Patch 036

Early Access Patch 036: The LONG WINTER Update - January 21, 2020

We wanted to start the year off with a bang with this Major Update! It features a new Olympian, a new weapon variant, new activities, more story, and many other improvements. We plan to follow up with a couple of smaller patches while keeping a close eye on your feedback. Thank you very much for playing!

Highlights[ | ]

Demeter: the Goddess of Seasons brings winter to the Underworld! Seek out her powerful Boons
Rod of Fishing: capture (& sell!!) Underworld river denizens with this new House Contractor item
Aspect of Guan Yu: earn this unique new Aspect of the Eternal Spear, and vanquish your foes!
Underworld Decor Galore: scores of new items are available at the newly renovated House Contractor!
New Legendary Keepsake: forge an unbreakable bond with Dusa, and summon her to petrify your foes
Boon Info & Victory Screen Update: pin multiple Boons onscreen for easy reference and sharing
New Daedalus Hammer Upgrades: look for multiple new upgrades for each weapon
New Story Events: uncover new secrets in hours of added narrative (with more than 1,000 new voice lines)

General Gameplay[ | ]

Increased prices of Boons sold by Charon
Increased price of Daedalus Hammer sold by Charon
Increased price of augmented Boons and Poms sold by Charon in the Temple of Styx
Slightly reduced healing from tasty-looking Health Drops
Reduced healing from Fountain Chambers; however, new House Contractor upgrades can increase it
You may now encounter fishing points in various chambers, once you have the Rod of Fishing. Deliver your stock to the Head Chef in the House (who will take very good care of them)

Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities[ | ]

Stygian Blade (Zagreus): now also increases Dash distance
Stygian Blade (Nemesis): reduced Critical chance
Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): newly added! Seek Achilles to learn more (once you have several Aspects)
Eternal Spear (Zagreus): now increases Attack damage and Dash-Strike damage
Shield of Chaos: slightly increased Bull Rush charge up time; slightly reduced Bull Rush damage
Shield of Chaos (Zagreus): reduced damage resistance
Shield of Chaos (Zeus): increased damage of Throw special
Shield of Chaos (Chaos): now throws additional Shields in a radial pattern
Adamant Rail: no longer briefly slows foes on-hit

Boons & Blessings[ | ]

Demeter: newly added! Seek out 11 new Boons and 4 new Duo Boons
Billowing Strength (Zeus): reduced power level; increased effect duration
Zeus' Aid: reduced power scaling from improved rarity
Scintillating Feast (Zeus x Dionysus): reduced damage
Divine Dash (Athena): slightly reduced Deflect duration
Athena's Aid: increased God Gauge cost and effect duration (it cannot be used quite as often)
Merciful End (Athena x Ares): reduced damage; reduced appearance rate
Spent Spirit (Athena x Aphrodite): reduced slow effect on foes' projectiles
Reduced power level of Aphrodite's Weak Status Curse
Broken Resolve (Aphrodite): newly added! Improves potency of Weak Status Curse
Passion Dash (Aphrodite): now affects foes near your dash destination (rather than at the starting point)
Crush Shot (Aphrodite): formerly Shatter Shot; updated effect
Curse of Pain (Ares): slightly reduced damage
Battle Rage (Ares): adjusted scaling from rarity and Poms (overall power level should be similar)
Ares' Aid: reduced damage; increased move speed
Hunting Blades (Ares x Artemis): reduced speed; reduced tracking
Deadly Strike (Artemis): reduced Critical chance; increased damage to compensate
Support Fire (Artemis): reduced damage
Drunken Dash (Dionysus): formerly Nasty Dash; now deals several instances of damage and Hangover (formerly called Poison)
Second Wind (Hermes): increased effect duration; increased power scaling from improved rarity
Passing Through (Hermes): cut from game (Demeter is the new curator of slowing effects)
Relative Speed (Hermes): cut from game (same reason)
Quick Reload (Hermes): now offered by Hermes (donated by Artemis, who felt sorry for him)
Slothful (Chaos): reduced how badly this curse can impair your move speed
Defiance (Chaos): increased appearance rate
Reduced power level of Chaos blessing effects at higher rarity

Daedalus Hammer Upgrades[ | ]

