Patch Notes 1.0.3
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been two weeks since we welcomed players to Haddonfield with the official launch of Halloween: The Game. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who’s jumped into our asymmetrical horror sandbox so far, and our team continues to work tirelessly to refine the experience for our players. As we discussed in our What’s Coming Next? post last week, thanks to your thoughtful feedback, our team has identified and prioritized a list of pain points to tackle. In today’s 1.0.3 patch, we are very excited to address many of these issues by introducing a host of bug and crash fixes, balance adjustments, and gameplay improvements.
Balance Adjustments
As we continue to play, monitor, and gather feedback, we’ve identified some balance adjustments we felt were necessary for this patch. Many of these changes are being rolled out to minimize frustrating, overpowered, or unenjoyable situations. While we are happy to implement the following changes, we have also identified additional balance opportunities we plan to release with future updates. Your passionate feedback has been greatly beneficial to the team and we are eager to continue improving Halloween: The Game.
Civilian Melee Rebalance
We performed a Civilian-focused melee rebalance to eliminate easy one-shot Michael downs, especially when using Bob and Laurie or Perks that give a boost while Drunk. This also included buffing Michael’s Bloodthirst Damage Resistance to extend the duration of melee encounters. We want Civilians to be capable of fighting back against Michael, but we recognized that certain characters could inflict extremely high damage far too consistently.
Reduced effectiveness of Capability for Melee Damage at higher stat values
Increased effectiveness of Capability for Melee Damage at lower stat values
Reduced Fear Resistance granted by the Heavyweight trait
Reduced Melee Damage granted by the Heavyweight trait
Reduced effect of Civilian melee damage boost while Drunk
Increased Michael’s damage resistance across all Bloodthirst levels
Downed Michael
While there were already mechanics in place to bolster Michael after he recovers from being Downed, we’re adding additional buffs in this patch to combat harassment and avoid instant follow-up downs. This, combined with the above melee rebalancing, addresses the ease in which these occurrences could happen and ensures Michael always has ample means of retaliation if he is being surrounded or consistently pressured by an aggressive squad.
Michael now gains a short duration buff after getting up from a Downed state. This buff grants Michael Stagger immunity and an increase in Damage Resistance, Melee Damage, and Melee Attack Speed for the duration of the buff.
Michael will also be empowered with increased Health Regeneration and Daze Resistance for a short period of time after getting up from a Downed state
Weapon Power Tuning
To provide more time for players to react to incoming hits we are introducing a small damage reduction and a small increase to time in between all attack combos for Wood Axes and Pickaxes. We don’t want to discourage melee combat and would prefer to provide players additional opportunities to counter. Civilians should now have more time to shove during melee combos to interrupt Michael and experience increased cooldown time between stumbles. We are also adjusting the available quantities of certain weapon types on maps to increase their rarity and further incentivize exploration.
Reduced Combo Attack Speed for the Wood Axe and Pick-Axe
Reduced light and heavy Attack Damage for the Wood Axe and Pick-Axe
Lowered amount of heavy Melee Weapons, Rifles, and Shotguns spawns across all maps and locations
Increased the Stagger cooldowns for Civilians
Reduced overall Melee Weapon Durability
Scoring Adjustments
We are taking some steps to balance the value of Special Targets and Residents to ensure match scoring better represents the overall outcome and creates greater opportunities for mid-to-late game swings. We have lowered the score values for killing Special Targets, while increasing the score values for both saving and killing Residents. While we plan to improve Special Target spawning, tracking, and more with future updates, these changes will make every Resident, Civilian, and Special Target feel important to the final score.
Made adjustments to scoring to balance Michael’s priority on normal Residents vs Special Targets
Grabs and Pocket Knives
We are continuing to monitor the balance of Grabs and Struggling. In previous patches, we made it easier for Civilians to struggle free from Grabs at lower Stalk Tiers. In today’s patch we have made adjustments to further reduce the difficulty of escaping Grabs. We also lowered the force caused by failed Grab attempts so Civilian players won't stumble as dramatically, allowing a better chance to slip away. Our team is having ongoing conversations about pocket knives and we plan to provide more substantial tuning in the future, but for now we have increased the pocket knife minigame difficulty to allow Michael players slightly more time to pull off Context Executions.
