But is the newly-minted EA FC 24 more than just a name change and roster update? Well, having laid our hands on the pre-beta build of EA FC 24 and later, the closed beta build of the same game, it is. Thanks to the good folks at EA Sports, we were recently in Sydney for the franchise’s special showcase which allowed us access to EA FC 24 and FC Mobile producers.

If you’ve seen many of EAFC’s promotional materials, you would instantly realize the theme of triangles. According to EAFC24 Senior Producer Samuel Rivera, the three key elements which separate EA FC 24 from its predecessors are the Volumetric Capture, Opta Analytics which influences individual players’ playstyle and the enhanced Frostbite Engine.

Enough with the big words. What do these bombastic terms mean for players, then?

As a package, each of these elements work together to present a distinct EA FC 24 experience for those who have grown accustomed to FIFA23.  In EA FC 24, each of the eleven players under your control feels unique from one another which will drastically change how you approach the game. Sure, in the past some superstar players feel a little overpowered but now with a wider variety when it comes to the in-game player’s traits, 1v1s on the field feel less lopsided compared to the past.

“We started testing this (Volumetric Capture) in 2018 but the technology, console and of course artificial intelligence weren’t ready,” said Rivera.

Those coming straight from FIFA23 would instantly feel the game pace in EA FC 24 to be slightly slower and more methodical than the game it is replacing. While it isn’t intentional according to Rivera, he suggests that the game now feels more authentic as each player’s characteristics reflect real life.

It’s In The Game?

Based on the closed event as well as the Closed Beta build which we have gotten our hands-on, the varying styles of player gait make a whole lot of difference when executed properly. For example with Liverpool, Luis Diaz’s smaller strides make him brilliant in changing directions on the fly in the wing while with Cody Gakpo, you can easily leave the defenders in the dust with a quick change of pace.

Opta Anaytics now plays a larger role too on how certain players can impact the game on the fly. With player traits based on their real-life statistics from the most recently completed season, one can expect to make a defence-splitting through ball with Kevin de Bruyne which is otherwise impossible to pull off with Fred, for example.

With sliding tackles, defenders now have a higher chance of retaining the ball instead of seeing it roll away as frequently experienced in FIFA23. As a result, the controversial auto-tackling feature has somewhat benefited from the Volumetric Capture too. Larger but slower defenders now have a fighting chance against smaller yet nimbler wingers who have always tormented them in previous games. Dribbling past defenders now require a more precise run and one of the most effective approaches to capitalize on these new mechanics introduced in EA FC 24 would be to bait defenders into making the first tackle.

We also spoke to Producer on FC Mobile, Timo Mueller who promised a new approach in shooting the ball when using touchscreen controls. By quickly flicking their finger across the screen, players are able to execute the Power Shot feature which is synonymous with the console and PC versions. A risk vs reward feature, all the benefits and setbacks from trying to pull off the Power Shot are also brought to mobile giving players a closer playing experience to that of their console peers.

Clearly aware of the unique nature of mobile gaming where players have differing device specs, Mueller said “We are pushing the visuals in the gameplay to higher heights than ever before but at the same time we have to make sure it applies to any user regardless if they have the iPhone 14 Pro Max or a lower-spec Android phone. We always think about how we can optimize the features in FC Mobile no matter what device the player is using”.

“We actually made specific changes for FC Mobile to actually raise the lower graphic quality to (allow them) to enjoy these new features” he added.

Ultimate Team Upgrades

One major feature which will totally set apart the EA FC brand from the FIFA franchise it is replacing would be the inclusion of female professional players in the Football Ultimate Team (FUT) mode. Having tried it via the closed beta build, female players tend to be zippier on the field but can be neutralized by overtly physical counterplays. Imagine how you would neutralize the opponent’s Raheem Sterling and you should have a rough picture of how female pros such as Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler handle in-game.

Another interesting feature would be “Player Evolutions” which allow FUT players to give players in their squad unique stats growth characteristics. That way, even though you and I have identical teams with identical players, our squads’ actual qualities differ due to differing principles in how we “grow” and nurture players in our respective squads.

However, we definitely require more hands-on time with these new modes and changes so we can’t reveal much about EA FC 24 until we’ve had a thorough experience with the final build. But from our initial experience, EA FC 24 feels distinct from FIFA23 on gameplay and in-game experience.

There’s definitely a lot to unpack as we move closer to the game’s release but what we can say for now, is that EA FC 24 is much, much more than merely a rebrand or a roster update. EA FC 24 will be out for consoles and PC on 29 September.

