Dark and Darker Hotfix #132 Reworks Custom Play and Adds Entry Protection

The update adds Observer slots, host handoffs, and new Arena formats to Custom Play, alongside a 5-second protection window when entering a dungeon or moving to another floor.

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An adventurer carrying a lantern stands beside a wolf-like creature in a dark cave.

Dark and Darker Hotfix #132 gives Custom Play rooms more ways to host and watch matches, including a free-camera Observer role, room access during ongoing matches, and new 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 Arena formats. It also adds a 5-second protection effect when players enter a dungeon or move to another floor. IRONMACE’s Steam announcement details the update.

The protection ends as soon as a player moves or takes an action, and it does not prevent environmental damage such as the Dark Swarm. The balance changes also lower the Attribute Bonus Ratio to 50% for physical and magical damage, apply hit-location multipliers to spell and item effects that add damage to melee attacks, and halve the damage from Firedeep lava floors and Magma Bursts.

Dark and Darker Early Access Hotfix #132 Patch Notes

Bugfixes

Fixed an issue where the hit sound of the Rogue’s Sneak Attack could be heard at full volume by distant players regardless of distance.
Fixed an issue where the Wizard’s Fireball and Explosion blasts and Chain Lightning bounces could damage targets on the other side of walls, floors, and ceilings.
Fixed an issue where ground-placed spells, when aimed from high ground at a distant spot below, could be shown as castable but only go on cooldown without being placed.
Fixed an issue where players who started in the Long Bridge module of The Forgotten Castle – Crypt could, depending on the surrounding module layout, be trapped because every door leading to other modules was blocked.
Fixed an issue where the flash effect could fail to apply to players looking at a Wisp when it was killed.
Fixed an issue where a single bite from the Ice Giant Spider in The Frost Mountain – Ice Cavern could deal damage twice, killing even a character at full Health in one hit.
Fixed an issue where a Giant Worm emerging from the ground right next to a player could trap the player between the worm and a wall, leaving them unable to move.
Fixed an issue where a dead player’s corpse could appear standing or kneeling instead of lying on the ground.
Fixed an issue where a player resurrected inside the Dark Swarm within the light of a torch or campfire could still take Dark Swarm damage and die again immediately.
Fixed an issue where players who had become a monster through Faustian Bargain could still hide in a Wood Barrel.
Fixed an issue where the Goblin Smuggler’s trade window could close every time you took damage inside the Dark Swarm, making it impossible to trade. The trade window now stays open even when you take damage.
Fixed an issue where, while looting a corpse, moving one of the corpse’s items onto another slot on the corpse to swap them could send the item originally in that slot to your own equipment or inventory instead of leaving it on the corpse.
Fixed an issue where, when splitting gold between containers that hold 1,000 or more gold coins, such as the Gold Coin Chest and Gold Coin Bag, entering an amount of 1,000 or more could transfer only the leading digit’s worth of coins.
Fixed an issue where a Stone Fragment dropped on the ground could appear much larger than its actual item size.
Fixed an issue where the misleading message “Cannot stack items.” could appear when an item could not be moved because the inventory was full.
Fixed an issue where an Arena round could start right away, without waiting out the entry wait time, even when a player had disconnected while loading in.
Fixed an issue where players could be matched for the Arena outside of Arena operating hours.
Fixed an issue where the text of long entry names in the Input tab of the Options menu could spill outside their boxes in some languages, such as French and Russian.
Fixed an issue where sending a chat message while still composing Korean text could prevent any further typing in the chat input box.
Fixed an issue where right-click dragging in the party chat could show a hand cursor and scroll the chat.
Fixed an issue where, when you linked an item you looted yourself that a quest requires in Looted state in Lobby, Trading Post, or Gathering Hall chat, the tooltip of your own link could fail to show the quest item indicator.
Fixed an issue where Supplied items, which cannot be traded, could be linked in the one-on-one trade chat that opens after accepting a trade.
Fixed an issue where the item required by the Tavern Master’s quest “Confronting The Darkness” could not be obtained in Normal.
Fixed an issue where players could create or join a Custom Play room while readied up or matchmaking, allowing matchmaking and Custom Play to run at the same time.
Fixed an issue in Custom Play where players could still leave the room after the host pressed Start.
Fixed an issue in Custom Play where the Start button could still be pressed while waiting to enter the dungeon after the host pressed Start, causing the “Starting server…” message to appear repeatedly.
Fixed an issue in Custom Play where a participant who had readied up could move to another seat or team while staying ready. You must now cancel Ready before moving seats.
Fixed an issue in Custom Play where joining a room with a code could get stuck without moving on to the room screen.
Fixed an issue in Custom Play Arena where the match could fail to start right away and make players wait out the full 3 minutes even after every participant had joined.
Fixed an issue where accepting an invite from the Invite/Request List while the Custom Play entry screen was open could add you to the room without switching to the room screen.

