Transparency in the Development Cycle.

[EsmeWatchesBird]

Hi everyone.

I didn’t want to make a forums account, much less do so at almost midnight when i have classes tomorrow, but here we are.

I am frankly, Very Mad at klei right now. And I don’t get mad easily! I’ve been an avid defender of them for some time at this point, but things are starting to really push my patience. Between what is currently going on with the WX skilltree, and in particular the events of the Hostile Takeover beta, my (and several of my friends in the community) faith in klei has been severely diminished. And I’m making this post in hopes that they can win it back and save WX and future characters to be doomed to boringness.

The key issue I want to talk about is how Klei handles updates. Levels of response to community feedback are WILDLY inconsistent and I can see no pattern in how it happens. Lets look at 2025. The first update that dropped was the Walter, Wendy, and Wortox skilltree, which was phenomenal, even if it took WAY longer than intended. Klei used that time to really take community feedback into account and make Walter from a laughing stock into one of, if not THE best designed skilltree. (Wortox and wendy also turned out alright)

Then we get to Hostile Takeover. The start of the beta was promising, WARBOT had some cool stuff going on and the spritework found in the files for Scion was awesome. Then Scion came around. I have vivid memories of everyone in the unofficial discord going “what? Surely this isn’t finished. This is an okay start, but nowhere near final boss material”. Then, the update dropped. Scion still sucks pretty bad. The only response I’ve seen from anyone at klei to this?

”get good”

Now, this was a pretty demotivating thing to me. I had just seen klei put out the best skilltree yet, followed by this. And now, we see the Wx tree going in arguably an even worse direction. 
 

I had a lot of hope for this tree right off the bat! It had a solid foundation, and while there were some rough patches and bloat, they’re devoting the whole update to it, so surely itll only get better!

Then klei nerfed most of the circuits skill effects (and even some base ones) to the ground and added the gammas. I don’t need to spell that out for you: we all know how thats playing out.

now, what do I want from this rant, which I’ll admit is rambly and a bit aggressive but its midnight and i’m mad so that is what it is.

i want klei to take a more active role in providing feedback. Tell us what behaviors are WIP, more reasoning behind controversial design decisions, and maybe even discuss it with the community as a whole!

I don’t think the Wx tree is a lost cause. I really don’t . But its not looking good.

I just want to know that klei cares. Thay they’re listening. Is that too much?

idk. This is probably too long, so I’ll just post now and see what you all think And whoever at Klei is reading this: I’m sorry for getting so aggressive, but it had to be said. Now get to fixing Wx, and even maybe. Get good. (At appropriately responding to community feedback)

[Tarnishedmax]

As a long time fan, i dont think ive felt this disappointed and sad about an update, just what in the hell they were thinking?

[Radicaljoe]

I'm just so confused, the only player feedback I think has been implemented so far I think is the nerfs to basekit circuits and giving Jimmy something (which still isn't much, jimmy gets like +1.5 tiles of scanning range with 7 bird's eye circuits installed.) 

I feel like all the feedback is just going nowhere

[Yeah_No]

I agree. I've always had a lot of faith in Klei's development, but after Hostile Takeover and now this beta I would like to know what their plans actually are before they implement changes/nerfs. Feedback is taken so well sometimes, like with Walter's skilltree, only to be seemingly ignored entirely or brushed over at other times. More communication with what is unfinished or experimental, what is intended vs. being bugged, etc. would be greatly appreciated

[reddocc]

The feedback sometimes is just  straight up ramblings tho.

Wx will feel so comfortable to play he is a survivalist survivor like Wormwood not a fighter for me these changes are fair and it will only get better when we get their affinity

 

[ZeRoboButler]

I am kinda shocked at how intense people seem to dislike this when we are not even close to done with the changes, and they even said

- "It may not be a popular change immediately, but we feel some rebalancing is necessary, and the sooner we can get feedback on it the better." 

So it may not be discussed out loud, because interacting with a potentially volatile audience doesn't do you any favors, made super evident by the "project zomboid" fiasco.

I'm 100% certain some one looks through the post for feed back that is valuable, and a lot of people are giving great feedback, the good thing is there is discussion being had.

