Playtest notes 29 Jan 2026

Internal playtest166 entries72 balance changes30 content additions27 interface changes16 bug fixes11 wording fixes10 art updates

This is a pre-release internal note from the closed playtest, quoted as it was written for testers. It describes a build that no longer exists; treat it as history, not as a description of the current game.

Last week's patch was a bit on the smaller side, so to make up for it, this one is BIG. We've got a huge pass on enemy HP values and Ascension scaling, some new, reworked, returning, and deprecated content, UI/UX improvements, and a lot of changes to content unlocks.

Items in this note

39 cards

Channel 1 Frost for each enemy.
Exhaust.

Whenever you gain Block, deal 6 damage to a random enemy.

Summon 6.
Exhaust.

Deal 33 damage to ALL enemies.
Costs less for each Ethereal card played this combat.

Whenever you play a card that costs or more, gain 4 Block.

Choose 1 of 3 random cards to add into your Hand. It's free to play this turn.
Exhaust.

If this is in your Hand, it must be played before other cards.
Eternal.

The first time you play a
0 Attack each turn,
return it to your Hand.

Exhaust ALL your Status cards.
Deal 8 damage to a random enemy for each card Exhausted.

Deal 9 damage.
Gain 1 Focus this turn.

At the end of your turn, if you have Frost, deal 6 damage to ALL enemies.

Deal 20 damage.
If Fatal, gain 20 Gold.

Osty deals 11 damage
and applies 2 Vulnerable
to ALL enemies.

Another player Channels Plasma.
Exhaust.

Next turn, Summon 2 and gain .

The first time you draw a Status each turn, draw 2 cards.

Another player adds 1 random Colorless card to their Hand.

ALL players Summon 6.
Exhaust.

Gain 13 Block.
Reduce this card's cost by whenever ANYONE dies.

Momentum Strike

Deal 10 damage.
Reduce this card's cost to 0 .

Deal 10 damage.
Put up to 2 cards from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
Exhaust.

Whenever you play a card this turn, apply 3 Doom to the enemy.

Gain 8 Block.
Gain 2 Vigor.

Choose 1 of 3 random Colorless cards to add into your Hand.

Deal 3 damage to ALL enemies for each gained this turn.

Right Hand Hand

Osty deals 4 damage.
Whenever you play a card that costs or more, return this to your Hand from the Discard Pile.

Deal 13 damage.
Draw 1 card.
Whenever you create a Status, reduce this card's cost to 0 until played.

Exhaust a card.
Next turn, gain .

Sculpting Strike

Deal 9 damage.
Add Ethereal to a card in your Hand.

Exhaust all non-Attack cards in your Hand. Gain 5 Block for each card Exhausted.

Sly.
Whenever another player attacks an enemy, gain 1 Block.

Osty deals 25 damage.
Deals 5 additional damage for ALL your other Osty Attacks.

Whenever you play a Power, gain .

Gain 4.
Exhaust.

Take double damage from enemies.
Allies take half damage from enemies.

Gain .
Add a Void into your Discard Pile.

The first time you gain Block from a card each turn, double the amount gained.

Deal 10 damage.
The next Ethereal card you play costs 0 .

Relics, potions and powers

Enemies and events

Content

Ironclad

Re-added Juggernaut card
Deprecated Crush card
Reworked Laughing Stone relic

Silent

Reworked Follow Through card
Tough Bandages relic from StS1 returns to the game
Deprecated Soup Recipe relic

Defect

Defect's 2nd card unlock set unlocks Flak Cannon rather than Iteration
Defect's last card unlock set unlocks Turbo and Scavenge rather than Feral and Supercritical
Chill card from STS1 returns to the game
Reworked Subroutine card
Deprecated Deep Freeze card

Necrobinder

Necrobinder's 2nd card unlock set unlocks Afterlife rather than Invoke
Necrobinder's last card unlock set is now Sculpting Strike, Veilpiercer and Banshee's Cry
Reworked Oblivion card
Reworked Dying Sigil relic

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Regent

Regent's 2nd card unlock set unlocks Patter rather than Radiate
Regent's last card unlock set unlocks Begone rather than Quasar

Potions & Relics

The 3rd potion unlock set now includes Powdered Demise rather than Lucky Tonic
The 3rd relic unlock set now unlocks Vexing Puzzlebox rather than Bellows
The 4th relic unlock set now unlocks Miniature Cannon rather than Gorget
Akabeko relic from STS1 returns to the game, but is now Uncommon
Deprecated Squeeze Toy relic

