Update #3 is the current released patch. The biggest player-facing changes are critter petting and buffs, new Lava interactions, a more flexible Aura Extractor, and several flower calamity fixes that remove common edge-case stalls.
v0.5.6 changes a practical late-game rule: once crystallization has started, you can now remove the Aura Extractor. The stored crystals are buffered and released as Auralite when you build the Extractor again, so repositioning no longer means losing the run state.
That directly affects the older advice on many Aura routes. Use Auralite and Aura for the updated machine-handling summary.
Lava now destroys Fluxite, Redsoil, and Strataform terrain on contact, so open-channel routes are riskier around those materials than they were in earlier builds. The patch also raises Lava density to 200, which matters for anyone reasoning about flow behavior from older builds.
Thermal Buffer behavior also changed. If the buffer is cold and below zero temperature, Lava adds less heat and turns back into Cinder instead of always being fully consumed. In artifact rooms, Thermal Buffers also no longer consume Lava, and the patch repairs some existing soft-locked puzzle states on load.
Creatures now react when you move over them: petting makes them happy for a while and temporarily boosts their capabilities. The patch also increases Voltblub Energy output in general, so Energy-related builds gained a small freshness point even without a full power rebalance.
The Laser now melts Ice, which simplifies some Ice cleanup and route correction cases. Flower calamity behavior was also tightened up: shooting or digging a growing seedling now tries to convert it back into Wet Seeds, seedlings stuck between buildings also try to roll back cleanly, and one Wet Seed always resolves into exactly one flower.
If your old Snow route depended on Ice staying in place under Laser contact, re-check it against the Snow guide before copying an older setup.
Update #3 adds new mod hooks and helper methods, including events around building removal,
terrain burning, and custom melting behavior. The official examples include
building:removing, fire:terrain:burn, and
meltAtCell. The official developer note also says the mods branch is now on
0.5.6, which matters if you track Workshop experiments separately from the normal live branch.
Yes. Update #3 is the latest released patch covered on this site as of September 4, 2026.
Yes. v0.5.6 allows removal after crystallization starts, and the stored crystals are buffered until the Extractor is rebuilt.
Lava now destroys some materials, has higher density, and interacts differently with cold Thermal Buffers and artifact rooms.
Source note: Based on the linked source. Early Access mechanics and values can change.
Official source