Ravenswatch Adds Kintarō and Kuma October 12, Alongside a Free Talents Overhaul

A bear is joining the Ravenswatch, and this time it is not an enemy. Passtech Games is preparing to introduce Kintarō and Kuma on October 12, 2026, giving the cooperative action roguelike a new fighter with two distinctly different approaches to combat. Alongside the paid hero comes a substantial free update for everyone who owns Ravenswatch: more than 50 talent changes, custom lobbies and a range of balancing improvements.

That two-part release is the real story. Players who want the new character will need the DLC, but returning players can try the talent overhaul without buying another hero. The date is confirmed as scheduled in the developer’s October 10 official content breakdown; the Steam DLC storefront still carried a coming-soon notice when checked, so we are not reporting a live purchase or successful download prematurely.

Kintarō and Kuma: one character, two ways to fight

Kintarō comes from Japanese folklore as a famously strong child raised among the mountains. In Ravenswatch, developer Passtech connects that tale to its own dark fairy-tale world. His adoptive mother, Yama-Uba, sends him across the corrupted land of Reverie to deliver a message to Baba Yaga. His closest ally is Kuma, the bear he can ride into battle or direct as a companion.

That arrangement makes the new hero more than a character skin. Mounted stance puts Kintarō on Kuma’s back. The bear supplies sweeping claws, charges, leaps and a defensive roar. It should appeal to players who like to keep their attacks and movement coordinated through one large, aggressive presence.

In dismounted stance, Kintarō swings his axe while Kuma fights nearby. The developer says the companion can attack automatically, but players can also position him directly. That creates the possibility of surrounding an enemy, creating an escape route or keeping Kuma out of a dangerous attack. Those are strategic implications of the described controls, not results from our own gameplay testing.

There is a trade-off. Kintarō and Kuma share a health pool, while damage taken by the bear is handled as an additional internal-damage mechanic. Mounting again allows some recovery. The design encourages the player to switch at the right moment instead of treating the bear as an indestructible extra teammate.

What the paid DLC includes

According to Passtech’s official Year 2 roadmap, the paid pack contains 26 unlockable talents for Kintarō, two ultimate abilities and seven outfits split between unlockable and premium variations. It also includes a narrated story told through seven memories. The Steam page describes this as seven story memories, while the developer’s roadmap calls them fully voiced memoir pages; both refer to narrative content associated with Kintarō’s journey.

The important purchase caveat is easy to miss: this is downloadable content, not a standalone game. You must already own Ravenswatch on the relevant platform. The developer names Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch in its rollout plan; actual availability and local storefront pricing may differ by region or platform.

Passtech gives the US price as US$7.99. Using the October 12 reference of roughly ₱62.67 to US$1, that works out to approximately ₱501 (US$7.99). This is an FX estimate only, not an announced Philippine Steam price or guaranteed checkout total. Regional pricing, payment charges and exchange rates can change what players pay.

The free update could matter even more

Passtech says it has tweaked, strengthened or replaced more than 50 existing hero talents. That is potentially significant for returning players with established builds: a favorite character may now have new choices, or an old strategy may work differently. It would be misleading to claim which hero benefits the most before comparing the final patch notes and actual results.

The developer has also announced custom lobbies and a ping indicator for multiplayer. Custom matchmaking options may make it easier for existing friend groups to set up the kind of sessions they want, while ping information gives players a clearer indication of connection quality. That latter addition is particularly practical for Filipino friends connecting across different networks, although there has been no independent regional network test.

Other announced adjustments include clearer on-screen feedback for invincibility, intangibility and blocking; changes to when some Melody effects activate; and a fix to a timing issue involving Scarlet’s transformation. These are quality-of-life decisions rather than a brand-new campaign, but they could affect almost every run.

PC requirements and the launch window

The Steam DLC page lists Windows 10 x64, 8GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 960 2GB or Radeon RX 470 2GB, and 3GB of free storage as minimum requirements. The CPU examples are an Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD FX-8350. A GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 Fury is listed at the recommended GPU tier. These are store specifications, not a guarantee of a particular frame rate on a player’s PC.

Because Kintarō is DLC, the base game’s ownership requirement matters just as much as those specifications. Confirm that Ravenswatch is installed, updated and connected to the correct storefront account before purchasing the add-on. The updated talent systems will be relevant even to people who skip this DLC.

Should you buy on day one?

There are two different decisions. For Ravenswatch fans who enjoy experimenting with unusual combat mechanics, switching between a mounted brawler and a coordinated two-character fighter is a compelling reason to look at Kintarō. For players who have stepped away, the free rework may be a better first test: revisit an old build, explore the revised talents and see whether the multiplayer improvements make returning worthwhile.

The new hero’s balance, the exact time of regional storefront availability and post-release performance remain to be confirmed. What is already supported by the developer’s own material is clear: October 12 is the target date for a paid character and a meaningful free update, not merely a new costume pack.

*Cover image: ByteSized Tech original conceptual artwork; it does not depict official Ravenswatch assets or gameplay.*