[V3.0] Status Effects Get a Cleanup — Handling Infection, Bleeding, and Bandits

V3.0 gives the contents of the “buffs/debuffs (status effects)” that apply to the player a broad overhaul. While there aren’t many flashy visual changes, the elements that directly affect life and death—like infection, bleeding, and electrocution—along with how new enemies are handled, have changed. Here’s a rundown of the main changes for regular players.

Infection, Bleeding, and Electrocution Behavior Reworked

Until now, bleeding and electrocution damage were broken down into fine tiers depending on difficulty, but in V3.0 the system appears to have been simplified. The difficulty-based adjustments have been cleaned up, resulting in what is likely more straightforward behavior.

Infection has also had its internal calculation method changed, so the progression speed and ease of recovery are now handled as configurable values. This may make it easier to adjust the harshness of infection through the settings at the start of a game (sandbox/custom settings). Depending on the settings, it seems you can even disable infection entirely.

Handling Bandits

V3.0 is the update that introduces bandits as a new enemy. To go along with this, effects that previously worked on zombies and animals—such as stagger, stun, knockdown, and morale-related effects—have been adjusted to also affect bandits. It’s fair to assume that tactics aiming for the Stun Baton or knockdowns will work against bandits too.

Settings Options and Minor Additions

• In the settings at the start of a game, you can now toggle things like the early-game cold-weather clothing (Newbie Coat) and whether health/stamina increase on level up.
• “Just for fun” sandbox options have also been added, such as making faces bigger or smaller, or switching to a black-and-white screen.
• A fix ensures that heat and cold screen effects are correctly reapplied each time you respawn.
• A new mechanic related to church bells appears to have been added as well, but its detailed behavior is probably best confirmed through play.

Summary

The status-effect changes in V3.0 center on cleaning up the difficulty-dependent bleeding and electrocution, improved ease of adjusting infection, and having various effects apply to bandits. Rather than dramatic changes, it’s best to think of this as “raising the baseline for playability and clarity.” Since there are more settings options, anyone who wants to build their own preferred difficulty should take a look.

Corrections and Notes

• *Note: As of V3.0, bandits are not officially implemented in the game. Related settings exist in the data, but the corresponding code is commented out, so they are an in-development element rather than an enemy you can encounter in normal play. The internal adjustments making stagger, stun, and similar effects apply to bandits should be understood as groundwork in anticipation of future implementation. (Reflecting a reader comment’s point.)