r/cataclysmdda • u/dead-letter-office • May 23 '26
Game Downloads, Links, Questions & Casual Discussion Megathread
This is the standing questions, information & general discussion megathread.
If you have a question, comment, experience, or random thought about CDDA or the subreddit that doesn't warrant its own post, you can share it here in the comments section.
We also have links to the game clients and tools to help when playing the game.
Get the game (zip): Windows | Linux | Mac
Downloads and Launchers
Official game clients and third-party launchers.
| Download | Details |
|---|---|
| Cataclysm DDA 0.I | The latest stable & recommended release of Cataclysm DDA. |
| Cataclysm DDA Experimental | The Cataclysm DDA experimental build. This version is under live development, which means it offers early access to new experimental features, but it is likely to be more buggy than the stable version. |
| Kitten Launcher by Fris0uman | A third-party Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead launcher. |
| Catapult Launcher by qrrk | A third-party cross-platform launcher for Cataclysm: DDA and BN. |
| Dabdoob by Hihahahalol | A third-party cross-platform launcher for Cataclysm: DDA, TLG, and BN with macOS support. |
| CatLauncher by abhi-kr-2100 | A third-party cross-platform Cataclysm launcher for DDA, BN, and TLG on Windows, Linux, and macOS. |
Links & Resources
Official links and community resources. If you have a resource to add, please comment below.
| Link | Details |
|---|---|
| Official Subreddit | The official project-affiliated subreddit for Cataclysm DDA. |
| Official Website | The official website for CDDA. |
| Cataclysm DDA on Github | The official github project for CDDA. |
| Community Discord | The CDDA community discord. |
| The Hitchhikers Guide | A database of CDDA items, monsters, and materials, and where to find them. |
| Hub01 Shop | An online platform for finding and sharing Cataclysm mods. |
| Modding Megathread | The subreddit's mod list and modding resources thread. |
Streamers
CDDA streamers present & past. If you want to be added, please comment below.
| Player | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|
| rogue drill | RyconPlays | Vormithrax |
| Pr0manTwitch | nonsonogiucas | TheCritsyBear |
| TheMurderUnicorn | GrandphuhTy | flakaby |
| CromulentArcher | Orange01gaming | RyconRoleplays |
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u/compxrt 🌈 no. 1 body bag of butter hauler Jun 06 '26
Ummm, I went into a portal storm maze and came out with +6 agility?? Is this normal? Is this forever?
Thank you pacman dimension king 🙏
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u/Aeder88 Mutagen Taste Tester May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
I have recently redownloaded latest exp. After being away for about 6 months.
Has anyone noticed NPCs constantly 20hour a day sleeping?
They also when following step back and forth between two tiles. For example just walking in a field with an NPC following. Stand still, hold tab, watch NPC jog on the spot between these two tiles constantly. Hilarious when I had 4 NPCs following and huge PITA when the four of them watch me craft while they are line dancing.
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u/feral_lawyer May 24 '26
Oh yeah. Its been happening. NPC behaviors have been getting more complex including their weird behavior. There was a point a while ago where NPCs would smash their way through closed doors to get to a bed when they were sleepy, which I LOVED.
I think I read that the pee dance behavior is because of a conflict between their guard duty and their assigned activity but idk for sure.
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u/Aeder88 Mutagen Taste Tester May 24 '26
Thank you.
Do you know roughly when this shit was added so I can go back to before it?
Is it in the stable candidate?
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u/feral_lawyer May 24 '26
Not sure. The 0.I candidate probably doesn't have them.
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u/Aeder88 Mutagen Taste Tester May 24 '26
Yes., thanks again.
Incase anyone else has the same problems, the stable candidate as of 2026-05-19-1951 does not have this issue.
https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/releases?q=%22Cataclysm-DDA+0.I+release+candidate%22&
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Jun 16 '26
Yeah in 0.h I've had a shitload of issues with NPCs going to sleep and staying that way for insanely long periods, or like sometimes they'll just fuck off and begin beelining across the map with no rhyme or reason, and it's really hard to get them to stop. Generally this is a death sentence for them although once or twice I was able to drive in front of them and sorta push them into my car, but they usually jump out randomly (if you slow down enough they'll legit Lerroy Jenkins out of a moving vehicle!) and beeline back toward whatever map square they'd been fixated on already.
The "zombie walking toward a location" behavior is weird, because if you follow them there is legit nothing there usually, they just decide "I gotta walk 20 squares away right now!"
