Inkbound News

[h2]Letter from the Team[/h2]

Hi all, this update is focused primarily on resolving some widely reported bugs, adding an important usability enhancement to playing Clairvoyant, and improving multiplayer. We are optimistic that changes in this patch will improve connectivity for people encountering errors. Also, the improvements to kicking disconnected players should allow multiplayer runs to continue if a player drops.

For those interested in what is coming next, we are working on an official roadmap and will be posting it soon.

On to the patch notes!

[h2]Release Timing[/h2]

This patch will be released at approximately 10 am PDT on June 7th, 2023.

This link might help you see when that is in your local time.

[h2]Full Patch Notes[/h2]

Gameplay Changes

1. Increased SP rewards from runs by 50%.
   
2. Updated the "Training Mode" buff on Sparring Dummies and Janus to take longer to trigger in multiplayer based on the amount of players. For example, if there are four players it will take four hits to trigger the attack increase.
   
3. Updated legendary vestige Taetra Twin to only proc on direct damage (abilities) instead of on any damage. "On damaging an Enemy, 35% chance to do that amount of damage again..." >>> "On hitting, 50% chance to do that amount of damage again...".
   
4. Reduced the requirements for the Purchase Vestiges quest in Silent Promenade 5 >>> 3.
   
5. Made a vague quest message for The Song of the Sea more specific on how to proceed.
   
6. Made the Inkspot in the Garden's Edge less hidden.
   
7. Fixed typo in title of 'Villain Destroyer' Nameplate.
   
8. Fixed Epic Spiked stat gain from fonts to correctly give 10 and not 6.
   
9. Fixed Pulsar Belt procing smite multiple times on a single enemy.
   

Art & UI Changes

1. Clairvoyant - added aura targeting visual indicator when aiming abilities.
   
2. Added an input delay in drafts to try to avoid accidental double clicks before the draft options can be read.
   

Engine Changes & Other Bug Fixes

1. Networking - made multiple improvements to reduce the likelihood of encountering the "fell behind server" error, especially when entering the Atheneum. We are committed to fixing this and interested in feedback. Please let us know in Discord if you notice any change to your ability to play the game.
   
2. Multiplayer - if a player disconnects and the party leader kicks them with the "/kick" command they are now properly removed from the run and the run can continue.
   
3. Multiplayer - if the party leader disconnects, a different person is made the party leader. If necessary, that person can use "/kick" to kick the former party leader and can then continue the run.
   
4. Fixed issue where certain gameplay combinations, like Taetra Twin used against Argolath tentacles, could cause the run server to crash.
   

This hotfix patch will be releasing in the next hour.

[h2]Full Patch Notes[/h2]

Art & UI Changes

1. Fixed incorrect Roman Numerals on some milestones quests.
   
2. Small text consistency fixes.
   

Engine Changes & Other Bug Fixes

1. Fixed new purple gunk visuals stuck on.
   

[h2]Letter from the Team[/h2]

Hi everyone, we're excited to bring you a patch packed with balance changes and bug fixes. Looking forward to hearing your feedback! You can always join us on Discord to chat with the dev team.

[h2]Release Timing[/h2]

This patch will be released at approximately 6 am PDT on June 1st, 2023.

This link might help you see when that is in your local time.

[h2]Full Patch Notes[/h2]

Gameplay Changes

1. We now roll crit if Binding's action stack reduces cooldown to zero.
   
2. Fixed legendary vestige Prime Essentium not granting shield from Cynderpox damage.
   
3. Fixed Afterimage ascension Shadow Image granting the caster Stealth instead of the ally in multiplayer.
   
4. Updated Cynder's cleansing mushroom to show how many turns left before it disappears.
   
5. Added Psionic Charge tooltip to Clairvoyant's passive.
   
6. Fixed reopened ability upgrade draft showing options for ability that no longer has upgrade slots.
   
7. Updated the text on the Splinter Blotter's Amplify effect to clarify it functions differently than the other channelers in that it doesn't clear at end of turn, only when the caster is defeated.
   
8. Updated the text in the "Opposites Attract" Sea Breach to make it more clear that it can give augments lower than the specified rarity. (More specifically when choosing the three uncommon Augment choice, it will give common augments if both uncommon augments are unique).
   
