Following its official launch on September 29, 2026, developer Pengonauts and publisher Playstack have rolled out consecutive updates for their alien-invasion roguelike deckbuilder, Dicevaders. The game puts players in command of bosses from the StarVaders universe, challenging them to draft units, manipulate dice rows using Chrono and Budge, and defeat Earth's defending pilots.
This comprehensive changelog tracks the latest updates for Dicevaders, beginning with post-launch stability fixes and tracing back through the significant balance passes and commander rollouts during development.
1.0 Hotfix 1 Patch Notes
Released shortly after the full version went live on Steam and Nintendo Switch, 1.0 Hotfix 1 targets language display issues and font rendering across various regional localizations.
Bug Fixes
- Startup Font Loading: Resolved an issue where localized fonts failed to load automatically upon launching the game.
- Simplified Chinese Display: Corrected multiple text and font scaling bugs affecting Simplified Chinese gameplay.
- Japanese Character Fallback: Fixed an issue where the game displayed Chinese characters instead of Japanese glyphs when running under Japanese language settings.
Acknowledged Issues
The developers noted several known visual bugs currently slated for resolution in future updates:
- Period and decimal marks in Mult values occasionally overlap preceding numbers.
- The in-game F2 bug report tool displays text in a pink font.
- Text scaling issues persist in the Russian localization.
Demo Patch 1.0 Updates
Demo Patch 1.0 arrived immediately prior to full launch, adding broader language accessibility alongside interface adaptations designed for handheld platforms such as the Steam Deck.
Platform and Quality of Life Additions
- Language Support: Added full support for Traditional Chinese.
- Steam Deck UI: Increased default tooltip dimensions to improve legibility on handheld screens.
- Sound Mixing: Shifted the ambient soundscape audio track to the Music slider rather than the SFX audio channel.
- Bug Reporting: Added privacy policy disclosures directly to the F2 Bug Report interface.
Gameplay and Mechanical Fixes
- Target Value Scaling: Resolved a display glitch where sharp declines in defense target values triggered premature "Infinity" score notifications.
- Duoprism Interaction: Fixed an issue where artifacts without active triggers erroneously activated a second time when paired with Duoprism or other trigger multipliers.
- Monocle Behavior: Corrected an unintended interaction where Monocle continued functioning during MiniDice sequences.
- Shop Spell Inventory: Fixed a bug that permanently removed specific spells from shop drafting pools after they were frozen and cast.
- Controller Improvements: Polished controller drafting navigation and fixed input anomalies inside the Compendium.
- Visual Shaders: Resolved a shader glitch where certain interface buttons remained highlighted without cursor hovering.
Demo Patch 0.95a Changes
Demo Patch 0.95a prioritized localization accuracy, audio implementation, and game-state softlocks across the opening chapters.
- Audio: Added the finalized versions of the original soundtrack.
- Modes: Introduced a dedicated "Completionist" mode within the settings menu.
- Tutorial Stability: Fixed a softlock that prevented players from quitting to the main menu following a loss during the initial tutorial run.
- End-of-Demo Screen: Resolved a bug where the "Demo Complete" panel failed to display after finishing all available demo challenges.
- Localization Polish: Updated numeric scaling and font rendering for Korean, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese languages.
- Unit and Artifact Fixes: Corrected Warped Spitter occasionally appearing as an unintended unit, removed an obsolete legacy effect lingering on the Dragon unit, and restored missing nested tooltip tags across several artifacts.
Major Update: Demo 0.9 & The Duchess Balance Overhaul
The 0.9 update (which combined internal Beta 0.8 and 0.7 development branches) brought the debut of The Duchess alongside an extensive balance overhaul touching dozens of units and artifacts.
The Duchess Commander Debut
The update unlocked The Duchess, introducing a chess-themed tactical archetype. Her mechanical unit pool features the Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, and Pawn, giving players distinct spatial grid and scaling mechanics.
New Features and Settings
- Solar Visualizer: Added an interactive scoring visualization panel.
- Victory Panel: Added post-game analytics and run performance statistics.
- Compendium Expansion: Added collection tracking, sticker displays, and completion percentages.
