Far Far West Frostburn Update: Melee Weapons Are Here (2026)

Evil Raptor shipped the Frostburn update for Far Far West on August 27, adding the roguelite shooter's first melee weapons, a new Frost spell element, a volcanic Hellfire map, and 53 new Jokers. A hotfix followed less than a day later. The patch notes, not last month's work-in-progress preview, are now the actual record of what changed.

That distinction matters more than it sounds like it should. Evil Raptor's own July devlog previewed six things explicitly labeled "work in progress and might not ship as shown": melee weapons, the Hellfire map, a new elemental spell type, a shield mechanic, "30+" new Jokers, and two items that didn't make the final cut, a Redwood Forest map ("very early days") and a sci-fi invader faction called the Zurkers (whose "faces are a bit glitchy for now"). When Evil Raptor announced the August 27 launch date on August 21, it gave zero fresh specifics, just "put your guesses in the comments." This site's own maps guide and challenges guide, both published that same week, treated the July preview as exactly what Evil Raptor called it: unshipped work in progress, not a confirmed feature list. That held up. Four of the six previewed systems shipped. Two didn't.

Key takeaways

• Far Far West's first melee weapons arrived: Knuckles and Lasso (primary slot), Banjo (secondary slot)
• A new Frost spell element ships with 5 spells and a Shield Points defense system capped at 100
• Hellfire, a brand new volcanic map with 3 quests from an NPC named Ronsau, is confirmed live
• 53 new Jokers shipped (25 weapon-slot, 22 character-slot, 6 melee-Unique), taking the total roster to 147
• Of six systems Evil Raptor previewed as work-in-progress in its July devlog, four shipped in Frostburn; a Redwood Forest map and a "Zurkers" enemy faction, both explicitly early WIP in July, did not
• Hotfix 0.2.0.4 landed the next day, fixing promo codes and a Marauder freeze bug

What happened with the Frostburn update

Evil Raptor's August 27 Steam post, titled "FROSTBURN IS OUT NOW! v0.2.0.2," confirmed the update alongside a public roadmap link and a 20% discount running through mid-September. The core additions:

Melee weapons, a first for the game. Knuckles hit hard at close range with a wide cone attack and can be charged for a knockback or an attack-speed buff. Lasso whips enemies at range and its charge attack grants flight. Banjo, the sole secondary-slot melee weapon, heals allies in a zone around the player. Each ships with its own set of Unique Jokers.

Knuckles, one of two new primary-slot melee weapons added in Frostburn, tested here in the canyon training area.

Frost, a new spell element built to pair with melee's close-range risk. Its five spells (Cube, Bridge, Breeze, Glaze, Blizzard) freeze enemies and grant Shield Points, a new damage buffer that sits above HP and decays if unused.

The new Frost element in action, casting Cube while ice fragments and a hot air balloon float in the background.

Uranium, an in-mission-only currency that replaces Gold for buying, copying, or refining Jokers mid-run, plus a full rework of item fragments into a universal "Blueprints" currency spent at the lobby. Both changes were confirmed independently on r/FarFarWest, where players reported inconsistent Blueprint carry-over amounts from their old fragment totals within hours of the patch, matching the conversion system the notes describe.

Hellfire, the one genuinely new map in this update: a volcanic region gated behind a 3-quest chain from an NPC named Ronsau, with a hidden secret tied to its central volcano. The existing Jungle map also picked up 3 new quests from Arizona Jones and a secret of its own, but Jungle already existed before Frostburn.

53 new Jokers, counted directly from the patch notes rather than the pre-launch estimate: 25 weapon-slot cards, 22 character-slot cards, and 6 Unique cards tied specifically to the new melee weapons. Unique Jokers also stopped costing a flat 5 slots and now scale by power level.

Hotfix 0.2.0.4 followed on August 28, adding promo code THESADLYLOSTBLUEPRINTS, fixing broken promo code redemption, and correcting a bug where Marauder enemies weren't freezing correctly under the new Frost element.

Why the Frostburn update matters for Far Far West

The gap between what got previewed and what shipped is the more useful story here, and it's a good argument for treating a "work in progress" devlog as exactly that. Melee weapons, Hellfire, the new element (Frost, as it turned out), the shield mechanic, and the Joker wave all shipped, with the Joker count landing higher than the July estimate (53 confirmed against a "30+" guess). Redwood Forest and the Zurkers didn't, and Evil Raptor's own July post explains why: Redwood Forest was "very early days," and the Zurkers' character models weren't even finished yet. Neither was a broken promise. Both were accurately labeled unfinished work that a reasonable studio might cut, delay, or hold for a later update, and treating them as confirmed content ahead of the actual patch notes would have been the mistake.

For players, the bigger shift is structural. Melee weapons and Frost change what a Far Far West build looks like: Shield Points reward staying aggressive at close range in a way the game's ranged-only kit never did. The existing best weapons guide and Jokers tier list both predate this patch and don't yet cover the melee category or the 53 new cards. Evil Raptor also confirmed a public roadmap exists for what comes after Frostburn, though the post itself gave no specific dates or content beyond the graphic.

References

• FROSTBURN IS OUT NOW! v0.2.0.2, Steam announcement: official Evil Raptor patch notes, August 27, 2026
• Devlog - July, Steam announcement: the work-in-progress preview that first named the Zurkers, Hellfire, and Redwood Forest, explicitly caveated as "might not ship as shown"
• FFW Early Access Hotfix 0.2.0.4, Steam announcement: August 28, 2026
• Far Far West on Steam: official store page, currently 20% off
• Far Far West Frostburn Update Trailer, YouTube: official trailer via Fireshine Games
• r/FarFarWest: community discussion of the Frostburn launch

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in the Far Far West Frostburn update? Melee weapons (Knuckles, Lasso, Banjo), a new Frost spell element with a Shield Points defense system, the Hellfire map, 3 new Jungle quests, 53 new Jokers, an in-mission Uranium currency, and a Blueprints rework of item fragments.

Are there new maps in the Frostburn update? Yes, one confirmed new map: Hellfire, a volcanic region with 3 quests from an NPC named Ronsau and a hidden secret. The existing Jungle map also got 3 new quests from Arizona Jones plus a secret, but it isn't a brand new region.

How many new Jokers did Frostburn add to Far Far West? 53 confirmed: 25 weapon-slot Jokers, 22 character-slot Jokers, and 6 Unique Jokers tied to the new melee weapons. Combined with the 94 already in the game, the total roster is now 147.

Is there a Redwood Forest map or a Zurkers enemy faction in Far Far West? No. Both appeared in Evil Raptor's own July devlog as work-in-progress previews, not confirmed features. Neither shipped in Frostburn: Redwood Forest was "very early days" and the Zurkers were still unfinished as of that post. Only Hellfire and Jungle's quest updates are confirmed live.

Does Far Far West have melee weapons now? Yes, as of the Frostburn update. Knuckles and Lasso fill the primary slot, Banjo fills the secondary slot, and each has its own charge attack and Unique Jokers. Evil Raptor says more melee weapons are planned.

What did the Far Far West Frostburn hotfix fix? Hotfix 0.2.0.4, posted the day after Frostburn launched, fixed broken promo codes, added a new code (THESADLYLOSTBLUEPRINTS), and corrected a bug where Marauder enemies weren't freezing properly under the new Frost element.

Is Far Far West on sale after the Frostburn update? Yes, 20% off for two weeks following the update, confirmed live on the Steam store page at $15.99 down from $19.99 as of this writing.