Difference between revisions of "Release/all"

Party Finder

A Party Finder feature has been added that allows players to find parties in the Arcade and on Missions. Simply press the 'Party Finder' button on the top of your screen and wait as it attempts to find parties for you near your current Rank. Available parties will populate your Notifications window and will adjust in real time so long as the Party Finder is toggled.

Graphics

• Various armors including the jelly series will keep their gloss fx even on low detail.

Monsters

• Tier1 Gunpuppies are now more accurate.

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug in Lockdown damage calculation that was resulting in heavy damage from multiple attacks
• Fixed a faulty battlepod room/encounter where the battlepod could not use its artillery attack properly
• Pressing enter while drafting a mail no longer opens chat

Items

A new 'Armor Rear' accessory slot is now available. Items that now use this slot are:

• Tails Tails
• Wolver Tails

Monsters

• Zombies will now only drop loot on initial defeat. Rez'd zombies will drop nothing.
• Slag Guards now have new artwork. Hail Almire!

Graphics

• Made adjustments to certain textures on low detail setting.

Levels

• Prestige Mission: Pinch of Salt - the interactive salt pile that is used to open a door is more clearly visible
• There is new music for slime-themed levels. The Royal Jelly Palace will keep the original slime music.

Lockdown

Join the battle in two new Lockdown maps!

• Downtown - A traffic-congested, frigid city with plenty of Fire Pots to melt the ice!
• Gardens - A secluded garden with hidden paths amongst its ruined walls

Changes to the Scoring System: Lockdown will now use a scaling point system where each additional Capture Point controlled by a team is worth fewer points per tick

On a 3 Capture Point map

• 1st CP captured is worth 5 points
• 2nd CP captured is worth 3 points
• 3rd CP captured is worth 1 point

On a 5 Capture Point map

• 1st CP captured is worth 5 points
• 2nd CP captured is worth 4 points
• 3rd CP captured is worth 3 points
• 4th CP captured is worth 2 points
• 5th CP captured is worth 1 point

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where knights were burning to death while Vanaduke was giving his monologue. Ouch!

Levels

• Fixed an issue in FSC Charred Court and the Shadow Lair where players could die while talking to the Nature Sprite.
• Crown and heat payouts have received further balancing, most notably in the Ironclaw Munitions Factory.
• Added an airlock after the statue room in Firestorm Citadel Ashen Armory to prevent backtracking with the gold key.

Bugfixes

• Fixed collision in a level that allowed players and monsters to leave the playable area.
• Valiance's knock-back has been reverted.
• Fixed a rare bug that could cause a party to get stuck on the elevator when someone joined.

Bugfixes

• The Rugged Robo Wrecker's Recipe name has been corrected (English only).
• Fixed issues with searching on the Auction House.
• Fixed catalyzer type handguns charge attacks causing low damage.
• Fixed issues with having the wrong rank after completing Rescue Camp Missions.

New User Experience

The Crash Site, Rescue Camp and Rescue Camp Missions have been revamped. New players will now meet their pal Rhendon and join him as they save the Rescue Camp from the monsters that lurk in the dark and the evil gremlin Schemer, Razwog.

This new experience is a taste of what's to come in the Spiral Knights story. Stay tuned!

Items

• All bombs have had their damage output increased by 15%
• All handguns have had their damage increased by 10% and their charge attack damage increased by 20%

Minor art changes to the following Swords:

• Slime Slasher
• Super Slime Slasher
• Beast Basher
• Big Beast Basher

Damage increased:

• Slime Slasher
• Super Slime Slasher
• Beast Basher
• Big Beast Basher

• Hatchet: increased damage area for charge attack

• Damage bonus increased:
• Cyclops Cap
• Fencing Jacket

• Proto Bomb: now has a chance HIGH to Stun MODERATE.

