What do you think of The Pearl Update being At the very end of the game?

[Jakepeng99]

Right now, it’s post riffs + 3 mutated Lunar bosses and some Wagstaff quest.

Personally, Im not a fan of the direction of current updates. They made a big mistake of destroying Pearl’s island and making decorating it and stuff pointless. 
 

Instead of fixing this, feels like they just put a couch over this stain in the carpet by adding these new decoration stuff for when she moves off her island.

i dont think it makes sense. Having freedom to do what you want when you want is way more fun than being forced to go on a set progression path that are riffs. Since they are sticking with Pearl’s island being destroyed, and her house being moved into your base (side note, just having everything being put in base isnt fun, she was an important set piece in the ocean), then can we at least be able to move her house earlier? Perhaps post crab king? At least it’s not post riffs and it’s more accessible.

All the stuff you earn from it doesn’t fit for end game either. Yes, the teas are strong, but that’s because they artificially made them powerful to fit late game. They could have nerfed stats pre riff, and post riff you could give her bright shade husks to make the teas better.

[Dingle]

I'd prefer if she just unlocked her tea shop at the same time as the combriner, when you hand the cracked pearl over.

The teas could even be made more expensive if you make them pre-deco. Then the 25th deco point could just make the teas back to their normal cost (before the 50 and 75 point discounts).

This way you can still make the tea while they're relevant to non-megabasers, but there's still the incentive to do the decoration tasks to make the teas more efficient.

[Maxil20]

1 hour ago, Jakepeng99 said:

i dont think it makes sense. Having freedom to do what you want when you want is way more fun than being forced to go on a set progression path that are riffs.

Did people just forget that DST has been having progression paths since A New Reign was complete in 2017? Even disregarding that, DS has always had a fairly clear “progression” path, in that you make basic gear to weather off the seasons which allows you to survive better and hunt for stronger gear to increase your chances of success, ultimately combining into clearing the ruins and using the gear there to make your life considerably easier.

I also feel there needs to be incentive to push yourself to go in the rift progression. If you think the early game is dying for content, how do you think the post rift side is?

(I won’t say much specifically on Pearl Island destruction due to that being talked about a lot and I know that’s a huge point of contention, I’m just satisfied there’s a bunch of Pearl themed items to use with her home area that I think are cute).

1 hour ago, Jakepeng99 said:

They could have nerfed stats pre riff, and post riff you could give her bright shade husks to make the teas better.

I really don’t think this is a good idea. Brightshade husks are already strained as is in multiplayer scenarios (with the best method to get more outright being green gem duping) and forcing them to be used with teas doesn’t make the problem any better (also, apart from lune blossoms, why would adding a lunar related item somehow make the teas better, especially the dark petals one?)

[Mike23Ua]

Honestly I feel like so many changes have been made to DST that people still try to hold onto the “uber hardcore” tag that the franchise once maybe kinda (but not really) ever had with Solo DS.

And what I mean by that is that Wigfrids downside of only being able to eat meaty foods only actually mattered BEFORE there was an ocean of water around her to pull fish out of almost anywhere.

Wes the so called “Challenge” Character got the ability to more easily regain Sanity with Party Balloons that are practically free that does not require any hard to obtain resources or drain durability of item & this is BEFORE he gets a skill tree to make playing him even better?

Foods that use to stop growing at all during Winter season can now be grown regardless of season.

Banana was made easy to obtain from funny monkey portal to easily make Banana Daiquiri for decent hunger & sanity restoring options.

Bunny Stew was added as an uber noob friendly alternative to more difficult healing solutions like healing salve for example. (1 small meat morsel 3 ice)

Wormwood the character who’s downside use to be having difficulty healing now literally has skills to passively heal when blooming.

Honestly I just don’t feel like pearls goodies being “End Game” Makes much sense.. the only thing I would actually suggest here is that players are required to atleast have a decent Relationship Status with her, (aka no longer grumpy crabby granny & she at least tolerates your existence) but I certainly would not lock it behind maximum friendship and 4 major bosses.

 

[Evelo]

The destruction of the island is horrible.

[Echsrick]

i just want kelp to work again on drying task

[gaymime]

i get that this is a response to people complaining and whinging about needed more end-game content and i understand that klei has plans that extend  much farther into the future than the 3-5 months that we players//observers get to see at a time but i am only a mid player at best. i am only ever going to see rift & post-rift stuff in places like twitch and youtube; i am never going to be able to play with any of it. i would not ask klei to change anything they are doing but i would not have minded at all if it was something i could have reasonably gotten to be part of since i do actually LIKE pearl and i like her being happy, and i do like nautical themes and would be keen to have her parked up next to me in my base

 

Edited December 23, 2025 by gaymime

[Dingle]

11 minutes ago, gaymime said:

i get that this is a response to people complaining and whinging about needed more end-game content and i understand that klei has plans that extend  much farther into the future than the 3-5 months that we players//observers get to see at a time but i am only a mid player at best. i am only ever going to see rift & post-rift stuff in places like twitch and youtube; i am never going to be able to play with any of it. i would not ask klei to change anything they are doing but i would not have minded at all if it was something i could have reasonably gotten to be part of since i do actually LIKE pearl and i like her being happy, and i do like nautical themes and would be keen to have her parked up next to me in my base

 

I see post-rift all the time, but I'm not a megabaser. By the time me and my friends kill Scion, we're about ready to retire that world.

