Hello again, dungeon delvers! I am happy to report that the first content update for INTO EVIL is now out!
It's main addition (as previously mentioned) is: Dual Wielding!
But that is far from all - I have tried to scour all of your immediate feedback and address as much of it as I possibly could (making these patch notes huge). There are UX improvements, changes to lock-on, to multiplayer, tons of bugfixes and tweaks, rebalancing, and more!
Key Changes
Dual wielding has been added to the game! If you hold compatible items of the same “class” in both hands, attacking with the left hand item will incorporate the right hand weapon in its attack combo. This can slay foes swiftly, but is risky - such attacks tend to consume vigor, be slower, or otherwise open you up for counterattack if used recklessly.
A new character - the Rogue - is now unlocked when you defeat a run. She is nimble, quick, and particularly good for parry-centric builds. In addition to a rapier, she begins each run with dual daggers.
Fallen players in multiplayer may now be resurrected by surviving allies. Travel to their corpse and use a Vitae Ampoule to restore their corporeal vessels! If you cannot reach their corpse, you may still return them to life by claiming the Vitae Flame or reaching a rest waypoint.
UX / Accessibility
You can now collapse and re-expand the full item details in the On-Player HUD. This allows it to be made much less obtrusive if needed (for example, during combat). To toggle item details, press “Q” on Mouse and Keyboard or click the Right Stick on the controller.
You can no longer manually unlock from targets, as the button to do so now controls toggling item details. (This was previously disabled by default, so the impact to player experience should be minimal.)
You can now remain locked on to a target up to 3x further away.
Controller Lock-on now indicates when you cannot see a target, and takes 3x longer to break lock-on when visibility is lost.
Controller Lock-on auto target switching (refocusing to a new target if they are much closer than your current target) is now disabled by default. (You may re-enable it in the game settings if desired.)
Controller Lock-on now factors in target visibility, preventing you from locking onto targets that your character cannot actually see.
If you wish to attack in a direction other than where you are locked on, you can now hold the right stick in the target direction. After a ~second, your character will face that direction while keeping their current locked target, allowing you to resume facing them at any moment. (This facilitates shattering Vitae globes mid-fight, for example.)
Input is ignored when the game is not focused.
The mouse is now constrained to the game window by default. (This can be disabled in the Options > Graphics menu. Additionally, due to Unity constraints it only functions on PC and Linux builds.)
Color blind filters (Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia) have been added to the game.
An option to add outlines to certain objects to increase their visibility has been added to the game options. This most notably impacts dropped items, but encompasses certain other effects as well (such as moving pools of flame which some players have reported as being difficult to track).
A warning now appears at the entrance of the Descent if you have an existing save that would be abandoned.
Tutorial pings now shut up while actually viewing a tutorial.
Multiplayer Changes / Fixes
Leaving the prologue in multiplayer no longer returns you to the “Prologue Player Confirmation” screen, and the player confirmation screen is now more intuitive.
In multiplayer, the per-player color indicators are now a crisper outline (and can now additionally be retained in split-screen by enabling the high-visibility outlines).
Additionally, in multiplayer each character’s starting clothing is now colored to match their selected player color. (This does not apply to any items picked up later.)
Scaling-locked HUD elements now work properly in split-screen when there are multiple differently-sized player viewports.
Resurrected players retain their prior extra vitality, vigor, soul points, and essence traits from Vitae Flames and Soulsear Engines.
Ghost vision now properly provides enhanced senses to deceased players, allowing them to scout more effectively.
Dropped Vitality and Vigor pickups in the Arena function correctly again.
Balance Changes
Poise, attack strength, and hit staggering have all been slightly adjusted.
Healing items can be found slightly more frequently.
Magic maps can be discovered slightly more often.
Merchant prices have been slightly reduced for mid-tier items, and you can discover slightly more gold from exploration. Additionally, the merchant shop after the first floor now has generically lower prices due to players not being offered a chance to stockpile gold.
