Inkbound News

[h2]Letter from the Team[/h2]

We've worked hard over the last few days to try to fix a lot of the common bug reports. We are watching all feedback channels and continue to work hard to improve the game. Keep sending in the feedback - we are watching!

[h2]Release Timing[/h2]

This patch will be released at approximately 10 am PT (UTC-7) on November 1st, 2023.

[h2]Full Patch Notes[/h2]

[h3]General & Quests[/h3]

1. Fixed a rare bug where you could get stuck in the prologue and unable to continue tutorial quests.
   
2. Adjusted Daily Challenge Scoring Bonus for no damage taken.
   
3. Fixed Daily Challenge Mutator Drought not reducing healing to post-boss healing fountains.
   
4. Resolved issue where difficulty stat adjustments were lost after switching classes in the Sea of Ink.
   
5. Fixed incorrectly named Chi Eruption augment in quest.
   
6. Fixed incorrectly named Spirit Bomb augment in quest.
   
7. Fixed bug where Godkeeper milestone would go missing for some players.
   
8. Fixed bug with Fully Augmented Bindings Victory Board quest not completing.
   
9. Fixed bug with glowing shelves in the Gardener chunk showing up without cause.
   
10. Fixed bug with Rank related achievements not required a Ranked win to complete.
    
11. Fixed bug with Treasure Pot Victory Board quest not completing.
    
12. Updated OHM Oni power quest from 10->50.
    
13. Fixed "Orb Cooldown Reduction" stat having a typo as "Orc Cooldown Reduction".
    
14. Fixed bug where Trinket achievement wouldn't unlock for players who had unlocked all Trinkets already.
    
15. Updated Mythos VB quest to require 6 instead of 7 to complete.
    
16. Fixed a bug where Can't Touch This achievement was failing to complete if you took damage only to shields.
    
17. Fixed bug where Underborn would disappear before Weaver Vestige quest could be completed.
    
18. Updated the wording in the "Opposites Attract" to no longer say "Up to Uncommon" bindings.
    
19. Destroying and duplicating vestiges will no longer incorrectly trigger quest objectives from temporarily adjusting the values higher before reducing them.
    
20. Fixed bugs related to Binding Upgrades quests with incorrect names or not completing.
    
21. Updated values of several Victory Board vestige set quests to reflect set bonus values.
    
22. Updated Dodge Attacks in a Run quest to new, Blur-related quest.
    
23. Fixed Hex and Shatter tooltip referencing damage increase to attack bindings instead of just damage increase (including to status effects like Burn).
    
24. Fixed an issue where Blessing of Kwills was giving a Glyph for going to Vestigial Shrine instead of Binding Empowerment.
    
25. Updated Blazing barrier. Damage scales based on Book number (1 damage in book 1, 2 damage in book 2, etc.), but is now capped at 2. Effectively, Blazing Barrier from 3 damage on being hit >>> 2 damage on being hit in the Cynder villain fight.
    
26. Updated Blightbomb challenge buff: "Increase maxhp by 50%. When this Enemy dies it deals 1-2 damage to all players." (damage scales based on how far in the run) >>> "When this Enemy dies it deals 1-2 damage to all players." .
    
27. Updated augments Seamless Constrict, Seamless Stitch, Hexing Frost, Hexing Lightning, and Hunting Spear. Can no longer be upgraded more than once, since their effects do not stack.
    

[h3]Enemies[/h3]

1. Resolved issue where bosses would not set an attack intent at certain HP levels.
   
2. Updated Lusk the Blightbag's AOE from Global AOE >>> Scaled Ring AOE.
   
3. Decreased Lil'Lusk Book 1 HP from 100 >>> 50. Book 2 HP from 300 >>> 200.
   
4. Increased Book 1 Captor HP from 3250 >>> 4000.
   
5. Reduced Janus the Malformed direct attack scaling from 100% attack >>> 75% attack.
   
6. Updated Mimic Weaver form to move back to center if pushed or pulled away.
   

[h3]Clairvoyant[/h3]

1. Updated Telekinesis Epic augment Critical Telekinesis Crit Damage from 60 >>> 100 to match scaling with other epic crit augments.
   