Ancients

Neow Bundles are random once again
Added Neow's Fury card (for New Neow blessing)
Added new Neow blessing - Transform 1 card
Reworked Crossbow relic
Reworked Meat Cleaver relic
Removed Compendium and Vakuu epochs from the game (Vakuu is now always unlocked by default)

Events

Tinker Time event is now unlocked by default
Trash Heap is now the first unlocked event instead of Tinker Time

Balance

General

Reordered Ascensions: Deadly Enemies is now A9, Tough Enemies is now A8, Scarcity is now A7, and Gloom is now A6

Defect

Nerfed Focused Strike card: damage decreased from 10(12) -> 9(11)
Buffed Hailstorm card: requirement changed from 2 Frost -> 1 Frost channeled
Buffed Momentum Strike card: damage increased from 9(12) -> 10(13)
Nerfed Rocket Punch card: damage decreased from 15(18) -> 13(14)

Necrobinder

Changed Bodyguard card:
- Energy cost decreased from 2 -> 1
- Summon decreased from 8(12) -> 4(6)
Nerfed Danse Macabre card: Block gain decreased from 4(6) -> 3(4)
Nerfed Right Hand Hand card: changed from adding to Hand from any pile -> "return this to your Hand from the Discard Pile."

Potions & Relics

Changed Snecko Skull relic: rarity decreased from Rare -> Common
Changed Vambrace relic: no longer doubles block from Melancholy card

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Enemies

Buffed Frog Knight: Plating now scales with Tough Enemies Ascension from 15 -> 19
Buffed Phantasmal Gardeners: Skittish power now scales with Tough Enemies Ascension from 6 -> 7
Nerfed Byrdonis: HP decreased from 93(99)-98(99) -> 91(99)-94(99)
Changed Chomper: HP changed from 61(63)-64(66) -> 60(63)-64(67)
Changed Decimilipede: HP changed from 42(44)-50(54) -> 42(48)-48(56)
Buffed Devoted Sculptor: HP increased from 144(151)-162(164) -> 162(172)
Changed Flail Knight: HP changed from 101(103)-106(109) -> 101(108)
Changed Flyconid: HP changed from 47(49)-52(53) -> 47(51)-49(53)
Buffed Fossil Stalker: HP increased from 51(53)-53(55) -> 51(54)-53(56)
Buffed Fuzzy Wurm Crawler: HP increased from 55(57)-57(59) -> 55(58)-57(59)
Changed Globe Head: HP changed from 146(149)-156(160) -> 148(158)
Changed Haunted Ship: HP changed from 61(63)-64(66) -> 63(67)
Buffed Infested Guardian: HP increased from 199(206) -> 199(209)
Buffed Infested Purifier: HP increased from 189(194) -> 189(199)
Nerfed Knowledge Demon: HP changed from 387(399) -> 379(399)
Buffed Mawler: HP increased from 70(74) -> 72(76)
Buffed Mecha Knight: HP increased from 300(314) -> 300(320)
Buffed Myte: HP increased from 61(63)-67(69) -> 61(64)-67(69)
Buffed Phrog Parasite: HP increased from 61(64)-64(68) -> 61(66)-64(68)
Buffed Queen: HP increased from 386(399) -> 400(419)
Buffed Slimed Berserker: HP increased from 266(273) -> 266(276)
Nerfed Sludge Spinner: HP decreased from 39(41)-42(44) -> 37(41)-39(42)
Changed Snapping Jaxxfruit: HP changed from 31(32)-36(37) -> 31(34)-33(36)
Buffed Spectral Knight: HP increased from 91(94)-93(97) -> 93(97)
Buffed Soul Nexus: HP increased from 234(246) -> 234(254)
Changed The Forgotten: HP changed from 105(107)-109(111) -> 106(111)
Changed The Lost: HP changed from 93(95)-97(99) -> 93(99)
Changed Thieving Hopper: HP changed from 77(82)-80(85) -> 79(84)
Changed Turret Operator: HP changed from 41(44)-49(49) -> 41(51)
Buffed Vine Shambler: HP changed from 60(63) -> 61(64)
Changed Louse Progenitor:
- HP changed from 134(136)-139(141) -> 134(138)-136(141)
- Curl Up move's Block gain now scales with Ascension from 14 -> 18
Changed Mad Crab:
- HP decreased from 94(96)-97(99) -> 79(84)
- Hardened Shell power max HP loss per turn decreased from 25 -> 20
- Inertia power now scales with Ascension from 10 -> 13
Changed Magi Knight:
- HP changed from 81(82)-85(86) -> 82(89)
- Power Shield move's Block gain now scales with Ascension from 5 -> 9
Changed Seapunk:
- HP decreased from 47(49)-51(53) -> 44(47)-46(49)
- Bubble move's Block now scales with Ascension from 7 -> 8
Changed Sewer Clam:
- HP decreased from 60(63) -> 56(58)
- Plating now scales with Ascension from 8 -> 9
Changed Slumbering Beetle:
- HP changed from 83(86)-88(92) -> 86(89)
- Plating now scales with Ascension from 15 -> 18
Changed Tunneler:
- HP changed from 85(88)-91(95) -> 87(92)
- Below move damage increased from 21(24) -> 23(26)
Buffed Vantom: Dismember move damage increased from 26(28) -> 27(30), Wounds from 2 -> 3

