This week’s hotfix comes a little early due to issues with the Adventurer Rank system. At the start of this season, we had decided we wanted to try and make the Leaderboards more “skill-based” and remove some of the more random aspects of the system, such as the management of your inventory with trinkets and found gear. We wanted to have adventurers focus more on actions within the dungeons such as killing monsters and interacting with dungeon elements.
When we launched the leaderboards earlier this month, we accidentally launched with the system half implemented, only removing the found gear score. We saw that players were advancing more quickly than we intended and scrambled to remove the AP for treasure with the last hotfix. Based on player feedback, we quickly realized that forcing players to min-max every second and grind nonstop “perfect” runs diminished the thrill of the game. In light of this, we have decided to revert to the original system from the previous season where both found gear and treasure give AP. We believe the original system gives more control back to the adventurer on how they can accrue their AP.
We have not given up on building a more skill centered leaderboard for the future. We plan on focusing our attention on developing such a leaderboard with the upcoming Arena system. We thank you for your patience and understanding with our recent changes to such an important system. Thank you and see you in the dungeons!
IRONMACE
Changes:
Fixed several issues that caused server crashes.
Fixed an issue where the stats of equipment that became unrestricted by certain Perks were not applied properly.
Fixed an issue of not being able to jump when casting Shafeshift.
Fixed an issue where the remaining time was not displayed properly on the UI icon when a buff/debuff stack was deducted.
Fixed an issue where the primary attributes of several Druid items were set incorrectly.
Fixed an issue where Druids could not equip the Cyclops Vision, Troll's Bane, and Silver Crafted Flanged Mace weapons.
Fixed an issue where some silver crafted daggers would not give the proper armor penetration attributes.
Fixed an issue where Frost Wyverns could accidentally drop artifacts that should only be available from other bosses.
Fighter’s Sprint skill has been changed to receive 3 stacks of Momentum upon initiation, granting 15 additional move speed per stack. Loses 1 stack every 2 seconds.
Warlock's Demon Form +5 weapon damage bonus has been removed.
Warlock's Demon Form health cost per second changed from 1.5% → 3%
Warlock’s Demon Form bonus changed from 50 armor rating, 50 magic resistance to 30 armor rating, 30 magic resistance.
Warlock's Life Drain attribute bonus ratio changed from 100% → 75%.
The goal of the Treasurer's 'Golden Entry' quest has been changed from interacting with the golden door to collecting 2 Golden Keys(Handled).
Treasure and equipment items again award AP points. We tested this out for a while, but realized that dealing with all the map's monsters and clearing out chests was less fun than managing inventory resources and decided to revert to the older system. We will work on offering a more skill-based leaderboard system in the future with the upcoming Arena system.
Early Access Hotfix #54
Hello Adventurers,
The recent hotfix addresses minor bugs and improvements to stability. We fixed issues with several spells not scaling properly with the attributes. We have made some minor balance changes to slightly improve the Ranger and Rogue’s effectiveness using certain builds against full plate without making a big impact against the squishier classes. We’ve also addressed some oversights with the AP system where the treasure score was not removed as previously promised, and a bug where PvP adventure points were not properly calculated. We are still working on the improved matchmaking system which we hope to roll out soon. In the meantime, we have decided to open up VoIP in the basecamp as a test for it’s upcoming removal and conversion to a more social area. Thanks and see you in the dungeons!
IRONMACE
Changes:
Fixed an issue that could cause a server crash when a druid escapes the game while transforming into an animal.
Fixed an issue where the damage of Lightning Strike, Holy Strike, and Dream Fire did not scale properly.
Fixed an issue where the Thorn Barrier rendering was not displayed properly.
Fixed a performance issue with the Ceremonial Staff’s cloth simulation.
Fixed an issue where new Druid equipment items were not dropped from monsters.
Fixed an issue where the Ant Nest module's Shirine of Health could be used twice.
Fixed an issue where the rope sound in the Goblin Cave was muffled.
