Patch 036

Early Access Patch 036: The LONG WINTER Update - January 21, 2020

We wanted to start the year off with a bang with this Major Update! It features a new Olympian, a new weapon variant, new activities, more story, and many other improvements. We plan to follow up with a couple of smaller patches while keeping a close eye on your feedback. Thank you very much for playing!

Highlights

 * Demeter: the Goddess of Seasons brings winter to the Underworld! Seek out her powerful Boons
 * Rod of Fishing: capture (& sell!!) Underworld river denizens with this new House Contractor item
 * Aspect of Guan Yu: earn this unique new Aspect of the Eternal Spear, and vanquish your foes!
 * Underworld Decor Galore: scores of new items are available at the newly renovated House Contractor!
 * New Legendary Keepsake: forge an unbreakable bond with Dusa, and summon her to petrify your foes
 * Boon Info & Victory Screen Update: pin multiple Boons onscreen for easy reference and sharing
 * New Daedalus Hammer Upgrades: look for multiple new upgrades for each weapon
 * New Story Events: uncover new secrets in hours of added narrative (with more than 1,000 new voice lines)

General Gameplay

 * Increased prices of Boons sold by Charon
 * Increased price of Daedalus Hammer sold by Charon
 * Increased price of augmented Boons and Poms sold by Charon in the Temple of Styx
 * Slightly reduced healing from tasty-looking Health Drops
 * Reduced healing from Fountain Chambers; however, new House Contractor upgrades can increase it
 * You may now encounter fishing points in various chambers, once you have the Rod of Fishing. Deliver your stock to the Head Chef in the House (who will take very good care of them)

Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

 * Stygian Blade (Zagreus): now also increases Dash distance
 * Stygian Blade (Nemesis): reduced Critical chance
 * Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): newly added! Seek Achilles to learn more (once you have several Aspects)
 * Eternal Spear (Zagreus): now increases Attack damage and Dash-Strike damage
 * Shield of Chaos: slightly increased Bull Rush charge up time; slightly reduced Bull Rush damage
 * Shield of Chaos (Zagreus): reduced damage resistance
 * Shield of Chaos (Zeus): increased damage of Throw special
 * Shield of Chaos (Chaos): now throws additional Shields in a radial pattern
 * Adamant Rail: no longer briefly slows foes on-hit

Boons & Blessings

 * Demeter: newly added! Seek out 11 new Boons and 4 new Duo Boons
 * Billowing Strength (Zeus): reduced power level; increased effect duration
 * Zeus' Aid: reduced power scaling from improved rarity
 * Scintillating Feast (Zeus x Dionysus): reduced damage
 * Divine Dash (Athena): slightly reduced Deflect duration
 * Athena's Aid: increased God Gauge cost and effect duration (it cannot be used quite as often)
 * Merciful End (Athena x Ares): reduced damage; reduced appearance rate
 * Spent Spirit (Athena x Aphrodite): reduced slow effect on foes' projectiles
 * Reduced power level of Aphrodite's Weak Status Curse
 * Broken Resolve (Aphrodite): newly added! Improves potency of Weak Status Curse
 * Passion Dash (Aphrodite): now affects foes near your dash destination (rather than at the starting point)
 * Crush Shot (Aphrodite): formerly Shatter Shot; updated effect
 * Curse of Pain (Ares): slightly reduced damage
 * Battle Rage (Ares): adjusted scaling from rarity and Poms (overall power level should be similar)
 * Ares' Aid: reduced damage; increased move speed
 * Hunting Blades (Ares x Artemis): reduced speed; reduced tracking
 * Deadly Strike (Artemis): reduced Critical chance; increased damage to compensate
 * Support Fire (Artemis): reduced damage
 * Drunken Dash (Dionysus): formerly Nasty Dash; now deals several instances of damage and Hangover (formerly called Poison)
 * Second Wind (Hermes): increased effect duration; increased power scaling from improved rarity
 * Passing Through (Hermes): cut from game (Demeter is the new curator of slowing effects)
 * Relative Speed (Hermes): cut from game (same reason)
 * Quick Reload (Hermes): now offered by Hermes (donated by Artemis, who felt sorry for him)
 * Slothful (Chaos): reduced how badly this curse can impair your move speed
 * Defiance (Chaos): increased appearance rate
 * Reduced power level of Chaos blessing effects at higher rarity

Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

 * Cursed Slash (Blade): newly added! Restores health on-hit, but your life total is heavily reduced
 * Shadow Slash (Blade): newly added! Deals bonus damage when striking foes in the back
 * Serrated Edge (Spear): newly added! Your Dash-Strike hits multiple times but your Dash is shorter
 * Charged Skewer (Spear): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Skewer special
 * Quick Spin (Spear): no longer quite as quick
 * Charged Throw (Shield): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Throw special
 * World Smasher (Shield): newly added! Your Bull Rush is replaced with a powerful up-close strike
 * Chain Shot (Bow): newly added! Your attack bounces between targets, dealing bonus damage
 * Charged Volley (Bow): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Volley special
 * Cluster Bomb (Rail): newly added! Your Bombard special fires a spread of 5 smaller bombs
 * Hazard Bomb (Rail): newly added! Your Bombard special fires a big bomb that blasts the area around you, but can damage you ("Have you tried not standing there when it blows up?" --Hypnos)
 * Delta Chamber (Rail): formerly Infinity Chamber ; now also fires in a 3-round burst
 * Explosive Fire (Rail): cut from game

Foes & Encounters

 * Introduction to Olympian Aid now gives you some God Gauge to use Poseidon's Call
 * Thanatos: should show up more frequently (once you encounter him for the first time in Elysium)
 * After the other Fury Sisters show up, it is no longer possible to randomly avoid one indefinitely
 * Alecto: reworked her Rage Gauge (you can knock her out of her rage-building move, but watch out)
 * Skullomat: Elite is more powerful; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
 * Burn-Flinger: Elite attack pattern adjusted
 * Wave-Maker: non-Elite throws one wave at a time (rather than two); adjusted Elite attack
 * Reduced number of foes on the Asphodel Barge of Death under Middle Management (Pact)
 * Bone Hydra: reworked aspects of this encounter to be faster though deadlier to compensate; one fewer phase; removed urns containing health (the Hydra finally realized they were there and ate them)
 * Elysian Arrow Trap: attack now dissipates as soon as combat is over
 * Flame Wheels: reduced health and Elite armor
 * Nemean Chariot: no longer can hit multiple times in one charge
 * Exalted Greatshield: appearance rate reduced; non-Elite no longer has a spin attack; reduced rotation and increased vulnerability times
 * Soul Catcher (Elite): now more aggressive under the effects of Middle Management (Pact)
 * The Minotaur: no longer gains brief invulnerability when low on health in the battle with Theseus
 * Increased damage rate of Poison effects in the Temple of Styx
 * Final Boss: various changes to attack patterns; resolved issues where cover sometimes did not work reliably against ranged attacks

Keepsakes & Items

 * Companion Fidi (Dusa): newly added Legendary Keepsake! Summons Dusa to petrify your foes
 * Companion Mort (Thanatos): increased effect radius; increased damage; reduced pre-attack time
 * Companion Shady (Sisyphus): dropped goodies no longer block foes' movement
 * Companion Battie (Megaera): increased damage
 * Frostbitten Horn (Demeter): newly added! Raises chance to find Demeter Boons with improved rarity
 * Broken Spearpoint (Patroclus): now has a cooldown between uses; slightly increased effect duration
 * Evergreen Acorn (Eurydice): reduced instances of damage absorption
 * Myrmidon Bracer (Achilles): reduced damage reduction at higher ranks
 * Chthonic Coin Purse (Hypnos): reduced bonus money at higher ranks
 * HydraLite (Well): reduced healing

House Contractor

 * Screen now shows all available options by category (instead of a random set of just three)
 * Screen now shows which items you have purchased, and lets you toggle some decorative items
 * Added many new decorative items to the House Contractor inventory (some with light interactions)
 * Added renovations that improve health recovery from Fountain Chambers
 * Reduced costs for many items for this grand reopening

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

 * Goddess of Seasons: newly added!
 * A Place of Revelry: newly added!
 * The Fated Saint of War: newly added!
 * The Gift of Song: newly added!
 * Updated requirements to fulfill several Prophecies (this won't affect you if you've already fulfilled them)
 * Increased rewards for Daedalus Hammer and Olympian Prophecies

Pact of Punishment

 * Heightened Security: reduced to a single rank
 * No Choice: increased Heat
 * Hard Labor: re-scaled to 5 ranks
 * Tight Deadline: timer pauses in non-combat chambers with characters such as Sisyphus

Level Design & Environments

 * Added one new chamber to Tartarus
 * Added two new chambers to Elysium
 * The first chamber in Asphodel now offers more picturesque views...
 * Updated layout of Megaera's chamber to have fewer places to hide
 * Updated look of Bone Hydra's chamber
 * Updated layout of Final Boss's chamber
 * Minor changes to layouts of some chambers to helpfully accommodate the Rod of Fishing
 * Minor changes to layout in the House of Hades
 * Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

