Wrath Update: New Enemy, New Weapon, Visual Updates and more!

Hi Hellsweepers, Welcome to The Wrath Update -- our biggest content drop and improvements to date, featuring a new enemy, weapon, graphical upgrades, and a host of requested QoL and gameplay additions and improvements. Brace yourselves; there’s a very long list below!


Your feedback has been crucial in driving us to expand our vision for this update, beyond the original scope of our roadmap. So, please keep those (crazy and wild) suggestions, bug reports and feedback coming on our Discord!


Thank you very much! Your support and enthusiasm are the lifeblood of Hellsweeper VR’s growth. If you enjoy our game and are thrilled about this update, leaving a positive review or sharing our game with your friends goes a long way. Every bit of love to grow the Hellsweeper VR community will empower us to keep adding more content to the game. 🙂


Voted by the community, the Mage’s staff is a magic focused weapon which allows you to combine all your magic elements into one weapon. This will allow flexibility to those who are also looking for a hybrid build.



The Mage’s Staff has the following features:

• Capable of using combined magic.
  
• Can infuse weapons by sticking them into the staff head (For Fire, Frost, Volt and Blood)
  
• Has its own type of magic spells called overcharged magic.
  
• Has a ground slam mechanic.
  

Various effects can happen depending on the combination that it holds, so get out there and experiment with your wizardry!


Completing the seven deadly sins theme for Hellsweeper’s enemies, Wrath has finally entered the depths of Hell, and is ready to give your runs a nastier time.

Wrath is a 2-in-1 Enemy that can cause double the trouble. Both parts have different combat styles, and might have other secret moves under their (missing) sleeves.

Killing either part of its body will enrage the other, so be prepared for a second wind.



To turn up the challenge, Savagery, Deceit and Corruption now have elemental variants to them. For those seeking a bigger threat, they have unlocked more moves and surprises that can enhance your run…or make it worse.


And as promised in our roadmap, we’ve also added more details and props to the boss arenas!




[h2]Epithets[/h2]


We have added Epithets, a class and reward system for different playstyles. The player's level is transferred to the 'All-Rounder' Epithet. Whether you are looking for balance, spellcasting or even enjoy having more buddies with you, Epithets will reward you for making a distinctive decision!

• All-Rounder - Balanced Stats with no special mechanics.
• Vanguard - Lean towards melee combat, parry attacks and projectiles with your head.
• Gunslinger - Enemies drop ammo when killed; gun's bullets will be refilled when ammo drops are picked up.
• Spellcaster - A magic orb will orbit around the player when spells are conjured.
• Acrobat - Increased jump and damage when in the air, Reduced hitbox size.
• Tamer - Have an additional friend fighting together with you.
• Vengeance - Similar to All Rounder but with enhanced stats and reduced resource gains.

[h2]Summoning Enemy Weapons[/h2]

Another community suggestion! You’ll now be able to equip enemy weapons! At Unholy Rank 5, players can equip and conjure enemy weapons such as:

• Pride's Katana
  
• Gluttony's Cleaver
  
• Envy's Scythe
  
• Wrath's Cleaver
  

[h3]😀These are just the highlights of the changes affecting gameplay. There are also updates to some skills, new traits and blessings and other much-requested QoL improvements in the full patch notes below.[/h3]



[h2]PCVR[/h2]
Apart from replacing a couple of low-poly props, lighting was given an overhaul after we converted our unity render pipeline to URP. In addition, PCVR (and PSVR2) also received freshly mint hair and fur! The Hellhound enjoys his new, sleek look.


[h2]PlayStation®VR2[/h2]

For PlayStation®VR2, we have officially implemented Dynamic Foveated Rendering.

To make this happen, we had to update our Unity version, switch from the Standard Pipeline to the Universal Render Pipeline, update all the lighting and shaders, and redo elements that were not supported by our new workflow.

It took us a solid six months, a period during which we essentially had to take the game apart and put it back together. We started this journey fully aware of our promise to the community, determined to see it through, no matter the effort required.

