Block 2 Timeline, Deep Jungle Endless Hunt, Cooking Minigame & Future Updates

One of the biggest questions we've been receiving since Early Access launched is simple: "When is Block 2 coming?" Today, we'd like to share our current roadmap, some of the major features we're working on, and where we expect Tamer to be headed over the coming months.

THE BIG QUESTION: BLOCK 2

One of the biggest questions we've seen since Early Access launched is:"When can we expect Block 2?". We've been seeing this question everywhere, and we're excited to finally share a little more about where things currently stand.

While development timelines can always shift during Early Access, we wanted to provide the most transparent estimate we can at this stage. Block 2 is already in an alpha-playable state internally, but it still needs to be updated with many of the new systems and improvements we're building, including taming and fort-building minigames, cooking minigames, additional side content, and other gameplay enhancements that are being integrated across the entire game.

This expansion is also going to be applied to the Block 1 content you’ve already received, which will significantly increase the amount and quality of content available in Tamer beyond what was initially planned.

Based on our current planning, our very conservative estimate is:

• July 2026: Combat difficulty settings, additional combat improvements, NSFW updates

• August 2026: Deep Jungle Endless Hunt (more below)

• AddedSeptember 2026Core new gameplay systems (taming, cooking and fort building minigames, combat improvements, etc. detailed below) completed and integrated.

• October 2026: Additional Block 1 content, quest updates, and system improvements released.

• December 2026: Target window for Block 2 content (Sheela romance, additional Galmine and Trel romance quests).

These dates are intentionally cautious and may change as development continues, but we'd rather under-promise and over-deliver than the other way around. As always, we'll continue sharing progress and keeping everyone informed as we move forward.

But we want to give you more to do ASAP. So with that, we’d like to introduce you to…

DEEP JUNGLE ENDLESS HUNT (ROGUELIKE Dungeon Crawl)

As we continue expanding Tamer, we wanted to create a new way for players to test their skills, earn exclusive rewards, and continue progressing beyond the current story content. Because of that, a feature originally planned for much later in development is being moved to the front of the roadmap: the Deep Jungle Endless Hunt!

This new game mode is a Survival Roguelike that takes place deep within the most dangerous region of Dinosaurland. Players will first encounter the Deep Jungle as part of Block 2's story content, making this mode an early glimpse into one of the deadliest locations still waiting ahead.

Upon reaching the current end of the available story content, you'll unlock the Deep Jungle Endless Hunt. From there, you'll be able to access it by leaving the fort through the gate.

Once you activate the hunt, you'll be dropped directly into the Deep Jungle and challenged to survive against endless waves of increasingly dangerous dinosaurs. Every run is an opportunity to push farther, improve your strategy, and discover just how long you can survive against overwhelming odds.

Our goal is to make this mode feel meaningful, not just endless. The deeper you push into the hunt, the greater the rewards you'll earn. Eventually, exclusive outfits, cosmetics, achievements, trophies, and other unlockables will be tied to your performance, giving players long-term goals to pursue and reasons to keep coming back.

The Deep Jungle Endless Hunt is also intended to grow alongside Tamer itself. As we continue expanding and refining combat, we'll introduce new enemies, encounters, rewards, random events, gameplay modifiers, and additional challenges to keep the experience fresh throughout Early Access and beyond.

Combined with the new Chapter Select system, the Deep Jungle Endless Hunt will ensure that every major update gives players something new to explore, master, and earn, even as we continue building toward future story content.

COMBAT DIFFICULTY, COOKING MINIGAME, AND FORT SYSTEMS

In addition to the Deep Jungle Endless Hunt, you can expect several major additions to Tamer over the coming months, beginning with new combat difficulty options.

The current version of Tamer will become the default Casual difficulty, allowing players to enjoy the story, characters, and adventure at a relaxed pace.

For players seeking a greater challenge, Normal difficulty will feature more aggressive dinosaurs, increased damage, improved enemy behavior, and other balance adjustments that place a greater emphasis on combat mastery, character progression, equipment upgrades, and consumable buffs.

Finally, we'll be introducing Hardcore difficulty. In this mode, dinosaurs will hit significantly harder, survive longer, and punish mistakes much more severely. Hardcore will continue to evolve throughout Early Access as we gather player feedback and refine the experience, but we know many of you are eager for a true challenge, so we want to get it into your hands as soon as possible.