Damage area increased:

• Twisted Spine Cone
• Proto Bomb
• Firecracker
• Cold Snap
• Static Flash
• Spine Cone

Fuse time decreased:

• Super Blast Bomb
• Twisted Spine Cone
• Dark Briar Barrage
• Proto Bomb
• Firecracker
• Cold Snap
• Static Flash
• Blast Bomb
• Spine Cone

Fuse time increased:

• Master Blast Bomb
• Spike Shower

Status power increased:

• Cold Snap
• Static Flash
• Firecracker

Bullet Speed increased, minor knock*back added, charge shot damage radius increased:

• Proto Gun
• Stun Gun
• Frost Gun
• Super Stun Gun
• Zapper
• Blaster
• Super Blaster
• Master Blaster
• Valiance

Moderate Knock-Back added, MEDIUM construct damage added, extra shot added before reload:

• Punch Gun
• Pummel Gun

• Robo Wrecker (0* sword) and Rugged Robo Wrecker (1* sword) have been added to the Bazaar catalogs

Monsters

• All retrodes have received a slight health reduction.

Levels

• Many levels now have beautiful new lighting, effects, backgrounds, etc.
• Tier 1 levels now convey the proximity to Cradle's surface while deeper levels lose sunlight and become darker.
• Crown and heat payouts have received further balancing, most notably in the Royal Jelly Palace.
• Battle Arena*style mission levels have received an overhaul and now feature new rooms and a slick new presentation.

UI

• Conversation text now fades in line by line.
• The character-selection screen has received a small visual update. 'Location' has also been replaced with 'Rank.'
• Spanish, German and French languages have received more thorough translations. Mission and level names are now translated.

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where switching weapons could cause bullet damage to be modified.
• Fixed a bug with coliseum payouts in certain rare circumstances.
• Fixed a bug with saving a knight after anonymous login.
• Fixed the Arcane Salamander Mask to display personalized eyes.

Bugfixes

• Nonna will no longer sell bound Monster Pockets.
• Any bound Monster Pockets in a player's arsenal will now be unbound.

The Emberlight Adoption Agency Has Arrived!

Nonna, a representative for the Emberlight Adoption Agency has come to Haven seeking Knights to care for baby monsters that have lost their way in the Clockworks! Head to the Haven Town Square and see how you can purchase the following accessories:

• Love Puppy Monster Pocket
• Chroma Whelp Monster Pocket
• Mewkat Monster Pocket

Each monster pocket is fully animated and attaches to the front of any compatible armor.

Nonna will be in town through April 30th, 2012. She will return some time in the future, but you never know which monsters she will have available for adoption!

New Character Creation

A new character creation interface is available that offers both a visual upgrade as well as new customization options. Options include:

[Armor]

• Head
• Body
• Design

[Details]

• Accessory 1
• Accessory 2

[Personalize]

• Height
• Eyes
• Personal Color

Unique Variants

You can now ‘lock’ Unique Variants in Punch’s shop when purchasing the two and three UV tickets. Locking UVs will retain them while you roll for new ones!

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where knights could get trapped between a timed door and the wall in the Clockworks.
• Fixed some bugs where rocket blocks weren't turning off in the Ironclaw Munitions Factory.
• The ground target when holding a heavy statue now snaps to pressure plates.

Now with Blast Processing!

Spiral Knights has received a significant performance boost! SEGA has shared with OOO the secret of ‘Blast Processing’ and it has result in faster, smoother gameplay across the board! (Ok, maybe we just introduced a bunch of graphical optimizations.)

Many players will find they now have greatly increased framerates in even the most hazardous of levels, such as the Ironclaw Munitions Factory. Please note that this boost will not necessarily be noticeable by every player, though some will see a dramatic change.

If you had problems running the game in the past, or know someone who did, now is the time to jump back in and see the action in a whole, new way!

Height and Eye Modifiers

New items are now available that allow you to change your height and eyes. These items work just like Personal Color items and are consumed once used.

Eyes change your eye type across any helm you wear, however not all helms allow you to see your eyes, like the Spiral Pith Helm.

Height Modifiers only affect the visual height of your knight and have no gameplay implications of any kind. They do not make you a larger/smaller target, offer greater/reduced reach, etc.

[Height Modifiers]

• Normal Height Modifier
• Tall Height Modifier
• Extra Tall Height Modifier
• Short Height Modifier
• Extra Short Height Modifier

[Eyes]

• Normal Eyes
• Almond Eyes
• Cheeky Eyes
• Closed Eyes
• Determined Eyes
• Dot Eyes
• Exed Eyes
• Happy Eyes
• Jolly Eyes
• Pill Eyes
• Plus Eyes
• Angry Eyes
• Sad Eyes
• Sultry Eyes
• Shifty Eyes
• Sleepy Eyes
• Spiral Eyes
• Squinty Eyes
• Vacant Eyes
• Starry Eyes
• Delicate Eyes

These items are available via lockboxes with the exception of the Normal, Short and Tall Height Modifier and Normal, Almond, Determined and Happy Eyes, which are for sale in Vatel’s shop in the Bazaar.

