16 March 2023 Patch

The following patch was deployed on 16 March 2023 for Darkest Dungeon II.

Build Update #0.20.45586- Redemption Road Update - Experimental Release
Darkest Dungeon II

Redemption Road Update - Experimental Release: 0.20.45586

Welcome to the Redemption Road Update!

This patch is a combination of many additions and changes, so let’s get right to it!

🔸Routes: we are enhancing the map traversal experience by layering some additional strategic planning onto your route choices. The stagecoach now has armor and wheels tokens.

🔸Stagecoach controls: a brand-new control scheme that reduces the labor on the player and keeps the focus on the journey.

🔸Pets: animal companionship at last! 10 pets, each with run-defining effects

🔸Valley 2.0: You’ll find it quite a bit shorter and also with one very key change: the Altar’s location has been brought to the very beginning.

🔸Loathing 2.0: a revamped and more expansive loathing system. Keep it under check or face peril!

🔸Torch 2.0: a reconfiguration of torch gameplay effects to better mesh with other systems

🔸Confession shaping: our first steps towards making each Confession run vary in length and features. For this version of the game, the Denial confession is shorter and doesn’t require a trophy for Mountain entry.

🔸Loot and economy balance: recalibrating the economy to ensure that treasure collection and shopping give interesting choices and reduce inventory clogging

🔸Infernal Flame disabled for this version. However, look for exciting changes which will be introduced at version 1.0!

🔸More generous candle scoring: Removed candle penalties for abandoning a run mid-region; added the “Academic’s Honorarium”, which is a limited candle bonus that applies to a fresh profile

🔸Academic’s Studies: Removed almost all torch costs from interaction. Removed “avoid” choice from standard options, avoidance still a choice through certain quirks.

🔸And many more adjustments and fixes. See later in these notes.

Continue reading below for more details on much of the above.

We value your feedback! Whether you are a new player or experienced one, we want to hear from you on Discord or via the in-game F8 feedback tool.

Routes: The Road Less Traveled

Stagecoach Tokens

The stagecoach itself now has 2 types of tokens: wheels and armor. These tokens do not recharge on their own, and must be replenished via the Wainwright at an Inn, for a cost. Wheel/armor Tokens can also be replenished via some encounters. Also, some stagecoach items can grant bonus wheels or armor.

When wheels or armor are full, the party gets a benefit. When they are exhausted, then it exposes the party to a new ambush – see below.

Route Types

Your journey has just gotten a little trickier! Roads are now generated with one of several route types, replacing the binary “fight/no fight” system we had. Icons are shown midway along the road segment on the minimap and are subject to scouting rules.

🔸Safe: no effect, functions as it currently does, rarest of the route types.

🔸Rough Patch: the potholes and poor driving conditions deduct 1 Wheel token

🔸Hazard: a region-themed ‘trap’ that deducts 1 Armor token.

🔸Combat: Functions as do the current road fights (except time limits have been removed)

🔸Oblivion Tear: An inkfire wall that increases Loathing by +1 when the coach passes through it.

Urgent Repairs!

The coach has been damaged, and the party set upon by Pillagers!

When either Armor or Wheel tokens are depleted, and you choose a route that would ordinarily deduct a token of said type (hazard or rough patch), this sets off a roadside ambush combat with a special mutator: Urgent Repairs.

Urgent Repairs procs every round and targets 1 hero, replacing their skill bar with a single skill: ‘Repair Coach’. This is essentially a stressless ‘pass’, and requires players to deal with 1 hero out of action that round.

Furthermore, the party suffers a penalty based upon whether it was wheels or armor that were depleted to cause the ambush.

Wainwright Maintenance

The Wainwright screen now shows the max + current total of Armor and Wheel tokens. Tokens can be replenished for a relic cost.

Stagecoach Controls: Roads & Intersections

To reduce coach handling labor, and to better reflect the game’s identity as a strategic experience, coach controls and intersections have been modified. Tapping “w” or “up arrow” will set the coach in motion, and “s” or “down arrow” will stop it.

Intersections present as a click-and-hold (alternatively w/a/d hold) decision point. If you make your choice in advance, the coach will not slow down. However, if you are late in deciding, the coach will halt at the intersection, allowing you time to choose your path forward. These changes affect the overall feel of traversal, and will require a bit of adaptation for experienced players. We’ve found it better suits the game.

Also - thanks to some changes in our generation code, minimum distance between nodes has been tuned down, resulting in a typically shorter distance between nodes!

Pets

They’re here! Unlock them all at the Altar, name them, and enjoy their gameplay effects! There are 10 pets total in 5 different cages, which are visible on the coach exterior.

