Howdy, cowboys! This major update brings a whole wave of changes — from a completely reworked skill system to a revamped Battle Pass (now called Tracks) and the long-awaited fishing feature!
And on top of that, the festive Winter Festival is already knocking on our door with its awesome rewards.
Let’s dive in and break everything down step by step.
Track – Your New Way to Progress
Let’s take a closer look at the new Track system and how it connects with the updated Skill Tree — together they form the core of your new progression path.
Skill Tree Revamped
The old stat setup is gone, replaced by a deeper, more immersive system that grows with you. Steady boosts to key stats, unique perks like fishing or letting your pet sniff out hidden loot — and that’s only the beginning. This new Skill Tree doesn’t just upgrade your character, it changes how you feel the entire game.
You’ll find the Skill Tree in your character menu by tapping the book icon in the bottom-right corner. Inside are three major branches — Headhunter’s, Wrangler’s, and Craftman’s Tracks. Each represents a different core aspect of the game and plays a vital role in shaping your survivor’s identity.
To level up these skills, you’ll need two resources: silver coins and the new Book resource. Books are earned by completing Track tasks, and together with silver coins, they’re used to unlock each new skill.
Tracks
The idea is simple and instantly familiar: complete tasks, earn points, claim rewards.
But here’s the twist — you can now have up to five Tracks running at the same time. That means more goals to chase and a whole lot more rewards across every corner of the game.
Tracks come in two types: Permanent and Thematic.
Permanent Tracks:
— Headhunter’s Track – delivers essential combat and exploration supplies.
— Wrangler’s Track – focuses on everything related to pets and mounts.
— Craftman’s Track – your source of crafting materials and resource-gathering tools.
— Frontier Trails Track – the familiar regional progression line you know from past updates; it disappears once you’ve fully cleared its adventure chain.
Thematic Tracks:
These are Seasonal Tracks that can appear both alongside major in-game events and in the breaks between them. Some are tied to celebrations, while others simply arrive as part of the regular seasonal rotation. They offer a wide variety of valuable rewards, including exclusive gear, decorations, and unique items you won’t find elsewhere.
A few key things to know about Tracks:
— The core Tracks (Headhunter’s, Wrangler’s, Craftman’s, and Seasonal) are cyclical and refresh every two weeks. The Winter Festival Track is an exception: it runs for 28 days, and you’ll learn more about it a bit later in this patch note.
— Books — the resource used to upgrade your skills — are found in almost all Tracks. Their quantity varies depending on the Track’s theme.
— To maximize your progress, you can grab the Premium and/or Elite passes, which significantly boost the rewards you earn along the way.
How it all works together
Tracks are now the backbone of your progression. Completing them is the main way to level up your skills — some will simply boost your base stats, while others unlock entirely new abilities, from fishing (more on that later) to handy perks like a chance to shatter ore with a single pickaxe swing
Think of Tracks as your permanent travel companion in Westland — always giving you something worthwhile to do, and always paying generously for your effort.
Important note for high-level players
You’re not losing your progress. When the new Skill Tree arrives, your character will receive a preset set of skills that reflects what you’ve already achieved in the game. Everything you’ve done so far will be taken into account, so your journey stays intact — even if some rare edge cases may behave slightly differently.
You’ll also be able to reset your Skill Tree anytime. Here are the key things to know:
— Some skills are permanent and can’t be reset, as they stay with your character regardless of how you rearrange the new Skill Tree
— Most skills can be reset — only a small number of them are marked as non-resettable
— Each skill branch comes with three free resets that return 100% of the Silver you spent, giving you plenty of room to experiment with different builds. After those free resets, any further reset will refund all your Books and 80% of the Silver used for that setup — so you can still try new combinations without losing everything.
So your progress stays with you — and you’ll be able to adjust to the new system without losing anything you've earned.
Fishing!
You’ve been asking for it for a long, long time — and we’re finally delivering, dear community. It's time to fish!
Fishing is a new skill in the Wrangler’s branch, and you can’t fish without learning it first — even if you somehow get a rod. Once the skill is unlocked, you’ll be able to craft fishing rods at the Tool Bench.
