Dark and Darker Update Patch Notes (April 2024): News, Hotfixes and Changes

Changes:

• Fixed multiple performance issues.
• Fixed an issue where multiple keys could active simultaneously after updating keybind settings.
• Fixed an issue where a character could be deleted automatically without the confirmation popup when moving to the character selection screen and quickly clicking the delete button.
• Fixed an issue where the Cleric's Brewmaster was increasing strength more than intended.
• Fixed an issue where Warlocks sometimes failed to transform into Demon form when using Bloodpact.
• Fixed an issue where the Warlock’s Life Drain and Wizard’s Magic Lock aim collider was too small.
• Fixed an issue where certain hunting loots could not be sold to merchants.
• Fixed an issue where the bonus damage to ‘Undead’ modifiers did not work properly.
• Various minor bug fixes.
• Movement speed reduction penalty received while walking or crouched changed from -40% → -55%.
• Rogue's Creep movement speed bonus increased from 5% → 30%.
• Ranger's Crippling Shot movement speed penalty changed from -35% → -40% and duration changed from 2s → 1s.
• Ranger's Spear Proficiency additional physical power changed from 10 → 7.
• Ranger's True Shot physical damage bonus changed from 5% → 8%.
• Ranger's Backstep cooldown changed from 14s → 10s.
• Warlock's Shadow Touch true magical damage changed from 3 → 2, magical heal base changed from 3 → 2.
• Warlock's Blow of Corruption cooldown has been changed from 18s → 24s, magic damage base changed from 15 → 10, and recovery reduction penalty changed from -70% → -80%.
• Warlock's Dark Offering duration changed from 12s → 15s.
• Warlock's Bloodstained Blade additional weapon damage changed from 7 → 5.
• Heavy Gambeson, Ornate Jazerant changed from Plate to Cloth.
• The Weapon damage has been slightly increased for the following legendary and unique rarity weapons: Arming Sword, Bardiche, Battle Axe, Double Axe, Felling Axe, Halberd, Morning Star, Quarterstaff, Rapier, Recurve Bow, Dagger, Spear, War Hammer, Wizard Staff.
• Francisca Axe weapon damage has been reduced. The movement speed penalty applied to the target has been increased from -25% → -35%.
• Throwing Knife weapon damage has been reduced. The movement speed penalty applied to the target has been increased from -20% → -25%.
• Club weapon damage has been slightly reduced.
• Hand Crossbow weapon damage has been slightly reduced.
• Windlass Crossbow weapon damage has been reduced.
• Hatchet weapon damage has been increased.
• Horseman's Axe weapon damage has been increased.
• You can now unlock 2 more additional stashes for gold.
• Class filters have been added to the Marketplace.
• Removed the ‘dungeon’ requirements from the Character Kill quests.

Developer Comments:

The previous hotfix introduced instabilities to the game that caused a decrease in performance and a large uptick in crashes. We have worked hard to address many of these issues to return the game to a more highly performant and stable level.

We have also updated changes to the Creep mechanic along with minor balance changes as we start preparations for the multi-class system. Finally, we have added several QoL changes including the ability to unlock 2 additional stashes for your character. We hope you continue your journey in the dungeons as we roll out the multi-class system in the upcoming weeks. Thank you and see you in the dungeons!

Changes:

• Fixed a crash that could have occurred due to a compatibility issue with the PSO cache due to changes in Unreal Engine version.
• Fixed an issue where there was a delay until the item tooltip was displayed.
• Fixed an issue where the item drop rate in the High-Roller Goblin Caves central vault was set to the previous season's balance.
• Fixed an issue where the Dark Magic Library area quest was sometimes not completed.
• Barbarian's Savage Roar physical damage reduction changed from -50% → -40%.
• Cleric's Holy Strike indicator size changed from 80 → 100.
• Warlock's Demon Armor casting speed penalty has been changed from -50% → -10%.
• Warlock's Hydra health changed back from 125 → 150.
• Warlock's Bloodpact's HP consumption per second has been changed from 1.5% → 1.0%.
• Bard's Rapier Mastery weapon damage increase has been changed from 3 → 2.
• Bard's Acelerando movement speed increase has been changed from 3/5/7 → 1/3/5.
• Bard's Lament of Languor movement speed reduction has been changed from -20 → -10.
• The Magical Healing of each level of Occultist Hood has slightly increased.
• The Hoard in the central vault of Goblin Caves has been removed.

