Darkest Dungeon® II News

[p]Hello everyone, [/p][p]Our third Steadfast Steward's public beta build has been live on coming_in_hot for several days now. [/p][p]Like previous weeks, we have a new exit survey ready for you! This survey contains 7 questions, and should take you less than 5 minutes. [/p][p][/p][p]Please only fill in the survey if you have tested the current coming_in_hot build! This survey covers the Steadfast Steward's build number 2.02.78247 that was released on June 12. We will keep it open until June 19, 10am PT. [/p][p][/p][p]You can fill the survey in here![/p][p][/p][p]Our next Steadfast Steward's build [/p][p]On Thursday, we posted our final poll on our Discord asking the community which they would prefer we tackle: Battle Advantage Modifiers or Repair Fight Improvements (As this is the final poll, the following weeks ahead of our retail release will be spent on remaining work). Based on those results, Battle Advantage Modifiers is the winner![/p][p]You can expect more Battle Advantage Modifiers, as well as more updates to the Runaway in our next update, due this Thursday June 19.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Welcome to the third build of our Steadfast Steward's Update. Over the next several weeks we will be deploying a new build with many experimental changes that will live on our public beta branches. Please use the in-game feedback tool or join our Discord to let us know your thoughts on these changes. We are trying out many changes and will be doing adjustments weekly. [/p][p][/p][p]For full details on what to expect from our Steadfast Steward’s Update and how to participate, please check out our Participation Details blog post, or see our intro post in the #general_info channel on Discord.[/p][p]
You may notice that these patch notes are more detailed than usual. We have included a number of ‘Developer Notes’ beside many of the entries here, to better express the intent behind the changes. By outlining our goals we hope that this will help measure if our intent is matching our implementation.[/p][p] [/p][p]This update features the Runaway's Wanderer path, updates to the Occultist's Ritualist and Wanderer path, adjustments to Memories, as well as adding game speed options.[/p][p][/p][p]You can start playing now! Remember to leave your thoughts on our most recent update in the Steadfast Steward’s section of our Discord, send your feedback to [email protected][/p][p] or discuss it in this Steam discussion thread.[/p][p][/p][h2]HEROES[/h2][h3]RUNAWAY[/h3][p]Wanderer[/p][p]Dev Note: The Runaway's kit has been adjusted to provide her with some previously lacking options for Stealth synergy, RES piercing, and general improvements to utility skills. Few skills (Backdraft, Hearthlight) received any extensive revisions. Most received refinements in power or identity, particularly in regards to her activities in the front ranks.[/p]

• [p]Backdraft and Backdraft+ cooldown increased from 1 to 2[/p]
• [p]Backdraft and Backdraft+ now benefit from all standard damage-affecting tokens, trinkets, and other sources[/p]
• [p]Backdraft now has a CRIT value of 5%[/p]
• [p]Backdraft DMG calculation increased from 50% of Burn to 75%[/p]
• [p]Backdraft now removes all Burn from the source monster when unmastered[/p]
• [p]Backdraft+ now has a CRIT value of 10%[/p]
• [p]Backdraft+ DMG calculation reduced from 100% to 75%[/p]
  • [p]Dev Notes: The Runaway's DOT bomb regains its previously unique nature among the skill type, allowing it to interact with all of the standard tokens (for better or for worse) in addition to the DOT-based calculation for damage. Some values have been adjusted to keep it moderately in line in light of recent increases in Burn availability and the unmastered version does retain some normalized DOT bomb behavior (removal of the DOT source).[/p]

• [p]Cauterize and Cauterize+ launch ranks changed from 2 3 4 to 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Cauterize and Cauterize+ no longer require that the target have Bleed[/p]
• [p]Cauterize now only provides the 25% heal if the target has Bleed; otherwise it heals for 1 point[/p]
• [p]Cauterize+ now only provides the 33% heal if the target has Bleed; otherwise it heals for 5%[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Being unable to use Cauterize in rank 1 didn't feel great for a character that can easily dance to the front. We adjusted the condition restriction to allow for desperate Death's Door saves (and to give some legitimacy to all those Heroes getting angry that they aren't on the receiving end of the hot poker).[/p]

• [p]Controlled Burn and Controlled Burn+ are now considered Ranged skills[/p]
• [p]Controlled Burn initial (non-token) Burn value reduced from 3 to 2[/p]
• [p]Controlled Burn+ initial (non-token) Burn value reduced from 4 to 3[/p]
• [p]Controlled Burn+ now ignores Guard[/p]
• [p]Controlled Burn and Controlled Burn+ (token) Burn values are now compatible with buff/debuff effects on monsters that influence DOT values, such as Physician's Cause of Death[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Burn values have been reduced to match the values on the token of the same name, given how much DOT potential the skill has as a whole. While other external factors can now increase the continuous Burn, this only applies to buffs/debuffs on the monster, as the continued effect lives on the token and not the Runaway. As an experiment, Controlled Burn is allowed to ignore Guard tokens in order to place its rank-locked token but, being a non-damaging skill, it will not remove those tokens. It's not a clearing skill.[/p]