Fixed an issue where 'Loyal Court Wizard' quest mission 'Dark Ritual Room A' could not be cleared because it did not exist.
Fixed an issue where player kills and AP were not being calculated properly.
Fixed an issue where the selected dungeon on the world map was not highlighted in yellow.
Fixed an issue where the recipes for Protection Potion and Magic Protection Potion were set incorrectly.
Barbarian's Rage movement speed bonus has been changed from 12% → 9%.
Barbarian's Savage Roar's physical damage penalty has been changed from -40% → -30%.
Warlocks can now use weapons when transformed into demons due to the Bloodpact.
Warlock's Blood Pact loss of health per second has been changed from -1% → -1.5% per second.
Warlock's Dark Offering cooldown time has been changed from 60s → 28s.
Warlock's Life Drain attribute ratio bonus has been changed from 50% → 100%.
Druid takes a -100% penalty to PDR and MDR while transforms into Rat form.
Druid's Thorn Barrier duration has been changed from 10s → 8s.
Improved the Armor Penetration for Bows, Crossbows, and Piercing Daggers.
- Windlass Crossbow 25% → 40%
- Crossbow 20% → 30%
- Longbow 5% → 20%
- Recurve 0% → 10%
- Survival 0% → 5%
- Rondel Dagger 0% → 10%
- Stiletto Dagger 0% → 10%
Campfire has been added to the Squire's supply items.
Healing items have been added as starting items for most classes.
Clarity Potions can now be crafted. New clarity potions increase the memory recovery rate when resting.
Treasures no longer give Adventure Points.
‘The Secrets Of Gold’ quest now requires 2 Gold Ingots instead of 6 Gold Ores.
Rat sounds have been removed from the environmental sounds.
The visibility of escapes on the minimap has been improved.
VoIP has been enabled in the basecamp.
Early Access Hotfix #53
Hello, adventurers!
We are happy to announce the introduction of the platform link system. This system allows players to transfer their progression from a previous platform to a new platform. This means that if you had previously purchased the game, you are no longer bound to a single platform and can play on the platform of your choice without the need to repurchase the game. Existing players can access the platform link by going to the 'Options' menu and selecting the ‘Platform’ option from the top menu.
Please note that the new platform account must have no characters associated with it. If you already created a character you will need to delete all characters on the new platform and restart the client to initiate the platform link transfer process. Most importantly, the new platform account you are linking to must have no purchases associated with it. The platform link feature cannot combine accounts if you made separate purchases on both accounts. In this case, we recommend creating a brand-new “clean” account on the new platform to link your previous account.
We have also considered concerns about possible pay to win advantages due to the discrepancy in access to the marketplace between Squire and Legendary status accounts. In response to these concerns, we have decided to experiment with giving Squire accounts very limited access to the marketplace. Squire accounts can become an ‘apprentice trader’ with the ability to only BUY items from the marketplace. Only Legendary status accounts retain the right to become full fledged traders with unrestricted access to the marketplace and the Trading Post. We have also decided to upgrade the exclusive ‘Shared Stash’ to a full-sized stash as a thank you to all our Legendary status accounts. We will continue to work on giving more value for all our Legendary adventurers in the future. Thank you once again for all your support!
IRONMACE
Changes:
Fixed an issue where the user's name could sometimes not be entered when creating a new character.
Fixed an issue where the Druid's Herbal Sensing perk could not properly detect herbs.
Fixed an issue where Dreamwalk would not activate when a Warlock attacks a Druid while in demon form.
Fixed an issue where Druid’s Dreamfire damage did not scale properly.
Fixed an issue where standing on the Druid's Entangling Vines would not cause the player to be bound again even if the immune status was removed.
Fixed an issue where lockpicks were not consumed when lockpicking an iron door.
Fixed an issue where the Ghost King would become invisible.
Fixed an issue where the updraft escape was not working properly after killing a Frost Wyvern.
Fixed an issue where Druids could not be given Karma.
Warlock’s Curse of Weakness no longer stacks.