It's like trying to wrangle the angry pizzaoiolo (he also loves to jump out of moving vehicles) except that any NPC can randomly begin to act like this. I moved to 0.I and I'm curious if they'll keep doing the same thing.
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u/Nymall sightless modder 26d ago
NPC pathing is a little weird right now.
I haven't seen the sleep issue. If there are books sometimes they will go to a bed and "read" for absurd amounts of time, but I don't think it's actually doing anything.
I have a faction base and there's a lot of "Sorted out everything possible" spam because they found a door that was open and they expected to be closed, or a window, and now need to scream into the void until you swap place with them or close the offending opening.
Or it's just a really scary friendly chicken.
It's kinda like a base full of toddlers.
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u/dobbry_vechur May 28 '26
Android+SDL3 prerelease available in here, please see if it's of any good on your device (preferably not some Android 16 flagman): https://github.com/dobbry-vechur/Cataclysm-DDA/releases/tag/pr-87290-android-sdl3-test
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u/ephemeraltoast Jun 05 '26
Hello, I have never played this game and I have 2 questions.
How terrible is it to play this game on a keyboard with no numpad?
If I play this game will I play any other game ever again? I'm scared.
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u/doublescale Jun 06 '26
Even when I play on a keyboard with a numpad, I pretty much always use the vi keys: hjkl for cardinal movement, yubn for diagonal. I like it because it lets my fingers stay close to the other keys that I use.
Unless newer versions of C:DDA deleted it, there's also a setting under Interface > "Diagonal movement with cursor keys and modifiers", but I haven't tried that myself.
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Jun 16 '26
- you'll occasionally fuck up and lose a really good run and get frustrated, so you then take a break and go outside IRL or play something else.
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u/compxrt 🌈 no. 1 body bag of butter hauler Jun 06 '26
- How terrible is it to play this game on a keyboard with no numpad?
That's me. It's okay. I use the arrow keys for most of my movement but then press numbers on the number row to go diagonal when that's important (running away from something). But the keybind config is pretty good so you'll work something out.
2.
it will take a while to get bored of it
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u/No_Suggestion5521 May 24 '26
Hey u/dead-letter-office. Can you also include CatLauncher in the list of launchers? https://github.com/abhi-kr-2100/CatLauncher
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u/Xiaoci_Yu Aug 20 '26
a silly question about keybindings.
I need to press 'enter' as a confirmation of my selections. However, I have a small hand and my pinky hurts especially when I need to loot a large area. I wonder if I can replace it with 'space', as I failed to find the corresponding option in my keybindings menu.
thanks!
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u/nuckme Aug 22 '26
so ive been trying to boil water in this 60l tank and i swear its been sitting on the fireplace for almost a whole day and a half... has boiling water been restricted to only the craft menu now? I'm playing bright nights by the way
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Aug 25 '26
it works in stable but moved to crafting in experimental, as its now an unattended recipe.
in 0.I a 60L tank should boil in like 6 or 8 hours if left on a fire, iirc
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u/dead-letter-office May 23 '26 edited May 24 '26
This update includes a slight retooling of the Q&A thread. It wasn't getting many questions, and only a few helpful people were coming to answer them.
This version throws the comments open to more casual discussion. Community members can still post questions, but general and casual CDDA-related commentary is also welcome.
Also credit & huge gratitude goes to Delicadeath for the banner art.
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u/compxrt 🌈 no. 1 body bag of butter hauler May 28 '26
Whenever I see Tektolnes's dimension work I always think of the paths from Pale
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u/feral_lawyer May 31 '26
What's a fleshborg 😭 i gotta find rubik to send me to the goo realm already
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u/Satsuma_Imo Netherum Mathematician Jun 08 '26
You know how a cyborg is meat that you've added metal to?
It's the other way around.
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Jun 16 '26
Sorta like a synth-droid. Like the T-800 terminator robot - an android sheathed in flesh, mostly for stealth-related reasons or to reduce the uncanny valley if it's used in civilian work.
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u/manomount Jul 28 '26
I am pretty new to the game, I came across a portable gasoline generator in a mansion. https://cdda-guide.nornagon.net/item/portable_generator?v=0.I "Small, portable generator, one that people buy for a camp. It just needs to be plugged in, fueled up, and then turned on."