9. Removed "Team Captain" from being added to Challenge Buffs at Bronze 1, it will now first show up at Silver 1.
   
10. Removed confusing double Inkspot in Vengewood Sea Breach.
    
11. Argolath's tentacles no longer cause unavoidable AoE damage when they erupt after being defeated. Their base attack has been increased slightly.
    
12. Fixed poison tooltip damage text not updating based on the player's stats.
    
13. Fixed Scavenger's Dash ascension Shurikenjutsu granting crit on use.
    
14. Updated Spirit Bomb ascension Spirit Cannon: No longer pushes enemies at full charge.
    
15. Updated status effect Wildfire and Toxic tooltips to clarify they are removed at the start of turn.
    
16. Updated Fonts of Wisdom to be more likely to show higher rarity choices.
    
17. Fixed the Twin Fangs status effect icon.
    
18. Reduced damage done by the Captor.
    
19. “The Gilded Egg” Sea Breach “Break it open” option base level stat increased from common >>> uncommon.
    
20. “The Gilded Egg” Sea Breach “Wait a little while” glyph reward increased from 3 >>> 4.
    
21. “Light in the Darkness” Sea Breach “A lot!” option cost reduced from 75 kwillings >>> 50 kwillings.
    
22. “The Wandering Binder” Sea Breach “Give some Help option” now rewards more kwillings.
    
23. “Shrouded Miser” Sea Breach “Grab the coins off the desk” kwilling gained debuff reduced from -30% >>> -20%.
    
24. “Overstimulated” mutator kwilling reward increased from 75 >>> 125.
    
25. “Bombastic” mutator kwilling reward decreased from 75 >>> 25.
    
26. “Wit Thief” mutator kwilling reward increased from 300 >>> 350.
    
27. “Heavy Pockets” mutator now slows from -2 >>> -4, but max stacks reduced from 10 >>> 5.
    
28. “Shimmering Barricade” mutator shield increased from 5% >>> 8%.
    
29. Updated Physical, Magical, and Ability Power boosts from vestiges and potions to remove after damage status effects such as Burn and Poison.
    
30. Updated Shattered and Hex to remove after damage status effects such as Burn and Poison.
    
31. Updated rare vestige Burning Heart: "You deal +50% damage to Enemies inflicted with Burn." >>> "You deal +35% damage to Enemies inflicted with Burn.".
    
32. Updated rare vestige Poisoned Heart: "You deal +50% damage to Enemies inflicted with Poison." >>> "You deal +35% damage to Enemies inflicted with Poison.".
    
33. Updated legendary vestige Trickster's Hook: 5 ability power >>> 3 ability power.
    
34. Updated legendary vestige Heart of the Last Lifeless: "On your first turn, gain 1 ability power until end of combat for every 10 maxhp you have." >>> "On your first turn, gain 1 ability power until end of combat for every 7 maxhp you have.".
    
35. Updated legendary vestige Taetra Twin: "On damaging an Enemy, 50% chance to do that amount of damage again. This Vestige does not stack." >>> "On damaging an Enemy, 35% chance to do that amount of damage again. This Vestige does not stack.".
    
36. Updated epic vestige Grenala's Pendant: Epic >>> Rare.
    
37. Updated rare vestige Harbinger's Trophy: "On defeating an Enemy with an attack more than double their maxhp, gain 2 physicalpower until end of combat." >>> "On defeating an Enemy with an attack more than double their maxhp, gain 3 physicalpower until end of combat.".
    
38. Updated uncommon vestige Ink Flat: 1 Cooldown per Orb >>> 2 Cooldown per Orb. Uncommon >>> Rare.
    
39. Updated rare vestige Golden Egg: Rare >>> Uncommon.
    
40. Updated rare vestige The Sovereign Flag: "Deal 35% damage to Dazed Enemies." >>> "Deal 25% damage to Dazed Enemies." Rare >>> Uncommon.
    
41. Updated uncommon vestige Bead of Metal: 10 Spiked Damage >>> 5 Spiked damage. New effect to match other 'Bead' uncommon vestiges: "On collecting an Orb, gain 4 stacks of Spiked.".
    
