Balatro creator LocalThunk has leaked a few substantial details about his poker deck-builder’s upcoming 1.1 update, which he admits has gone way past its initial 2025 due date, assuming one can truly leak information about their own beloved game.
Let LocalThunk have this, though – “I’m going to give a real honest to goodness leak,” he announced to Discord on September 14, “a proper 1.1 leak.” Highlights include more Jokers, more vouchers, and a new voucher system fine-tuning how often Tier 2 vouchers appear. The developer apparently has “the current iteration of 1.1” downloaded on his phone, so he should know.
“If people will indulge me,” he begins to say about his new voucher system. The current version of Balatro includes 32 total vouchers, half of which are considered strong Tier 1, while the other half is an even stronger Tier 2 that corresponds to the first type of card. So, “if you take a tier 1 vouchers in ante 1 (say, paint brush),” says LocalThunk, “you would have a 1 in 16 chance of finding the corresponding tier 2 in ante 2 (palette).”
But, “If I were to add 32 more vouchers (not a leak, for arguments sake),” the developer continues, “you’d have a 1 in 32 chance of finding palette in ante 2”
“NO BUENO,” he continues. “So what if there was a system that kept track of all the tier 1 vouchers you’ve taken and it rolls an N in 16 chance (N being the number of tier 1 vouchers you have without their corresponding tier 2) to spawn the upgraded tier 2 voucher? That way, if you take paint brush in shop 1 you still have a 1 in 16 chance to get palette shop 2.” Hm, what if!
As for what new Tier 2 vouchers will be available, LocalThunk gives only a tiny leak – a sprinkle. The developer shares art for the new Tier 2 voucher called Lunker, whose card is emblazoned with a powerful green fish flapping its tail while fighting off the hook stuck in its mouth.
“This fish is my proof of life, yes I’m still working on 1.1!” LocalThunk says. “I’m not leaking the effect btw.” Similarly, the developer reveals a new blue stake – currently, the difficulty modifier enforces -1 Discard – but, “Dw I’m not leaking it.”
Except, LocalThunk can’t help himself from teasing, “It’s pretty interesting, and there are some weird implications I would love to break into a blog post. I had to use the quadratic formula ona whiteboard to solve something to implement it.” Ah, yes. I’ll pretend to understand the implications of using the quadratic formula here.
More straightforward is the new “when card is drawn to hand” mechanic, which “also applies when you open tarot or spectral packs,” says LocalThunk. There’s a 1.1 content checkbox you can toggle so that 1.0 modders can retain their work, and LocalThunk says he’ll “add a new branch on steam well ahead of launch for current 1.0 version.”
This last piece of information made everyone on Discord freak out – “I thought [the] lunker was the big ticket item,” says a confused LocalThunk – but LocalThunk has one more announcement before taking his last bow: “at least 4 new jokers in 1.1,” he writes in a September 15 Discord post.
By now, you’re probably frothing under your Joker mask with anticipation for the long-awaited 1.1 update, but you should grab a handkerchief and prepare for more sitting around. LocalThunk says, “I’m happy the leaks are going over so well,” but “I never should have given a release window.”
“I don’t want this to be half baked and wreck Balatro,” LocalThunk continues. “I love the game too and I want to play a fun game not a rushed botch job.” At the moment, he can only promise more progress updates and the occasional leak or 15, and let you know he’s grateful.
“This past year of dev has been probably the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done,” LocalThunk concludes.