update · September 24, 2026
Icarus Update Week 251 Patch Notes
Icarus Week 251 introduces the long-awaited tameable Kiwi companion, complete with nocturnal combat buffs and utility auras. The update also brings a variety of bug fixes for skinning tools, crafting experience gains, and cooking mechanics.
Week 251 brings a community-requested creature to the survival game Icarus. Players can now trap, tame, and specialize the nocturnal Kiwi bird as a base helper or nighttime combat companion, alongside a series of targeted quality-of-life adjustments.
Tameable Kiwi Companion
Kiwis can now be caught in the forest using a Snare Trap and specialized Kiwi Bait crafted at the Ranching Station. Once baited, players must feed them fresh carcasses to earn their trust. While weak during the day, the Kiwi gains significant melee damage and movement speed boosts at night via the Nocturnal Nature talent. It also provides passive utility through a carry weight capacity aura and bonuses to nearby mining and wood-felling yields.
Crafting and Skinning Fixes
Several frustrating resource bugs have been resolved in this update. Skinning ice-dropping creatures with an obsidian knife will no longer yield dummy water items. Crafting items with resources in devices like the Polymeriser now correctly grants experience. Additionally, lighting and highlighting issues on cakes and T4 food troughs have been cleaned up.
Upcoming Field Guide Pass
Developers included a preview of the next update, confirming a comprehensive quality-of-life pass for the Prospector Field Guide. The upcoming changes will introduce new item categorization and sub-categories to streamline navigation while preserving unfiltered views for parent categories.
Why this patch matters
The addition of the Kiwi gives players a fun new domestic and combat companion with distinct day-night mechanics, supported by much-needed fixes to crafting progression.