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Hades: The Long Winter Update Patch Notes

By Supergiant Games January 21st, 2020

Hades is in Early Access, which means we're actively working on it based on our plans and your feedback. We expect to keep adding features, characters, weapons, foes, powers, environments, and more, while expanding the story and fine-tuning all aspects of the experience.

Note: πŸ“’ indicates a change inspired by community feedback! Our latest patch notes are below:

Early Access Patch 039 - January 28, 2020

This patch includes more localized content, balance changes, fixes, and improvements for last week's Long Winter Update, as we shift focus to our next Major Update. Until then, thank you for playing!!


General Gameplay

Reduced prices of Boons sold by Charon
πŸ“’ Titan Blood sold at the Wretched Broker now yields more Gemstones


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

Shield of Chaos: slightly reduced Bull Rush charge-up time (to how it was before the Long Winter Update)
Adamant Rail: increased autolock radius while using gamepad


Boons & Blessings

Reduced offering rate of 'Exchange' Boons
Reduced offering rate for Olympian Aid Boons (in general, they should appear less early and often)
Divine Dash (Athena): slightly increased Deflect duration (still less than before the Long Winter Update)
Proud Bearing (Athena): improved scaling from Poms
Holy Shield (Athena): increased duration of Deflect revenge effect
Curse of Pain (Ares): fixed an issue causing this not to scale correctly with improved rarity
Urge to Kill (Ares): effect now can scale with Poms
πŸ“’ Aphrodite's Call: no longer blockable by shield-bearing foes; no longer stopped by Final Boss urns
πŸ“’ Artemis' Call: no longer stopped by by Final Boss urns
πŸ“’ Crystal Beam (Demeter): increased tracking speed
Killing Freeze (Demeter): improved scaling from rarity
Rare Crop (Demeter): slightly reduced appearance rate
Demeter's Aid: increased speed at which winter vortex reaches full size
πŸ“’ Blizzard Shot (Demeter x Poseidon): increased damage
Defiance (Chaos): increased appearance rate


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Piercing Wave (Blade): increased damage
πŸ“’ Cursed Slash (Blade): increased life-steal effect
πŸ“’ Charged Volley (Bow): slightly improved charge-up time
Charged Shot (Shield): fixed an issue causing it to stop you longer than intended
World Smasher (Shield): slightly reduced damage; no longer fully automatic
Cluster Bomb (Rail): staggered firing sequence; reduced damage penalty; increased area of effect


Foes & Encounters

Thanatos: reduced appearance rate (it is still significantly higher than before the Long Winter Update)
The Fury Sisters: adjusted some of their attack timings under Extreme Measures (Pact)
Wave-Maker: adjusted attack pattern; reduced armor; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
Burn-Flinger: adjusted attack pattern; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
Bone Hydra: reduced tracking of projectile attack
Gigantic Vermin: Mini-boss creates fewer Poison puddles
πŸ“’ Final Boss: improved hit box on some attacks; urns no longer deal damage while being summoned


Keepsakes & Items

Broken Spearpoint (Fallen Warrior): reduced cooldown


Pact of Punishment

πŸ“’ Budget Cuts: no longer locked in as part of Hell Mode
Lasting Consequences: first rank now locked in as part of Hell Mode
Underworld Customs: increased Heat
Forced Overtime: increased Heat; reduced number of ranks (though each rank has a greater effect)
πŸ“’ Convenience Fee: no longer raises cost of Bounty resources sold in Charon's shop in Styx


Art & Visual FX

Added new visual presentation when vanquishing bosses with Winter Harvest (Demeter)
Improved visual presentation when slaying other foes with Winter Harvest (Demeter)
Improved visual presentation when revealing Spear (Aspect of Guan Yu)


Music & SFX

Added new sound effects for Final Boss urn destruction attack
Adjusted sound effects volume for Mistral Dash (Demeter)
Fixed sound effects on Charged Skewer (Spear)
Fixed Delta Chamber (Rail) always playing low-ammo sound
Fixed victory music stinger being inaudible if a song is being performed in the House of Hades


Voice & Narrative

πŸ“’ Restored post-defeat voice lines from Final Boss
πŸ“’ Added one-time voice hint about how to get to Eurydice while outside her chamber
Added new voice lines for various Wretched Broker interactions
Fixed two Inspect Points in the House of Hades that were not playing or appearing correctly
Fixed voice lines sometimes not playing when confronting the Bone Hydra
Fixes to narrative scripting to some events
Additional fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events