• [p]Dragonfly+ now has +20% Burn RES Piercing when Stealthed[/p]
• [p]Firefly and Firefly+ now apply their Combo Burn effect to the monster in front rather than a random neighbor[/p]
• [p]Firefly+ now has +20% Burn RES Piercing when Stealthed[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted to make the direction of the fire spread more controlled and this gives both Firefly and Ransack the ability to spread fire to rank 1, which they otherwise cannot reliably affect. Additionally, they can now synergize with Stealth for piercing resistance.[/p]

• [p]Firestarter buff increased from 2 Burn to 3 Burn[/p]
• [p]Firestarter+ now also grants the Runaway +1 Burn Duration for 3 Turns[/p]
• [p]Firestarter+ Use Limit increased from 2 to 3[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted to provide a little more incentive to spend a turn buffing an ally and this was inspired by a mix of the Survivor version of the same skill. This also helps make up for the fact that she can never target herself with Firestarter.[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight and Hearthlight+ no longer ignore Dodge[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight and Hearthlight+ no longer have to hit a target to remove Stealth; it is cleared from the team regardless[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight and Hearthlight+ now apply a -10% Burn RES debuff to all targets[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight and Hearthlight+ now apply Combo on CRIT[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight now has a CRIT of 10% and can use CRIT tokens[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight+ now has a CRIT of 15% and can use CRIT tokens[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight+ no longer has a 25% chance of applying Combo[/p]
• [p]Hearthlight+ now grants +10% Burn RES Piercing to all Heroes[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Hearthlight has long been a divisive skill due to the specificity of its use case. While it shines in some areas, such as Coven battles in Kingdoms, it falls a lot flatter in others. With these changes, we've aimed to retain its core capability (widespread Stealth clearing) while applying some benefits that are more broadly applicable to the skills of the Runaway and other Heroes with Burn. Splitting the Burn RES effects into a buff and debuff means you get a chance to score double value but also guarantee at least half. Lastly, non-damaging skills that ignore defensive tokens such as Dodge are not meant to remove those tokens unless they are clearing skills (e.g. the Highwayman's Tracking Shot) so we've corrected the error in this skill. To compensate, we've made a change to guarantee that all Stealth is still removed from the enemy team.[/p]

• [p]Ransack and Ransack+ now apply their Combo Burn effect to the monster in front rather than a random neighbor[/p]
• [p]Ransack+ now has +20% Bun RES Piercing when Stealthed[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Same notes as Firefly[/p]

• [p]Searing Strike and Searing Strike+ have had their implementation of bonus Burn vs. Combo adjusted[/p]
• [p]Searing Strike DMG increased from 3-6 to 3-7[/p]
• [p]Searing Strike now gains an explicit +2 Burn vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Searing Strike+ DMG increased from 4-7 to 4-9[/p]
• [p]Searing Strike+ now gains an explicit +3 Burn vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Searing Strike+ Burn reduced from 3 to 2[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Searing Strike has a cleaner tool tip and now the bonus can apply to others effects riding on this skill from trinkets or similar sources. We wanted to try increasing her direct damage potential on this skill so that she had some front line offense that didn't feel as reliant on Burn, though we kept a wider DMG range in place since the skill does still carry significant DOT potential. We feel this also helps further differentiate Searing Strike's purpose from Firefly's.[/p]

• [p]Smokescreen+ cooldown increased from 1 to 2[/p]
• [p]Smokescreen+ CRIT increased from 10% to 15%[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: This has largely been considered too powerful for its short cooldown so we thought we'd try an experiment where only the mastered cooldown is increased, given all of the added power this skill gains on mastery. The unmastered skill remains untouched and is slightly more spam-capable, albeit less efficient in its token application over a longer period of time.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Occultist[/h3]

• [p]Updated Occultist trinkets to better match the recent changes[/p]

[p]Wanderer[/p]

• [p]Binding Shadows and Binding Shadows+ ignore their Combo effect if the Occultist already has Stealth[/p]

[p]Ritualist[/p]

