Bellwright — patch notes and updates
Stored observation / content update:
Dated developer announcements recorded from Steam. Open the source for the complete update.
| Update | Date | Excerpt / source |
|---|---|---|
| Our Second Anniversary! | 2026-04-23 | The second year of Bellwright is coming to a close - it's time to pause, take a step back, and reflect on all the hard work and the progress it's led to... Just kidding, no time to lose! There is so much more that we still want to add and (as you keep telling us) so much more that you still want to see. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. As cliché as it might be, all of us at Donkey Crew genuinely feel that we wouldn't be here without you and your support, which is as undying as Lord Ashbourne before we fixed him constantly respawning. If not for your vocal feedback, bug reports, Steam reviews, and discussions on Discord and Reddit there w |
| Hotfix [March 2] | 2026-03-02 | Fixed not being able to complete Fowl Play quest.Fixed a crash when opening the tech tree screen after traveling between Karvenia and Halmare Isles.Fixed mod load order working incorrectly.Updated FSR to Redstone ML. |
| Hotfix [February 16] | 2026-02-16 | Added a pause while the game is loading in singleplayer.Fixed a rare crash related to broken harvestable foliage.Fixed sounds sometimes becoming muffled after using a bow.Fixed a crash related to NPCs using new character customization.Fixed being able to open management screen for Dockyard before it's constructed.Fixed a crash and disabled broken sea trading routes (was not intended to be available).Fixed River Docks not allowing animals to travel with player.Fixed a crash when loading a save with invalid foliage in the world.Fixed caravan loading rules ignoring "keep" limits.Fixed sometimes not being able to collide with River Dock. |
| The Maiden Voyage: Halmare Isles | 2026-02-06 | Hello Everyone,This will be the last devlog in our series dedicated to the recent Maiden Voyage update. Our team is already heads-down and hard at work on the next one. If you read between the lines of any of the recent developer videos you can likely guess what will be coming next. We’re going to add new content along with building on the systems you’ve already seen. In this video we’re looking at everything surrounding the Halmare Isles including what inspired the map and many of the other features that come with it. It will highlight some of the unique challenges we’ve faced and give context to some of the completely new systems we wanted |
| Hotfix [January 27] | 2026-01-27 | Fixed sometimes not being able to initiate combat after exiting dialogue with Esc or dueling.Fixed various sound issues with crickets in Karvenia.Fixed various issues with items in containers sometimes disappearing after changing bags.Fixed orchard name sometimes being used for plant interactions instead of the plant name.Fixed bags disappearing if dropped on the ground while empty.Fixed music in villages sometimes not playing after narrative-related music.Fixed container values not updating after replenishing an arrow stack with another.Fixed a crash when loading a save made with mods that add new structures or other persistent object withou |
| Walls and Defenses | 2026-01-22 | Hello Everyone,In this next devlog we're showcasing and talking about one of our favorite new systems: Walls. We knew early on we wanted to improve this feature and how a medieval town just doesn't feel complete unless you have fences, gates and walls to give circumstance to the space you build. In this video we wanted to go over a lot of the challenges we faced when designing the system along with some potential future plans for further expanding how it works. We still have plenty more to expand on when it comes to building fortifications within your settlement and with the newest iteration it gives us a perfect base to work off of to make i |
| Hotfix [January 16] | 2026-01-16 | Reduced excessive amounts of fireflies and butterflies in several locations of Karvenia.Fixed various clipping issues with armors and boots.Fixed carts sometimes jumping around when used by clients in co-op.Fixed a crash related to sleeping or traveling on late game saves.Fixed winter debuffs being displayed on Halmare Isles when there is no winter.Fixed winter debuffs doubling their effect when loading a save that was made on the day that winter began.Fixed Orchard management interactable sometimes floating in the air.Fixed As Dusk Sets quest getting stuck if player is already at war with Cassians.Fixed being able to choose to bring Isa to H |
| Hotfix [January 8] | 2026-01-08 | Fixed persistent crashing for some players introduced in yesterday's hotfix by temporarily reverting the game pause while loading in singleplayer.Fixed not being able to reach the 5th level of village prosperity. |
| Hotfix [January 7] | 2026-01-07 | Made the game pause while loading and fast traveling in singleplayer Fixed Guillermo not fighting during Fair Deal quest.Fixed structure tab incorrectly displaying the number of all structures in a settlement.Fixed NPC portraits not updating properly.Fixed sometimes having to press RMB and other buttons twice to perform an action.Fixed performance issues caused by building roads.Fixed incorrect rounding of minimum and maximum price of market trading rules.Fixed a crash when pressing enter while changing a market order price and clicking outside of the menu.Fixed a crash when loading a save with a faulty NPC using a cart.Fixed a crash related |
| Character Customization: Overhauling Our Character Creator | 2025-12-31 | Hello Everyone,It’s time for our next post! this time focusing on the new character creation system. It’s no surprise that since early access the system has been rudimentary and needed some work. In this video we’re discussing how we didn’t want to just add a couple of sliders and call it a day. Instead, there’s a lot of thought that went into how we approached things. We’re taking a closer look at the new Character Creator system coming to the game and discussing the development challenges involved in making sure that your character looks exactly how you want it to. There might be a few things mentioned in this one to look forward to in futu |
| Hotfix [December 19] | 2025-12-19 | Improved aiming and handling of spears in combat.Added a speed bonus to damage of spears. Fixed animal population limits not matching newly added animal types on old saves.Fixed incorrect number of items displayed at merchants for clients in co-op.Fixed a rare crash related to patrols disbanding. |
| Hotfix [December 18] | 2025-12-18 | Fixed ship's cargo capacity not upgrading for clients in co-op.Fixed not being able to attack Falsgar troops after completing The Damsel quest.Fixed various NPC navigation issues on Halmare Isles.Fixed characters sometimes spawning or teleporting under terrain.Fixed animals not traveling together with player via travel signs.Fixed being able to choose a side during Not All Who Wait and Chains are Broken quests even if you're at war with them.Fixed log messages in HUD sometimes being stuck after loading. |
| Caravans and Trading: Meet Bellwright's Developers | 2025-12-17 | Hello everyone, With our newest patch now live, we wanted to take a moment to introduce some of the faces behind the Maiden Voyage update. In this video, the team shares what inspired the creation of each new system, along with our overall mindset and philosophy when it comes to developing Bellwright.Over the holiday season, we’ll be releasing a few more posts that dive deeper into these features and the ideas behind them. So if you’re interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the developers shaping Bellwright and the thought process driving its evolution, be sure to check out the video below.As always, Bellwright is in Early Access, and your |
| Hotfix [December 16] | 2025-12-16 | Added scrolling to the village trading menu. Decreased loading times when traveling via signs and river docks. Added new shields to Footman gear preset. Added a logo animation when loading a map during traveling for clients in co-op. Made quest tasks to kill the guards optional in Not All Who Wait and Chains are Broken. Renamed "ammunition" into "arrows" in item category name. Made quivers craftable both at the weaver hut and the toolmaker. Fixed a crash related to group fast traveling via river docks. Fixed a crash related to NPC interactions clearing too early. Fixed crash on client in co-op while playing intro when traveling between maps. |
| Hotfix #2 [December 14] | 2025-12-14 | Fixed game freezes caused by foliage clearing in construction site areas. |
| Hotfix [December 14] | 2025-12-13 | Fixed freezes during game saving and combat.Disabled map icons for construction sites when building walls. |
| Hotfix [December 12] | 2025-12-12 | Fixed a crash for clients in co-op when editing caravan route with villages. Fixed a crash for clients in co-op related to attempting to move to an interaction point. Fixed a crash related to animal farming menu. Fixed workers sometimes getting stuck in cutting animation. Fixed ears clipping through some helmets. Fixed bows sometimes floating in air. Fixed issues related to players interacting with carts. Fixed companions getting stuck on top of the ruins in Highlands. Fixed animation issues when cutting logs on the ground and performing other vertical swings. |
| The Sound of Rebellion | 2025-12-11 | Hello everyone,Music is more than just a background track. It enhances every beat of the world you play through whether it’s building tension as you scout through a bandit camp or the rain trickling over your first shelter as your settlement grows. With our newest update underway, we knew this region needed a new unique voice to fit the atmosphere alongside the new challenges and secrets. Capturing that feeling is our composer Jakub Pietras. To showcase this we have a behind-the-scenes video where you can watch as Jakub discusses his creative process and demonstrates how he builds and blends instrumentation with modern composition to bring th |
| Hotfix [December 11] | 2025-12-11 | Scaled prosperity penalty from village needs depending on current prosperity and tier, resulting in easier to retain prosperity levels. Prevented raids and reclamation parties from happening and resolving automatically while traveling between maps. Added visible water to wells. Updated localization of all languages. Fixed a missing warning that game restart is required when enabling and disabling mods. Fixed visual glitches with bird coop. Fixed getting stuck when releasing crossbow instead of aiming. Fixed a crash related to caravans on old saves. You also might've noticed already that there is a new option when launching the game: "Play Bel |
| Hotfix #2 [December 10] | 2025-12-10 | Fixed traders selling and buying 0 quantity orders on old saves. Fixed quivers disappearing when loading old saves with the new update (will not bring lost quivers back, unless you load a save from the previous version). Fixed sometimes respawning in a shed at Cabin or Lodge. |