We’ve been hard at work creating new combat cards and character perks to provide even more options for varied and unique builds. In addition to fresh content, we’ve introduced several new features, including the combat auto-resolve option, which we covered in our previous devlog.

Finally, with numerous fixes and enhancements, The Dead Await is now more stable and polished than ever. We’re dedicated to delivering the best experience possible, and we can’t wait to hear more of your feedback! 🥳


We've introduced rare, epic, and legendary attack cards for all weapon types! A total of 24 new combat cards have been added, offering even more variety and power. Now's the time to dive into the apocalypse and search for every Book of Wisdom you can find.

Good luck, and may your journey be victorious!😉


We’ve added 16 new perks to enhance your gameplay! These new perks give you even more ways to customize your playstyle, making your weapon attacks deadlier, increasing your chances of eliminating negative status cards, turning attack misses into blocks, reducing the likelihood of being crippled, and much more...

With these additions, you’ll have even more strategic options to survive the apocalypse. Get ready to experiment with different combinations and find the perfect perks to suit your playstyle!


All it takes is one click, and the loot is yours!

While taking down zombies and bandits is always a blast (and who doesn’t love some sweet loot?), we know that once your group of survivors reaches higher levels, things can start to feel a bit repetitive as they breeze through enemies. That’s why this update is designed to shake things up...

Here’s how it works:

You’ll start with 5 auto-resolve points readily available, and you’ll earn a new point every day. Combat encounters that are well below your level will be marked as safe for auto-resolve, costing only a small amount of HP, ammo, and one auto-resolve point.

Enemies that are closer to your level will be marked as challenging and will require a bit more HP and resources to resolve.

However, if the enemy level is significantly higher than yours, or the encounter is tied to a contract or quest, auto-resolve will not be available.


Previously, enemy levels were hidden until the combat encounter, and each enemy had its own individual level within the encounter. We’ve redesigned this system so that now the entire enemy group has a single combat level, calculated as the average of the individual enemy levels.

Enemy levels are now also displayed next to their icons, and you can toggle this feature on or off in the game options for a more customizable experience.


You can now enable or disable the developer console directly from the game options. Pressing the [~] key will open the console, where you can view a list of available commands by typing /help.

If you find yourself stuck due to a bug or simply want to bypass a tricky situation, the console gives you the flexibility to do so. However, be careful as incorrect commands could cause crashes. If you're experiencing any issues, please reach out to us on the Steam discussions or Discord, and we'd be happy to assist you!


We’ve also added new details to the world, including fresh blood splatter effects, spider webs, and other atmospheric touches that bring the environment to life. Keep an eye out for these new additions as you explore and survive the apocalypse!


Maintaining your sanity is crucial for survival in the game. if your sanity reaches zero, it’s game over. To help you stay on top of your mental state, we’ve added additional warnings when your sanity starts to drop. You’ll now see a bright flash and receive a notification to ensure you don’t miss the warning.

We've also added a new poll to help us see which new features you're most interested in. So, go ahead and vote for your favorite one! 😇

Please keep in mind that The Dead Await is still in Early Access and we've only just began our journey together! We really hope to achieve much more with the help of our community 🙏

If we haven’t responded to your feedback yet, please bear with us a little longer. Thank you for your patience 🤍

v.0.8.4.2

ADDED:
• Added: a new combat card “Punch Barrage”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Firewind”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Lightning Slash”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Tactical Stab”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Fatality”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Shatter Strike”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Skull Cracker”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Momentum”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Brutality”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Ricochet”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Phantom Bullet”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Overcharge”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Surprise Blast”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Powerful Blast”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Epic Shot”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Obliterator”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Overclocked”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Hell Storm”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Echo Strike”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Blackout”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Split Second”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Steady Pulse”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Mercy Shot”.
  
• Added: a new combat card “Legendeye”.
  
• Enemy levels are now displayed next to their icons and can be toggled on or off in the game options.
  
• Added: dev. console mode [~] that can be toggled on or off in the game options.
  
• Added a new feature: auto-resolve battle.
  
• Added: a new perk “Shockwave”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Smoke & Mirrors”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Point Blank”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Bullet Storm”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Strong Legs”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Not Yet”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Extra Life I”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Extra Life II”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Extra Life III”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Vanish”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Escape Reflex”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Critical Mass”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Ruthless”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Death Mark”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Smile”.
  
• Added: a new perk “Spare Ammo”.
  
• Enhanced notifications and flash warnings for low sanity levels.
  
• A new poll to vote for new features.
  
• Added new details, including spider webs, blood splatters, and more.
  
• Added: cockroaches 😱
  
  FIXED / CHANGED:
  
  
• Changed: rebalanced existing combat cards.
  
• Fixed: an issue where the game would occasionally fail to launch in fullscreen mode.
  
• Changed: redesigned the method for setting enemy levels.
  
• Fixed: date format saving is now consistent across all system settings.
  
• Fixed: opening load/save menu with empty savegames directory causes crash.
  
• Fixed: spent ammo after combat wasn’t being deducted.
  
• Fixed: splash intro volumes are now adjusted based on the volume settings in the options menu.
  
• Fixed: a crash that occurred when dropping an item marked for trade/move.
  
• Fixed: in-game cutscenes were not functioning correctly when auto-pause mode was enabled.
  
• Other minor changes & fixes.

As a small indie team, there are so many ways you can help support us and the game.

• If you buy the game, please consider leaving an honest review on Steam! Reviews have a massive impact on indie games and we'd love to see your thoughts and experiences through a review.
  
• Sharing the game through word of mouth with family and friends or on social media with your followers can really help spread the word and give others a chance to discover their next adventure. So many indies are discovered with a simple share or casual discussion.
  
• Join the amazing community in our Discord[discord.gg] and follow us on Twitter to share in the excitement and get to know other great gamers looking to survive.

Good luck surviving!
- Shotx