• [p]Abyssal Artillery no longer has a chance to apply Combo when unmastered[/p]
• [p]Abyssal Artillery and Abyssal Artillery+ now spend 2 Unchecked Power to apply Blind[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: There was a lot of division on the Speed token On CRIT but, ultimately, we felt that more people were against it than for it. That being the case, we decided to move to a version that allowed a powerful debuff token at a cost (Unchecked Power) that would also benefit from the Unchecked Power's passive Debuff RES Piercing. While this makes it similar to Blinding Gas, we believe the DMG component, piercing, and cost help to differentiate it. Further, Combo was removed from the base version to differentiate it from Wanderer's unmastered Abyssal Artillery.[/p]
• [p]Malediction and Malediction+ no longer pierce Debuff RES inherently[/p]
• [p]Malediction and Malediction+ duration increased from 2 rounds to 3[/p]
• [p]Malediction Unchecked Power cost reduced from 3 to 2[/p]
• [p]Malediction+ defensive token distribution adjusted from 30% Block / 30% Dodge to 15% Block / 15% Block+ / 15% Dodge / 15% Dodge+[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: The piercing on this skill took away from the Ritualist's core capacity of being able to pierce RES via the Unchecked Power tokens. We're likely returning all Unchecked Power skills to the original design of having the same cost when unmastered but at reduced power and this is the first one to reflect that. Increases to duration have been made to make this more accessible and the type of tokens available on mastery have improved.[/p]
• [p]Sacrificial Stab+ now buffs the Ritualist's SPD by +3 for 3 turns when killing a target[/p]
• [p]Sacrificial Stab+ now shares Wanderer's +100% DMG vs. Corpse buff[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Bringing Ritualist's Sacrificial Stab into alignment with Wanderer's.  It retains the reduced Unchecked Power generation as Ritualist has other skills for generating it but a non-token SPD buff will help get those debuffs out faster each round.[/p]
• [p]Vulnerability Hex and Vulnerability Hex+ Vulnerable tokens increased from 1 back to 2 to match Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Vulnerability Hex+ no longer clears Block from the target before applying Vulnerable[/p]
• [p]Vulnerability Hex+ now applies a debuff: if the target dies, the Occultist receives 1 Unchecked Power. This debuff lasts 1 battle.[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We felt that Vulnerability Hex needed a little something more when mastered but still needed to stand apart from the Wanderer version, so this version has an additional method of feeding Unchecked Power to the Occultist at the expense of the previous Block removal. The unmastered version does currently rate as "Wanderer's but slightly better" but there's little that can be taken away from the unmastered version on Ritualist without making it an unsatisfying button to push or robbing it of the Ritualist identity.[/p]
• [p]Weakening Curse now applies a 1 turn version of the mastered version's debuff, granting the Occultist Unchecked Power if the target attacks[/p]
• [p]Weakening Curse+ CRIT increased from 10% to 15%[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted to speed up access to the specialized nature of how this Curse can generate Unchecked Power for the Occultist.  The limited duration means that timing it for maximum effect will be strict, however.  In order to make it easier for the skill to land when mastered and further differentiate it from its base version, the mastered CRIT rate has been increased.[/p]

[h3]Plague Doctor[/h3]

• [p]Surgeon Battlefield Medicine+ tool tip no longer incorrectly lists the healing bonus for Bleed twice; it has been corrected to Burn[/p]
• [p]Physician Noxious Blast no longer has Debuff RES Piercing vs. Combo when unmastered[/p]
• [p]Physician Noxious Blast+ Weak reduced from 2 to 1[/p]

[p] [/p][h2]MEMORIES[/h2]

• [p]Heroes no longer get re-rolled if they have a memory slot available, even if it's empty[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to reroll memories[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: In order to facilitate testing we’ve added this feature. Right now the amount and price are made to be easy for testing. The feature is also currently enabled always, which can cause weird behavior on an un-upgraded track. When and if we keep this for retail deployment the cost, amount offered, and access conditions will be changed to reflect the intended end-game/prestige system. [/p]
• [p]Memoried heroes can now be renamed[/p]

• [p]A Second Chance: Replaced +5% Deathblow RES with On Entering Death's Door: Heal 10% (Once per Region)[/p]
• [p]A Summer's Day: Replaced +15% Traveling Heal with +10% Resolute Chance[/p]
• [p]A Token of Friendship: Replaced +10% Positive Banter with +10% Healing Given from Skills[/p]
• [p]A Long Day's Work: Replaced Combat Start: -1 Stress (40%) with +10% Debuff RES piercing[/p]
• [p]Fresh Bread: +5% Max HP buff now lasts until the end of the Expedition[/p]
• [p]A Lucky Break: Replaced Combat Start: Dodge token (20%) with Gain When Dodging: -1 Stress (25%)[/p]
• [p]Father's Praise: Replaced Combat Start: Block token (20%) with +1 Regen Dealt[/p]
• [p]Dev Note: After discussions with the community we've learned there's preference to retain many of the passive buffs such as increased resistances, damage, speed, etc. There's also been a desire to keep buffs and effects on the simpler side since there are many other triggered effects from items and skills. These changes focused on improving the low performing Memories and replacing them with more useful, simple buffs and/or effects. Favorite Toy is on our radar as a highly potent Memory. We're typically in favor of buffs over nerfs, so we want to see how things shake out with these changes, but we're keeping an eye on Favorite Toy.[/p]

[h2]ORDAINMENT[/h2]

