Patch 011

Early Access Patch 011: The GOOD TIMES Update - Feb. 12, 2019

Our second Major Update is here, featuring a mighty new Olympian and weapon, and much more. We'll likely post several smaller patches after this, then shift focus to next month's big update!

## Highlights

* Dionysus: the god of wine offers his intoxicating blessings! Seek his aid and encouragement during your escape attempts
* Exagryph, the Adamant Rail: this legendary forebear of firearms presents an all-new playstyle! Own all four other weapons to reveal it
* Fated Authority: new Mirror upgrade lets you alter the rewards you'll earn in each chamber (to whatever the Fates decide...)
* Infernal Gates: seasoned players may earn greater rewards within (provided they use the Pact of Punishment, and can clear the challenges inside)
* New Story Events: expect new narrative plus new contextual gameplay quips, with hundreds of newly recorded voice lines
* Roadmap: press the Next Major Update button on the Main Menu to learn more about what else we're working on

## General Gameplay

* 'Perfect Clear' encounters no longer occur in random Chambers; now occur when you enter the new Infernal Gates
* Centaur Hearts no longer a reward option in the first chamber
* Codex unlock requirements reduced in most cases
* Improvements to auto-aim selection in various contexts
* Added Superior-quality Chamber Reward variants (for Infernal Gates)
* Wretched Broker deals offer better value (sometimes...)
* Infernal Troves retain their full value longer before decay-over-time

## Balance - Weapons & Powers

* Adamant Rail: added to the game, with its own Daedalus Upgrades
* Stygian Blade: Thrust recovery time slightly reduced; Special recovery can be reduced by attacking
* Heart-Seeking Bow: Special recovery time slightly reduced
* Eternal Spear: Special damage and range slightly increased; returns slightly faster; improved input buffering
* Shield of Chaos: Attack recovery slightly faster; improved input buffering; now can block petrifying projectiles
* Cast: improved input buffering when linking shots

## Balance - Boons & Upgrades

* Thunder Dash (Zeus): reduced max. damage
* Ocean's Bounty (Poseidon): no longer affects shop items
* Titan Toppler (Athena): no longer interrupted by Spike Traps
* Hungry Blades (Ares): reduced duration scaling; scales with rarity
* Deadly Strike (Artemis): reworked; adds bonus damage and a fixed +15% chance of a Critical hit
* Deadly Flourish (Artemis): reworked; adds bonus damage and a fixed +20% chance of a Critical hit
* Hunter Dash (Artemis): reduced power level; various fixes
* Burst Shot (Artemis): now scales with rarity
* Fully Loaded (Artemis): now scales with rarity
* Dying Lament (Aphrodite): increased power level
* Wave of Despair (Aphrodite): increased power level
* Unhealthy Fixation (Aphrodite): increased effect chance
* Empty Inside (Aphrodite): now scales with rarity
* Remedy (Chaos): cut from game; Soul (Life Gain) still offered;
* Grasp (Chaos): now scales with rarity
* Atrophic (Chaos): increased negative effect
* Pom of Power: upgrades can now have improved rarity

## Balance - Daedalus Hammer

* Cruel Thrust (Sword): added to the game
* Sudden Sunder (Sword): faster recovery time
* Piercing Shot (Bow): replaced with Piercing Barrage
* Point-Blank Shot (Bow): replaced with Twin Shot
* Triple Shot (Bow): widened attack arc
* Rapid Shot (Bow): removed damage penalty
* Dread Flight (Shield): hits more targets before returning
* Voracious Flight (Shield): replaced with Mirage Flight
* Assault Flight (Shield): reworked; now faster and fully automatic
* Minotaur Rush (Shield): reduced charge-time penalty
* Trick Toss (Spear): replaced with Flurry Jab
* Impact Blast (Spear): replaced with Exploding Launcher
* Cruel Skewer (Spear): replaced with Vicious Skewer
* Multi Skewer (Spear): bounces between more targets, including foes
* Quick Spin (Spear): now charges much faster

# Balance - Foes & Encounters

* Pest: now flings mines; mines eventually expire; reduced Elite armor
* Thug: no longer turns during attack; reduced Elite armor
* Numbskull: no longer spawn one-by-one in some encounters
* Skullomat: reduced Elite armor; reduced spawn cap
* Megaera: reinforcement spawns no longer yield unlimited money
* Slam-Dancer: no longer immune to knockback while leaping
* Gorgon: attack expires slightly sooner
* Skull-Crusher: reduced health, size, and spawn cap; Elite rises faster
* Megagorgon: now immune to stun and knockback;
* Hydra: no longer slows you with its slam attack; improved feedback on some of its attacks; other minor changes
* Asphodel Lava Puddles take longer to damage you (like other lava)
* Brimstones can now appear in the Asphodel 'river crossing' encounter
* Area attacks (such as the Skull-Crusher's) now briefly stun other foes
* Various other minor fixes and improvements