Mirrored Lockbox

A new lockbox will now randomly drop from the Prize Wheel, the Mirrored Lockbox. The Mirrored Lockbox contains an assortment of character modification items. These include:

• All Height Modifiers, excluding the Normal Height Modifier
• All Eyes, excluding Normal Eyes

Mirrored Lockboxes require a Silver Key to open.

New Items in Iron Lockboxes

New items are available inside Iron Lockboxes. These include:

• Cool Parrying Blade
• Divine Parrying Blade
• Regal Parrying Blade
• Military Parrying Blade
• Heavy Parrying Blade
• Fancy Parrying Blade
• Dusky Parrying Blade
• Toasty Parrying Blade
• Volcanic Parrying Blade
• Prismatic Parrying Blade

• Cool Round Shades
• Divine Round Shades
• Regal Round Shades
• Military Round Shades
• Heavy Round Shades
• Fancy Round Shades
• Dusky Round Shades
• Toasty Round Shades
• Volcanic Round Shades
• Prismatic Round Shades

Additionally, there is a small chance of it containing one item from the Mirrored Lockbox.

Charge Attacks

When a charge attack has reached 'max charge,' it can no longer lose charge to damage, only to death. Players who had experienced 'missing' bombs or charge attack misfires will no longer experience these issues.

Levels

• The Prize Wheel has been added to the end of Mission levels
• You can now access the Hall of Heroes Missions when your energy total is below 10

Graphics

• Added a 'Cull Transients' toggle to the Advanced Video Options. This is an experimental toggle which could improve game performance in complicated levels. When enabled, there will likely be some side effects where certain graphical and audio effects will not be played.
• Adjusted mipmapping on player eyes to make them slightly sharper at distance.

Bugfixes

• Fixed the incorrect damage values on the Dark Thorn Blade’s charge attack. It will now output less damage, in line with all other swords in its series.

Missions

• The 'Total Caketastrophe!' Prestige Mission is no longer available.

Items

• Eyes on the various jelly helms will not recolor to the knight's personal color.

Bugfixes

• Fixed knight actions occurring while a dialog is open

Anniversary Event

The Spiral Knights Anniversary Celebration has come to an end. The decorations have been taken down, the frosting cleaned up and the Total Caketastrophe mission is no longer available. Biscotti thanks all knights for their assistance in cleaning up a mess that never happened.

• Bulky and Maskwell will remain in the Town Square until April 23, when all Cake Slice tokens expire.

Prestige

The first prestige reward, Prestige Badges, will now be granted to the most prestigious of knights! See the tooltip on any prestige reward for more information on all five levels of Prestige Badges.

Items

• Eyes on the various jelly helms now animate and recolor according to the knight's personal color like other helms.

Interface

• The knight creation UI now alerts you if a name is unavailable in real time.

Bugfixes

• You can no longer pull out a vial while standing on a lift barrier.
• Shadow Party Hat accessory now correctly displays its name.
• Animations when holding lift objects have been fixed.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SPIRAL KNIGHTS!

Spiral Knights is celebrating its first anniversary with a special event! Join in on the fun now through April 10, 2012!

It's a Caketastrophe!

Visit the Haven Town Square to meet the Skylark's Head Chef, Biscotti. She will inform you of a 'situation' at hand that involves hordes of monstrous cakes known as 'Creep Cakes.' Helping her solve this 'situation' will reward you with cake helms! Features include:

• A new Prestige Mission, 'Total Caketastrophe' is available during the event
• Biscotti, Maskwell and Bulky can be found in the Haven Town Square
• Creep Cake nests can be found randomly within the Clockworks
• Participating in these events will reward you with Cake Slice tokens
• Maskwell now trades Cake Helms in exchange for Cake Slices
• Bulky now sells confetti and Cake Slice tokens

Please note, the Frosted Helm and Foiled Frosted Helm will expire, however the Prismatic Frosted Helm lasts forever!

Get the Anniversary Prize Pack!