• [p]Ordainment Act 5 buff now has Apply to Attacker When CRIT: Blight 3 (3 Turns)[/p]
• [p]Reverted Ordainment DMG buff from flat to %[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We are looking into adjusting how Weak tokens are calculated[/p]

[h2]GAMEPLAY[/h2]

• [p]Librarian Reduced Burn RES from IMM to 100%[/p]
• [p]Shambler trinkets updated[/p]
• [p]Collector: Life Steal now has a 1 turn cooldown[/p]
• [p]Fixed Death occasionally spawning in Catacomb repair fights[/p]
• [p]Focused Fault: Replaced +100% DMG per Seen token with +8 DMG per Seen token[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: This should scale better with Weak tokens[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the torch was unintentionally draining prior to the crossroads[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Horseshoe swift travel icon wasn't removed when passing the day[/p]
• [p]Increased Biome select scroll speed with mouse scroll wheel[/p]
• [p]Removed Bounty Hunter hero sheet "visit shrines to unlock" text[/p]
• [p]Securis: Added Gain On Killing Blow: Strength Token & Block Token[/p]
• [p]Adjusted In Line Damage size for trinket damage poptext text to not be so large[/p]
• [p]Updated remove token/quirk logic to behave like copy/steal logic in that it is now pure random[/p]
• [p]Fix for abomination causing a softlock when switching from Beast to Corpse[/p]
• [p]Fixed some of the combinable tooltips incorrectly displaying massive missing blue strings[/p]
• [p]Updated Kingdom Siege Resolution UI to add a pulse to sieges that must be resolved, to assist users who forget that they must resolve these before they can continue elsewhere[/p]
• [p]Re-arranged some of the options in the pause menu[/p]
• [p]Added two new options to the GAME category[/p]
  • [p]Added a Combat Speed option[/p]
    • [p]Dev Note: We've rolled out an option that will allow you to increase combat speed to 1.5x of default. This also increases the game audio to match and remain in sync. The game will revert game speed to 1x for all in-combat cinematics (ie. Boss intros, deaths, resolve checks, etc), and then resume back to 1.5x.[/p]
  • [p]Added a Driving Speed option[/p]
    • [p]Dev Note: We've rolled out an option that will allow you to increase driving speed to 1.5x of default[/p]
• [p]Updated Jester Wanderer Finale, Crusader Aggressor Smite and Reap, Abomination Fiend Rage, and Smolder Hymnal on kill effects to trigger when killing a corpse[/p]
• [p]Bundle of Contracts, Kill List, and Crimson Tick tooltips now state the on kill triggers are ineffective against corpses[/p]
• [p]Retreating in Confessions effects have been updated; reduced Loathing from +3 to +2 and increased Stress damage from +1 to +2[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hello everyone,[/p][p]Our Steadfast Steward's public beta build received its second major update on the coming_in_hot branch on June 5. [/p][p]We hope you’ve been enjoying the changes to Ordainment and our updates to the Plague Doctor.[/p][p]In order to help collect more feedback, we have 2 surveys currently open that we'd like you all to take a look at.[/p][p]Survey 1[/p][p]The first survey is our Week 2 exit survey. This survey contains 5 questions, and should only take you a few minutes. Please only fill in the survey if you have tested the current coming_in_hot build![/p][p]This survey covers the Steadfast Steward's build number 2.02.78128 that was released on June 5. [/p][p]Fill it in here: https://forms.gle/Zi3EX3vHrb7oboh38[/p][p]Survey 2[/p][p]We also have a survey focused on the new Confessions retreat option.[/p][p]Please follow this link to answer the survey: https://forms.gle/4Y4Txm9XQaA9MJia6 [/p][p]Both of these surveys will be open until 10am PT on June 12.[/p][p]We'll have even more changes for you to test later this week! Our next build, also set for June 12th, will contain changes to memories, updates to the Occultist Ritualist path and more.[/p]

[p]Our second Steadfast Steward’s build is up on our public beta branches, and ready for you to test.

This update includes our Plague Doctor rework, changes to ordainment and more! You can see everything that has changed by checking out our patch notes.

