Patch 025

Early Access Patch 025
The BIG BAD Update - August 6, 2019
Welcome to our sixth Major Update, where at last you can rise to the very top of the Underworld and face what awaits! We've packed a lot into this one, so we'll be keeping a close eye on your feedback and making follow-up changes for several days before we change focus to our next big update.

## Highlights

* Temple of Styx: an all-new, labyrinthine biome awaits at the very edge of the Underworld
* Final Battle: there is no escape from the Underworld; at least not without a fight
* Sinister New Foes: beware of Gigantic Vermin, Satyr Cultists, and more; plus deadly new traps!
* Wrath Rework: now you can call upon divine aid from Olympus much more often during battle
* Pool of Purging: rid yourself of the occasional unwanted Boon, in exchange for some coin
* New Boons & 'Duo' Boons: the Olympians have a slew of powerful, new blessings on offer
* New Story Events: more of the Underworld Prince's story unfolds if you can reach the Temple
* New Music: not one but two blood-boiling new tracks to accompany the new setting

## General Gameplay

* Boss foes switch between phases faster (their invulnerability periods are shorter)
* Knock-away effects now work against boss foes
* 'Trial of the Gods': spurned gods' Boons no longer have reduced rarity; they may offer 'Exchange' Boons for Boons from the other god
* Slightly reduced the length of each biome (since completing a run now takes longer than before)
* Increased healing from Death Defiance effects
* After clearing Encounters, Chamber doors should unlock slightly faster than before
* Pool of Purging: newly added! Look for these in chambers from time to time
* Increased value of Charon's Obol Chamber Rewards and gifts from Sisyphus
* Wall Slam damage scales up in each successive biome
* Health pick-ups no longer block projectiles

## Weapons & Powers

* Heart-Seeking Bow: increased damage of main Attack (Dash Attack is unchanged)
* Shield of Chaos: returns sooner after the Throw special if there are no other foes near it
* Various improvements and fixes to input buffering

## Boons & Blessings

* Reworked and renamed Wrath and all Wrath Boons: now you can Call for Olympian aid more often, or use your entire God Gauge for an ultra-powered effect like before
* Billowing Strength (Zeus): newly added!
* Thunder Dash (Zeus): normalized base power level
* Tempest Strike (Poseidon): slightly reduced power level
* Tempest Flourish (Poseidon): slightly reduced power level
* Divine Strike (Athena): slightly increased power level
* Proud Bearing (Athena): increased power level
* Heartbreak Strike (Aphrodite): slightly increased power level
* Life Affirmation (Aphrodite): newly added!
* Impending Doom (Ares): newly added!
* Clean Kill (Artemis): reduced power level
* Fully Loaded (Artemis): no longer upgradeable using Poms
* Tipsy Shot (Dionysus): now enhanced by Rapid Cast (Hermes)
* Second Wind (Hermes): newly added!
* Greater Recall (Hermes): newly added!
* Greater Evasion (Hermes): reduced power level of Rare and Epic rarity
* Passing Through (Hermes): reduced power level
* Second Wind (Hermes): reduced power level
* Lightning Phalanx (Zeus x Athena): newly added!
* Vengeful Mood (Zeus x Ares): newly added!
* Freak Accident (Zeus x Artemis): cut from game; replaced with...
* Lightning Rod (Zeus x Artemis): newly added!
* Sweet Nectar (Poseidon x Aphrodite): newly added!
* Exclusive Access (Poseidon x Dionysus): newly added!
* Merciful End (Ares x Athena): reduced power level
* Heart Rend (Artemis x Aphrodite): newly added!
* Hunter's Mark (Artemis): Status Curse now applies to a nearby foe (instead of the one you hit)
* Ocean's Bounty (Poseidon): yields greater rewards; no longer affects Centaur Hearts
* Razor Shoals (Poseidon): reworked; Rupture damage no longer scales with move speed
* Vicious Cycle (Ares): effect no longer stacks from separate sources
* Grasp (Chaos): reduced max. possible bonus

## Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

* Sniper Shot (Bow): reduced min. distance for damage bonus; reduced damage bonus
* Twin Shot (Bow) and Sniper Shot (Bow) are now mutually exclusive
* Pulverizing Blow (Shield): fixed an issue causing on-hit effects not to trigger from the second hit
* Exploding Launcher (Spear): now increases base damage of the Throw special
* Invigorating Blast (Rail): power-up effect is applied more reliably

