IRONMACE has pushed Early Access Hotfix #96 for Dark and Darker on Steam, addressing a long list of bugs and applying several gameplay and balance tweaks. The update brings fixes for underwater behavior, enemy attacks, class abilities, and UI issues.
The developer posted the official announcement outlining the full list of changes.
Patch Notes – Early Access Hotfix #96
Bugfixes
- Fixed an issue where Fighter’s Adrenaline Spike could be affected by the penalty of Adrenaline Rush.
- Fixed an issue where Fighter could equip certain plate armors while the Slayer perk was active.
- Fixed an issue where Warlock’s Summon Hydra dealt Dark Magical Damage, which could incorrectly consume souls.
- Fixed an issue where using Rogue’s Traps and Locks to open a chest could cause the item held in hand to disappear.
- Fixed an issue where Wizard’s Meditation could cause legs not to be visible or cancel itself when used underwater.
- Fixed an issue where Wizard’s Magic Missile produced player-hit sound effects when colliding with walls or the floor.
- Fixed an issue where Druid’s Penguin Form did not display max health bonus, incoming physical healing, and incoming magical healing correctly in the tooltip.
- Fixed an issue where the beak of Druid’s Penguin Form could sometimes not be hit.
- Fixed an issue where Druid’s Penguin Form did not have reduced movement speed on land.
- Fixed an issue where resurrecting a player underwater with Cleric’s Resurrection could cause the revived player’s camera axis to become distorted.
- Fixed an issue where the sea in The Blue Maelstrom might not be visible under certain conditions.
- Fixed an issue where thunder sounds in The Blue Maelstrom could become abnormally amplified.
- Fixed an issue where attacking a monster on land could incorrectly trigger the underwater blood effect.
- Fixed an issue where Slimes could drag around a player’s corpse.
- Fixed an issue where Crocodilian could suddenly stop during its attack.
- Fixed an issue where Tidewalker Shaman’s attacks fell to the ground instead of traveling forward.
- Fixed an issue where White Shark’s attack could push the player inside terrain or props.
- Fixed an issue where Bladehand could be hit from positions outside its attack range.
- Fixed an issue where Ancient Stingray’s body could retain the electricity effect after its electric attack.
- Fixed an issue where Ancient Stingray did not display the intended electricity effect during specific attacks.
- Fixed an issue where players under the effect of Faustian Bargain could still interact with boats.
- Fixed an issue where the Hand Cannon did not roll random modifiers.
- Fixed an issue where the Jester Outfit (Common) could sometimes not have the Headshot Damage Bonus as its fixed stat.
- Fixed an issue where Dexterity could be applied as a base stat on the unique-grade Ranger Hood.
- Fixed an issue where forcibly closing the game while on a boat and reconnecting could result in the player not being dismounted.
- Fixed an issue where the UI color change and animation for Oxygen at 50% occurred at different timings.
- Fixed an issue where using the Worship emote followed by the Sailor’s Dance emote could lock the camera movement.
- Fixed an issue where the fire effect of the Hog Roast Campfire could appear below the floor in the preview screen.
- Fixed an issue where opening the Quest Log inside a dungeon displayed all quests regardless of the entered dungeon.
- Fixed an issue where the Adventure Ranking score for Semi-semi Wipe could be calculated incorrectly for some users.
- Fixed an issue where the Huntress’s Weekly Mission did not display the required items or target monsters.
- Fixed an issue where purchasing a Seasonal Pack from the Blacksmith redirected to the store instead of the product page.
Game Updates
- Changed so that pressing the Walk key while underwater allows you to swim faster. Swimming faster now consumes oxygen more quickly.
- Improved the sound of the White Shark near the water surface to be more natural.
- Improved the fading of Sea Walker’s slime effect to look more natural.
- Improved performance when Visual Effects Quality is set to Low.
- Improved the intensity of water splash effects while swimming.
- Improved the amount of bubble effects occurring in the ocean.
- Improved terrain on Skull Island where monsters could be killed without taking damage.
- Improved the icon for the lobby skin ‘Captain’s Wrecked Cabin’.
Balance Updates
General
- Faustian Bargain – Yeti’s combo attack has been adjusted.
- Faustian Bargain – The movement speed of Pinchclaw Crab has been reduced.
- Homing spells no longer track targets while underwater.
Druid
- The projectile speed of Penguin Form – Water Cannon has been reduced.
- The movement speed bonus of Penguin Dash has been reduced from 100% → 30%.
Rogue
- Smoke Pot and Tumbling can no longer be used underwater.
This hotfix addresses numerous small, annoying bugs and improves interaction with water, class tools, and certain monster attacks. Players who spend time swimming or using Penguin Form will notice behavior and tooltip changes, and rogues should remember their mobility options are limited underwater now. Share thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X and Bluesky.