2019’s search action game Blasphemous garnered a lot of attention for its stark and gross imagery and gothic themes, filled with grotesque moments. Underneath it all is a solid game that almost misses the perfection mark when it comes to delivering a meaty 2D action experience.

Developer The Game Kitchen fixed all that with its eventual sequel Blasphemous 2, and Lord almighty, it’s a helluva upgrade.

Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned….

Blasphemous 2 puts you in the shoes of the Penitent One as they explore the messed-up world they’re in -Cvstodia- to find out why there’s a godly baby being born out of the sky. You also have to stop a bunch of people who defected from your order as well; hunt them down, and eventually find a way to get to the top. Blasphemous lore hounds will find a lot to love here, particularly how cryptic it gets with its story. But the gist is you have to kill a bunch of bosses, then open up more sections and defeat a few more to access the top.

In standard search action format, you have to find new powerups to access previously-barred areas. You start off with a dash/dodge and any of the three weapons you get to pick. Yes, the weapons system is brand-new to this series, and it’s definitely a cherished addition. You’ll unlock more tools of destruction, with each of them having their own fighting style and obstacle-solving applications. You have the standard sword (Ruego Al Alba) that has a downward stab that destroys certain barricades, the dual rapiers (Sarmiento & Centella) that can be used onto teleportation mirror-things, and giant chained mace (Veredicto) that can ring bells that creates makeshift “water” platforms.

Blasphemous 2 requires you to switch between weapons for some of its platforming sections, some of them being more tricky than others. You have to switch from the mace to ring the bell, make platforms appear, then switch back to the rapiers to elevate and launch yourself to the finish line, for example. It’s devious and reflex-heavy, but fun all the while. If the weapon-switching gets tough, note that you can switch the order of the weapons so it can be slightly convenient for you while in the heat of the jumping bits.

And if you die? Well, you basically get a penalty in the form of Guilt. See the blue bar below your red health bar? That’s Fervour, which you need to cast Prayers (spells and powerups like your projectiles and buffs). That gets shortened the more times you die. You can go collect your afterimage from the spot you died at when you respawn, though it won’t clear all your Guilt. You need to head to the hub area’s local confessional booth to clear it out. Speaking of town hub, there’s a central area where you can buy passive equipment in the form of rosary accessories (5 slots, unlockable if you find beads all over the map).

You can also equip Blasphemous 2’s new equipment feature called Altarpieces; you can unlock up to eight spots for Altarpiece figures you can equip for passive boosts, be it extra damage for your sword attacks, bigger window for your block/parry, or buffs for your prayers and elemental attacks. It’s meant to cater to your playstyle while you’re fighting in Cvstodia. Equipping a pair of Altarpiece figures of the same family will boost certain attributes for your weapons or spells further, so it’s pretty important to find as many of these via the game’s many sidequests and secrets. Other collectibles can also unlock fast travel between save points, and more to make your search action exploration and 100%-ing all the more convenient, provided you put the work in.

Plus, there’s even a skill tree that needs upgrading via Marks of Martyrdom that open up new skills for your weapon(s) of choice, like a “Devil Trigger” mode for your Ruego, lunge attacks for your Sarmiento/Centella, and instant-charge flame properties for your Veredicto. I did unlock half of these, and they’re useful, though you are free to use the bare minimum to get through all of the game’s major challenges.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth…

Speaking of which, the boss fights are just as epic as the last game. Rather than the majority of them being monstrosities, most of your fights are with warriors who look similar to The Penitent One. These battles are more like duels, where you have to figure out their patterns and methods before conquering them. The big bads you fight here seem “cleaner” and more orderly compared to the last game. You still fight some nasty Catholicism-themed giant freaks (one of them’s a multi-headed coffin priest hybrid) but given Blasphemous 2’s holy order context, the majority of your duels are with people similar to the Penitent One. You will need to time your evades and parries -a staple in Dark Souls-like titles- to stand a chance against the “holy” order of fiends and giants.

My favourite fights are a duo who are so contrasting with each other, yet when they attack me together in the third bout of the fight, I was definitely paying attention. It’s a similar dynamic as that one famous Dark Souls boss fight with the fat and skinny knights, but in 2D form. Long story short, you’re not going to be forgetting these memorable duels anytime soon, especially with how visually arresting some of these encounters can get. Case in point: the giant reverend with glass shards on his back, the swordsman with the portable millstone, and the aforementioned coffin priest-thing.