There's nothing left for us to use the tea on. All bosses killed.

Good for post-rift playing megabasers, bad (worse, completely irrelevant) for everyone else.

Maybe this will change in a couple years when there's a slew of post-Scion content? No one knows.

[gaymime]

39 minutes ago, Dingle said:

I see post-rift all the time, but I'm not a megabaser. By the time me and my friends kill Scion, we're about ready to retire that world.

There's nothing left for us to use the tea on. All bosses killed.

Good for post-rift playing megabasers, bad (worse, completely irrelevant) for everyone else.

Maybe this will change in a couple years when there's a slew of post-Scion content? No one knows.

yeah, for groups that are only out to beat bosses it is not exactly a great reward. it really does seem suited to people who intend to spend a fairly long time in the world the teashop is unlocked in.

[Dingle]

7 minutes ago, gaymime said:

yeah, for groups that are only out to beat bosses it is not exactly a great reward. it really does seem suited to people who intend to spend a fairly long time in the world the teashop is unlocked in.

Maybe the devs have numbers on it, and a big chunk of the playerbase does several hundred day worlds and megabasing.

This would explain stuff like the mysterious seeds being soft gated past day 150.

[Jakepeng99]

7 hours ago, Dingle said:

I'd prefer if she just unlocked her tea shop at the same time as the combriner, when you hand the cracked pearl over

Ohh i actually never knew the combriner unlocked then, i couldnt get it to work during my world. I actually think i knew but forgot after i learned decoratijg was post riff. Its the upgrade thats post riff.

Though doesnt change my point, just puts misinfornation in it. Id still want this cool decoraring features to be early access.

5 hours ago, Maxil20 said:

Did people just forget that DST has been having progression paths since A New Reign was complete in 2017? Even disregarding that, DS has always had a fairly clear “progression” path, in that you make basic gear to weather off the seasons which allows you to survive better and hunt for stronger gear to increase your chances of success, ultimately combining into clearing the ruins and using the gear there to make your life considerably easier.

The game has progression, every game does. But this is just playing the game. This is how most sandboxes have progression, explore world get stronger. You can tackle everything in any way. You can survive Winter with just a torch technically, its not like there is something you need to do for Winter to happen.

 

Its progression, but not the same thing. The CC line and post riff stuff and whatever, you do this exact thing in this exact way in this exact time.

Compare this to something like hamlet. All the bosses are beatable in any order at any time (Ancient Harold is different). Makes the game mucu less repetitive, and is fun to vary things up. Fuelweaver was ok since its not really a chore. CC is ok. But i dont like riffs.

5 hours ago, Maxil20 said:

also feel there needs to be incentive to push yourself to go in the rift progression. If you think the early game is dying for content, how do you think the post rift side is?

(I won’t say much specifically on Pearl Island destruction due to that being talked about a lot and I know that’s a huge point of contention, I’m just satisfied there’s a bunch of Pearl themed items to use with her home area that I think are cute).

I used to play almost exclusively late game in big mega bases. Had a unique playstyle. I played in the don't fight together endless server. Basically, i join on the first day and do early game fun stuff. On the 2nd day people have been playing overnight and such so now its around day 100. Basically the world kept progressing. The gameplay loop for post riff works really well in my opinion. The chores keep me active, always farming pigskins and have reasons to make farms and such.

Long story short since this is a different topic, i dont like the gameplay of riffs. Im leaving alot out but it needs its own thread, ill make a thread about all this in a few days. We can continue talking in that thread because i have alot to discuss and want this to be on topic.

5 hours ago, Maxil20 said:

really don’t think this is a good idea. Brightshade husks are already strained as is in multiplayer scenarios (with the best method to get more outright being green gem duping) and forcing them to be used with teas doesn’t make the problem any better (also, apart from lune blossoms, why would adding a lunar related item somehow make the teas better, especially the dark petals one?)

I dunno. After the first like 20 days of riffs feels like brightshade husks and brilliance are pouring out our ears and we have infinite armour and weapons.

The reason it makes the teas better is because its leafy and amplifies it or something.

For dark petals, solution is pure horror.

38 minutes ago, Dingle said:

Maybe the devs have numbers on it, and a big chunk of the playerbase does several hundred day worlds and megabasing.

This would explain stuff like the mysterious seeds being soft gated past day 150.

Most the big dst youtubers megabase so maybe thats a reason.

 

1 hour ago, Dingle said:

Good for post-rift playing megabasers, bad (worse, completely irrelevant) for everyone else.

