Its the moment weve all been waiting for. After two and a half years in Early Access, four new major content updates, and plenty of minor updates and seasonal events along the way, Core Keeper is out now in 1.0! Were thrilled to welcome you all to the underground, whether youre brand-new to the world of Core Keeper or a veteran Explorer ready to dive into 1.0. So, lets take a look at what to expect from todays 1.0 release! [previewyoutube=BDeKh18TLSI;full][/previewyoutube]

The Full Game

This is it! Core Keepers main story arc is now complete and available to play through in its entirety. Thats not to say there wont be further updates were still thinking about new content and all the possibilities for the future of Core Keeper but if youve had the game on your Wishlist while you were waiting for it to come out of Early Access, nows the time to start your adventure.

New Content for 1.0

Weve added a whole host of new content to Core Keeper 1.0, both early and late game. The first thing youll probably notice is our new and improved world-generation system and world seed functionality. This allows players to customise certain parameters when starting a world to determine its features. You can change settings such as the number of caverns, ore density, and even biome chaos (which impacts the way individual biomes overlap). Our Early Access players will spot some changes to the Core and surrounding areas upon spawning in. Weve given the Core a little touch up and replaced the Hive Mother statue with a statue of Malugaz the Corrupted. Dont worry though, the Hive Mother is still waiting in the Clay Caves but, to balance the early-game experience, she is now considered an optional boss battle. As you progress through the Dirt Biome and early game, youll encounter new enemies, like the Shrooman Brute, plus tonnes of new loot and equipment! Delving deeper into the underground, youll uncover our brand-new Mage & Summoner combat styles and talent trees, which introduce a magic system for Core Keeper, new to 1.0. Your journey will take you far and wide, but fear not, our new Waypoint system allows for easier travel across the worlds many corners and caverns. 1.0 worlds have also shifted over to a finite model, which means, if you travel far enough, youll make it to our new endgame biome The Passage an area that enshrouds the underground, full of primordial creatures, threats around every corner, and mysteries to uncover. All this plus our new PvP functionality, three new hydra bosses, new cuddly companions, cattle, and more! For a full look at whats been added to 1.0, make sure to check out our patch notes here.

Will I Still Be Able to Play My Old Worlds at 1.0?

Early Access worlds have been re-named Classic worlds at 1.0 and, while you will still be able to access these, we strongly recommend that players start fresh new worlds going forward. 1.0 worlds will be the only place to experience significant 1.0 content, including The Passage biome, and these will be the main focus of development now that weve hit full launch. We know that many of you have been playing in the same worlds for a long time, and weve done our best to ensure that players can still enter and experience their Classic worlds now the game has launched in full, but for technical reasons, there are new 1.0 features that Classic worlds are unable to support. Please note that any new worlds created during our Steam Free Weekend are 1.0 compatible and you will be able to continue playing these now that the game has launched in 1.0

What Happens if I Played Core Keeper During the Steam Free Weekend?

If you played Core Keeper for the first time during the Steam Free Weekend, you will be able to pick right back up where you left off if you go on to purchase the full version of the game. For Early Access players who started new worlds during the Steam Free Weekend, these worlds are considered 1.0 worlds, and you will be able to continue exploring beyond the wall now that the game has launched in full.

Whats Next for Core Keeper?

Weve said it before and well say it again, we will be continuing to add to Core Keeper beyond 1.0. As a sandbox game, you can enjoy Core Keeper long after youve experienced the games main story arc, and well be building on this wonderful underground world with new content, quality-of-life improvements, and more! Well have lots more to share with you soon, but for now we can tell you that were looking into making more objects paintable (doors, anyone?) and considering some updates to everybodys favourite Sky Titan. Its been an incredible journey developing Core Keeper and we cant believe what an amazing and passionate community we have. Were very excited to welcome a whole new batch of Explorers to the underground and, if its your first time here, make sure you head over to our X page or our official community Discord to join the conversation, meet your fellow Explorers, and get involved in all things Core Keeper. We cant wait to hear what you think of 1.0!