If I had to nitpick certain aspects of Blasphemous 2, is that some tutorials for certain moves do not pop up earlier as intended. I’ve been stuck in a particular section with specific barricades for 30 minutes, but only solved it out of sheer luck. Within a couple of screens later, the tutorial to clear those barricades popped up. I’ve had the tools all along; the game just cued me on its barrier-destroying use a little too late. Arguably, I may have broken the game’s intended progression sequence, but this is a minor game design issue I just had to mention.

Act Of Contrition

Blasphemous 2 is a lovely search action game made for anyone who wants a challenge, an R-rated experience, and a good mix of combat and exploration. For veterans, this sequel fixes a few of the problems from the first game so that it seems less cheap and buggy.

Those well-versed with late 90s and 2000s 2D platformers and search action games might bring up the fact that Blasphemous 2 feels like the gothic stepchild of the Megaman Zero and ZX series. This is because of how it plays, how it feels control-wise, and how much the sword feels like Zero’s Z-Saber and air dash to an extent. Hell, there’s even a boss that emulates the “recall dead enemies” ability from Dr Weil’s penultimate form in Mega Man Zero 4’s climactic final fight; The Game Kitchen’s influences are clear as the blood and gore on-screen.

You won’t forget the Catholic gothic imagery from the twisted minds of The Game Kitchen once you’re done with 14 hours of this lovingly-crafted title. Believe me, I still have that image of a woman’s arm slowly being mutilated by tiny cherubs bit by bit as the story progresses with a grotesque final form seared in my mind. And also that one giant bearded guy breastfeeding his baby. That’s a sight that will haunt me in my sleep.

Pros

• Memorable, if disturbing, pixel art and imagery.
• Haunting and beautiful soundtrack.
• Great action and exploration combo.
• Bosses are fun to fight.
• Main character feels good to control, and comes with new equipment/buff systems.

Cons

• Some protips about main character’s skills pop up later than sooner.
• Minor graphical glitches.
• Guilt system isn’t too taxing or punishing enough.

Final Score: 90/100

Review code provided by Team17.

2023 has been a fantastic year for PS5 so far, with plenty of games to keep players entertained, including recently released blockbuster titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Final Fantasy 16, as well as virtual reality experiences like Horizon Call Of The Mountain, Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village on PlayStation VR2, PlayStation’s newest virtual reality headset.

The RM220 off PS5 promotion will be available at participating retailers (https://www.playstation.com/local/retailers/).

Check out all the offerings below:

Made by Digital Eclipse who also created the awesome Atari 50 game-slash-documentary hybrid interactive title, The Making of Karateka will be out on 29 August for US$19.99 for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. The game will bring up the origin story of Jordan Mechner, featuring design documents, playable prototypes, and all-new video features. And the original 1984 game of course. Check out the feature list and trailer below:

About

Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner was a college student when he created one of the biggest-selling games of 1984: Karateka. Now, in a new interactive documentary from Digital Eclipse, the story of how a teenager with an Apple II created one of the most groundbreaking, influential games of all time.

The Origin Story of a Legendary Game Creator

Discover how Karateka was made through an exhaustive archive of design documents, playable prototypes, and all-new video features. Like walking through a museum, you can explore the interactive timelines at your own pace.

Play the Acclaimed Originals

Enjoy pixel-perfect versions of the original Karateka games and a variety of never-before-seen early prototypes, with rich quality-of-life features like save anywhere, rewind, chapter select, and director’s commentary.

Two Remastered Games

Karateka Remastered is an all-new version of the original game featuring cutting-room-floor content, commentary, achievements, and more. Deathbounce: Rebounded is a fast and frantic twin-stick shooter based on Jordan’s unpublished prototype.

A Groundbreaking Masterpiece

Discover how Karateka became one of the first games to include cinematic scenes, a moving original soundtrack, rotoscoped animation, and a Hollywood-style love story, influencing the decades of games that followed.

The Gold Master Series

New from Digital Eclipse (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration), the Gold Master Series presents iconic games in an innovative “interactive documentary” format, putting the shared history of games and their creators into one comprehensive package.

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge – Dimension Shellshock DLC will be out for PC and consoles this coming 31st August, featuring new survival modes and new OSTs. The DLC also features Usagi Yojimbo as a playable character, as well as one new addition for the announcement: Shredder’s daughter(?) and elite female Foot Clan fighter Karai.

She has lightning moves, fights with a manriki chain, and has a sick izuna drop along with some Street Fighter-inspired moves like Juri’s wheel kick! Her idle pose is exactly like her TMNT: Tournament Fighters pose back in the SNES days too.

Check out the new trailer below.