[h3]Mosscloak[/h3]

1. Updated Throw Epic augment Critical Throw Crit Damage from 60 >>> 100 to match scaling with other Epic Crit augments.
   
2. Fixed Lacerating Flurry and Ravaging Flurry showing up as Uncommon instead of Rare.
   

[h3]Star Captain[/h3]

1. Updated Chillazer Rare augment Critical Chillazer Crit damage from 45 >>> 80 to match scaling with other Rare Crit augments.
   
2. Fixed an issue with Star Captain's Mission Leader binding not giving enough Omni Power. The ascended versions have also had their tooltips fixed to match the new higher value.
   

[h3]Chainbreaker[/h3]

1. Fixed Combo not reducing the cost of Incendiary.
   
2. Fixed some Chainbreaker ascensions missing an Attack Binding tag, preventing Invigorate to be removed.
   
3. Fixed some Chainbreaker ascensions missing Physical Binding tags.
   
4. While Runic Strike is in physical mode, mousing over will now state what the magic version does, and vice versa.
   

[h3]Godkeeper[/h3]

1. Bloodrain Ascension now highlights which part of the ability changes when viewing it as an Ascension option.
   

[h3]Vestiges & Sets & Trinkets[/h3]

1. Fixed Common vestige Burnital Gauntles tooltip saying it inflicts 2 stacks of Burn instead of 3.
   
2. Updated Verdant 8: "On being healed, gain 2 maxhp." >>> "On being healed, gain 2 maxhp, once per turn." Uncapped made it too easy to gain crazy amount of maxhp (500+ maxhp builds).
   
3. Fixed Common vestige Silenced Metronome not triggering on the first turn.
   
4. Fixed augments Shielding Spear, Benevolent Eruption, and Deflecting Impale not being affected by shield multiplier from Contrition of Allyra.
   
5. Fixed Expert Binder 9 not reducing cooldowns to 0 on picking up an orb.
   
6. Fixed an issue where Blaze of Brigid triggered more often than intended.
   
7. Resolved issue where set bonuses are not restored on respawn when player has died multiple times.
   
8. Updated Rare vestige Withered Tracks: "You and your Allies are immune to rooted and ensnared. Does not stack." >>> "You and your Allies are immune to Rooted and Ensnared. Your movement cannot go below 20. Does not stack.".
   
9. Fixed Rare vestiges Frosted Halfcharm and Scalding Halfcharm not properly granting burn/frostbite damage. Fixed them using the old effect, which was inflicting burn/frostbite on the first hit each turn.
   
10. Updated Rare vestige Frosted Halfcharm. 0 frostbite damage >>> 5 frostbite damage.
    
11. Updated Rare vestige Scalding Halfcharm. 0 burn damage >>> 10 burn damage.
    
12. Updated Common vestige Scattered Samples: "On consuming an item in combat, gain 1 Will and 20 movement" >>> "On consuming an item in combat, gain 2 Will and 25 movement.
    
13. Fixed Legendary vestige Dissassembly Prototype #12 granting the same buff with multiple of the vestige. Fixed it granting only the physical power buff with multiple stacks of the vestige.
    
14. Updated Rare vestige Unearthed Relic: "On gaining shield, gain 20 omni damage until the end of turn." >>> "...end of turn. Up to three times per turn.".
    
15. Updated Rare vestige Cultivated Harmonies. Rare >>> Epic.
    
16. Fixed an issue where the Cracked Shackles Vestige did not have an icon for the buff it imparts.
    
17. Fixed Reaver 3 granting +60 crit damage instead of +75 crit damage.
    
18. Fixed Rare vestige Amulet of Floral Transposition granting omnipower instead of double attack binding.
    
19. Fixed Surivor Bonsai stacks not removing, causing massive physical power stacks.
    
20. Fixed Legendary vestige Byron the Talking Book buff Byron's Encouragement granting incorrect amount of Omnipower.
    
21. Fixed Mythos combat counter saying 3 combats instead of 2 combats to earn the reward.
    
22. Updated Shadow 2: 50 Omnipower >>> 30 Omnipower. Updated Shadow 3: 100 Omnipower >>> 70 Omnipower.
    
23. Updated uncommon vestige Alchemist's Toolbelt: "On consuming an item in combat, gain 50 Omni Power" >>> "On consuming an item in combat, gain 70 Omni Power".
    
24. Removed an extraneous letter S from Archaic Innards.
    

[h3]Draftable Bindings[/h3]

1. Fixed Pilfer Epic augment Orb Thief spawning orb far from player. Fixed Orb Thief able to spawn orb on already Pilfered Targets.
   
