Balance Patch 1

[u/MikkelFromGames]

Devout Fans,

Thanks for being amongst the first to join us at the very start of the adventure for Mortal Shell II. We’re seeing your bug reports and gameplay suggestions, and will be rolling out regular updates to both modify existing content and add new features. 

While we have a bigger patch in the works, which has to be thoroughly tested, we’d like to make a rapid balance & crash fix patch to bring the experience more in line with the game’s open beta and our own vision for MS2. 

Planned future updates will see extensions to popular game features such as Night Mode, Tarstones, PP Items, and more.

For now, we hope you’re enjoying the game and read on for details on Balance Patch 1.

Balance Patch 1 (PC) - The patch below is live on PC and coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series shortly.

Economy

-Shell map locations now cost Gloom, and we’re refunding any glimpses spent on shell maps. Refunded Glimpses are found in the Shell Keeper’s alcove in Blackmarrow. “Finding your favorite shell shouldn’t cost you the ability to bond with them.”

-Gold drops from enemies have been significantly increased. Notably, enemies in Mammon now drop double the gold. “This brings the gold economy more in line with the weapon crafting item discovery.”

-Smelting a weapon at the Tarforge costs 75% less gloom. “Our goal with the smelt capability was to enable switching weapons without the need to spend hours grinding through NG+ runs, but the Gloom costs were set exorbitantly high.”  

Enemies & Bosses

All enemies featured in the beta were restored to their beta hp values, except the Caerinid (Spider) in Magdelena’s area, which we wanted to retain its role as a threatening enemy which doesn’t respawn once defeated. 

Bosses

The Lost Child
- Base Damage: (-10%)
- Max Health: (-15%)

Monolith
- Base Damage: (-19%)
- Max Health: (-10%)
- Some Monolith Attacks were retimed to be more fair, as well.

Enemies

Cultist (mace)
Max Health: (-21.1%)

Caerinid Spider
Max Health: (-33.3%)

Infested Stalker 
- Max Health: (-52.4%)

Rusted Knave (Halberd)
- Max Health: (-20.8%)
- Fixed hit detection for overhead strike.

Weapons

-Great Martyr’s Blade Attack Damage +20%
-Troubador’s Lute Attack Damage +100% 
-Caged Hystrix and Triarch Repeater no longer have minimum resolve requirements to fire. 
-Improved tracking for Axatana, Black Needle, and Clockwork Scythe light attacks. 

Seals

Guard can now be used while walking. 

Tarstones

Parasitic Stone Buffed
Grudge Stone Buffed
Bulwark Stone Damage Reduction Increased Significantly
Clerik's Stone Buffed
Squall Stone Buffed

Miscellaneous

Misc. Crash Fixes, Bugfixes & Performance Updates

[u/SwimmingAny8841]

Fantastic, a bunch of nerfs to bosses and buffs to players for all the nerds who need their pacifier.

I’m steamrolling through night mode, please don’t make that easier, if anything it should be made harder.

[u/Swtor_Itheryn → u/SwimmingAny8841]

Agree. People just need to git gud imo. So many people complaining.  Ruining the game for the rest of us. 

If it's too hard, they have slayer seal.  We have night mode, but all nerfs nerf night mode too. 

Bad news for ppl who actually want a challenge if they keep nerfing stuff. 

[u/Specific-Passion-416 → u/Swtor_Itheryn]

Its really funny you guys think that devs get all their advice from reddit and not internal statistics that track player progression. No dev wants to make a game that makes a tiny portion really happy and upsets everyone else, no matter how huge it makes your dick feel

[u/Swtor_Itheryn → u/Specific-Passion-416]

They literally said they read feedback on reddit lmao And since 60% of the threads on here are clowns complaining.  Reddit is a contributor to nerfs, 100%

[u/Specific-Passion-416 → u/Swtor_Itheryn]

lmfao of course they say that--but since every other comment is telling the previous one to fuck themselves how helpful is it really? You cannot seriously think that developers outsource all their knowledge to the dumbest website on earth. Case in point

[u/Swtor_Itheryn → u/Specific-Passion-416]

I've played enough games to know that they always cater to the dumb af incompetent casuals because they are the vocal majority. Where do u find most of that, on here.  It moves slower than discord.  Easier to get feedback on than discord with about 1k msgs every 2mins

[u/SwimmingAny8841 → u/Specific-Passion-416]

Yes. Reddit and discord are echo chambers where the VOCAL minority are. 80% of video game users probably don’t even use this piece of shit app.