The first 6 pets unlocked have effects that synergize with specific categories of stagecoach items. The goal is to create stagecoach ‘builds’ focused around a pet. To achieve this, various stagecoach items now have a GEAR type tag and the effects on a pet will scale based on the number of those stagecoach items equipped.

For example:

Unnatural Owlet provides +5% Debuff Chance per Tinker's Gear equipped.

The Tinker’s Gear tag has been added to Explosives Magazine, Blueprint Tubes, Assay Gear, Tinker's Bench, and Trapmaker's Kit.

The final 4 PETS unlocked have powerful combat effects.

Valley 2.0 Refinements

The Valley has been significantly shortened, and the Altar has been placed before the Confession screen, so that you can visit it at the end of every run. This will allow you to unlock paths and heroes, and immediately use them.

With the Hoarder and assist node gone, shopping/prep for the expedition has been moved to the provisioner of the first Inn.

Loathing 2.0

The Loathing system has been extensively reworked.

Instead of accruing at Inn arrival, Loathing now builds when passing through Oblivion Tears, or by visiting void-touched locations. As before, combat reduces Loathing. However, if Loathing builds to its maximum, the Confession boss stirs and inflicts a confession-specific attack upon the party.

Depending on your confession/boss choice, the max Loathing effect is different, but in all cases, the final boss also gains a health buff. This bonus stacks each time Loathing is maxed out, so be careful out there!

Torch 2.0

The torch’s gameplay effects have also been revamped. The revision focuses on some thematic touches (chance of blind for heroes in the dark; chance of blind for monsters in the light) as well as removing some of the crit and DOT resist clutter.

Confession and Region Shaping

Here we have taken the first steps towards varying Confession structure. With two Confessions yet to come at 1.0, we can’t go too far yet. But for this version:

🔸DENIAL is now only two full regions long. It’s also restricted to only Sprawl and Tangle regions. Finally, entering the Mountain will not require a trophy. Loathing accrues more slowly in DENIAL, vs the other two Confessions

🔸RESENTMENT and OBSESSION are the usual length, with no region restrictions.

🔸Ordainment rates vary some by Confession

In the context of our 1.0 release, we see the Denial Confession as an introductory challenge intended to help players get accustomed to the game and its systems. We want defeating the first Confession to be an achievable goal that rewards players’ time. We also want to help ensure that they begin exploring the Altar.

However, fear not! The full length and unrestricted DENIAL Confession will be available again as an option in the 1.0 version of the game. We expect to be offering some options as to how long of a run you wish to attempt, for any given Confession.

Loot and Economy Balance

Combat, Inn, and Stagecoach items have mostly been removed from battle rewards. These item types have been available from many sources, but the amount obtained from battles overshadowed the need to purchase from shops or seek out locations like Academic’s Caches or Assistance Encounters. This also contributed to an excess amount of items leading to tedious inventory management. We’ve also added and curated stock at the various shopping locations.

Key Location Loot changes

🔸Field Hospital - Reduced shop selection as it’s not meant to be a shopping destination

🔸Hoarder - Improved shop selection of Indelible Trinkets and Stagecoach Items

🔸Inns - Improved default shop selection and additional unique selection for various inns.

🔸Academic’s Caches - Better rewards and slightly more

🔸Oblivion’s Ingress - Cultist trinket and Dark Impulse drop rate improvements

Drop Rates

🔸Baubles from battles - increasing in some and reducing in others

Price Changes

🔸Reduced stagecoach item prices

🔸Reduced trinket prices

The balance adjustments are intended to ensure that every relic collected is valuable, and the shopping/outfitting interactions in the game are meaningful. Basically, bring things more into…balance.

Memory System Revamp:

Memory flow has been revised to better match the rearranged Valley (Crossroads/Altar order) and to be closer to our original design goals of linking memories directly to success against Confession bosses.

🔸Memory slots are no longer unlocked at the Altar of Hope

🔸Instead, each hero instance unlocks their own memory slot by defeating a Confession boss. Each unique Confession boss allows this hero to fill another memory slot, up to the maximum of 5. Victorious heroes with no memories need to purchase a memory at the next Altar of Hope to persist.

🔸Note that currently, only three slots can be unlocked because only three Confession bosses are in the game. Bosses 4 and 5 are coming at 1.0 release.

🔸Example: Boudica the Hellion wins Denial Confession. Now she can have a memory installed. If she beats Resentment Confession, she can put a second memory on.