After that, all you need is a rod and the right spot. Fishing works only at special fishing areas in Tier 4+ locations, where you can catch fish to cook into new dishes or feed raw to your pets.
Here’s what else you should know about fishing:
— Remember that legendary repair fish? You can catch it now as an extra rare drop on top of your regular catch. Any body of water can yield it, though the chance is low. Cook it, and you’ll be able to use it for repairs — just like in the old days. It's called Buffalo Fish.
— Fishing spots appear in Tier 4 locations and above, and the fishing skill becomes available at level 70.
— Fishing rods, like every other tool, have durability. And yes — you can hit enemies with it. Definitely not the smartest idea… but hey, it’s your call.
Equipment & Pet Changes
With the new Skill Tree reshaping progression, we’ve also refreshed the balance for weapons, armor, and pets. The goal is simple: make all three systems work together naturally, reinforce each other, and feel more meaningful in every fight.
Weapons
Upgrading your weapons has always been important — but now it becomes a true part of your strategy. We’ve added more depth to combat: weapon damage now changes depending on who you’re fighting.
Here’s how the new system plays out:
— Rifles, sabers, spears, and harpoons deal extra damage to animals (up to +50%).
— Pistols, revolvers, and knives deal extra damage to bandits (up to +50%).
— Shotguns keep their iconic area damage, and now you can enhance it even further with new skills — one adds an extra enemy to each blast, and another widens the cone, letting you hit more targets in a single shot
In practice, this means every enemy type now has a “best counter.” Pick the right tool before heading out, and you’ll tear through threats faster, stay safer, and spend fewer resources on every encounter.
Pets & Pet-related quests
Baits are now unlocked directly through the Skill Tree, making it much easier to lure new animals into your squad. As you progress through the Wrangler’s branch, you’ll regularly unlock baits — at least for common animals — so you won’t fall behind just because you didn’t have the right lure. You’ll always have a way to bring a new furry companion on board
Vernon will also reward you with Wrangler’s Books whenever you turn in a tamed animal, giving you a steady flow of resources that feed right back into your skills and progression
To lure a specific animal, you simply learn the corresponding Wrangler skill first. The same logic now applies to horses as well: access to new horse tiers is also tied to Wrangler skills, giving their progression a clear and consistent place within the new system
We’ve also made several important adjustments to quests and events to make your pets and horses feel even more helpful and involved in your adventures:
— Hunting quests from the Task Board now ask you to bring a pet instead of carrying special hunting weapons.
— The Old Road event now requires a proper draft horse — only a strong workhorse can handle that load.
— The West Star quest now demands a riding horse with enough speed to catch a moving train.
Armor
We made a series of small but meaningful armor tweaks — and the biggest change concerns firearm resistance.
Previously, any piece of armor granted its firearm bonus to your entire body, so even a single item could cover you completely. Now this bonus applies only to the armor part you’re actually wearing, making protection more consistent and logical across gear slots.
To keep things balanced, the firearm resistance bonus on each piece has been doubled. For example, sets that used to provide their full resistance through several small bonuses now deliver it through stronger, slot-based values, without making you weaker overall.
Winter Festival 2025
Ho-ho-howdy, partners!
The holiday spirit is thundering across Westland! From December 5 to January 2, the Winter Festival brings a whole sleigh-load of rewards to unwrap.
Take part in four festive activities, earn Golden Trees (the event currency) for completing Winter Festival tasks, and gather Firecrackers you can trade for valuable items at Fred Hatter.
You’ll be showered with rewards: the fierce Snow Leopard, festive armor sets, a variety of unique ranch decorations — including the new Festive Wreath — and a whole bundle of other seasonal goodies.
⚠️ Please note
Your character must be at least level 25 to join the Winter Festival. Talk to Fred Hatter at your Ranch to begin the holiday questline and unlock the event locations.
Earn Golden Trees and Progress Through the Winter Festival Track
As we covered earlier, Tracks are the new heart of progression — and the Winter Festival is a full-fledged Thematic Track packed with unique rewards worth fighting for.
The idea is simple: complete festive tasks, earn Golden Trees, and climb the reward line to unlock increasingly valuable prizes.
Want to supercharge your progress? Grab the Premium and/or Elite reward lines — they boost the amount and quality of rewards without any extra effort from your side.
Get Firecrackers for Even More Rewards
Trade your holiday ornaments with Dee the Elf to get Firecrackers, then bring them to Fred Hatter to exchange for some of the most desirable event rewards — from festive weapons and powerful rings to rare treats like decorated chimneys, pet-module chests, and even the Icy Terror backpack.
Fred’s shop is packed with high-value goodies, so your Firecrackers will never go to waste!
Winter Festival Rewards
The Winter Festival comes with a sleigh-full of prizes — bright, festive, and genuinely exciting. Here’s what you’ll want to chase first:
— Snow Leopard — a rare fierce companion with a cool temper and a warm heart, always ready to leap into danger to protect its owner;
— Gifts with a Weapon — a festive present packed with one of the seasonal weapons inside; unwrap it and feel the holiday firepower;
— Santa’s Red Armor Set — a rare blueprint for Santa’s iconic red armor, giving your survivor both protection and undeniable holiday swagger;
— VIP — daily Coins, faster auto speed, and bonus perks that make your festival grind smoother and sweeter;
— And plenty of new festive Ranch decorations — from cozy holiday pieces to eye-catching showpieces that turn your Ranch into a true winter wonderland.
And this is just the start — the Winter Festival is bursting with rewards waiting to be unwrapped.
Event Traders
A whole cast of festive traders has arrived to make your Winter Festival grind more fun and more profitable:
— Fred Hatter — your main holiday vendor with festive weapons, armor, and Fair Sweets for a proper winter feast;
— Dum & Dee — the ever-busy Snowy Express elf couriers; Dum handles Factory Keys, while Dee deals in Firecrackers;
— Jan HacElhone — the one to visit when you’re hungry or thirsty, always ready to fuel your festive adventures;
— Ed Razortoes — the barber of the season, ready to give you a holiday-themed hairstyle to match your new gear.
Festive Activities
Tree Decoration
You’ve got the ornaments — now you need the tree! Cut one down at the Gift Factory, bring it to your Ranch, decorate it with toys you’ve collected, and enjoy daily deliveries from the Snowy Express.
How delivery works:
— Gifts arrive only while the Winter Festival is active;
— Deliveries happen once per day;
— To receive the next delivery, make sure to open the previous one;
— Upgrade your Festive Tree to boost daily rewards.
Gift Factory
Uncle Bill needs your help — Rampus’ gang has taken over the Gift Factory and is about to ruin the entire holiday season! Track them down across multiple locations, rescue up to five elves a day, and earn keys to chests packed with gifts.
Each elf carries a key with its own rarity:
— Common keys open brown chests;
— Uncommon keys open green chests;
— Rare keys open blue chests.
All chests contain festive tree decorations and valuable loot, with higher-tier keys granting better rewards. Need a different key tier? Dum will happily swap key rarities for you.
Snowy Express Station
Rampus isn’t done — now his thugs are hitting the Snowy Express Station. If it falls, winter in Westland might never recover. Gear up and defend it!
— Fireworks — use trigger fireworks to drive the bandits back;
— Barricades — the unique layout slows enemy advances and gives you breathing room;
— Gift Boxes — protect the crates at all costs; if they’re destroyed, the event fails and the holidays are spoiled!
Rampus’ Revenge
A week into the festivities, trouble escalates! Meet Corny — a pyromaniac loaded with the wrong kind of Firecrackers.
While you enjoy the festival, Rick will track down Rampus’ Lair. Once he finds it, it’s your opportunity to settle the score. Hunt Corny down and bring the holiday spirit back to Westland!
Festival’s Wheel of Fortune
Where Jill goes, the Festival Wheel follows. Earn Festival Chips in Winter Festival activities and spin for guaranteed holiday rewards.
The festive Wheel offers both its usual spin loot and milestone prizes after a set number of spins. Chase incredible rewards like the Reindeer, the cozy Gold Santa’s Key, and the Gift with a weapon. Celebrate in style while the wheel is running!
And don’t forget the grand prize — the Reindeer mount! A truly unique companion that reduces Energy cost by 20% when traveling between cold locations. Earn it guaranteed after 200 spins on the Wheel of Fortune.