42. Updated common vestige Rotting Calzone: "On collecting an Orb, inflict Dazed on the nearest Enemy, once per turn." >>> "On collecting an Orb, inflict Dazed on the nearest Enemy.".
    
43. Updated epic vestige Bone Calcifier: "On being hit, gain 3 physicalpower until end of combat." >>> "On being hit, gain 2 physicalpower until end of combat.".
    
44. Fixed bug where Applying multiple stacks of a status effect at once wouldn't count towards quest progress.
    
45. Updated Defeat Janus before Inky Might is applied quest to be a bit easier.
    
46. Updated defeat Nim the Lost before Nim's Protection is applied quest to correct name and fixed bug with the quest never updating when it was applied.
    
47. Fixed Birdie on Fire Part 3 unlocking too early.
    
48. Fixed bug with Unbound Kwill not always dropping from Kwilling Cages.
    
49. Nerfed Crit Change OHM quest.
    
50. Fixed issue with OHM disappearing before all related quests were completed after completing The Needed. Auto-completed those dangling quests for anyone in that state.
    
51. Thread the Needle quest no longer required to complete in a Run.
    
52. Fixed Bug with Vulture Event not dropping Unbound Kwill quest item.
    
53. Updated several Gardener line text to match VO.
    
54. Fixed Detonate not procing Brand of the Frostshade.
    
55. Fixed Inkley Map not granting AP from Will gained from Vulkus' Bond Enhancer.
    
56. Updated common vestige Whittling Mitts: 2 Frostbite Damage >>> 5 Frostbite Damage.
    
57. Added clarification to Magma Miner vestige Magma Metal: "...if you had 5 or more stacks of Heat last turn..." >>> "...if you had 5 or more stacks of Heat at the end of last turn...".
    
58. Fixed Leaping Strike ascension Comet dealing physical instead of magical damage.
    
59. Updated Throw ascension Poison Shot: Physical >>> Magical.
    
60. Updated Flurry ascension Poison Outburst: Physical >>> Magical.
    
61. Updated Cultivate ascension Mushroom Growth: "Create a mushroom that grants +1 abilitypower for each turn it's on the ground. Lasts until end of combat." >>> " Create a mushroom that grants 1 Will and 2 abilitypower until the end of turn for each turn it's on the ground.".
    
62. Updated Cultivate ascension Crop Harvest: "Create a plant that restores 2 HP and grants 4 shield for every turn it's on the ground." >>> "Create a plant that grants 1 Will, restores 2 HP, and grants 4 shield for each turn it's on the ground.".
    
63. Updated Cultivate ascension Flower Bloom: (1 Will, 6 Cooldown) >>> (2 Will, 6 Cooldown).
    
64. Fixed Cultivate ascension Mushroom Growth granting incorrect amount of shield.
    
65. Updated Cultivate ascensions to have same range as base ability.
    
66. Added some enemies to certain hard battles which weren't threatening enough.
    
67. Increased slightly SP rewards for normal battles, now all battles are baseline 300 SP. This might go up more in the future.
    
68. Increased bonus SP multiplier in multiplier for parties of 3 and 4 players from battles and run quests from 2X to 3X.
    
69. Increased SP rewards for Daily Quests from 16K >>> 18K.
    
70. Increased SP rewards for Season Quests from 46K >>> 55K and from 24K >>> 32K. Apologies to anyone who has already done some of these, unfortunately no way right now to add more points to you.
    
71. Attached the Egg icon to 'Ermongs Egg' to show when it has hatched.
    
72. Fixed a variety of small grammar and spelling issues.
    
73. Updated the text on the '?' button on the season pass screen to reflect that the pass will be earnable after the season.
    

Art & UI Changes

1. Added more visibility for players in range of ground gunk. In addition to the gunk flashing, a new gunk-y visual appears on the player character too.
   
