SEVERANCE 1.0: New Equipment and Ghost Evidence

SEVERANCE 1.0 is scheduled to leave Early Access on October 26 at 5:00 p.m. UK time, equivalent to 17:00 UTC and 1:00 p.m. EDT. Sykes Games has announced eight new pieces of equipment, 48 Steam achievements and a new progression system with prestige rewards. Returning players also have a more immediate adjustment to make: a recent patch has changed how ghost evidence works.

This is Sykes Games' paranormal investigation game, described on its Steam store page as a one-to-five-player game in which a player can take the ghost role. Its full release arrives while the Halloween event is running. The release update and the seasonal rewards have separate rules, so check both before spending your next session chasing a particular unlock.

What the 1.0 announcement promises

The full release announcement names equipment, progression and prestige as the main additions. It also lists 48 achievements. Those are announced features of the release; the post says the full patch notes will accompany the live update. It does not spell out each new tool's function or every prestige reward in advance.

If you are returning for the progression changes, check the live tool descriptions and patch notes before spending resources. The preview does not explain the prestige requirements well enough to plan an unlock route.

The developer says work after 1.0 will continue with new locations, cosmetics and unlocks. Those are stated development plans, without a release schedule in this announcement. They should not be counted as content arriving with the October 26 update unless the actual patch notes say so.

Old ghost evidence notes need a check

The 0.9.4.1 patch removes Possession as an evidence type. Sykes Games says it lacked unique ghost behaviours, and that removing it allows more ghost combinations. Several ghosts consequently have adjusted evidence combinations, so an old checklist can point you toward the wrong conclusion even if the familiar location looks unchanged.

Behavioural evidence is explicitly unchanged. Existing ghost-specific behaviours remain relevant to investigations. For a returning group, that means keeping observations of behaviour while checking the updated evidence selections inside the game, rather than treating an older evidence table as complete.

The same patch fixes match results sometimes failing to appear at the end of a round and a delay when returning to the lobby through the return pad. Those fixes belong to the preceding patch. They are useful context for players coming back after a break, but they should not be mistaken for the entire 1.0 changelog.

Equipment access already changed before release

The 0.9.3.0 update removed player-level and one-time-purchase restrictions from equipment. Its notes say all equipment became available to every player regardless of level. If your plan is based on earning enough levels to unlock an older tool, check the current inventory first.

That earlier access change and the eight announced 1.0 additions describe different things. The earlier patch changes access to equipment already in the game. The launch preview does not detail the requirements for each new tool, so check those separately once 1.0 is available.

An in-game bug-reporting tool also arrived in 0.9.3.0, accessible through the ESC menu or laptop. If a problem interrupts an investigation, that gives players a direct reporting route. Include the game version and what happened when you submit a report.

Halloween rewards end after launch week

The Halloween event announcement sets its end at November 2 at 6:00 p.m. GMT, equivalent to 18:00 UTC. Players earn Candy through investigations and can grow pumpkins through play or by spending Candy. Opening a grown pumpkin grants a random seasonal reward, and upgrading the Pumpkin Patch allows access to rarer pumpkins.

The available cosmetics include clothing, tattoos and lobby props. Because pumpkin rewards are random, opening one is not a promise of the specific cosmetic you want. The event announcement also describes seasonal changes to Tarpon Springs and Sunset Studios. These are part of the ongoing Halloween event, separate from the new 1.0 progression.

Sykes Games has an official launch livestream listing for gameplay and a store trailer on Steam. Those links show the paranormal investigation game, which shares its name with the television series. The Steam Scream schedule covers the wider festival; a game launching alongside that event does not by itself establish a discount or a free-to-keep offer.

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