Developer Comments: We have prepared an emergency hotfix to resolve multiple crash issues caused by the engine update. Additionally, it has been confirmed that a performance issue occurs when using the -dx11 option, so we are currently resolving the issue. Additionally, several bugs related to key bindings have been reported and are being tracked. We will strive to quickly resolve the problem and resolve any inconvenience. Thank you for your patience. 

Changes:

• Fixed an issue where pressing the interaction key(F) while holding down the Shift key did not work properly.
• Fixed an issue where certain sounds could loop indefinitely when watching a death cam.
• Fixed an issue where the Entrance Fee could be displayed twice.
• Fixed an issue where the descriptions for Ranger's Ranged Weapon Mastery and Sharpshooter incorrectly stated that they only apply to bow types.
• Fixed an issue where the Cleric's Judgment could be canceled while in range.
• Fixed an issue where the Bard's Dissonance and Partymaker were missing sound and range indicators.
• Fixed an issue where the Warlock's Abyssal Flame could not be dispelled.
• Fixed an issue where you could not escape if you jumped in front of the escape hatch when riding a raft in Ice Cavern.
• Fixed an issue where Zombies' Poison Smoke could continue to glow.
• Fixed an issue where the Skeleton Crossbowman could sometimes shoot bolts through walls.
• Fixed an issue where the Rock, Paper, Scissors emote did not actually play very randomly.
• Fixed an issue where the Marketplace and Squire did not reflect changed item modifiers.
• All classes now enter a creep state 0.5 seconds after walking or crouching and do not emit footsteps. Exceptions are made when stepping on pebbles, bones, etc. or are wearing Plate Boots.
• When the character walks or crawls, the movement speed change has been changed from -35% → -40%.
• Headshot damage bonus changed from 1.5 → 2.0.
• The increase rate of the spell casting speed curve according to knowledge has been slightly reduced.
• Barbarian's Potion Chugger status icon has been changed.
• Barbarian's Rage physical damage reduction penalty has been changed from -20% → -25% and the movespeed bonus has been changed from 10% → 12%.
• Rogue's Creep increases movement speed by 5% while in creep mode.
• Ranger's Quickfire sound has been adjusted.
• Wizard's Spell Overload memory capacity penalty has been changed from -70% → -60%, and the spell count bonus has been changed from 100% → 60%.
• Wizard's Lightning Strike circle size has been changed from 75 → 80.
• Wizard's Chain Lightning spell count has been changed from 3 → 2.
• Wizard's Chain Lightning no longer transfers from dead body.
• Cleric's Holy Strike circle size changed from 150 → 80.
• Cleric's Bless each attribute bonus changed from 5 → 3.
• Warlock's Dark Reflection now consumes Darkness Shards when activated.
• Warlock's Hydra health changed from 150 → 125.
• Warlock's Hydra has a slight delay after attacking 3 times.
• Special appearances for various crafted items have been added.
• From now on, The Goblin Caves will be tested as 5x5.
• The normal version of the 5x5 Goblin Caves also offers dual bosses and special rewards.
• The grade of treasures dropped from normal dungeons has been significantly improved.
• Ore now spawns twice as much in all dungeons.
• AP for some categories has been changed to be split equally between teams. Unfortunately, AP for acquiring items and treasures is still earned individually.
• Now EXP is divided equally among team members.
• Entrance Fee for High-Roller has been slightly reduced.
• Changed to no longer show the selected server region.
• The 3rd week quests will open at 00:00 UTC on March 29th.
• The experience point requirement up to level 20 has been slightly reduced. Previously achieved levels may be increased and points will be paid retroactively.
• Magic Protection Potion now drops in dungeons.

Developer Comments:

We've updated Unreal Engine version to 5.3 and fixed several known bugs to migrate to a better development environment. We hope this will allow us to develop more efficiently in the future environment.

We've adjusted several key aspects of the game, reducing the required experience points for leveling up slightly and increasing the gold acquisition rate in normal gameplay to maintain players' sustained interest. Additionally, to provide more diverse content, we've expanded the Goblin Caves to a 5x5 layout.

Lastly, we plan to test applying a feature similar to Rogue's Creep to all classes, allowing players to utilize various strategies even in unfavorable situations. If this change has too negative of an impact, it may be rolled back in the next hotfix. We appreciate your feedback as we continue to test these adjustments.