2. Updated Pilfer Epic augment Orb Thief. Can now be upgraded multiple times.
   
3. Fixed Pilfer Uncommon augment Absorbing Pilfer able to steal HP from already pilfered Enemies.
   
4. Fixed Grasp Epic augment Extracting Grasp granting an Orb each turn instead of on using Grasp.
   
5. Fixed Marking Pilfer not being in Pilfer's augment pool.
   
6. Fixed several augments showing up at the incorrect rarity.
   
7. Fixed Grasp Epic augment Extracting Grasp not granting extra orbs when the player has multiple of the augment.
   
8. Fixed Eviscerating hitting another single target in range if the first single target died.
   

[h3]Other Bug Fixes[/h3]

1. Fixed smite VFX on CelestialRazor.
   
2. Players can no longer move/target during cutscenes.
   

Hello again! I'm Redbeard/Brendan back with another Lore Post to discuss the lore surrounding our new update: Gods & Relics!

For this new update, we are introducing 2 new Aspects both from the same world. These Aspects—the Chainbreaker and the Godkeeper—are Aspects from the world of Yore, a forgotten prison deep below the surface of the Sea of Ink where creations that were deemed too powerful by the Atheneum were sent to keep the rest of written creation safe. And while there are many things dangerous in the world of Inkbound, there is nothing more so than the written Gods of Mythology.

There are already traces of these Gods of mythology in Inkbound—vestiges like the “Forged Lightning Bolts,” for example, hint at a certain well-known Greek god with an electric personality— but, these Gods are nowhere to be found when you enter the Atheneum. As it turns out, they’ve been exiled from the Atheneum for some time, imprisoned in the forgotten land of Yore where their untameable power is unable to affect the other books of the Atheneum.

The Gods, naturally, weren’t too happy with being locked away. But, being Gods, they’ve been busy in their little, forgotten world, making a paradise out of a prison. For themselves, at least. For any other prisoner in Yore, creation or Binder, the Gods’ rule has made it a fate worse than mere imprisonment as any sentence in Yore means forced participation in the Godscourt.

The Godscourt! A never-ending gladiatorial battle hosted by the Gods where each God chooses a champion to fight in their stead. The Gods must be entertained, after all, and what better way to entertain than through endless violence, gambling, and competition! Should a champion win the Godscourt, they are given a slim chance to appeal to the Atheneum for their freedom or ensured glory in Yore. So, some prisoners have thrived in Yore! Champions who have won the favor of their patron God and won enough Godscourts to make them nearly gods themselves.

The Godkeeper is just one of these champions. The Aspect of a Binder named Matthew (maybe you’ve met him?), this champion was the victor of many Godscourts, most under the patronage of the written god, Zeus. Little is known of his exile to Yore, aside from it being a voluntary journey, but his exile wasn’t carried out alone, he was joined by another Binder with an Aspect called…

The Chainbreaker, the Aspect of a Binder named Samuel who chose to fight in the Godscourt without a godly patron. Instead, Samuel chose to fight for the creations trapped there, dedicating any victory he achieved to one of the imprisoned creations, as long as that creation chose to bargain for freedom instead of remaining in Yore.

The many Godscourts that Matthew and Samuel fought against each other in Yore was the beginning of the end of their relationship (a relationship you will be able to learn much more about soon when it’s detailed in a later update’s Vestige Lore!), but the Aspects that they forged in the crucible of those Godscourts are some of the strongest fighters throughout all of written creation.

—

I know that’s just the smallest sliver of a peek into the world of Yore (a world that might be explored even more later on??), but I hope it gives you a better idea (if slightly) of where these new Aspects come from!

Thank you all for your support for our team and of Inkbound. We couldn’t do any of what we do without you. And, we hope you’re just as excited as we are to jump into the shoes of the Aspects of the Champions of Yore! See you in the Atheneum!

[h2]Letter from the Team[/h2]

This hotfix addresses a couple of major issues we wanted to push live as quickly as possible. We hope you are enjoying the update!

Next week we will fix as many other bugs as we can and get it into your hands.

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

1. Fixed issue where some players using operating systems that were not using the English language would have in-game text display problems. This is also related to some languages showing translated text - we are working on localization but it's not ready to launch yet.
   
