Frontline only! Click here for Frontline instructions[secretsofgrindea.com]

Summary Players can now restart the game from a True Ending into New Game+, or fine tune their challenge with a Custom Game!

This patch is a "Frontline Patch"! It's intended for players who want to help out with testing, or if you're having a specific issue that is solved in this patch!

The default/Stable branch on Steam, as well as the Humble/GOG branches, will be updated after this has been in testing for 1-2 weeks!

Important note: While old save files are of course compatible with this new version, the new version's save files can't be loaded in an older version of the game. So if you switch to Frontline, it's advised that you wait until the Stable (default) branch has been updated before switching back!

New Game+New Game+ will let players who have beaten the game's True Ending restart the game!

You transition into NG+ from inside the game world, specifically by talking to Aevum, a new NPC which will appear if you first travel to Evergrind City, and then back to the main character's room in Startington.

In NG+, you'll keep your items, cards and levels, but replay through the game with several gameplay twists. Enemies will be shuffled around, you will have pins, many enemies will have their own pins, you can collect more than one card per enemy - and some other changes! There will also be the possibility of fighting a boss hitherto exclusive to Arcade Mode.

Custom Game

When unlocking NG+, you also unlock "Custom Game", which is similar to NG+ but instead of transcending with an existing character, you'll start a new one with custom settings! Here you can go really wild, limiting your max level, increasing enemy damage, make healing twice as strong (or to deal damage to you), and other useful, not-so-useful or plain weird settings!

An especially notable setting in Custom Game is Permadeath, which as the name implies will wipe your save file if you die!

Changes

• New Custom Game Settings: Added Enemy Health Multipliers for regular and boss enemies

• More Custom Game Settings now have lower limits applied to them

• In NG+ and Custom Game, extra cards can now be destroyed (for certain cases where the stacking effects get too extreme)

• (also a bugfix) Angel's Thirst now infinitely scales with number of collected cards in NG+/Custom Game

Bug Fixes

• When counting completion, +Equipment now counts as its normal counterpart

• Steam achievements (except Challenge Accepted and Speedrun) can now be gotten while playing NG+

• Housing Phase plates no longer bug out when entering and exiting the Housing Menu

• If a player is missing the Fertilizer Map (#009), the chest that contains it will reopen

• Fixed a game freeze that could occur when dealing ludicrous amounts of damage with Reaper's Blade

Additions

• Players can now adjust their Custom Game settings from the in-game menu (only if the game is actually a custom game)

Changes

• If quickly tapping an ally-targeting support skill in multiplayer, it will now be self-cast

• Custom Game saves now have an indicator on their save card to show they are modified

Bug Fixes

• Pins are no longer occasionally dropped by bosses even in regular games

• Joining a friend in NG+ or Custom Game with a non-modified character will now unlock pins correctly depending on host mode

• Using the shoulder buttons to navigate the in-game menu no longer bugs out in NG+/Custom Game

• Overleveling the supportive buff skills now applies a stronger effect

• Changing potion in Tai Ming no longer crashes the game in NG+

Changes

• The pool of possible 'first pins' in NG+ has been changed to be more universally useful

• When randomized enemies are active, most enemy spawners will now randomize some enemies on respawn

Bug Fixes

• The first pin gotten in NG+ is now registered in the 'discovered pins' list

• Remedi should now remain in his pumpkin form after the first quest, even in NG+

• Fixed some issues with the damage/death immunity of the true final boss

• Having ludicrous armor penetration no longer leads to decrease damage

• The Toxic Tulip card no longer affects blinding clouds

• Catching butterflies before talking to Luigi in NG+ now still counts towards his quest

• Maracus door is no longer open during the Festival in NG+

Changes

• Maracus is now unlocked from the start in NG+

Bug Fixes

• The game should no longer occasionally crash on zoning to MtBloom with randomized enemies active

• The Sentry in Flying Fortress can no longer be replaced by randomized enemies

• Fixed a crash bug when using spirit slash pins in certain situations

• Spinsects should no longer spin out of bounds if spawned in Temple of Seasons

• The sound when Traveller shoots out weird cubes during the Trial now stops looping at the correct time

• The 'Gain All Buffs vs Bosses'-pin is now properly applied when respawning into a boss that doesn't repeat their Boss Portrait

• Teleporting away from the Alternate Awakening Boss in NG+/Custom Game no longer crashes the game

• The number of cards collected of a certain type is now displayed in Custom Game as well

Bug Fixes

• In Custom Game with multiple cards, players will now keep their extra cards after saving

• Selecting the Pin Shelf no longer crashes the game in Arcade Mode

• The 'Cut EP Blocking Costs In Half'-pin no longer doubles the costs after a game over in Story Mode

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug causing crashes when creating a new game

• Corrected a bit of misinformation said by Traveller in his first NG+ appearance

• Little J no longer crashes the game if you try to upgrade in NG+ without sufficient funds

• Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause the game to crash upon trying to talk to any NPC in Evergrind City

• The game should no longer crash during Tai Ming when playing NG+ (or randomized enemies)

Additions

• New Game+ is now available if you've achieved a True Ending! Transition in the game world

• Custom Game is now available if you've achieved a True Ending!

