DEADWATERS

Welcome to Blackwater Landing. This update brings a richer swamp to explore, new threats emerging from the water, a complete collection of fishing rods, and improvements to fishing, progression and everyday play.

Keep your line steady—and keep an eye on the shoreline.

Explore Blackwater Landing

• A new swamp setting: explore misty backwaters, timber walkways, Moss Pond and the Drowned Grove, with a mill, grand dock and starter cabin along the shoreline.
• An inverted day/night cycle: changing light, fog and water transform the atmosphere throughout the day. Night offers a safer fishing window; daylight brings greater danger.
• A place to rest: use E to open cabin doors, sit at the table or rest in a bed. Either entrance door controls the linked pair.
• A living landscape: crows take flight when approached, trees sway in the wind, and fireflies, lantern moths, drifting leaves and low mist bring movement to the swamp.
• A richer soundscape: curious melodies with unsettling undertones accompany muddy footsteps, creaking timber, water sounds and distant wildlife.

Something Is Coming Ashore

• Meet the Bankmaw and Dredgewretch: two waterborne creatures can emerge from nearby water and pursue an unlucky angler.
• Listen for the warning: heartbeat cues and pursuit music signal an approaching threat.
• Use your surroundings: obstacles and closed doors can help protect you while you wait out a hunt.
• Stay alert after sunrise: daylight creatures hunt faster, longer and more frequently. Rare encounters can still happen at night.
• Fishing remains possible throughout the cycle. Dawn does not automatically end your cast.

Fishing & Equipment

• Ten distinct Blackwater Lake rods: work your way from Bankside Branch to The Last Millwright, with increasingly elaborate designs and visible rod flex.
• More tactical fish fights: read runs and reversals, manage line strain and use recovery windows to bring your catch home. Epic and higher encounters include an optional timed Counterstroke.
• Retuned early encounters: Common, Uncommon and Rare fish reward active tracking while leaving room to recover from brief mistakes.
• Improved casting presentation: more natural rod positioning, hand placement and casting motion.
• Instant line retrieval: retrieving or cancelling a cast immediately returns the hook, including while it is airborne.
• Protection against accidental cancellation: Right Click no longer ends an active fish fight. R remains available to deliberately retrieve your line.

Bait & Progression

• Bait within easy reach: open the bait drawer above your inventory to browse, buy and equip bait in one place.
• Clearer bait information: quality sections, previews, unlock requirements and low-stock feedback make choosing your next bait easier.
• Optional auto-restock: automatically purchase another pack when your selected bait runs out, provided you can afford it. This option starts disabled.
• Collection rewards: complete fish collections within each rarity and uncover bait preferences through your catches.
• Endgame equipment enhancements: continue upgrading the highest rod and hook through +10.
• Rod rarity access now consistently matches the collection level shown in the journal.

Fixes & Quality of Life

• Repaired walkway junctions, mini-dock approaches and the grand-dock ramp.
• Improved character grounding on terrain and docks.
• Refreshed map outlines and removed duplicate Dock and Cabin labels.
• Added the world clock beneath the minimap.
• Blocked underwater casting and ensured drowning ends an active fish fight.
• Improved full-bag cast feedback and line cleanup.
• Restored trading and tackle purchases for older saves containing retired fish.
• Added three multiplayer character slots per server world, with exact-name confirmation required for deletion.

Multiplayer: update your game before joining servers running Version 0.1.3.

Version 0.1.2.6 establishes the foundation of Dead Waters: Blackwater Mill, discover unusual fish, build your collection and turn each successful catch into better equipment.

Play solo or join other anglers as you work your way from ordinary catches to the rarest fish lurking beneath the surface.

Fishing Gameplay

• Charge-and-release casting: hold to build power, then release toward the water. Casting distance depends on your charge and equipped bait.
• Water-aware targeting: casting checks your aim, landing point and flight path, with feedback for blocked or unsuitable casts.
• Bite reactions: respond to a bite before the fish escapes. Better hooks provide additional reaction time.
• Tactical fish fights: track the fish, manage line strain and reel during openings while protecting your hook hold.
• Distinct fish behaviour: Runner, Weaver and Sinker styles give encounters different movement patterns and rhythms.
• A growing challenge: higher rarities bring faster movement, narrower tracking zones and more demanding strain management.
• Counterstroke opportunities: Epic and higher encounters offer an optional timed move that can interrupt a run and create a stronger recovery opening.
• Hidden identities: the fight reveals a fish’s rarity while keeping its species a surprise until it is landed.
• Predator encounters: an occasional predator can take a nearly landed fish and turn the encounter into a tougher catch.
• Instant retrieval: retrieve your line immediately, including while the hook is airborne.

