When GRAIN ROT launched August 7, we hoped a few wandering Sparks would find their way to the Outpost. Instead, more than 250,000 of you picked up a free mallet and joined us. Every build you’ve shared, every bug you’ve reported, and every late night you spend pushing further into the Deep Layers has shaped this game, and we’re so grateful to have you here. This update is our thank you, and it’s a big one.
Expedition Mode is a brand new hardcore experience built for Scrappies who want to test everything they’ve learned. It plays much like Story Mode at its core, but with an unforgiving twist: if your run fails, it’s game over. Permadeath means every choice matters and every risk is yours to take.
Your journey begins at the new Expedition Outpost, located on the dark side of the planet. Out here, the heat you’re used to is replaced by bitter cold, and frost damage is in place of scorch damage. To survive, you’ll need to keep Peter the Heater running by feeding it scrap and specific constructs (aka furniture). Meet its quota and it’ll keep you warm. Let the heat drop, and you’ll be hit with punishing debuffs. If it reaches zero, your run is over. Furniture becomes a precious resource here, whether you burn it to stay alive or save it for tactical use down in the Deep Layers.
Progression works differently, too. Rather than upgrading rooms to grow stronger, you’ll collect Gumballs and spend them on permanent stat upgrades. Each successful run raises Peter’s scrap requirements and scales up the dungeon’s difficulty, so the deeper you go, the harder it gets. When a run ends, you’ll return to the Expedition Outpost to see your Deep Layers score and figure out how to push even further the next time. We’re also working on a dedicated end-of-run screen that will show you your unlocked cosmetics, run results, and peak level. Expedition mode is just the beginning, and your feedback will help shape where it goes next.
Expeditions come with rewards you can’t get anywhere else. We’ve added 25 new pattern textures and pattern colors that can only be unlocked by braving Expedition Mode. Best of all, anything you unlock is bound to your profile and carries over to your main Outpost, so your hard-earned style comes with you back into Story Mode.
Update 1.1 also opens the doors to the Rainbow Ward, a brand new biome waiting to be explored. You’ll also find a lot of community submitted art on the walls of this biome. For our Inner Child Art Submissions, our community sent in tons of artwork inspired by how they’d draw as a kid, and some of them were even drawn by their own children! We can’t wait to see what you uncover there, so grab your crew and share your discoveries with us!
Something is stirring in the Deep Layers. A new enemy, the Corrupted Builder, is on its way in a patch after this update. Keep your mallets close and watch out for dropkicks. 👀
Earlier this year, we promised the winner of our fan art contest that their work would become a part of GRAIN ROT, and today we’re proud to deliver. BurntByGem’s winning piece has officially made its way into the game, and you can see it above, proudly displayed by a Scrappie. Her art is now a lootable treasure, so keep your eyes peeled on your runs and see if you can add it to your collection. Congratulations again to BurntByGem, and thank you to every Scrappie who shared their creativity with us. Seeing your work come to life in the world we’re building together is one of our favorite parts of this journey.
Speaking of which, have you ever dreamed up a construct you'd love to see in GRAIN ROT? Now's your chance to bring it to life. We're inviting the community to submit original construct concepts for a chance to have your creation built into the game as part of a future Community Construct Pack. The prize is simple and pretty amazing: your construct, brought to life in game. Here are some cool submissions we’ve seen so far:
To enter, create concept art of your construct(s) (it doesn't need to be a masterpiece!), give it a name, and write a description of what it does and how players interact with it. Then create a forum post in the #fanart-gallery channel on our Discord and follow the posting guidelines. The contest opened on September 11; submissions close on October 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT, and we'll announce the winner on October 5. Show us what you think belongs in GRAIN ROT 👀
To celebrate now over 250,000 Scrappies and the launch of 1.1, GRAIN ROT is 15% off now through September 26. If you've got friends who haven't joined the Outpost yet, there's never been a better time to bring them along for the ride.
Thank you for being part of this journey. We'll see you in the Deep Layers, and on the other side of the planet. ❄💪🏽
