Risk of Rain 2 got an update today, and to the appreciation and relief of fans everywhere, the game has nerfed the Magma Worm and other flaming enemies. Prior to the update, the Magma Worm was notorious for one-shotting player characters, making the game far more difficult than it had to be - and just a tad bit unfair. Since Risk of Rain 2 launched on Steam Early Access last month, there has been lot of commotion around two specific types of enemies - the Magma Worm, and just flaming enemies in general - and how they were dealing a lot more damage than players could deal with, given the tools available. Thankfully, the folks over at Hopoo Games have heard their players’ prayers, and answered.
According to the official patch notes, the main purpose of the update was to make it clear how burn damage worked and how it was applied. Unbeknownst to many players, burning damage actually applied stacks that dealt increased damage per stack, and that was one of the reasons why burn damage was insta-melting most players. While Hopoo did nerf burning damage overall, it’s only made the the burning mechanic function more or less the way it should - less burst damage and more damage-over-time. Here’s what the devs have to say:
The intent is NOT to make the entire game easier, or to make burns never kill you. Fire elites are the only purely offensive elite-type, so they should be causing deaths. It should just feel less BS now.
The latest patch also included a ton of balance improvements, including altering the stats of many of the game’s elite enemies. These changes aren’t nerfs, by the way, just reworks, visual updates, and other changes to make the gameplay a better and more rewarding experience. For the hardcore gamers who want the nitty-gritty of the changes that came with the latest patch, the full build notes are available here.
Risk of Rain 2 has been in early access since last month, and so far it’s been working out great. Players have been enjoying the gameplay, and the community’s feedback has been integral in improving the game and preparing it for release. Of course, that might not come anytime soon, as the expected launch date is set for 2020. We won’t be pushing for an earlier release schedule, since we want Risk of Rain 2 to be every bit the polished masterpiece it can be, but we will say this: things are looking good so far, and Hopoo Games is doing an excellent job of combining their own vision for the game with what players want to see in it. Keep up the good work, Hopoo!