Changes

• If having a crit chance over 100, it's now possible to 'multi crit' for extra damage

• The max growth time for housing plants has been reduced to 30 minutes

• The plant minions of the 'first' final boss has less HP (about half)

• The difficulty and multiplayer HP scaling of the later bosses have been toned down

• The Smash Gold charge now deals significantly more damage when hitting Red Smash Balls

• Did various slight "balance" changes to various pins

Bug Fixes

• The Gamepad binding for 'Change Sorting' in the inventory should no longer occasionally change button

• Changing sorting in the inventory will now properly update the equipment comparison window

• Newly placed furniture should no longer randomly become invisible when browsing the furniture list

• The 'Potions Have Double Duration'-pin now properly works with lightning potions

• Marino's positioning should no longer be prone to desync in multiplayer

• The 'Gain ASPD/CSPD after using skill'-pin now properly gives its highest buff from Gold Charged skills

If nothing major arises, this update will make its way to Stable and the other storefronts in 1-2 weeks!

After that, we're going to look into the possibility of adding Local Co-Op to the game!

• Fixed a bug where a certain headgear would disappear if removed from a Hat Display
  
• Fixed a rare crash when attempting to change hairstyles of a randomized character

• Added a seventh style option for the Hat Display that gives it a wooden look instead of a realistic head

• Fixed a bug where the game would often crash at the end of Floor 10 of Arcade Mode
  
• The game should no longer crash when the 'Deal Massive Damage on Critical HP'-pin is triggered during the Arcade Mode Final Battle
  
• The player should no longer get stuck charging when quickly casting a spell with a trigger quickslot on a gamepad

• Added a 'Clarity System' that aims to reduce clutter and increase playfield readability in intense situations, especially in multiplayer
  
• It's now possible to select button prompts that match PlayStation and Nintendo controllers
  
• Added an Arcade Mode perk that guarantees that you'll encounter Challenge Rooms that you haven't yet beaten (if any) - for achievement hunters! [Only available in Single Player!]
  
• Added Aquarium housing items in a few sizes - get them by talking to Haddock (Story Mode) or Bett (Arcade Mode)!
  
• Players who have only played in multiplayer will now get the option to 'inherit' the last multiplayer world when playing offline for the first time

• Updated the graphics of Frosty Friend's 'ability ready'-indicators
  
• The fishing perk in Arcade Mode now has a much greater effect

• Fixed some bugs that could cause crashes when changing display modes while in-game
  
• If gifting away the Purple Garland, it will now be unequipped if worn
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes made the game skip the difficulty selection when creating a new character
  
• Fixed a bug where redecorating the house in multiplayer could sometimes desync, causing various issues
  
• Moving the Plant Blade pot no longer removes the interaction collider, and it's also easier to interact with
  
• The 'Hide Discovered' button in the crafting menu now actually works!

• Fixed some layering issues in Post Ending startington
  
• Fixed a bug where one of the final bosses might crash the game for clients during his fireball attack

• The fire hurtboxes now properly disappear during the Frosty Foe phase of the final battle
  
• The 'Preserve Ratio' graphics option is now saved properly between sessions
  
• The Boots of Bloodthirst now deals its player damage on Chill Mode as well, but at a reduced rate
  
• The difficulty selection now wraps around properly when pressing Left (from Chill to Expert)
  
• Fixed a bug where the new burn code could cause a highly unnecessary amount of updates and network sends in Co-op
  
• In multiplayer Arcade, the Floor 5 spawn sequence no longer occasionally disables item collision for clients

• Translation authors can now add a name and logo to be more prominently credited in-game!
  
• There's now an option to enable/disable black borders when playing fullscreen with a monitor that's not 16:9 aspect ratio
  
• Gamepad players can now choose to have the DPad quick-access the left clover (the one accessed with LT/L2) instead of moving the character
  
• Gamepad players can now adjust the deadzone of the left thumb stick to match their preference
  
• Potions can now be equipped one-by-one to remove the need for multiple button presses, if preferred
  
• The 'Hard' difficulty is now a bit easier overall (especially towards the end), and a new difficulty called 'Expert' is like the old Hard Mode
  
• The fighting part of the Collector Exam now includes a short shield trial

• It's now possible to select zoom levels higher than 3 for monitors that support it
  
• Red Giga Slime's level scaling will now be locked to the player level when first fighting it [Story Mode]
  