You can start playing now! Remember to leave your thoughts on our most recent update in the Steadfast Steward’s section of our Discord, send your feedback to [email protected] or discuss it in this Steam discussion thread.
[/p][p]As always, we recommend making a backup of your save file before switching branches![/p][p][/p][p]Save files are found here: C://Users/Username/AppData/LocalLow/RedHook/Darkest Dungeon II/[/p][p][/p][h3]NEW SURVEY! [/h3][p]For those of you who have been participating in the Steadfast Steward's public beta, we have a new survey we'd like you all to fill in. This specific survey is focused on the new Confessions retreat option. [/p][p]Please follow this link to answer the survey: https://forms.gle/4Y4Txm9XQaA9MJia6 [/p][p][/p][p]I'll be keeping this survey open until June 12th at 10am. [/p][p][/p][p]If you have not yet joined in on our public beta testing, and would like to join in, we have all the information pinned in the ⁠general-info channel. You can also get participation details here: https://www.darkestdungeon.com/news/steadfast-steward-s-update-participation-details[/p][p][/p][p]In other, non-Steadfast Steward related news, we have something exciting to share with you - Hero Origin Skins are coming at the end of the month! We'll be releasing the long awaited hero origin skins (the version of the Darkest Dungeon II heroes that you see in the Shrine of Remembrance) on PC and Mac June 26th. These skins will be released via a FREE DLC on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GoG. This FREE DLC will also make its way to consoles at a later date as well. [/p][p][/p][p]After installing the FREE DLC you will still need to complete each hero’s set of shrines to unlock their skin in your cosmetics tab. [/p][p][/p][p]Finally, our effort to bring the origin skins to life had the side benefit of laying the groundwork necessary to expand our modding tools, and allow for character modding. This means at the end of the month, character mods will be possible in Darkest Dungeon II. [/p][p][/p][p]The ability to create custom character skins is currently on the coming_in_hot version of the Darkside tool. Our documentation is still in process as we develop the tool with our private mod testers. If you are interested in starting to test our character skin mods, head to our Discord and join the Darkest Dungeon II modding channels. Our private test group has been experimenting already and can be a resource for those looking to get started. We can't wait to see what you create![/p][p][/p][p]And with that....here are this week's coming_in_hot patch notes![/p][p][/p][h2]2.02.78128 - Steadfast Steward's Update - Coming_In_Hot[/h2][p]Welcome to the second build of our Steadfast Steward's Update. Over the next several weeks we will be deploying a new build with many experimental changes that will live on our public beta branches. Please use the in-game feedback tool or join our Discord to let us know your thoughts on these changes. We are trying out many changes and will be doing adjustments weekly. [/p][p]
[/p][p]This update features the remaining Plague Doctor path updates as well as experimental changes to Ordainment. [/p][h2]HEROES[/h2][h3]PLAGUE DOCTOR[/h3][p]Wanderer[/p]

• [p]Indiscriminate Science and Indiscriminate Science+ cooldown increased from 1 to 2[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: token generation is generally high enough that this is more powerful than originally anticipated. Rather than reduce the potency of the heal we felt it more appropriate to match the larger cooldown of various other heals in the game.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ not ignoring Guard[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Emboldening Vapours not correctly removing Daze/Stun before applying Speed
  [/p]

[p]Surgeon[/p][p]Dev Note: It's a well known issue that Surgeon felt fairly locked to rank 3 as the only intersection between Battlefield Medicine and Incision launch ranks. The Surgeon Path has been updated to retain some of the previous healing potency and Incision focus as a key element while freeing up her rank positioning and providing methods of generating self defense in order to operate closer to the front.[/p]

• [p]This Path no longer reduces the efficacy of Blight skills[/p]
• [p]This Path no longer increases the Plague Doctor's base HP[/p]
• [p]Battlefield Medicine and Battlefield Medicine+ launch ranks changed from 3 4 to 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Battlefield Medicine heal reduced from 27% to 20% to match Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Battlefield Medicine+ heal reduced from 33% to 25% to match Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Battlefield Medicine+ no longer removes the Plague Doctor's Bleed, Blight, or Burn[/p]
• [p]Battlefield Medicine+ gains +33% heal value per type of DOT on the target[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: we reduced the raw healing to match Wanderer but wanted to give it a way to retain some of the improved healing when necessary. The more DOTs, the bigger the heal provided when mastered up to double the value.[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ launch ranks are 1 2[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ target ranks are 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ do not deal DMG based on the current DOT value on the target[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ have a single use per battle[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death doubles the current Bleed amount on the target. This cannot be resisted[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ double the current Bleed, Blight, and Burn values on the target. This cannot be resisted[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We're getting a bit experimental with this one!  When used with surgical precision and timing, it has devastating potential[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ have launch ranks 1 2[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ have target ranks 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast & Disorienting Blast+ do not ignore or remove Guard tokens[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast has a DMG value of 1-3[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast replaces the Shuffle with a Knockback of 1[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast grants 1 Block[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ has a DMG value of 2-5[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ CRIT chance reduced from 15% to 10%[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ replaces the Shuffle with a Knockback of 2[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ does not apply Weak[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ does not Stun vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ applies Immobilize on CRIT[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ grants 1 Block[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: The Surgeon needed some additional front ranks punch, so we opted for a little crowd control, chip damage, and defense rolled into one.  It retains the classic Daze but sacrifices the Stun vs. Combo in favor of other effects.[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours applies 1 Strength to target[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours applies 1 Block to target[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours+ applies the same tokens to the Plague Doctor[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: As this Path doesn't have the "do unto others and unto yourself" effect that Battlefield Medicine does, we felt it would be appropriate to emulate that in Emboldening Vapours so the Plague Doctor can assist others while strengthening herself as well.[/p]
• [p]Incision and Incision+ DMG have been returned to Wanderer values[/p]
• [p]Incision and Incision+ no longer gain Bleed RES Piercing vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Incision and Incision+ now grant a +1 Bleed DMG dealt buff to the Plague Doctor when hitting a target with Combo. This buff lasts for the remainder of Combat[/p]
• [p]Incision Bleed reduced from 3 to 2[/p]
• [p]Incision+ Bleed reduced from 4 to 3[/p]
• [p]Incision+ now grants a +1 Burn DMG dealt buff to the Plague Doctor when hitting a target with Combo. This buff lasts for the remainder of Combat[/p]
• [p]Incision+ grants 2 Regen on kill[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted Incision to remain an important part of the Surgeon experience so it has some unique qualities to support itself and other skills / items / sources of DOT in a way that no other Plague Doctor Path does.[/p]
• [p]Indiscriminate Science is no longer a Path skill[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Blanket improved healing was a bit much, especially on a skill that's already as potent as this.[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast is no longer a Path skill[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: No more reduced Blight forcing you to focus entirely on Bleed.[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ no longer buff Bleed, Blight, or Burn RES[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ no longer buff Disease RES[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ launch ranks changed from 2 3 4 to 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ apply +30% Stun RES for 3 turns[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ apply +30% Move RES for 3 turns[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ grant 1 Block to the Plague Doctor[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention+ applies +10% Debuff RES for 3 turns[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention+ applies +20% Stress RES for 3 turns[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We decided to try an experimental version of Ounce of Prevention that provided some self defense while buffing several RES stats that aren't typically seen in party-wide buffs.[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade is no longer a Path skill[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: No more reduced Blight forcing you to focus entirely on Bleed.[/p]