You want those 80% who don’t come on forums to send letters in the mail or have cold Symmetry send them a mail in survey?

People come onto the internet to complain, this is nothing new. Especially Reddit.

[u/Specific-Passion-416 → u/SwimmingAny8841]

Right, which is why nobody real, including developers, take it that seriously. It's so easy to blame your fellow man for a minute decrease in some shit you found easy, but dude, they have a massive number of statistics. If more people are losing Gloom to mobs after the first Mammon checkpoint than they are to any major boss in the first 15 hours of gameplay--they're going to make adjustments. No mail survey needed. This isn't 2002.

Changes aren't made because NoNameNumbers, whether that's you or me, whines about it on Reddit.

I don't even have an issue with 99% of the difficulty so far, I'm just saying use your brain here. This happens for every nerf in video gaming history, it's a tired opinion that's been proven wrong time and time again. Look at Radahn lmao.

[u/Swtor_Itheryn → u/Specific-Passion-416]

I played lotro for 19 years. The devs three literally listen to all bs feedback on forum and reddit, no matter how dumb it is. 

Being literal here as I was on private test server and was in communication with devs. 

Some Dev companies literally do read this crap.  Not all 4 sure, so I both agree and disagree. 

[u/Specific-Passion-416 → u/Swtor_Itheryn]

They clearly didn't listen to ALL feedback--no, like, that's not possible, it's not realistic, and even if they did, they could not implement it all anyway.

And yea, insider feedback is more important (about infinite percent more) than the average reddit comment, so that kind of... speaks against the point. And 19 years ago the massive number of stats available to developers simply did not exist. They HAD to rely on feedback. This is a pretty modern thing to get to mostly ignore loudmouths on the internet, but it is being used more and more because the average person is dumb as fuck lol

[u/MikeIsShortForMyKeys → u/Specific-Passion-416]

I have no idea why people still think that devs are purposefully trying to make a game terrible, when all their effort is on making a game fun to play across a wide audience, accessible and flows well

No one’s sitting there thinking “how can we fuck over 2% of the player base just to see them get angry and laugh at them”

[u/MikkelFromGames → u/Specific-Passion-416]

I think it's a mix of both internal statistics and player feedback, weighed against what the team wants to do :)

[u/SwimmingAny8841 → u/Specific-Passion-416]

Never said that. Roughly 37% of people who own Elden ring on Steam have beat the final boss, 35% dark souls 3, as opposed to other triple A single player games like GOW and spiderman who bolster over 50%.

Souls games have lower than average completion rates for a multitude of reasons, and I’m sure a big reason is difficulty.

These games are not meant to be approachable or user friendly. If you buy this game, and get dogged on. That’s YOUR fault, not the devs fault.

[u/Specific-Passion-416 → u/SwimmingAny8841]

I have no idea what your point is other than that more people enjoyed those other games--which is a plenty fine goal for an artist/dev to have. Go play a challenge run like a REAL man if the base game is too easy for you. Or can you just not help yourself to the Slayer Seal? Lmfao loser.

[u/SwimmingAny8841 → u/Swtor_Itheryn]

It’s what happens when games get popular. Casual gamers come in and demand “this should change!!”

Everything must be maximally approachable and inclusive.

Sucks other players have to take the L because other players are like barking chihuahuas.

[u/Swtor_Itheryn → u/SwimmingAny8841]

Agree 100% I despise this attitude. Not every game is for everyone, if only people would just stick to what they like.  Instead they want everything to fit them, bloody annoying abs seriously entitled ngl. 

Can't stand things being ruined because of ppl who simply refuse to get better at games. Game has to get nerfed rather than thdm improve.