Patch 044

**Early Access Patch 044: The BLOOD PRICE Update - June 23, 2020**

Our third Major Update of the year has officially arrived, and it's our biggest ever, chock-full of new content across the board!! Thank you for playing, and special thanks to our beta testers for helping us get here. Expect a follow-up patch soon to address any lingering issues, and then... onward to our v1.0 Launch!

## Highlights

* New Boss Fight: see if you can find this dangerous new encounter, and reap the rewards
* New Legendary Aspects: discover the hidden forms of the Bow, Shield, and Rail
* New Foes and Mini-bosses: face the Wretched Sneak, Dracon, Doomstone, and more
* New Boons & Upgrades: gain dozens of new powers, including Duo Boons for each Olympian pairing
* New Goods in Stock: look for many new items from Charon and the House Contractor
* New Art & Visual Effects: bask in the atmosphere, with newly added character models and animations
* Expanded Story: experience new narrative events for nearly every single character in the game
* Updated Code Base: our newly optimized game engine offers smoother performance for many players

## Engine & Tech

* Updated our code base for improved performance and compatibility. The game should now run on more PCs above the minimum system requirement, and run faster for most players.
* Note: Please make sure to update your graphics drivers to the latest version to take advantage of these improvements! If you cannot start the game, or experience worsened performance relative to past versions, please reach out to us here at our Discord and we will work with you to get it resolved.

## General Gameplay

* Upgraded Chthonic Key rewards grant Fated Authority even while using Routine Inspection (Pact)
* Hell Mode no longer forces you to play at escalating Heat levels
* Slightly reduced base chance Olympians offering Duo Boons (now that there are many more of them)

## Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

* Heart-Seeking Bow (Rama Aspect): new! Seek Artemis to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Bow aspects first)
* Shield of Chaos (Beowulf Aspect): new! Seek Chaos to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Shield aspects first)
* Adamant Rail (L------ Aspect): new! Seek Zeus to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Rail aspects first)
* Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect): improved hit box on second swing in the Attack sequence
* Eternal Spear (Guan Yu Aspect): slightly reduced Throw special width and damage

## Boons & Blessings

* Each Olympian now offers a new, alternate Cast Boon while you have Aspect of Beowulf (Shield)
* Lightning Reflexes (Zeus): new! Dash just before being hit to counter-attack with a lightning bolt
* Smoldering Air (Zeus x Aphrodite): new! Your God Gauge charges up automatically, but caps at 25%
* Rip Current (Poseidon): new! Makes Poseidon's Aid last longer and pull foes in
* Hydraulic Might (Poseidon): new! Your Attack and Special are briefly stronger at the start of Encounters
* Unshakable Mettle (Poseidon x Athena): new! You can't be stunned, and resist damage from bosses
* Curse of Drowning (Poseidon x Ares): new! Your Cast is a pulse that deals damage to foes around you
* Parting Shot (Athena x Aphrodite): new! Your Cast deals backstab damage and gains related bonuses
* Spent Spirit (Athena x Aphrodite): now from Athena x Dionysus, called Calculated Risk
* Stubborn Roots (Athena x Demeter): new! While you have no Death Defiance, your health regenerates
* Blood Frenzy (Ares): new! After using Death Defiance, deal more damage in that Encounter
* Dire Misfortune (Ares): increased power level
* Ares' Aid: reduced duration; increased damage to compensate
* Curse of Nausea (Ares x Dionysus): new! Your Hangover effects deal damage faster
* Freezing Vortex (Ares x Demeter): new! Your Cast inflicts Chill, but is smaller and slower
* Blown Kiss (Aphrodite): new! Your Cast shoots farther and is stronger against undamaged foes
* Cold Embrace (Aphrodite x Demeter): new! Your Cast beam fires at your position, dealing more damage
* Curse of Longing (Aphrodite x Ares): increased damage
* Dual Shot (Artemis): now a Duo, called Mirage Shot (Poseidon x Artemis)
* Support Fire (Artemis): reduced scaling from Poms
* Fully Loaded (Artemis): reduced bonus Cast ammo; adjusted requirements for this to be offered
* Splitting Headache (Artemis x Dionysus): new! Hangover-afflicted foes more likely to take Critical damage
* Strong Drink (Dionysus): new! Using Fountains restores all your health and gives you bonus damage
* Glacial Glare (Demeter): new! Your Cast fires for a longer duration and inflicts Chill
* Frozen Touch (Demeter): new! after taking damage, damage and completely Chill your foe
* Arctic Blast (Demeter): reduced effectiveness
* Winter's Harvest (Demeter): adjusted requirements for this to be offered
* Quick Favor (Hermes): new! Your God Gauge slowly charges up automatically
* Side Hustle (Hermes): new! Gain some money each time you enter a chamber
* Rush Delivery (Hermes): new! Deal bonus damage based on any bonus move speed
* Halting (Chaos): new! Your Dash has reduced range
* Brilliance (Chaos): new! Any Gemstones you find are worth more
* Assault (Chaos): new! Deal bonus damage striking undamaged foes
* Ambush (Chaos): new! Deal bonus damage striking foes from behind
* Ruin (Chaos): new! Traps deal bonus damage to foes

## Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

* Hoarding Slash (Blade): new! Your Attack deals more damage the more money you have
* Snap Nova (Blade): new! You lunge forward when you use your Special; use again to lunge back
* Greater Consecration (Blade - Arthur Aspect): new! Your Special aura is larger and makes foes slower
* Concentrated Volley (Bow): new! Your Special deals bonus damage for each consecutive hit to a foe
* Point-Blank Shot (Bow): Added back to the game; makes your Attack deal bonus damage to nearby foes
* Repulse Shot (Bow - Rama Aspect): new! Your Attack creates a Blast Wave that knocks away nearby foes
* Flaring Spin (Spear): new! While charging your Spin Attack, you pulse damage and cannot be stunned
* Triple Jab (Spear): new! Your Attack strikes 3 times in a spread pattern
* Winged Serpent (Spear - Guan Yu Aspect): new! Your Serpent Slash ability travels longer
* World Smasher (Shield): cut from game
* Empowering Flight (Shield): new! After your Special hits, your next 3 attacks deal bonus damage
* Ferocious Guard (Shield): new! After blocking a foe, briefly gain bonus damage and move speed
* Dashing Flight (Shield): new! While you Dash, your Throw special is faster and deals more damage
* Unyielding Defense (Shield - Beowulf Aspect): new! After using your Cast, you briefly cannot be stunned
* Kinetic Launcher (Fists): new! Your Cutter special becomes a charged ranged attack
* Heavy Knuckle (Fists): new! Your Attack becomes a stronger, slower 3-hit sequence
* Colossus Knuckle (Fists): new! You cannot be stunned while using your Attack or Special
* Consecutive Fire (Rail): cut from game
* Spread Fire (Rail): now has a penalty to max. ammo again; reduced damage and area of effect
* Inescapable Blast (Rail): now also causes foes to take more damage; now called Targeting System
* Seeking Fire (Rail): new! Your Attack seeks the nearest foe and deals bonus damage
* Concentrated Fire (Rail): new! Successive shots against the same foe deal more damage
* ...Plus 4 new Daedalus Hammer Upgrades unique to the Rail's new L------ Aspect

## Foes & Encounters

* Thanatos: increased rate of attack for his single-target Death Sentence
* 'Trial of the Gods': increased frequency and tracking of Artemis attacks; increased frequency and quantity of Dionysus attacks
* Wringer: new! This Tartarus foe grabs and briefly stuns you
* Wretched Sneak: new! This Tartarus mini-boss is elusive and deadly
* Doomstone: new! This Tartarus mini-boss is what Brimstones want to be when they grow up
* Bloodless Slam-Dancers, Wave-Makers, and Burn-Flingers no longer appear as Tartarus mini-bosses
* Megaera: ground blast attacks detonate slightly faster
* The Fury Sisters: increased health and attack speed under Extreme Measures (Pact)
* The Bloodless: improved leaping behavior for all varieties
* Wave-Maker: reduced Elite health and armor
* Bloodless Bone-Raker: new! This Asphodel foe attacks with consecutive swipes
* Dracon: new! This Asphodel foe burrows and uses ranged attacks
* Witches Circle: new! This Asphodel mini-boss encounter pits you against elite Spreaders
* Gorgon: increased Elite armor and firing sequence
* Skull-Crusher: slightly increased the duration the Elite version stays on the ground
* Bone Hydra: reworked; the main head now has 4 new variants you may encounter instead of the original, each with their own attacks (based on what the smaller heads can do)
* Elysian Spear Trap: now link their attacks whenever one is activated
* The Exalted: increased damage for Brightswords, Greatshields, and Strongbows
* The Minotaur: slightly reduced turn speed on Bull Rush attack; updated various other attacks
* Theseus: reduced damage of explosive attack under Extreme Measures (Pact)
* Fixed Styx Poison effects sometimes not clearing after an Encounter

## Mirror of Night

* Family Favorite: slightly reduced effectiveness; you now can see your current bonus from it in Boon Info
* Olympian Legacy: moved to be the counterpart to Gods' Pride; now called Gods' Legacy; reduced the max. benefit this could provide (now that there are many more Duos; invested Darkness will be refunded)
* Dark Regeneration: slightly reduced max. benefit

## Keepsakes

* Companion Antos ( ? ? ? ): new Legendary Keepsake! Summons ? ? ? to skewer your foes
* Companion Rib (Skelly): summoned companion no longer auto-locked using Aim Assist
* Shattered Shackle (Sisyphus): reworked; your basic moves are stronger while not empowered by Boons

## Well of Charon & Other Items

* Anvil of Fates: new! Removes one random Daedalus Hammer enchantment, then gives you two
* Mystery Boon: new! Gives you a Boon from a random Olympian; costs less than a Boon
* Pom Slice: new! Gives a random Boon +1 Lv.; costs less than Pom
* Gaea's Treasure: new! Provides some Gemstones.
* Centaur Soul: new! Raises life total (without healing).
* Price of Midas: new! Provides some money, in exchange for some life.
* Chimaera Jerky: new! Your Special deals more damage.
* Fateful Twist: new! You gain a random item from the Well of Charon.
* Nemesis Crest: new! You deal more damage striking foes from behind.
* Eris Bangle: new! You deal more damage to undamaged foes.
* Nail of Talos: new! You deal more damage against armor.
* Aether Net: new! You start Encounters with your God Gauge partly full.
* Stygian Shard: new! Traps deal significantly more damage to your foes.
* Skeletal Lure: new! Guarantee a Fishing Point at the next possible location
* Night Spindle: new! Gain +1 use of your Chthonic Companion
* Flame Wheels Release: new! Guarantee Flame Wheels will not appear
* Kiss of Styx: now only offered if you are missing a Death Defiance charge
* Charon sometimes sells Gemstones (only when he would have offered Darkness, Chthonic Keys, or Nectar)

## Pact of Punishment

* Routine Inspection: no longer prevents getting Fated Authority charges during an escape attempt
* Forced Overtime: added foe-specific limitations in cases where this was particularly unfair...
* Benefits Package: reduced how much bonus Armor could be provided by the Bruiser Perk

## House Contractor

* Added dozens of new jobs to order with your hard-earned Gemstones and Diamonds, such as...
* Bat Cage, All-Seeing: survey the entire House with these specially-trained reconnaissance bats
* Aquarium, Cubical: since all those river-denizens you're procuring out there do need a place to live...
* Sundial, Imported: surely this will settle the mystery of whether it is day or night at any given point...
* Gallery Paintings, Landscapes, and Portraits: revamped gallery space with bigger, bolder images
* Darker Thirst: speaking of hard-earned Gemstones, this new upgrade lets you hard-earn them faster
* Downgraded the poor House Contractor's work desk, even after all that (though you can upgrade it)

## Fated List of Minor Prophecies

* Divided by Death: new! Help settle a difficult matter between Achilles and the Fallen Warrior
* The Preserver's Avatar: new! Bring the Aspect of Rama to the surface
* The Dragon's Rival: new! Bring the Aspect of Beowulf to the surface
* The Dawn Bringer: new! Bring the Aspect of L------ to the surface
* Amusing Chaos: new! Vanquish the Final Boss bearing the Cosmic Egg
* Sea-God's Spite: new! Vanquish Theseus using Extreme Measures (Pact) for Poseidon
* War-God's Bloodlust: new! Slay how many foes for Ares?
* Customer Loyalty: new! Purchase each of Charon's goods
* A Friendly Wager: new! Prevail in a certain battle twice without failing for Hermes
* Updated requirements to fulfill several other Prophecies (won't affect you if you've already fulfilled them)

## Permanent Record & Security Log

* The Security Log now shows your Mirror and Pact configuration per escape attempt

## Level Design & Environments

* Added new chambers to Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx
* Updated the layout of Charon's shops to make room for a certain item that appears from time to time...
* Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

## Art & Visual FX

* Updated main menu based on new Major Update
* Added new portrait and character model for Charon
* Added new portrait variant for the Fallen Warrior
* Added new portrait variant for Zagreus
* Added new character models for Achilles, Orpheus, Sisyphus, and Skelly
* Added new animations for Achilles, Sisyphus, Hypnos, Nyx, and more
* Updated Bone Hydra look and animations; each type of head is more distinct
* Updated artwork and visual effects in various chambers
* Updated visual presentation making contact with Olympians
* Updated visual presentation initiating Trials of the Gods
* Updated the Tartarus Overlook in the House Courtyard
* Updated various other assets in the House of Hades, such as the Prince's Wall-Scrolls
* Added visual effects dashing from the Pool of Styx in the House of Hades
* Added a unique chamber preview icon for the transitional chambers between regions
* Added visual effect for the appearance of Duo and Legendary Boons
* Added new look variations for some types of information panels (e.g. forging bonds with characters)
* Updated visual effect for enhanced rewards
* Updated Skelly's animations using Companion Rib
* Updated visual effects for equippable Infernal Arms in the Courtyard
* Updated the look of the Mirror of Night object in the Prince's Bedchambers
* Updated the look of the Underworld Map
* Updated the look of Chaos' Boon
* Updated the look of Inspect Points
* Updated the look of selection indicator in some menu screens
* Improved visual effects when striking armored foes
* Improved some visual effects on the Fury Sisters
* Improved presentation fulfilling Prophecies about bringing Legendary Aspects to the surface
* Improved presentation buying out Sealed Documents from the House Contractor
* Improved look of going through chamber exits in the Temple of Styx
* Many other visual fixes and improvements

## Menus & UI

* Improved messaging and feedback in the Pause menu when choosing between Quit and Give Up
* Updated some formatting on the Keepsake Screen
* Some powers with range-specific bonuses show an indicator on their aim previews
* Fixed Underworld Map showing mystery rewards after clearing the highest Heat level for rewards
* Improved feedback on successful Backstab attacks
* Updated feedback activating Ruthless Reflex (Mirror) (enhanced the visual, removed the text)
* Added Info button on the Pact screen for a reminder about how it works
* Updated presentation when new Boons and other powers are added to the sidebar
* Updated some tooltips on the Mirror of Night
* Added improved error messaging if auto-save fails for any reason
* Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements

## Music & SFX

* Added a new music track for a certain new encounter...
* Added many new sound effects to various contexts (such as the new foes and Legendary Aspects)
* Updated sound effects for Theseus and The Minotaur
* Updated sound effects for the Final Boss
* Updated sound effects using the barges in Asphodel
* Updated impact sounds on foes (so they are distinct from impact sounds on the player)
* Updated interact sounds for each Olympian Boon and some other rewards
* Updated some sound effects while using the Rod of Fishing
* Updated audio presentation for Olympian Aid effects
* Fixed some Asphodel obstacles missing impact sounds
* Minor improvements to Eurydice song scripting after completing her subplot with Orpheus
* Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements

## Voice & Narrative

* Added many new narrative events, some for nearly every character (with roughly 3,500 new voice lines!)
* Extended Affinity Gauges for Achilles, Cerberus, Charon, Poseidon, Hypnos, Hermes, Athena, Ares, Dionysus, and the Fallen Warrior (you can give them more gifts)
* Added Duo Boon interactions for all Olympian pairings that didn't already have them
* Added many, many new Zagreus voice lines to various contexts for additional variety
* Added Codex entries for various new Perilous Foes and Artifacts, plus a new Fable
* Added a number of new Inspect Points to new chambers and some House Contractor items
* Updated dozens of older Zagreus voice lines for performance consistency
* Updated Codex entries for Achilles and the Fallen Warrior
* Added still another new Early Access Ending variant
* Spurned Olympians will speak over the death presentation if you perish during a Trial of the Gods
* Chaos will speak over the death presentation if you perish after taking damage from a curse
* Added emote animations and other minor improvements to various narrative events
* Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
* Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

## New Settings

* Added Bright Cursor setting to Settings menu; it can make the mouse cursor easier to spot
* Added VSync setting to Display menu; toggling can help improve performance in some cases

## Miscellaneous

* Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next v1.0 Launch, slated for later this year
* Added more translated text content in supported languages (translations are ongoing for newer content)
* Cloud Saves now supported for the Epic Games Store version of the game
* Added Community Translators to Credits (Thank you for all your efforts!!)
* Added more Community Contributors to Credits (We really appreciate your support!!)
* Reduced minimum system requirement to DirectX 10 (was DirectX 10.1)
* After Thanatos encounters, he will sometimes teleport toward the chamber exit to get there faster
* Thanatos now shows an invulnerable effect when struck
* Reduced requirements to unlock Perilous Foes entries in the Codex
* Infernal Trove pedestals should interact with projectile attacks more consistently
* Sisyphus gives more Darkness
* Added more contextual tips when learning to use the Rod of Fishing
* The gameplay timer now stops during Thanatos encounters
* You now can pet Cerberus without having to give him Nectar
* The Keepsake Screen has unique messages for each character with whom you forge a bond
* The crowd has more dynamic reactions in the final chamber in Elysium
* The Head Chef in the House of Hades now cuts onions ceaselessly
* You now can interact with the Featured House-Servant Wall in the Lounge; more characters eligible
* You now can interact with the Motivational Wall-scrolls in the Administrative Chamber
* You now can irritate caged shades in Tartarus
* Tuned interact distances on some characters and House of Hades objects
* Removed the shimmering halo on the portrait of Lord Hades (the Olympians can have it)
* Shades in the House of Hades have more to say
* Improved presentation confronting the Tiny Vermin in the Temple of Styx
* Improved presentation exiting the Administrative Chamber in the House of Hades
* Updated flavor text on various screens
* Updated boss nameplates in some encounters
* Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications

## Bug Fixes

* Fixed Aphrodite's Affinity Gauge sometimes not unlocking as intended
* Fixed an issue where Black Out (Dionysus) would sometimes not apply its damage bonus
* Fixed unintended interactions using Aspect of Hera with Auto Reload (Hermes)
* Fixed an issue where Boon icons could remain stuck onscreen
* Fixed incorrect icon for Exit Wounds (Artemis)
* Fixed presentation issues with Boon upgrade feedback while using Rare Crop (Demeter)
* Fixed an issue preventing situational Chthonic Companion Summon voice lines from playing
* Fixed minor animation issues with Hypnos and Dusa
* Many, many, many other minor fixes

## Bug Additions

* Hopefully not too many, thanks to our diligent Beta Testers!

## Quote of the Patch

> Never, never again shall I return from Hades once you have given me the soothing rites of fire. Never again will you and I, alive and breathing, huddle side-by-side, apart from loyal comrades, making plans together--never...
>
> The Iliad (Homer; R. Fagles translation)

**Note: You should see v0.31601 in-game once you have the update.**