Made with AI assistance. Dead Channel ARG was created with the help of AI.
0.5.0 — Wake Echo & Final Chapter: available now
Released October 14, 2026. Open the 0.5.0 download page, or select 0.5.0 in the Files tab.
New in 0.5.0
- After sleeping, a double appears near you with your own Minecraft username and current profile skin.
- A six-line private, scripted conversation lets you talk to your echo before it vanishes after 20 seconds.
- The double watches you; sleeping again, leaving the area, changing dimension, death or disconnecting ends the encounter.
- The black sleeping-screen figure still disappears when you wake.
- Includes the Final Chapter, both endings, credits, keepsakes, Expedition mode and the Watcher.
Leave open space and a solid floor near your bed for the echo. Missing skin textures can use Minecraft's fallback skin. Install on Minecraft Java 26.3 with Forge 66.0.9 and Java 25; replace the older JAR on the server and clients. Install only one Dead Channel version at a time. Build and registered server GameTests passed; live graphical appearance remains unverified.
World corruption belongs to 0.6.0, which remains unpublished with a planned October 16 release.
Previous update: 0.4.0 — Final Chapter
Released October 14, 2026. These Final Chapter features are included in 0.5.0.
New in 0.4.0
- Both endings have a six-message epilogue, credits and a named paper keepsake.
- /channel ending rereads your ending; /channel keepsake recovers a pending souvenir after freeing inventory space.
- Finale progress saves with your player data and supports /channel stop and /channel resume.
- Older completed saves can enter the new final chapter with /channel ending release or /channel ending keep.
- Includes Sleep Vision, the Watcher and Expedition mode.
Use Minecraft Java 26.3, Forge 66.0.9 and Java 25. Replace the old JAR on the server and clients; install only one Dead Channel version at a time. Build and registered Forge server tests passed; graphical client playtesting remains unverified.
Dead Channel ARG — Sleep Vision (0.3.0 Beta)
New in 0.3.0: Every time you successfully sleep, a black humanoid silhouette with dim eyes watches from the right side of your sleeping screen. It disappears immediately when you wake or close the sleeping screen. This personal client-side sleep hallucination works without starting the ARG and after pausing or completing the story. It leaves no persistent entity or world changes. Repeated sleep/wake state checks passed; live graphical client rendering remains unverified.
A missing player's recording reaches your world through coded transmissions. Decode four archive fragments and decide whether to release or preserve the voice. This is an in-game, command-driven horror ARG for Minecraft Java 26.3, Forge 66.0.9 and Java 25.
New in 0.2.0
• Expedition mode: hunt four nearby signals with /channel scan, explore to their X/Z coordinates, and recover named paper archive fragments within six horizontal blocks. Recover each fragment before submitting its decoded answer.
• /channel journal lets you reread recovered archives. /channel retune relocates an inconvenient signal nearby in your current dimension.
• The Watcher: a silent, frozen Enderman-based apparition that briefly appears behind active players during disturbances. It lasts up to five seconds, cannot attack or move blocks, and disappears when you pause or finish. It uses Minecraft's existing Enderman model, and nearby players may see it. By default, Watchers appear only when the dimension is dark outside.
• Common configuration for event interval, darkness, Watchers, and nighttime-only Watchers.
Story features
Five archives, four code puzzles, two endings, eerie cave sounds, smoke, brief darkness, separate saved player progress, and pause/resume/replay. The original story can still be played without Expedition mode. No additional mods are required.
Install and upgrade
Use Minecraft Java 26.3, Forge 66.0.9 and Java 25. Remove the old Dead Channel JAR from your instance's mods folder before installing 0.5.0. On multiplayer, update server and participating clients together. Existing story progress is preserved.
Getting started
/channel start — begin the story
/channel expedition — opt into signal hunting
/channel scan — locate or collect the current fragment
/channel answer <word> — submit a decoded word
/channel clue — repeat the current clue
/channel journal — read recovered clues
/channel retune — relocate the current signal nearby
/channel status — view progress
/channel stop — pause disturbances
/channel resume — continue
/channel replay — reset your own progress and replay
Configuration
Edit config/deadchannel-common.toml and restart the server after changing settings. eventIntervalSeconds defaults to 90 (range 15–600); darknessEnabled, watchersEnabled and watchersOnlyAtNight default to true. Expedition progress and coordinates are saved in player data; timers restart after reconnect or server restart. Signals do not place structures or force terrain generation. Souvenir papers remain after replay.
Beta verification
Java 25 build and independent puzzle checks passed. Explicitly registered Minecraft Forge server tests exercised the mod's commands, both endings, Expedition collection, duplicate prevention, full-inventory recovery, save/load, the darkness toggle and Watcher cleanup. This update corrects the earlier test harness registration. Graphical rendering, audible playback and live multiplayer playtesting remain unverified.