Fish Collection & Records

• Nine rarity ranks: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, Cursed, Abyssal and Forsaken.
• Discover different species and collectible variants, each with its own journal entry.
• Track catch counts, personal-best weights and best sale values.
• Earn Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond medals for qualifying catches.
• Undiscovered fish remain concealed until you catch them.
• Rarity colours identify catches across the hotbar, journal and catch notifications, with animated highlights for the highest ranks.
• Catch size carries through to the fish you hold or drop into the world.

Angler Progression & Economy

• Earn XP from catches and additional rewards for discovering new fish.
• Gain angler levels and unlock more advanced tackle and bait.
• Sell carried catches through the dedicated Market / Sell page.
• Catch value reflects rarity and quality.
• Complete permanent goals, collection milestones and the Nine Waters achievement journey.
• Earn rewards for catching every collectible fish within each rarity.
• Collection records remain after selling your catches.
• Completed goals award their rewards once and retain their claimed status.

Rods, Hooks & Bait

• Purchase progressively stronger rods to improve control, response, hauling and protection.
• Better rods unlock access to higher fish rarities.
• Upgrade hooks for longer bite-reaction windows and additional escape grace.
• Maxed equipment remains visible in the shop.
• Start with free tackle and unlimited starter bait.
• Purchase bait packs with different size, weight and bite-timing trade-offs.
• Browse, buy and equip bait from the drawer above your inventory.
• Quality sections and clear level and hook requirements explain which bait is available.
• Enable optional auto-restock to purchase another pack when your selected bait runs out, provided it is eligible and affordable. This starts disabled.
• Research fish preferences through your catches: experiment with different bait to reveal what each species favours.

Roaming Waters Events

• Temporary Waters patches appear around the lake, offering opportunities to target particular rarities.
• Different event types vary in size, bite speed and rarity bonuses.
• Precision casts into the gold centre target the event’s rarity, subject to your equipment’s eligibility.
• Events disperse after their catch allowance is exhausted or their time expires.
• Arrival notices, direction and distance hints help you locate active patches.
• The map and minimap provide navigation and event information.
• A cast already landed in a patch retains its encounter bonus when that event expires.

Solo & Multiplayer

• Play solo or share a world with up to four anglers.
• Host or join custom multiplayer games, with an official-server option on the main menu.
• Create named male or female anglers.
• Keep up to three multiplayer characters per server world.
• Return to saved characters with their progression and equipment.
• Character deletion requires exact-name confirmation.
• Solo and server characters maintain separate progression.
• View connected players and communicate through in-game chat.
• Shared catch announcements celebrate successful catches with the angler’s name, fish and weight.
• Multiplayer fishing uses local controls while the server manages encounters, transactions and saved rewards.

Inventory & World Interaction

• Use a ten-slot hotbar to select your rod, catches and other carried items.
• Hold and inspect your catches, drop items and pick them up again.
• Contextual prompts identify nearby items and available actions.
• Players and thrown items can pass one another without blocking movement.
• Dropped items expire after five minutes.
• Explore the original lakeside environment, including the dock, watermill and starter cabin.

Saving, Settings & Quality of Life

• Separate solo save slots support independent adventures.
• Autosaving records catches, purchases, sales and progression.
• Backup recovery helps restore damaged primary saves.
• Character and save selection display useful progression summaries.
• Graphics options include resolution, window mode, quality, shadows, anti-aliasing, VSync and frame limits.
• Audio and camera options include volume, mouse sensitivity, inverted look and field of view.
• Display changes revert if they are not confirmed.
• Pause, help and save-and-return options are available through the menu.
• Right Click avoids accidentally cancelling an active fish fight; R remains available for deliberate retrieval.
• Full catch bags provide clearer cast-rejection feedback.
• Older saves containing retired fish can continue trading and purchasing tackle.