To celebrate the first anniversary of Spiral Knights, the Haven Treasury is giving away a FREE Anniversary Prize Pack with the purchase of any $9.95 energy purchase! The prize pack contains a random assortment of goodies that includes:

• Handfuls of confetti (always included)

One accessory (always included): 4% Chance:

• Cool Birthday Candle
• Regal Birthday Candle
• Military Birthday Candle
• Heavy Birthday Candle
• Fancy Birthday Candle
• Dusky Birthday Candle
• Toasty Birthday Candle
• Cool Party Hat
• Regal Party Hat
• Military Party Hat
• Heavy Party Hat
• Fancy Party Hat
• Dusky Party Hat
• Toasty Party Hat
• Cool Party Blowout
• Regal Party Blowout
• Military Party Blowout
• Heavy Party Blowout
• Fancy Party Blowout
• Dusky Party Blowout
• Toasty Party Blowout

2% Chance:

• Volcanic Party Hat
• Divine Party Hat
• Prismatic Party Hat
• Volcanic Party Blowout
• Divine Party Blowout
• Prismatic Party Blowout
• Volcanic Birthday Candle
• Divine Birthday Candle
• Prismatic Birthday Candle

1% Chance:

• Shadow Party Blowout
• Shadow Party Hat
• Shadow Birthday Candle
• Sprinkle Aura (yes, your knight will be covered in delicious sprinkles)

Prize Pack Details

Offer available through April 10, 2012

All prize pack items are delivered UNBOUND.

As a special bonus, each purchase has a chance of receiving DOUBLE PRIZES!

Other Changes

• Heavy statues will now "snap" into position on pressure plates, making it much easier to place them.
• Throw-able objects such as pots and vials now have a targeting arrow.
• "Command Emotes", such as /attack and /helpme now have translations for French, German, and Spanish.
• The Elevator Pass will now be promoted when players are at an elevator and run out of energy.
• Fixed a statue exploit in Firestorm Citadel Smoldering Steps
• Fixed a bug in Firestorm Citadel Charred Court where you could get trapped by a timed door

Today's patch contains behind-the-scenes content for a future event.

• Removed chat transforms for emoticons and lolspeak
• Fixed issues with the Troika sword line charge attacks

Items

Some balance changes have been made to some items:

Armor & Helms

Skelly series:

• Removed fire weakness

Magic Cloak series:

• Removed stun weakness

Drake Scale series:

• Added Poison resist.

Chaos set:

• Added Charge Time bonus
• Removed stun and sleep weakness

Justifier set:

• Added stun resist

Shadowsun set:

• Added poison resist
• Removed curse weakness
• Changed piercing defense to shadow defense
• Increased handgun damage bonus

Deadshot set:

• Added Handgun Attack speed

Nameless set:

• Added freeze resist

Bombastic Demo set:

• Added freeze resist
• Increased bomb damage bonus

Shields

Drake scale series:

• Added poison resist

Swords

Troika and Triglav Series, Thwack Hammer:

Charge attack changes:

• Charge attack is now a two hit combo
• Increased charge attack damage area
• First hit does not impulse or apply status, is weaker
• Second hit is more powerful, has status

Spur, Arc Razor and Winmillion:

Basic attack combo changes:

• Attack one no longer has a forward impulse.
• Attack one hit box narrowed and elongated slightly to bring inline with other swords.
• Attack two forward impulse increased slightly.
• Attack three knock-back impulse increased slightly.
• Attack three hit box widened.

Charge attack changes:

• Backstep at beginning of swing removed.
• Spur charge attack power reduced
• Arc Razor and Winmillion charge attack power increased, bullets now pierce through multiple targets

Economy

Crown and heat payouts for all levels will be undergoing adjustments over the next few patches in order to better balance the game economy and create a better experience for all players. In this patch you will see changes to missions and levels that were previously awarding an overabundance of crowns and heat.

UI

• Smilies typed into chat may be transformed into an appropriate emote.
• Mac OS: text editing commands will now follow Mac conventions.
• Added a confirmation check for exchange missions.

Bugfixes

• Fixed the collision on Cursed Nature Sprites to resolve a bug where they could get stuck.
• Fixed bugs with depositing Cursed Nature Sprites in the Sprite Sanctuary.
• Fixed a bug that could cause a freeze when using chat history.
• Mecha Knight monsters will properly block player bullets.