Ancients

Changed Neow's Booming Conch relic: changed from 1 Strength and 1 Dex -> 2 Strength and no Dex

Events

Changed Crystal Sphere event:
- Can no longer spawn unless the player has at least 100 Gold
- Larger Gold option is now a 2x1 tile size instead of 1x1
- Payment Plan option now also only gives 5 divinations
- Deprecated Uncover Fortunes option
- Uncover Future option now costs 50 Gold + random 1-49 Gold

Art

Added portrait art for the following cards:
Brought back old portrait art for Bodyguard card
Updated portrait art for Chill card
Restored Juggernaut card portrait and power art
Updated several potion assets

User interface & experience

Added new UI assets for:
- FTUE pointer arrow
- Multiplayer character select icon
- Card upgrade arrow
- Multiplayer emotes
- Discovery icons for game over screen
- Patch notes icon
- Statistic screen icons
- Backpack save icon
- Multiplayer disconnect icons
Added hitbox and increased radius of map eraser from 10 -> 16px
Added settings toggle for "Reduce GPU in Background"

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Added a higher quality slot glow asset
Incorporated new Compendium small buttons with icons
Timeline Eras are now a smaller grouping + icons are updated to high-res
Temporarily hid Era names and years as they will be receiving changes
Removed Statistics button from the main menu
Updated main menu button flourishes so they're more clearly decorative and less arrow-looking
Updated asset for locked Epochs
You can now access the Run History and Character Stats screens mid-run
Punch-Off event now visually appears to take place in a combat room the entire time instead of fading from a traditional event to a combat
Ringing Affliction now displays on all valid cards when the Ringing debuff is on the player, not just after they play a card
A popup is now shown when localization override files have validation errors
Added French language support
Added Chinese (zhs) translations
Added localizable time formatting
Removed some English placeholders from Chinese (zhs) loc

Writing

Updated the text for several Epochs (a full pass is still to come)
Fixed some story ordering issues in the Silent, Regent, and Necrobinder Epochs
Renamed the following potions:
- Swirling Potion -> Bottled Potential
- The Formula -> Gigantification Potion
- Potion of Sadness -> Shackling Potion
Renamed The Formula power -> Gigantification
Biiig Hug relic description now mentions that it removes cards upon pickup
Fur Coat and Nutritious Soup relic descriptions now mention that they trigger "on pickup"
High Five card is now clearer that Vulnerable is not applied if Osty is dead
Converted all ellipses to three periods in Ancient dialogues

Bug fixes

General

Added missing German localization keys
Auto-sized text now works for Card Library tickboxes and the End Turn button, so they no longer overflow
Fixed crash with power VFX when creature no longer exists
Fixed missing reticle on map points when navigating via controller
Fixed Run History potion slots not accounting for relics that modify your potion slot count
Synchronized health bar width calculations to prevent persistent orange bar
Unlocked content is now colored correctly in the Epoch inspect screen's unlock info text

Ironclad

Unmovable card now properly doubles all Block from multi-Block cards like Second Wind

Silent

Graceful card now shows how many cards you will draw (including the extra cards)

Colorless Cards

Hand of Greed card now only plays its Gold VFX when it is fatal

Potions & Relics

Fixed being unable to look at map/deck screen when removing a card from the shop via Merchant Robes relic
Hovering over Blood-Soaked Rose relic now properly shows Enthralled card hovertip

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Ancients

Fixed Ironclad/Vakuu dialogue not displaying from the correct character

Events

Fixed being able to see sliver of the rewards at the top of the Crystal Sphere event grid
Fixed dying to the Slippery Bridge event making health appear as 0/0 HP in the Run History
Luminous Choir event no longer appears when no relics are available

Newer: 5 Feb 2026 All patch notes Older: 22 Jan 2026

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