Field note index · Patch 1.06
These are the pages with enough current evidence to publish. Unverified quests, fixed numbers, and incomplete bestiaries stay off the live site until they can be reproduced.
Published routes
Finish the opening Outpost tasks, enter the Deep Layers with one clear objective, secure the elevator condition before chasing optional loot, and return early when damage or distance begins to remove your margin for error.
GRAIN ROT supports single-player, but solo runs leave no teammate to fight, carry, navigate, or rescue while you do something else. Keep the elevator as your anchor, clear one branch at a time, and lower your loot threshold after securing a task item.
GRAIN ROT uses player-hosted Steam lobbies. Patch 1.04 added privacy, a configurable maximum player count, a lobby view, mic volume, and kick or ban controls. The official FAQ still describes invites or friends-list joining rather than public matchmaking.
Progress the prerequisite rescue and lost-key objective, find the key during a Deep Layers run, extract with it safely, and use it at the Outpost. Opening the door is not the final step: remaining Grain Rot must be burned away before the second-floor route fully opens.
A broken fuse adds its own elevator requirement. Search chests, lockers, and other containers for a usable fuse, verify it is not the 0% durability broken one, carry it back to the elevator, and place it in the broken fuse slot before attempting extraction.
Weapon repair belongs to the version 1.0 second-floor progression around Tink and the weapon machine. Preserve a useful weapon before it is completely lost, and do not confuse repairing its condition with improving its stats or using Repairing Glue on unrelated damaged valuables.
Treat every Corrupted encounter as a route problem first. Current official material confirms that enemies react to sound, movement, and each other, so keep a retreat line, create noise only after preparing it, and fight when the objective or the path home actually requires it.
When a Vessel breaks, the player remains in the run as a Living Spark and must find another host before fading out. This is a host-replacement recovery, not a guaranteed return to the same body; if the entire crew is lost before extraction, the run’s unsecured loot is lost.
GRAIN ROT officially requires 64-bit Windows 10, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 11, broadband internet, and 10 GB of storage. The launch build supports gamepads, but the official FAQ says Steam Deck is not currently Verified and does not guarantee SteamOS, macOS, or Linux support.
Current post-launch sources independently place the first umbrella on the Outpost second-floor balcony. Use it as Scorch protection, keep co-op players close to the holder, and preserve its durability; later Murch availability is reported, but the required shop level and price are not consistent enough to publish as fixed facts.