🔸The Altar Memory track is used to unlock memory discounts as well as to give a better selection (more loot pulls) of the memories available to implant at any one time.

Notes on Memory for Experimental Release:

🔸When the new update is pushed, current runs will be invalidated.

🔸Memoried heroes on these runs will be moved out of the party and preserved

🔸Existing memoried heroes will have their memories preserved even if they have not defeated each boss

🔸Moving forward, any character not in a party must have a memory assigned to them to preserve them

🔸If a memoried hero is in your party, they will only persist if you are victorious

Assist Encounter Revamp:

🔸Assist Encounter choices have been thoroughly revised. The intent is to provide interesting choices for the party, primarily to help in the areas of torch, supplies, and repair.

🔸They still function the same way overall. Choices have been audited and redesigned with intent of making the rewards previewed both better and more consistent.

🔸Quirks are a major driver of special responses.

🔸It should be more likely that if you are desperate for torch and roll into an Assist location, that at least one hero will want to interact in a way that actually restores torch

Stagecoach Item Adjustments Overview

An increased focus has been placed on stagecoach items that produce combat items, which has been done a few different ways.

Changed Explosives Magazine from a stagecoach item that increases stacking to one that produces items with the explosives tag.

Updated increased stacking stagecoach items to align with the type of items produced.

🔸There’s an item that produces Poultices and another item that increases stacking for Poultices.

🔸We now have the functionality to increase stacking by item tag and type rather than unique items only.

Added additional effects to stagecoach items that have situational effects

🔸Hospital/Hoarder location scouting will also increase their shop selection

🔸Food barrel/Icebox getting additional effects based on the number of food items the player collects.

GAMEPLAY

🔸The length of region 3 in the full-length expeditions has been reduced to more closely match that of region 2.

🔸Region Goal rewards for Candles of Hope range increased from 1-3 to 3-5

🔸Altar track nodes have been added for wheels/armor

🔸SC items slightly more expensive to unlock the Altar

🔸Relics and baubles now stack at 40 (was 24)

🔸General tooltip description and icon fixes

🔸‘+/-DoT/Debuff/Stun Chance’ and ‘Ignore +/- Deathblow’ changed to ‘+/-Dot RES Piercing’

🔸Added new relationship tooltip descriptions for Stagecoach, Pets, Infernal Flame, and Trophy stagecoach item types

🔸Added new Region Modifiers: Crisp Air, Foul Air, Foreboding, Treacherous, Loathsome, Marked Roads

🔸Increased starting hero goals candle rewards from 1 to 2

🔸Added new Quirks: Spotter, Tracker, Void Sight, Pathfinder, Vigilant

🔸Region Explorer quirks now have effects that scout routes



🔸Slay enemy hero goal descriptions updated to better reflect the requirements

🔸DoTs dealt by Trinkets and Combat items can now be affected by effects that modify DoT duration, chance, and amount dealt. To accommodate these changes, DoT effects on various items have been updated from % to flat value modifiers and/or had their potency adjusted

🔸Effects that remove positive quirks will no longer remove locked positive quirks

🔸Monster party difficulty shaping WIP (working on providing more reliable progression of easier mashes to harder mashes as go from region to region)

🔸Story choices (esp Oasis) should now properly show Stress Heal icons in gold and Stress damage icons in blue. Let us know if you see anything wrong

🔸Cultist locations now very unlikely to appear in first region past the Valley

Adjusted starting relics and baubles to ensure proper amount of shopping at the Valley inn

🔸Numerous fixes to improper preview icons showing for various assist, resist, cultist, oasis, creature den, or academic’s studies



Immobilize tokens now stack to a maximum of 3 and expire at a rate of 1 per turn

🔸Weak tokens applied by Death’s Door can no longer be resisted

HEROES

Some Hero Paths have been converted to the new skill replacement system. In the case of Paths that had DMG buffs/debuffs, this will typically result in slightly higher values when factoring in the use of tokens such as Strength or Weak.

This work is planned for all hero paths on pre-Vestal release, and will be rolled out over time.