Fast forward to 10 August, as per The Verge‘s eagle-eyed spotting, an image claiming to be the elusive PS5 Slim popped up on a Chinese forum. Well, you know what happened next – it spread like wildfire all over the internet, generating quite a buzz on X (formerly Twitter). But the excitement didn’t stop there! Our screens have been graced with a newly surfaced video, courtesy of the good folks at Better Way Electronics, who shared it on X.

This video not only shows us what seems to be a sleeker version of the PS5 (even though Sony hasn’t officially confirmed anything), but it also gives a nod to the idea that the console might come with a detachable disc drive. If you’re an Insider Gaming fan, you might recall that they were the first to drop hints about this back in September 2022. And lo and behold, the video seems to confirm that Insider Gaming was onto something!

CFI-2016 PS5 Case pic.twitter.com/udFyQbVpz8

— BwE (@BwE_Dev) August 11, 2023

Now, get this – the new and improved slim PS5 boasts a couple of USB-C ports on the front, which is pretty neat compared to the current version that only rocks a single USB-C port alongside a USB-A port.

Oh, and let’s not forget what Insider Gaming spilt the beans on last year: Sony’s plan to unleash this shiny new PS5 Slim, complete with its detachable drive, come September 2023. And hey, that lines up perfectly with what those Microsoft court documents were whispering about. So, what’s the word on the street? Rumours are doing their thing, suggesting that the Slim could come in two flavours: one sans the disc drive and one bundled with it. Oh, and if you’re just looking for the drive itself, rumour has it Sony might sell that separately too.

But hold on a sec – here’s where things get interesting. Right now, Sony’s dishing out two PS5 versions: the US$399 Digital Edition and the $499 edition with a trusty disc drive. Could this sleek and slim newcomer potentially become the sole PS5 option down the line? Picture this: you grab the Slim, and if you’re feeling nostalgic for discs, you can snag a drive. Not bothered? Well, just skip it. And that juicy US$400 rumoured price tag? It’s adding fuel to the idea that this scenario might just come true. So, gamers, keep your eyes peeled – the PlayStation 5 Slim might just be on the horizon, ready to shake up the console scene!

Diablo 3 Season 29 will be the final season for the game, and it’s going all-out with requests galore. Season 29 is looking to more interesting competitive changes and community-led balance tweaks. These include:

• A solo self-found mode.
• Bumping up the Paragon cap to 200 for each attribute, instead of the default 50.
• Visions of Enmity quests
• New quality-of-life features requested by fans

Let’s break it down.

Solo Self Found Mode

This mode lets you play by yourself; going solo without any help from anyone. This also includes its own set of Leaderboards, as well as Hardcore mode.

New Paragon System

Players will have just 800 points to spend, with 200 points for each of the four categories and more freedom to distribute them.

Vision Of Enmity

This new Season mode will have Diabolical Fissures popping up in the open world, leading you to dangerous boss-filled encounters and tons of rewards. These monsters on the open world map will be getting the following power-ups to challenge players (in addition to existing ones already):

• Enervating: Creates an area of effect around the monster that reduces the player’s Movement Speed by 65% and Cooldown Reduction by 50% if the player is in the vicinity of the monster.
• Necrotic: The player’s healing is reduced by 65%. Monsters have a damage-over-time effect that deals 180% of the player’s max health over 30 seconds. This effect is removed if the player is healed above 95%.
• Resource Leech: Hitting a player removes 65% of their maximum resource.

Greater Rifts Update

The least popular monsters will be pulled out of the GR rotation, while the following map types are removed: Corvus, Ice Caves, Spider Caves. Thank god.

Class Buffs

Crusader is getting a lot of love for this Season, where they get a Legendary bonus that lets you call down Fists of the Heavens as you ride around your War Horse. Witch Doctors get some love with Angry Chicken builds too.

Crusader

• Akkhan’s Leniency:
  • Each enemy hit by your Blessed Shield increases the damage of your Blessed Shield by 35-40% for 3 seconds.
  • Each enemy hit by your Blessed Shield increases the damage of your Blessed Shield by 35-40% for 6 seconds. Stacks up to 100 times (No more individual stacks).
• Vigilante Belt:
  • No previous bonus.
  • While riding your war horse, Fist of the Heavens deals increased damage equal to your movement speed, and is automatically called down on a random nearby enemy at an interval based on your attack speed if it is on your action bar.

Demon Hunter

• Gears of Dreadlands:
  • Gain 4 seconds of Momentum when attacking with a Primary skill, at a maximum duration of 20 seconds. Your Primary skills deal 10% increased damage per second of Momentum.
  • Gain 4 seconds of Momentum when attacking with a Primary skill, at a maximum duration of 20 seconds. This duration begins counting down after a delay of 5 seconds after each application. Your Primary skills deal 10% increased damage per second of Momentum.