Reduced impact force from failed Grab attempts on the Civilian player
Civilians now have an easier time Struggling free from grabs at Stalk Tiers 0-2
Reduced effectiveness of Capability for Grab Struggle at higher stat values
Slight increase to the difficulty of the Pocket Knife break free minigame
Civilian Speed
We’ve adjusted the effectiveness of Athleticism for movement and sprint speeds to reduce the speed of high Athleticism Civilians while also increasing the speed of low Athleticism Civilians. We noticed that certain Civilians were far too fast in their running and sprint speeds.
Reduced effectiveness of Athleticism for movement and sprint speeds at higher stat values
Increased effectiveness of Athleticism for movement and sprint speeds at lower stat values
Challenge Adjustments
We understand that challenges and their associated rewards are extremely important to players. We have and will continue to address fundamental issues impacting challenge progression and tune challenge requirements. Our latest patch brings a handful of corrections to challenge tracking along with a sweeping balance pass on Progressive Challenge goals.
Players with progress exceeding the required goals for Progressive Challenges after our updates simply need to gain any progress toward that objective to complete the challenge.
The full list of Challenge adjustments can be found at the bottom of the Patch Notes
General
Various Crash Fixes and Optimization Improvements
All Passive Challenges will now continue to gain progress after Prestiging
This is a temporary fix and we are working to fix the issue where Prestiging will cause your Passive Challenges to appear as locked
Fixed an issue where the Host of the Private Match was unable to unlock trophies/achievements
Civilians
Reduced difficulty for completing any Challenges that require the player to knock Michael off his feet
Reduced difficulty for completing any Challenges that require the player to blind, disorient, or stun Michael
Increased damage of the Shotgun at close ranges
Fixed several issues that were causing players to be executed even after appearing to have Struggling free from the Grab
Fixed an issue where Bolt Cutters were not able to open containers if the Bolt Cutters had low durability
Fixed an issue where using emotes could allow the player to cancel animations
Fixed an issue where the player could lose the ability to move after breaking free from a grab
Fixed an issue where the player could lose the ability to move after attempting to enter a vehicle/ride a bicycle while being grabbed
Fixed an issue where the Wood Axe would lose way more durability than intended
Killer
Made adjustments to the Shape Mine animation so that placing a mine no longer completely stops Michael’s movement
Fixed an issue where Shape Jump could become stuck on cooldown for the rest of the match
Fixed an issue where Killer Sense could become stuck on cooldown for the rest of the match
Fixed an issue where the Michael could collide with the Police Wagon while in Shape Jump
Maps
Fixed an issue that was preventing Michael from reaching Civilians on the merry-go-round in Orange Grove Estates
Challenge Adjustments
Civilians
Eric
Handyman Special
Remove chains, padlocks, or overgrowth from an escape route 45 30 times
Dead Center
Fight back against Michael by successfully dealing a small amount of damage, equivalent to 5% to 20% of his total health, in a single encounter 30 20 times
Shop Class Alumni
Successfully repair a car 15 10 times
Pop Can Precision
Fight back against Michael by inflicting damage equal to 21% to 49% of his maximum health in a single encounter 30 25 times
Nichols Hardware Expertise
Restore communications by successfully repairing a phone, CB radio, or phone box that has been destroyed by Michael 45 20 times
Midwestern Hospitality
Provide medical aid to fellow Civilians by using a health spray or med kit to heal another Civilian 30 15 times
Topped Off
Contribute to the getaway vehicle by fully gassing up the car 15 10 times
Bullseye
Land the final blow that sends Michael into a downed state 45 30 times
Nichols' Best Employee
Be the one responsible for fully filling the third police badge meter 15 10 times
Unbreakable Bond
Escape with your life after saving at least 5 Residents 9 4 times
Steady Hands
Complete a round of the spectator minigame 90 75 times
Big Game Hunter
Inflicting damage on Michael equal to 50% or more of his maximum health in a single encounter 60 50 times
True Survivor
Outlast the nightmare and successfully survive the night alive 30 15 times
Midwestern Hero
Successfully knock a Resident, Special Target, or fellow Civilian from Michael's grasp 120 80 times
