Dark and Darker Ealry Access Hotfix #116 Patch Notes (28th May 2026)

Hi Adventurers,

This update prepares the start of Arena Season #2, available on weekends starting from May 29. We have now expanded the Arena system and have added a new ‘Solo/Duo’ matchmaking queue with additional rewards. The new ‘Solo/Duo’ Arena queue still means the match is fought as a 3vs3 battle, but only solo and duo parties will be able to join the random matchmaking queue. The original Arena queue and leaderboard will now be renamed as the ‘Flex (Trio)’ Arena and will support all party sizes up to a 3-stack for the matchmaking.

Both Arena queues have an entrance gear limit set at ‘Epic’ grade, and all items are retained even after a loss. The map rotation for this Arena season has also been expanded. The Solo/Duo Arenas are limited to just Solo queue once competitors reach the ‘Vanquisher 3’ rank at 2600+ MMR.

In preparation for the Arena, we’ve also made several changes to class and weapon balance. Finally, this hotfix brings several quality-of-life improvements including the ability to view module names in the in-game map, improved access to accessories in the dungeons, and the ability to toggle the crouch ability. Thank you and see you in the dungeons and Arenas!

IRONMACE

Bugfixes:

• Fixed an issue where the Rogue’s Sneak Attack, when used with Deathbloom or Viola, could trigger the Artifact effects three times from a single attack.
• Fixed an issue where fired arrows could sometimes become invisible while spectating another player.
• Fixed an issue in The Forgotten Castle - The Ruins where players could avoid the crows’ influence by climbing to certain high locations within the Graveyard module.
• Fixed an issue where the floor textures in the Inferno boss room could become invisible when Graphics Options were set to Low.
• Fixed an issue where players could become stuck in the Hut C module of The Frost Mountain - Ice Cavern.
• Fixed an issue where players could become unable to escape after defeating the Frost Wyvern in The Frost Mountain - Ice Abyss, as ice chunks created by the Frost Wyvern could block the rope extraction path.
• Fixed an issue where Druids could pass through walls in The Blue Maelstrom using Shapeshift.
• Fixed an issue where Druids in Rat Form could escape outside the map through a hole within the Skull Island module in The Blue Maelstrom.
• Fixed an issue where audio could cut out when passing through a specific location in the Pirate Prison module of The Blue Maelstrom.
• Fixed an issue where spawned items could not be picked up after destroying the Giant Barnacle attached to a wall in the Starfish Valley module of The Blue Maelstrom.
• Fixed an issue where players could be attacked immediately by a Tidewalker right after spawning in the Ocean Volcano module of The Blue Maelstrom.
• Fixed an issue where sound could become occluded if a door was destroyed at the exact moment it was closing.
• Fixed an issue where Zombie corpses could sink below the ground when killed on sloped terrain.
• Fixed an issue where the visual effect of Blow of Corruption applied to the Demon Overseer could appear excessively large.
• Fixed an issue where destroying an opened Flat Chest could cause it to change into a Large Oak Chest.
• Fixed an issue where the head type settings for the Rubysilver Barbuta Helm and Barbuta Helm might not have been set as Open Helmets.
• Fixed an issue where the head type settings for the Cobalt Viking Helm and Viking Helm might not have been set as Open Helmets.
• Fixed an issue where players could enter High-Roller Trio dungeons as a Duo party.
• Fixed an issue in Find a Party where, if a party member joined while Solo Dungeon was selected, the party settings would not automatically switch and matchmaking could incorrectly proceed for a Solo Dungeon.

Game Updates:

• Updated the attack patterns for the Fire Colossus.
• Removed the Void from the Demon Overseer’s Dominion module.
• Updated the knockback distance for the Demon Overseer’s attack patterns.
• Added a feature to show/hide module names on the map. Support for The Blue Maelstrom and Arena will be added in a future update.
• Arena queues/leaderboards are now separated into Solo/Duo and Flex Arena.
• Added new Arena maps to the Arena map rotation.
• Added a separate keybinding option for “Crouch (Toggle)” under OPTIONS - Inputs. The existing crouch keybinding has been changed to “Crouch (Hold)”.

Balance Updates:

General

• The maximum limit for Headshot Damage Bonus has been reduced from 200% to 180%.
• Increased Accessory drop rates from sub-bosses.
• Slightly reduced Artifact drop rates from High-Roller Treasure Hoards.
• Changed the prerequisite condition for the Tavern Master’s “Icy Bastards” quest to ease Quest difficulty.

Classes

Fighter

• Reduced the duration of Shield Mastery from 1 second to 0.5 seconds.

Rogue

• Adjusted Dual Strike so that its attack motion is slower.

Ranger

• Added +5 Move Speed and +5% Action Speed to Spear Proficiency.

Items

• Increased Headshot Damage Reduction by 5% and reduced Move Speed by 2 for Full Plate Helmets, excluding the Bone Helm.
• Increased Headshot Damage Reduction by 2% for Open-type and Hat-type Plate Helmets, excluding the Visored Sallet and Spangenhelm.
• Increased Headshot Damage Reduction by 3% for Leather Hats.
• Increased Headshot Damage Reduction by 2% for Cloth Hats.
• Added Magic Resistance to several Cloth Armor. (Arcane Garb, Bloodwoven Robe, Courtly Dress)
• Removed spell-exclusive modifiers from rolling on two-handed melee weapons and shields. (Memory Capacity Bonus, Additional Memory Capacity, Spell Casting Speed)
• Increased the Move Speed penalty of the Halberd from -45 to -50.
• Reduced the attack combo damage multipliers for the 2nd and 3rd strikes of the Halberd from 1.05/1.2 to 1/1.1.
• Reduced the attack combo damage multipliers for the 2nd and 3rd strikes of the Bardiche from 1.05/1.2 to 1/1.1.
• Increased the attack combo damage multipliers for the 2nd and 3rd strikes of the Double Axe from 1.05/1.1 to 1.1/1.2.
• Updated the Felling Axe to have faster attack motions and reduced recovery delay after successful attacks.