UI

• The rank (or tier for Expansion Missions) will be displayed next to the mission name when inspecting a friend or guildmate's location.
• An official seal will be shown on mail originating from a non-player.
• Most numbers and prices will now display with commas.

Bugfixes

• Companion knights should no longer shield-block player bullets.
• Wishbones will no longer be requested in Monstrous Research Prestige Missions.
• Correct crest rewarded in Hall of Heroes 8-2. Any player that has previously completed this mission will receive the appropriate crest in the mail.
• Sacred Silver Amulet now has the correct curse resist.
• Battlepod orbital shields no longer collide with players.
• Giant lichen barbs no longer cause neutral damage.
• Greaver clouds now inflict a minor amount of shadow damage and status upon intersection rather than pulsing status every half a second. This will prevent 'stun-locking' attacks from multiple Greavers.
• Fixed collision on Grim Totems.
• Fixed the collision on cursed sprites so they act like other lift objects.

Items

• Blessed and Sacred Silver Amulets have had their star values corrected.
• Volcanic Demo Suit now has a medium CTR boost.

Levels

• Fixed a broken monster gate in Lounge Lizards level that was causing some players to get stuck.
• Fixed a naming issue with a floor in Beyond Axes of Evil.

Operation Crimson Hammer

• Silence the Guns - Addressing issue where the battle room gate would not lower for some players

Misc

• Newly-created knights will not receive new-mail notifications about announcements in the Crash Site.
• Added a link to clear saved credit card information in the Energy Depot.

Missions

• Added over 30 Rank Missions through rank 9-4, allowing you to achieve the rank of Vanguard.
• Prestige Mission rewards payouts adjusted for exchange-style missions.

Items

• Dark Reprisal, Dark Reprisal Mk II and Dark Retribution bombs have received a damage decrease and a speed reduction to their orbiting bullets.
• More items have been added to the Supply Depot.

Operation Crimson Hammer

• Added an all-new, free "Aftermath" level following 'Engines of War'
• A number of collision space fixes in Operation Crimson Hammer, including one in which players could become fatally stuck inside of Gremlin bunkers.
• Engines of War - Increased Warmaster Seerus' health
• Engines of War - fixed Battlepod corpses disappearing between stages during the boss fight
• Clear the Gatehouse - Removed material exploit in the bonus loot closet
• Seerus hammer explosion damage has been decreased

Operation Crimson Hammer

• Adjusted background music volume across all floors
• Slightly longer vulnerable period on several Battlepods
• Silence the Guns - Sped up respawn timer on explosive blocks, allowing players to kill off the Mortafires in the rocket block battle room faster
• Silence the Guns - Added collision to prevent players from getting trapped in artillery rocket chambers
• Silence the Guns - Fixed broken tile art in Stalker room

Bugfixes

• Fixed a few Steam conversion issues.
• Fixed an issue that was causing some problems with shiny costumes on medium-low detail.
• Purchasing Expansion Missions now mark your account as 'paid' and offering the standard paid account benefits.

Operation Crimson Hammer!

The first Expansion Mission, Operation Crimson Hammer, has arrived!

Warmaster Seerus is the evil master of munitions within the gremlin's all-powerful Crimson Order. Thought to be the true mastermind behind the Roarmulus Twins and countless other gremlin weapons, he is the Crimson Order’s creator and supplier for their diabolical engines of war.

Recon Knights under the command of Lieutenant Feron recently discovered Seerus’s ‘Grand Arsenal,’ his development center and storage facility for all his weaponry. Now, Feron himself is leading several squads of knights directly into the Grand Arsenal, with the intention of weeding out Seerus and destroying his war machines.

Met with heavy resistance, Feron’s squads require reinforcements and Spiral HQ is sending you in to assist.

Contents

Lead the Assault

• Experience an all-new adventure in the world of Spiral Knights!
• Challenge the mighty gremlin lord, Warmaster Seerus, in his terrifying Grand Arsenal!

Expand Your Arsenal

• Includes unique mission rewards: the powerful Rocket Hammer and the shadowy Dark Retribution bomb!
• Includes a bonus craft-able helm, the Mask of Warmaster Seerus himself!

Ferocious New Monsters

• Face the explosive weaponry of gremlin Mortafires and the stealthy blades of Ghostmane Stalkers!