Tanya
Dark Humor
Successfully calm a Resident who is currently in a terrified state 30 10 times
In the Know
Perform a good skill check during a conversation or phone call 90 60 times
Entourage
Escort 15 10 Residents to an escape by having them follow you
Trendsetter
Successfully issue a command to Special Targets 60 50 times
Smooth Talker
Achieve a perfect skill check while engaging in a conversation or placing a phone call 90 80 times
Cool Under Pressure
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 1 Stalk Marker 75 35 times
Social Butterfly
Locate and discover 63 30 Special Targets during the match
Life of the Party
Calm a Special Target from a scared or terrified state 45 30 times
Real Talk
Successfully convince 75 45 Special Targets of the danger
VIP Treatment
Help a Special Target escape or survive the night after performing a calm, convince, or command action on them 45 25 times
Everyone's Best Friend
Help a Resident escape or survive the night after performing a calm, convince, or command action on them 60 50 times
The More The Merrier
Escape with your life after saving at least 5 Residents 9 4 times
Gift of Gab
Successfully complete a very convincing call to dispatch 120 100 times
Unfazed
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 3 Stalk Marker 30 25 times
Rachel
Nerves of Steel
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 1 Stalk Marker 30 20 times
Superstitious Tools
Utilize items such as firecrackers, flashlights, or other mysterious items to successfully blind, disorient, or stun Michael 30 15 times
Ward Off Evil
Successfully defend yourself against a grab by utilizing a defensive item to break free from Michael's grasp 30 15 times
Not Afraid of the dark
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 45 30 times
From the Shadows
Exit a hiding spot and stumble Michael back 12 7 times
Socially Awkward
Place an unconvincing call to dispatch 45 20 times
Not Afraid
When caught in Michael's grasp, successfully complete the struggle minigame 60 40 times
Fearless
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 3 Stalk Marker 30 20 times
Self-Preservation
Escape with your life without saving anyone 30 15 times
Macabre Fascination
Outlast the nightmare and successfully survive the night alive 30 15 times
Cursed Artifact
Have a Resident or Special Target you gave your weapon to save someone grabbed or knock down Michael 45 20 times
Beyond the Grave
Select a perk to give a spectated Civilian 120 100 times
Hexed Strike
Contribute to downing Michael without landing the final blow 60 30 times
Through the Veil
Successfully open an escape route for use 90 75 times
Marcus
Tinker
Restore communications by successfully repairing a phone, CB radio, or phone box that has been destroyed by Michael 9 5 times
Lone Wolf
Focus on your own survival by successfully restoring your health using a health spray 30 20 times
Bait and Switch
Cover your tracks by having Michael destroy or turn off a noisemaker you activated 15 10 times
Gearhead
Successfully repair a car 15 10 times
Ghosting
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 1 Stalk Marker 60 30 times
Heavy Handed
Inflict damage on Michael equal to 21% to 49% of his maximum health in a single encounter 45 30 times
Mysterious Stranger
Approach 75 60 Residents and successfully convince them of the danger
Path Less Traveled
Discover an alternate escape route 63 30 times
Untouchable
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 3 Stalk Marker 30 20 times
Off the Grid
Navigate to a breaker box that has been sabotaged by Michael and successfully restore power to the structure 45 25 times
Lethal Force
Land the final blow that sends Michael into a downed state 45 30 times
Dark Charisma
Successfully convince 90 45 Special Targets of the danger
Nomadic Instincts
Outlast the nightmare and successfully survive the night alive 30 15 times
Looking Out for Number One
Escape with your life without saving anyone 45 20 times
Jennifer
Wallflower
Focus on your own survival by successfully restoring your health using a health spray 30 20 times
Exit Strategy
Plan your departure by successfully finding and picking up any type of escape item 75 40 times
Flight Response
When caught in Michael's grasp, successfully complete the struggle minigame 60 30 times
Phone Jitters
Provide an account of the threat by successfully completing a convincing call to dispatch 90 50 times
Way Out
Navigate the environment to discover an alternate escape route 63 40 times
Panic Mode
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 45 25 times
Valedictorian
Be the one responsible for fully filling the third police badge meter 60 20 times
