freeholdgames

A letter to our fans

Friends,

Caves of Qud 1.0 comes out tomorrow. We've been saying it's 15 years in the making, because 15 is a nice round number. The truth is it's been 17 years! 2007. South Florida. Us coming up with a large number of weird ideas and hacking away in Brian's garage. If it feels like a fever dream to you that something like Caves of Qud exists, you aren't alone! It's bizarre. We don't fully understand it. But we're touched that so many of you agree with the notion that a baroque-science-f...

Precognition, Thanks, and Heads Up

A precognitive vision is transiting the sentient grapevine:

A monad of answers inscribe the cocoon...

{n} purple wardens beseech the Chair,
What is death, if one rose is fair?
How long from beetle moon to beetle moon?

What could it mean?????????

Unrelatedly (maybe), we wanted to give y'all a heads up that upon reaching 1.0, we're gonna make some of the older Patreon pets available as DLC. After our 1.0 launch and subsequent break to catch...

Caves of Qud Patron Credits Signup

If you are a backer at the Dromad level or higher, please tell is how you would like your name to appear.

You can also use this form to opt out of your name appearing.

Please submit an answer by October 31st, 2024.Thanks to all our backers, you make a huge difference!

Here is the signup for the credits: https://forms.gle/HizxCeG1B1vxr9BD9

Welcome to the Spring Molting technical alpha for Patrons!

Hi folks,

We have a sneak peek alpha version of our new patch-in-the-works ready for you all to play!

It's Steam-only for now. Use code 'springmoltingalpha24' in the Private Betas field under the 'Betas' tab. (right-click Caves of Qud in Steam > Properties > Betas).

What to expect:

The UI is feature complete. Internal testing shows the UI to be stable and quite playable on both PC and Steam Deck. However, much of the final polish work including p...

The 7th Plague feature arc! New alpha available to patrons RIGHT NOW

Hello friends,

Our next feature arc is almost ready for beta. We want to give patrons an early look — and request your help testing! — so here it is...

The 7th Plague - Highlights

• All the features from the current "input" beta (full gamepad & steam deck support, new Abilities screen UI, new ability icons, new visual effects)
• Next leg of the main quest / arrival of the Girsh Nephilim
• Skill refactors: First aid replaced with Phy...
  2023-09-27 22:54:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Kitfox Games is co-publishing Caves of Qud!

Hello friends!

Some big news as of last Friday. We announced a publishing partnership with Kitfox Games! https://twitter.com/KitfoxGames/status/1684926687929057280 

The big bullet points of the announcement are:

• Kitfox is co-publishing Caves of Qud, which means help with marketing, managing storefronts, coordinating the release of feature arcs, etc. Our development p...
  2023-07-31 18:51:20 +0000 UTC View Post

Spring Triad is here! plus BONUS pet

The Spring '23 Triad is finally here, folks. Plus, we have a special BONUS pet for you: the inimitable Bon te Bok!

• CAP-N: PM6XL7J9N
• Koharta: PAO5AD8H9
• Small Problems: PG4MHRH0H
• Bon te Bok: P1OZQCTV3

Steps to redeem:

1. Make sure you're on the latest version of Qud, posted last week. [204.93].

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Download and install the pet mods by entering the codes above.

4. Create a ...

'23 Spring Triad of Pets - Winners!

The results are in. The top three vote-getters are

• the little triangle cap that's attached to the top corner of a chrome pyramid
• Koharta, the seafaring pig
• a mushroom of many stalks

The '23 Spring Triad will be available some time in the coming weeks, so keep a look out. Until then,

Live and drink.

The '23 Spring Triad of Pets (info post)

Hello all!

Right now, our Barathrumite+ patrons are voting on the next set of Patreon pets. That vote will end next Friday, March 24th. If you're curious, here's the list they're choosing from.

• a false cobra
• Ep-pe pep-pe kak-ke, or: a small, winged monkey
• big bill
• gelatinous teardrop
• spiny dancer
• Koharta, the seafaring pig
• A mollusk inside a brass pipe
• A statue???
• Cht-tst: luminous butterfly wings keep h...
  2023-03-17 19:26:30 +0000 UTC View Post

A trio of pets, for you

Hello friends,

We've been hard at work on our final few feature arcs. But it's been a while and you've gone petless, so here are three new ones!

• Mniq Mnaq: PZZUZ8M7C
• ooEEOOH, baboon girl: PFY1OW2W0
• Fire-on-Asphalt: PW6Y7J2R9

Steps to redeem:

1. Make sure you're on the latest version of Qud, posted last night. [204.59].

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Download and install the pet mods by entering the codes a...

Early Moon Stair alpha for patrons, now live

Hello!

