via the Essence Collector).

  • Fireplaces in community huts are now visibly smoldering.

Fixes & Balance

  • The Raven Watchtower now increases settlers’ maximum happiness by 10.

  • Fixed an issue where settlers could drift or slide on the ground.

  • Fixed dungeon monster spawners on the second island - some nests were not triggering properly.

  • To unlock further technologies in the Scholars’ Guild, you must now first unlock the Taint Collector.

Settler Changes

  • Added new idle animations for settlers with low happiness:

    • Heavy sigh with slumped shoulders.

    • Dismissive hand wave.

    • Kicking a stone.

    • Sitting sadly.

  • Added new idle animations for settlers with high morale (more ways to boost happiness coming soon):

    • Admiring the view.

    • Cheerful whistling.

    • Deep breath.

    • Sitting happily.

  • Polished other settler animations.

As always, thank you for being here with us and helping shape the game with your feedback and ideas.

We're not slowing down - more updates are already in the works, and we'll keep pushing things further step by step.

Now go ahead... ring the Horn. And see what answers 😈

Star Drifters Team

Source

Steam News / 28 April 2026

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