Hey Freerailers,

Welcome back to the train. This week's closed playtest brings a sizeable batch of changes across almost every system, economy, extraction, combat, progression, and more.

Server timings:

Open: 9 Apr 2026 11:00 UTC

Close: 13 Apr 2026 07:00 UTC

Here's what to expect:

Progression Reset

• Dagger items wiped (apart from the player vaults)

• Dagger buildings wiped

• dagger tech tree progression wiped

• skyhook inventory wiped

• character data wiped

• dagger energy wiped

Why the reset? As we are in pre-launch and active playtesting, we occasionally need to reset progress to implement new systems, balance gameplay, and ensure the smooth development of the game.

Fresh Visuals

We have done visual pass on multiple carriages. We've started iterating on the lighting, set dressing, and architecture to establish the visual identities of each carriage and variant. You might not notice all of the work done yet but more passes are coming, which will iterate on this and show visual progression.

• New Look for Junktown (Carriage C07)

The Economy Has Been Reworked

Terminology update:

• Blueprints → Schematics

• Blueprint scraps → Data

We've made a lot of adjustments here, and the tl;dr version is ‘getting started should feel less punishing’.

T1 weapons, SMGs, shotguns, drills, and armor, now cost fewer credits to buy, and you'll find them dropping more frequently in Third Class. Yes, they're more available now, especially early. We want you to be able to get into/survive fights without spending your whole run just trying to gear up.

Energy costs for printing schematics have been rebalanced too. Tier 1 schematics are cheaper to print: Tier 3 and above cost more. Higher-tier gear should feel like a meaningful investment rather than just a grind tax.

A few other economy changes worth knowing about:

• Blue trash bags now have a 10% chance to spawn throughout the train, and they're guaranteed to drop data . They're meant to be a more readable and reliable way to gather data as you move through carriages, keep an eye out for them!

• Gambling schematics now costs fewer scraps (the non category specific ‘random’ blueprint option).

• Meganodes now always drop 50 Uranium (up from 10). Yes, really.

• Toilets now drop ceramics in Class 2 and above (more in keeping than plastic).

• Converting Parts into data at a Research Station now only requires 3 Parts, down from 5.

NEW | Tutorial (Train)

We have added an early experimental version of a tutorial train which aims to introduce new players to Enginefall before jumping in to a Titan Train. This can be found on your Dagger Train when you 'select your destination'.

If you do check it out, be sure to leave your feedback on the Discord server so we can incorporate feedback as we develop it.

Titan Train Map

A massively requested feature has made its way onto the trains! This is an early and experimental version of the map and can be accessed by pressing 'M' in game.

This will show:

• Your location

• The levels of a carriage (mouse wheel to scroll through them)

• Locations of:

  • Skyhooks

  • Party Members

  • Base Cores

  • Extraction Points

  • Airlocks

  • Bedrolls

HUD & World Markers

• The two nearest extraction points now always show on your compass.

• Bedrolls and airlocks also appear as world markers on the HUD

So finding your way around the train should now be less guesswork especially for newer players.

Your Stuff Stays with You

Two big changes to how extraction and inventory work.

First: items are now kept on extraction. When you return from the Titan Train, everything you're carrying comes with you back to the Dagger. No more vaulting screen, which means you can choose where you store/use items.

Second: Overflow Inventory. If you travel with a loadout and leave items behind (as they are not compatible with the class you are boarding in etc), those items are stored in a new overflow inventory. You'll need to clear it before you can ready up again. This replaces the old vaulting flow; we think it's cleaner, more intentional and gives more control when partied up.

Combat & Containers

• A new grenade indicator is in; the incoming grenade warning has been improved so you can actually react to it.

• Searchable containers have had a significant overhaul:

  • Items now reveal one-by-one as you search, rather than all at once. You can open a container immediately and items populate as your character searches.

  • Empty containers now restock their loot over time, so revisiting areas can pay off.

  • Discovering rare items now plays a unique audio stinger based on rarity and type, so you'll hear when something good turns up.

We've also fixed a handful of container bugs.

ATMs & Audio

Two ATM bugs have been fixed:

• The deposit prompt was showing 0 credits

• The interaction prompt was missing when you had no credits available.

Both should behave correctly now.

We are happy to now have ‘Trace’ audio announcements play when you enter a carriage, which aims to add a lot to the atmosphere.

ASCII also has a new voice throughout the game.

Progression & Tech Tree

Fixed a number of issues surrounding tech trees.

We've also fixed a chain of issues with tech tree unlocks, schematics researched in the tech tree now correctly unlock at the Research Station, and Dagger tech tree research properly grants mission unlocks.

Performance & Tech

• EasyAntiCheat is now integrated and enabled.

• We've also updated NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR for smoother running and sharper looks

• Foliage density on the Low settings has been improved

• The first-person camera body has had a fidelity pass

• General stability improvements

That's everything for this week's playtest. As always, your feedback shapes what we work on next, make sure to leave us your thoughts on Discord.

See you on the train.