Melee weapons in Far Far West are getting a cold new twist. A screenshot tied to version 0.12.0 shows a banjo carrying an ice elemental attribute, confirming that close-range gear will be able to freeze and slow the undead the same way firearms already carry elemental effects. The reveal arrived alongside a look at three new ice spells and an unexplained green icon in the match UI.
Quick answer: Version 0.12.0 lets melee weapons carry an ice element. The banjo is the first shown with it, and ice is expected to slow enemies it hits. There is no confirmed release date or time for the update yet.
Ice element on melee weapons
Elemental damage is not new to the game. Firearms and secondary weapons already lean on elements, from lightning-based pistols to jokers that convert shots into random elemental bullets. What changes with 0.12.0 is that melee weapons will be able to take the same treatment, and the first confirmed pairing is ice on the banjo.
Ice is expected to slow whatever the weapon strikes, which fits how crowd-control effects tend to work against the game’s swarms. That makes an ice melee weapon a tool for buying space and stalling packs of enemies rather than pure single-target damage.
The melee weapons that can carry elements
Three melee weapons have been teased so far, and all of them are set up to accept elemental effects like the ice attribute shown on the banjo.
| Melee weapon | Notes |
|---|---|
| Banjo | Shown with the ice element; has a special healing aura ability |
| Lasso | Previously teased melee option |
| Knuckle dusters | Previously teased melee option |
The banjo’s healing aura
The banjo does more than hit things. It has a special ability that drops a healing aura for you and nearby allies. That aura draws from a dedicated meter that sits just below the crosshair, so it is a resource you spend rather than an effect that runs constantly.
Pairing that support role with the ice element gives the weapon two jobs at once. You can slow a group with the ice attribute while topping up your team through the aura, which is unusual for a melee slot.
Three new ice spells: Cube, Bridge, and Breeze
The same screenshot surfaces three ice spells in the spell UI. Their exact numbers are not detailed yet, but the names point to a new ice school joining the existing fire, acid, electric, voodoo, and cactus lineups.
| Spell | Element |
|---|---|
| Cube | Ice |
| Bridge | Ice |
| Breeze | Ice |
The green icon in the UI
A new green, capsule-shaped icon shows up in the top-right corner of the match interface. It looks like it could be a new in-match currency, crystal, or resource, but its function has not been confirmed. Treat it as an open question until the update is out.
Version, timing, and how to see it early
The developer, Evil Raptor, broke a stretch of quiet on August 9, 2026, to confirm the update is on the way. The ice content is attached to version 0.12.0, one step past the current 0.11.10 build. No official release date or time for 0.12.0 has been confirmed.
If you do not want to wait, the new weapons and spells can currently be accessed early through mods. On the cosmetic side, Evil Raptor also released official 3D wallpapers through Steam’s Wallpaper Engine on August 5, 2026.
For now, the headline change is simple. Melee weapons are joining the elemental system, ice is the first attribute shown, and the banjo doubles as a healer while it slows down the frontier’s worst.