2. Added button to main menu to show ping to game servers.
   
3. Added your current server region and ping to the "gear" menu when in the Atheneum or in a run.
   
4. Fixed bug where cosmetic shop would not let you purchase an item sometimes even though you had enough Shinies.
   
5. Fixed the Pacifism icon to be the correct one when looking at the book tooltip.
   
6. Fixed gleam from showing up in error on Claim Rewards button.
   
7. Adjusted the brightness of fresnel VFX on Cynder to be more in line with other enemies.
   
8. Changed Binding tooltip header to "augments" instead of "upgrades" for consistency.
   

Audio Changes

1. Fixed some Gardener VO lines.
   

Engine Changes & Other Bug Fixes

1. Improved messaging when server is going down for a patch.
   
2. Improved messaging when the servers are down for maintenance/patches.
   
3. Refactored how some VFX tech works to fix a rare bug some people encounter at startup.
   

[h2]Important Fixes That Are Still Being Worked On[/h2]

We are working on some important fixes for server connectivity and multiplayer that we aren't ready to launch yet. Those issues include:

1. Reducing or fixing the error some players encounter that says "fell behind game server".
   
2. Fixing kicking disconnected players not working during a run, which can softlock the run.
   
3. Fixing not being able to kick the party leader if they are disconnected in a run and don't come back, which can softlock the run.
   

We are sorry if you are currently being inconvenienced by these problems. We should have updates on these in the patch after this one.

[h2]Letter from the Team[/h2]

Hey everyone! Andrew here (Avarem on Discord), and I wanted to talk a bit about this first major patch we're putting out to you and where we're headed from here. I also wanted to take the time to thank all of you for joining us as we make a whole new kind of game, already since our launch on Monday and at the time of this writing on Thursday afternoon we've seen 126031 runs started. And I'm certain it won't be too long before we hit a million.

This patch is a mixture of bug fixes, balance, and some updates to our monetization systems. We've gotten a massive amount of feedback from you all and we're going to be attempting to hit all of the pain points we can as soon as we can. In terms of balance, now that we have a much wider audience playing we're seeing that our difficulty at the baseline is probably too high. We've been seeing the meta shift at the high end and new strategies continue to be developed, so we want to keep our top ranks where they are, but this patch weakens enemies somewhat at Bronze ranks and below, including Unranked. We also have attempted to adjust some battles which were the biggest outliers. That said there's still much more work to do here and we anticipate a few additional rounds of balance during Season 1 before we get it where we want it.

Finally, our monetization changes. Obviously things launched in a state that has had some of our fans be upset about it, and we think that's fair. We used systems that we had seen in other titles without being critical enough about what those systems entail, and without getting enough feedback before launch. We believe that a cosmetic driven system is the right one, we want to make sure we can keep the box price low and the content updates free so that our community can stay together, but we understand how some of the mechanics in place could be seen negatively. Towards that end we've made some rapid changes in this patch to help improve it: adding a 50 Shinies option to top up, removing buying season levels since these rewards won't be going anywhere, and removing the rotation on the store to let players get what they want when they want to. We're also actively working on a design for the full system for the pass itself to be available after this season is over and we'll be unveiling that soon. We appreciate all the feedback we've gotten here as we do some learning about what makes these systems work for us, the game, and you. Our goal is that they exist to let you support us when you feel it's valuable and worth it.

All that said we're continuing to keep on top of Discord for feedback and we'll have a few more patches heading your way before too long, and the next season is cooking here at Shiny Shoe HQ - the new Aspect is going to be a fun one! And speaking of Discord, if you haven't joined us there you really ought to, just make sure to look for the special code as a bonus and a thank you for joining us this early on our journey.

Until the next update,
- Andrew and the Shiny Shoe Team

[h2]Release Timing[/h2]

This patch will be released at approximately 6 am PDT on May 26th, 2023.

This link might help you see when that is in your local time. Let us know if it doesn't!

[h2]Full Patch Notes[/h2]

Gameplay Changes

1. Reduced outgoing damage of all enemies by 20% in Bronze 1 and under. Enemies at Silver 3 onwards are equally as damaging as they are currently.
   
2. Always attempt to pick different items if you re-roll insatead of re-rolling to the same items.
   
3. Rerolling Augments now requires one Glyph instead of kwillings.
   
4. Increased amount of Glyphs rewarded from Globules and Globes by 1.
   
5. Increased Gylph reroll for Epic Augs from 1 >>> 2.
   
6. Additional Book 1 encounters have had more Inkling Slashers substituted in for other enemy types so that there are fewer immediate full on direct attack turns.
   