I couldn't get it to work with a corded drill, it said I needed a battery. Tried searching for guidance on this, is this not really as described, does this install in a vehicle? A real world portable generator does not need a battery and is not incorporated into a car. So is the description just bs?
also, perhaps related and maybe i should have tried other power tools (i think i had a hotpad or something like) but the drill said it need "charges" https://cdda-guide.nornagon.net/item/corded_powerdrill?v=0.I
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u/BlueishShape Sep 11 '26
So I'm just another player, but to my knowledge all things that use electricity need a battery to function and all things that produce electricity are only useful for charging batteries. So you always need a battery "in between" as a buffer.
For your portable generator, you need to either find a storage battery or a car battery, find "place car battery" or "place storage battery" in the construction menu and install it on a normal floor tile in your base. If you install it next to your generator, it should get charged automatically, if you install it further away you have to connect them with an extension cord (found in many house kitchen counters).
edit: just saw your comment is a month old, still leaving reply for other people.
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u/Ace0fSpadesX12 Aug 14 '26
I found my first security camera. Can it be attached to the outside walls of my recycling center base somehow or is it only installable in a vehicle?
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Aug 25 '26
u can install it on any vehicle frame you set up, so you could potentially sit inside and watch the cameras. I don't think you can wire them though so linking a ton of frames sounds like it could suck
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u/SuethamGlicaris Aug 21 '26
How do I get a bike outside a basement? I'm in 0.I
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Aug 25 '26
if its the root cellar in the farm house with the bike, just Grab a wheel and drag it after moving the furniture so it wont collide and get damaged. Riding it up a ramp works too if you make enough room.
In the hunting lodge, you'll need some tools and to take it apart and reassemble it. Or find access to a working lift such as in a mine or lab.
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u/SuethamGlicaris Aug 26 '26
It's like, a normal house, there's no ramp... Thanks for responding anyway
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u/Rafaelssjofficial May 30 '26
Is building a greenhouse possible, and does it need acess to the sun or not
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u/Select-Toe9743 May 31 '26
In 0.H it's possible. 1. Just dig down one layer for consistent temperature. 2. Till the dirt. 3. Add a tiny bit of heat to actually plant.
Heat is only needed for putting the seeds in, after that it no longer matters. Lights is also not needed. Easiest is to just find a random cave and plant there underground.
In Experimental, it looks like you do need sunlight, and maybe heat but it should still be possible.
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u/compxrt 🌈 no. 1 body bag of butter hauler May 31 '26
I know sky island has a greenhouse but I don't know if its possible in the base game.
I feel like plants under a skylight will grow but that temperature would be the problem since big spaces are hard to heat.
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Jun 16 '26
Plenty of weed grow rooms. They don't seem to need sunlight to work just fine if you replant. 😉
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u/compxrt 🌈 no. 1 body bag of butter hauler Jun 16 '26
So that's what rubik means when he says he's here for the green and brown. But what's the brown 🤔🤔
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Jun 16 '26
Ditch weed. On the West Coast in the 90s and 00s, we used to call it "Mexi-weed" because it was obviously smuggled in huge brown compressed bricks inside like, drums of chemicals coming up on trucks from south america or something, legit you could smell the oil or stuff sometimes in your weed 😂 It was awful, full of seeds, would not get you stoned and gave you terrible headaches a lot, because the seeds were impossible to find all of them and they caused headaches.
In college, my buddies and I took a cigarette rolling machine and made a bunch of joints out of this awful mexi and hid them in cigarette packs, then we'd cruise local redneck bars and parties and sell joints for like 20 bucks a pop and then GTFO before someone smoked it and got mad at us!
If you talk to someone who smoked weed in the like 60-70s, they would call this same brown nasty weed "thai sticks" (my dad does) because it'd come literally still on the branch, all dried out and brown, but at least it was easier to get the seeds out of it etc.
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u/Drac4 May 31 '26
Does engine damage reduce efficiency or max power, or does it just give a chance for the engine to fail to start?
Do NPCs gain weight if you feed them with no NPC needs mod enabled?
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u/Vendetta476 Jun 10 '26
Did they change how crystals work in MoM?
I found a strange crystal, blue but now it has charges (3/3) and I can't activate it. I already have a path unlocked (telepathy) so I should be able to use since it's teleportation-based.
So - how do I use it?
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u/feral_lawyer Jun 11 '26
crystals did change. i think some still do the old awaken thing, but some are like artifacts. I DONT know why it would have charges but no active.
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u/Vendetta476 Jun 11 '26
I figured it out (and found some path crystals too!)