Multiple Ways to Play

• Unlocks three separate versions of Operation Crimson Hammer for each difficulty tier!

How to Access Expansion Missions

You can gain access to Expansion Missions by completing the Rank Mission 3-2 'The Pioneers.'

Once you have access, select the Expansion Mission you wish to purchase from the Expansion Mission menu and select 'Purchase Expansion. Steam users will be taken to Steam and Web users to the Energy Depot to complete your purchase.

Purchasing an Expansion Mission unlocks it for all knights on the account.

Items

Three new item series have been added as part of Operation Crimson Hammer:

1* Prototype Rocket Hammer 3* Stable Rocket Hammer 5* Warmaster Rocket Hammer

Obtained as a mission reward, this sword class weapon launches your forward with its combo and creates a doubly devastating blast when charged!

1* Dark Reprisal 3* Dark Reprisal Mk II 5* Dark Retribution

Obtained as a mission reward, this shadowy bomb creates a swirling storm of projectiles after exploding!

1* Fractured Mask of Seerus 3* Flawed Mask of Seerus 5* Perfect Mask of Seerus

Obtained as a bonus, craftable item, this gunner's mask can be created if you survive enough battles against the Warmaster himself! Talk to Vise in the mission lobby for details!

Please note, Expansion Mission rewards cannot be sold, traded or dropped.

Monsters

• Battlepods are now immune to all status ailments.
• New gremlin monsters in Operation Crimson Hammer: the Ghostmane Stalker and the Mortafire

Misc Changes

• Kozma no longer sells Cobalt gear recipes and now opens the Supply Depot.
• Boost has been replaced by Kozma.
• Removed special weapons and materials from prestige exchange missions.
• King Krogmo's Coliseum will now display your preferred region and the waiters/players counts for each game are only those for your region.
• A confirm dialogue is now shown if joining another player would remove you from your party.
• The Uplink now opens in the Ready Room.

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where closed gold doors would open when all knights were rescued and brought to the exit door in deconstruction zone levels.
• Fixed some instances of broken tile art.

Hall of Heroes

• Recipes purchased form the Hall of Heroes now bind on purchase.

Levels and Missions

• Alien Ooze - door will no longer open prematurely during last battle.
• Boss Dungeons - should no longer be able to join a party mid-boss fight.
• Strength In Unity - loot should no longer be unreachable in the last battle area.
• Toy Soldiers - fixed a flow issue where hitting a ghost block early stopped players from progressing.
• Clockworks - fixed bad room collision that allowed players to run outside the level bounds.

Bugfixes

• Fixed joining parties in Arcade gates from the Mission panel.
• Fixed dropping vitapods and inspecting your weapon from the HUD.
• Fixed bugs with attempting prestige missions
• Fixed joining a party and ending up on the wrong gate.
• Fixed a missing texture issue on Graveyard tombstones.
• Companion knights should no longer be auto-targeted.
• Fixed a bug where mission rewards were not being successfully created on mission complete. Should this now happen, you will receive them in mail.
• Fixed ladder props. They can no longer be stood upon.
• Reduced confetti spawning in 'Work for Idle Hands'

Today's patch features the official release of Missions! This patch includes Rank Missions through Rank 6-2. More exciting missions will be released in the future!

Mission Overview

Missions provide players with a a structure for navigating the world of Spiral Knights. Each mission features a reward that is guaranteed with completion in addition to the rewards acquired during the mission itself.

Missions range from simple tasks like speaking with an NPC to going on an a major expedition within the Clockworks. One of the key features of missions is that everything is managed within the mission interface. You will never find yourself searching a town for NPCs or left to wonder what to do next. When you’re looking for action, simply open up the mission interface and away you go!

Additionally, the Character Select interface now includes the ‘Ready Room.’ The Ready Room is where your knight chooses where to go after selection. You can chat with friends and guildmates, check out your Social Panel and Event Hub, head in to town or go directly on a mission.

Ready Room Preview

There are four types of missions: Rank, Prestige, Expansion and Arcade.

Rank Missions

Rank Missions serve the main campaign of Spiral Knights. Comprised of over 80 missions, Rank Missions will allow a player to rise in the ranks of the Spiral Knights. Starting as a lowly Recruit, knights can ultimately achieve the mighty rank of Vanguard.

