patch · February 25, 2026
Ultrakill Patch 17 Adds Layer 8: FRAUD and Balances Weapons
Ultrakill Patch 17 introduces Layer 8: FRAUD alongside a new Cyber Grind track by Vylet Pony. The update brings major balance changes to the Alternate Shotgun, Piercer Revolver, and Knuckleblaster, plus numerous bug fixes.
Ultrakill expands with Patch 17, adding Layer 8: FRAUD. Alongside the new descent comes a sweeping balance pass for existing arsenals, adjustments to enemy behaviors, and technical fixes.
New Content and Audio
Players can now access Layer 8: FRAUD. The update also adds a new Cyber Grind original track titled 'N I 4 N I' by Vylet Pony.
Weapon Balance Adjustments
Hitting 3 or more yellow hits in a short period of time forces the Alternate Shotgun to cool down. The Sawed-On Shotgun's melee chainsaw now breaks after 60 non-lethal hits. The standard Piercer Revolver's charge shot limb and head hit multipliers have been increased, with heads moving from 2x to 2.5x and limbs from 1.5x to 1.75x, and its charge shot can now be split by coins. Knuckleblaster changes include increased healing on non-lethal hits, increased range, duration, and knockback on explosions, and direct hits that knock down Insurrectionists. Soldiers can no longer block Malicious Railcannon explosions.
Combat and Enemy Tweaks
Chandeliers no longer drop from standard explosions, with the exception of the Knuckleblaster. Getting launched by the Alternate Shotgun stops the player from being knocked back by explosions for a short period. Mindflayers feature a redone beam sweep calculation with added telegraph lines showing the path. Stalkers hit with magnets now walk slower. The Invincible Enemies cheat no longer gives the player infinite wall jumps, and the enemy enrage effect has been updated to be more distinct from blood puppets.
Environment and Bug Fixes
P-2 fixes ensure the street after the first arena loads by default to stop Virtues from going out of bounds, and correctly tags walls near the entrance and exit to prevent hitscan attacks from passing through. Gabriel's spiral swords no longer remain in the level indefinitely if the player respawns right as they launch, and a bug causing Gabriel to get stuck in a teleport loop inside un-teleportable surfaces has been resolved. Wall sliding now uses the wall's particle effect instead of the material last stood on.
Why this patch matters
Patch 17 is a major content and tuning drop for Ultrakill, opening FRAUD while reining in specific shotgun spam tactics and sharpening revolver utility.