The duration of the Demon of Flesh’s vomiting has been reduced.
The Demon of Flesh no longer summons lightning mines in the later stages of its fight.
The Demon of Flesh and Greaselings now both more visibly indicate when they are contaminated by Blight (and thus will spread it to the player).
Becoming Greased is now more visible, and the effect will now quickly burn off if you are set on fire.
It is now much rarer for keys to be added to the same exact room.
Thrown Fireforged weapons now strictly inflict the same result as striking a foe in melee (instead of having stronger projectiles). Additionally, the range of the thrown dagger has been greatly reduced.
The Momentum ability has been restyled, and now builds up force as you run instead of being applied instantaneously.
The particularly deadly one-armed zombie warriors that can be encountered in ruined passageways have been redesigned.
Bugfixes / Tweaks
All effects that should ignite or extinguish open flames now properly do so. (Additionally, some new sources of open flame can now be ignited and/or extinguished by powerful sources of frost!)
The intense burning triggered by Fan the Flames no longer spreads to the player.
Items with multiple “mount points” (ex: gloves and boots with both hands and feet respectively) now properly handle various effect modifiers (for example, emitting magical radiance).
There is now more ambient light in the Priest of Flesh’s boss arena, and some of their moves now shed more light.
Vitae flames no longer slide around.
Astral Projection now properly untethers the source player’s viewpoint, allowing for farther-reaching exploration.
Torches now bop enemies when extinguished.
When you can trigger a manifested ability (such as Frozen Needles) by pressing the Interact button, it will no longer trigger if you have another focused interactable but are somehow prevented from starting the interaction (for example, if you are about to pick up a torch but are actively blocking with your shield). This reduces edge cases where players reported accidentally firing icicles and ensures the displayed interaction prompt is always correct.
Torches on walls are less clustered in the dungeon, and drop less frequently as loot.
Comparing damage values on weapons with the same damage type and amount now properly shows the type name in all cases.
Imbued invocation cooldown indicators are now hidden while the parent object is hidden (for example, while using a Vitae Ampoule).
A subtle glint now indicates when a parry can intercept enemy blows.
Wands now correctly speed up with ranged attack speed modifiers.
A few of the more obvious tutorials no longer trigger during regular gameplay. (They can still be perused in the Codex but will not add to the pings shown to new players.)
Arcane orbs will now resume illuminating for as long as the button is held.
It should no longer be possible to be clipped into stained glass walls.
Swapping items in one hand no longer causes the icons to move slower the more zoomed out the camera is.
Foes with necromantic abilities now only re-summon slain minions (instead of any that are damaged). This has some nuanced effects on encounter difficulty, but should be more immediately intuitive.
Boosting your vigor no longer instantly refills it.
The time it takes to dispel an effect has been doubled, making it harder to accidentally dispel multiple effects unintentionally.
Tower shields now properly block beams and spray attacks.
Certain problematic edge cases that could arise during map generation have been addressed.
Enemies with charge attacks now properly plow through their target.
Summoned minions and freed undead no longer get fixated on trapped prisoners in cells.
Weapon “swoosh” sounds have been adjusted and refined.
A blue glow now highlights the bonfire used to Save and Quit in the rest waypoint, making it easier for players to realize they can utilize it.
It should no longer be possible for enemies to follow you into a boss arena, or for bosses to shove you out of it.
You can no longer fire projectiles and cast spells through solid doors.
The “Use Carried Item” key is now properly rebindable.
Starlight will fix itself if it gets stuck on terrain.
Round shadows now look better as sources of light move extremely close to them.
Clarified some info text on certain items.
The save screen is now properly localized.
Saving and leaving a run on a controller now properly shows the post-save explanation screen.
The sound of an arcane orb revealing its surroundings is now subtler.
I very much hope you enjoy the changes!
Next month, be prepared for another hefty update: Mighty Weapons! Get ready to swing giant greataxes and zweihanders, because two-handed weapons are hurtling your way!
