Our Dearest Defenders,
It has been quite some time since we have crossed paths in the realms of Etheria, July of 2024
to be exact, with the addition of cross saves. Across all social media platforms there have been
lots of questions about content for Dungeon Defenders: Awakened, seemingly met with silence
until now. During the July 2025 Dev Stream, it was announced that Chromatic Games brought in
members of the Dungeon Defenders community to restart updates for the game. We have been
hard at work learning the systems by looking under the hood of the game. We proudly mark with
today's update the initiation of the Dungeon Defenders: Awakened Renaissance.
Who's behind the Community Development Team?
Coolgamer:
Hi everyone,
“It is an honor to be working under Chromatic to bring updates to DD:A. I am a long- time
player of the Dungeon Defenders Franchise. Starting with DD1 on the xbox 360 at the age of 11,
I played off and on from the launch of DD1 on the Xbox 360 until 2018 accumulating around
3000 hours of game-time over the years, spending a lot of that time in the tavern connecting with
many other players within the dungeon defenders community, where I made many friends, some
to which I still talk to today. I'm also a player of both DD2 and DD:A on the xbox, and I played a
lot of DD1 and DD1 Redux on pc throughout the pandemic. I played dd2 for a total of about 500
hours across various platforms and DDA for about 475 hours. 250 of which I played from the
launch of the xbox port of DDA up until the stat overhaul shortly after the keep came out, then
took a break until January of this year. Outside of the dungeon defenders franchise I have
played a wide variety of games ranging from Call of Duty to Kingdom Hearts, to Terraria, to
mmo-rpg's such as dungeons and dragons neverwinter. I have a Bachelors Degree in physics
and I am in pursuit of a master’s degree in Physics with an emphasis on Computational Physics.
I fell in love with the dungeon defenders franchise because of the loot grind aspect, playing this
hard map, or beating this hard boss and seeing if you can get a better piece of gear. Each gear
felt unique, and more importantly it felt like mine. I also loved the wide variety of pets there were
in the game to collect, each unique. My goal while working on the CDT is to bring that feeling
back into DD:A, while offering many more hours of fun and memorable moments within this game.
I look forward to working with you all to make an amazing experience from start to finish.”
Best,
Coolgamer
Tato:
“Greetings Defenders of Etheria!,
A little backstory on myself: I have grown up playing all
types of games, ranging from Pokemon on the Game-boy, to Wii Sports, to Fruit Ninja using a
Kinect, all the way to shooters like Halo, the list could go on for forever. Having played all these
different types of games, on all these different consoles, and yet… DD:A holds me near and
dear. Due to peer pressure long ago, I now own a PC that I probably spent too much money on
for the sake of playing games, so I make good use of it by streaming as well. In doing so, I
managed to build a strong connection with some of you Players, as well as our Developers,
giving the opportunity for Dungeon Defenders: Awakened to show its true potential.PS: I have 2
adorable little animals, Sirloin Corgi/Pit-bull Mix (Black & White) and Mouse: Short-Hair Kitty,
(White & Grey).”
What Can you Expect From Us:
Before we get into the bulk of today’s update and road-map, there is an elephant in the room we
want to address. Throughout the original life cycle of DDA, there were many frustrations with the
handling of the development. We want to assure you that we hear you and we are voicing what
you say on social media, youtube comments, twitch chats, and on the Official Dungeon
Defenders Discord Server. Some of you may be skeptical about returning to the game or to trust
that the game we all love isn't mistreated again, which is understandable. The Community
Development Team is a brand new team working on DDA, and we were players just like you
during those times. As we enter this period of Renaissance for Dungeon Defenders: Awakened,
the Community Development Team pledges to communicate with you about what's being
worked on in the game. With every update you can expect patch notes detailing the changes
and our thought processes behind each major change. We will interact in the discord server
posting teaser and posting polls/surveys; we want to hear from you. We can't promise every
suggestion will make it to the game but we can promise to be open minded and hear you out.