[p]Alchemist[/p][p]Dev Note: Alchemist has been reworked as a Path capable of wielding all 3 DOT types. We wanted to retain some of Alchemist's capacity to land Blight with great success but in ways that involved more active engagement, so her Blight skills (and some others) now gain additional bonuses against targets suffering from other DOTs.  Chip damage has been removed from some skills in order to balance for greater DOT output but other, formerly non-damaging skills have acquired that damage in their place.[/p]

• [p]This Path no longer has reduced HP[/p]
• [p]This Path no longer has increased Stun RES[/p]
• [p]This Path no longer has increased Debuff RES[/p]
• [p]This Path no longer has increased Bleed, Blight, and Burn RES[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ are considered Melee skills[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death launch ranks are 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ target ranks are 1 2 3[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ have a cooldown of 1[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death deals 5-8 DMG[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death has 10% CRIT[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death deals +3 DMG if the target has Bleed[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death ignores Block if the target has Blight[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death gains +10% CRIT if the target has Burn[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ deals 6-10 DMG[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ has 15% CRIT[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ deals +4 DMG if the target has Bleed[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ ignores Block and Dodge if the target has Blight[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ gains +15% CRIT if the target has Burn[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted to experiment with a knife skill that benefits from DOTs in various ways, so the Alchemist now has a potentially high output skill on a short cooldown without interfering with Incision's necessary Bleed capabilities.[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ retain their Daze and Stun effects from Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast deals 2-3 DMG[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ deals 3-4 DMG[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast applies 3 Burn[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ applies 4 Burn[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: The Alchemist now has a stun grenade that dishes out some single target Burn as well![/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain and Magnesium Rain+ have launch ranks 3 4[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain and Magnesium Rain+ have target ranks 1 2 3 4[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain and Magnesium Rain+ target one monster[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain and Magnesium Rain+ no longer clear corpses[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain and Magnesium Rain+ retain the Wanderer Burn values[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain deals 2-4 DMG[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain has a CRIT value of 10%[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain applies 2 Bleed if the target has Blight[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain applies 2 Blight if the target has Bleed[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain deals 3-5 DMG[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain+ has a CRIT value of 15%[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain+ applies 3 Bleed if the target has Blight[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain+ applies 3 Blight if the target has Bleed[/p]
• [p]Magnesium Rain+ gains +15% CRIT if the target has Burn[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Magnesium Rain has been overhauled to provide a direct damage option that can also apply multiple conditional DOTs.  Yes, the Alchemist now has Hollow Vessel.  It's payback time.[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast and Noxious Blast+ no longer have +33% innate Blight RES Piercing[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast and Noxious Blast+ no longer deal DMG[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast and Noxious Blast+ no longer gain Blight RES Pierce vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast and Noxious Blast+ now gain +20% Blight RES Piercing if the target has Bleed[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast+ increases the duration of its Blight by 1 if the target has Burn[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast+ CRIT increased from 15% to 20%[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade and Plague Grenade+ no longer have +33% innate Blight RES Piercing[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade and Plague Grenade+ no longer deal DMG[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade and Plague Grenade+ now gain +20% Blight RES Piercing if the target has Bleed[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade CRIT reduced from 15% to 10%[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade Blight increased from 3 to 4[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade+ Blight increased from 4 to 5[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade+ increases the duration of Blight by 1 if the target has Burn[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Noxious Blast and Plague Grenade no longer deal their minor damage but, instead, deal higher values of Blight and can gain bonuses to both RES Piercing and DOT duration without having to consume precious Combo tokens.[/p]

