Game updates/2024-03-12

Update: March 12, 2024

Just a quick update today with a lot more map updates and improvements, some knife balancing (which is just as dangerous as it sounds), and a host of bug fixes and tweaks. Let's dive in!

Map Fixes & Tweaks

Last update, we made major revisions to our map and mini-map. We asked for feedback -:- and we got it! With your copious feedback and commentary, we've fixed a lot of bugs and added a lot more improvements, including:

- The map's zoom slider returns!

- Added several customization options to the map, accessible by clicking on the new gear icon.

- The map sidebar can now be attached to either the left or right side of the map.

- Auto-following of the map can now be disabled, so you can freely explore the map while moving.

- Minimap resizing & disabling is now more obvious via the gear icon.

- Zone name & current time are now shown when the map sidebar is collapsed.

- NPC Vendors now display their currently available councils and, if applicable, how long until their councils reset in their map info.

- Party member names are now shown when their map icon is hovered over.

- When a map pin is selected or created, its label text field is auto-focused.

- Most portals throughout the world now show up as portal icons when targeted.

- Fixed a bug with party member map icons breaking.

- Your pet no longer prevents placing of map pins.

- Map pins can now be deleted by right-clicking on them.

- Map pins can be added directly on the minimap.

- Minimap resizing now saves.

- Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause map pins to not save properly.

- Fixed nameplate placement of portals.

- Removed fae molluscs & cows from maps.

- Uriana and the Wintertide Portal, both in Fae Realm, now display on the map.

- NPCs now disappear from the map when they de-spawn.

- Added a new map filter for Events.

We think the new map is a pretty good upgrade -- but your feedback has made it a thousand times better than it would have been alone. Thank you!

Knife Tweaks

Knife sees some loving refurbishment this update, with a host of changes to abilities and treasure -:- plus a bunch of all-new treasure!

Knife Ability Changes

- Surprise Throw: changed from having a 45-second reset time to 12 second reset time; treasure revised accordingly, see below. (Note: this change is a *dramatic* buff to the ability's total DPS and usefulness, although the treasure numbers below may make it seem like a nerf.)

- Poisoner's Cut: buffs from this ability last 8 seconds instead of 5 seconds

- Fending Blade: innate Rage reduction is increased

- Venomstrike: deals its Poison damage over 10 seconds instead of 12

- Surge Cut: reset time changed from 20 seconds to 10 seconds. It is now a Minor Heal ability instead of a Survival Utility ability. Treasure effects recalibrated/rewritten.

- Bug fix: Fan of Blades is now marked as a Burst attack instead of a Ranged attack

Knife Treasure Changes

- (Head, Necklace) "Surprise Throw Damage +78%" => +40%

- (Chest) "Surprise Throw deals +43% damage and stuns the target if they are not focused on you" => +134 damage and stuns the target if they are not focused on you. Also, this effect is now only available on Chest, not Legs. Items that already have this effect on Legs will now be Legacy. (See below.)

- (Hands, Ring) "Surprise Throw restores 143 Power if the target is not focused on you" => "... restores 80 Power if the target is not focused on you"

- (Legs, OffHand) "Fan of Blades, Hamstring Throw, and Surprise Throw deal +44% damage and reuse timer is -1 second" => "... deal +25% damage and reuse timer is -1 second"

- (Legs, Feet) Backstab deals an additional 695 Trauma damage over 10 seconds if the target is not focused on you. => 1400

- (MainHand, OffHand) "For 5 seconds after using Opening Thrust, all knife abilities with 'Cut' in their name deal +28 damage" => +60

- (Head, MainHand) "Blur Cut restores 52 Health after a 15 second delay" => "Blur Cut restores 35 Health"

- (Chest, Feet) "Slice deals 175 Poison damage over 10 seconds" => 275

- (Head, Legs) "Fending Blade deals +64 damage and reduces Rage by 600" => +102 damage

- (Feet, Ring) "Fending Blade restores 32 Health to you immediately and reduces the target's Rage by 400 after a 5 second delay" => "Fending Blade restores 41 Health to you and reduces the target's Rage by 400"

- (MainHand, Ring) "Venomstrike deals an additional 240 Poison damage over 12 seconds" => 375 over 10 seconds

- (Hands, OffHand) "Venomstrike has a 50% chance to stun the target and deal +60 damage" => "Venomstrike deals +100 damage and has a 50% chance to stun the target"

- (Chest, Feet) "Gut deals an additional 260 Trauma damage over 10 seconds if the target is not focused on you" => 440

- (MainHand, OffHand) "Gut deals +60 damage and if target is not focused on you, deals +25% Trauma damage over 10 seconds" => "Gut deals +80 damage and if target is not focused on you, deals +40% Trauma damage over 10 seconds"

- (MainHand, Necklace) "Surge Cut restores +95 Health to you" => 72 health

- (Chest, Legs) "Surge Cut restores 120 Armor to you" => "Surge Cut restores 67 Power to you"

- (Head, Ring) "Surge Cut deals 265 Trauma damage over 10 seconds" => 305

- (Chest, Legs) "Blur Cut deals 145 Poison damage over 10 seconds" => 215

- (Necklace) "Marking Cut deals +146 armor damage and does not cause the target to shout for help" => this effect is now only available on Necklaces. Existing off-hand items with this effect have become Legacy. (See below.)