With this pledge we hope you all will continue to provide us with feedback in any way you see
fit. If you haven’t already, join the Dungeon defenders discord server to directly interact with us
during the development cycle. Lastly, we hope you guys put your faith in us and show patience
as we continue to learn the systems within DD:A
Dungeon Defenders: Awakened Renaissance Road-map:
It is no secret that everyone involved went through a roller coaster throughout the original
development cycle of Dungeon Defenders: Awakened. From the developers putting their heart
and soul into the creation of the game’s content throughout the development cycle to the player
base enduring multiple system reworks to communication issues amongst all parties, we can all
agree that Dungeon Defenders: Awakened is a special game despite its flaws and has much
potential to keep players coming back for years down the road. Our goal as the community
development team is to exploit that potential.
A common feedback we encountered was about the game being too easy in its current state,
and that its rewards pacing was really fast. We heard you loud and clear. Throughout the 5
phases listed on the road map we have the vision of making the game much harder and more
rewarding as you guys play through all of the content offered in DD:A before we can add new
maps and other content. We also need to preface that our current focus is on the Steam port of
the game to give us a solid foundation for the game to work with. Console versions of the game,
specifically Xbox and Playstation, will be investigated and worked on at a later date, if possible.
For those that play on the Nintendo Switch, we are truly sorry but there isn’t a big enough player
base to justify the immense task of updating this version of the game. Add to it that DD:A is a
REALLY intense game to run on most platforms and due to the limitations on the Switch
console, we have decided for now we won’t be bringing any updates for the foreseeable future
to said console. Please note this is the current plan; as we work through the road-map things
may change but we will make sure to let you know.
Phase 1 - Critical Bug fixes and re-balancing:
With our design vision guiding this first phase of the Dungeon Defenders: Awakened
Renaissance project, we are focusing on eliminating the most critical game-breaking issues
that disrupt progression, trading, and the overall flow of the game. Right now, several factors
make the experience feel too easy and unbalanced, and Phase One is all about restoring
challenge, stability, and integrity to the core gameplay. Today’s update marks a big step forward
in that effort, as we have made meaningful progress in fixing major glitches and improving
overall stability. While many issues have been resolved, a few key bugs remain on our radar
and are currently being worked on for the next update. It has come to our attention that there
may be a duplication glitch related to trading, and we are moving quickly to investigate and
resolve it since it has a major impact on progression and the in-game economy. We are also
aware of a crash related to dropping runes; while the crash itself has been resolved, rune loot
drops from enemies will stay temporarily disabled until we can safely restore them in a future
update. Phase One lays the groundwork for the rest of this project, ensuring the game feels
stable, fair, and rewarding again. Once these core issues are fully addressed, we will move on
to Phase Two, where we will begin building on that foundation with new systems and balance
improvements.
Phase 2: Further Investigation into game re-balances:
In phase 2 we will look into re-balancing the game almost entirely, adjusting all heroes,
towers, gear, and pets as needed to improve the game’s overall health. We will also focus on
quality of life changes to improve the experience for players.
Phase 3: Game Mode rework:
In the current state there is little to no incentive to play the other modes outside of
survival and mixmode. In this phase we would like to focus on each of the game modes and dial
them in and give them a purpose and a reason to be played. Enemy scaling, better rewards,
and quality of life improvements to the modes are all potential changes.
Phase 4: Dev Promises, Tavern Updates, Console Updates, & adding steam deck support
Once we improve DD:A’s experience, we can look into fulfilling promises made by the
previous development team, bringing Xbox & PlayStation console versions, and looking into
4-player split-screen and updating the tavern to allow more customization. This Phase will be the
final phase before adding new maps and DLC content.
Phase 5: New Content
As most will remember, new content for Dungeon Defenders: Awakened was promised
for free. While this was a good-spirited monetization model, to support future updates DD:A will
have to move towards a paid monetization model inline with DD1, following your suggestions in
the Dungeon Defenders Discord server. The base game will include all things currently released
and future updates will be purchasable.
Patch Notes:
General Updates:
With today’s update, we’ve made significant progress toward fixing several
game-breaking glitches and improving game-play balance. Sand Keepers on Forsaken Temple
now have a minimum movement speed of 6, allowing them to move much faster and provide a
more dynamic challenge. Forsaken Temple Rifted Boss Weapons now have a much higher stat
quality bound of 60, increasing their potential rolls and overall
Armor, Weapon, and Accessory changes:
We’ve adjusted gear bonuses to make early-game progression more meaningful and
late-game loot feel special. Bonus Item Effects on gear of rarities Rare - Transcendent have
been removed. Early on, these effects were giving players too much power, making the game
feel too easy with so many stats and effects stacked early. Godly equipment now gets 1 bonus
instead of 2, Supreme equipment gets 2 bonus instead of 3, and rarities beyond Supreme
(when added) will roll with 3 item effects. Set bonuses on main-hand and off-hand weapons will
follow a similar progression, dropping at Godly and higher. Pets are not affected by this change
at the moment.
