Dark and Darkerhas become a niche phenomenon, especially since it transitioned to free-to-play in June. Following several updates, the game’s fifth early access season was launched on December 18 on Steam and the Epic Games Store. This update has revitalized the title with changes aimed at bringing it"back to its roots,“according to its developer, Ironmace.
Dark and Darker Updates
“This season introduces several new systems while returning to our roots of creating a thrilling multiplayer dungeon exploration game,” said the company behind this PvPvE online multiplayer game in a statement.
The studio acknowledged that previous seasons introduced “changes that made the dungeons too predictable and caused gameplay stagnation.” With this new season, they aim to reintroduce the “unpredictability and mystery” that the dungeons once had.
The changes appear to have resonated with the community. On Thursday, December 19, the game reached 26,903 concurrent players on Steam, according to SteamDB, in addition to those playing on the Epic Games Store and via Ironmace’s launcher. To put this into perspective: the game hit its peak of 57,164 concurrent users six months ago during its early access launch. Last month’s peak, on November 30, was slightly over 16,000.
Randomized Dungeons, New Class, and Other Updates
The biggest new feature is a system for randomized dungeons, currently limited to the Crypt environment. Over time, this system will expand to other areas as it’s refined and polished. “Another advantage of this system is that it significantly reduces the cost of adding new modules to the dungeons, something we plan to fully leverage this season,” the studio promised.
Additionally, players can now join dungeons that are already in progress, even if the session has started for others. This allows players to simply choose the dungeon and difficulty they prefer when searching for a match. “This system,” Ironmace explained, “also lets us populate dungeons more efficiently, ensuring higher-quality sessions in regions with lower populations.”
Another highlight is the addition of a new class, the Sorcerer, which will evolve in future updates as the developers create a “unique spellcasting experience.” “The Sorcerer is a master of the elements, capable of combining multiple spells for devastating effects,” the studio said.
The changes are so significant that all characters and triumph levels were reset at the start of the season. Players now have new goals to pursue, such as collecting gems to customize gear and completing achievements that will unlock rewards in the future. The quest system has also been revamped, with progress now shared across all characters.
Later in the season, a PvP Arena mode with rankings and rewards will be introduced, along with improvements to the religion system and significant updates to character builds to “enhance versatility.”
Ironmace explained that the game will remain in early access for 12 to 24 months (not including previous alpha and beta phases), meaning the full version 1.0 is at least six months away.
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