We've been hard at work on our next feature arc — the Moon Stair. Today, we're happy to release an early alpha build to our patrons only! We'll include more info once we move to beta, but for now, here's a summary of what you'll see.

• A new quest in the main questline
• The final late-game region, the Moon Stair
• A new settlement, in the Moon Stair
• Lots of new UI work
• A bunch of new and reworked sound effects

Some caveats:...

The New Year Triad is ready to love

Our three new friends have arrived. Follow these steps to redeem the New Year Triad of pets!

[tl;dr: the pet code for mote cloud is PIPXNB9FC, the pet code for Recall Star is PC4C9K4JF, and the pet code for unpleasant mirror is PLGBQ1H4L.

1. Make sure you're on the latest version of Qud, posted last night. [203.29].

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Download and install the pet mods by entering the codes:

• PIPXNB9FC for mote cloud 2022-04-02 17:16:07 +0000 UTC View Post

We rephrased our Patreon benefits

Hey all,

Just a quick post to say we rephrased the Patreon benefit descriptions to be more accurate, particularly to reflect how the Pet of the Month Club – now called Patreon Pets – is no longer on a monthly cadence.

We're still working on the New Year Triad of Pets. They'll be coming soon. Until then, live and drink.

Re-redeem Gru-wof-ufo's pet code!

arconauts, barathrumites, dromads, water barons, and highly entropic beings,

We made an infrastructure tweak in the Deep Jungle feature arc that just went live, and it broke Gru-wof-ufo, loyal snapjaw retainer. You can fix this simply by re-redeeming his pet code: PT2W0J4L4

Live and drink.

The New Year Triad of Pets - Winners

The winners are in, and they're all tied for first with the same amount of votes. Here they are!

• a floating crystalline octahedron
• The little falling motes follow you, even with no fireflies about. They know you.
• a magic mirror that makes creatures feel bad about themselves

We'll get to work on making these into real pets. Be on the look out for their appearance, sometime after the Deep Jungle feature arc drops.

Until then, live and drink.

The New Year Triad of Pets

Hello friends. We're back! And right now, Barathrumite+ patrons are voting on the New Year Triad of Pets. The winners will be chosen on Tuesday, February 8th, 11:59 PM PDT.

Here is a list of the candidates. And a note on future rewards: we may be changing things up soon. Stay tuned!

Live and drink.

• five bats
• a floating crystalline octahedron
• Ooh-EEE-ee: baboon girl thats her
• Tlepolemus: we thought he was a goner, but the ray ...
  2022-02-01 19:46:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Live and drink! Palladium Reef alpha for patrons

Hello!

We've been heads down on our next feature arc — the Palladium Reef / Character Creation Rework; this is why pets are a bit behind. But we have a surprise for you today: we're putting up an early alpha build of the new patch available to patrons only!

It's very rough around the edges, and we don't have patch notes yet, but here are the highlights:

• Two new late-game regions: Lake Hinnom and the Palladium Reef
• New village: the Yd Freehold
• New ch...
  2021-08-21 00:46:45 +0000 UTC View Post

The Winter Triad is ready to love

Time to enjoy the Winter Triad of Pets from the comfort of early spring.  Follow these steps to redeem your 3 new friends!

[tl;dr: the pet code for a network of roots is PF4430323, the pet code for Frillicent is PBRQ3I49U, and the pet code for Goshling is PON5EIBB7.

1. Make sure you're on one of the latter versions of Qud [anything after v201.86 (mainline) or v202.46 (beta), or the new alpha branch].

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Downlo...

Patron Early Access! Game Modes

Hello friends,

We've a sneak preview for all our patrons: early access on Steam to a new feature we've been hacking on for a while, game modes. Here's a run down on what they are.

Classic - the standard Qud experience as its officially supported today

Roleplay - checkpointing at settlements. When you die, you have the option to reload from the last checkpoint. Your checkpoint is automatically set whenever you enter or leave a settlement.

Winter Triad of Pets - the Winners

The poll has closed and the Winter Triad is decided.

1) FREEHOLD MYSTERY CHOICE (???)

2) So endearing was her countenance that none could call her girshling. So, goshling she became.

3) A network of roots (tie with the TRIVIA weapons system broken via the rule, "Root strangles robot.")

We'll get to work on the pets soon. Stay tuned for their appearance, continued weekly updates, and some previews of larger ...

The Winter Triad of Pets

Friends! The Winter Triad of Pets poll is upon us. Right now, Barathrumite+ patrons are casting their votes. On Wednesday, February 24th, 11:59 PM PDT, the Highest Three will prevail. Check out the list below to see what their options are.

In a week, we'll post the winners. Until then, as always, live and drink.