Changes:

• Fixed an issue where left-click or right-click could sometimes be entered automatically.
• Fixed an issue where arrow models could remain on screen when canceling a bow reload.
• Fixed an issue where a revived player's skills would display as the skills of the player who resurrected them.
• Fixed an issue where Rogue's stealth sound would be heard by third-person targets.
• Fixed an issue where the stealth status of Rogues who were not party members could be seen while spectating.
• Fixed an issue where the Warlock's Shadow Touch would also apply when throwing a torch to hit an enemy.
• Fixed an issue where players could be hit by melee attacks immediately after using the Warlock's Phantomize.
• Fixed an issue where the cloak skin could come off when restarting the client.
• Fixed an issue where the effect of a torch falling on the ground was not displayed as a changed effect.
• Fixed an issue where all attribute options for Chest and Legs armor were fixed to 2.
• Fixed an issue where Ale wasn't actually inside it.
• Fixed an issue where the Campfire sound was not output.
• Fixed an issue in the CaveMaze module where chests and monsters could spawn at the same time.
• Fixed an issue where rewards were set too low relative to the Goblin Caves 01 layout.
• Fixed an issue where a fixed escape was not displayed on the Goblin Caves minimap.
• Fixed an issue where the quest objective Prison A did not exist.
• Fixed an issue where players could get caught in door frames when moving.
• Fixed an issue where the Frost Giant would bounce too much after dying.
• Fixed an issue where monsters were sometimes unable to properly track players.
• Fixed an issue where items other than Fighter weapons from the Squire's supplies could not be set as supplies when the Fighter was equipped with both the Weapon Mastery and Slayer perks.
• Fixed an issue where the Squire did not provide the Germunbu helmet by default.
• Fixed an issue where Squires recognized Poor and Common ratings as targets for Stash Above All.
• Fixed an issue where the Squire's base gear was not set properly when equipped with a Longsword.
• Fixed an issue where no sound would intermittently occur when pressing the Quest Accept button.
• Fixed an issue where items received as quest rewards could not be sold.
• Fixed an issue where the multiclass achievement level was displayed as 100 instead of 30.
• Fixed an issue where the Coffee Time rest motion would glow in the dark.
• Barbarian's Reckless Attack armor rating penalty changed from -200 → -85
• Rogue's Strength, Vigor, Resourcefulness has been changed from 6 → 9, 5 → 6, 25 → 20.
• Ranger's Backstep cooldown changed from 22 seconds to 14 seconds.
• Wizard's Spell Overload memory capacity penalty has been changed from -60% → -70%.
• Cleric's Over Healing health ratio has been changed 25% → 20%.
• Warlock's Torture Mastery health recovery has been changed from 1 → 2, and the Attribute Ratio Bonus has been changed from 15% → 10%.
• Warlock's Spell Predation now absorbs all removable magical buffs from the target.
• The Primary Attribute on cloaks is now locked by rarity.
• The amount of modifiers related to physical and magic reduction applied to each shield has been reduced.
• Damage for all Longbows and Recurve Bows has been slightly increased.
• Damage for all Daggers has been slightly increased.
• Changed the equipping time of Fransisca Axe and Thowing Knife from 1s → 1.75s.
• Physical Damage Reduction cap changed from 85% → 75%.
• Magical Damage Reduction cap changed from 85% → 75%.
• When swinging a two-handed weapon, the movement speed reduction until the actual attack occurs has been reduced.
• High-Roller Adventurer Rank Early Access Season #2 begins at 00:00 UTC on March 22nd.
• The existing Preseason #1 will be changed to Early Access Season #1 to prevent confusion.

Developer Comments:

We have prepared Hotfix #37 to fix known issues and make balance adjustments. We would like to push for changes to some marginalized classes in line with strengthening item modifiers.

This adjustment will continue for the time being. Additionally, a new High-Roller Adventurer Rank season begins with the adjusted AP balance. It starts on March 22nd (UTC 0). We ask for your participation. See you in the dungeon

Changes:

