Don't Die, Collect Loot News

Fixed a bug that may be preventing some very old characters from loading

[p]Welcome to Don't Die, Collect Loot's first major content update. I'm Dan, the solo dev working on the game, and I'm really excited to share this with all of you! To celebrate, you can grab the game for 30% off until March 3rd![/p][p][/p][p]As always, because this is a solo endeavor in Early Access, there probably will be bugs and other issues. Please let me know in Discord or via the in-game Bug Report feature and I'll get right on it! Reviews and forum posts also help me track how things are going.[/p][p][/p][p]Lastly, this update includes a leaderboard reset! You can continue to play your old characters without losing any progress, but if you wish to compete on the leaderboards you'll want to create a new one! Don't Die, Collect Loot will not lock content behind seasonal barriers, this is exclusively just for people who prefer to compete on a fresh character.[/p][p][/p][h3]Update Summary[/h3]

• [p]🏹The Huntress is now playable![/p]
• [p]🎲Gambler rework[/p]
• [p]✨50+ new Nightmare Items and 20+ new Unique items[/p]
• [p]👾Astral Incursions Update[/p]
• [p]🎮Controller, QoL, and Inventory Improvements[/p]

[p][/p][h2]The Huntress[/h2][p][/p][p]The Huntress is the most complex, over-the-top character in Don't Die, Collect Loot so far. She specializes in projectiles, critical hits, and dealing massive amounts of poison damage to enemies. Her passive allows her to deal even more damage based on the number of enemies she's poisoned recently.[/p][p][/p][p]The Huntress also uses two new item types: Quivers and Bows. You aren't required to use these to use her abilities, but you may find they offer significant synergy![/p][p][/p][p]There's lots I want you to discover on your own ingame, but here's a quick summary of the 3 trees:[/p]

• [p]Archer - Deal massive amounts of critical damage to enemies via well-placed arrows. Rain death from above, construct turrets, or just shoot enemies straight up with your bow![/p]
• [p]Naturalist - Leverage deadly poisons found in nature to inflict horrendous ailments on your foes, or generate an immunity to them and buff yourself[/p]
• [p]Conservationist - The Huntress has given up on conserving nature, but she's more than happy to conserve herself. Use Verdant Ward to resist damage, Unethical Trap to deal massive damage, or summon swarms of angry bees with Raging Swarm![/p]

[p][/p][h2]Gambler Rework[/h2][p]In previous builds, the Gambler was always a disappointment to see in your runs. Sure, everyone loves to shop, but the items she provided simply did not make it worth your while to visit her. With the Huntress Update, I'm happy to introduce the True Gambler, which may help alleviate some of this disappointment.[/p][p][/p][p]The Gambler's basic shop functionality will remain in the Nexus and in the pre-Nightmare runs, but once you encounter her in the Endless Nightmare her true form will unlock when playing on endgame difficulty modes. There are two variants of the True Gambler that you'll encounter, and this can be manipulated with the Exploration tree:[/p][p][/p][h3]"Normal" True Gambler[/h3][p][/p][p]This variant of the True Gambler provides four expensive, but potent, risky crafts that will help you develop your items. Each craft is designed to really push the limits of what you can create, enabling new endgame frontiers! Just beware, the cost multipliers in Gold are very high. You'll want to stock up on plenty of gold now![/p][p][/p][h3] Anomalous True Gambler[/h3][p][/p][p]The Anomalous True Gambler is not for the faint of heart. She offers three unique crafts that can be used to "finish" your items, but the outcomes vary greatly. Once you pick one, the item can never be modified again, so choose wisely![/p][p][/p][h2]New Items[/h2][p]In addition to Quivers and Bows being added as bases, I've added more than 50 new Nightmare base types. This greatly expands your options for endgame players. Additionally, a ton of new Uniques have been added! I don't want to spoil the fun of discovering them, but some are designed to help early game players with more fun options, while some really push the boundaries of what can happen in Don't Die, Collect Loot![/p][p]After the initial inevitable round of bug fixes and improvements, I'll be enabling some more items as well! Please look forward to it[/p][p][/p][h2]Astral Incursions Update[/h2][p][/p][p]Astral Incursions have been in Don't Die, Collect Loot since the early alpha builds as a method of breaking up the monotony of a run with a more dangerous encounter. As the game evolved, they've fell behind in terms of being interesting content. I hope the Huntress Update will bring them back into an interesting place![/p][p]I've added two new bosses, themed after the Aqueduct enemies. Most existing encounters and the new ones also have special unique items added![/p][p]Most importantly, though, are the endgame updates. The tree for this mechanic has been redone, and it's designed for players who really want crazy encounters. Check out a few of the nodes below:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Controller, QoL, and Inventory Improvements[/h2][p]I've been working behind the scenes to address a lot of the feedback about the game and its interface. Here's some of the key changes I've made in the Huntress Update:[/p]

• [p]The underlying inventory system has been re-written! While this shouldn't matter much in moment-to-moment gameplay, it does unlock UI improvements and uses about 90% less memory[/p]
• [p]Major performance updates, especially when dealing with high-intensity lategame combat situations[/p]
• [p]Improvements to the scrolling smoothness on various hardware configurations[/p]
• [p]Controller directional behavior has often been a sticking point. The title screen has been remapped, and the inventory is much easier to use with a controller now. The new inventory system allows a lot of cursor memory improvements, especially when equipping or selling items[/p]
• [p]The underlying control remapping system has been revamped to be considerably less buggy![/p]
• [p]A number of improvements to level select and Nightmare select[/p]

[h3][/h3][h2]A Note about Arcanist and Mana Shield[/h2][p]I don't like to nerf the power fantasy in Don't Die, Collect Loot, but this one got a bit out of control. Mana Shield effects now burn 3 mana per point of life, instead of 1 mana per point of life. This should preserve the general use of the ability, but hopefully curb some lategame invincibility scenarios[/p]