# Balance - Mirror of Night

* Fated Authority: added to the game
* Death Defiance: healing now scales with Life Total

# Balance - Keepsakes & Items

* Overflowing Cup (Dionysus): added to the game
* Chthonic Coin Purse (Hypnos): reworked; gives a fixed money amount
* Light of Ixion (Well): no longer loses charges in ineligible chambers
* Trove Tracker (Well): no longer loses charges in ineligible chambers
* Olympian Keepsake effects won't expire before you take their boon

# Balance - Pact of Punishment

* Whipped Frenzy (NEW!): raises foe movement speed and attack speed
* Convenience Fee (NEW!): raises item costs
* Pain Tolerance: reduced effect at max rank
* Increased Darkness bonus when using the Pact
* Adjusted Skeleton Key costs for some unlocks

# Level Design & Environments

* Added chamber for when you dare enter the new Infernal Gates...
* Charon's Shop in Tartarus has a new look
* House of Hades: the Wretched Broker has a new location
* Several chambers in Tartarus now have multiple exits
* Art and collision fixes in some chambers

# Art & Visual FX

* Improved art for Chaos Gates (formerly called Blood Gates)
* Improved art for Asphodel pillar
* Improved visual FX for Asphodel smoke traps
* Olympian portraits now have some animated visual FX
* New visual FX for new Superior-quality Chamber Rewards
* New art for Superior-quality healing items
* Updated visual FX for Poseidon effects
* New art for Enshrouded (Chaos) Chamber Reward previews
* Gorgon petrification projectile easier to see
* Move animations now sped up proportionally with upgrades
* Charge-up animations now sped up proportionally with upgrades
* Improved spawn-in animations for some foes
* Various other graphical improvements

# Menus & UI

* Death Defiance and similar effects now represented distinctly in the UI
* In the Mirror and Pact, you can press-and-hold to quickly modify stats
* Formatting improvements in the Mirror and Pact
* Added visual timer for Cast ammo auto-returning to you
* Tenebrous Veil (Pact) now shows you removed choices
* Death Insurance (Pact) now has improved feedback on foes
* Boon Info command now shows how many chambers deep you are
* Added support for wrapping in many menus using gamepad
* You can close the Codex using the command to open it
* Main Menu selection improvements with gamepad
* Visual distinction between 'resource' and 'upgrade' Reward previews
* Layout changes in Controls screen
* Improvements to Victory Screen
* Improvements to interact text presentation
* Various other minor improvements

# Music & SFX

* A certain court musician may now be persuaded to sing another tune...
* Keepsakes now have unique sounds when equipped
* Added audio cue for when Chaos Gates unlock
* Added various new ambient sounds
* Various minor SFX changes and improvements

# Voice & Narrative

* Added Zagreus voice events for various gameplay contexts
* Added new narrative events with various characters
* Added new Storyteller lines for successfully clearing runs
* Added Codex entries for Dionysus and Exagryph
* Voiceover timing improvements and minor fixes

# Miscellaneous

* Improved consistency across various boon and upgrade descriptions
* You can Dash into the House Bedchambers more reliably
* Added interaction if you can get all Pact unlockables in the Courtyard
* Credits: Dionysus added to Voice Cast

# Bug Fixes

* You sometimes took damage blocking with the Shield unexpectedly
* Hunter Dash (Artemis) no longer a prerequisite for Critical boons
* The Spear Special did not benefit from Boiling Blood (Mirror)
* The Shield Bull Rush could sometimes deal damage while petrified
* Asphodel foes sometimes appeared in the first chamber unexpectedly
* Vicious Torment (Pact) boosted Deflect damage unexpectedly
* Pain Tolerance (Pact) was not applying the stated values
* 'Last Kill' presentation was not occurring in 'Perfect Clear' encounters
* Your Life Total appeared incorrectly when choosing Chaos boons

# Quote of the Patch

> [W]hen the crude grapes which Dionysus gave to men -- a joy and a sorrow both -- begin to colour, in that season they fought and loud rose the clamour. ~Shield of Heracles
>
> Hesiod; H. Evelyn-White translation

You should see V0.14026 In-Game once you have the update