Looking back, it wasn't just about improving our technical processes; it was also a chance for us to grow as a team and as individuals. A huge thanks goes out to everyone involved: to those who challenged us to do better, pushing us beyond our limits, and to those who stood by us, cheering us on every step of the way.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Meta Quest 2 & 3[/h2]
Meta Quest 2 and 3 have received major lighting updates with some tweaks in texture resolution. Finally, enemy textures were painted over to make their details pop.


Apart from Quest 3’s native resolution bump, the Quest 3 VFX also has higher particle count and visual fidelity than Quest 2.



⭐ Means this update was a Community Suggestion!

[h2]Main Gameplay Additions / Updates:[/h2]

ENEMY ADDITIONS:

• Wrath has been added
  
• Act Bosses now have their elemental variants.
• Elemental Boss crystals will only appear if the player has previously defeated the base version.
  

NEW WEAPON:

• ⭐Added a new skill, the "Mage Staff," which can be purchased from the Blacksmith at Level 4. You can find its new traits below.
  

OTHER SKILL-RELATED UPDATES:

• Added imperfect infusions for 'Blood Magic', different combinations of elements will result in slightly different spells.
  - Blood + Fire
  - Blood + Frost
  - Blood + Volt
  
• ⭐Players can now bring Sweeper's Broom into the Roguelike Run.
  
• ⭐At Unholy Rank 5, players can equip and conjure enemy weapons such as:
  - Pride's Katana
  - Gluttony's Cleaver
  - Envy's Scythe
  - Wrath's Cleaver
  
• Added Epithets, a class and reward system for different playstyles.
  - All-Rounder - Balanced Stats with no special mechanics.
  - Vanguard - Lean towards melee combat, parry attacks and projectiles with your head.
  - Gunslinger - Enemies drop ammo when killed; gun's bullets will be refilled when ammo drops are picked up.
  - Spellcaster - A magic orb will orbit around the player when spells are conjured.
  - Acrobat - Increased jump and damage when in the air, Reduced hitbox size.
  - Tamer - Have an additional friend fighting together with you.
  - Vengeance - Similar to All Rounder but with enhanced stats and reduced resource gains.
• Added map modifier, 'Treasure Box', for use in the roulette.
  

NEW TRAITS:

• Study Me (Mage Staff) - Increase damage of spells.
  
• Dragon Tune (Mage Staff) - When using groundbreaker spells, Mage Staff is infused with a random element.
  
• Just Dazzling Mana (Mage Staff) - Reduce mana cost of spells.
  
• Mana Killer (Mage Staff) - Increase damage of groundbreaker spells but also increasemana cost.
  
• Next One (Mage Staff) - Using a spell will switch Mage Staff to the next element.
  
• ⭐Mixed Nuts (Mage Staff) - Stats and traits of the respective skills will be used.
  
• Circus Fennec (Bow) - Adds a hookshot for the bow.
  
• Devil's Trigger (Blood Magic) - Allows Blood Magic to be equipped like a regular skill.
  
• Packin' Pain (Bullets) - Increase the number of damage buff stacks per Manual Reload.
  
• Sight Guidance (Mace) - Adds a laser sight to the Mace when using Hookshot.
  
• Sweat & Iron (Gun) - Guns will no longer become damaged when at low durability.
  

NEW BLESSINGS

• Play Dice - Allows players to reroll blessings and traits. Hi
  
• UR My Special - Enemies take increased damage when affected by status effects.
  
• Invisible Pain - Players are immune to environmental hazards.
  

[h2]Graphical Changes[/h2]

• Improved overall lighting for all platforms.
  
• Decorated the Boss Arenas.
  