I used to play megabase long term worlds but i feel riffs ruined it for me.

Edited December 24, 2025 by Jakepeng99

[gaymime]

40 minutes ago, Dingle said:

Maybe the devs have numbers on it, and a big chunk of the playerbase does several hundred day worlds and megabasing.

This would explain stuff like the mysterious seeds being soft gated past day 150.

well going by the data people on here share....i'd certainly get that impression

[Mike23Ua]

1 hour ago, Dingle said:

Maybe the devs have numbers on it, and a big chunk of the playerbase does several hundred day worlds and megabasing.

This would explain stuff like the mysterious seeds being soft gated past day 150.

It’s highly unlikely.. we already know they don’t even play their own game so maybe they just don’t know how to balance it?

like I mean.. is the difficulty/risk at this certain stage of gameplay worth the payoff/reward/world changes?

Thats something gamers consider, but developers, especially SANDBOX Developers, often never do.

[AliceShiki]

I'd like it if the Pearl Move was available at any time. Would give a purpose to exploring the Ocean to me in worlds with newbie friends where there are no plans to actually try going after Celestial Champion.

Like, getting the big Dry Rack would be nice, and the teleport to Pearl would be great... Though the teleport would need an easier recipe to be really useful in those worlds.

[Jakepeng99]

8 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

It’s highly unlikely.. we already know they don’t even play their own game so maybe they just don’t know how to balance it?

Is this true? Is the only time they play during their lives?

If so, they should play their game more like other game companies who have people who genuinely just play the game for fun.

That would affect the updates alot

[AliceShiki]

3 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Is this true? 

Definitely not, of course at least a part of the dev team plays the game (the people on the art department might not play, but the people making gameplay improvements definitely play).

Of course, their playtime is much smaller than the playtime of people who have DST as their main live-service game, since devs play as a job, not as a hobby, so they probably don't play much outside of work hours.

[gaymime]

8 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Is this true? Is the only time they play during their lives?

If so, they should play their game more like other game companies who have people who genuinely just play the game for fun.

That would affect the updates alot

i think he is just talking about the face players sometimes not knowing the ins-and-outs of the game when streaming on twitch, sometimes they don't know how to expertly play features that are hours/days old and dont look like professional streamers which gives some people the impression that the entire company is incompetent and does not understand how to play their own games. it is a few layers of conjecture built on a foundation of not understanding game development & company structures with just a dash of purposeful insincerity on top for flavour

[Cheggf]

9 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Is this true? Is the only time they play during their lives?

If so, they should play their game more like other game companies who have people who genuinely just play the game for fun.

That would affect the updates alot

Every time I've watched their streams they don't know anything about the game except what the update is adding and they need chat to help them do the most basic things.

[Well-met]

Indifferent to it

[Jakepeng99]

2 hours ago, Cheggf said:

Every time I've watched their streams they don't know anything about the game except what the update is adding and they need chat to help them do the most basic things.

Oh

I feel like that’s a bottle Thats never been opened. Has it always been like this? I don’t think that would a good thing especially for the long term.

Edited December 24, 2025 by Jakepeng99

[gaymime]

2 minutes ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Oh… 

I feel like that’s a bottle Thats never been opened. Has it always been like this? Either way I don’t think that’s a good thing especially for the long term.

no, half the time they are fine.

[Jakepeng99]

2 minutes ago, gaymime said:

no, half the time they are fine.

Oh alright ty

[Well-met]

game developers are rarely their own hardcore audience, it's like this pretty much everywhere else too.

[Nikki Darks]

Nothing more worthless than putting items of those qualities (her teas and decorations) all the way to the back end of late game. 

Why should I care about such mediocre items (mediocre for the stage they're obtained in) at a point in the game when I'm already fully prepared and most likely OVER prepared for anything that could happen???

Also, I do not understand Klei's obsession with locking DECORATION behind late game...? Idk if other players share this same testament, but I do not feel rewarded if I have to work hard for purely decorative items... I love working hard for weapons, tools, armour, etc, etc, but not for something that realistically does nothing to aid my survival. 

This is why I will always use mods to make critters and the sawhorse just easier to craft or directly craftable.

And I am 100% sure that all of the Pearl content would be much better and much more enjoyable if it were moved to way earlier into the game.

And if I really want cool potions with special effects or something, I'll just turn on the halloween event, at least those potions are available as early as you can get the ingredients...

But that's just my take on this.

[Jakepeng99]

4 hours ago, Nikki Darks said:

Also, I do not understand Klei's obsession with locking DECORATION behind late game...? Idk if other players share this same testament, but I do not feel rewarded if I have to work hard for purely decorative items... I love working hard for weapons, tools, armour, etc, etc, but not for something that realistically does nothing to aid my survival. 

Yeah. I still find the way you get the saw horse dumb. They wanna hide it from everyone and make it obtained in such a weird and nonsensical way. But my breath is better spent breathing since it seems they are lock and loaded in this 

Edited December 26, 2025 by Jakepeng99