UPDATE The Great Dorm Tower Update

The Great Dorm Tower Update 🏙️✨

Hello folks!

Let’s be real: our Dorm Tower system has been a hot mess lately. Between the absolute chaos of unwashed mountains of laundry, unsanctioned strobe lights, and a progression curve so confusing that the best strategy was pretending half the floors didn't exist, it needed a lot of work. And by a lot, we mean like, a lot a lot. We realized surviving PIMD is hard enough and you shouldn't also need a secret spreadsheet hidden under your mattress just to figure out how to level up your crew.

After lots of testing, refining, and feedback, we’re finally ready to roll out a redesigned progression system with brand-new visuals for the Dorm Tower! Our goal is to make upgrades feel better, keep the game balanced, and make sure the Dorm Tower can keep growing in the future.

This update wouldn’t have been possible without the awesome group of volunteer Beta Testers we’ve been working with over the past year who rated the overall changes 4.57/5! That’s 4.0 GPA territory 😎🤘

So What’s Changing?

Dorm Tower Progression
We’re updating how Dorm Tower progression works so upgrades feel clearer, smoother, and more rewarding. Previously, some upgrades gave better value than others, which could make it feel like skipping certain levels was the best choice. With this update, every level and tier upgrade will now give a clear increase to both stats and plunder. Early progression will move faster so newer players can build up their dorm more easily, while later progression will still feel like a meaningful long-term goal.

Why It’s Worth Upgrading

One of the biggest improvements in the new Dorm Tower is that upgrading your Dorm Mates now helps pay for future upgrades.

Here’s a simple example using made-up numbers:

• A brand new Tier 2 Dorm Mate costs $1,000,000.​
• If you exchange a Tier 1 Dorm Mate without upgrading it, it might cost $980,000.​
• But if you’ve fully upgraded that Tier 1 Dorm Mate first, the exchange might only cost $830,000.​

That means upgrading your Dorm Mates doesn’t just give you more stats and plunder today, it also reduces the cost of moving up to the next tier later.

tl;dr upgrading your Dorm Mates is now the best way to progress. You’ll earn more, spend less on future upgrades, and build a stronger Dorm along the way.

Dorm Tower Costs and Balance
We’re also updating Dorm Tower costs to make progression healthier long-term.

Upgrading within a tier should still feel manageable, while moving into a new tier will feel like a bigger milestone. This helps keep progression meaningful now, while also giving us more room to support future Dorm Tower updates.

As part of this update, we’re also fixing two long-standing issues:

• Tutor payouts have been adjusted to better support balanced progression.
• Pet stats have been fixed so they no longer count for more power than intended.

Dorm Mates and Dorm Floor Visual Refresh
A new cast of characters have moved into the dorm, including many familiar friends from PIMD stories. Dorm floors also have a new look, with unique art for every floor. Our goal is to make growing your dorm feel more fun and exciting! Check them out below!

When Will Players Get This Update?

To keep things running smooth like peanut butter, we’ll be rolling this update out gradually to groups of players instead of the entire playerbase all at once. No game downtime is expected.

Brand-new accounts will receive this update first, then gradually to our early and mid-game players, and finally conclude with our dedicated late and end-game vets. Our goal is to have a week’s time between each group’s updates, with everyone receiving the updates within a month’s time after launch.

Below is our tentative schedule:

Group 1: New Players
Monday, Jul 20, 2026

Group 2: Early Game Players
Monday, Jul 27, 2026

Group 3: Mid-Game Players
Wednesday, Jul 29, 2026

Group 4: Late + End-Game Players
Tuesday, Aug 4, 2026

If we run into issues with any group, we may delay the next rollout while we investigate and make adjustments. These dates are our current plan, but they may change if needed.


PLEASE NOTE
Because different groups of the player base will experience these updates at different times, you may experience minor, temporary balance variances during parties and even PVP. This is temporary and an expected side effect of a phased live rollout.

Moving Into the New System

We know players have put a lot of time, effort, and cash into their Dorm Towers, so this update has been designed to transition accounts over as carefully as possible.

Here’s what will happen:

• Your Dorm Tower progress will be moved into the updated system.
• The current 14-tier Dorm Mate structure will be simplified into 11 tiers.
• Each tier will have 3 Dorm Mate options: Strength, Balanced, and Intellect.
• Dorm Mate choices should be simpler and easier to understand.

Cash Adjustments

Because Dorm Mate costs are changing, some players may receive cash back, while others may have cash adjusted.

If your Dorm Mates would cost less in the new system than what you originally paid, we’ll return the difference to your in-game bank (Cash in Bank balance) when your group receives the update.

If your Dorm Mates cost more in the new system, the difference will be removed from your account, but your cash will never go below 0.

What’s Next?

We’ll be closely watching how these changes perform as they roll out.

This includes things like:

• How quickly players are progressing
• How upgrades feel at different stages
• How party completion times are affected
• How the updated costs impact the game
• Player feedback and any unexpected issues

​

If something doesn’t feel quite right, we may make additional adjustments or pause the rollout before moving on to the next group.

This is a major update to one of PIMD’s core systems, and we want to make sure it lands in the best possible place.

Thank you all so much for your patience, feedback, and support while we roll out these changes. We’re here to keep listening and adjusting where needed.

We’ll see y’all on campus! ✌️