[p]Physician[/p][p]Dev Note: DOTs are a major part of the Plague Doctor's identity and reducing their efficacy took away from her flexibility, reducing kit options and making it difficult for the Physician to engage offensively when needed. Her kit has been reworked to retain offensive options, improve some utility aspects, and rebalance elements so that no skill is strictly a "Wanderer+" version. The Physician now has access to all standard negative tokens other than Taunt.[/p]

• [p]Cause of Death is now a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death has a 5% CRIT chance[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death has a cooldown of 3[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death and Cause of Death+ are classified as Melee skills[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death causes an enemy to receive +1 Bleed, Blight, and Burn from all sources for 3 rounds[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death causes an enemy to deal -1 Bleed, Blight, and Burn for 3 rounds[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ reduces the cooldown to 2[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ has a 15% CRIT chance[/p]
• [p]Cause of Death+ applies a second time if it CRITs. This additional time cannot be resisted[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted to experiment with this skill in a way that suits both the Plague Doctor's DOT identity and the Physician Path's support identity, allowing her to amplify DOTs applied to the enemy while also reducing their own output.[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ no longer ignore 20% Stun RES[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ no longer apply Weak[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast and Disorienting Blast+ now remove all Riposte from the target[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast no longer applies Vulnerable[/p]
• [p]Disorienting Blast+ CRIT increased from 10% to 15%[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours and Emboldening Vapours+ do not clear Daze or Stun[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours and Emboldening Vapours+ remove all Weak before applying Strength[/p]
• [p]Emboldening Vapours grants 1 Strength[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Utility adjustments have been made to Disorienting Blast and Emboldening Vapours to better match the recent changes to the Wanderer versions of these skills in terms of overall effect and mastery while giving them a touch of Physician personality.[/p]
• [p]Incision is no longer a Path skill[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast and Noxious Blast+ now apply 1 Weak[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast Blight increased from 2 to 3[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast+ Blight reduces from 4 to 3[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast+ now increases Blight duration by +1 vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast+ now ignores 30% Debuff RES vs. Combo[/p]
• [p]Noxious Blast+ CRIT increased from 5% to 10%[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: We wanted to differentiate Noxious Blast as a Physician skill by providing it with both a moderate level of Blight and debuff effects. It also boasts the recently added Wanderer Combo effect with an added twist.[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevent and Ounce of Prevention+ launch ranks increased from 3 4 to 2 3 4 to match new Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ DOT RES values increased to match new Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention and Ounce of Prevention+ Disease RES values increased to match new Wanderer[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention no longer applies a Stress RES buff[/p]
• [p]Ounce of Prevention+ Stress RES buff increased from 15% to 20%[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Physician's Ounce of Prevention has been adjusted to better align with the revised Wanderer, trading that version's new Debuff RES when mastered for an enhanced Stress RES buff.[/p]
• [p]Plague Grenade is no longer a Path skill[/p]

[h3]OCCULTIST[/h3][p]Aspirant[/p]

• [p]Reduced amount of Immobilize applied by Unchecked Power penalty from 2 to 1[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Aspirant Unchecked Power still stating that it applied 2 Immobilize when it has since been reduced to 1[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Wyrd Reconstruction's Bleed not correctly applying in conjunction with Unchecked Power under certain circumstances[/p]

[h3]DUELIST[/h3][p]Antagoniste[/p]

• [p]Increased the Debuff RES Piercing of Aggressive Stance from 10% to 15%[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with Aggressive Stance token description stating an incorrect amount of Debuff RES Piercing[/p]

[h2]ORDAINMENT[/h2]