Witch Doctor

• Cluckeye:
  • 25-50% chance to cluck when attacking.
  • Casting Hex – Angry Chicken turns all your pets into exploding chickens. Chickens deal 150-200% increased damage, and Angry Chicken deals 50% more damage per exploded chicken.
• Manajuma’s Way:
  • Your Hex – Angry Chicken explosion damage is increased by 2000% and slain enemies trigger an additional explosion.
  • Your Hex – Angry Chicken lasts 15 seconds and movement speed as a chicken is increased by an additional 100%.
  • While you are an angry chicken, you spawn a chicken every second that seeks enemies and deals 25% of your Angry Chicken explosion damage.
  • Your Hex – Angry Chicken explosion damage is increased by 2000% and slain enemies trigger an additional explosion.
  • Your Hex – Angry Chicken lasts 15 seconds and movement speed as a chicken is increased by an additional 100% while gaining 75% damage reduction and for 5 seconds after.
  • While you are an angry chicken, you spawn a chicken every half second that seeks enemies and deals 100% of your Angry Chicken explosion damage.

Check out the full notes here. The Public Test Realm for Season 29 is from 15 to 29 August; the actual Season will start shortly after.

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Grimlore Games will be making Titan Quest 2 for PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5. No release date has been announced yet. The action RPG will have single-player, cooperative multiplayer, and player-versus-player online multiplayer modes.

Check out the game’s description and screenshots below.

“Return to the classic mythology-inspired setting of Titan Quest and go toe-to-toe with the legendary monsters in this action-packed RPG as you journey across a fantastical reimagining of ancient Greece!

Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution, is out of control. She is corrupting the Threads of Fate and is punishing all those who oppose her. Pick up your weapon, fight epic battles alongside the Gods and change fate itself in Titan Quest II!”

Key Features

• Titan Quest II offers a flexible character system: create your own hero including the class by combining two masteries.
• Every bit of loot is rather important—even the most common spear can be upgraded to a unique weapon worthy of legendary tales!
• Enemies can form factions and work together to combine their abilities and skills.
• A beautiful, handcrafted world awaits! Traverse stunning vistas with your divine mount and explore environments filled with details and secrets.

Led by the original game’s producer, Yoshimi Yasuda, it will be developed by “a combination of development staff from the original version, including Yasuda as producer, and new development staff from Dragami Games”. According to Yasuda, the remake will feature more realistic graphics and a brand new soundtrack (because they lost the license to the original game’s music).

In a statement, they said:

“Although development of RePOP was carried out with the intention of a 2023 release, our commitment to providing the best possible quality experience to our players led us to making the hard decision to extend the development period in order to ensure this. We sincerely apologize to all who had been waiting for the latest installment in the Lollipop Chainsaw series, and kindly ask for your understanding in this matter.”

Lollipop Chainsaw was originally released in 2012 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It features Juliet Starling (voiced by Tara Strong), a cheerleader zombie hunter fighting zombies in a fictional California high school, and the game was a collaboration between game designer Suda51 and filmmaker James Gunn (best known for the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker).

Diablo 4’s new 1.1.1 patch added a ton of welcome changes to Sorcerer and Barbarian, arguably the weakest classes of the Season, and buffed up the monster density of the game.

“We are increasing monster density in Nightmare Dungeons and Helltides.”

If you don’t believe Blizzard, perhaps this video from longtime Diablo player Raxxanterax can convince you otherwise. Right now, he believes that Domhainne Tunnels is the best Nightmare Dungeon that offers the most XP per hour.

Check out the full patch notes below.

Diablo 4 1.1.1 Update

Class Updates

We’ve made quite a few balance adjustments to Classes. Our goals with this patch are as follows:

1. We want to improve the effectiveness of Sorcerers and Barbarians while addressing the following for each Class:
   • Sorcerer
     • Improve late-game survivability, mostly through Paragon Board improvements.
     • Adjust some Class mechanics to move away from “Kiss-Curse” effects—this is where the player gains power but loses power somewhere else.
   • Barbarian
     • Speed up the flow of combat in the early game by increasing Fury generation on Basic Skills.
     • Add late-game excitement by increasing the power of Unique items.
2. Strengthen builds that aren’t reaching a high power level.
3. Diversify the use cases for Legendary items and other effects that are overly situational.

