The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu Demo Update Adds Weapon Looting and Secret Sanity Effects

Chilean developer ACE Team has released a fresh build for the Steam Next Fest demo of The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu. This patch addresses early player feedback by adjusting combat resource availability and introducing subtle gameplay adjustments. Alongside these balance changes, the title has reached a significant milestone, exceeding 3,000 concurrent players during the ongoing Steam Next Fest event.

If you are just starting your descent into the dark tunnels, check out our beginner tips to help you survive your first run.

Looting Weapons and Scoring Ammo

One of the most immediate changes in the update is the ability to loot weapons directly from enemy corpses. Previously, entering an encounter without a solid loadout felt punishing. Now, players can scavenge firearms and melee options straight from fallen foes, providing a much-needed lifeline when resources run thin.

To complement this, the drop rate for ammunition has been adjusted. Firearm ammo pickups now carry more bullets, and undead enemies have a slightly higher chance of dropping ammo upon defeat. Additional weapons and ammo crates have also been placed in select areas of the demo map. These adjustments should make combat feel less restrictive, allowing players to engage with the game's hostile creatures more aggressively.

Two Mystery Sanity Effects Added

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu features a psychological sanity system that distorts the player's perception and introduces hazardous status effects as their mental state deteriorates. If you want a full breakdown of how this works, take a look at our sanity system overview.

Rather than listing every addition in the patch notes, ACE Team opted to keep players in the dark regarding the latest mental hazards. The developers confirmed that two new sanity effects have been added to the active rotation, but they have declined to reveal their mechanics. Players will have to encounter these hallucination effects firsthand during runs. Early community reports suggest these might involve audio distortions and subtle visual shifts, though these details remain unconfirmed.

Appraiser Buffs and Technical Fixes

For those focused on securing gear and extracting, the Appraiser now evaluates retrieved equipment more favorably. This economic adjustment means players can generate tokens and upgrade their arsenal slightly faster between runs, which should help teams prepare for more dangerous expeditions.

The update also includes several bug fixes and quality-of-life additions: - Huemul AI: The behavior of the Huemul (a deer-like creature native to Chile that appears in the game) has been improved. - Onboarding Fix: Fixed a polygon-stretching visual bug in the tutorial area. - Crouch Animation: Players will now crouch automatically in first-person mode when picking up bodies. - Token Debt: A bug that allowed players to fall into negative token debt has been resolved. - Map Behavior: Fixed an issue where the Map item behaved identically to the Medallion item. - Font Size: Added an option to increase subtitle font size in the settings menu.

Steam Next Fest Milestone: Over 3,000 Concurrent Players

The patch arrives as The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu enjoys strong momentum on Steam. The game recently surpassed 3,000 concurrent players during Steam Next Fest, indicating growing interest in ACE Team’s unique blend of survival mechanics, tactical co-op play, and Cthulhu mythos.

With the game expected to launch on July 15, 2026 (expected, UTC), this demo period serves as a critical testing ground. If you haven't tried the demo yet, make sure to read our wishlist guide to get set up before Next Fest ends.