2. Fixed issue where some players could not unlock cosmetics on the new free unlock track.
   
3. Fixed bug where Trinket achievement wouldn't unlock for players who had unlocked all Trinkets already.
   
4. Fixed a bug where Can't Touch This achievement was failing to complete if you took damage only to shields.
   
5. Fixed Surivor Bonsai stacks not removing, causing massive physical power stacks.
   

Welcome to the Gods and Relics update! This update to Inkbound includes two new aspects, the major new Vestige Set feature, Steam Achievements, the removal of in-game monetization, and more. We’ve tried our best to capture accurate patch notes that include all the changes. If you’re interested in all the details, read on!



This patch will be released at approximately 10 am PT (GMT-7) on October 27th, 2023.

The game will have 2-3 hours of downtime starting at approximately 7 am PT on October 27th for the team to prepare the update.



[h3]New Aspect: Chainbreaker[/h3]
The Chainbreaker smashes their way to victory with nothing but their fists and pure tenacity.

Uppercut enemies right in the face with new powerful Combo mechanics in this new Aspect that is all about in-your-face fisticuffs. You can read more details about the Aspect in a deep dive available here.

To gain access to the Chainbreaker you’ll need to complete the short unlock quest. Talk to Sundance in the Atheneum to get started.



[h3]New Aspect: Godkeeper[/h3]
The Godkeeper fights to defend the written Gods of Yore using their divine Purespear to keep their opponents at bay.

This spear-based fighter can attack enemies near and far with a combination of spear thrusts and throws. To maximize their potential you’ll have to position yourself carefully to ensure optimal damage output. You can read more about the Aspect in a deep dive available here.

To gain access to the Godkeeper you’ll need to complete the short unlock quest. Inspect the Impaled Spear in the entrance to the Proving Grounds to get started.



[h3]Vestige Sets[/h3]
Vestige Sets are a major rework of how players increase in power during a run. Each Vestige has one or more Sets that it belongs to. Upon collecting a certain number of Vestiges with matching Sets, the Set will confer a bonus. The more you invest into a specific Set, the bigger the bonuses grow. Here’s a simple example.

The Vestige Mossed Spyglass is now part of the “Precision” Set. You can see the Set icons in the Vestige description.



If you draft Mossed Spyglass, you’ll get a point into the Precision Set. Hovering the icon will give you the full details.



Upon getting two points in Precision, you’ll gain +10 Crit Chance. Upon three points, you’ll get an additional +15 Crit Chance. And so on.

As a part of this, the design of many Vestiges have been reworked.

There are many new sets with many new types of functionality. We hope you’ll have fun exploring all the new build options!

[h3]Steam Achievements[/h3]
We’ve added 28 Steam Achievements in this update with a mix of progression and challenge Achievements.

Want to give this one a try?





[h3]Sea Breaches Improved[/h3]
We’ve heard from players that Sea Breaches were not offering interesting enough choices and rewards. We agree. In this update, all Sea Breaches have been redesigned with stronger rewards and more interesting choices.

[h3]Refreshed Victory Board[/h3]
We’ve fully refreshed the Victory Board with 108 new objectives and new cosmetics to unlock by completing them.

(The cosmetic rewards from the prior Victory Board have been moved into the Cosmetic Vault.)

[h3]Updated Ranks[/h3]
We’ve redesigned Ranks 11 through 20 with new challenges. If you were at Rank 11 or higher on either the Solo or Group track before this update your Rank will be reset to 10 so you can climb the refreshed Rank ladder. Completing Rank 20 in each track will earn you a special Nameplate.

Some of the earlier Ranks were also redesigned to smooth out the increase in challenge rank-by-rank.

[h3]Run Reward Structure Updated[/h3]
Binding drafts now show up after battles instead of on their own reward islands. The goal with that change is to improve game flow.

Binding Augment drafts no longer show up as guaranteed rewards, you’ll have to choose battles with those rewards to earn them. The goal with this change is to increase the impact of upgrade choices. In concert with this, common Augments have been removed from the game, and thus Augment power is higher in general.

[h3]Run Quests Removed[/h3]
We decided to replace the concept of Run Quests with the goals in the Vestige Set system. Overall we liked that run quests gave goals that contributed large amounts of power in return for completing their effect, but often they were either too easy or too hard with little middle ground, and this was made worse in multiplayer. Many sets have aspirational bonuses that reward putting in effort to achieve them, and feel more organic as a result than run quests did.

[h3]Font of Wisdom Removed[/h3]
Like Run Quests, we aimed to simplify the way players earn stats by putting them primarily into Vestiges and Vestige Sets. Independently drafting stat upgrades via Fonts of Wisdom has been removed from the game. In general Sets feel like ‘specialized stats’, with each point driving towards new build possibilities. That said, some Sea Breaches still offer the Font of Wisdom style stat upgrades, for those that miss it.

[h3]Trinket Design Revisited[/h3]
Due to various design changes described above we needed to revisit the design of our existing Trinkets. A variety of the current Trinkets have been refreshed with new functionality to accommodate the addition of Vestige Sets and the removal of other systems.

[h3]Change Your Aspect & Trinkets in the Sea of Ink[/h3]
Ever enter a run and wish you could change your Aspect or equipped Trinket? Well, now you can. We’ve added the ability to change these before entering the first Book of the run.

This can be especially useful if you use Matchmaking to enter a run and want to coordinate with a co-op partner before entering the first Book.

[h3]Seasonal Quests and Return of Season 1 Content[/h3]
We’ve moved all story-related Seasonal quests to the “main questline” and, from now on, only plan on adding story quests to the main questline and not removing them at the end of the season. This means that Season 2 quests will not go away at the end of the season. We’ve also added back all Season 1 quests to the main questline for new players to experience. For players who played any Season 2 content, all Season 1 content will be automatically completed to avoid progression issues, but we will have the ability to reset your story progress in a future update so you can experience all previous seasonal content.

[h3]Removal of Monetization[/h3]
As outlined in detail in an earlier post, we have fully removed in-game monetization in this update. Leveling Passes have been removed and have been converted into optional cosmetic-only “supporter pack” DLC sold via Steam. The in-game store has been renamed to the Cosmetic Vault. You can earn Vault Dust (formerly Shinies) to unlock cosmetics and there is also a chance that a cosmetic chest will drop after defeating a Guardian.

Various cosmetics and Vault Dust can be earned via normal gameplay by leveling up. These unlocks are collected via the Logbook’s Season tab.

See the linked post above for full details on the migration.



Want to see all the little details? Click here for the full list.

We’re just a few more days from Inkbound’s Next Major Update! On October 27, 10:00 AM PT, Inkbound’s update will go live. Please note, however, that the game will be down for a bit beforehand, so please make sure to save your run as soon as you see the countdown for when the servers will be down.

On October 27, you’ll get to explore TWO new player classes. Last week, I showed off The Chainbreaker, which you can read all about here.

This week, I have another surprise for you. I introduce to you the SECOND of the TWO NEW ASPECTS coming to Inkbound on October 27:

THE GODKEEPER



A Binder once chosen by the Gods of Yore as their champion in the Godscourt Games, the Godkeeper fights to defend these written deities using a divine spear to keep their opponents at bay.

The Godkeeper is one of TWO new aspects coming to Inkbound in this Next Major Update. Like the other aspects, it has three new core Bindings. The first, Impale, is a two part Binding, dealing damage to one enemy before dealing half damage to the one behind it. This Binding will require maneuvering to get right!



The next Binding, Celestial Spear, is one I myself am really excited for! Here is the description of it:

Throw your spear, dealing 40 damage and creating a Celestial copy where it lands. Allies can select the spear, teleport to it and inflicting Smite on the closest Enemy.

Doesn’t that sound awesome?! You not only attack but place a spear on the ground that Allies can pick up and use!



Finally, the third core Binding is Whirlwind. An swinging attack that deals a strong first round of damage before dealing half damage to secondary enemies.



Both THE GODKEEPER and THE CHAINBREAKER will be available for you to explore on October 27th, 2023 when the Next Major Update goes live at 10:00 AM PT. As a reminder, both leveling passes will only be available as cosmetics only DLCs starting on October 27th. If you have the leveling passes before then, you will already have all the content.

Excited for The Godkeeper? Come share your thoughts either on Steam or Discord. Finally, want to see exclusive concept art of the newest player aspect? Sign-up for our newsletter for more!

As always, thank you so much for supporting Inkbound and the Shiny Shoe team. I hope you’re as excited as I am for this next update!

See you in the Atheneum!
~Cami
Community Manager at Shiny Shoe