Slayers,
We hear you. Dauntless has always been built on the passion and dedication of its incredible community, and with the Awakening update, we know many of you have felt let down. For those who feel your time, effort, and trust were overlooked, we sincerely apologize.
The Awakening update introduced significant changes intended to relaunch Dauntless with a strong foundation for a new, regular Seasonal schedule and to secure the game's long-term viability. While our goals were ambitious, we acknowledge that the rollout caused frustration and confusion, and our communication fell short. That's on us, and we're committed to earning back your trust.
To better respect your lost progress and investment:
- All returning players will receive 300,000 Rams and 5,000 Combat Merits.
- We'll also be awarding up to another 500 Peerless Aetherite to help you regain end-game power, based on your weapon crafting in the pre- Awakening game.
- In an upcoming update, we'll unlock all game modes from the start, for returning players, enabling you to jump straight into the content you want without being required to complete the quest line.
While these steps won't undo all frustrations, we hope they show our commitment to supporting your return to Ramsgate and valuing your contributions.
Actions speak louder than words, and this is just the beginning. Immediate adjustments are underway to address progression, monetization, and technical issues. Looking ahead, we remain focused on building a game that respects your time, celebrates your passion, and delivers on the promise of the Awakening foundation.
Thank you for your patience, feedback, and your commitment to Dauntless. Together, we'll ensure that Dauntless becomes a game you're proud to call home again.
Listening to the Community
Over the past week, we've carefully reviewed your feedback across Steam reviews, forums, Discord, and social channels. Here's what we've heard and how we're addressing it.
The "Where We Are At" sections outline actions already implemented or included in the upcoming Update 2.1.1, scheduled for release on December 19th. The "Looking Ahead" sections focus on plans for future updates and improvements.
Progression Reset
What We Heard:
- Legitimate frustration over lost progress, particularly with Slayer's Path nodes and years of weapon investment.
- Compensation for prior investments, such as Rams and other progression resources, felt insufficient.
- Concerns over progression speed, especially for newer players, highlighting gaps in clarity and pacing.
- Frustration with the flow of key progression systems, including tonic crafting and Dauntless Trials.
Where We Are At:
- As mentioned up front, returning Slayers will receive 300,000 Rams and 5,000 Combat Merits to acknowledge the time and effort invested in progression. These resources provide flexibility for reclaiming lost Slayer's Path nodes or investing in other valuable upgrades.
- Peerless Aetherite will be awarded to returning Slayers based on pre- Awakening weapon crafting, in addition to any Aetherite provided during the original migration. Players earn one point for each crafted weapon and an additional point for Power Surged weapons. Every 20 points will grant 100 Peerless Aetherite, up to a maximum of 500.
- Update 2.1.1 will remove Steel Marks from the Tier 3 Weapon Talent unlock requirements, ensuring that players who prefer not to engage with Trials or have already used their weekly marks elsewhere are not locked out of core gameplay mechanics and power progression. Additionally, the cost of the Artificer lantern core in the Trials Store will be reduced to prevent unintentional time-gating caused by weekly Trials rewards. In both cases, players will receive direct refunds to account for these adjustments.
- Increased Rams rewards across quests, Behemoth kills, and Patrol Chests to better support progression.
- Improved progression flow for tonic crafting and Dauntless Trials.
Looking Ahead:
- In Update 2.2.0, planned for early next year, all game modes will be unlocked for returning players to enable direct access to desired content.
- We are actively analyzing player feedback and behavior data to further refine progression systems.
- Future updates will aim to make progression more rewarding and accessible for all players.
Monetization Practices
What We Heard:
- Concerns that progression systems feel paywalled and unfriendly to free players.
- Frustration over loot boxes, the removal of Platinum rewards, and non-randomized cosmetics from the Hunt Pass.
- Feedback that monetization changes feel out of touch with the Dauntless community.
Where We Are At:
- While we failed to originally communicate this, on top of the Weapon Tokens provided through the Hunt Pass and weekly challenges, our existing but under-explained plan includes providing variable amounts of Weapon Tokens from other sources during each season. For example, in Dauntless: Awakening, players will be able to earn additional Tokens during our upcoming seasonal event, Frostfall.
- Hunt Pass Prestige Core drop tables have been rebalanced to provide more guaranteed Rams and Aetherite, offering greater rewards for active players progressing beyond level 50.
- Effective immediately, the previously-paid Aetherite claims from the Store (weekly for Peerless, daily for Shining, hourly for Dull) will be free. Note that these will likely move from the Store to weekly gameplay sources from the next season onwards, alongside existing gameplay sources such as Trials and Heroic Escalation.
Looking Ahead:
- While we will not be able to change this for the in-progress season, the next season's Hunt Pass will reintroduce Platinum rewards - 100 on the free track and an additional 100 on the Elite track.
- Reevaluating monetization strategies to balance sustainability with fairness while remaining rewarding for players.
- Exploring ways to refine Hunt Pass content in future seasons to offer better value.
Technical and Gameplay Issues
What We Heard:
Awakening launched with performance issues, including broadly lower performance, graphical glitches, and gameplay-affecting bugs.
Where We Are At:
- Since launch, we have released numerous server-side hotfixes aimed at smoothing out progression and gameplay issues, as well as addressing several crashes.
- Update 2.1.1 contains a significant number of bug fixes, including a fix for desyncing Behemoth hitboxes that could not be addressed server-side. The full list of fixes can be seen HERE.
- Although the timeframe before deploying Update 2.1.1 limited our ability to fully evaluate all performance feedback, we've implemented a short-term solution to enhance performance on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
- Update 2.1.1 also contains fixes for several client and server crashes tied to loadouts, weapon swapping, and cosmetic systems, which we hope will make the gameplay experience much more stable.
Looking Ahead:
- Continue enhancing performance across all platforms, with both broad optimizations and better player-facing options, as well as targeted fixes for specific performance problem areas, to deliver a smoother and more reliable gameplay experience.
- Revamp tutorials and improve onboarding systems in key areas (e.g. Talent Crafting) to provide greater clarity and accessibility, making it easier for new Slayers to dive into Dauntless.
Loss of Core Features
What We Heard:
- The removal of weapon crafting has disrupted the core gameplay loop, leaving players feeling that a vital and rewarding progression element is missing.
- The current cell system discourages experimentation, with unequipped cells being destroyed, limiting build diversity.
- Armor perks feel less impactful, and customization options are more restrictive than before.
Where We Are At:
- Based on our initial balance pass in response to launch feedback we have swapped some armor perks to better support player builds and flexibility (e.g. replacing Predator with Cunning and Sharpened).
- Reintroduced HUD icons for perks like Pulse for better in-game tracking.
- Increased shield caps and effectiveness for perks like Strategist and Fortress.
- Applied targeted buffs to a number of weapons.
Looking Ahead:
- Exploring ways to bring more depth and player agency back to weapon and armor crafting and customization systems.
- Reassessing the cell system to encourage experimentation and support diverse builds.
- This Is Just the Beginning
- While the 2.1.1 update introduces many critical changes, it's only the first step. Beyond this, we're committed to continuous updates that enhance your experience and rebuild trust.
Our goal is to build a Dauntless that is rewarding, inclusive, and reflective of its community. Every step we take will be guided by your input.
Moving Forward Together
We recognize the need to rebuild trust and improve how we engage with our community. Moving forward, we are committed to refining feedback loops, placing players at the center of the game, and ensuring Dauntless reflects the passion of its community.
Thank you for your patience, feedback, and your commitment to Dauntless. Together, we'll create a game that all Slayers can be proud to call home.
The Dauntless Team