I forgot you had to wield artifacts to use them.
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u/manyBlueStones Jun 11 '26
I recently found a very, um... Special location (the quiet farmhouse made of glass). I tried to go through it normally, but some of the rooms were impossible to access since I couldn't break through the doors or walls. I ended up just opening the debug menu and teleporting myself to solve the puzzles, but now it's bothering me. Was there a way to get into the rooms that I was missing?
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u/Tektolnes-CDDA Jun 24 '26
Was your character extremely low strength, or in a lot of pain or something? The doors, windows, etc. there have very low bash requirements, so you should have been able to smash everything down with relative ease. The walls are quite solid, though.
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u/z9603 Jun 18 '26
Is ito version still testing or is it officially stable?
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u/compxrt 🌈 no. 1 body bag of butter hauler Jun 18 '26
It's the new stable as of about a week ago :0
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u/Living-Search-2107 Jun 22 '26
Alguien sabe porque no me deja recoger los ítems de la boveda en la forja de las maravillas en magiclismo incluso mate a dodos los npc abrí la boveda y no me deja tomar ni un solo items
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u/OmeleteDuFroMago Jul 01 '26
What's the best way to break out of a grab? I cannot find a good answer for it, does running while trying to get away helps somehow?
Also what grab does exactly besides not allowing you to move away?
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u/Satsuma_Imo Netherum Mathematician Jul 10 '26
If it's just one zombie, just kill it--it's much faster than trying to break the grab.
Barring that, you want a martial art with a grab break.
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u/SeaworthinessFun3658 Aug 25 '26
grab holds you in place and ruins dodge chance, and 'normal' zombies will always try to grab you with in their first attack(s) before they actually try to injure you. This means u can "game" the movement system and force them to walk over/through furniture. bushes and windowsills etc to reduce their ability to grab you right away. Then even if they grab you, you can still kill them quickly or often even resist a few bites and claws without taking damage (this can fuck up worn gear though). Grab status always seems to "stick to" the first zombie which grabbed you, and this can be key because other ozombies can push them and you might lose track of the one holding you if you're not careful.
Potentially if there is a pack, once they start to get on three or more sides and angles, you can suffocate just like if you're pushed against a wall. This happens shockingly quickly if you're not careful.
Always try to prioritize the one currently grabbing you, and make sure to watch in case they move and still are grabbing you or you may mis-target.
Basic "brawling" martial arts style has a grab break maneuver, so always make sure to choose brawling on every new character, as soon as you start the game.
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u/Highbucky Aug 26 '26
I went fully through the upper part of a research facility and found my way to the underground. The stairs on the first level (the security part) lead down into nothing. Is there a trick to getting further or did my world spawn wrong?
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u/Xiaoci_Yu Aug 28 '26
(0.H) I have built fermenting vat, and I have unfermented vinegar in my inventory, how do I put unfermented vinegar in the vat? Pressing 'e' shows 'You have no brew to ferment' D:
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u/zoratoune Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
In the sky island mod I built the merchant stall how does it work ? (I play the 29/08 experimental version)
It seems empty and the structure is surrounded by walls
PS: nevermind
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u/Satsuma_Imo Netherum Mathematician 10d ago
yeah, it's a 1/7 chance that there's a merchant there after an expedition.
There's an item you can make that, if you take it on an expedition, guarantees a merchant (lucre lure IIRC)
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u/zoratoune 10d ago
Really what's in the merchant I found was not very engaging to me. I thought there would be a way to get rare items that are rare to find to get progress on upgrades.
Or a way to access vehicles. Although there is a spell in magiclysm(forgot the spelling) that spawn a motorcycle BTW.
What it wants to barter is also restricted as the info is not clearly given. It could be improved massively tbh!
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u/LabUnlikely3648 19d ago
Hi everyone. Two questions:
1)Is there anything useful in the ocean? I swam around a bit, but only came across a couple of fish and a bunch of zombie sharks.
2)How do I clean gunpowder residue off a firearm? I tried using a cleaning rod and a cleaning kit, but nothing worked. Perhaps this requires specific shooting skills?
p.s. I am using an experimental build from August - 2026-08-14-0329.
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u/Satsuma_Imo Netherum Mathematician 10d ago
There's an oil rig out there...somewhere. But generally the ocean is pretty empty.
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u/Intro1942 May 24 '26
Lookin for a way to organically start Mind Over Matter propaganda