Miscellaneous

πŸ“’ Added more new localized strings for content introduced in the Long Winter Update
πŸ“’ Improved text and icon distinctions between Max Life increases and Healing
πŸ“’ In ultrawide resolutions, sidebar artwork no longer occludes the edges of the display
Added controller vibration while using the Rod of Fishing
Reduced frequency of visual effects while taking damage from Lava
Fixed Cyclops Jerky Select (Fallen Warrior) text to match the effect (the text was less than the effect)
Minor fixes and improvements to Splendid Lyre interact presentation
Added subtle visual effect when collecting Bloodstone ammo
Other minor text fixes and presentation improvements


Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where too many different Olympians could appear in a single escape attempt (note: this has no effect on Boon offering rates, only on total number of different Boon-giving characters per escape attempt)
πŸ“’ Fixed an issue that could stall progress on Dusa's lounge renovation quest
πŸ“’ Fixed instances of invisible collision in the House of Hades
πŸ“’ Fixed Boon Rarity markers disappearing from Ambrosia Delight (Eurydice) or Rare Crop (Demeter)
πŸ“’ Fixed one more case of being able to use the Rod of Fishing while standing in lava
Fixed Trippy Shot (Dionysus) sometimes being destroyed unexpectedly
Fixed an interaction between Bow (Hera Aspect) and Crystal Shot (Demeter)
Fixed a graphical issue in the biome map travel sequence from Tartarus
Fixed an animation issue with the floating bobber while using the Rod of Fishing
Fixed alert icon always appearing on House Contractor even when new items were not available
Fixed conditions for certain Victory Screen Commendations
Fixed a minor graphical issue while closing the Fated List
Fixed instances where icons could remain visible in the Boon Info sidebar unexpectedly
Other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

'On the middle 7th cast Demeter's holy grain on the well-rolled threshing-floor, keeping a sharp eye open; and have a woodcutter cut house planks, and all the ship-timbers that are appropriate for ships. But begin building narrow ships on the 4th.' ~Works and Days (Hesiod; M. L. West translation)

Early Access Patch 038 - January 24, 2020

This patch contains various fixes following this week's Long Winter Update. Expect another patch with more localized content and additional changes before we switch focus to our next Major Update.


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

πŸ“’ Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): improved hit box while using Deflect effects


Boons & Blessings

πŸ“’ Wave Pounding (Poseidon): damage bonus now correctly applies to your Special as well as Attack
Support Fire (Artemis): fixed an issue causing Pom bonuses to scale incorrectly (the first one used gave too much of a benefit, while subsequent ones gave too little)


Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Fixed God of the Seas requirements to include Wave Pounding (Poseidon)
Fixed A Simple Job being completable below the stated requirement


Rod of Fishing

Fixed an issue causing Fishing Points to appear more often than intended in the Temple of Styx
πŸ“’ Added cannot-interact feedback on fishing points when they cannot be used (such as during combat)
πŸ“’ Adjusted positions of some hard-to-reach fishing points
Minor fixes to some graphic issues related to fishing


Art & Visual FX

πŸ“’ Further adjustments to visual clarity while poisoned in the Temple of Styx
Minor updates to one of the many rugs available from the House Contractor
Minor updates to some Demeter visual effects
Minor graphical fixes in the House of Hades and Bedchambers
Minor graphical improvements to House Contractor screen
Minor visual improvements to Eternal Spear (Guan Yu)
Minor visual improvements to a pillar destruction animation in Asphodel
Minor improvements to one the biome map transitions


Voice & Narrative

πŸ“’ Fixed instances where Dusa could not be gifted for no apparent reason
Fixes to narrative scripting to some new events
Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events


Miscellaneous

Added some new localized strings for content added in the Long Winter Update
πŸ“’ Adjusted some player on-hit effects fighting the Minotaur and Final Boss
Removed money sometimes dropping from destructible pillars in Asphodel
Added several missing subtitles for Dusa
Added work-in-progress presentation when Winter Harvest (Demeter) slays a boss
πŸ“’ Using Charm effects on Exalted Strongbow now clears their targeting reticle
Minor text changes and fixes