• Added Ambient Occlusion for improved lighting appearance. [PC Only]
  
• Enhanced overall shadow quality for improved visual fidelity. [PSVR2 Only]
  
• Improved Textures of Enemies. [QUEST Only]
  
• Improved VFX. [QUEST 3 Only]
  
• Improved the hair shader (quality) of enemies. [PC and PSVR2 Only]
  
• Updated Hellhound textures for the normal Hellhound, Bloodhound, and Mystic Hellhound skin variants. [PC and PSVR2 Only]
  
• Added Boss altars to enhance visual presentation in the mission canvas area in the hub map.
  

[h2]General Updates[/h2]

• Adjusted the node just before the boss to always feature Vault.
  
• Moved Blacksmith to the right side of the mission area for easier accessibility.
  
• Introduced a Parkour area in the training island of the hub map.
  
• Revised Totem-related Mission mechanics to require players to defeat remaining enemies after destroying the totems.
  

[h2]Updates & Changes to Player Progression, Skills and Abilities[/h2]

• Increased the level cap to 100. Upon reaching Level 100, players can undergo a "Promotion Test" to boost their "Prestige".
  
• ⭐ Added Shoulder and Hip Slots.
  
• ⭐ Added color customization for weapons and hellhound.
  
• Added the ability to lock in traits and blessings, allowing players to bring their selected traits and blessings into the Roguelike run from the Blacksmith.
  
• Adjusted the stats and increased the number of trait slots for all skills.
  
• Increased the number of trait slots for all skills.
  
• ⭐ Players can now infuse magic into their hands without needing the Unarmed skill.
  
• ⭐ Players can now bring Sweeper's Broom into the Roguelike Run.
  
• ⭐ Stonefist now earns bonuses from the unarmed combo and can prolong it.
  
• ⭐ The 'None' modifier in the roulette mission has been replaced with 'Mod Removal', which removes an existing map modifier from the run.
  

CHANGES TO EXISTING BLESSINGS:

• Pumping Iron: It will now convert a percentage of mana into health instead of providing a full conversion.
  
• Magic Overflow: It will now convert a percentage of health into mana instead of providing a full conversion.
  

CHANGES TO EXISTING TRAITS/SKILLS:

• Liberty (Bullets) - In addition to reducing mana cost of conjuring bullets to zero, if Bullets are equipped to either the (Shoulder) or (Hip) slots, players can reload guns by bringing them close to the slots.
  
• Lever-Action (Shotgun) will be available at Rank 1.
  
• Silver Core (General) will be available at Rank 1.
  
• Enhanced Grapple (Mace) - Reduced the reeling speed multiplier.
  
• Hellhound:
  - Damage now scales based on the weapon it holds.
  - Infusing the Hellhound's toy will infuse the Hellhound as well.
  - Added customisation for the Hellhound.
  
• The following skills will no longer unlock through leveling and must be purchased from the Blacksmith:
  Available for purchase at level 4
  - Volt
  - Unarmed
  - Shotgun
  Available for purchase at level 7
  - Rifle
  - Mace
  - Unholy
  *Players who have already unlocked these skills will retain them.

[h2]Enemy Updates[/h2]

• Added codex entry for Wrath.
  
• Breaking Deceit's arms will massively damage its shield.
  
• Enemy projectile speed modifier has been changed so that they move slower instead of having a weaker launch force.
  
• Frost enemies will be adorned with Frost Crystals on their bodies, providing them with additional armor. They will take reduced damage until all of their armor is broken.
  
• Fire enemies will drop explosive bombs upon death.
  
• Volt enemies will now move faster.
  
• In lower difficulties, enemies will move slower.
  
• Increased the enemy stats slightly in Roguelike.
  
• Reduced the frequency and projectile count of Pride's AOE attacks.
  
• Reduced the frequency of Air Bubble and Meteor. They will also damage enemies when the hazards detonate.
  
• UI Updates
  
• Adjusted the loadout canvas layout to accommodate Infinite Triangle functionality.
  
• Enhanced visibility of rank up arrows in various areas, facilitating easier identification of skills ready for ranking up.
  
• Introduced a new blue bar for temporary shields that will decay overtime.
  
