Into the Fire Playtest Notes

Playtests are where Into the Fire currently lives. This page is a running list of public mechanical changes so guides do not quote a dead timer. It is not a complete changelog. Starward does not ship a neat Steam build ID in every post. We only record what they or widely posted summaries have said in the open.

Signup logistics sit on playtest. Timing sits on release date.

Community-scale tests

Open waves in 2026 (including a May 28–June 10 block) drew more than 11,000–12,000 players. Starward posted round numbers: on the order of 20,000 successful runs, 9,000+ survivors rescued, 3,000+ items crafted, 18,000+ structures built. Read those as “the loop was played,” not as your personal KPI.

Open Playtest no.2 (31 August–7 September 2026)

Public Steam post plus Japanese fest coverage. This is the live wave while this page is dated 1 September 2026. Details live on the no.2 briefing. Dated bullets:

• 27 July 2026 — What’s Next: onboarding and traversal work after the June close; next tests called for 31 August; animal rescue still being worked on; public demo in active development for 2026.
• 10 August 2026 — How should an expedition look: camp as a living place; buildings unlock crafting and tools; every improvement before you leave affects the field.
• 21 August 2026 — What should you bring: no perfect loadout; Axe, Fire Extinguisher (needs a refillable water tank), and Backpack as the diary’s go-to trio.
• 31 August 2026 — Open Playtests no.2 live until 7 September: reworked tutorial; Main Quest; Area and Gate Quests; full key remapping; LAB quest unlocks Jetpack and Flamethrower; field animal rescue if a shelter exists; knock down electricity poles to cross gaps.

June close notes that still matter: stamina potions restored more (T1 75→100, T2 85→200, T3 95→300); falling rocks and storms slightly shorter on early levels; Will’s first quest shown immediately; extended tutorials for Extraction, Danger Level, Water Hose, Tank, and Backpack.

Combat, stamina, breach

• Kick stamina cost cut 45 → 35 after testers ran dry.
• Dodge roll and kick impact mentioned together with a later Kicker perk.
• Stamina behaviour reworked; four extra stamina-related perks in a later note.
• Destructible wall durability increased so interiors last longer than a tantrum.
• Breacher perk: faster breaching and searching.
• Durable perk: item durability, which is how the axe stops being a joke from the expedition diary.

If your first-hour feel does not match a May VOD, believe the build. Then rebind using controls.

Hazards and HUD

• Volcanic bombs and earthquakes got stronger HUD warnings, SFX, and radio callouts.
• Earthquake duration cut 420 → 300 seconds in a December summary.
• Extinguishing feel was A/B tested; Starward said they were leaning into the more immersive option and still balancing it.

Update your hazards instincts: you should see death coming more often than in the first Discord waves.

Maps, loop, hub

• Extraction, loot, and lasting consequences were emphasised after an overhaul of the core loop.
• Ruins added as a more vertical, corridor-and-cave district.
• Survivors strengthen the hub more clearly: skills, gear, extraction systems.
• Camp management (expansion, crafting, character development) is in the playtest feature list, not a 1.0 promise.

That is why camp and extraction are separate guides. The notes kept making both heavier.

What testers should still file

Starward asked for crashes, settings, first-hour UX, input, and later for extinguishing and telegraphing. Still worth reporting:

• Pickup animations that feel like teleports (creators already complained in public).
• Axe durability outliers.
• Bomb tells that still fail on some hardware.
• Camp meters that desync from the daily report.
• Hitching on HDD (they already require SSD — prove it if a build regresses).

Use official channels from Links. Numbered reports move kick cost. Vibes do not.

How this page will grow

Each new public Steam post should add a dated bullet, not a rewrite of history. If a later note contradicts a 300-second quake, we keep both lines so you can see the swing. Guides will follow the newest line. This page is the memory.

Creator VODs are dated evidence, not patch notes. Splattercat’s “no tutorial” hour is still useful for Getting Started, but his stamina feel may predate the rework. SurvivalBob’s camp tour still maps to rooms, but greenhouse numbers may have moved. Quote the date of the VOD when you argue on Discord. Quote this page when you argue on the wiki.

If a note is missing a number, we do not invent one. “Stamina was reworked” without a new kick cost means the 35 figure is the last printed cost, not a promise it is still 35. That humility is how this page stays different from a fake complete changelog.

When EA begins, this page should fork: playtest history stays, a new EA patch log starts. Do not mix them. A 300-second quake from a 2025 Discord wave is trivia after a 2026 EA patch that prints 180. Guides will follow the new log. This page will keep the old bullets so you can see what testers already paid for.

Playtest notes are the closest thing Into the Fire has to a live service blog. Read them before you argue with a tier letter.