[Radicaljoe]

1 minute ago, ZeRoboButler said:

I am kinda shocked at how intense people seem to dislike this when we are not even close to done with the changes

It's because the tree was already very shaky, many of us are talking here now so loudly because we were waiting for improvements to come before we made too large a judgement. We waited, we figured by the time gamma was added that some of the tree's flaws could be revised, but nothing has so far, and yet the downtuning of circuits has already taken place.

[Vixen Doe]

It feels like they're treating WX like they're some overpowered powerhouse that needs to be handled carefully to keep the game balance and not... one of the lamest and least interesting characters in the game, gameplay wise

[Koomin]

6 minutes ago, Vixen Doe said:

It feels like they're treating WX like they're some overpowered powerhouse that needs to be handled carefully to keep the game balance and not... one of the lamest and least interesting characters in the game, gameplay wise

Am I missing something here?  They started the beta by giving WX 3x the circuit slots.  Possibly one of the biggest buffs we have ever seen.  I'm a bit baffled why so many people are melting down about these few nerfs that they said were going to happen to compensate, or saying that they are treating WX like he is a powerhouse.

The gamma circuits are not great but those ones were just released - they will be updated and tuned over the next few weeks.  Really confused by this "I just want to hear that Klei is listening" stuff.

[rabbit1324]

22 minutes ago, Koomin said:

Am I missing something here?  They started the beta by giving WX 3x the circuit slots.  Possibly one of the biggest buffs we have ever seen.  I'm a bit baffled why so many people are melting down about these few nerfs that they said were going to happen to compensate, or saying that they are treating WX like he is a powerhouse.

The gamma circuits are not great but those ones were just released - they will be updated and tuned over the next few weeks.  Really confused by this "I just want to hear 

I agree. WX getting 3x the circuit slots was already such a massive buff that some nerfs felt necessary to keep it balanced. I think the changes make sense overall, and a bit of tuning was expected.

I do think some of the reactions are going a bit too far. It is fine to give feedback, but acting like that these changes are some huge mistake feels overblown.

[Curly Bill]

Man, i feel like completely opposite; Every addition and change makes me more and more excited about WX; Never played him much before, just found him like a direct upgrade to Wilson. Very excited for the new additions.

 

I suppose I could maybe agree that it would be helpful if they explained decisions they make; I currently have been really enjoying all their decisions, doing 1 skill tree, and the changes to WX themselves; as well as the ARG work they've been putting in.

[reddocc]

53 minutes ago, Koomin said:

Am I missing something here?  They started the beta by giving WX 3x the circuit slots.  Possibly one of the biggest buffs we have ever seen.  I'm a bit baffled why so many people are melting down about these few nerfs that they said were going to happen to compensate, or saying that they are treating WX like he is a powerhouse.

The gamma circuits are not great but those ones were just released - they will be updated and tuned over the next few weeks.  Really confused by this "I just want to hear that Klei is listening" stuff.

collective dementia domain I summon you

[Bumber64]

1 hour ago, Koomin said:

Am I missing something here?  They started the beta by giving WX 3x the circuit slots.  Possibly one of the biggest buffs we have ever seen.

And then they nerfed his base stats, so they're just mandatory anyway.

Before you start investing in the skill tree, they're just a weaker imitation of what gears used to do.

[Koomin]

6 minutes ago, Bumber64 said:

And then they nerfed his base stats, so they're just mandatory anyway.

No?  Pre-beta most people did not use any stat circuits and used speeds or light/thermal rarely.  So WX had 125-125-150.  Now you have 7 slots for that stuff for free (or I guess you do have to get the +1 point skill). Beanbooster/Superhardy/Supergastro gives 200-200-200. Compared to live game WX has way higher stats.

This is exactly what I am talking about though.  Getting 3x circuits was such a huge change that it dwarfs these recent nerfs. 

Edited April 3 by Koomin

[Bumber64]

On 4/3/2026 at 12:07 AM, Koomin said:

So WX had 125-125-150. [...] Beanbooster/Superhardy/Supergastro gives 200-200-200. Compared to live game WX has way higher stats.

Unless they changed the value of circuits in beta, it's +150/+100/+100. (If it's +200/+200/+200 with skills, that's irrelevant to my point. Changes are being applied to base kit.)

