The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based, rogue-lite RPG where you recruit three mortal heroes and guide them on a desperate journey from Albion to Jerusalem. This game provides a compelling story inspired by the Matter of France, Arthurian Legend, and the history of Al-Andalus.
The Hand of Merlin recently received Update 7, which adds new skills to all existing classes. They are:
- Warrior: Charge, Fend Off, Hook, Rebuke, Second Wind, Slam, Sword-sworn, Taunt
- Ranger: Commanding Shot, Disengage, Explosive Arrow, Partner Up, Supply Line
- Mystic: Cleanse, Empathy, Incense, Observation, Volatile Mixture
This patch also changes how the heroes get stronger in each rank-up. Now, you can choose to improve their HP, Armor, or a combination of both by selecting the right choice cards presented to you.
Those who want to customize their games will be happy to know that Update 7 also introduces support for modding via Steam Workshop. To create mods, you should install and run The Hand of Merlin editor.
Update Highlights
- Revamped the final boss fight with new mechanics. It should now be more engaging, but also more rewarding: every victory will unlock new skills and relics that can be found in the following runs
- Added new per-class passive skills:
- Warrior: Automatically attacks enemies moving into or out of melee range to apply Bleeding
- Ranger: Gets a stacking bonus to power and accuracy against a target flanked by the Ranger's allies
- Mystic: Applies a stacking healing-over-time effect to allies standing next to the target of the Mystic's primary attack
- Added official support for macOS (10.13 High Sierra or newer) and Linux (SteamOS 3.0 or Ubuntu 18.04 LTS)
- Added official support for Steam Deck
- Fresh profiles will now start with 0 Essence, instead of 1. To offset this, winning the game now grants 1 essence every time as a minimum. This is a QoL feature because it eliminates the Core/Spell selection step of the loadout process for the very first run of a new player
- Added "camera speed" option for the Lobby transitions
- Ability tooltips will now indicate the shape and size of an ability's area of effect in the tooltip header
- Ranger's Blinding Smoke skill (and its upgrades) have been buffed to apply stronger debuffs (now scaling with Power). Abominations will no longer apply Poison or Bleeding. These effects are now reserved for players. Instead, monsters will apply Corruption, which has tighter rules on stacking and maximum damage per turn
The Hand of Merlin Update 7 is available on macOS, Linux, Steam Deck, and PC.
