Patch 17 has arrived in the world of Dark and Darker, bringing a wave of exciting updates and changes to the game. In this guide, we'll delve deep into the Patch 17 notes, dissecting how these alterations will impact your gameplay experience. From class rebalancing to the introduction of a gear-based matchmaking system, there's a lot to explore. 

• Bug Fixes
• Bard Class Rebalance
• Gear Changes
• Class Balance and Gameplay
• Dungeon Access
• Leaderboards

↖ Bug Fixes

Patch 17 kicks things off with a series of bug fixes that aim to enhance the overall game experience. Here's a summary of the most important bug fixes:

• Fix for Mid Raid Chad: An issue that could result in crashes when moving Dark and Darker gold coins between gold coins containers has been resolved.
• Post-Processing Effects: Previously, post-processing effects were not applied when using specific abilities. This has been fixed.
• Mastery Buffs: Buffs will now correctly overwrite when a Bard plays the same song.
• Spell Casting: An issue where spells would sometimes fail to cast even when the casting was completed correctly has been addressed.
• Visual Effects: VFX no longer display abnormally large when applied to certain objects.

↖ Bard Class Rebalance

Bard class has undergone significant changes to their abilities and stats. Here's a breakdown of the adjustments:

• Bard Persuasion: Persuasion has been normalized to 8 seconds based on a Bard's default persuasion of 20.
• Allegro Duration: Allegro's duration is now standardized to 8 seconds, based on the Bard's default persuasion.
• AR of Alacrity: The action speed reduction from 20% to 8% when playing it perfectly, providing a significant nerf to buff ball strategies.
• Bead of Alacrity: Move speed has been reduced, impacting the mobility of Bard characters.
• Harmonic Shield: Duration and cost have been adjusted.
• Unchained Harmony: Cost has been increased.

↖ Gear Changes

Some significant gear-related changes have been introduced in Patch 17:

• Gold Coin Container Rarity: The rarity grade has been adjusted to Unique.
• Bow Projectile Speed: The projectile speed of long bows has been slightly decreased, making arrows travel more slowly.
• Hit Slow Effects: Movement penalty and duration have been reduced for both longbows and recurve bows.
• Pickaxes: Higher-grade pickaxes now provide faster mining interactions, emphasizing the importance of quality picks.
• Drum Projectile Speed: The speed at which a drum is thrown has been slowed down.

↖ Class Balance and Gameplay

Several class-related changes and gameplay updates have been introduced, such as:

• Dark Swarm: Damage from Dark Swarm no longer reduces recoverable health.
• Lower Drop Rates: The drop rates for trinkets and treasures from chests have been slightly decreased.
• High-Grade Chests: Armor and weapon drop rates from high-grade chests have been lowered.

↖ Dungeon Access

A significant change in dungeon access has been implemented:

• Normal Dungeon Entry: Players can now only enter normal dungeons with rare-grade items (blue) or lower. However, if you find higher-grade items during a dungeon session, you can equip them temporarily.

↖ Leaderboards

A new leaderboard system has been introduced, enhancing competition and ranking. Here are the key leaderboard changes:

• Minimum Games: Players must complete 20 games in a high-roller dungeon to be listed on the leaderboard for that specific dungeon.
• Average Scores: Leaderboards now display average scores for each category, based on the number of times a player has entered a specific high-roller dungeon.
• Degradation System: One failed match session is added to the average score for the top 100 ranked players daily, preventing top-ranked players from maintaining their rankings indefinitely.
• New Leaderboard Season: With the completion of this patch, a new leaderboard season begins.

Conclusion:

Patch 17 brings exciting changes to Dark & Darker, including bug fixes, class rebalancing, gear adjustments, and a revamped leaderboard system. These changes aim to improve gameplay, create more balanced encounters, and enhance the overall gaming experience. While opinions on these changes may vary, they are sure to shape the future of Dark & Darker and offer new challenges for players. So, gear up and get ready for the fun in Patch 17!