Art & Visual FX

 * Updated main menu based on new Major Update
 * Lord Hades can now be seen toiling away in the House
 * House Contractor has a new look in the House
 * Added many new optional decorative items to the House of Hades
 * Added many new visual effects for Demeter Boons
 * Added new art, visual effects, and animations for the Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
 * Updated various animations for Exalted Shades in Elysium
 * Added a couple of portrait variants for Dusa
 * Updated visual effect for Crush Shot (Aphrodite)
 * Reduced visual effects of poison in the Temple of Styx (making it easier to find curing pools)
 * Reduced visual effects of Zeus' Aid (making it easier to see what's going on)
 * Updated texture and Codex portrait for Wretched Thug
 * Other minor visual changes, fixes, and improvements

Menus & UI

 * Boon Info Screen: updated layout shows Mirror and Pact setup; you now can 'pin' Boons for comparison
 * Victory Screen: as above; also added various text Commendations based on your performance
 * Added graphical icons for each Mirror of Night Upgrade
 * Added graphical icons for each Pact of Punishment Condition
 * Version number watermark and current Heat switched screen positions as part of these changes
 * Songs are now subtitled
 * Slightly reduced size of critical damage numbers
 * Gamepad shoulder buttons now page through the House Contractor and Fated List
 * Improved look of choice selection in narrative events
 * Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements

Music & SFX

 * Added new sound effects for Demeter and her Boons
 * Added new sound effects and emotes for Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
 * Added new sound effect when Zagreus is stunned
 * Added new sounds for other miscellaneous contexts
 * Added equip sounds for the two new Keepsakes
 * Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements

Voice & Narrative

 * Added many narrative events (with Demeter, Dusa, Achilles, Hades, Aphrodite, the Storyteller, and more)
 * Added narrative events around the Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
 * Added many new Zagreus voice events for contexts such as House Contractor and the Rod of Fishing
 * Zagreus has more to say to the Bone Hydra and certain other monsters and shades
 * Extended Affinity Gauge for Dusa (you can give her more gifts)
 * Updated Codex entry for Dusa
 * Added Codex entry for Demeter
 * Primordial Chaos now responds to certain interactions in their realm
 * In the 'Trial of the Gods', you now hear from the god you choose
 * Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
 * Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

Miscellaneous

 * Added new localized text for some content (note: translation still pending for much of the newer content)
 * Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next Major Update in March, and beyond
 * Orpheus: due to the House Contractor redesign, the item to release him can be found more reliably
 * Most characters impervious to your attacks no longer knock you back when struck
 * You need a bit more Darkness now before Nyx upgrades the Mirror with the ability to refund it
 * Gameplay Timer pauses in non-combat chambers with characters such as Sisyphus
 * 'New!' tags on Prophecies in the Fated List clear on selection (rather than after closing the List)
 * Credits: Demeter (Laila Berzins) added to voice cast; added new Community Beta Testers (Thank you!!)
 * Text: Renamed various Dionysus Boons and effects to be more in-theme with his lifestyle choices
 * Minor changes to presentation when the Minotaur leaves his chamber
 * Adjusted behavior of mouse-and-keyboard controls while the default 'Attack at Cursor' is disabled
 * Zagreus now will always enter chambers at a standard speed (such as when his speed is reduced by Chaos)
 * Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications

Bug Fixes

 * Fixed various text overflow issues in non-English languages
 * Fixed Achilles not telling you about Titan Blood and Ambrosia soon after you first find them
 * Fixed a rare issue where Death Defiance could cause a permanent slowdown
 * Fixed Numbing Sensation (Dionysus) having a reduced power level at Heroic rarity
 * Fixed Black Out (Dionysus) unintentionally being upgradeable by Eurydice
 * Fixed Companion Rib (Skelly) causing 'Trial of the Gods' effects to occur unexpectedly
 * Fixed Infernal Gates blocking the aim preview for the Shield's Bull Rush
 * Fixed a key narrative event with Megaera sometimes playing twice unexpectedly
 * Fixed narrative scripting around events involving Orpheus and Dionysus, which could become unavailable in some cases
 * Fixed Bother foe having incorrect material sounds
 * Many other minor fixes

Quote of the Patch
"The Earth did not send up any seed. Demeter, she with the beautiful garlands in her hair, kept them covered underground. Many a curved plough was dragged along the fields by many an ox—all in vain."

- Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Anonymous; G. Nagy translation)

Note: You should see v0.24897 in-game once you have the update.