The Naturalist Update releases on August 6 as the last free content drop Ball x Pit will get, closing out a run that started with January’s Regal Update. Kenny Sun shared the date and more details through the PlayStation Blog, so that post only mentions PlayStation 5, but the previous two updates both shipped across every platform at once and Devolver has confirmed the rollouts are simultaneous. That puts it on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, mobile, and PC on the same day.
Two new characters headline the update, and Kenny Sun built them as direct opposites of one another. The Ballbearer doubles your ball slots so you can stack firepower, at the cost of giving up passive items entirely. The Hoary Hoarder goes the other way with an oversized backpack, dropping to just two ball slots but carrying twice as many passive slots, which leans the whole build on item Evolutions.
The update also brings 11 new balls, five of which have been detailed so far. Lightning Bug spawns a firefly with every bounce that seeks out the strongest enemy before zapping nearby targets with lightning, while Mosquito Kingdom slowly builds a swarm that hunts the weakest target for 100 to 150 damage per attack and returns a little health if one lands the kill. Drill pierces enemies from behind for extra damage on the way through, Flesh starts at half damage but accelerates with every bounce until it’s a blur, and Armageddon marks a target on impact and then rains flaming meteors across a three-tile radius.
Five new passives are coming as well, and three of them have been detailed ahead of release. Platinum Dumbbell rewards clean shots with a damage boost that holds until the ball finally collides with the back wall, Inglorious Hammer makes any ball that hits a wall or the back of the arena immediately strike a random enemy for reduced damage, and Remote Detonator spawns a level 1 Bomb Ball every time an enemy dies. Kenny Sun says there’s more in the update that the team doesn’t want to spoil yet.
In my Ball x Pit review, I called it one of those games that makes you wonder how it took this long to be made, but I also said it eventually gets too easy, and that there wasn’t enough variety in balls and passives to make you feel like you had to make do with what you got. More options on the upgrade screen is exactly what I was after, so I’ve been excited for these updates.
Kenny Sun says the team simply couldn’t stop making content after release, having gone into launch with some breathing room and a pile of ideas they didn’t want to waste, which is how three free updates ended up on the calendar. The wording here specifically calls this the final free update, and nothing has been said either way about whether paid content follows.