Rank Missions also feature a new way of acquiring the recipes that you need. In each Rank Mission lobby you will find Basil selling a set selection of recipes that are geared toward the mission you are about to face. Additionally, Rank Missions have you regularly visiting the ‘Hall of Heroes’ where players can see veteran knight loadouts and purchase their recipes for their gear. The Hall of Heroes also serves as a stage for certification, requiring players have a loadout of a set star level to advance, much like the Spiral Warden’s requirements in subtowns.

Any knight that had a particular Tier Clearance prior to this patch will still be able to access the appropriate Tier in the Clockworks. Knights without Tier 2 and 3 Clearance prior to this patch must complete Rank Missions in order to gain clearance.

Prestige Missions

Prestige Missions are offered to you daily and can only be completed once a day. These missions reward you with ‘prestige’ which acts as a running score attached to your knight. Knights with high prestige will earn a special bonus in the future.

Expansion Missions

Expansion Missions are bonus missions that can be unlocked with purchase. Expansion Missions, like Rank Missions, feature set rewards and can be played as often as you like once unlocked. Some expansion missions are a ‘pack’ of missions and provide you with a version for different tiers that feature unique rewards. Our first Expansion Mission pack, 'Operation: Crimson Hammer,' will be released in the near future.

Arcade Missions

Arcade Missions provide you with the convenience of creating and joining parties in the Arcade directly from the mission interface. However, the Arcade must still be visited to deposit minerals.

The Supply Depot

The Supply Depot is a new feature that is connected to the mission interface. The Supply Depot is a place where players can purchase items associated with missions with energy. This includes accessories, weapons, gear, upgrades and even energy packs.

However, items in the Supply Depot must be earned. Items are added to your personal Supply Depot as you rank up. Achieve the highest rank you can and build the ultimate Supply Depot!

Weapons and gear purchased from the Supply Depot are BOUND on purchase!

Item Fixes

• Deadshot Mantle no longer accepts FRONT attachments. BACK attachments now allowed. Any accessory that's already attached will not be affected.
• Spiral Sallet's texture has had a recolor-seam fixed.

Item Balance

Silversix:

• Removed piercing damage, now pure elemental damage (overall attack power remains the same)
• Added undead damage bonus

Argent Peacemaker:

• Removed piercing damage, now pure elemental damage (overall attack power remains the same)
• Added undead damage bonus

Blackhawk:

• Removed piercing damage, now pure shadow damage (overall attack power remains the same)
• Added gremlin damage bonus

Sentenza

• Removed piercing damage, now pure shadow damage (overall attack power remains the same)
• Added gremlin damage bonus

The following handguns now push enemies away on charge attack instead of pulling them toward you;

• Autogun
• Pepperbox
• Fiery Pepperbox
• Volcanic Pepperbox
• Magnus
• Mega Magnus
• Callahan
• Punch Gun
• Iron Slug

User Interface

• Some simple animations have been added to various common UI.
• Conversation UI has been rebuilt.

Monster Tweaks

• A few monsters have had their attacks switched to split damage in Tier 2 and pure damage in Tier 3.
• Vanaduke's corpse now cleans up faster and with fancier graphics.

Gremlins on the Rise!

Something has riled up the gremlins in the Clockworks, causing them to send out even the littlest ankle-biters of the bunch to join their front lines! A new series of levels called 'Gremlin Grounds' will now appear in the Clockworks. New gremlin monsters will now appear in Gremlin Grounds and missions:

• Knocker
• Lighter
• Cooler
• Jumper
• Joker

Don't be fooled by their diminutive size* these horrible helpers will turn their tools against any knight they cross!

Haven
Winter has finally left Haven and all the snow has melted. See you next Winter!

NPCs
Some NPC Knights have received an art update.

Items
Chroma and Salamander style armors now accept back accessories.

Elevator Pass

The $5.95 30 Day Elevator Pass is here to stay! Accounts that have purchased the Elevator Pass in the past can now purchase it again as often as they like. Time is added to the your current Elevator Pass at the time of purchase.

Items

The following swords have had their charge attack changed from a swipe to a burst attack:

• Proto Sword ☆☆☆☆☆
• Beast Basher ☆☆☆☆☆
• Slime Slasher ☆☆☆☆☆
• Bolted Blade ★☆☆☆☆
• Big Beast Basher ★☆☆☆☆
• Super Slime Slasher ★☆☆☆☆
• Hot Edge ★★☆☆☆
• Static Edge ★★☆☆☆
• Searing Edge ★★★☆☆
• Shocking Edge ★★★☆☆

• 'Edge' swords have had their icons slightly recolored.