Grave Robber

🔸Deadeye path converted to the skill replacement system

🔸Nightsworn path converted to the skill replacement system

🔸Venomdrop path converted to the skill replacement system, which fixes an issue with the Blight on Flashing Daggers not being affected by trinkets

Vestal

🔸Fixed an issue with Confessor’s Illumination unintentionally consuming CRIT tokens

🔸Confessor's Illumination now removes 2 positive tokens instead of 1

🔸Confessor's Illumination+ now removes 3 positive tokens instead of 2

Shrine of Reflection

🔸Highwayman now has barks during his first fight

MONSTERS

Cultists

🔸Cardinal: Exultation no longer ignores Riposte

Creature Den

🔸Fixed an issue that prevented Gander from spawning with Ordainment

Lost Battalion

🔸Knight: no longer receives Weak tokens on Death’s Door

🔸Knight: DMG bonus at Death’s Door increased to +50% from +30%

🔸Knight: DMG bonus when under Order increased to +50% from +30%

ITEMS

General Item Changes

🔸Combat items are now rewarded in full stacks

🔸Added possession limit to each Trinket and Stagecoach Items which will reduce duplicate appearances of these item types

🔸Stagecoach Equipment are now called Stagecoach Items

🔸Replaced The Still Waters Shroud Lair boss trophy with The Lashing Tides



🔸Add several new items

🔸Rural Riches (Valley Baubles)

🔸Iron Banded Wheels (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Steel Plating (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Carriage Lamps (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Wagon Jack (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Items added to default unlocked item pool

🔸Greater Anchoring Charm (Trinket)

🔸Greater Cleaning Censer (Trinket)

🔸Greater Gilded Mind (Trinket)

🔸Greater Hale Draught (Trinket)

🔸Greater Heartseeker (Trinket)

🔸Greater Protectorate (Trinket)

🔸Greater Sharpness Charm (Trinket)

🔸Greater Wolfsblood (Trinket)

🔸Laudanum (Combat Item)

🔸Milk-Soaked Linen (Combat Item)

🔸Smoke Bomb (Combat Item)

🔸Ethereal Dust (Combat Item)

🔸Clarifying Poultice (Inn Item)

🔸Academic’s Map (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Mortar and Pestle (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Worktable Loom (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Spacious Storage Trunk (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Tinker’s Bench (Stagecoach Item)

🔸Items removed from the default unlocked item pool

Noisemaker

🔸Added new item tag Explosive

🔸Added new stagecoach item tags. Below are the tags and which stagecoach items they have been added to.

🔸Food Gear: Food Barrels, Ice Box, Pot and Still, Stew Pot, and Griddle

🔸Luxury Gear: Collector's Chandelier, Worktable Loom, Windchime, Tea Service, Trinket Organizer, Merchants Guild Seal, Strongbox, Spacious Strongbox

🔸Medical Gear: Medicine Chest, Bottle Case, Compress Kit, Mortar and Pestle, Medical Equipment, Alembic and Retort, Chirurgeons Table, and Chirurgeon's Mixing Kit

🔸Road Gear: Leaf Suspension, Iron Brazier, Iron Banded Wheels (new), Steel Plating (new), Carriage Lamps (new), Wagon Jack (new)

🔸Scouting Gear: Crows Nest, Shrine Map, Hoarder Signal Decoder, Tracker's Map, Telescope, Academic's Map, and Chirurgeon's Directory

🔸Tinker’s Gear: Explosives Magazine, Blueprint Tubes, Assay Gear, Tinker's Bench, Trapmaker's Kit

Combat Items

🔸Linseed Oil Flask: Removed Trap tag

🔸Otherworldly Fragment: Reduced amount found at certain Academic Studies

🔸Ethereal Dust: Removed from general combat item loot pool and now can only be found at certain Academic Studies and chance when defeating the Shambler. Increased stacking from 1 to 2

🔸Scrap Grenade: Tag changed from Contraption to Trap. Now produced by Trapmaker's Kit

🔸Spiked Ball: Tag changed from Contraption to Trap. Now produced by Trapmaker's Kit.

🔸Ichor Bomb: Tag changed from Contraption to Explosive. Now produced by Explosives Magazine

🔸Greek Fire Grenade: Tag changed from Contraption to Explosive. Now produced by Explosives Magazine

🔸Incendiary Cocktail: Tag changed from Contraption to Explosive. Now produced by Explosives Magazine

🔸Spore Grenade: Added Explosive tag. Now produced by Explosives Magazine

🔸Laudanum: Now guaranteed to be available for purchase at Field Hospitals and Inns

Inn Items

🔸Whiskey Barrel: Now gives +3 Affinity (60%) or -2 Affinity (40%) rather than +1 Affinity (75%) or -1 Affinity (25%)

🔸Whiskey Bottle: Now gives +3 Affinity (60%) or -2 Affinity (40%) rather than +1 Affinity (67%) or -1 Affinity (33%)

Stagecoach Items

🔸Food Barrels: Now increases stacking for all Food tagged items. Added effect, ‘If Food in inventory >= 10: +10% Resolute chance’

