If you thought it couldn’t get any colder, think again! Drago Entertainment has finally released the first major update for Winter Survival, which features Act II of the story and a new Cold Wave mode with plenty of challenges to overcome.

In the 2nd story chapter, your mission is to find and rescue your missing friends and make your way toward the Harbor. There will be numerous situations in the game where you have to make decisions, which will determine not only your fate but also the fate of others.

With the latest update, your character will face new symptoms such as hypochondria and panic attacks. Panic attacks will hit you randomly while the symptom is active, forcing you to look for a safe place to calm yourself down. Hypochondria will make you overreact to your health issues, and this extra stress will pull your focus from real threats in the game. Trauma effects now come with a timer and disappear after a while. The recovery time can be sped up by consuming Comfort Food or other methods.

The developers have made improvements to gear and weapons such as axes, compasses, knives, and spears. With an axe, you can now block an enemy’s attack, and with a knife, you can skin hunted animals. Each upgrade of a spear unlocks a better bleed value.

Some new side quests have also been added: “Missing in Action,” “Survival Instincts,” “In Distress,” “Truffle Pasta,” and “Upgrade Your Shelter,” which reward you with enhanced survival chances. Except for “Missing in Action,” which is available in both Story and Survival game modes, the other quests can be found only in Story mode.

The Cold Wave mode is crafted for those who seek to play under extreme conditions, where you must confront severe weather and bone-chilling cold that affects your health, stamina, and ability to survive. The cold will grow more intense as you progress, making it increasingly difficult to continue. Finding shelter, warming up, and gathering sufficient resources will be crucial for staying alive. Each successful playthrough will provide you with advantages, such as better gear for the start of a new game.

Your score in Cold Wave is tied to your survival time, and the longer you endure, the higher your score. The developers have added leaderboards in the game, where you can track your own results and compare them with other players. They display how long you and other players have withstood the cold, ranking everyone based on their performance.

While Winter Survival had a rocky Early Access launch, the developers keep improving the game, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming up next.