Darkblade Ascent

Released: Oct 23, 2025
Platforms
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 09:30 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

10 Nov 2025Developer post
Hotfix v1.03
Shield enemies can no longer spawn inside Abyssal Rifts.
Shield enemies can no longer spawn inside Abyssal Rifts.
Original post
26 Oct 2025Developer post
Hotfix v1.02
Fixes: Added save game backup system. Fixed an issue where the final boss would get out of bounds.
Fixes:
Added save game backup system.
Fixed an issue where the final boss would get out of bounds.
Original post
24 Oct 2025Developer post
Hotfix 1.01
Fixes: Enemies Abyssal Rift in Caves (6th area in the campaign) will no longer get stuck in their spawn zone. Gauntled modifiers no longer apply in The Hideout. Changes: Turning off Head Bobbing in settings will also disable camera sway motion on strafing left and right.
Fixes:
Enemies Abyssal Rift in Caves (6th area in the campaign) will no longer get stuck in their spawn zone.
Gauntled modifiers no longer apply in The Hideout.
Changes:
Turning off Head Bobbing in settings will also disable camera sway motion on strafing left and right.
Original post
23 Oct 2025Developer post
Darkblade Ascent 1.0 is NOW LIVE! 25% OFF
We're thrilled to hit this incredible milestone, an achievement made possible by our players. Your invaluable feedback has been essential in helping Darkblade Ascent reach its full potential. This launch comes with our BIGGEST UPDATE yet full of changes and additional content. Ne
We're thrilled to hit this incredible milestone, an achievement made possible by our players. Your invaluable feedback has been essential in helping Darkblade Ascent reach its full potential.
Watch on YouTube
This launch comes with our BIGGEST UPDATE yet full of changes and additional content.
New Class: Berserker
Generate Rage with normal melee hits. Shout a powerful warcry that exerts accumulated rage to intimidate enemies and empower yourself.
Berserker Upgrade Tree:
Battle Instincts: Warcry increases Weapon Damage by 2% -> 3% -> 5% per Rage point for the duration of the shout.
Bonebreaker Shout: Warcry releases a violent explosion dealing 50 -> 100 -> 200 damage per rage point. Scales with Global Damage.
Feast of Carnage: Warcry intimidates enemies for the duration of the shout. Killing an intimidated enemy restores 0.1 -> 0.2 -> 0.3 Health per Rage point.
Unending Warcry: Warcry lasts 6 -> 7 -> 8 seconds.
Echoing Shout: Melee strikes generate extra 25% -> 50% -> 100% rage per hit.
5 New Enemy Types
We’ve introduced new enemies in the campaign and in The Hideout that will keep you on your toes and test your skills.
The Celestial Rift arena opens!
A new challenge awaits as the third portal in The Hideout finally opens its gates. Get ready to face the most challenging content yet and defeat the final boss of The Hideout mode.
Nightmare Mode
Added Nightmare Mode to the campaign after completing it for the first time. On top of rune modifiers, that drastically alter the gameplay and difficulty, we have now added a new mode where any damage you take is fatal. This mode is for those who want a much bigger challenge. We haven't manage to beat the campaign with this mode active so... good luck!
1.0 Full Patch notes:
Additions:
Added Berserker class.
Added third area in The Hideout.
Added 5 new enemy types.
Added Nightmare Mode for Gauntlet.
Added weapon sway when turning and strafing.
Added subtle camera tilt when strafing.
Added 2 new achievements.
Added a representation of the player character in the Main Menu.
Changes:
Changed some enemy locations to no longer spawn behind the player.
Reduced the number of scraps received when salvaging weapons by 20%.
Abyssal shaman now heals and increases allies' damage more.
Updated UI for upgrade crystals.
Pyromancer ability (Fireball) damage increased by 30%.
Pyromancer's Delayed Combustion tree now enhances Fireball to pierce enemies from level 1 instead of level 3.
Sanguine Execution (secondary swords ability) is now faster to perform.
Increased default brightness.
Time needed to stay in the extraction zone in The Hideout reduced from 15 seconds to 10 seconds.
Restyled damage numbers animation and added color based on element.
Fixes:
Stormcaller ability will no longer miss when targeting enemies.
Fixed an area where the player would not get repositioned to safety after falling in the abyss.
Fixed an issue when rapidly attacking after performing Earth Splitter (axe ability) would not immediately perform Ruinfall (secondary ability).
Fixed Razor Riposte boon not triggering when parrying some Abyssal Enemies.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been on this journey with us and helped us shape Darkblade Ascent into the amazing game it is today.
Thank you!
- Alex & Ovi
Original post
13 Oct 2025Developer post
Dakblade Ascent 1.0 Release Date
Darkblade Ascent is finally leaving Early Access and launching into 1.0 on October 23rd! We're thrilled to hit this incredible milestone, an achievement made possible by our players. Your invaluable feedback has been essential in helping Darkblade Ascent reach its full potential.
06 Sep 2025Developer post
New enhanced weapon abilities and revamp!
With this update we are revamping the existing weapon abilities and we are adding enhanced versions of each ability that's unlockable in the passive tree. Weapon abilities are a core part of Darkblade Ascent's dynamic combat and keeping them locked behind a keystone in the passiv
With this update we are revamping the existing weapon abilities and we are adding enhanced versions of each ability that's unlockable in the passive tree.
Weapon abilities are a core part of Darkblade Ascent's dynamic combat and keeping them locked behind a keystone in the passive tree meant that some players would unlock them much later in the game and thus not experiencing the full combat system as it was meant to be played.
With this update ALL weapon abilities are unlocked by default.
The keystones in the passive tree that previously unlocked weapon abilities now unlock more powerful versions of each ability that have secondary effects making them much more strategic and impactful.
