Choose difficulty when starting a new game. Old saves remain Medium; tool upgrades persist through the player profile. Endless shifts continue until hunger or sanity runs out, and replayed events are now randomized.
Start a new game to choose difficulty; use the Shift Map to change an existing campaign branch instead. Older saves remain Medium. Tool upgrades now belong to the player profile and persist across repeat playthroughs, but this does not convert an old save to Easy or prove that every item and resource transfers.
Choose the right restart
Three different reasons to restart
Difficulty, campaign branches and unlimited inspection runs are separate.
- 01New gameChoose Easy, Medium, or Hard. Old saves remain Medium.
- 02Shift MapAfter Day 30, revisit meaningful campaign outcomes.
- 03Endless ModeUnlimited shifts until hunger or sanity is depleted; replay events randomized.
- 04Player profileTool upgrades persist. Wider inventory or cross-profile transfer is not established.
Read the route as text
- New gameChoose Easy, Medium, or Hard. Old saves remain Medium.
- Shift MapAfter Day 30, revisit meaningful campaign outcomes.
- Endless ModeUnlimited shifts until hunger or sanity is depleted; replay events randomized.
- Player profileTool upgrades persist. Wider inventory or cross-profile transfer is not established.
| Your goal | Relevant option | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Remove the shift timer | Start a new game on Easy | The official update does not provide an old-save difficulty switch |
| Keep standard timed inspections | Medium | Existing saves stay at this difficulty |
| Try a stricter timed run | Start a new game on Hard | Shorter time and harsher penalties; no exact timer or penalty values asserted |
| Change a story outcome after Day 30 | Shift Map | Campaign branching is not the Endless survival loop |
| Keep inspecting across unlimited shifts | Endless Mode | The run ends when hunger or sanity is fully depleted |
Read your current mode and difficulty before deciding to restart. A request to remove the timer and a request to pursue another ending require different actions; neither is solved by assuming that profile upgrades change the save's difficulty.
What actually persists
The August 27 update explicitly makes tool upgrade progression profile-based. It does not say that money, consumables, ward subjects, crisis percentages, or all story progress carry into every new run. Those wider transfer claims are not established here.
If a tool appears unupgraded after restarting, first distinguish the same player profile from a different account or profile and check the tool itself. This is a diagnostic distinction, not a promise of cross-account synchronization or a recovery method. Do not delete a working save merely to test inheritance.
Why a memorized Endless retry no longer works
The September 3 update randomizes event generation when restarting or replaying an Endless day. The official wording concerns events, not a guarantee that every visitor, rule, and reward is independently regenerated.
Use the live instructions and evidence. A remembered first visitor or copied queue is not a reliable replay script. This also makes a failed-run screenshot useful for understanding the decision that occurred, but insufficient to predict the exact next retry.
Upgrades do not remove the survival budget
Endless still has hunger and sanity failure conditions. Prioritize enough recovery for the current run before buying convenience improvements. The August 27 food rebalance means an old fixed shopping list may not represent current costs or recovery values.
The same update rewards accurately aligned pass punching with bonus sanity. Treat that as a supported mechanic, not a substitute for checking your meters or a guarantee that perfect desk work covers every operation cost.
Should you abandon your existing campaign?
The publisher recommends a new game to experience all August 27 changes, while explicitly retaining existing saves on Medium. A recommendation to see new features is not an instruction to destroy your current branch.
If your goal is another ending, keep the distinction clear and consult Shift Map setup. If the campaign ends early despite accurate inspections, use the ward and city diagnosis before assuming that a difficulty change will solve the underlying containment problem.
Sources & evidenceOpen the references used for this page
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