Trophies and the rites
- The trophy pouch. Warrior's Ribs, Choir Idols and Toll Tokens now drop from the enemies that carry them, straight into a pouch of their own. They never take a bag slot and can't be sold or stashed. The pouch is on the character sheet, under the bag.
- The rites take their offering. The Rite of the Red Sight, Blood Wind, Red Moon and the Unbroken now need their trophies and gold to be carried to the shrine, instead of completing the moment you arrive. The quest tracker counts them: *Gather Warrior's Ribs 4/9*.
- Trophies only drop while a rite you've been offered still needs them, so every one you pick up counts toward something. Elite skeletons, cultists and bandits always drop two.
- The rites now open where their trophies are found: the Red Sight at level 16, Blood Wind at 18, Red Moon at 19 and the Unbroken at 20.
The road to level 50
- Levels now reach 50. The experience curve has been rebuilt for a two-act game: Act One carries a hero to around level 25.
- Zones have levels. Enemies get tougher and hit harder the deeper into the land they stand - the Starting Lands are gentle, the Mines and the Blood Fields are not. Stronger monsters pay more experience. And the land keeps up with you: a zone you have outgrown rises to within three levels of your hero, so going back is never a stroll.
- Weapons have real damage. Every weapon now shows its own damage on its card, and it counts toward every swing. Affixes have been rebalanced around it.
- Thirteen new item bases between item level 18 and 24, so the gear keeps pace past the middle of Act One.
- No more dead rolls at high level. Armour, critical chance and block now ease toward their caps instead of hitting a wall, so stacking a stat keeps paying, just less and less. Heavily stacked heroes near level 25 lose a few points at the very top.
- The Broken Fortress's named fights - Skugarth, the Gravewright and the Stitched Abomination - now pay out like the bosses they are, and each gives a Blood Mark the first time it falls.
Animation
- A new run for the hero, driven and upright instead of the old crouched jog.
- Sword and shield fight like it. A guarded stance and a proper one-handed slash and strike, instead of borrowing the axe's swings.
- The Grave Brute's slam is now a real two-handed overhead blow.
- Blood Wind raises the weapon. The berserker now throws his weapon hand straight up as he screams, and the wind forms as it reaches the top.
- The gravedigger finally has his spade, and digs by the graves beside the cathedral.
Story
- Brother Anselm tells the opening. The intro now starts with a long look over Ashenmoor under the storm before the rat runs, voiced by the priest who rang its bells for thirty years.
Known Issues
- Heroes are still bald in character creation; hair is on its way.
- The hero's walk is still the old one; a heavier walk is on its way.
- The Wolves at the Door conversation still mentions pelts in the spoken lines.
- The new run is slightly too slow for its stride, so the feet slide a little, and the Grave Brute's slam damage lands a moment after the blow. Both are measured and fixed for the next patch.