- (Legs) "Slice ignores mitigation from armor and deals +101 damage" => this effect is now only available on Legs. Existing off-hand items with this effect have become Legacy. (See below.)

- (Head, MainHand) "Backstab steals 121 health from the target and gives it to you" => "Backstab deals +198 direct damage. You recover 198 Health (or Armor, if Health is full) over 12 seconds."

- (OffHand, MainHand) "For 5 seconds after using Opening Thrust, all knife abilities with 'Cut' in their name deal +60 damage" => For 10 seconds

- (Chest, Hands) "Opening Thrust has a 25% chance to cause all Knife abilities WITHOUT 'Cut' in their name to have a 38.5% chance to deal +39% damage for 10 seconds" => "For 10 seconds after using Opening Thrust, all Knife abilities gain +20 Accuracy and have a 20% chance to deal +25% damage"

Knife New Treasure

- (Head) "Fan of Blades, Hamstring Throw, and Surprise Throw deal +100 damage and can Critically Hit based on your Anatomy skill levels"

- (OffHand, Necklace) "When wielding two knives, Knife Fighting attacks with 'Cut' in their name deal +43% damage"

- (Chest, Feet) "Poisoner's Cut boosts Direct Poison Damage an additional +79 per attack"

- (OffHand, Ring) "Knife abilities with 'Cut' in their name leave a Lasting Mark in the target for 30 seconds. When the target dies, each Lasting Mark hastens the active reset time of Backstab by 3 seconds, or if Backstab isn't on your ability bar, you instead recover 36 Power and your next Slice attack deals +80 damage."

- (Hands) "Backstab deals +83% Direct Damage to Elite targets"

- (Legs, Feet) "Surprise Throw boosts your Epic Attack Damage +206 for 30 seconds if target is not focused on you"

- (Head, Ring) "Taunt from Attack Damage -33.5% and Rage From Attacks -10.5% while Knife Fighting skill active"

- (Hands) "Duelist's Slash hits all targets within 8 meters and deals +82 damage"

- (OffHand) "Slice deals +86 damage and causes target to suffer +86 damage from future attacks for 30 seconds"

- (MainHand) "Backstab deals +85% Direct Damage if target is stunned"

- (Legs) "Marking Cut deals +60 damage and grants +85 Accuracy to your next Knife ability"

- (Ring) "Duelist's Slash deals +82 damage and for 12 seconds afterwards all melee Knife abilities can Critically Hit based on your Anatomy skill levels."

Legacy Equipment

If you use transmutation to remove the effect that caused a piece of equipment to become Legacy, it will stop being Legacy. You can also take Legacy items to the "Legacy Item Helper" golem in Serbule for a randomized replacement item.

Cheap Transmutation

To help Knife fans adjust to these changes, transmutation costs for Knife will be cheaper this month. Transmute away!

Hardcore Living

Last update we introduced a new skill, Hardcore Living, for our Hardcore players. Unfortunately, we also introduced some bugs with it. In this update we've got the bugs under control, and even better, the level-up benefits on this skill are significantly improved... But there's a catch: If you stop being Hardcore, you automatically forget the Hardcore Living skill and lose its benefits. You do keep your unlocks, though, so you will only need to unlock higher tiers of Hardcore Living once.

Other Tweaks & Fixes

- Slightly increased the drop rate of barley seeds when harvesting barley.

- Bug fix: Battle Chemistry: (Ring) "Toxic Irritant causes the target to suffer +15.5% from Acid Damage (including Toxic Irritant) for 15 seconds." => This effect did not work (in fact it debuffed the caster instead of the target). It's been revised as follows: "Toxic Irritant boosts your Acid Damage (including from Toxic Irritant) +15.5% for 15 seconds. (This effect does not stack with itself.)"

- Khyrulek's curse damage no longer benefits from the victim's Trauma buffs.

- Fixed a bug that could cause monsters to react to damage they suffer after death. (Which could cause doors to be opened/closed incorrectly.)

- Community Chest slots in Serbule can now actually be purchased with Live Event Credits.

- Deer are no longer invisible up close.

- Fixed a bug causing the party UI to stick around if you switch characters.

- Using /nap while in wolf form no longer infiniloops.

- Fixed a bug with channeled abilities causing you to infinitely loop an animation the next time you perform an emote.

- Fixed a bug where someone playing music near you would later cause your own animations to interrupt your music playing.

- Bird forms' music-playing is no longer interrupted by other animations.

- If you are Friends with Irkima in the Red Wing Casino, you might want to check in with him. (Requires one 70+ combat skill.)

- VIPs now have access to a few more special emotes, including a real head scratcher. And don't forget to check out the VIP redemption for March if you haven't already! Pity you can't glamour that bug ...

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