• If equipping a weapon through a Quickslot, you can now switch back by pressing the same button again (especially convenient for things like the Bug Net)
  
• Larvacids no longer leave continuous acid behind unless they're angry
  
• Health Orbs now have a larger pickup radius
  
• The player is now healed between every battle in the final tower, except on Hard and Expert Mode
  
• The Burn debuff, when affecting a player, now has a short 'mercy timer' before being applied
  
• Enemy Shockwave-attacks now have less punishing colliders
  
• The Arena Gauntlet Challenges now scale in a more reasonable manner on high levels
  
• The player can now move earlier after putting the shield away
  
• The player can now move earlier after taking shield damage, and can attack and use spells at any time during the shield damage animation
  
• Input when turning and raising the shield is now somewhat context sensitive, making the timing less strict
  
• ("[Arcade Mode] The zoning field (jumpdown) in the Flying Fortress Boss Rooms now has an indicator to lessen confusion
  
• Kailan's ghost-gift has been changed from the Phase Resequencer to a new item, 'Kailan's ID', which is found earlier in the bonus phase course
  
• Thorn Worms can now be interrupted during the beginning of their dig-animation
  
• After completing a Twilight-locked challenge in the Ghost Ship, the player now automatically leaves Twilight
  
• The monkey barrel room in Tai Ming's Inner Shrine will now become an efficient Monkey + Statue grind room after saving Shiidu
  
• Monkeys can now spawn as elites, mostly for drop-rate-increase purposes

• Skipping the quests that grant potion flasks should now more reliably set the potion amount correctly
  
• Reading Penn Wryte's final book as a client in multiplayer no longer removes it from your inventory
  
• The Penn Wryte achivement's progress is now tracked on the character, not the world
  
• Burn particles for burning players are now displayed correctly on clients
  
• Player 2 no longer automatically picks up the health orb when reaching Floor 5 in Arcade Mode
  
• Fixed a bug in the cannon-scene in the Lost Ship that made the scene become rather silly
  
• Fixed several music bugs related to Tai Ming
  
• When receiving the Valkyrie Hat DLC reward, the game no longer mentions being in Beta
  
• The housing menu no longer puts Rotate and Place on the same button on gamepads

• The game now asks for player confirmation before a rebind of the confirm button goes through
  
• Players can no longer sell the unique seeds that are required for the Master Gardener achievement
  
• When failing to establish a multiplayer connection, the game tries to provide error context
  
• The final boss' Inferno attack should no longer be able to corner players if the Giant Earth Spike is positioned poorly

• When accepting the 'enemies from floor above'-bet in the Arcade Mode Desert, you'll now be granted Twilight Shift
  
• Defeating the final boss of Arcade Mode now actually grants score!
  
• Solving the Deceit puzzle and then immediately exiting the game no longer soft locks upon reload
  
• Fixed a visual bug where the arena door would not open after The Gauntlet I arena challenge had been cleared
  
• Quitting the game during the cutscene between Lurifix' quests in Mt Bloom no longer soft locks the save
  
• The game should now award the Card Enthusiast achievement without needing to quit and load back in
  
• The crash report tool can now identify some more common issues and give advice
  
• Leaving the Forgotten Tower during the puzzle phase no longer causes the zone to bug out for multiplayer clients
  
• The game no longer locks up for multiplayer clients when finishing Arcade Mode with less than 100% score
  
• Fixed a crash that occured in the ingame menu when selecting the last item of a category, selling it, and then trying to select it again

• The game now asks for player confirmation before a rebind of the confirm button goes through
  
• Players can no longer sell the unique seeds that are required for the Master Gardener achievement
  
• When failing to establish a multiplayer connection, the game tries to provide error context
  
• The final boss' Inferno attack should no longer be able to corner players if the Giant Earth Spike is positioned poorly

• When accepting the 'enemies from floor above'-bet in the Arcade Mode Desert, you'll now be granted Twilight Shift
  
• Defeating the final boss of Arcade Mode now actually grants score!
  
• Solving the Deceit puzzle and then immediately exiting the game no longer soft locks upon reload
  
• Fixed a visual bug where the arena door would not open after The Gauntlet I arena challenge had been cleared
  
• Quitting the game during the cutscene between Lurifix' quests in Mt Bloom no longer soft locks the save
  
• The game should now award the Card Enthusiast achievement without needing to quit and load back in
  
• The crash report tool can now identify some more common issues and give advice
  
• Leaving the Forgotten Tower during the puzzle phase no longer causes the zone to bug out for multiplayer clients
  
• The game no longer locks up for multiplayer clients when finishing Arcade Mode with less than 100% score
  
• Fixed a crash that occured in the ingame menu when selecting the last item of a category, selling it, and then trying to select it again