• Vapor and Salt
• A network of roots
• Ooze a good pet? Is it goo? Is it goo??
• Who's ready for some TRIVIA? *sound of weapon s...
  2021-02-19 00:00:25 +0000 UTC View Post

The Autmn Triad is ready to love

Finally, the Autumn Triad of Pets is here.  Follow these steps to redeem them!

[tl;dr: NaN-N/A's pet code is PWV7ANH4U, Gru-wof-ufo's pet code is  PT2W0J4L4, and Mechanical You's pet code is PQIVIOZKC.

1. Make sure to get the latest version of Qud, which we just posted: either v201.62 (aka v2.0.201.x) or v202.21 (aka 'beta').

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Download and install the pet mod by entering either a pet code:

• P...
  2021-01-23 06:08:28 +0000 UTC View Post

Autumn Triad of Pets Winner Announcement and Blog Topic Poll

Hello, friends. Let's announce the winners of the Autumn Triad of Pets poll. We have...

1) You, but mechanical

2) Standen in service we, Saad, for to claime yon Lunar Throne, thyn by vertu of thy Title

3) Your very own snapjaw retainer

Third place was a tie that we broke ourselves. If you voted for wormsign, though, don't worry: it's likely to make a return soon.

We're working on the pets as we speak....

The Autumn Triad of Pets

Hello, friends. Right now Barathrumite+ patrons are voting on who will comprise the Autumn Triad of Pets. They will make their decision by Friday, November 13, 11:59 PM PDT. Until the time of that great reveal, we've provided a list of the candidate pitches for you to peruse below.

We will see you soon, friends. Live and drink.

• Once there lived a venerable chute crab, who— No, it's true! Come back!
• Your very own snapjaw retainer
• You got w...
  2020-11-09 20:07:14 +0000 UTC View Post

Every Pet Code, Consolidated

Just what the title says.

• Uthabatafah - P9TAL7WFG
• either/or - PL3KDYIER
• Hylaeus - P60OLMULK
• Gloaming - PMDBQLN6A
• E-Ros - PCREZAXQH
• Fronzdie - PWOXH6FIO
• Ebenshabat - PE50AU5MA
• Ercolano - P9GZHMEIU
• Lyy - PM2IU2W8S
• Iopinax - PQK3VK5I1
• Esbear - PJ5HNI5IJ
• Man Opener - PCZIDS15L
• Snakelite - PKUAO69VI
• Moldfella - P43DUH95B
• Lorent Epsome - PTK7I5CEC
• an imp...
  2020-10-25 00:24:44 +0000 UTC View Post

The Triad is ready to love: Moldfella, Lorent Epsome, and an important fish

At long last, the Summer Triad of Pets is here.  These are the steps to redeem them! 

[tl;dr: Moldfella's pet code is P43DUH95B, Lorent Epsome's pet code is  PTK7I5CEC, and the important fish's pet code is PMD2XF47Z.

1. Make sure to get the latest version of Qud, which we just posted: either v200.97 (aka v200.x) or v201.30 (aka 'beta'). 

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Download and install the pet mod by entering either a p...

The Summer Triad of Pets: Winners!

The vote is over and we now (sort of) have our Pets of the Month 14, 15, and 16.

The three highest vote-getters were:

• A bipedal robot aquarium, home to an important fish
• A fungus that thinks you're the pet
• Battered and scrambled, this phylactery has been through unknown hells. Will it still work?

Look forward to meeting the triad soon. Until then, as always, live and drink.

The Summer Triad of Pets

Hello friends,

It's August now, and we owe our Arconaut+ patrons pets for the last three months. A Summer Triad of Pets, if you will. To this end, we're doing something a little different for this poll.

Barathrumites+ patrons are choosing their favorites from a list of chirps about twenty different pets, gathered from across Qud's scintillating gossip network. They have until next Wednesday, August 12, 11:59 PM PDT, at which time the Summer Triad of Pets will be d...

June Pet and Tomb of the Eaters Update

Hello friends,

We owe you a June pet! Right now, though, we're tightening the last screws on the gigantic Tomb of the Eaters patch, which we're hoping to launch on the main branch in just one week, next Friday, July 17th. For those of you who haven't checked in on the beta, this'll be the largest content update in Qud's history. 

All this to say: we're going to be a little late on June's pet, but once the beta is launched in a few weeks, we'll deliver both Ju...

Your new pets are ready to love: Man Opener and Snakelite

[tl;dr: Man Opener's pet code is PCZIDS15L and Snakelite's is PKUAO69VI.]

April and May's pets, Man Opener and Snakelite, are now available! Here are the steps to redeem them.

1. Make sure to get the latest version of Qud, which we just posted:  v199.7 (or just 199.x) 

2. From the main menu screen, select Redeem Code.

3. Download and install the pet mod by entering either Man Opener's code,  PCZIDS15L, or Snakelite's code,  PKUAO69VI.

4. Creat...