He gets 125/125/150 for free in live. By the time you get the circuits, 275/225/250, plus 20% hunger reduction and +2 sanity/min.

In DS he had 400/200/300 for 15 gears, with no circuit abilities to think about tradeoff. (He maintained these stats on death, dropping no gears. Shipwrecked coffee could be farmed. Lightning effect.) He took 3 gears to reach 160/121/142, which approximates the live WX head start.

You'll need to kill BQ first to get the beanbooster (and as you mentioned, using the skill tree is mandatory). You'll be using super-processing otherwise, and you'll have to kill hounds and slurper for the the super-gastro, as well as scan a nurse spider for the super-hardy. In beta he's about as weak on day 1 as he was in DS, but once you obtain a super-acceleration circuit you've gaining a clear advantage over live and DS. (This takes gears, but less than DS WX needs to be live WX.)

275/225/250 -> 250/200/200 is the change to his non-skill max stat potential. Yes, he can now get fries super-acceleration with that, but his max stats are nevertheless weaker without a skill tree. Not by much, but not "way higher". (Lest the point be missed, he's absolutely weaker day 1 in exchange for later use of extra circuits and a getting a skill tree. You're being made to rebuild his stats with resources.)

Obviously utility circuits are worth losing some early stats (else play Wurt, etc.), but DS WX still comes out really strong by comparison. (Gamma circuits? Are these any good without skill tree investment? Can you even use them?)

Edited April 4 by Bumber64

[Koomin]

50 minutes ago, Bumber64 said:

... Yes, he can now get fries super-acceleration with that, but his max stats are nevertheless weaker without a skill tree....

Yea getting an extra 50% speed or a combo of speed and light and thermal or whatever you want is clearly massively worth a small drop in stats.  That's my point. 

Most people didn't use any of the stat boosting stuff on live anyway, so pointing out what the max was is not really relevant in the first place - it was all effectively useless and unused.  Who cares if it was 275 or 250 or whatever if everyone was just plugging in speed anyway.

[Bumber64]

17 minutes ago, Koomin said:

Yea getting an extra 50% speed or a combo of speed and light and thermal or whatever you want is clearly massively worth a small drop in stats.  That's my point.

Yes, but they aren't provided on day 1. You're expected to work past being a 100/100/100 survivor through mandatory alpha circuits.

Edited April 4 by Bumber64

[cyjs]

One thing I need to correct you on: Wendy has the worst skill tree, while Wortox's skill tree is way too overpowered. 

If it weren't for Wortox and Walter's skill trees setting expectations too high, the community would be much more peaceful this time.

Edited April 4 by cyjs

[flamboyant wolf]

11 minutes ago, Bumber64 said:

Yes, but they aren't provided on day 1. You're expected to work past being a 100/100/100 survivor through mandatory alpha circuits.

yeah, that's called progression 

[Bumber64]

46 minutes ago, flamboyant wolf said:

yeah, that's called progression 

But compare old WX:
Gears -> Alpha circuits (super-hardy + super-processing + super-gastro)
Lightning -> Beta circuits (super-acceleration + illumination + thermal)

Look what we need to mimic even a fraction of his power.

(I'll avoid pointing out all the stats and perks Wurt gets before her progression even starts. It's a bit like invoking Wolfgang at this point. I'll just say WX's progression has been slowed compared to before the beta.)

Edited April 4 by Bumber64

[Soul7k]

43 minutes ago, Bumber64 said:

But compare old WX:
Gears -> Alpha circuits
Lightning -> Beta circuits (super-acceleration + illumination)

Look what we need to mimic even a fraction of his power.

(I'll avoid pointing out all the stats and perks Wurt gets before her progression even starts. It's a bit like invoking Wolfgang at this point. I'll just say WX's progression has been slowed compared to before the beta.)

invoking Wolf makes more sense than invoking Wurt. the character with literally infinite damage. I'll do it for you. Wolf has all three super circuits, and the beta 2 slowdown reduction on equipment/carryables at spawn and a 2x damage bonus albeit a higher hunger drain while mighty.

