White Knuckle Patch Notes — April 17, 2026
Aggregated from Steam, cross-tracked with Battle.net coverage on GamePatchNote.
Hello Climbers!
Happy Birthday White Knuckle! To celebrate our one year anniversary for being in early access, we have put together a massive Anniversary Update with QOL features, entirely new systems, massive reworks, and much more!
White Knuckle Daily Deal! (25% Off)
But before we get to details, WE WILL BE ON SALE today, April 17th, for the lowest price we will likely be for a long time. So, if you haven't picked up the game yet, or have a friend who wants it, now is the time!
Onwards to the changes!
White Knuckle Beta 0.55
To celebrate our anniversary, we've reworked and tweaked so many systems in White Knuckle, to make progressing through the campaign more engaging for first time players, to add extra challenges to those that desire more difficulty, a new Challenge map, QOL and optimization across the rest of the game, and much, much more..
Modify your playstyle, with the new Trinkets and Bindings system.
Trinkets provide minor buffs to the player, and Bindings add massive hinderances.
Using Bindings allows you to start with extra Trinkets, and will add to your score multiplier at the end of runs. Challenge yourself to reach new heights in the leaderboard, or pick up a Trinket if you need a bit of help!
Radically change your playstyle, break limbs, stack items, and compete for higher scores than ever before.
Unlock more of both as you progress through the campaign, with more planned to come as we release further updates for White Knuckle.
11 New Trinkets
7 New Bindings
Something we've wanted to do for a long time was to make collecting Roaches in your run meaningful. Prior versions of White Knuckle had a big problem, where once you had enough roaches banked you would essentially never have to make decisions about what to buy or save money for again.
This has always felt wrong, and finally with all the other metaprogression systems we were adding did we have something we could do about it!
Your Global Roach Bank has become your Facility Credit Bank!
Facility Credits are used to purchase Permanent Upgrades to each safe sector in the campaign.
In a run, Roaches are used to buy Items, Perks, and More!
When your run ends, all banked roaches become Facility Credits.
But don't worry, there are ways to convert Facility Credits back into roaches, in a more limited capacity:
At the start of a run, you receive a transfer of roaches from your Credit pool, starting at 5 but upgradeable to 20!
During a run, you can use Roach ATMs to convert your credits into roaches directly using disks, with higher tiers of disk allowing you to withdraw more roaches!
In addition, for those who like Endless Mode, there is an Unlimited Roach mode and leaderboard for all Endless modes for anyone who wants to just keep stacking perks and flying into the ether.
When you load into the update, all banked roaches in Campaign and Endless pools will be merged into your Facility Credit bank!
The Superstructure has been retrofitted with automated maintenance and construction routines, which allow you to permanently modify your safe rooms, adding extra meta-progression between runs.
All New Permanent Upgrades
The Recycler
Recycle items into roaches, or roaches into even more roaches. Yes. You heard that right. Roaches recycle for 1.5x their value! (rounded up)
Item Lockers
Item lockers let you save most items for a later point in your run, or even for future runs. Have an extra injector? and no room? Future you will be eating good. Or, uh, injecting good?
Roach ATM
With the changes to the roach economy, and the introduction of Facility Credits, you may wish to convert stashed credits into useable roaches for your run. With a disk, you can do so at the Roach ATM.
Higher Tier Vendor
Only want pills, grubs, and injectors? With the power of simply installing a better vending machine (and having the funds) you too can enjoy these luxuries easier than ever!
\
hey frie.nd. trade. yes. bargain. easy. you give. i give. de.als..
And More!
Interlude: Ascent gets new alternatives!
You've beaten Ascent one time, ten times, one hundred times, one hundred thousand times (probably), and now you can beat it again with two extra radically different variants that get added to the pools as you progress deeper into the campaign.
A Whole New Challenge Map: Boost Course.
Practice leaping and soaring in the all new Boost Course, where Rebar and Flare boosting is the name of the game.
Unlocked when you reach the Abyss.
The Nest
The Habitation x Jungle crossover we've all been waiting for. Coming... Pretty soon actually?!?
After that, a whole slew of new stuff, and further expansion on the new systems added with the Anniversary Update. New Trinkets, Bindings, Facility Upgrades, and beyond!
Thank you all so much for everything, for the last year.
We wrote a retrospective to give some context to every update, and to show our sincerest of gratitude. Check it out!
-Dark Machine Games
As a heads up, Most Leaderboards are being RESET! This is going to be a fairly short leaderboard cycle before the Nest drops, so get in while you can!
You can still see the old boards and score on them if you opt into the 0.54 beta branch on Steam, but due to the larger changes to the Campaign and Endless we will be resetting the main boards. (until we hit 1.0!)
On to the changelog!
Trinkets & Bindings
11 New Trinkets
Larger Pack
Increases your carrying capacity by 2.
The Beta
+15% Reach.
Carabiner
Placed pitons are more firmly set. While holding onto a placed piton - Reduced stamina drain, Increased jump height.
Chalk
-10% Stamina Drain.
Employee ID
Should keep you safe from most security systems.
Gold Nugget
Worth a pretty penny when recycled.
Head Lamp
A low quality flashlight, no crank required.
Mass Damper
A carved amulet. Slows all Mass forms by 15%.