Out of Sight
Have Michael destroy or turn off a noisemaker you activated 90 40 times
Kind Heart
Have a Resident or Special Target you gave your weapon to save someone grabbed or knock down Michael 45 30 times
Unexpected Courage
Successfully knock a victim from Michael's grasp 60 45 times
Thomas
Linebacker
Inflict an attack or act that knocks Michael off his feet 15 10 times
Walk the Walk
Perform a good skill check during a conversation or phone call 75 50 times
Heavy Hitter
Fight back against Michael by inflicting damage equal to 21% to 49% of his maximum health in a single encounter 45 30 times
Team Captain
Approach 60 45 Residents and successfully convince them of the danger
Peel Back Block
Successfully knock a Resident, Special Target, or fellow Civilian from Michael's grasp 90 50 times
Huddle Up
Navigate the environment and discover 63 45 other Civilians during a match
Stiff Arm
Utilize items such as firecrackers, flashlights, or other mysterious items to successfully blind, disorient, or stun Michael 45 30 times
MVP
Land the final blow that sends Michael into a downed state 60 45 times
Leave No One Behind
Secure an escape for yourself after coming to the aid of and saving at least 3 Residents in a single match 18 10 times
Setting the Tone
Be the one responsible for fully filling the third police badge meter 15 10 times
Star Power
Successfully convince 90 40 Special Targets of the danger
Arming the Roster
Have a Resident or Special Target you gave your weapon to save someone grabbed or knock down Michael 45 30 times
Stand your ground
Inflict damage on Michael equal to 50% or more of his maximum health in a single encounter 60 50 times
Second Wind
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 3 Stalk Marker 45 30 times
Lynda
Pep Talk
Successfully calm a Resident who is currently in a scared or terrified state 30 10 times
First Aid
Provide medical aid to fellow Civilians by using a health spray or med kit to heal another Civilian 15 10 times
Going full out
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 1 Stalk Marker 60 30 times
Social Circle
Navigate the environment and discover 45 30 other Civilians during a match
Slippery
When caught in Michael's grasp, successfully complete the struggle minigame 30 20 times
Follow My Lead
Escort 60 40 Residents to an escape by having them follow you
Gossip Girl
Perform a good skill check during a conversation or phone call 120 100 times
Quick On Your Feet
Evade Michael during a chase long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 30 20 times
Totally Not Happening
Successfully defend yourself against a grab by utilizing a defensive item to break free from Michael's grasp 30 20 times
Direct Line
Successfully complete a very convincing call to dispatch 120 75 times
Life of the Party
Escape with your life after saving at least 3 Residents 18 10 times
Fan Club
Help a Special Target escape or survive the night after performing a calm, convince, or command action on them 60 40 times
Lifesaver
Provide medical aid to fellow Civilians by using a health spray or med kit to heal another Civilian 45 25 times
Like, Calm Down
Successfully calm a Special Target who is currently in a terrified state 75 25 times
Bob
Batter Up
Inflict an attack or act that knocks Michael off his feet 60 30 times
Base Runner
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 1 Stalk Marker 45 30 times
Prank Caller
Place an unconvincing call to dispatch 45 20 times
Designated Hitter
Fight back against Michael by inflicting damage equal to 21% to 49% of his maximum health in a single encounter 75 40 times
Shake It Off
When caught in Michael's grasp, successfully complete the struggle minigame 90 40 times
Stealing Bases
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 30 25 times
Looking For Trouble
Have Michael destroy or turn off a noisemaker you activated 60 30 times
Tough Guy
Successfully defend yourself against a grab by utilizing a defensive item to break free from Michael's grasp 45 20 times
Home Run
Inflict damage on Michael equal to 50% or more of his maximum health in a single encounter 60 50 times
Grand Slam
Land the final blow that sends Michael into a downed state 45 30 times
Bailing Out
Escape with your life without saving anyone 30 15 times
Blindside
Successfully knock a Resident, Special Target, or fellow Civilian from Michael's grasp 120 80 times
Extra Innings
Outlast the nightmare and successfully survive the night alive 45 15 times
Annie
Sheriff's Daughter
Perform a good skill check during a conversation or phone call 75 50 times
Sharp Eye
Navigate the environment and discover 30 15 other Civilians during a match
