The Blood of Dawnwalker patch notes and update history (1.0.2–1.0.5)

The first week after launch brought four hotfixes. Every one of them fixed problems. None of them changed balance, and none added content.

So if you are stuck on a quest, cannot save, or still see controller frame drops and shader stutter, the cause may already be patched. Check your build number first, then keep troubleshooting.

Version timeline

1.0.2: the launch-day fixes

Every fix here targets the opening hours. Kill every NPC around Farkas and Coen can still talk to him. Lunka no longer gets lost in the tutorial. The Uriashi blacksmith can finally craft that holy sword. On PC, the controller dead zone and sprint input were adjusted.

The same post listed three things the team had not fixed yet: stutter in windowed and borderless mode, with full screen as the workaround; a crash while compiling shaders, which the team tied to an out-of-date BIOS; and missing button mapping for the PS5 pad.

1.0.3: one controller feature

This patch did exactly one thing: DualSense support on Steam. That is why early players reported incomplete PS5 pad features.

1.0.4: the biggest fix so far

This is the widest-reaching patch of the four. The official list covers:

• Stability: multiple general improvements.
• Saving: the bug that blocked saving is gone.
• Quests: a batch of progression blockers, including the Deep Down cave softlock, Murohn failing to spawn, Hive and Seek ending early, infinite loading on On the Run, the wrong difficulty label on A Lone Wolf’s Hunt, the softlock after following Sara, the Smoke and Ashes rag becoming optional, and the blocker in The Heart Wants What It Wants.
• Gameplay: using Voracious Bite too fast during the tutorial no longer blocks progress, Coen can no longer get stuck inside houses, Crake can talk during his training, dead NPCs stay silent, and blocking no longer fails under certain conditions.
• Everything else: frame drops from outdated GameInput controller software, torches growing without limit, the FSR Frame Generation VSync bug, and quality-preset mods failing to apply.

Consoles label the same update 1.005. When the community says 1.005 and 1.0.4, it means one patch.

1.0.5: aimed at stutter

The official note has one headline: an improved shader compilation pipeline that may fix stuttering for some players. It targets the micro-stutter and uneven frame times reported after launch. The team did not claim the problem is solved.

How to check your build

Steam shows the build in your library or on the game’s main screen. Consoles list it with the installed version. To decide whether a specific problem is already fixed, compare the version number and read the official entry, instead of trusting a forum thread.

What the notes still do not cover

• Balance, numbers and content: never touched. Any talk of buffs or nerfs is not coming from an official post.
• Frame-time spikes and the 30 fps cutscene cap: not mentioned in any hotfix.
• The known-issues list was published in full once, with 1.0.2. There is no standing known-issues page, so treat the official Steam feed as the current source.

Sources

• Steam announcement: Hotfix 1.0.2
• Steam announcement: Hotfix 1.0.3
• Steam announcement: Hotfix 1.0.4
• Steam announcement: Hotfix 1.0.5
• Steam news hub (appid 3751260)