Enhanced Weapon Abilities
Sanguine Execution (Swords)
After performing the Flurry of Blades ability you can execute one normal enemy regardless of their health, restoring 5% of your max health.
Riftpiercer (Spears)
After performing the Thrustwind ability you can throw your spear, piercing all enemies in its path and damaging them when recalling the spear back.
Ruinfall (Axes)
After performing the Earthsplitter ability you lift up into the air then you can slam down at will in the direction you're looking at.
Echo Blades (Daggers)
After performing Phantom Strike you teleport back to your starting point and receive 3 throwable shurikens that pierce and damage all enemies in a cone.
Other changes:
Increased the XP required for leveling up by 30%.
Added highlights on weapon abilities keystones in the passive tree.
Added weapon ability descriptions under each weapon tooltip.
Reduced the damage dealt by default weapon abilities by about 70% to compensate for their enhanced version and to not be a "clear screen" button regardless of player's build and stats.
Fixed some areas where enemy spells would clip through walls.
We're really looking forward to your feedback on these changes!
Original post
15 Aug 2025Developer post
New Boss: The Soulweaver is now LIVE!
The Soulweaver has arrived, the ultimate test at the end of the campaign. We’ve poured everything into making this finale as epic and unforgettable as possible. The Soulweaver embodies the peak of Darkblade’s ascension and the reckoning for his sins. We can’t wait to see you clai
The Soulweaver has arrived, the ultimate test at the end of the campaign.
We’ve poured everything into making this finale as epic and unforgettable as possible. The Soulweaver embodies the peak of Darkblade’s ascension and the reckoning for his sins.
We can’t wait to see you claim victory… or find yourself unceremoniously getting sent back to the Main Menu.
Patch Notes:
Changes:
Increased Gromar's (second campaign boss) health by 150%.
Interact button no longer requires to be held.
Added bosses names above their health bar.
Added support for ultra-wide 16:9 resolutions.
Added support for 120Hz refresh rate.
Added achievement for defeating the third boss.
Increased maximum look sensitivity range in Settings > Controls.
Fixes:
Fixed a bug where Gauntled modifiers would apply in The Hideout.
Original post
21 Jul 2025Developer post
Update v0.954
Exiting the campaign mid-run will allow players to continue from the start of the map they exited instead of the current stage. Highlighted the filter buttons in inventory UI. Lowered the default music volume in The Hideout. Keybind indicators on screen will now correctly refresh
Exiting the campaign mid-run will allow players to continue from the start of the map they exited instead of the current stage.
Highlighted the filter buttons in inventory UI.
Lowered the default music volume in The Hideout.
Keybind indicators on screen will now correctly refresh if the player changes a keybind from the setting menu.
FOV can now be adjusted to go to a minimum of 80 in Settings > Gameplay.
Nethersteel Nova inscription no longer grows in size when dealing damage making it less obstructive.
Removed "New Arena Unlocked" message when completing the second arena in The Hideout.
Original post
22 Jun 2025Developer post
Hotfix v0.952
Adjusted enemy spawn locations in The Undead Prison arena where they would sometimes get stuck.
Adjusted enemy spawn locations in The Undead Prison arena where they would sometimes get stuck.
Original post
21 Jun 2025Developer post
Hotfix v0.951
Fixed an issue with a button not being selectable on controllers Fixed the "Seal of Trust" achievement not triggering when having maximum reputation with the Trader in Hideout. Pre-loading of assets are now done in the Main Menu instead of on game-start. Reduced number of ranged
Fixed an issue with a button not being selectable on controllers
Fixed the "Seal of Trust" achievement not triggering when having maximum reputation with the Trader in Hideout.
Pre-loading of assets are now done in the Main Menu instead of on game-start.
Reduced number of ranged enemies in Undead Prison arena in Hideout.
Original post
20 Jun 2025Developer post
The Hideout: Survivor-Extraction & Combat Revamp update NOW LIVE!
We are very excited to announce that our biggest update yet , The Hideout , is NOW AVAILABLE! We are always trying to push the boundaries of what Darkblade Ascent offers. Being a small team of 2 developers we have the freedom to explore not-so-conventional ideas and implement pla
We are very excited to announce that our biggest update yet, The Hideout, is NOW AVAILABLE!
We are always trying to push the boundaries of what Darkblade Ascent offers. Being a small team of 2 developers we have the freedom to explore not-so-conventional ideas and implement player feedback in creative ways.
With this Major Update we are introducing The Hideout and a Complete Combat Overhaul.
Watch on YouTube
The Hideout: Survive + Extract
Once you hit level 5 you’ll unlock access to The Hideout: brand-new game mode that blends survivor-like gameplay with extraction mechanics.
With this mode we are toying with the idea of risk vs reward. At the heart of most roguelikes is the classic push-and-pull of risk vs. reward… but we are taking it a step further.
After seeing how many people enjoy the Abyssal Rift we decided that it deserves its own mode. We envisioned this mode in our Roadmap (Endless Mode). Initially, on paper, this mode was just an extension of the Abyssal Rift, but as we were developing it ideas started to flow and we saw it as an opportunity to not just expand on the mode but to create something entirely new and deep while also implementing player feedback all-in-one.
Survive
When you first enter the hideout you will see 3 portals with only one unlocked initially. Entering a portal will transport you to a completely different area where you have to survive for a certain period of time battling increasingly more powerful waves of enemies.
