Major Additions
New Battle Pass : 25 Unlockable Skins
A full cosmetic progression track has been added, featuring 25 new skins, including holiday-themed items and exclusive rewards for high-tier players.
New Progression System
A complete revamp of in-game progression. You now earn XP, unlocking cosmetic rewards as you level up.
Full UI Overhaul
The entire menu system has been redesigned from the ground up with improved clarity, navigation, and overall visual polish.
New Tutorial System
A brand-new, fully reworked tutorial teaches the fundamentals of movement, spells, objectives, class mechanics and game flow.
In-Game Chat (Lobby)
You can now talk with other players directly in the lobby through the integrated chat system.
Seasonal Content
It’s Snowing!
Winter weather has arrived snow now falls dynamically during matches for extra seasonal atmosphere.
Gameplay Changes & Balancing
Spell & Class Adjustments
Echomage activation cost reduced from 3 charges to 2 for Echostone.
Echomage now limited to 4 plants.
Item Interactions
Fake fertilizer no longer blocks spells.
Fake fertilizer now disappears after one day.
Invisible traps now disappear after two days.
Boosted fertilizer now spawns correctly for all player counts.
Speedboost no longer slows players after being stunned.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
Added descriptions for all spells.
Added a reconnect button after crashes.
Added clearer hitboxes for certain spells.
Lobby hosts can now modify lobby slot sizes from inside the lobby.
Keybind names are now properly translated (“Mouse0” → “Left Click”, etc.).
Improved movement smoothness and general multiplayer fluidity.
Performance Optimizations
General optimization pass across multiple systems. Expect 1.5× to 2× higher FPS on most configurations.
Improved network handling for smoother matches.
Bug Fixes
Major Fixes
Fixed players getting stuck when picking up the fake fertilizer simultaneously.
Fixed a bug where disconnecting during sabotage made defense impossible.
Fixed a bug where the owner could see players who disconnected/reconnected from any team.
Fixed obstacle restrictions being bypassed for certain spells.
Fixed voice chat issues that caused it to stop working periodically.
Fixed fertilizer dropping unexpectedly after pickup.
Fixed boosted fertilizer spawning only at the center tile in 6-player games.
Fixed bush sounds and pings not being affected by SFX volume settings.
Final Notes
This Winter Season Update brings major improvements across the board — new content, smoother gameplay, clearer UI, deeper progression and a full battle pass to unlock. Thank you for playing Garden Rivals, and enjoy the winter season!