• Implemented a new highlight sprite to emphasize upgradeable skill perks.
  
• Shifted the Reset Data button into the options menu for improved accessibility.
  
• Relocated the Tutorial UI to the main missions altar, ensuring a more intuitive user experience.
  
• Transferred the hand infusion tutorial to the advanced magic tutorial.
  

[h2]Balancing & QoL[/h2]

• ⭐Treasure Chest and Treasure Key system overhaul.:
  - Keys will now float towards the player instead of requiring manual pickup. Players will have an inventory for keys, accessible via the pause menu, where they can see the total keys collected.
  - To unlock treasure chests, the keys will now appear above the treasure chest itself, so players can just pick which key they want to use from there.
  - From now on, there will only be 3 types of treasure chest keys: Silver, Gold and Jade, each having a different value.
  - Jade Keys can only be purchased through the shop. It is a powerful key that unlocks all locks.
  - Once inserted, used keys cannot be removed, and the multiplier for that used key will apply, even if a Jade key is inserted into any remaining available slots.
  
• Added Axe Glaive to the Bladewave Aim Assist.
  
• Added an option to change how Bow aiming works in Options > Gameplay.
  
• Added Quick Dash, allowing players to dash based on locomotion direction in Options > Gameplay.
  
• Adjusted the spawn rate of rewards to favor the initial starting loadout.
  
• Adjusted the stat progression of Traits, Blessings, and Skill Augments.
  
• Changed "Reduced Loot" modifier to "Reduced Shop Prices".
  
• Increased the levitation from 0.2 to 0.4
  
• Made it easier to perform Bladewave and Axe Glaive.
  
• The Clue Crystal's hints can be cycled.
  

[h2]Multiplayer[/h2]

• Players can now invite their friends who are currently in a different region.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed the issue where totems in MP would still attack players in non-combat missions such as Trove, Roulette, and Tribute.
  
• Fixed the issue where players might not have their portals spawned at the same position in MP, leading to a black screen when loading into the wrong portal.
  
• Fixed a bug where killing and dismembering enemies in melee would cause the body parts to not spawn at the correct location.
  
• Resolved a bug where, when set to static, enemies like Greed would not cling to the walls in Training mode.
  

[h2]PSVR2 FEATURE-SPECIFIC UPDATES[/h2]

• Implemented Dynamic Foveated Rendering for PlayStation®VR2.
  
• Eye Tracking:
  - Ensure that Eye Tracking is enabled and calibrated on the system. Navigate to Settings > - Accessories > PlayStation VR2 > Eye tracking.
  - Recalibrate your eye tracking for optimal performance.
  - Navigate to Settings > Accessories > PlayStation VR2 > Enable Eye Tracking > Adjust Eye Tracking. Additionally, adjust Lens Distance and VR Headset Position under Settings > Accessories > PlayStation VR2 > VR headset.
  
• Improved GFX with 3 available options for PlayStation®VR2:
  - Performant - Improved Particles
  - Optimal (Default) - Improved Clarity
  - Quality - Improved Particles & Clarity
  
• Enabled eye-tracking with telekinesis for PlayStation®VR2.
  - In the game settings, navigate to Options > Gameplay, then change Levitation Direction to Eye Tracking."
  
• Added adaptive trigger when using and levitating ranged weapons. (Tempest, Rifle, Shotgun and Pistol)
  

If you have a report or a bug you’d like to send us, you may do the following:

Join our Discord : Please select the Hellsweeper role and open a thread under #support.
On Steam: Start a thread on the Discussions boards under Bug Reports.

For broken saves, game breaking bugs and any other similar issues, please send your save file to [email protected]. Your save file is located here:

C:\Users\[user]\AppData\LocalLow\MixedRealms\HellsweeperVR\savefile



If you want to stay updated on Hellsweeper VR, we invite you to join us on our various channels:
Discord | Reddit | Twitter | Tiktok.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

Crafted with Love,
The Mixed Realms team