Cursed Slash (Blade): newly added! Restores health on-hit, but your life total is heavily reduced
Shadow Slash (Blade): newly added! Deals bonus damage when striking foes in the back
Serrated Edge (Spear): newly added! Your Dash-Strike hits multiple times but your Dash is shorter
Charged Skewer (Spear): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Skewer special
Quick Spin (Spear): no longer quite as quick
Charged Throw (Shield): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Throw special
World Smasher (Shield): newly added! Your Bull Rush is replaced with a powerful up-close strike
Chain Shot (Bow): newly added! Your attack bounces between targets, dealing bonus damage
Charged Volley (Bow): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Volley special
Cluster Bomb (Rail): newly added! Your Bombard special fires a spread of 5 smaller bombs
Hazard Bomb (Rail): newly added! Your Bombard special fires a big bomb that blasts the area around you, but can damage you ("Have you tried not standing there when it blows up?" --Hypnos)
Delta Chamber (Rail): formerly Infinity Chamber ; now also fires in a 3-round burst
Explosive Fire (Rail): cut from game

Foes & Encounters[ | ]

Introduction to Olympian Aid now gives you some God Gauge to use Poseidon's Call
Thanatos: should show up more frequently (once you encounter him for the first time in Elysium)
After the other Fury Sisters show up, it is no longer possible to randomly avoid one indefinitely
Alecto: reworked her Rage Gauge (you can knock her out of her rage-building move, but watch out)
Skullomat: Elite is more powerful; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
Burn-Flinger: Elite attack pattern adjusted
Wave-Maker: non-Elite throws one wave at a time (rather than two); adjusted Elite attack
Reduced number of foes on the Asphodel Barge of Death under Middle Management (Pact)
Bone Hydra: reworked aspects of this encounter to be faster though deadlier to compensate; one fewer phase; removed urns containing health (the Hydra finally realized they were there and ate them)
Elysian Arrow Trap: attack now dissipates as soon as combat is over
Flame Wheels: reduced health and Elite armor
Nemean Chariot: no longer can hit multiple times in one charge
Exalted Greatshield: appearance rate reduced; non-Elite no longer has a spin attack; reduced rotation and increased vulnerability times
Soul Catcher (Elite): now more aggressive under the effects of Middle Management (Pact)
The Minotaur: no longer gains brief invulnerability when low on health in the battle with Theseus
Increased damage rate of Poison effects in the Temple of Styx
Final Boss: various changes to attack patterns; resolved issues where cover sometimes did not work reliably against ranged attacks

Keepsakes & Items[ | ]

Companion Fidi (Dusa): newly added Legendary Keepsake! Summons Dusa to petrify your foes
Companion Mort (Thanatos): increased effect radius; increased damage; reduced pre-attack time
Companion Shady (Sisyphus): dropped goodies no longer block foes' movement
Companion Battie (Megaera): increased damage
Frostbitten Horn (Demeter): newly added! Raises chance to find Demeter Boons with improved rarity
Broken Spearpoint (Patroclus): now has a cooldown between uses; slightly increased effect duration
Evergreen Acorn (Eurydice): reduced instances of damage absorption
Myrmidon Bracer (Achilles): reduced damage reduction at higher ranks
Chthonic Coin Purse (Hypnos): reduced bonus money at higher ranks
HydraLite (Well): reduced healing

House Contractor[ | ]

Screen now shows all available options by category (instead of a random set of just three)
Screen now shows which items you have purchased, and lets you toggle some decorative items
Added many new decorative items to the House Contractor inventory (some with light interactions)
Added renovations that improve health recovery from Fountain Chambers
Reduced costs for many items for this grand reopening

Fated List of Minor Prophecies[ | ]

Goddess of Seasons: newly added!
A Place of Revelry: newly added!
The Fated Saint of War: newly added!
The Gift of Song: newly added!
Updated requirements to fulfill several Prophecies (this won't affect you if you've already fulfilled them)
Increased rewards for Daedalus Hammer and Olympian Prophecies

Pact of Punishment[ | ]

Heightened Security: reduced to a single rank
No Choice: increased Heat
Hard Labor: re-scaled to 5 ranks
Tight Deadline: timer pauses in non-combat chambers with characters such as Sisyphus

Level Design & Environments[ | ]

Added one new chamber to Tartarus
Added two new chambers to Elysium
The first chamber in Asphodel now offers more picturesque views...
Updated layout of Megaera's chamber to have fewer places to hide
Updated look of Bone Hydra's chamber
Updated layout of Final Boss's chamber
Minor changes to layouts of some chambers to helpfully accommodate the Rod of Fishing
Minor changes to layout in the House of Hades
Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