Vial of "Moon Rocks"
-10% Gravity.
Yearning Photo
+10% climb speed.
Extra Pouch
Provides an extra utility pouch to your inventory.
7 New Bindings
Half Inventory
-50% Inventory Capacity.
High Gravity
+50% Player Gravity
No Perks
You cannot purchase perks.
No Shops
All vendors are sold out (Including Disk vendors!)
Pitons And Beans
You can only find Pitons and Cans of Food.
Survival Mode
Adds a hunger bar, injuries, and vastly increased fall damage. Break everything.
Weakened Arms
Reduces your stamina by half.
Facility Upgrades
Each Safe Area is now upgradeable with all new systems and machines.
All New Permanent Sector Upgrades
The Recycler
Recycle items into roaches, or roaches into even more roaches. Yes. You heard that right. Roaches recycle for 1.5x their value! (rounded up)
Item Lockers
Item lockers let you save most items for a later point in your run, or even for future runs. Have an extra injector? and no room? Future you will be eating good. Or, uh, injecting good?
Roach ATM
With the changes to the roach economy, and the introduction of Facility Credits, you may wish to convert stashed credits into useable roaches for your run. With a disk, you can do so at the Roach ATM.
Extra Vendor
Install a second vendor in relevant safe areas.
Higher Tier Vendor
Only want pills, grubs, and injectors? With the power of simply installing a better vending machine (and having the funds) you too can enjoy these luxuries easier than ever!
Ration Vendor
Tier 1 provides a free Can of Food, and Tier 2 provides a free Food Bar.
HUNGER?
hey frie.nd. trade. yes. bargain. easy. you give. i give. de.als..
Lets you fix the Rho altar in Interlude: Evacuation
Sector Maintenance
Clean up Interlude Lockdown, fix the broken ladder.
All New Permanent Global Upgrades
Biomod Oversupply
Lets you reroll perks for a cost (5 Roaches)
Starter Loan (10/15/20)
Improves how much starting Roaches you withdraw from your credit pool.
Pouch Trinket
Unlocks the Pouch trinket.
Work Gloves (Used/New)
New Cosmetic Gloves!
Ornamental Hammer (Auction)
New Cosmetic Hammer! Very expensive!
Perk Changes
Balance Changes
Piton Enthusiast
Actually good now.
Changes your pitons to have a special heart shape.
Your pitons now boost you dramatically when jumping off of them.
Overwhelmed
Halves your stamina.
Back Strengtheners
Increases your carrying capacity by 4.
Quality of Life
Perk icons now show in your pause menu, and can be hovered. They can also be hovered in the score screen.
New Challenge: Boost Course
Practice your boosts with the all new Boost Course challenge map!
Alternate Interlude: Ascents
I2-02
Unlocked upon reaching the Abyss
I2-03
Unlocked upon reaching the Nest
Scoring Changes
At the end of your runs, your score is now more than a simple Speed x Distance calculation. Kill Breeders, Recycle cans, find secrets, and more!
Leaderboard Changes
You can now view extra details on individual score submissions, including info on their perks, distance, playtime, etc.
Other Changes
Inventory
Inventory visuals have been adjusted, with a new 'Capacity' circle that grows as you fill your inventory with items, until it maxes out and you hit your encumbrance cap.
The Command Console has been massively revamped, with easier autofill, a new look, many many new commands, and much more!
Much much faster load times into the game.
New Settings
No Post-Processing (Should help with performance on lower end machines)
Focus Mode (Key Binding)
Lets you focus non-handhold interactable when held down. Useful for grabbing items in a pinch without grabbing a hold next to them.
Bugfixes
So many, but here's a few:
- Removed candle collision in Rho challenge rooms
- Fixed challenge room monolith being hittable with projectiles (rebar, flare gun...)
- Fixed pulse organ/overwhelmed jumps being stored into challenge rooms
- Added "Your sense of time and space distorts" text to Chute
- Ensured that you are always visible on non-top leaderboard
- Fixed recentering issues around LOD models, skyboxes, AIs and ropes (found in abyss)
- Added death text to dying to an explosion
- Fixed various issues around interaction icons and pocketing/hovering around/gravity glove
- Fixed gravity glove waving in pause menu
- Fixed muscle relaxants charging while the game was paused
- Tied grab checks to both physics framerate and rendering framerate, to account for lower framerates and lag spikes
- Fixed Mass Damper being as effective at Mass Damping as vending machines in Roach Run
- Added additional, unavoidable, trigger to give players "Reached Abyss" achievement
- Fixed Pipeworks Organ 09 level not playing its Pipe Organ
- Ensure audio is not cut off when putting away item producing it
- Made double jump, double jump recharge perks slightly more independent of player position, to ensure they're still heard when moving fast
- Fixed lazy grabbing handhold after equipping glove decoupling glove from arms
- Fixed pitons/rebar/dropped items from challenge rooms carrying over into our reality
- Fixed game freezing if `loadlevels` command was called with no level that existed
- Fixed Rho Altars not giving "You feel different" text when granting Overwhelmed
- Fixed some levels having white region text instead of red in hard mode
- Made level bounds more precise to hopefully fix issues with players being considered multiple levels back
- Extended win zone at the end of Abyss to account for Blink Eye/Translocator teleportation past doors