Update 17 multiplayer and companion changes

NerveLabs reports improved online stability and alerts when either host or client disconnects. The patch also addresses missing Amphitheater ghosts after delayed co-op quest loading. These are specific developer-reported changes, not proof that every save, connection or quest-state issue has disappeared.

Companions no longer react to player crimes, and a case where dismissed companions failed to appear received a fix. This does not remove guards or the evidence-chest crime system, nor does it establish new party-size or cross-play rules. The separate host-world and guest-character model introduced in Update 16 remains the documented starting point.

Changed in Update 17

This page was compared with the official Update 17 announcement on September 25, 2026. The changes above are developer-reported; details requiring in-game testing remain explicitly unresolved.

Current companion rules

  • Enable Companion Permadeath only if permanent deaths are intended.
  • Without it, defeated companions get up after combat.
  • Sent-home and dismissed companions remain marked.
  • Companions cannot be pickpocketed.

Persistence changes

Update 16 improved companion persistence, says Zan should remember his sent location and fixes a save/load loop where companions repeatedly fell and revived.

Companion guide desk

  • /companions/permadeath — risk setting and default behavior
  • /companions/map-markers — finding dismissed allies
  • /companions/zan — patch-sensitive location persistence

Evidence boundary

Exact values, requirements and edge cases stay marked as unverified until they can be checked in the current build.

Map visibility and distance handling

Update 6 says companions are shown on the map and receive an automatic teleport if they stray too far. The note confirms the feature, but it does not publish the distance threshold, delay or destination used by that teleport.

When a companion falls behind, check the current map before declaring the character permanently lost. Record whether the marker remains visible and whether Update 16's documented persistence behavior occurs.

Original guide diagram

Companion navigation

status

Identify Which Companion Signal Is Missing

Evidence keyOfficial recordCurrent guide actionEvidence boundary
  • MapUpdate 6 shows companions on the map.
  • DistanceUpdate 6 adds automatic teleport when too far away.
  • Co-op compassUpdate 7 adds companion visibility there.
  • ReportName the missing display and host or non-host role.
A status plate separating map, distance and co-op compass behavior from unsupported roster or recovery claims.Not an official in-game map or UI capture.

Co-op companions appear on the compass

Update 7 separately says co-op companions are visible on the compass. Treat that as a navigation aid, not evidence for party size, ownership, quest authority or teammate teleport behavior.

Map visibility from Update 6 and compass visibility from Update 7 are distinct patch facts. A problem report should name which display is missing rather than collapsing both into a general companion issue.

Update 6 changed companion reactions

The Update 6 notes say companion items are no longer considered stolen, companions do not report crimes and companions care less when the player accidentally hits them. These are behavior changes, not a promise that all friendly-fire consequences were removed.

The wording also does not establish inventory ownership rules, dismissal behavior or what happens after deliberate repeated attacks. Keep those questions separate from the three changes the patch actually names.

Report a missing companion with useful context

  • Confirm Update 16 is installed.
  • State whether the companion is absent from the world, map, compass or all three.
  • Record the last location where the companion was visible.
  • Note whether the documented far-distance auto-teleport occurred.
  • For co-op, identify the host and the player who last saw the companion.

What remains unverified

The registered official notes do not provide a companion roster, recruitment locations, party limit, equipment rules, death behavior, dismissal steps or console recovery command. Those details need direct current-build evidence before publication.