Caves of Qud Wiki

Caves of Qud

Caves of Qud is a deep-simulation roguelike RPG developed and published by Freehold Games, set in the far-future region of Qud, where the ruins of a hyper-advanced ancient civilization known as the Eaters litter a harsh salt desert. Players guide a Mutant growing a randomized suite of body and mind mutations, or a True Kin who is a descendant of the Eaters upgrading with cybernetic implants, while exploring procedurally generated ruins, villages, caverns, and dungeons that each carry their own generated history. The game simulates nearly every creature as a full actor with stats, skills, beliefs, and faction allegiances, so combat, diplomacy, and reputation emerge organically from moment to moment. Its landmark 1.0 full release on December 5, 2025 concluded a decade-long early access led by Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat of Freehold Games, joining an acclaimed lineage of classic roguelikes.

• Mutant and True Kin Origins: Players choose a Mutant that grows a randomized suite of physical and mental mutations across runs, or a True Kin descended from the Eaters who upgrades with cybernetic implants, each reshaping how a character fights, survives, and explores.
• Infinite-Generative World: Qud procedurally generates villages, dynasties, ruins, and legends with their own histories, so every run presents fresh geography, factions, and quests rather than a fixed map.
• Deep Actor Simulation: Nearly every creature in the world is simulated as a complete actor with stats, skills, beliefs, and memory, enabling emergent behaviors such as spreading fires, herd dynamics, and lifelike combat and diplomacy.
• Faction Reputation System: Relationships with dozens of factions, from the Mechanimists and the Seekers of the Sightless Way to the mutant-hunting Putus Templar, determine whether factions attack, trade with, assist, or become allies of the player.
• Permadeath and Extended Modes: Traditional roguelike permadeath is paired with a role-playing mode that relaxes character death, letting narrative-driven or exploratory runs unfold without a hard reset.
• The Tomb of the Eaters: The deep endgame dungeon of Qud, whose ascents and descents branch from the broader world and ultimately resolve the game's central story.