Assertive
Approach 90 50 Residents and successfully convince them of the danger
Taking Charge
Successfully issue a command to a Resident or Special Target 60 50 times
On the Lookout
Locate and discover 63 35 Special Targets during the match
Unshaken
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 30 25 times
Not a Victim
When caught in Michael's grasp, successfully complete the struggle minigame 45 30 times
Priority Dispatch
Successfully complete a very convincing call to dispatch 120 80 times
Law and Order
Be the one responsible for fully filling the third police badge meter 15 10 times
Trusted Authority
Successfully convince 90 40 Special Targets of the danger
Civic Duty
Escape with your life after saving at least 5 Residents 9 4 times
Resourceful
Successfully defend yourself against a grab by utilizing a defensive item to break free from Michael's grasp 45 25 times
No Keys
Successfully repair a car 60 45 times
Laurie
Hidden in Plain Sight
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 1 Stalk Marker 60 30 times
Resourceful
Open and search 120 100 loot containers to scavenge for supplies
Honor Student
Achieve a perfect skill check while engaging in a conversation or placing a phone call 90 75 times
Watching the Kids
Escort 75 45 Residents to an escape by having them follow you
Desperate Struggle
Successfully defend yourself against a grab by utilizing a defensive item to break free from Michael's grasp 45 25 times
Final Girl
Outlast the nightmare and successfully survive the night alive 30 15 times
It Was the Boogeyman
Land the final blow that sends Michael into a downed state 45 30 times
Protect the Innocent
Help a Special Target escape or survive the night after performing a calm, convince, or command action on them 63 40 times
Not On My Watch
Successfully knock a Resident, Special Target, or fellow Civilian from Michael's grasp 120 90 times
Sole Survivor's Duty
Escape with your life after saving at least 5 Residents 9 5 times
Richard
Scrounger
Rummage and find 60 40 items inside a hiding spot
Sweet Talker
Achieve a perfect skill check while engaging in a conversation or placing a phone call 120 90 times
Bodyguard
Successfully knock a victim from Michael's grasp 90 50 times
Escape Artist
Successfully open an escape route for use 75 45 times
Therapist
Calm a Special Target from a scared or terrified state 30 20 times
Heart Breaker
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 45 30 times
Alley-Oop!
Have a Resident or Special Target you gave your weapon to save someone grabbed or knock down Michael 30 20 times
Main Character
Secure an escape for yourself after coming to the aid of and saving at least 3 Residents in a single match 63 25 times
Psychologist
Successfully calm a Special Target who is currently in a terrified state 120 40 times
Snitch
Successfully contribute the final progress required to fill the Third Police Badge meter 30 15 times
Born To Live
Successfully survive the match as a Civilian 9 10 times
Alexis
Gossip
Perform a good skill check during a conversation or phone call 60 50 times
Extrovert
Navigate the environment and discover 120 30 other Civilians during a match
Club Crew
Escort 75 40 Residents to an escape by having them follow you
Craftswoman
Utilize items such as firecrackers, flashlights, or other mysterious items to successfully blind, disorient, or stun Michael 45 30 times
Hung Up
Evade Michael long enough to trigger the removal of a Tier 2 Stalk Marker 30 25 times
Slippery
Successfully defend yourself against a grab by utilizing a defensive item to break free from Michael's grasp 45 25 times
Haddonfield Girl
Be the one responsible for fully filling the third police badge meter 30 10 times
Party Bus
Successfully open an escape route for use 45 30 times
She's So Gone
Escape with your life without saving anyone 63 15 times
Helping Hand
Have a Resident or Special Target you gave your weapon to save someone grabbed or knock down Michael 120 80 times
Jeepers!
Successfully knock a Resident, Special Target, or fellow Civilian from Michael's grasp 30 20 times
Silver Tongue
Successfully complete a very convincing call to dispatch 9 50 times
Killer
1978 Michael
Lethal Efficiency
Perform a standard grab weapon execution on 75 50 victims
Stalker Boy
Successfully reach a Tier 2 Stalk Marker on 60 50 victims
Lethal Efficiency the Sequel
Execute 90 50 victims that are stalked to tier 2
Weapons
Hatchet
Flight of the Axe
Kill 90 75 victims with a thrown weapon
Splintered Terror
Smash a window or door with your weapon that scares 105 75 victims
Pristine Slaughter
Perform a Bloodthirsty execution while being undetected on a terrified victim 105 100 times