Barbarian

Skills

• Bash
  • Fury gained increased from 11 to 13.
• Flay
  • Fury gained increased from 10 to 13.
• Enhanced Frenzy
  • Fury gained increased from 2 to 3.
• Lunging Strike
  • Fury gained increased from 10 to 12.
• Double Swing
  • Damage increased from 40% to 50%.
• Enhanced Rupture
  • Damage increased from 45% to 70%.
• Enhanced Charge
  • Damage increased from 30% to 60%.
• Mighty Charge
  • Vulnerable duration increased from 2 to 4 seconds.
• Violent Upheaval
  • If Upheaval damages at least 2 enemies or a Boss, you gain Berserking for 2 seconds, increased to 3 seconds if it damages at least 4 enemies.

Passives

• Aggressive Resistance
  • Damage reduction increased from 3% to 4%.
• Gushing Wounds
  • Bleed damage dealt based on Critical Damage bonus increased from 100% to 115%.
  • Bleed damage when Overpowering increased from 11% to 70%.
• Unconstrained
  • Berserking damage bonus increased from 25% to 35%.
  • Updated the tooltip to more clearly reflect this Key Passive’s value
• Walking Arsenal
  • Bonus damage duration increased from 6 to 8 seconds.

Legendaries

• Aspect of Ancestral Force
  • Damage increased from 32-50% to 40-58%.
• Death Wish Aspect
  • Thorns increased from .5-.75 to .65-.85.
• Aspect of Unrelenting Fury
  • Core Skill cost to refund increased from 10-20% to 20-30%.
  • Additional functionality:
    • Cost refund also granted when hitting Bosses.
• Aspect of Ancestral Charge
  • Damage increased from 50-100% to 75-125%.
• Aspect of Burning Rage
  • Damage increased from .22-.28 to .3-.38.
• Aspect of Bul-Kathos
  • Damage reduction while in Earthquakes increased from 5-15% to 15-25%.
• Earthquake Aspect
  • Damage bonus in Earthquakes increased from 5-15% to 15-25%.

Uniques

• Fields of Crimson
  • Damage increased from .18-.34 to .22-.38.
  • Damage that enemies take standing in pools increased from 15% to 20%.
  • Rupture Cooldown Reduction affix replaced with Bonus Critical Strike Damage.
• Hellhammer
  • Damage increased from .6-.8 to .85-1.1.
  • Burning duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
  • Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies affix replaced with Bonus Critical Strike Damage.
• Ramaladni’s Magnum Opus
  • Physical Damage affix replaced with Vulnerable Damage.
• 100,000 Steps
  • Attacks reduce Evade’s cooldown affix replace with bonus Evade charges.
  • Damage against Stunned affix replace with bonus Movement Speed.
• Battle Trance
  • Basic Skill Damage affix replaced with Cooldown Reduction.
  • Bonus Attack Speed to other skills increased from 10-20% to 35-45%.

Sorcerer

Skills

• Flickering Fire Bolt
  • Fire Bolt generates 2 Mana when hitting an enemy.
• Enhanced Fireball
  • Casting Fireball increases its radius by 50%.
• Destructive Fireball
  • Fireball’s Critical Strike Damage is increased by 20%. This bonus is increased to 30% if Fireball hits at least 3 enemies.
• Greater Chain Lightning
  • Each time Chain Lightning bounces, it deals 5% increased damage for its duration.
• Destructive Chain Lightning
  • Chance to form Crackling Energy increased from 25% to 30%.

Passives

• Vyr’s Mastery
  • Damage bonus increased from 10% to 15%.
• Esu’s Ferocity
  • Additional functionality:
    • Both bonuses are also granted for 3 seconds when hitting a Boss with a Critical Strike.
• Combustion
  • Your Burning effects deal x20% increased damage, plus an additional x2% increased damage per unique source of Burning you have applied to the enemy.

Paragon

• Searing Heat Legendary Node
  • Casting Fireball or Meteor increases your Critical Strike Chance by 5% for 5 seconds, up to 15%.
• Ceaseless Conduit Legendary Node
  • Increase Crackling Energy’s damage from 2% to 3% per 20 Intelligence the player has Reinforce Rare Glyph.
• Territorial Rare Glyph
  • Damage reduction increased from 10% to 15%.
• Warding Rare Glyph
  • Damage reduction increased from 13% to 25%.
• Keeper of Flames Rare Node
  • Damage reduction increased from 4% to 5%.
  • Bonus damage reduction increased from 4% to 5%.
• Smoldering Embers Rare Node
  • Damage reduction from burning enemies increased from 4% to 5%.
  • Bonus damage reduction from burning enemies increased from 4% to 5%.
• Guarded Rare Node
  • Damage reduction from Vulnerable enemies increased from 4% to 5%.
  • Bonus damage reduction from Vulnerable enemies increased from 4% to 5%.
• Oppressive Rare Node
  • Damage reduction from Vulnerable enemies increased from 4% to 5%.
• Lightning Resilience Rare Node
  • Maximum Life bonus increased from 4% to 6%.