• Fixed an issue where the Kobold's Calling would summon all types of monsters.
• Fixed an issue where players could attack opponents through walls or floors in certain terrain in the Crypts.
• Fixed an issue where players could sometimes levitate when using ladders.
• Improved detection performance and stability of Ironshield.
• Flame effects for Torch and Roaster have been improved.
• The way outlines are displayed has changed.
• Fighter's Breakthrough now ignores most movement blocks and movement slows for 5 seconds.
• Wizard's new spell Magic Lock has been added.
• Wizard's new perk Spell Overload has been added.
• Rogue's Creep no longer makes footsteps when the conditions are met, it also no longer increases movement speed.
• Rogue's Hand Crossbow Mastery has been removed, allowing Rogues to use Hand Crossbows by default.
• Rogue's Tumbling animation has been slightly improved.
• Rogue's Smoke Pot's range has been adjusted.
• Rogue's Ambush and Shadow Runner are integrated.
• Rogue's Pickpocket and Hidden Pocket are integrated.
• Rogue's Lockpick Mastery and Trap Detection are integrated.
• Rogue's silhouette is now visible when moving in Stealth.
• Ranger's Chase and Enhanced Hearing are integrated.
• Ranger's new perk Camping Mastery has been added.
• Ranger's new skill Backstep has been added.
• Cleric's Brewmaster now grants an additional 10 Strength.
• Cleric's new perk Over Healing has been added.
• Cleric's new perk Holy Water has been added.
• Cleric's new perk Faithfulness has been added.
• Bard's Encore cooldown changed from 30s → 4s.
• Bard's Dissonance range changed from 500 → 600.
• Bard's new perk Fermata has been added.
• Bard's new skill, Partymaker, has been added.
• Warlock's Immortal Lament penalty has been removed.
• Warlock's new perk, Shadow Touch, has been added.
• Warlock's new perk, Infernal Pledge, has been added.
• Warlock's new skill Dark Offering has been added.
• Various types of new armor have been added.
• Various types of hunting loots (monster loot) have been added.
• Legendary grade crafted items have been adjusted to Epic grade.
• Increased the values ​​of all random modifiers except for a few.
• You can no longer check for random modifiers before purchasing/crafting items in the store.
• Solos/Duos/Trios will each be able to play a fixed map.
  • Solos: Goblin Caves 3x3
  • Duos: Frozen Mountain: Ice Cavern
  • Trios: Forgotten Castle: Howling Crypts → Inferno
• Two new layouts have been added to the Goblin Caves.
• Some areas in the Goblin Caves where it was difficult to move between floors have been fixed.
• Two escape stairs from Ice Cavern have been removed.
• The secret doors in the Crypt have been improved.
• The Marvelous Chest is no longer locked.
• The overall item drop rate has changed.
• Adventure Rank rewards are now given. You can receive it from the leaderboard page.
• Quests have weekly activations depending on the chapter.
• Squire has been added to Merchant to help you easily change equipment settings.
• An experimental version of Training has been added.
  • Training allows players to grow their level beyond 20.
  • By reaching certain levels, players will earn reward tokens and learning tokens.
  • These tokens will be available when the experimental multiclass system is updated in the future.
  • This training and multiclass system is a completely experimental feature just for this season and will change completely in the future.
• Death Cam, has been added.
• A new emote, “Blah blah” has been added.
• A new emote, “Rock, Paper, and Scissors” have been added.
• The game package gift code system has been updated.
• For fans who have loved Dark and ​​Darker to date, we will provide Standard Trial Gift Code. You can gift it to your friends.

Developer Comments:

Thank you for patiently awaiting Wipe #3. In this update, we've endeavored to enhance the game's systems based on the diverse feedback received from the previous season. The goal for this season, including the preseason, is to last approximately 3 months.

We have tested various dungeon selection systems and have chosen the optimal direction taking into account the current player base and team opinions. We understand that this choice may not satisfy everyone. However, as the team continues to expand and with the increasing number of players, we anticipate being able to select a direction that satisfies everyone.

Normal games have established themselves as a space where early players can enjoy fair competition while also providing a space to practice. To achieve this, we are introducing Squire to help you play smoothly.

In the last season, random modifiers had a negative impact on the game. To address this, we made item acquisition and selection more convenient, but this inadvertently reduced the value of items and diminished the sense of excitement when obtaining top-tier items. We now feel like we have more systems and tools to help with these issues, so we've lowered the dungeon drop rates and strengthened the modifiers a bit.

While it may not be the perfect time to test the multi-class system, we will introduce an experimental training system this season to explore the possibility of offering fully developed multi-classes in the future. We eagerly await your feedback. To encourage more players to participate in Wipe #3, we are launching a 30% discount on game packages. We have also completed a Gift Code system that allows you to gift packages to friends. We are providing players who have played until Wipe #3 with a Trial Gift Code that allows them to play the Standard Edition for 10 days, so please use it to adventure through the dungeon with your friends!

Finally, We apologize for not always delivering perfection. We promise to continuously improve the game based on your feedback and strive to make it more enjoyable. Thank you so much as always!