7. Increased the base damage of Thread from 10 >>> 20.
   
8. Fixed Bonk Season quest bug where Bonk ascensions didn't count towards progress.
   
9. Fixed rare vestige Mobius Vine poison damage cap at 10 instead of 20.
   
10. Fixed Pilfer epic upgrade Lucky Pilfer vestige drop chance rolling very low chance instead of 25%.
    
11. The "Dodge Attacks or Apply Spiked" Run Quest has been reduced from 50 >>> 40.
    
12. Fixed Hunter's Dash uncommon upgrade Shielding Dash granting an extra shield.
    
13. Fixed Hunter's Dash rare upgrade Strengthening Dash granting extra 2 ability power.
    
14. Updated epic vestige Bottled Whirlwind: On end of turn, gain 1 stack of Evasive >>> On your turn, gain 1 stack of Evasive.
    
15. Fixed Sitch common upgrade elemental stitch not working with stitch ascension Splice.
    
16. Cleanup proc also fires on friendly units.
    
17. Fixed an issue where "A Lost Kwill" sea breach option was removing a vestige.
    
18. Fixed bug where Applying multiple stacks of a status effect at once wouldn't count towards quest progress.
    
19. Fixed Smash ascension Detonate not spreading with the AOE upgrade.
    
20. Fixed Detonate spreading to non-burning enemies after defeating an enemy with Detonate.
    
21. Slightly increased Weave width and range with the lengthy thread upgrade.
    
22. Updated Cultivate pickup tooltips to show dynamic value. Updated Mushroom Growth description to clarify ability power lasts until end of combat. Updated Mushroom Growth buff to use generic status effect.
    
23. Reduced the amount of kwillings dropped from Pilfer but increased the value of each kwilling dropped, due to a lag spike with spawning too many kwillings, especially with the Greedy Pilfer upgrade.
    
24. Moved Lapi Fishing Hole to not collide with bridge.
    
25. Text consistency fix for Scorching Bonk upgrade.
    
26. Fixed bug with Grenala's Pendant quest not finishing correctly.
    
27. Fixed Bead of Metal old version showing up in the vestige pool instead of recently changed version. "+10 spiked damage" >>> "+5 spiked damage. On collecting an Orb, gain 4 stacks of Spiked.".
    
28. Fixed Shadow Shroud stats to be in a consistent order.
    
29. Removed inconsistent text from Swift Hare.
    
30. Improved communication of The Inkbound questline so that there's no more dead ends.
    
31. Fixed Wolo's Bloodletter not stacking.
    
32. Fixed rare vestige Inkley Map not stacking.
    
33. Updated Acknowledgement of Exemption, specified that the vestige does not stack.
    
34. Gunk/Blight no longer show 'death' event in combat log.
    
35. Fixed uncommon vestige Alchemist's Toolbelt not stacking.
    
36. Fixed uncommon vestige Powder Monkey's stockpile not stacking.
    
37. Fixed uncommon vestige Twin Fangs not stacking. Fixed crit chance tooltip not showing up.
    
38. Fixed common vestige Tarnished Treasure not stacking.
    
39. Fixed Weaver passive not granting controlled weaving if an ally killed other enemies.
    
40. Fixed Headbutt damage not matching description. Fixed Headbutt ability damage highlighting.
    
41. Fixed Armored Porcupine proc referring to old name.
    
42. Fixed missing word "damage" on Tangle.
    
43. Fixed Accurate Image referring to "Crit" instead of "Critical Charge".
    
44. Added tutorial for opening the multiplayer party invite UI when returning to the hub, when solo, after at least one real run.
    
45. Removed an Inkpot from one of the normal battles which was overtuned.
    
46. Fixed Legendary vestige Forged Lightning Bolts extraneously granting extra Smite damage in addition to Smiting twice.
    
47. Fixed Chain Lightning ascension Zap and Chain Lightning uncommon upgrade Empowering Lightning not dealing bonus damage to each additional Enemy reached.
    
