Core Keeper’s 1.3 Update Is Live With Mounts, Hookshot, and a New Biome
The release adds the Moss sub-biome, Orex cattle, three new pets, gear comparisons, and a loadout key bind.
Core Keeper‘s 1.3 update, Riders of the Underground, is live on September 21, 2026. Players can now saddle cattle, cross pits with the Hookshot, enter the Moss sub-biome, and begin the first chapter of the Road to the Maw plan. The launch was confirmed in the official update announcement. The update's Mage and Summoner rework was already detailed in the earlier preview of its combat changes, giving the live release a combat angle beyond its new travel systems.
Movement is the clearest focus of the release. By approaching cattle and placing a Saddle on them, players can turn their preferred animal into a mount. A dedicated Saddle interface allows riders to rename their mount and choose whether it stays in place, wanders, or follows them when they are not riding it. Removing the Saddle returns the animal to its regular cattle status.
Core Keeper 1.3 Patch Notes
Version 1.3 broadens underground travel while adding new creatures, pets, and player-requested quality-of-life changes. The main additions include the following:
- Saddle mounts let players ride cattle and manage each mount’s name and behavior.
- Hookshot travel lets players latch onto solid surfaces such as walls and pull themselves over pits and water.
- Moss adds a dark, humid, and lush sub-biome to the Forgotten Ruins, where the docile, raptor-like Orex cattle can be found. Orexes prefer eating insects and Moorshrooms instead of hunting larger creatures.
- New pets include the frog-like Hoppet, Azeos Jr, and a third surprise pet. Each pet has its own powers, mannerisms, and color variations.
- Quality-of-life updates add a key bind for cycling loadouts, gear comparisons, adjustable paintbrush area size, broad balance changes, and improvements for Mage and Summoner playstyles.
Riders of the Underground starts the Road to the Maw
Riders of the Underground is the first stop in the Road to the Maw plan. The roadmap also includes Trials of the Depths as Update 1.4 and Beyond the Breach as Update 1.5, with both chapters leading toward the reveal of what lies beyond Breaker’s Reach. The current announcement does not provide launch dates for either update.
The 1.3 launch also refreshes the Explorer’s Guide, a digital handbook covering Core Keeper from the start of an adventure through its late-game content. The guide includes official lore, tips, facts, and 100 hand-drawn illustrations, and now includes information from Riders of the Underground along with additions from earlier minor updates.
Which cattle will become your first underground mount, and will the Hookshot replace bridges for short crossings? Share your pick in the comments, then follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