- Sandbox Settings: Added custom sandbox configuration options.
- Strategy Guide: Added an unlockable in-game strategy reference manual tied to overall progression.
- Pause Counters: Added real-time tracking within the pause menu showing unit score counts and artifact trigger counts.
Artifact and Unit Balance Pass
The update adjusted core shop progression alongside extensive mechanical reworks:
| Category | Adjustments and Balance Changes |
|---|---|
| System Balance | Shop rarity scales 20% slower, making higher-tier items rarer across all drafting stages. |
| New & Relocated | Added the Full House artifact. Removed Watcher and Boombox from the demo build, designating them as Constellation-Unique artifacts in the full release. |
| Tier Promotions | Oozone, Solman, Torpedo, and Wicked Mirror were promoted to Legendary rarity. Wicked Mirror chance scaling increased from 3% to 5% per level. |
| Mechanical Reworks | Pentagram: Multiplies Mult. Deus Ex: Cannot be moved by triggers; grants substantially higher Mult. Egg: Spawns a Dragon upon activation. Wastromancer: Directly levels up your starter commander perk. Toymaker: Spawns exact copies of the next drafted unit. Cuckoo Clock: Grants +2 Chrono tokens with reduced Mult output. Engi89: Now generates slow-scaling DicePower exclusively. Titan Migo: Scales attack power based on non-Migo units on the board. Wormhole: Grants +3 Chrono and scales Mult. Deadringer: Grants a 75% respawn chance without consuming Budge. Warped Airship: Multiplies Mult output. Warped Swarmer: Spawns additional Swarmers based on skipped turns. Warped Hivemind: Switches to linear scaling, multiplying Mult at round completion. |
| Buffs | Increased Mult or STR scaling on Angel Feather, Worldeater (+Cash), Book of Death, Cryptic Pattern, Gemstone, Greenhouse, The Bait, Compost, Nemesis (higher base STR for AutoBombs), Fish Legs, Saterpillar, and Red Valve. |
| Nerfs | Commonwealth: Reduced to +2 Repeats (down from +3). Strange Portal: Reduced spawn to 2 Warped units. Pitchfork: Base STR output reduced. Wroodmother: Now requires 3 scored units per DicePower (down from 4). Acid Town: Starts with 1 scored unit. Bone Eater: Grants +50% STR instead of doubling values. Warped Echo: Limited to 3 trigger charges. Warped Vengoid: Shares 50% of STR. Super Migo: Restricted to triggering during or before BaseDice phases. Piggybank: Demoted to Rare rarity. |
| Trigger Rules | Gemstone and Antimatter now activate when exiting the shop interface instead of at round start. The Clone ability no longer triggers "On Buy" secondary perks. |
Early Updates: Patch 0.76b and Beta 0.5
Prior to the pre-launch demos, Pengonauts used Beta 0.5 and Patch 0.76b to construct core infrastructure and UI elements.
Patch 0.76b Highlights
- Added an exit prompt feedback form to collect playtest notes.
- Resolved a game engine crash involving Acid Town triggers on an empty unit grid.
- Addressed button graphical states and refined Chinese and French localization strings.
Beta 0.5 Highlights
- Hex Prince Commander: Introduced The Hive's commander alongside 13 unique Warped units.
- Grid and System Tools: Added TAB overlay info displays, Save Profiles (allowing tutorial replays), and red UI highlights when Budge or Chrono pools run out.
- Grid Restrictions: Prevented Cramped Grid encounters from rolling Universe or Hexafoil modifiers.
- Unit Updates: Reworked baseline stats and mechanics for Vengoid, Slusho-Max, Eldritch Tome, Bone Eater, and Super Migo. Buffed Warped Rusher by adding +1 Repeat.
Where to Report Bugs and Check Future Notes
Players encountering issues such as font alignment errors or visual decimal bugs can report them directly via official developer touchpoints:
- In-Game Diagnostic: Press F2 while playing to bring up the automated bug reporting tool.
- Steam Hub: Check the official Dicevaders Steam Community Hub for hotfix announcements and community feedback threads.
- Official Website: Visit the developer portal at pengonauts.com for project roadmaps and community Discord links.
