Varthos - Heir to the Throne

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• Patch Notes·31 Aug 2026Official

  Version Patch Notes – Bleedout Mechanics, In-Game Voice Chat & QoL Improvements

  Hey everyone!It’s been a little longer than usual since our last update—after a well-deserved summer break, the team took some time to recharge our batteries. But now we’re back at full force!We’re excited to bring you a major update focused on improving multiplayer dynamics, team communication, and gamepad usability!🩸 New Feature: Bleedout System (High Risk, High Reward)To reduce downtime when playing with friends, you will no longer die instantly upon reaching zero health in multiplayer. Instead, players enter a Bleedout State.The Mechanics: Downed players have a 15-second bleedout timer. Teammates can save them using a Bandage item, which takes 5 seconds to apply.Finding Bandages: Bandages can now be found as rare loot in treasure chests and are placed near starting weapons in multiplayer sessions.Difficulty Scaling:Merciful: Starting the bandaging process pauses the bleedout timer.Normal: Bleedout timer continues running while bandaging. Plan your timing carefully!Hardcore: Bleedout timer continues running, AND attempting to bandage consumes the item immediately (even if interrupted).Combat Risks: You can still take damage or get stunned while healing a teammate. Pick your moment wisely—and don't start too late!New Achievements: New achievements tied to reviving teammates have been added to the game. 🎙️ New Feature: Native Voice ChatSay goodbye to typing mid-combat or relying on third-party apps like Discord! Varthos now features built-in Voice Chat, designed with console and controller players in mind.Automatic Activation: Voice chat enables automatically as soon as you form a group in the lobby.Custom Control: Adjust your experience with dedicated Input & Output volume sliders in the settings menu, or disable voice chat entirely if preferred.🎮 Gamepad & Inventory Quality-of-Life FixesFocus Fix on Launch: Fixed a bug where gamepad input wasn’t registered at launch until clicking inside the game window with a mouse.Controller Hints: Dynamic control hints now pro...
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• Announcements·24 Jul 2026Official

  Camera-Relative Minimap, Native Controller Support & More!

  Dear community,We are getting extremely close to finishing our planned controller support improvements based on your direct feedback! Adding native Nintendo Switch and (especially) Steam Controller support with this patch allows us to officially apply for Valve’s Steam Deck Verification.With these major gamepad milestones checked off, we are now transitioning back to focusing 100% of our production time on brand new content...Here is a breakdown of what’s new in today's update:🌟 Major ChangesRotating Minimap: The in-game minimap now dynamically rotates along with your camera orientation for much smoother navigation!Inventory Gamepad Navigation Overhaul: We have significantly improved the cardinal navigation inside cellular inventories when items are aligned in non-linear ways. The frustrating edge cases where you were unable to highlight or reach certain items in your inventory using a controller should now be completely resolved. Please test this out and let us know how it feels!Native Steam & Nintendo Controller Support: Full, native support for Steam Controllers, Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers, and Joy-Cons has been implemented!🛠️ Additional Fixes & ImprovementsPS4 & PS5 Haptics: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 controllers should now correctly rumble and vibrate during combat and interaction.UI Action Bar Scaling: Increased the size and legibility of gamepad button icons on the in-game action bar.Client Attack Animation Glitch: Fixed a visual bug where playing an attack montage as a client would visually trigger twice in rapid succession if you spammed/held a skill button while connected to a host with a slow internet connection.Critter Spawn Fix: Critters in the Desert Temple should no longer spawn on top of chandeliers.Minimap Settings Bug: Fixed an issue that automatically disabled the minimap (or reset its settings) whenever you left a run.FPS & Renderscale Fix: Resolved an issue where FPS limits and Renderscale settings were sometimes not applying or updati...
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• Patch Notes·1 Jul 2026Official

  Early Access Patch "Trophies of the Slain"