We're also adding new combat mechanics that make encounters feel more reactive and dynamic, giving dinosaurs additional ways to counterattack and encouraging players to engage with combat systems beyond simple button-mashing.

Of all the major systems we've previously discussed, the Cooking System will be the first to arrive.

It's important to note that both the Cooking and Fort Building features are designed as integrated minigames that support Tamer's story, progression, and daily gameplay loop rather than standalone survival-sandbox systems.

Throughout your adventure, Galmine will provide optional gathering requests that encourage you to hunt, fish, forage, and collect ingredients from across the island. At the end of the day, those ingredients can be transformed into hearty meals for yourself and the tribe. Beyond simply providing food, each recipe offers unique benefits and bonuses that can aid you in combat, exploration, and survival, while making the fort feel more alive as you help provide for the community around you.

Recipes will feature a variety of primitive cooking techniques, including hot-stone searing, flint-knife filleting, mortar-and-pestle preparation, roasting, smoking, and more. Our goal is to create a system that feels rewarding, immersive, and cozy while still serving an important role in your overall progression.

The Cooking Minigame is expected to arrive in September alongside the first wave of Fort Building minigames and Defense systems. As development continues, these features will be integrated into the existing Block 1 content before we begin releasing Block 2 and beyond.

Each of these systems is being designed not only to expand future content, but also to enrich the days that players are already experiencing today.

NSFW SYSTEM UPDATES

We're also continuing to improve and expand Tamer's romance content.

Within the next month or so, we plan to introduce a new Cinematic Mode for romance scenes. Players who prefer a more cinematic experience will be able to sit back and enjoy professionally directed camera movements and scene framing, while those who prefer a more hands-on approach will still be able to take manual control at any time.

We're also working on visual improvements to several existing systems, including updates to fluid effects and other presentation elements to improve overall quality and immersion throughout the game's romance content.

OUTFIT REWARD PREVIEW

Customization is another area we plan to expand significantly throughout Early Access.

Here's a preview of one of the upcoming outfit sets, Blind Bunny, which will be available in both black and white variants:

As a thank you to everyone who supported Tamer during its original $40 Day One launch period, both the Blind Bunny and Pajama Party outfit sets will be provided free of charge to qualifying players who purchased Tamer during the original Day One launch period at the original $40 price point.

IF YOU HAVE NOT REACHED OUT TO US YET and purchased the game on Day One at it's original price, please do so by the end of of this month (June). For direction on how to claim your rewards please see the end of this post: View on Steam We expect the Blind Bunny set to arrive around the beginning of July, with the Pajama Party set following shortly afterward.

Beyond these two promised rewards, we plan to continue expanding character customization throughout Early Access with a combination of achievement-based outfit unlocks, in-game cosmetic rewards, and optional DLC outfit packs. Our goal is to give players more ways to customize their favorite characters while also providing meaningful rewards for progression, exploration, and completing challenges throughout the game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

To summarize, here's what we're working toward over the next several months:

• Blind Bunny and Pajama Party outfit rewards for qualifying $40USD (or equivalent) Day One Supporters (July). Can be purchased as DLC if you didn’t buy the game at this price.

• Normal and Hardcore difficulty settings, combat improvements, and enemy AI updates (July)

• Deep Jungle Endless Hunt Survival Roguelike mode (August)

• Cooking Minigame, Fort Building Minigames, Fort Defense Minigames, and other major gameplay systems integrated into Tamer (September)

• Additional Block 1 quests, activities, romance content, progression updates, and system improvements (October)

• Block 2 content expansion, including Sheela's romance route and additional Galmine and Trel content (Current target: December 2026)

We'll continue updating our roadmap each month as development progresses. Player feedback, testing results, and the occasional development hurdle may influence priorities and timelines along the way, but our goal is to remain transparent throughout Early Access and keep everyone informed about what we're working on, what has changed, and what players can expect next.

Thank you all for your feedback, bug reports, suggestions, screenshots, videos, reviews, and support during Early Access. Every report we read and every conversation we have with the community helps shape the future of Tamer. We're building this game alongside you, and we're excited to continue expanding Dinosaurland together.

If you're enjoying Tamer and like the direction we're taking the game, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with friends. Every bit of support helps us continue growing the game and reaching new players.

See you in Dinosaurland!

Much Love, and Dinosaurs Ride the Lion Studios