Legendaries

• Serpentine Aspect
  • You may have 1 additional Hydra active, and Hydra’s duration is increased by 14-24%.
  • This now also affects Hydra’s Enchantment Effect.
• Aspect of Conflagration
  • Bonus Burning damage increased from 20-30% to 20-40%.
• Aspect of Engulfing Flames
  • Bonus Burning damage increased from 30%-40% to 60%-80%.
• Aspect of Three Curses
  • Increase the Critical Strike Damage of Meteor and Fireball by 20%-40%. Double this bonus against Healthy enemies.
• Flamewalker’s Aspect
  • Bonus Movement Speed duration increased from 4 to 6 seconds.
• Gravitational Aspect
  • Ball Lightning orbits around you and deals 15-25% increased damage.
• Aspect of Unbroken Tether
  • Additional Chain Lightning bounces increased from 2 to 4.
• Recharging Aspect
  • Each time Chain Lightning bounces, you gain 1.5-3 Mana.
• Charged Aspect
  • Bonus Movement Speed duration increased from 4 to 8 seconds.
• Aspect of the Bounding Conduit
  • Bonus Movement Speed increased from 20-25% to 25-30%.
• New Legendary – Mage-Lord’s Aspect
  • Increase Vyr’s Mastery Key Passive’s Damage Reduction by 6-9% for each Close enemy, up to 18-27%.
• Aspect of Frozen Orbit
  • Damage increased from 20-30% to 30-40%.
• Storm Swell Aspect
  • Bonus damage increased from 11-20% to 21-30%.
• Snowveiled Aspect
  • Unstoppable duration increased from 2-3 seconds to 3-5 seconds.
  • Additional functionality:
    • Also grants 10% bonus Armor for 3-5 seconds.
• Incendiary Aspect
  • Lucky Hit: Damage from your Pyromancy skills has up to a 12-17% chance to restore 10 Mana.
• Snowguard’s Aspect
  • While within your own Blizzard and for 3 seconds after leaving it, you take 20-25% less damage.
• Aspect of Concentration
  • Mana Regeneration increased from 20-30% to 40-50%.
  • Duration requirement to gain its benefit reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.

Uniques

• Gloves of the Illuminator
  • Damage penalty reduced from 65-55% to 45-35%.
  • Damage to Stunned affix replaced with Lucky Hit: Change to Restore Resource.
  • Illuminator’s first bounce occurs much closer to the player.

Necromancer

Skills

• Enhanced Bone Spirit
  • Cooldown reduction increased from 6 to 7 seconds.

Paragon

• Wither Legendary Board
  • Willpower requirement for bonuses reduced from 50 to 40.
  • Bonus damage per 40 Willpower increased from 2.5% to 4%.

Legendaries

• Aspect of Empowering Reaper
  • Damaging enemies with Sever has a 10-20% chance to spawn a pool of Blight under the target that deals 20-60% bonus damage. This effect can only happen once every 3 seconds.
• Aspect of Exposed Flesh
  • Lucky Hit: Up to a 10% chance to generate 30-50 Essence when hitting a Vulnerable enemy.
• Aspect of Decay
  • Damage increased from 20-40% to 25-45%.
• Aspect of Torment
  • Essence Regeneration increased from 20-30% to 90-170%.
• Hulking Aspect
  • Legendary category changed from Resource to Utility.
  • Chance for Golem to reduce its cooldown increased from 1-4% to 2-5%.
  • Chance to Golem to spawn a corpse increased from 0.5-2% to 1-2.5%.

Uniques

• Greaves of the Empty Tomb
  • Intelligence affix replaced with Bonus Movement Speed.