Frost Wyvern's physical attacks are now 100% physical attacks. Previously it was 50% physical and 50% magical damage.
Frost Wyvern damage increased by 10%.
Frost Wyvern now applies a debuff that reduces action speed to the target.
Frost Wyvern now uses its tail attack more often when enemies are closer to it.
The treasure in Goblin Cave's Vault now spawns after immediately killing both Troll and Cyclops.
The location of the Portal Pedestal is now displayed on the minimap.
Quest ‘My Favorite Fleshy’ quest has now been changed to require all prerequisite quests to be completed.
Quest 'My Favorite Fleshy' goal has been changed to kill 15 mummies.
Now, when entering a normal game, the Squire will inform you of the gear score criteria.
You may now claim the EA2 Adventurer Rank rewards.
Squire accounts can now become Apprentice Traders and use the Marketplace for purchases only.
The size of the Shared Stash has been changed to the maximum size.
The cross-platform link function has been updated to function properly.
EARLY ACCESS HOTFIX #52-1
Hello, Adventurers.
We’ve been thinking deeply about recent issues with our Free to Play (f2p) version and wanted to give our new players a more complete full loot extraction experience. After careful consideration we have decided to test the removal of the item restrictions in the Normal mode, allowing players to bring in any of their loot into the dungeons up to 'Legendary' grade.
In order to protect new users from being completely run over by fully geared players, we will be utilizing a gear based matchmaking system in the Normal mode. We still feel that matches where most players start off on a similar footing is extremely fun and fair. The default Normal mode will have a maximum gear score limit set to 25, basically restricting players to mostly ‘Common’ grade gear. This default matching pool should feel like the previous gear restricted Normal mode from before.
Players with higher gear will be matched into a separate matching pool where almost everything goes. We expect the addition of this matching pool will help the Normal matches feel similar to the previous playtests from times yonder with much chaos and destruction. We do have some concerns regarding pub stomping, but we’d rather give players this choice of play. We have also made the game a little more forgiving when it comes to engaging in combat and escaping, which should make the above situations more avoidable.
We are excited to see how the community accepts the new Normal mode. We’d like to reiterate that it was never our intention to mislead our players and we are learning from your feedback. If you are curious on our motivations for releasing the game as free to play, we invite you to check out our extended thoughts on our website at https://darkanddarker.com/news/58. Finally, unless we encounter major issues, the Platform Link feature that allows players to link their previous account to a new platform is scheduled to be completed within the week. We thank you for your patience.
IRONMACE
Changes: -
Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause the server to crash.
Fixed an issue where Ignite was not applied properly to weapons.
Fixed an issue where the sound that occurred when hitting the Thorn Barrier with a weapon was set incorrectly.
Fixed an issue where Frost Wyverns could sometimes take damage without waking up.
Fixed an issue where the rope escape would not work properly.
To allow all players to experience the full loot extraction experience, we will begin testing an updated Normal mode.
The gear cap for Normal mode dungeons has been increased from ‘Common’ to ‘Legendary’ grade items. (Keep in mind the gear cap can and will be adjusted in real time to a rarity that best suits Normal dungeons.)
Gear score matchmaking is enabled for Normal mode dungeons.
Normal mode dungeons are now split into two matching pools. The default matching pool is set at a maximum gear score of 25 to most closely match the previous Normal game experience where players were restricted to ‘Common’ gear. Players or teams with anyone having a gear score above 25 are placed in a more difficult ‘Normal' matching pool.
Updated the gear score for Poor and Common items to have a lower gear score.
Updated the gear score for Poor and Common Utility items to no longer provide any gear score.
Healing potions and Bandages provided by Squire now have a quantity of 2.
High Roller dungeon is available as soon as you reach ‘Legendary’ status.
Trade must be available 72 hours after 'Legendary' status is activated.
The Philosophy Behind Our Free To Play Model
Hello new adventurers! Our launch on Steam and Epic Games marks a major milestone in the availability of Dark and Darker.
