Enshrouded’s Wake of the Water Update: What’s New
▼ Summary
– Enshrouded is a survival action RPG with lite survival, exploration, combat, and base-building in a terraformable world corrupted by The Shroud.
– The game supports solo or co-op play for up to 16 players and features voxel-based building that allows for creative constructions shared across servers.
– Update 7, Wake of the Water, introduces swimming, underwater activities like treasure collection and mining, and new water-based puzzles and traps.
– A new water biome, Veilwater Basin, includes quests, lore, points of interest, and new materials, along with a fishing system involving bait, rods, and a minigame.
– Water can be used dynamically for plant irrigation and powering base elements like water wheels, and the update adds gameplay refinements, new spells, and quality-of-life improvements.
The Wake of the Water update for Enshrouded represents the most substantial expansion since the survival action RPG launched into Early Access. Garnering immense popularity with over a million players in its first few days, the game continues to build on its “Very Positive” Steam reputation. This latest patch introduces a fully realized water biome and a host of aquatic mechanics that fundamentally change how players interact with the world.
For those new to the experience, Enshrouded blends survival, exploration, combat, and base-building within a fully terraformable voxel world. A deadly fog called The Shroud corrupts the land, forcing you to scavenge for materials to craft gear and survive against mutated creatures. You can embark on this journey alone or team up with as many as fifteen friends in a cooperative server. The building system is incredibly flexible, allowing for the creation of elaborate homes and structures, with some community projects achieving legendary status through sheer dedication.
A prime example is the stunning recreation of Isengard from The Lord of the Rings by a dedicated group of players. This monumental project consumed over 22 million voxels and 54,000 decorative items, representing thousands of hours of collaborative, mod-free effort. It stands as a testament to what is possible within the game’s creative sandbox.
The centerpiece of this update is the introduction of swimming and fully interactive underwater exploration. Nearly every land-based activity can now be performed beneath the surface, complete with new animations. You can open treasure chests, harvest plants, solve puzzles by pressing buttons, and even mine for ore with a specialized tool. New environmental features like floodgates allow you to manipulate water levels to access hidden areas, though submerged traps now pose a drowning risk.
Combat is the one major activity you cannot perform underwater, which makes the new Drak enemy faction particularly dangerous. These lizard-like hunters can pursue you into the water with spears, forcing you to constantly monitor your oxygen and escape routes. While you can engage them on land, their amphibious nature adds a fresh layer of tactical consideration to exploration.
Accompanying these mechanics is the Veilwater Basin, the game’s first dedicated water biome. This new region is packed with content, including unique quests, lore journals, and points of interest like settlements and temples. It also introduces a vast array of new materials and resources specifically for crafting and construction, significantly expanding the options for dedicated builders.
Naturally, a water-themed expansion would be incomplete without fishing, and the developers have delivered a fully-featured system. You can automatically collect worms while digging, which serve as one type of bait alongside moths, fireflies, and frogs. With five different fishing rods of varying quality, casting your line initiates a mini-game. When a fish bites, it will attempt to flee in a random direction, and you must pull your rod the opposite way. Reeling it in successfully requires patience and skill, with the difficulty scaling based on the fish species and your equipment.
For builders, the update introduces dynamic water physics that can be harnessed for practical purposes. You can now dig irrigation channels to water your crops, which accelerates their growth. Some new plants, including rice and algae, will only thrive when fully submerged. A new buildable water wheel rotates in flowing currents and can be connected to an advanced grinding wheel if the water flow provides sufficient power. A manual watering can is also available for filling pools or tending to plants, opening the door for the community to discover innovative new applications for hydraulics.
Beyond the aquatic focus, the update brings numerous refinements and quality-of-life improvements. Players will find new spells and skills, rebalanced gear stats, and improved mana regeneration for wands. The interface is now more customizable with labels for chests and signs, among many other subtle enhancements that polish the overall experience.
(Source: IGN)