Game Updates

Added new Mimic-themed cosmetics to the Shop.
The Lava Mushrooms required by the Goblin Merchant’s quest “One Very Hot Bite” can now be turned in as Handled items as well as Looted items.
The location where the Frost Giant Shielder appears in the Cave Swamp module of The Frost Mountain – Ice Cavern has been changed.
Added a 5-second protection effect right after entering a dungeon or moving to the next floor, during which you take no damage or knockback and monsters do not target you. It ends as soon as you move or act, such as attacking, using a skill, or interacting, and it does not block environmental damage such as the Dark Swarm.
The headshot sound now also plays when you hit a Normal Monster in the head.
You can now crouch-jump onto Wood Barrels even where the ground is uneven.
Quivers and the arrows inside them are no longer lost when you are defeated in the Arena.
Ctrl+Left-clicking a chat line now copies its text, and Ctrl+Left-clicking a player in a lobby player list copies their nickname. You can also press the Up/Down arrow keys in the chat input box to bring back recently sent messages.
Added Polish as a game language.
To resolve an issue where pressing number keys on some keyboard layouts lowered or muted the sound, the default key for Reduce/Restore Volume has been changed to Home and the default key for Mute/Unmute All to End. Keys you have assigned yourself are kept as they are.
Custom Play has been improved.
- Added an Observer feature. Joining a room’s Observer slot lets you look around dungeons and the Arena with a free camera, switch which player you are watching with the number keys or the map, and check every player’s location, Health, and equipment. Observer hotkeys can be viewed and changed in the Input tab of the Options menu.
- In the Arena, the host can now choose 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, or 3 vs 3 with the Solo, Duo, and Trio buttons, and an Arena match can only start once every slot is filled.
- Rooms can now be joined while a match is in progress, and players in the Spectator or Observer slots can enter the ongoing match right away to watch it.
- The room is no longer deleted when the host leaves. One of the remaining members automatically becomes the host, and the host can also hand over host to a member of their choice. If the host stays disconnected for 10 minutes, host is passed on automatically.
- The host can now right-click a member’s nameplate to move their seat, kick, ban, or hand over host, and moving a member to an occupied seat swaps the two members’ seats.
- Added a friends list to the room screen that lets the host search for and invite friends.
- The Custom Play tab at the top of the lobby has been removed, and Custom Play is now opened with the Custom Play button at the bottom right of the Play screen.
- Room passwords have been removed, and rooms are now joined with the code only.
- In dungeon rooms, the Min Players needed to start is now fixed and no longer changes with Max Players. It is shown in the host’s settings, and Max Players cannot be set below it.
- The host screen now shows how many players are ready, and when a match cannot start because there are not enough players, the message now shows both the required and current player counts.
- As in regular matchmaking, players can no longer ready up or start while carrying items or using Perks that are banned in that game mode.
- Increased the number of Spectator slots in a room from 4 to 6.
- Leaving a room has been improved with a confirmation pop-up to prevent leaving by mistake.
- Members who are currently in the dungeon are now marked as “Dungeon” on the room screen.

Balance Updates

General

The Attribute Bonus Ratio now applies at only 50% to physical and magical damage. This applies to all types of damage bonus options, including Additional Weapon Damage, True and Additional Physical Damage, True and Additional Magical Damage, and Physical and Magical Damage Bonus.
Bonus damage added to melee attacks by spells such as Blow of Corruption, Smite, and Ignite and by the unique effects of Artifact weapons and armor is now also affected by hit location damage multipliers.
Halved the damage of lava floors and Magma Bursts in The Firedeep.
Nightmare Grade monsters now have a low chance to appear on every floor in Normal mode.
Increased the chance for Hunting Loot to drop when you kill monsters, including Boss Monsters.
Slightly increased the chance for Epic equipment to drop from Normal Monsters and chests in High-Roller.
Increased the chance for Sub Boss Monsters and Boss Monsters to drop Rare cloaks.
Slightly increased the chance for accessories to drop.
Mummies, Goblin Mages, Skeleton Mages, and Goblin Warriors can now drop leg armor.
Wooden crates now mainly drop tools and barrels mainly drop potions and Ale, and the chance for utility items to drop has been increased.
Increased the chance for Pickaxes to drop from Skeleton Corpses, Fallen Dwarves, and Ash Piles.
Dwarf Maulers, Dwarf Handcannoneers, Dwarf Axemen, and Dwarf Knights now have a low chance to drop Lava Mushrooms.

Classes

Bard

All One-Man Band performances now end when the Bard hides in a barrel or is stunned or silenced.
The Drums of the Vanguard played through One-Man Band now grant a buff that deals additional physical damage at 3 stacks instead of restoring health.

Items

Increased the Weapon Damage of the Crossbow by 3 and the Windlass Crossbow by 4.

Which Custom Play addition will make the biggest difference for your group? For more on the changes to private matches and dungeon rules, stay connected with us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

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