We would like to address the Free to Play label. We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear, and would like to explain the reasons behind our current Free to Play model. We would also like to clear up any misunderstandings and layout our plans going forward. We apologize to anyone who felt misled by the game being marketed as Free to Play and acknowledge that we should have chosen a better method to introduce it in that regard. Throughout the game’s Early Access development, the game was always a paid product, and we intend for the full experience to remain this way. This ensures we uphold our promise to our loyal early adopters, and helps combat cheaters along with RMT to keep the dungeons clean for all to enjoy.
The main reason we released our game as Free to Play (F2P) was because we made a promise to our early loyal adopters on Blacksmith, that we’d do everything possible to not force them to repurchase the game again if it went to major platforms. We do not believe in double-dipping or taking advantage of our fans who are the sole reason we’ve come this far.
When we had the opportunity to release the game on the Epic Games Store and Steam platform we were thrilled to be back on large global platforms. However, due to the large number of previous customers on Blacksmith, it was not feasible nor fair to our platform partners for us to distribute thousands of keys to Blacksmith customers for free, increasing their risk with little benefit to them. The solution to overcome the technical, logistical and contractual hurdles we faced was to transition to a Free to Play model which would allow our current customers to naturally transition to a partner platform of their choice without the use of any abusable keys.
When we designed our current free to play system, our intention was to ensure that previous customers did not feel as if they were taken advantage of for supporting us. We wanted to make sure they felt properly compensated for their loyalty while still feeling excited for the new transition to a free to play version.
As a bit of context and history, we implemented the current Normal game mode that restricted items to common grade back in November of 2023 where it quickly became a fan favorite. Our Blacksmith players saw the mode as a solution to a divisive item gap disparity and many viewed the mode as the most fair and balanced mode rather than a limiting system. We decided to open the Normal mode to the free version precisely because of its high value to the community. We naively thought this mode would be compelling enough for incoming players since they got access to the most popular and accessible mode in the game for free. We had failed to take into consideration how brand-new players not knowing the development context would have a different perceived value for this mode, and how it could easily be construed as us trying to bait and switch them. This is the farthest thing from the truth as we are continually striving to find fair and open ways to run an online game while respecting our loyal customers.
A secondary reason for restricting free players to the Normal mode was to act as a barrier, and lower the incentives for hackers to disrupt the game. Like many other competitive online games, we face the challenge of fighting those that look for advantages through unfair means. We knew that once we went free to play, we would be sending an open invitation to hackers around the world. In our quest against hackers, our bans show they almost exclusively attempt to exploit the High-Roller dungeons as that was where their exploits would bear the most fruit. Limiting hackers with free accounts to the less disruptive Normal modes was also a preventative measure to try and compartmentalize the damage they could do.
When releasing our Squire and Legendary account models, our intent was to offer a free version of the game that had no time limit. This would give players a commitment-free opportunity to see what Dark and Darker has to offer. The free account status allows players to experience Normal mode dungeons with a single character, stash the loot they acquire, and complete quests. This improves their standing with the merchants - improving pricing and wares, while also expanding the arsenal of items the Squire merchant provides players with.
Despite our intentions, we failed in anticipating the expectations that new players would have when approaching our game. We did not intend to deceive our players, and we now realize that the current Normal/High Roller bifurcation is not well designed for F2P players. We built a full loot extraction game and then forced upon a large contingent of the player-base the inability to utilize their hard-earned loot without any workarounds. We now understand the absurdity of that situation and are looking to make amends.
We are currently working on solutions that take into consideration both the needs of existing and new players. Our goal is to give new players the ability to experience a complete loop of a full loot extraction experience and risk their loot while still respecting the loyalty of our existing players. We’re still working on the details for that plan that will address access to the High-Roller dungeons, the ability to unlock character slots, and will make an announcement very soon as the details are finalized. Our goal is to be fair and just with our players, and we’ll do our best to show our appreciation. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible support over the past two years as we work to make Dark and Darker the best it can be. We could not ask for a better, more passionate community – thank you for holding the line!