Stat changes:
The total number of skill points has been decreased to 1385, with the last 10 levels
granting 40 skill points per level. This aligns the maximum base stat value more closely with
DD1, lowering the overall early-game power and making progression feel more balanced.
Boss Changes:
1. Demon lord:
The Demon Lord has been too punishing early in the game due to low health.
We’ve adjusted him as follows:
● Base attack power decreased from 63 to 40
● Shock-wave damage decreased from 53 to 50
2. Goblin Mech:
Players were able to cheese the Goblin Mech by standing on its spawn point. To
fix this:
● Added a kill box beneath the boss to prevent players from exploiting the
spawn point
3. Ancient Dragon:
Manna-bomb now hits the Ancient Dragon.
4. Lycan King:
The Lycan King fight has been reworked to feel challenging and rewarding for the
first piece of Arcanist gear and some of the best weapons in the game. Changes
include:
● Fixed the “stuck and killed” exploit, and howling state stuck exploit
● Increased damage reduction during Howling state by 500%
● Disabled player collision with the boss to prevent throwing him under the
map
● Increased movement speed in lured state from 1.25 to 5 and in fleeing
state from 1 to 8
● Increased damage resistance while fleeing from -75 to -0.95
● AoE Howl changes:
● Damage is now multiplicative (scalar 2.5)
● Attack rate buff increased by 50%
● Buff duration increased from 5 s to 17.5 s
● Damage reduction from player attacks 50%
● Movement speed buff 1000%
● Boss stun mechanics now allow the player to deal 50% more damage
● Stalking mode adjustments:
● Movement speed increased by 50%
● Stalking swipe cooldown reduced from 3s to 2s
● Single swipe cooldown coefficient decreased from 1 to 0.95
● Howling state now applies Poison DoT that disappears in lured state
● Bomb timer increased from 15 s to 25 s and updated in U.I
● Added Lapis Gemstone pet to Act 4 Survival reward
5. Dune Eater:
The Forsaken Temple map has been reworked for a more rewarding experience:
● Added Arcanist Gloves to the end loot chest of Survival and Mixed Mode
● Added Topaz Gemstone pet to Survival reward loot table
● Players can no longer target Dune Eater while it is under the lake, forcing
Guardian changes:
The Guardian has been re-balanced to make Divine Protection more tactical and engaging.
● Cool-down on Divine Protection increased to 7 seconds (up from 1)
● Divine Protection now consumes 25 ability manna per second (up from 16)
● While active, the Guardian now takes 25% of the damage that allies
inside the circle receive
● Shield Slam maximum range increased from 500 to 1000
● Shield Slam maximum charge time is now 0.5 seconds
● Shield Slam cool-down set to 2 seconds
● Shield Slam scalar increased from 1 to 2.5
● Shield Slam now applies a 4-second stun
Warden Changes:
The Warden has received a series of improvements to make their abilities feel faster and more
rewarding.
● Sprout cool-down reduced from 5 s to 3 s
● Sprout damage coefficient increased from 1 to 2.5
● Sprout pickup range increased from 300 to 750
● Sprout cast time reduced from 3 s to 1.5 s
● Pure Sprout now applies a 15% buff to the player when picked up
● Wrath Sprout now doubles player speed, increases damage by 35%, and
adds 15% damage resistance
● Shroom Circle max range increased from 1000 to 5000
● Shroom Circle cool-down reduced to 7 seconds
● Shroom Circle Wrath damage coefficient increased from 1 to 1.5
● Coefficient doubled when Wrath Stun is active
● Sludge damage coefficient increased to 1
● Sludge Slow duration increased to 3.5 seconds
Summoner Changes:
● Pet-boost had its coefficient increased from 1 to 1.5.
