Vampire Survivors announces free ‘Chilling Update’ coming soon! New maps, weapons, and characters, explained

It hasn’t been long since poncle graced us with the game-changing local co-op update for Vampire Survivors, and yet something new is already on the horizon. Vampire Survivors’ free ‘Chilling Update’, which promises to add a new map, weapon, character, and relic to the game’s heaving list of content, has just been announced, and we’ve got all the details on what you can expect from its wintry waves.

What’s coming in Vampire Survivors’ free ‘Chilling Update’?

Whiteout map

Announced via a typically memey Youtube video, (See above) the Chilling Update looks to bring a lot to the table considering it’s completely free. First and foremost, it will be adding a brand-new map to the game: Whiteout. As the name suggests, this will be a vast snowy plain with limited visibility, ideal for fleeing from hordes of enemies when things get tough later on in a run. This map won’t be as simple as those in the base game, however: small sheltered caves are clearly visible, indicating a welcome level of complexity when it comes to its layout.

Glass Fandango weapon

Image: poncle

Nestled deep in these caves you’ll find the next two additions the Chilling Update brings: the Glass Fandango weapon and the Antidote relic. The former seems to create triangular damage zones in front of the player, scale its damage based on your movement speed, and deal extra damage if an Orologion item is active or the damaged enemy is frozen. There isn’t much incentive to build around freezing enemies in the current game, so this weapon is a welcome push toward a new style of build going forward.

Antidote relic and Defang powerup

Image: poncle

The latter is more of a mystery at this stage. According to the video, the Antidote relic allows you to ‘buy the Defang powerup’, but the effects of said powerup are not disclosed. Given the name, it could very well be a powerup that reduces the damage dealt by enemies, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

She-Moon character

Last, but certainly not least, We have the brand-new character introduced in the Chilling Update, She-Moon. From the video we can see that she’s unlocked by surviving for 20 minutes in the new Whiteout stage, but beyond that we’re given little to go on as to her stats and abilities. Since she’s shown using it in the trailer, it’s safe to assume that the Glass Fandango is her starting weapon. She also appears to be drawing in objects for the majority of her time on-screen in the trailer, which may indicate that her ability causes a vacuum effect at regular intervals. This would help to gather Orologions, thus synergizing nicely with her starting weapon, but that’s all just speculation for now.

However it pans out, the Chilling Update looks to add more depth and breadth to the already-stacked Vampire Survivors, and I personally can’t wait to get stuck in. No solid release date has been given, but the trailer description promises it will arrive ‘in a few weeks’, so I’d start looking out my snowboots now if I were you.