  Hello everyone! We’ve been hard at work addressing your feedback, introducing new item progression, and implementing quality-of-life upgrades—especially for our controller players. Here is a breakdown of what’s new in today's update:🎮 Controller & Gamepad ImprovementsCustom Virtual Keyboard: We have implemented a built-in Virtual Keyboard solution that automatically activates when you select a text input box while using a gamepad. Note: Steam Big Picture Mode is no longer required for this to work.New Auto-Sprint Feature (New Default): Say goodbye to thumb fatigue. By popular demand, we’ve added an alternative sprint mechanic. Instead of holding down the left stick, you will now automatically sprint when the stick is pushed 100% in a direction, and walk when it is only partially tilted.If you prefer the old way, you can easily toggle this back to manual sprint in the settings menu.Selectable Control Schemes: We have introduced pre-set gamepad layouts! You can now choose between our default "Souls-Style" or the newly added "Hack'n'Slay-Style" (tailored to match Diablo IV or Path of Exile as closely as possible).We need your feedback! We built this system so we can easily add new layouts in the future, with the goal of creating 3 to 5 highly optimized presets based on community consensus. Fully customizing every single button would have taken significantly longer to develop, so please test these presets out and let us know if we should swap any buttons or add a specific new layout!⚔️ New Additions & ContentMonster-Themed Random World Drops: We’ve added very rare unique items that drop randomly in the world, themed aesthetically around the specific enemy that dropped them. We haven't made one for every monster type yet, but if you enjoy this mechanic, let us know and we will create more!Boss-Exclusive Set Items: Every boss in the game now has a guaranteed chance to drop at least one item from their own exclusive gear set. The more pieces of a specific boss set you equi...
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• Patch Notes·19 Jun 2026Official

  Varthos Patch Notes: Quality-of-Life Updates and Bugfixes

  🆕 New Features & QoLGamepad Vibration Support: Added tactile controller feedback for key gameplay events. You will now feel haptic vibration when leveling up, getting stunned, or dropping to low health.Settings Reset: Added a "Reset to Defaults" button individually for each settings category (General, Audio, Video).Interaction: Improved the collision and interaction logic for interactive objects like the Revive Shrine. You can now smoothly interact with them regardless of your approach angle.📜 The New Hint & Notification SystemNo More Stacking Walls of Text: Implemented a clean, notification-style hint system to replace the old, intrusive pop-ups. Triggering a tutorial hint now displays a small icon on the side of your HUD.Integrated Hint Library: Clicking a new hint notification will clear the alert and immediately open its corresponding entry in the Hint Library. Plain informational alerts (e.g., "You have unlocked the... talent") will clear without opening the library.Speaking of the Hint Library:Overhauled its layout, adding scrollable entries so text no longer overshoots the screen boundaries.Hints will now remain hidden in the menu until you actually unlock/discover them.Added a "New/Unseen" visual state to hints so you can easily track what you haven't read yet.🎮 Controller Fixes & AdjustmentsCamera Auto-Reset: When playing on a controller, entering combat or executing any skill will now automatically disable Camera/Zoom mode to keep you in the action.Aiming Visuals: Fixed a bug where the gamepad’s target rotation arrow would erroneously become visible on screen after a player was revived while using Keyboard & Mouse.🔧 Inventory, Multiplayer & Engine FixesTab Management: Fixed an issue preventing items from being moved or swapped across different inventory tabs. This should now work properly for both Keyboard/Mouse and Gamepad inputs.Display Settings: Fixed a recurring issue where changing between Fullscreen and Windowed modes would occasionally reset the scr...
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• Announcements·19 Jun 2026Official

  New Demo Released!

  Hello everyone,After working intensively on the core mechanics over the past few months, an updated and expanded Demo is now available for you.With this update, we want to give you a deeper look into the interplay of the systems and the atmosphere of the game.The most important new features at a glance:A new region: The location from the first demo will be replaced by a new area. Different types of enemies, new challenges, and additional equipment for you to try out await you here.Multiplayer Mode (Co-op): You can now play the demo together with friends in co-op mode to test the synergy of different builds and classes.Controller Support: The game now offers full controller support for an alternative control method.Your feedback helps us move forward Since many of the new systems—especially multiplayer—are still in the testing phase, your feedback is of great value to us. Please use the Steam discussion forums or our Discord to share your impressions, balancing suggestions, or bug reports with us.Thank you very much for your ongoing support.Your Nightshift Team
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