🔸Icebox: Increased chance to find. Added effect, '+1% Disease RES per Food in inventory'

🔸Pot and Still: Increased chance to find. Added effect, ‘Increases stacking for Whiskey by 4 per stack’

🔸Strongbox: Now lists Baubles rather than each individual type of Baubles. Increased stacking bonus from +8 to +12

🔸Spacious Strongbox: Now lists Baubles rather than each individual type of Baubles. Increased stacking increased from +24 to +40

🔸Collector's Chandelier: Increased stacking from +3 to +4. Added effect, ‘+33% Candle of Hope chance at Locations’

🔸Medicine Chest: Now increases stacking for Bandages and Restorative items. Added effect, ‘+2 quantity of produced items from Chirurgeon’s Mixing Kit’

🔸Bottle Case: Now increases stacking for Concoctions and Powders. Added effect, ‘+2 quantity of produced items from Alembic and Retort’

🔸Compress Kit: Now increases stacking for Poultices. Added effect, ‘+2 quantity of produced items from Mortar and Pestle’

🔸Chirurgeons Table: Changed effect from '+30% Travelling Heal' to 'After Each Location: Remove Disease (10%)'

🔸Crows Nest: Increased Location Scouting from +15% to +20%

🔸Hoarder Signal Decoder: Added effect, ‘Double the trinket selection at the Hoarder’.

🔸Telescope: Changed ‘+20% Scouting’ to ‘+33% scouting for specific routes’

🔸Academic's Map: Added ‘+100% Academic’s Studies Location Scouting’

🔸Chirurgeon’s Directory: Added effect, ‘Double the item selection at the Field Hospital’

🔸Explosives Magazine: Changed ‘Increases stacking for Incendiary Cocktail, Smoke Bomb, Ichor Bomb by 4 per stack’ to ‘Increases stacking stacking for Explosives by 2 per stack’ and ‘Before Each Location: Chance to produce Explosive items’

🔸Blueprint Tubes: Changed ‘+200% increased chance of looting STAGECOACH ITEMS’ changed to ‘+1 quantity of produced items from Stagecoach Items’

🔸Tinker's Bench: Added effect, ‘Increases stacking for Contraptions by 2 per stack’

🔸Trapmaker’s Kit: Added effect, ‘Increases stacking for Traps by 2 per stack’

Trinkets

🔸Idle Thought: -30% Damage per Round changed to ‘Round End: -30% DMG(1 Battle)

🔸Strong Shackles: Now applies 2 Immobilize tokens instead of 1. Chance to apply Immobilize tokens reduced from 33% to 25%

🔸Corrupted Bile Gland: Now has a guaranteed chance to apply DoTs to the hero when hit

🔸Celebrated Chalice: Moved to default unlocked loot pool

🔸Tinderbox: Reduced Burn applied from 2 to 1 and chance from 66% to 33%

🔸Fishmonger's Gloves: Reduced Bleed applied from 2 to 1 and chance from 66% to 33%

🔸Poison Ring: Reduced Blight applied from 2 to 1 and chance from 66% to 33%

🔸Fisherman’s Line: Chance to apply Bleed while serrated item equipped reduced from 50% to 33%

🔸Enlightening Element: Chance to apply Burn reduced from 33% to 25%

🔸Curing Cuppa: Chance to apply Blight reduced from 33% to 25%

🔸Charred Litany: +100% Burn Dealt to +3 Burn Dealt

🔸Severed Finger: +33% Bleed Dealt changed to +2 Bleed Dealt. +33% Bleed Received changed to +1 Bleed Received.

🔸Bloodied Branch: +33% Bleed Dealt changed to +2 Bleed Dealt

🔸Tormenting Locket: +33% Bleed Dealt changed to +2 Bleed Dealt

🔸Early Experiment: +66% Blight Dealt changed to +2 Blight Dealt. Spore Grenade requirement changed to requiring a Noxious Item.

🔸His Rings: +33% Blight Dealt changed to +2 Blight Dealt

🔸Knitted Blanket: +33% Burn Dealt changed to +2 Burn Dealt

FIXES

🔸Fixed hero goal description that displayed the incorrect requirements needed for using Ounce of Prevention in a single fight

🔸Fixed incorrect loot dropping from valley road debris

🔸Fixed an issue where Glimmer of Hope triggered a positive affinity tick

Known Issues With This Build

🔸Many tutorial images are missing

🔸All non-English Assist encounter barks have not yet been adjusted for the new choices, and you will see errors (either missing strings or incorrectly assigned strings)

🔸All new strings are currently only in English. Localization will be patched in as soon as we have them delivered