Dark and Darker’s Hotfix #119 makes the end-of-season run harsher and richer

The update starts the EAS9 End of Season Events, raises dungeon rewards across the board, and schedules Artifact Arenas for July 10 through July 14.

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Dark and Darker's Hotfix #119 makes the end-of-season run harsher and richer

Dark and Darker’s Early Access Hotfix #119 kicks off the EAS9 End of Season Events, and the last stretch before EAS10 is getting rougher on purpose. Non-boss monsters are more aggressive, dungeon rewards are better, and Artifact Arenas will run from July 10 through July 14.

IRONMACE also pushed team communication forward with a larger ping overhaul and new wheels for social and combat messages. The patch rounds that out with keybind changes, inventory sorting tweaks, and a fresh rule for the Gambler’s Token.

Patch Notes: Early Access Hotfix #119

The biggest gameplay changes land in the dungeon itself. High-Roller artifact drops are now doubled, better loot can drop more often across dungeon types, and Adventure Point gains are also doubled as players push toward Demigod rank.

Bugfixes:

Fixed an issue where successful Bard Play actions could fail to apply their intended effects.
Fixed an issue where equipping a weapon or switching Quick Slots could be delayed after using a throwable item.
Fixed an issue where returning from Alt+Tab could leave the Alt key stuck, causing inventory items to be dropped unintentionally.
Fixed an issue where player movement could become locked when using a Crystal Ball and a one-handed weapon while both Primary Attack and Secondary Attack were bound to the same key.
Fixed an issue where the Cost Limit color for Resurrection was displayed differently from other Divine Magic spells.
Fixed an issue where magma projectiles could fail to spawn during certain attack patterns of the Fire Colossus.
Fixed an issue where the map legend icon could flicker whenever a ping was placed.
Fixed an issue where Bandages and Potions available upon entering Squire Royale could be incorrectly granted as Looted items.
Fixed an issue where the Bard’s Piercing Shrill could fail to appear in the Total Damage summary in Arena.
Fixed an issue where searching for gems (Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire) in the Marketplace would display only the Cracked rarity.

Game Updates:

The End of Season 9 event begins.
Following the end of the current Arena rank season on July 6th, the off-season Arena (Flex + Solo/Duo) will be available at all times from July 10th to July 14th. During this period, the item rarity restriction for Arena entry is lifted, allowing gear up to Artifact rarity to be used, and all items will be retained even upon losing the match.
To mark the final stretch before the next season, the dungeons have become more dangerous with better rewards to match. Non-boss monsters are more aggressive, gaining 15% Attack Power while losing 30% Health.
In return, dungeon drop rates are increased across the board. Artifact drop rates are doubled in High-Roller dungeons, and the chance to obtain better loot and higher-rarity items is increased from normal chests, premium chests (Golden Chest, Lion’s Head Chest), treasure hoards, and sub-bosses. Sub-boss accessory drop rates are also increased, and quest item drop rates are boosted — Legendary-rarity quest items also have a small chance to drop in PvE dungeons during this period. Small Coffers in all dungeons also have a small chance to yield high-grade hunting loot such as Seal of Dominion, Spectral Fabric, and Troll’s Blood.
Finally, to help boost Adventure Rank progress, all Adventure Point gains in dungeons are doubled.
EA Season 9 Solo/Duo Arena rewards have been revealed. By enabling the Show Arena Rank Portrait Frame option in the Customization menu, both Solo/Duo and Flex Arena frame rewards will be equipped at the same time.
Arena Season #3 is scheduled to begin on July 31.
The default crouch (C) keybind has been removed, and Toggle Camera (V) has been reassigned to N. You can rebind these keys at any time in the Options menu.
Items placed into the player’s inventory now use vertical-first sorting in both the lobby and dungeons.
The ping system has been improved.
- Pings now display immediately on key input.
- Chat message colors now vary depending on the ping type.
- Ping icons and world markers have been redesigned, and a new ping animation has been added.
- A unique color (Yellow/Orange/Green) is now assigned per party member and displayed on ping icons, compass, map, and portrait badges.
- Ping input bindings have been updated. (General ping: Middle Mouse Button / Highlight ping: V / Combat radial: C / Social radial: Z / Insert: Ping current location)
- The ping overlay has been improved — it now shows the object name instead of the character name, with a remove button for your own pings and a respond button for party members’ pings.
- Ping highlight effects have been improved, and ping sound has been changed to 3D directional audio.
- General pings no longer display a “Check my ping.” chat message.
- Combat and social radial messages have been updated. The “Need Ammo” message now automatically changes based on the equipped ranged weapon type.
Gambler’s Token is now a Soulbound item. While the original owner is alive, they cannot drop it in a dungeon, transfer it to another player’s inventory, or send it through the Expressman.

Dark and Darker is firmly in its end-of-season stretch now, with a busier July on the way. Tell us what you think in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram.

Source: Steam

An unforgiving hardcore fantasy FPS dungeon PvPvE adventure. Band together with your friends and use your courage, wits, and cunning to uncover mythical treasures, defeat gruesome monsters, while staying one step ahead of the other devious treasure-hunters.