Surviving until the time is over gives you the option to challenge the arena’s boss. It’s not just the enemies that become stronger, but also the player. Each kill grants a soul; reach the number of souls required threshold and you can choose from 4 weapons and 3 crystals. On top of that Abyssal Enemies can appear that, when killed, offer a boon choice
Extract
For an extraction mode/game to be fun and engaging, players not only have to risk something but also be able to leave with that something when they see fit… or decide to stay longer and risk it all. Enemies that you defeat drop items that you can equip at any point to enhance your build or extract before the timer runs out to stash them for a later run. Dying means losing your weapon, ALL items equipped and ALL items in your inventory.
Items, Inventory, Stash
Item rarity and their potency increase as the areas get more difficult. Uncommon items have a single stat, and they go up to 4 stats as the rarity increases. With 9 equipment slots, you will have the freedom to mix and match items to create “that” perfect build for your next run.
If you manage to extract from the area you can either place the items you found in your personal stash or sell them to the trader.
The Trader
Unwanted items can be sold at the trader for extra gold. The trader offers randomized items based on your reputation with him. Unlocking a new reputation level requires a lot of gold. Having a bit of gold “in the bank” means you can buy a new set of items for your next run so you won’t have to go in naked and afraid. If you’re looking for a specific item for your build, the trader can also reroll the items in his shop… for a price.
Risk only what you can afford to lose
We know that losing your hard-earned loot can sometimes feel harsh, but we believe that having something on the line enhances the fun and adrenaline of every fight. It’s no longer just a “back to main menu” but it’s more meaningful and personal. We will closely monitor how many items enemies drop so that it won’t feel like an uphill battle to get a full set of items, but also not so common that items become an expendable commodity.
Being in Early Access we will be looking for feedback on all fronts: difficulty, number of items, their potency, prices, and everything else.
Complete Combat Overhaul
With this update we are taking the action to the next level!
We've completely revamped combat to be faster, more responsive, with cleaner animations, reduced cooldowns and amplified abilities.
Full Patch Notes:
Weapons
Changed all melee animations.
Increased default attack speed.
Reduced cooldown between attacks significantly.
Increased range on all weapons.
Weapon abilities can no longer be interrupted by regular attacks.
Attack Speed buffs from crystals and weapons have been reduced by 70%.
Attack Speed capped at 130%.
Player can no longer be interrupted when taking damage.
Dagger Ability
No longer resets when killing an enemy.
Damage is now AOE around the targeted enemy.
Damage increased by 200%.
Axe Ability
Increased range.
Damage increased by 20%.
Spear Ability
Increased range.
Damage decreased by 50%.
Sword Ability
Increased range.
Damage increased per hit by 200%.
Boons
Arcane Annoyance. The Imp now attacks much faster.
Sanguine Renewal reduced healing amount from 5% to 1% per enemy killed by weapon ability.
Enemies
More impactful hit reactions.
Increased the number of enemies in the Campaign.
Enemies will no longer initiate combat immediately after seeing the player.
Increased time between enemy attacks.
Reduced enemies chance to parry or dodge from 33% to 7%.
Parry animation on enemies is now much shorter.
Visuals & UI
Removed VFX and SFX when hitting non-enemies.
Toned down on-screen effects when taking damage.
Adjusted all combat related camera-shakes & hit-stops.
Added UI highlight on Weapon Inscriptions.
Boons screen appear animations is much faster.
Salvaging weapons is now instant. Button no longer needs to be held down.
Removed VFX and SFX on hitting non-enemies.
Added on-screen indicators for enemies behind the player and for spell casters.
Other
Increased amount of experience needed for leveling up.
Slightly increased gold cost on chests in campaign.
Performance optimizations on all enemy animations.
Added 5 achievements that can be completed in The Hideout.
Added key binding for opening Inventory.
Thank you for being here with us during Early Access for all the amazing support and feedback we received!
See you in The Hideout!
Original post
14 Jun 2025Developer post
The Hideout Update coming JUNE 20!
We're thrilled to announce that our biggest update yet is coming on June 20! Check out this explainer video on what to expect when the update goes live. For more details you can read our previous news post: View game page See you in The Hideout on June 20!
15 May 2025Developer post
Update Preview: The Hideout
We are making a lot of progress towards the next major update and today we want to give you a preview of what’s to come. With each update we are trying to push the boundaries of what Darkblade Ascent offers. Being a small team of 2 developers we have the freedom to explore not-so
05 May 2025Developer post
Price Drop & Community Update
Hey everyone, Since the launch of Darkblade Ascent, we’ve been blown away by the support, feedback, and excitement from all of you. Thank you for helping us shape the game into something fun, polished and full of content. After listening to the community and reviewing how players
29 Apr 2025Developer post
Watch developers play
Watch developers play Darkblade Ascent with the new WEAPON INSCRIPTIONS update.
24 Mar 2025Developer post
Major Update: Weapon Inscriptions
Since our launch last month, we've received a ton of valuable feedback from the community. Thank you! Your input plays a big role in helping us make the game better and more fun for everyone. Among the all the great feedback two things stood out the most: Leaving weapons behind d
Since our launch last month, we've received a ton of valuable feedback from the community. Thank you! Your input plays a big role in helping us make the game better and more fun for everyone.
Among the all the great feedback two things stood out the most:

Leaving weapons behind doesn't feel good.
There needs to be more weapon variety.
With this update we aimed to tackle both issues at once: Introducing WEAPON INSCRIPTIONS!
Weapon Inscriptions are game-changing perks that add an extra layer of complexity to weapons synergizing with Malevar's Boons and your build.
There are currently 10 inscriptions to discover, with more to come in the following updates, and they can appear randomly on rare weapons and above (level 8+).
To discover more inscriptions, unwanted weapons need to be salvaged for Scraps. When reaching 1000 scraps a new random inscription is uncovered and it can now appear on weapons.
The inscriptions are not locked on specific weapons, so there's a lot of freedom in coming up with crazy or overpowered builds. For example:
IRON TEMPEST
Attacks with this weapon launch metal spikes that fly forward dealing 25% weapon's physical damage. Scales with physical damage.
This inscription essentially turns any weapon into a ranged weapon launching a damaging spike with each weapon swing. Axes with this inscription are more like a shotgun: big damage, slow. While daggers are more like an automatic weapon: fast but less damage. It's up to each player to choose the playstyle that suits them best.
With Weapon Inscriptions, we wanted to give players more agency, variety, and long-term progression, all while rewarding experimentation.
We are really excited to see what builds you come up with!
Watch on YouTube
Changes:

Weapon card UI redesign.
Reduced Riposte damage from 200% weapon damage to 150% weapon damage.
Increased base Pushback damage from 150 to 200.
Increased the damage increase on Pushback from The Retributionist crystals: Common (green) from 50 to 200. Rare (blue) from 100 to 400. Epic (purple) from 200 to 600.
Increased Pushback damage on weapon suffixes by 50%.
Razor Riposte boon no longer scales with enemy damage. Now deals damage equal to 50% of currently equipped weapon's physical damage.
Increased Cauterizing Blast boon's explosion radius from 5 to 10 meters.
Added 2 new achievements related to Weapon Inscriptions.
Removed the text "Pushback" from the middle of the screen when the ability is available.
Added new rebindable key for salvaging weapons and opening inscriptions screen.
Fixes:

Equipped tooltip will no longer show on dropped weapons.
The Pushback damage multiplier from Costly Recoil and Forceful Shove boons now scale correctly.
Original post
07 Mar 2025Developer post
Hotfix v0.927
- Increased text legibility in several UI components. - Repositioned notifications on the right side of the screen to be less intrusive.
05 Mar 2025Developer post
Hotfix v0.926
Changes: Added text in stats screen to show the max values of Attack Speed and Run Speed. These are just visual indicators. The caps have always been in place just not indicated visually. Increased Attack Speed cap to 180%. Increased text legibility in several UI components. Fixe
Changes:

Added text in stats screen to show the max values of Attack Speed and Run Speed. These are just visual indicators. The caps have always been in place just not indicated visually.
Increased Attack Speed cap to 180%.
Increased text legibility in several UI components.
Fixes:

Lowering run speed stat after reaching the speed cap will no longer incorrectly lower the player's speed below the intended maximum.
Original post
02 Mar 2025Developer post
Update v0.925
Changes: Keybinds are no longer reset between sessions. Keybinds now automatically unbind when trying to set an already set key. Added Brightness slider in Settings > Video Increased text legibility in many different places in UI. Changed VFX when picking up crystals after fin
Changes:

Keybinds are no longer reset between sessions.
Keybinds now automatically unbind when trying to set an already set key.
Added Brightness slider in Settings > Video
Increased text legibility in many different places in UI.
Changed VFX when picking up crystals after finishing a room to be much less bright.
Reduced sound volume when hitting non-enemies with weapons.
Further performance optimizations across the board (maps, enemies, UI).
Completely revamped third room in Ashenfang Mountains.
Added support for Shader Model 5 for older GPU generations that don't support SM6.
Fixes:

Abyssal Rift portal can no longer spawn on enemies killed in the air.
Flawless Ascendancy boon now correctly activates after finishing a room without taking damage if the player took damage in the previous room.
Original post
23 Feb 2025Developer post
Hotfix v0.924
Performance optimizations in several maps.

Updates & announcements

This launch comes with our BIGGEST UPDATE yet full of changes and additional content.

New Class: Berserker

Berserker Upgrade Tree:

5 New Enemy Types

The Celestial Rift arena opens!

Nightmare Mode

1.0 Full Patch notes:

Thank you!

- Alex & Ovi

Darkblade Ascent is finally leaving Early Access and launching into 1.0 on October 23rd!

New Class: Berserker

New Enemy Types

The Celestial Rift arena opens!

Save the date, add it to your wishlist if you haven’t already, and be ready for October 23rd!

Enhanced Weapon Abilities

Sanguine Execution (Swords)

Riftpiercer (Spears)

Ruinfall (Axes)

Echo Blades (Daggers)

Other changes:

The Soulweaver has arrived, the ultimate test at the end of the campaign.

Patch Notes:

Changes:

Fixes:

We are very excited to announce that our biggest update yet, The Hideout, is NOW AVAILABLE!

The Hideout: Survive + Extract

Survive

Extract

Items, Inventory, Stash

The Trader

Risk only what you can afford to lose

Complete Combat Overhaul

Full Patch Notes:

Weapons

Dagger Ability

Axe Ability

Spear Ability

Sword Ability

Boons

Enemies

Visuals & UI

Other

Thank you for being here with us during Early Access for all the amazing support and feedback we received!

Introducing…

The Hideout: Survive + Extract

Entering The Hideout

Survive

Extract

Items, Inventory, Stash

The Trader

Risk only what you can afford to lose

When will the update go live?

Why the Price Drop?

What’s Next?

A Huge Thank You to Early Supporters

IRON TEMPEST

Changes:

Fixes:

Changes:

Fixes: