Hello Survivors! 👨🏻‍🚀

A new update has arrived, bringing the first version of the Perk System to HIRAETH. You can now unlock permanent perks, activate up to three for each new run, and track your progress directly in the pause menu. Below is a quick overview of what’s new in this update.

New gameplay feature: Perks

Build your PERKs and strengthen your chances on Ahra Prime

This is the first stage of the perk system — more perks and multi‑tier versions are planned. For now, you can unlock five perks:

TITAN

Progress: total damage received by the player Effect when unlocked: +10% maximum health

AER

Progress: total oxygen consumed from EVA tanks Effect when unlocked: –10% oxygen usage

APOLLO

Progress: distance traveled on foot Effect when unlocked: +10% walking speed

WULKAN

Progress: number of crafted items Effect when unlocked: +10% crafting speed

BALOR

Progress: number of enemies eliminated Effect when unlocked: +10% weapon damage

A new game begins without any perks active

How Perk Progression Works

• Perk progression starts only when you begin a new game.

• Progress is reset upon death.

• Starting a another new game also resets progress — loading a save does not.

• Once a perk is unlocked, it is permanently assigned to your account.

• Unlocked perks are never reset and are always available for future runs.

• At the start of a new game, you can activate up to 3 perks from the ones you have unlocked.

Tracking Your Perk Progress

You can check your current progression in the pause menu (Escape):

• PERK PROGRESS — perks available to unlock and their current progress

• UNLOCKED PERKS — perks permanently assigned to your account (e.g., BALOR)

• PERKS IN USE THIS RUN — perks selected for the current playthrough

Additionally, perks active in your current run are shown in TAB / STATISTICS, below your character portrait.

New Steam achievements related to PERKs!

I’ve added two new Steam achievements for the PERK system:

• PERK: FIRST ACQUIRED – awarded for unlocking your first PERK, any of them.

• PERK: FIRST FULL SET – awarded for unlocking your first full PERK set.

Other Changes

Steam Cloud Save

Steam Cloud Save is now enabled. You should see the Cloud Status indicator on the game’s Steam page.

Weapon Flashlight Fix

Previously, the flashlight illumination could appear incorrectly after loading a save. This should now work as intended.

Correct Ammo Counting

A bug caused weapons not to fire when the magazine still had 1 round left. This has been fixed — weapons now fire correctly.

Reloading No Longer Shows Empty Magazines

Reload animations and UI should now correctly reflect magazine status.

EVA Suit Air Consumption Adjustments

Air usage has been updated based on the selected difficulty level.

Improved Save Loading (F6)

Previously, only saves matching the current game version were loaded. A new internal parameter now ensures older saves are skipped only when necessary, regardless of version number.

Improved Creature Inventory Content

Some creatures recently spawned incorrect loot (e.g., Slug missing meat/skin but containing ZED items). The game logic was correct — this was a confirmed Unreal Engine bug related to child actor class generation.

A failsafe has been added. Initial tests show it works, but full confirmation will come with broader player testing.

A similar issue may have affected chests and backpacks — this will be addressed in the next update.

Thanks for reading, Survivors

This update lays the foundation for the new perk system, and more improvements are already in development. As always, your feedback and reports are extremely valuable — they help shape every update.

Stay safe out there, Paweł