Rouge Changes:
● Stealth buff post-multiplicative additive bonus decreased to 0.1 (down
from 0.2)
● Rip State damage coefficient decreased from 1 to 0.75
Pets:
A major focus of this update is pets. Many new pets have been added for players to
collect, and existing pets will be re-balanced in a future update. Highlights include:
● Lapis Gemstone: Added to the Act 4 Survival reward upon defeating the
Lycan King. This buff pet is similar to the Obsidian Gemstone but provides
a small reduction to enemy damage for a short duration on your next
attack, making it a strategic addition for tougher fights.
● Topaz Gemstone: Added to the Forsaken Temple Survival and Mixed
Mode end loot chest after defeating the Dune Eater. This pet functions
similarly to other buff pets, giving nearby allies a temporary boost to
movement speed and attack rate, helping players navigate the
challenging fight more effectively.
Additional updates:
● New drops in Lost Metropolis, Alchemical Laboratory, Ancient Mines,
Ramparts, Throne Room, Royal Guardians, Promenade, Arcane Library,
Tornado Valley, Tornado Highlands, and The Mill
● Golden pets now drop on all maps at wave 100 of Rifted Survival
● Rifted and Golden pets have been re-balanced with updated Hero Point
scalars, Pet Ability Damage, Vitality, and Attack Rates
● Notable additions: Gold Griffin, Gold MistaMine, Gold SteamBot, Gold
Little Wizard, Gold Etherian Ancient, Gold Genie, Gold Lycan Prince,
Gold mini Demon Lord, and many more
● The Golden and Rifted Ramster Can each have a 10%
chance to drop from Halloween Ramparts.
● The Obsidian Gemstone has been improved to apply its Sunder Armor
effect for 6 seconds (up from 3), with a cool-down of 4 seconds (down
from 8).
● All fairies heal for much more
Note: Some tool-tips are incorrect for new pets; this will be fixed in the next
patch
Tower and Defense Changes:
We’ve re-balanced many of the early-game defenses and adjusted their ordering to better reflect their intended power levels and the order in which they unlock. These adjustments were made to improve early-game progression and make each character’s defenses feel more natural and rewarding. As a result of these changes, if one of your defenses was moved to a new position, your rifted set will no longer correspond to that same defense. We understand this may cause some frustration, but it’s a necessary step toward creating a more consistent and enjoyable experience across all heroes. Please note that the updated defense order and DU adjustments are not yet reflected in the UI and will be corrected in the next patch.
● Empowering Shrine is now Defense 5
● Holy Cannon is now Defense 2
● Obelisk is now Defense 3
● Owl is now Defense 4, costing 4 DU
● Holy Bulwark is now 3 DU
● Poison Dart Tower is now 3 DU and costs 80 manna
The Healing Aura has been significantly improved. Healing output increased by a factor of 8, making it a much stronger choice for the Lycan King fight and other challenging encounters.
● Spider Minion Webbed Effect now applies 1.25× damage (down from 2×)
● Siren Minion now costs 90 manna and is Defense 4
● Dark Mage Minion is now Defense 3, costs 80 manna, and uses 3 DU
● Ogre Minion DU cost reduced to 120 DU
● Squire Blockade is now 2 DU
● Sniper Cannon is now Defense 2, costs 80 manna, and uses 4 DU
● Harpoon Tower is now Defense 4
● Bowling Ball Tower is now Defense 3, costs 70 manna, and uses 4 DU
● Shroomy Pet is now Defense 2, costs 60 manna, and uses 1 DU
● Wisp Den is now Defense 3, using 3 DU
● Beaming Blossom is now Defense 4, using 4 DU
● Sludge Launcher is now Defense 5, costing 100 manna
● Overclock Beam Rune coefficient decreased to 0.5, reducing the bonus
damage from the rune by half
Conclusion:
With today’s update, we’re excited to introduce the developers behind the Community
Development Team and share a glimpse of what’s ahead for Dungeon Defenders: Awakened.
This update marks the first of many and serves as a “how-to” for pushing a build live, officially
beginning a new era for the game, the DD:A Renaissance. We hope this update excites you and
invites you to join us on this journey by cheering us on, sharing your feedback, and helping us
shape the future of the game. Thank you for trusting us to deliver meaningful updates and
improvements. If you would like to support the Community Development Team directly, consider
purchasing existing cosmetic costumes and joining the official Dungeon Defenders Discord
server, where you can connect with us and the wider community as we continue building the
DD:A Renaissance together.
Until Next Time,
The Community Development Team