Art & Visual FX[ | ]

Updated main menu based on new Major Update
Lord Hades can now be seen toiling away in the House
House Contractor has a new look in the House
Added many new optional decorative items to the House of Hades
Added many new visual effects for Demeter Boons
Added new art, visual effects, and animations for the Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
Updated various animations for Exalted Shades in Elysium
Added a couple of portrait variants for Dusa
Updated visual effect for Crush Shot (Aphrodite)
Reduced visual effects of poison in the Temple of Styx (making it easier to find curing pools)
Reduced visual effects of Zeus' Aid (making it easier to see what's going on)
Updated texture and Codex portrait for Wretched Thug
Other minor visual changes, fixes, and improvements

Menus & UI[ | ]

Boon Info Screen: updated layout shows Mirror and Pact setup; you now can 'pin' Boons for comparison
Victory Screen: as above; also added various text Commendations based on your performance
Added graphical icons for each Mirror of Night Upgrade
Added graphical icons for each Pact of Punishment Condition
Version number watermark and current Heat switched screen positions as part of these changes
Songs are now subtitled
Slightly reduced size of critical damage numbers
Gamepad shoulder buttons now page through the House Contractor and Fated List
Improved look of choice selection in narrative events
Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements

Music & SFX[ | ]

Added new sound effects for Demeter and her Boons
Added new sound effects and emotes for Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
Added new sound effect when Zagreus is stunned
Added new sounds for other miscellaneous contexts
Added equip sounds for the two new Keepsakes
Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements

Voice & Narrative[ | ]

Added many narrative events (with Demeter, Dusa, Achilles, Hades, Aphrodite, the Storyteller, and more)
Added narrative events around the Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
Added many new Zagreus voice events for contexts such as House Contractor and the Rod of Fishing
Zagreus has more to say to the Bone Hydra and certain other monsters and shades
Extended Affinity Gauge for Dusa (you can give her more gifts)
Updated Codex entry for Dusa
Added Codex entry for Demeter
Primordial Chaos now responds to certain interactions in their realm
In the 'Trial of the Gods', you now hear from the god you choose
Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

Miscellaneous[ | ]

Added new localized text for some content (note: translation still pending for much of the newer content)
Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next Major Update in March, and beyond
Orpheus: due to the House Contractor redesign, the item to release him can be found more reliably
Most characters impervious to your attacks no longer knock you back when struck
You need a bit more Darkness now before Nyx upgrades the Mirror with the ability to refund it
Gameplay Timer pauses in non-combat chambers with characters such as Sisyphus
'New!' tags on Prophecies in the Fated List clear on selection (rather than after closing the List)
Credits: Demeter (Laila Berzins) added to voice cast; added new Community Beta Testers (Thank you!!)
Text: Renamed various Dionysus Boons and effects to be more in-theme with his lifestyle choices
Minor changes to presentation when the Minotaur leaves his chamber
Adjusted behavior of mouse-and-keyboard controls while the default 'Attack at Cursor' is disabled
Zagreus now will always enter chambers at a standard speed (such as when his speed is reduced by Chaos)
Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications

Bug Fixes[ | ]

Fixed various text overflow issues in non-English languages
Fixed Achilles not telling you about Titan Blood and Ambrosia soon after you first find them
Fixed a rare issue where Death Defiance could cause a permanent slowdown
Fixed Numbing Sensation (Dionysus) having a reduced power level at Heroic rarity
Fixed Black Out (Dionysus) unintentionally being upgradeable by Eurydice
Fixed Companion Rib (Skelly) causing 'Trial of the Gods' effects to occur unexpectedly
Fixed Infernal Gates blocking the aim preview for the Shield's Bull Rush
Fixed a key narrative event with Megaera sometimes playing twice unexpectedly
Fixed narrative scripting around events involving Orpheus and Dionysus, which could become unavailable in some cases
Fixed Bother foe having incorrect material sounds
Many other minor fixes

Quote of the Patch[ | ]

“	The Earth did not send up any seed. Demeter, she with the beautiful garlands in her hair, kept them covered underground. Many a curved plough was dragged along the fields by many an ox—all in vain.	„
	~ Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Anonymous; G. Nagy translation)

Note: You should see v0.24897 in-game once you have the update.