October Content Update
The first content update for Withering Realms is out now. It adds 4 new NPCs, a new area, a new enemy, a flask crafting system, 7 new items, an epilogue after the credits, improvements to Reliable Repairs, an overhauled training room, Clover voice lines, and additional creation rituals. Read on to find out what's new and how to experience it.
The Realm of Mutilation
This update introduces an important new area that lies between The Dream and Reality, incorporating elements from Clover's own psyche as well. The goal of this area is to help new players better understand Clover and her motivations, and will be expanded upon significantly in future updates.
How to experience it: Visit the new area in southeast Saintswood, speak to the new NPC there, and level up once.
Future work: Additional areas, meant for higher-level players, will be added to the Realm of Mutilation in future updates. The choice made in the Shadow Chapel will have effects in a future update.
Flask Crafting System
You can now find recipes to repurpose your empty ichor flasks into tossable weapons and tools. New crafting ingredients can be looted from drawers, crates, etc. There are five recipes to find, including:
Acid Flask: Temporarily reduces bleed, poison, and physical resistance
Decoy Flask: Spawns a distracting illusory Clover
Blinding Flask: Staggers nearby enemies and eliminates night shadow hands
How to experience it:
A new NPC Scamps will give the player the Acid Flask recipe if they visit him in the cellar stairwell at the beginning of the game
Later, Scamps will sell additional recipes in Reliable Repairs
Additional recipes can be found around Saintswood (day and night) and in the Realm of Mutilation
Future work: Depending on popularity and player usage, additional flask recipes may be added in future updates.
Epilogue
After the credits finish, a new epilogue shows the magnified effects of your choices as they’ve compounded by 1927. For those who have completed the hidden final boss, you’ll also see an additional scene after the epilogue. Additionally, small updates have been made to the existing ending to better differentiate your choices.
How to experience it:
Complete the game
New NPCs
A total of four new NPCs have been added to the game.
How to experience them:
Scamps: If you’re playing from the start, enter the cellar stairwell in Beynon House. Otherwise, visit Reliable Repairs.
Vernon: Visit the Hunting Club lobby.
Others: Visit the new area in southeast Saintswood.
Future work: These new NPCs will have additional storylines and interactions, including at the end of the game, in future patches.
Reliable Repairs Improvements
To make Reliable Repairs a more interesting hub, the following changes have been made:
Scamps joins Reliable Repairs after entering Penwyll Cemetery.
The appearance of Reliable Repairs gradually changes over the course of the game. Note that entering Reliable Repairs with an end-game save may be a bit shockingly abrupt of a change because the gradual changes are missing and it will jump straight to the end state.
A record player allows you to change the music, with 9 additional records available for purchase from Scamps over the course of the game.
You may use the sofa to read.
Additionally, a special surprise for Reliable Repairs has been added to the Old Penwyll Mine lair room (after defeating the boss). Investigate the new object inside to get started.
How to experience it:
Visit Reliable Repairs.
Visit the Old Penwyll Mine boss lair and investigate the new object there.
Training Room Improvements
The training room in the Hunting Club has been expanded, and a new teacher, Vernon, has been added to help new players learn advanced combat tactics.
How to experience it:
Speak to Vernon in the Hunting Club lobby.
Proceed to the training room and complete his lessons (which also grant new talismans).
New Items
One new weapon, four new talismans, and two new outfits have been added, including:
Mutilation Knife: An early-game Dexterity weapon that deals occult and bleed damage.
Versatility: Retriggers arm talismans after switching weapons or using the other hand.
Ricochet: An arm talisman that applies damage to nearby enemies.
Clover Speaks
Clover now has occasional in-game voice lines throughout the game, such as speaking to bosses and commenting on the environment.
Creation Rituals (Beta)
Several new unlockable Creation Rituals have been added to make additional playthroughs more interesting. These should be considered in beta and need a lot more testing. Please report any bugs you find with them using the in-game bug reporter.
Next Circumambulation (New Game +, can be combined with additional rituals)
Copies the realm to the left, but starts the story over while retaining most items
The difficulty and speed of all enemies increase
Can be chained to continue increasing the difficulty and speed of enemies
Unlocked by getting to the credits
Randomizer
Randomizes monster spawns (within an appropriate level range) and talisman, tool, and outfit treasure
Unlocked by getting to the credits
Mirrored World
Flips the world, providing a fresh experience
Unlocked by defeating the final hidden boss of the game
The Knight
Starts the game with all tools
Unlocked by obtaining all tools
The Wizard
Starts the game with all spells
Unlocked by obtaining all spells
Future work: These Creation Rituals will receive hot fixes as major issues are found.
Other Changes
Critical Bug Fixes
Fix getting stuck inside of a hiding spot in some circumstances when an enemy fails to pull you out
Fix closing some doors while entering them leaving you stuck
Fix some puzzles not showing the mouse when using mouse and keyboard
Fix Blighter’s Bounty softlocking when forfeit dialog is opened at certain times
Fix softlock in play room tutorial when dying during the tutorial
Fix Mostyn House layout sometimes placing doors inside fences on some seeds
Balance Changes
Leaping Knight Talisman no longer removes the stamina bonus for very light outfits
Guard Talisman now retriggers arm talismans after a successful block
Clover may change her own outfits, equipped items, and spells(but not the doll’s) while there are monsters nearby
Smaller Bug Fixes & Polish
The HUD and menu take on different appearances based on which realm you are currently in
Return and Enter are now bound by default to UI Submit/Proceed
Fix some inaccuracies in the Game Results totals
Penwyll Public Vaults gate guardians now switch sides if you re-enter the corridor from the other side
Fix the organ puzzle playing on enter and also not allowing the first note of the sequence to be entered multiple times
Fix some puzzles resulting in a black screen if you skip the preceding dialog
Fix enemies “grabbing” allies that don’t support being grabbed
Credits have been updated and can now be played from the title screen
Collision fixes: Final boss room corners and door, Penhaligon Manor stairs(jumping off), Penwyll Public Vaults gate doors placed near furniture, Penhaligon Manor gates openable from other side
What's Next
Thank you for your patience and support during Early Access, and please continue to file in-game bug reports. Additional bug-fix, optimization, and balance patches are on the way, in addition to another content update in late November.