Spoiler

WX gets:

• discount teleportation that requires up to 7x the effort to gear out but can also be used to rez
• discount, but afk goose
• discount Woby here Woby there
• some gutted passives for alpha circuits

Beta

• can be a thermal stone
• a mole hat
• a light starting from Willows lighter and graduating to a Winona spotlight depending on slot investment
• a discount bramble husk which requires things to be wet for maximum efficiency
• some infinite slots(for my sticks, wood, rocks/flint or beefalo poop) I like these
• movement speed that will likely be nerfed

Gamma

• a snurtle shell with a 2 minute cooldown between uses
• bad food/ok fuel
• an aoe with axes that has a much slower startup and is slightly faster than normal attacking afterwards
• a fear

that being said I like a lot of the new additions. it just doesn't feel great being kneecapped even tho I can use light up rollerblades with my shin guards

Edited April 4 by Soul7k

[Malfario]

On 4/3/2026 at 6:03 AM, EsmeWatchesBird said:

I just want to know that klei cares. Thay they’re listening. Is that too much?

Now, as someone who is also still on the fence about wx skilltree, thinking a lot of fine tunning needs to be done, i dont think this statement its fair.

Obviously i am not gonna tell you that what you are feeling is unvalid, neither am i gonna make fun of your coments, if you felt the need to write this there is probably truth in the statement.

But we are getting a road map, most probably next week, almost every hotfix has come with a coment by a dev on the direction of the tree, reasoning behind changes, motives etc.

Sure we can always do better, but this paints a picture of the devs as being completly radio silent for the whole beta avoiding all our feedback, and thats simply not true.

ITS A BETA, WE ARE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE THEY DO CARE.

Also the context, they have said there is a lot of tech being done under the radar for future implementations, this beta arrived with an statment out of which we could all have picked out the fact, that the development was gonna be a bit slower, because unlike other updates, the tree is straight up unfinished so we can give our feedback as it develops.

We had 3 minor hotfix, and the affinities are still not implemented, and we are still gonna have 3 weeks of beta, Obviously the changes on this beta are subject to criticism, but i think we can all do better by just talking about the update, and stop spiraling into moral arguments.

[Soul7k]

22 minutes ago, Malfario said:

snip

I think we have finally reached the point where the character has been nerfed enough that people are actually crawling out of the woodworks

On 4/3/2026 at 2:07 AM, Koomin said:

No?  Pre-beta most people did not use any stat circuits and used speeds or light/thermal rarely.  So WX had 125-125-150.  Now you have 7 slots for that stuff for free (or I guess you do have to get the +1 point skill). Beanbooster/Superhardy/Supergastro gives 200-200-200. Compared to live game WX has way higher stats.

This is exactly what I am talking about though.  Getting 3x circuits was such a huge change that it dwarfs these recent nerfs. 

who is this most people you keep referencing. this is flat out gaslighting whether you realize it or not

Edited April 4 by Soul7k

[Naifxoxo]

wx got nerfed in his rework which was supposed to make him better n give him qol stuff , and they nerfed him again in his own skilltree??? its nerftree at this point and im scared for future characters now,, klei nerfing stuff and im pretty sure they dont even play the game , so they have no idea of what they doing they need to stop with these insanely unecessary nerfs

[Kvetevk]

I have no idea what majority of players are expecting of wx skill tree. I think that he is in a good spot, some abilities and skills just need a bit of tweaking, but most of the skills are fun and interesting.

The skill tree is split to 3 categories, like in Wilson's skill tree, 1 is focused on upgrades and other 2 adds completely new items and mechanics, 2 out of 3 sides are completely new fun stuff and we still don't have all the circuits and affinity skills, people that are complaining about unfinished beta without any valuable feedback are childish.

People who say that wx is not a fun character even without skills should try playing characters like: Wilson, Wes and Warly.

Also I want to say that Klei developers are people too, we are lucky that they listen to our feedback and are willing to post frequent updates for the beta We should also be glad that the artists and animators are doing great job for making the amazing looking UI and all the new animations/structures, also big ups for the coders and the ones behind the design and ideas.

Thank you Klei and everyone that works or worked on DST/DS. Without you guys we wouldn't have these amazing games and the amazing updates that are part of our lives. 

Edited April 4 by Kvetevk