A new Dark and Darker update is here, with the hardcore dungeon-crawling RPG seeing a range of balance changes from developer Ironmace as two maps enter the rotation. The new Goblin Caves is here, and is joined by a reworked Ruins map, both of which should see some longer adventures. There are also some potentially big updates to armor, which should see higher-grade items offer better rewards at each tier.
Dark and Darker hotfix 27 arrives just as the multiplayer RPG celebrates a big success with the news of a Dark and Darker Korean rating. While we’re yet to hear more about the game’s potential return to Steam, it certainly seems like a step in the right direction. Ironmace has extended its holiday sale through Thursday, January 18 as a result too.
The new Goblin Caves and an updated Ruins have been added to the map pool. The Goblin Caves is a big 5×5 map that can fit more adventurers in during a single session, allowing for bigger-scale encounters, and it also houses both the Cave Troll and Cyclops. The Ruins now have red portals and static red staircases that lead to the Howling Crypts, which can then lead through to the Inferno, encouraging longer adventures.
On the balance side, Rogues get some pretty punishing nerfs to their base stats, with a big cut to their starting strength. They do get some additional mobility to compensate, but it’ll make dealing damage in the early game a lot tougher. Shadow Runner is also deactivated when attacking, making it harder to hit and run. In addition to this, thrown torches will now do a small amount of damage, meaning you can start tossing them about to try and detect any hidden Rogues and break them out of stealth.
The duration of all traps has been halved, which is a much welcomed nerf. Clerics get a buff to Judgement, Holy Light, and Holy Strike, with a small Smite cooldown nerf to compensate. Bards, on the other hand, get a lot of changes to their memory capacity balance, with several powerful abilities dropped to just requiring one point while some others will now require slightly more.
There are some key equipment changes, too. Bow damage will now fall off starting at a shorter distance for most of the options, with the Hand Crossbow getting a slight buff to bring it more in line with the others. Armors, Shields, and Instruments will now see their primary bonus stat increase with each rarity grade, rather than alternate grades, and Leather Armors will offer higher armor rating while Plate and Chain will see their armor rating distributed “across a wider range.”
You can find the full Dark and Darker hotfix 27 patch notes via the game’s Reddit page, or head over to its official Discord for additional details and updates from the development team. We’ll also keep you up to date if we see the arrival of Dark and Darker on Steam once again, so stay tuned.
If you’re jumping back in already, check in with the best Dark and Darker classes, along with our Dark and Darker tips to help you make the most of the latest wipe.
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