Minions

• The following attacks now deal reduced damage to Druid Companions and Necromancer Minions:
  • Balrog
    • Fire Breath
  • Elite Affixes
    • Fire Enchanted
    • Electrified Obelisks
    • Shock Lance

Druid

Skills

• Earth Spike
  • Spirit gain increased from 11 to 13.
• Claw
  • Spirit gain increased from 11 to 12.
• Storm Strike
  • Spirit gain increased from 14 to 15.
• Wind Shear
  • Spirit gain increased from 13 to 14.
• Maul
  • Spirit gain increased from 15 to 17.
• Wolves
  • Passive damage increased from 7.8% to 11%.
  • Active damage increased from 110% to 135%.
• Enhanced Wolf Pack
  • Damage bonus increased from 20% to 25%.
• Brutal Wolf Pack
  • Attack Speed bonus increased from 20% to 25%.
• Ferocious Wolf Pack
  • Fortify amount increased from 5% to 8%.
• Ravens
  • Passive damage increased from 13% to 20%.
• Brutal Ravens
  • Additional functionality:
    • Increase the passive damage of Ravens by 40%.
• Rabies
  • Damage over time increased from 76% to 110%.

Paragon

• Lightning Resilience Rare Node
  • Maximum Life bonus increased from 4% to 6%.

Legendaries

• Aspect of Metamorphic Stone
  • Spirit cost reduced from 60 to 50.
  • Damage dealt increased from 80-100% to 100-120%.
• Aspect of the Alpha
  • Damage increased from 75-100% to 90-115%.
• Mangled Aspect
  • Resource gain increased from 1 to 3.

Class Mechanic

• Overload
  • Lucky Hit Chance increased from 20% to 40%.

Rogue

Skills

• Fundamental Invigorating Strike
  • Energy threshold increased from 50% to 75%.
• Primary Forceful Arrow
  • Every third cast pierces enemies.
• Enhanced Caltrops
  • Damage bonus increased from 3% to 5%.
• Poison Trap
  • Damage increased from 344% to 396%.
• Supreme Rain of Arrows
  • Rain of Arrow’s first wave Knocks Down enemies for 3 seconds.

Passives

• Victimize
  • Lucky Hit chance increased from 35% to 45%.
• Rugged
  • Damage Reduction against Damage over Time effects increased from 6/12/18% to 9/18/27%.
• Siphoning Strikes
  • Lucky Hit chance increased from 75% to 85%.

Legendaries

• Aspect of Elusive Menace
  • No longer requires hits to be from Close enemies.
• Aspect of Quickening Fog
  • You automatically drop a Smoke Grenade at the end of Dash. Smoke Grenades reduce Dash’s cooldown by .4-.6 seconds per target hit, up to 2-3 seconds.

Uniques

• Windforce
  • All Stats affix replaced with Vulnerable Damage.
• Word of Hakan
  • Ultimate Damage affix replaced with Cooldown Reduction.

Gameplay Updates

Monster Density

We are increasing monster density in Nightmare Dungeons and in Helltide.

• Bosses above Level 60 will have more health. Examples:
  • Bosses at Level 60 and below remain unchanged.
  • Bosses at Level 80 have 50% increased health.
  • Bosses at Level 100 have 100% increased health.
  • Bosses at Level 120 have 120% increased health.
  • Bosses at Level 150 and above have 150% increased health.

Bosses & Events

• Level 35 and higher boss monsters will now have a 100% chance to drop a Legendary item.
• Treasure Goblins now have an increased Legendary item drop chance from Level 6-14 and guarantee a Legendary item drop starting at Level 15.
• Legion Events are now more rewarding and guarantee a Legendary item drop starting at level 35.

General

• We have made multiple improvements on how damage and other effects interact with active barriers.
  • Bonus damage or bonus effects that are applied on-hit or when dealing damage will now apply that same effect through barriers.
    • Ex: The Exploit Paragon Glyph will now apply Vulnerable to enemies that have an active barrier.
  • Cheat death effects will now work properly when the player has an active barrier.
  • This also affects PvP play.
• Varshan will now break through any Bone Wall segments he dashes through.
• The cost for refunding Skill and Paragon Points has been reduced. The reduction starts small at lower Levels and hits a maximum of 40% at Level 100.
  • Ex: Level 50 – 12%, Level 60 – 18%, Level 70 – 24%, Level 80 – 30%.
• We’ve increased the stack limit for Elixirs from 20 to 99.
• An additional Stash Tab can now be purchased at the Stash with gold.
• We have restored the cast time for Leave Dungeon back to 3 seconds.

• The following Nightmare Dungeon affixes have been removed:
  • Resource Burn
  • Backstabbers
  • Empowered Elites (Cold Enchanted)

Malignant Hearts

• Caged Heart of Spellbreaking
  • Changed to: Upon taking Elemental Damage, gain 10-20% Damage Reduction for 5 seconds.

Generic Unique Items

• Temerity
  • + All Stats affix replaced with Max Life.
  • Barrier is now based on maximum Life.
  • Now properly accounted by conditions checking for the player having a Barrier.