## Foes & Encounters

* Beware of a variety of all-new foes and sinister traps in the Temple of Styx
* Thanatos: reduced frequency of his area attack; also increased preattack duration and recovery time
* 'Trial of the Gods': Athena effects no longer harm you as foes spawn
* Slam-Dancer: attacks more frequently
* Alecto: increased damage of Whip Shot attack
* Bone Hydra: increased health and armor
* Soul Catcher: butterfly projectiles can no longer be deflected (only destroyed)
* The Minotaur: reduced health
* Theseus: reduced health; removed Chariot reinforcements

## Keepsakes & Items

* Lambent Plume: clear-times required to gain the benefit now vary by encounter type
* Kiss of Styx (Well): increased shop cost

## Level Design & Environments

* Added Temple of Styx chambers
* Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

## Art & Visual FX

* Added new Temple of Styx environment set
* Updated textures for Megaera
* Updated look of Witch variants in Asphodel and Elysium
* Added slight animation to portraits for Dionysus and Ares
* Added visual effect for Exit Wounds (Artemis)
* Updated visual effects for Shatter Shot (Aphrodite)
* Updated UI and visuals for Death Defiance effects
* Updated some artwork in the House of Hades
* Updated visual effect for spurned god's Boon vanishing in Trials of the Gods
* Updated visual effect for Gorgon and Megagorgon projectiles
* Updated shadows on some House of Hades characters
* Updated main menu based on new Major Update

## Menus & UI

* Updated Wrath Gauge UI \*(now called the God Gauge) \*as part of the Wrath system rework
* Updated biome map with the Temple of Styx
* Updated text for various Boons and interactions
* Added visual timer when using Lambent Plume (Hermes)
* Improved feedback on active Heat UI when using the Pact
* Text clarifications to some Boons and upgrades
* Other minor changes and improvements

## Music & SFX

* Two new music tracks, for the Temple of Styx and final battle!
* Added many new sound SFX for the Temple of Styx
* Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements

## Voice & Narrative

* Added narrative events with several characters
* Added more Zagreus voice lines for various gameplay contexts
* Added new Storyteller events for successfully clearing runs; removed some that no longer apply
* Added Codex entries for new Styx foes, as well as Asphodel and Elysium Witches
* Updated requirements for some narrative events
* Fixes and tuning to some contextual voice events

## Miscellaneous

* Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next Major Update, and beyond
* Updated Credits; including with some exceptional Community Contributors (Thank you!!)
* Cerberus: now permits Zagreus to pet him in certain contexts

## Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where foes could deal extra damage to you after Charm effects on them expire
* Fixed an issue where Poms of Power sometimes offered no visible changes in Boon power
* Fixed issues with the effects of Light of Ixion (Well) and Trove Tracker (Well) not stacking correctly
* Fixed an issue with exiting Chambers just as the last foe is slain in a Trove Trial
* Fixed an issue preventing Wrath Boons from being offered as Pom of Power upgrades
* Fixed Ares' Blade Rifts getting stuck in walls in some contexts
* Fixed Tipsy Shot (Dionysus) creating multiple Ammo drops due to Burst Shot (Artemis)
* Fixed Battle Rage (Ares) activating from Thanatos kills or Exalted respawns
* Fixed Dying Lament (Aphrodite) hitting the player in rare instances
* Fixed Sudden Rush (Daedalus) sometimes causing the Shield's Bull Rush to have reduced range
* Fixed Drift Dash (Hermes) sometimes causing the Shield's Bull Rush to have reduced range
* Fixed a rare issue with the next chamber not unlocking in the Fallen Warrior's chamber
* Fixed being able to gift Ambrosia to the Fallen Warrior before learning his name
* Fixed pre-boss Shop Chamber previews sometimes appearing alterable by Fated Authority
* Fixed incorrect footstep sounds sometimes occurring in the House after multiple consecutive runs
* Fixed the center-most projectile in Tisiphone's flurry attack being invisible
* Fixed Skull Earring (Megaera) visual feedback not clearing after healing above the activation threshold
* Fixed a graphical issue where Elysian Arrow Trap projectiles did not always dissipate correctly
* Fixed gameplay timer briefly counting up between Olympians speaking and the Boon screen opening
* Fixed 'Petrified' status icon sometimes not displaying correctly
* Fixed music state sometimes advancing incorrectly after returning from Erebus
* Fixed an issue causing the save indicator to show in the Main Menu after quitting right after saving
* Fixed instances where Bone Hydra's neck segments could sort in front of the head
* Fixed various other graphical sorting issues
* Many other minor fixes

## Quote of the Patch

> Hades' name...probably meant 'Unseen One.' Even though this was less a name than a title, the Greeks were hesitant about using it in speech, apparently out of fear of attracting the attention of the awesome lord of the dead.
>
> Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology (E. Tripp)