Dark and Darker hotfix 16 is here, and developer Ironmace has rolled back the game after its last update caused items to be duplicated, while also apologizing for “drastic balance changes that wasted players’ time and effort.” The hardcore dungeon-crawling RPG, which is still yet to return to Steam, has seen its random modifiers on items returned to previous values, reverting many of the changes from hotfix 15, and players will all receive five Bluestone Shards as an apology for any inconveniences caused.
The Dark and Darker patch notes for the hotfix 16 update are pretty slight in number, but incredibly impactful nonetheless. Ironmace says it has “rolled the game back to around 9am UTC on Thursday October 5,” a decision made due to an item duplication glitch caused by database synchronization errors. In addition to this, the team has taken the opportunity to roll back its latest round of changes in the multiplayer RPG game.
“With hotfix 15, we were so focused on not having to worry about legacy items that we made the mistake of making drastic balance changes that wasted players’ time and effort,” the developer says on its official Discord, where updates are currently centered while Dark and Darker is not on Steam. “To apologize and give back to our player base for their hard work, we will be taking this opportunity to roll back the balance changes to a slightly altered level from hotfix 14.”
The team is still managing its fallout from its first major early access patch, which saw many dramatic changes including a flattening out of many stats as Ironmace looked to create a “clean baseline” from which to balance further based on what it has learned from the early access period so far. Some of the most dramatic changes have already been previously reverted, with Dark and Darker hotfix 14 stripping away merchants’ ability to sell high-rarity gear.
“I’m sorry this has been such a roller coaster ride for our fans,” Ironmace says, and announces that as a make-good all players who log in after hotfix 16 will be given five Bluestone Shards, which can be used to make purchases through the in-game shop to get items such as skins and emotes.
Dark and Darker patch notes – hotfix 16 update – Saturday, October 7, 2023
Here are the Dark and Darker hotfix 16 patch notes, courtesy of Ironmace via the official Discord (invite link opens in a new window):
- Fixed an issue where Earthquake was doing more damage than intended.
- Rolled the game back to around 9:00 AM UTC on October 5th.
- Item random modifiers have been rebalanced back to similar to hotfix 14.
- The total amount of Additional/True Magical Damage that can be obtained has been slightly increased.
- All Attributes was limited to a maximum of 1.
- 2 additional blue portals have been added to the Ruins.
- The quantity of items dropped by chests has been slightly reduced.
All players will receive 5 Bluestone Shards.
Whichever of the Dark and Darker classes you prefer, you’ll want to know how to level up fast in Dark and Darker. If you’re still a little lost, our Dark and Darker guide is a great place to get started on learning the ropes.