Bug Fixes

πŸ“’ Fixed a crash that could occur while inflicting Chill effects on the Bone Hydra
πŸ“’ Fixed crashes with certain Polish-language text strings
πŸ“’ Fixed additional cases of being able to use the Rod of Fishing while standing in lava
Fixed Mistral Wind (Demeter) sometimes activating Dodge effects
Fixed Eternal Spear (Guan Yu) breaking after swapping a Boon affecting your Special
πŸ“’ Fixed a Boon text issue with Deadly Strike (Artemis) and Deadly Flourish (Artemis) (their Critical chance was higher than the text stated)
Fixed incorrect icon for Nourished Soul (Demeter)
Fixed several issues where World Smasher (Shield) could be offered with incompatible upgrades
πŸ“’ Fixed an issue where Brimstones or Snakestones sometimes could be knocked out of bounds
Fixed an issue causing life-steal effects to work against ambient shades (they have no life to steal)
πŸ“’ Fixed being able to dash out of bounds in a certain Tartarus chamber
Fixed Daedalus Hammer sometimes appearing as a chamber reward in Styx when not supposed to
πŸ“’ Fixed a watery sound effect continuing to play unexpectedly after fishing
Fixed Court Music items in the House Contractor continually showing as new
Fixed several issues with toggling certain House Contractor decorations
Fixed a missing hit reaction on certain obstacles when facing the Final Boss
πŸ“’ Fixed Codex entries with special requirements not unlocking as expected
πŸ“’ Fixed a display issue in the Fated List while navigating with gamepad should buttons
Fixed a graphical issue with Demeter's Aid Greater Call and certain visual effects
Fixed a visual effect popping away unexpectedly in the Final Boss encounter
Fixed minor collision issues in the House of Hades
Many other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

'He had eyes like a phoenix's and fine bushy eyebrows like silkworms. His whole appearance was dignified and awe-inspiring. Presently, Liu Bei crossed over, sat down beside him and asked his name. "I am Guan Yu," replied he.' ~Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong; C.H. Brewitt-Taylor translation)


Early Access Patch 037 - January 22, 2020

Thank you for all your feedback and excitement about yesterday's big Long Winter Update! This patch addresses several issues it introduced. Some changes we fully walked back and marked with * below. We're continuing to monitor impressions as we prepare additional patches for the coming days (or nights?).


General Gameplay

πŸ“’ Reduced prices of Boons sold by Charon
πŸ“’ Reduced price of Daedalus Hammer sold by Charon *
πŸ“’ Reduced price of augmented Boons and Poms sold by Charon in the Temple of Styx


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

πŸ“’ Stygian Blade (Nemesis): increased Critical chance *
πŸ“’ Eternal Spear (Zagreus): reworked; now gives bonus damage, range, and speed to Skewer special
πŸ“’ Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): reduced penalty to life total and healing; replaced Skewer special with the new Firework Skewer, which deals area damage on its flight path and does not require retrieval
Shield of Chaos (Zeus): increased damage rate of Throw special


Boons & Blessings

πŸ“’ Wave Pounding (Poseidon): newly added! Boons with knock-away deal bonus damage to bosses
Blinding Flash (Athena): fixed an issue causing bonus damage from this to be less than expected
πŸ“’ Divine Dash (Athena): fixed an issue preventing this from activating Blinding Flash and Merciful End (Athena x Ares) as intended
Life Affirmation (Aphrodite): increased power level at higher rarity
Support Fire (Artemis): increased damage; increased power level at higher rarity
Deadly Strike (Artemis): increased Critical chance; reduced damage to compensate *
Arctic Blast (Demeter): increased damage
Quick Reload (Hermes): significantly increased effect at higher rarity
Increased power level of Chaos blessing effects at higher rarity *


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Double Nova (Blade): slightly increased damage radius
Cursed Slash (Blade): now restores 1 Life per hit (instead of a percentage)
πŸ“’ Charged Volley (Bow): slightly increased minimum range
πŸ“’ Charged Skewer (Spear): slightly increased minimum range
Quick Rush (Shield): no longer removes the Bull Rush's innate knock-away effect
πŸ“’ Charged Throw (Shield): should now be more responsive to short button presses
Hazard Bomb (Rail): increased damage; reduced self-damage
Rocket Bomb (Rail): increased damage
πŸ“’ Explosive Fire (Rail): it's back; now briefly slows foes instead of staggering them


Foes & Encounters

πŸ“’ Thanatos: reduced maximum number of waves of foes in encounters with him in Elysium and Styx; slightly reduced total enemy counts in those encounters
πŸ“’ 'Trial of the Gods': reduced radius of Demeter's attack if you spurn her
πŸ“’ Wave-Maker: reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
πŸ“’ Splitter: reduced appearance rate in Elysium
πŸ“’ Reduced damage rate of Poison effects in the Temple of Styx *
πŸ“’ Final Boss: toned down a particular combo attack...


Keepsakes & Items

Evergreen Acorn (Eurydice): increased instances of damage absorption *
Lucky Tooth (Skelly): fixed an issue causing this to restore less health than intended


Pact of Punishment

Convenience Fee: reduced effect on shop prices (making this somewhat less punishing than before)


Rod of Fishing

Fixed an issue causing Fishing Points to appear more often than intended in Tartarus
πŸ“’ Fish in the Temple of Styx now net you a tidy sum of Gemstones
πŸ“’ Increased how often fishing opportunities occur in the main hub in the Temple of Styx
πŸ“’ The Gameplay Timer and Tight Deadline (Pact) Timer pause while fishing ("Relax, boyo!" --Skelly)
πŸ“’ Taking damage now interrupts any fishing attempts ("Have you tried NOT standing in lava?" --Hypnos)
Fish fake-out jukes are harder to detect
Additional adjustments to timings trying to catch those blasted little...