• [p]Chance to spawn based on Confession and Region remains unchanged[/p]
• [p]DMG buffs changed from % to flat and now scale based on region along with Max HP buffs as follows[/p]
  • [p]Denial: Region 1: +10% Max HP, Region 2: +20% Max HP & +1 DMG[/p]
  • [p]Resentment: Region 1: +10% Max HP, Region 2: +20% Max HP & +1 DMG, Region 3: +30% Max HP & +2 DMG[/p]
  • [p]Obsession/Ambition/Cowardice: Region 1: +20% Max HP & +1 DMG, Region 2: +30% Max HP & +2 DMG, Region 3: +40% Max HP & +3 DMG[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Flat damage is something we're experimenting with to help address Weak tokens feeling underpowered when facing the previous % based DMG buffs. Untested feedback has already been shared speculating that flat DMG buffs across the board brings risk that the power discrepancy between enemy skills is too great. We have contingency plans to revert back to % DMG buffs, however, we ask you try out this experimental version before providing feedback. Even if it ends up being short lived, we hope you enjoy trying out these tuning changes![/p]
• [p]Removed +10% Bleed, Blight, Burn RES Piercing buff[/p]
• [p]Several Confession specific buffs have been updated, primarily to replace Apply On Hit: DOT (10%) effects[/p]
  • [p]Denial specific buffs remain unchanged[/p]
  • [p]Resentment specific buffs have been changed from Apply On Hit: Burn 1 (10%) to Round End: gain Apply On Hit: Burn 3 when self HP is 100[/p]
  • [p]Obsession specific buffs remain unchanged[/p]
  • [p]Ambition specific buffs have been changed from Apply On Hit: Bleed (10%) & Vulnerable (5%) to Round End: Convert Block+ to Strength, Block to Block+, Dodge+ to Crit, Dodge to Dodge+[/p]
  • [p]Cowardice specific buffs have been changed from Apply On Hit: Blight (10%) and Round Start: gain Crit (10%) & Vulnerable (5%) to Apply On Critical Hit: Invert 1 Positive Token and Target: Apply to Attack When Hit: Blight 1 (3 Turns) (Until Hit) when target Monster[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: There are certain buffs that will not be taken advantage of by all enemies. This is intentional as Ordainment effects should add texture to fights through situational power that should make players consider mashes differently when these effects come into play. We'll be monitoring these unique buffs and effects, all of which are subject to tuning changes.[/p]
• [p]Exemplar will always been Ordained in Confessions[/p]
• [p] Ancestor's Statue can no longer be Ordained[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]GAMEPLAY[/h2]

• [p]Fixed Winded, Controlled Burn, Field Surgeon, and Pyromaniac not appearing in token glossary correctly[/p]
• [p]Fixed Widow and Chirurgeon Academic View and buffs strings[/p]
• [p]Patient now only applies diseases when Chirurgeon is present[/p]
• [p]Necrosis: Tooltip now explains Heal 5% per target[/p]
• [p]Hero trinket tooltips no longer say \[SKILL NAME] Skills: and will now just say \[SKILL NAME]:[/p]
• [p]More string fixes to replace instances of If with When[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could cause On CRIT effects to sometimes express that they occurred when they weren't CRITs[/p]
• [p]Fixed the blade orientation on Plague Doctor's infernal dagger to match her other weapon kits[/p]
• [p]Fixed incorrect token categories[/p]
• [p]Fixed coloring of increased/decreased loathing color in tooltips to better match the gold/blue paradigm[/p]
• [p]Fixed Plague doctor bomb not resting in hand during positive relationship presentation[/p]
• [p]Issues with Gamepad Text entry for the Begin New Adventure screen have been addressed[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: On Steamdeck we recommend updating to Steam OS 3.7 if you're experiencing loss of input after resuming the game from sleep mode[/p]
• [p]Fixed ignited shaman academic view[/p]
• [p]Fixed rank tokens not displaying rank locked indicator[/p]
• [p]Fixed Galea description[/p]
• [p]Fixed bagman academic view tooltip[/p]
• [p]Fixed copying DOTs onto target when target is DOT immune[/p]
• [p]Fixed candles not spawning correctly at locations in early regions[/p]
• [p]Fixed certain region goals not appearing as intended[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where you could sell Tattered Banner quest item[/p]

Hello everyone,

Our initial Steadfast Steward's public beta build has been live on coming_in_hot for several days now.
We hope you’ve been enjoying this testing period! Thank you so much for your feedback so far. Our team has been collecting your comments from the past several days for analysis.

We would like everyone who has tested the build to take out the time to fill in this quick exit survey. This survey contains 8 questions, and should take you less than 5 minutes. Please only fill in the survey if you have tested the current coming_in_hot build!

This survey covers the Steadfast Steward's build number 2.02.78018 that was released on May 29. We will keep it open until June 5, 10am PT.

Fill it in here.

Regarding our next Steadfast Steward's build

We are currently working on the next build, which is set for delivery this Thursday, June 5th. In that build, you can expect more updates to the Plague Doctor, as well as changes to Ordainment.

On Friday, we posted a poll on our Discord asking the community which they would prefer we tackle first: Ordainment or Memories.

Based on those results, it appears that Ordainment is the winner of what we'll be taking a look at this week (don't worry Memories will be matched up again in a later poll).

Here's a rough overview of where we're looking to start:

• Replace Apply on Hit DOT (10%) with effects more thematic to the confession
  
• Replace DOT piercing buffs with another effect
  
• Change % DMG and HP to flat buffs (this is an experimental change that we're curious to see how it plays)
  
• Keep Ordainment buff appearance rates the same until effects have settled (changing one variable at a time)
  

Please provide any Ordainment feedback in the design channel on Discord, comment on this Steam post, or email it to [email protected]!