IRONMACE
Alpha Playtest #4 Hotfix #6
We have fixed some issues and improved our test data collection. Hotfix update #6 will take about an hour to complete. When the update commences you will not be able to enter the matchmaking pool. Players already in a dungeon at this time will be able to complete that adventure.
# Changes - Fixed several issues where items could be rolled back. - Fixed an issue where Fulgor's block size was wider than intended. - Rogue’s Hide duration changed from 50 to 60 seconds. - Ironshield's policy has been updated.
Thank you for enjoying Dark and Darker!
Alpha Playtest #4 Hotfix #5
We will be applying the 5th patch for some improvements and further tests. When the update commences you will not be able to enter the matchmaking pool. Players already in a dungeon at this time will be able to complete that adventure.
# Changes - Fixed an issue with Cave Troll not recognizing the Pavise. - Fixed an issue where the Lich would take damage to himself during melee attacks. - Fixed issue with buying gold with silver coins. - Haste duration changed from 11 to 8 seconds. - Savage Roar’s fear duration changed from 4 to 3 seconds. - Cave Troll's magic resistance has been removed. - From now on, there will be a level limit for entering High-Rollers. - Updated Ironshield logic for several known exploits.
Thank you for enduring the inconveniences and we hope you enjoy Dark and Darker!
Alpha Playtest #4 Extended!
Hi Everyone, Due to the earlier downtime with the trading post, matchmaking, and lost playtime for players that were falsely banned, we have decided to extend the playtest until Feb 16. We also plan to use the time to address issues that are inconveniencing players and to continuously improve the game. Unfortunately, we will not be splitting the leaderboard into 2 splits like the previous playtest. Thank you for your understanding and we hope to see you in the dungeons for a few more days!
Alpha Playtest #4 Hotfix #4
We have fixed some issues and we will be testing some new changes. Hotfix update #4 will take about an hour and a half to complete. When the update commences you will not be able to enter the matchmaking pool. Players already in a dungeon at this time will be able to complete that adventure.
#Changes - Fixed an issue where Victory Strike could not function properly. - Second Wind’s skill level 7 -> 6 - Adrenaline Rush's skill level 3 -> 6 - Meditation takes less time and spells charge slightly more than before. - Increased campfire duration for all grades. - Pavise installation conditions have been slightly changed. - Adjusted spawn data for goblin caves. - Increased the time in the Goblin Caves by 75s. - Updated parts of the Goblin Cave to make it easier to traverse the floors. - The number of people entering the Goblin Cave has changed. - The number of people entering the Forgotten Castle has been changed. - Fixed an issue that caused the Ghost King to stop moving under certain conditions. - Gathering Hall now has a minimum required level. - Improved minor performance issues. - Fixed some translation errors.
Thank you for enjoying Dark and Darker!
Alpha Playtest #4 Hotfix #3
We have fixed some issues and made some slight balance adjustments. Hotfix update #3 will take about an hour and a half to complete. When the update commences you will not be able to enter the matchmaking pool. Players already in a dungeon at this time will be able to complete that adventure.
# Changes - Fixed an issue where the Cave Troll could get stuck on walls. - Fixed an issue where one of the Cave Troll's attack patterns was not working properly. - Fighter Weapon Mastery Physical Power Penalty -20% → -10% - Wizard Light’s Spell Count 8 -> 6 - Wizard Ignite’s Spell Count 6 -> 5 - Wizard Zap’s Spell Count 6 -> 5 - Wizard Ice Bolt’s Spell Count 6 -> 5 - Wizard Haste’s Spell Count 5 -> 4 - Wizard Invisibility’s Spell Count 5 -> 4 - Wizard Chain Lightning’s Spell Count 4 -> 3 - Wizard Fireball Splash Damage 20 -> 10 - Stiletto Dagger Attack #3 multiplier 1.25x -> 1.4x - Improved minor performance issues.