Art & Visual FX

Added reveal animation in the Weapon Aspects screen for the Aspect of Guan Yu
Added unique icon for Demeter's Keepsake (note: this was included as part of a hotfix yesterday)
Updated visual effect for Aspect of Guan Yu's Moon Cutter Spin attack
Slightly reduced visual effect for Bloodless Burn-Flinger bomb blast
Minor updates to some Elysium chambers and artwork
Minor updates to the recently added chamber in Tartarus
Minor updates to Charon's Shop in Tartarus
Minor art fixes in the House of Hades
Minor art fixes to visual effect for Mistral Dash (Demeter)
Minor art fixes to Keepsake icons


Voice & Narrative

Fixes to narrative scripting to some new events
Fixed Inspect Point for the new Massive Weights decoration appearing prematurely
Moved an Inspect Point about decorative pillars to a more appropriate-looking set of pillars
Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events


Miscellaneous

πŸ“’ Added mouse-wheel scrolling to the House Contractor screen
Added simple interaction to Intricate Contraption and Bloodless Sculpture
Small adjustment to gameplay timer formatting
Minor text changes, clarifications, and fixes


Bug Fixes

πŸ“’ Fixed a progression blocker opening the Codex or Boon Info screens while fishing
πŸ“’ Fixed a progression blocker renovating Zagreus' bedchambers after a character conversation
πŸ“’ Fixed some House Contractor decorations being unavailable after deactivating the Scrying Pool
Fixed Eternal Spear (Guan Yu) causing your burst-damage shield to activate more often than intended
πŸ“’ Fixed Crush Shot (Aphrodite) not destroying some obstacles as expected
πŸ“’ Fixed Atrophic (Chaos) curse removing more health than intended
Fixed an issue causing Demeter Duo Boons to only show up from her, not her extended family
πŸ“’ Minor fixes to Cluster Bomb (Daedalus - Rail) blast preview
πŸ“’ Fixed Dusa's conversation indicator sometimes remaining visible after she bails on you
πŸ“’ Fixed Dusa sometimes not being visible after using Companion Fidi
Fixed Skelly Codex entry showing incorrect unlock conditions in some cases
Fixed Cursed Slash (Blade) stealing life from urns or even poor Cerberus in the Temple of Styx


Quote of the Patch

'Demeter's true concerns were not on Olympus, but on the earth. She presided over the crops, and over the grains in particular. For some reason she held the bean in contempt as impure.' ~Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology (E. Tripp)

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

πŸ“’ 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)
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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
Nasty Dash (Dionysus): 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
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ Charged Skewer (Spear): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Skewer special
Quick Spin (Spear): no longer quite as quick
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ Thanatos: should show up more frequently (once you encounter him for the first time in Elysium)
πŸ“’ After the other Fury Sisters show up, it is no longer possible to randomly avoid one indefinitely
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ Reduced number of foes on the Asphodel Barge of Death under Middle Management (Pact)
πŸ“’ 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)
πŸ“’ Elysian Arrow Trap: attack now dissipates as soon as combat is over
πŸ“’ Flame Wheels: reduced health and Elite armor
πŸ“’ Nemean Chariot: no longer can hit multiple times in one charge
πŸ“’ 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)
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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

πŸ“’ Screen now shows all available options by category (instead of a random set of just three)
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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)
πŸ“’ Increased rewards for Daedalus Hammer and Olympian Prophecies


Pact of Punishment

Heightened Security: reduced to a single rank
πŸ“’ No Choice: increased Heat
πŸ“’ Hard Labor: re-scaled to 5 ranks
πŸ“’ 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)
πŸ“’ Reduced visual effects of poison in the Temple of Styx (making it easier to find curing pools)
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ Primordial Chaos now responds to certain interactions in their realm
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ Orpheus: due to the House Contractor redesign, the item to release him can be found more reliably
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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

πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ Fixed a rare issue where Death Defiance could cause a permanent slowdown
πŸ“’ Fixed Numbing Sensation (Dionysus) having a reduced power level at Heroic rarity
Fixed Black Out (Dionysus) unintentionally being upgradeable by Eurydice
πŸ“’ Fixed Companion Rib (Skelly) causing 'Trial of the Gods' effects to occur unexpectedly
πŸ“’ 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
πŸ“’ 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 oxβ€”all in vain.
~Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Anonymous; G. Nagy translation)


Patch Notes Archive

For patch notes from the previous Major Update, check out The Welcome to Hell Update Patch Notes (December, 2019).