48. The Will cost reduction upgrade for Shield Bash no longer will be offered a second time if upgraded once.
    
49. Removed a Tangled Kwill from one of the normal battles which was overtuned.
    
50. Increased number of enemies on some book 2 hard battles that were undertuned.
    
51. Increased health slightly on Shield Spindlecaster and Supportive Spindlecaster.
    
52. Jumper does slightly more damage when hitting with jumps.
    
53. Increased health slightly on Nim the Lost.
    
54. Decreased health slightly on The Captor.
    
55. Updated the Needle enemy type to no longer gain Rager or other similar types of challenge buffs.
    

Art & UI Changes

1. Added purchase option for 50 Shinies.
   
2. Removed ability to purchase season levels.
   
3. Made all cosmetic shop items available at all times.
   
4. Disabled refresh button if party join is open in Party Invite screen.
   
5. Adjusted various "Claim Rewards" button visuals, including for the run quest, to try to make them stand out more.
   
6. Made the Orb Decay anim more noticable.
   
7. Added new FX for Pile of Tiles, Grim Vortex, and added a drink to drink emote.
   
8. Added setting for changing behavior on toggling combat details on and off.
   
9. Allowed escape key to open Settings screen from Main Menu.
   
10. Fixed bug where Shinies purchase screen would sometimes fail to load when attempting to purchase a cosmetic item that you do not have enough Shinies for.
    
11. Added tooltips to bottom menu buttons.
    
12. Fixed bugs where pressing multiple menu bar hotkeys simultaneously would open multiple screens at once.
    
13. Fixed rare bug where large white squares would sometimes appear over world entities.
    
14. Fixed bug where you could get tooltips stuck on the Emote Play screen by triggering hovers after closing the screen with the hotkey.
    
15. Improved Garden's Edge bridge visuals.
    
16. Improved Promenade bridge visuals.
    
17. Adjusted animations to minimize foot sliding on Figment Shield, Tangled Kwill and Shadow Kwill.
    
18. Villain_Raven: Removed mushrooms within combat ring to help with visibility of spawning mushrooms during gameplay.
    
19. Promenade_Event_Merchant: re-baked lights.
    
20. Promenade_Combat4. Add geo to occlude lava drips sorting on top of sea of ink to hide glitch.
    
21. SilentPromenade chunks: removed glowy mushrooms from Voting area to avoid visual conflict with UI icons.
    
22. Flipped facing direction on Magma Miner set hammer that was facing the wrong way.
    
23. Fixed Cynder sometimes not playing the correct death animation depending on how it died.
    
24. Scaled down Vengewood destructible statue by 25%.
    
25. Added initial tutorial WASD text replacement to respect key bindings.
    
26. Fixed visual bugs when using the escape key on Draft Screen, Sea Breach Screen, and Swap Screen.
    
27. Fixed issue where the Season progress screen at the end of the run would think you had more cosmetics to collect when you didn't, causing the Season button to blink erroneously.
    

Audio Changes

1. Added Gardener VO.
   

Engine Changes & Other Bug Fixes

1. Stopped processing and broadcasting queued client events after disconnect.
   
2. Reduced targeting/movement ring vertex count. May have positive performance impact on low spec PCs.
   
3. Fixed party chat rarely showing as enemy chatter - like enemies announcing a player leveling up.
   
4. Fixed client appearing to apply 2x heal amount for end of combat heal stat.
   
5. Made it so voting is canceled if their is a change in party membership during a vote. Fixes softlock.
   
6. Fixed softlock at main menu if you went AFK for a long time with the Settings screen open.
   
7. Fixed load screen so that you don't sometimes see into the grey void.
   
8. Run servers now stay up for 6 hours for folks who need the extra time in multiplayer. Previously it was 3 hours.
   

Want Inkbound loot codes? The next two days are going to be mini-marathon dev streams! We'll be giving away codes throughout so be sure to join!

Here are the start times:
Thursday, May 25, 2023 11:00 AM

Friday, May 26, 2023 12:00 PM

I'll have new guests for each stream so, if you want to meet other members of the team, join at those times!

Tune in on Twitch to enter the giveaways here.

Don't forget to get your FREE SHINIES by checking out the #free-shinies-here channel in the Inkbound server!

Hope to see you in the chat!
~Cami
Community Manager at Shiny Shoe