• Achievements unlocked in Spiral Knights that are missing in Steam will be unlocked in Steam on login.
• Fixed a couple cases where unlocking multiple achievements at once would result in some of the achievements' failing to show up on Steam.
• Gunpuppy bullets no longer spawn far away from their source.
• Fixed several weighted statue exploits in the Firestorm Citadel and the Shadow Lair Firestorm Citadel.

Winterfest

Winterfest has ended and Impostoclaus has left Haven for another year, but the cold weather will remain in Haven for just a little while longer.

Monsters

• All drone health has been reduced
• Almost all monsters have had their delay increased between spawning and attacking (including retrodes!)
• Wolvers, retrodes, and zombies will no longer follow their target once they commit to an attack
• Retrode and zombie melee attack has been slowed down and damage area decreased

Levels

• Fixed an area where players could get trapped in the IMF Warfare Workshop

Graphics

• Advanced video options now include ability to adjust anti-aliasing level (takes effect on restart)

Bugfixes

• Circuit Breaker Armor is now weak to fire and freeze
• Bomb fuse graphic has been filled in to make it easier to read
• Charge attacks for the elemental brandish lines (and those shadow ones too) had been rebuilt for a more reliable damage area
• Fixed issue with lichens inflicting damage before playing their animation
• Fixed issue that was preventing gremlin thwackers from telegraphing their charge attack
• Gremlin dodge cooldown increased from 1 second to 4 seconds
• Gremlin menders have been scolded once again for harming others
• Wolvers should no longer block movement while underground
• Removed combo breaker escape action from T3 wolvers
• Slowed down the explosion delay on the retrodes beam attack and reduced the damage radius
• Greavers will no longer inflict status ailments through barriers
• Jelly cube spires will terminate if they are interrupted by the death of their source
• Slag Guard charge attack no longer cause damage in all directions on collision
• Volcanic Long Feather will no longer apply as the Toasty Long Feather

Drone Monsters

• A new class of monsters called 'drones' have been added to the Clockworks
• Drones are not part of any monster family
• A drone is completely immune to damage unless it stops and exposes its weak point
• A golden drone will never stop and is completely immune to damage
• There are two types of drones: 'shankles' that deal damage and 'wisps' that cause status conditions

Here are the official names for all drones:

• Shankle
• Sharp Shankle
• Sage Shankle
• Dark Shankle
• Golden Shankle
• Golden Sharp Shankle
• Golden Sage Shankle
• Golden Dark Shankle
• Volcanic Wisp
• Winter Wisp
• Storm Wisp
• Bog Wisp
• Golden Volcanic Wisp
• Golden Winter Wisp
• Golden Storm Wisp
• Golden Bog Wisp

Levels

• Prevented teammates locking you inside the treasure closets on Scarlet Fortress Cravat Hall II

Lockdown - Frostbite

• Opened up north path to allow players to bypass the center CP
• Made CPs on either end of the map easier to defend by their respective 'home teams'

Bugfixes

• Fixed a scenario room with an airlock that could create dead ends on rare occasions
• Fixed a scenario room with a broken text description
• Disable the Event Hub button when the HUD is locked
• The Event Hub no longer shows yourself as a party to join
• The Event Hub no longer shows training hall parties
• Fixed a bug where gear health bonuses were being applied in Blast Network
• Fixed the end of level heat bonus display which was not correctly showing the new double heat bonus
• Fixed the speed of applied trap damage on unshielded knights in Lockdown

Winterfest!

Winter has come to Cradle and all of Haven is covered in a soft blanket of snow. Snipes and monsters alike are in the holiday spirit and the Haven Arcade is being visited by Impostoclaus!

• A new Lockdown level, Frostbite is now available. Frostbite features snowballs that you can throw at your opponents and turn them into snowmen!
• Until January 9th, you can use Krogmo Coins to purchase Santy Hats from Sullivan in the Haven Arcade.
• All Santy Hats expire on January 23, 2012

Event Hub

• A new interface called the Event Hub has been added to your HUD.
• The Event Hub keeps you informed of past events, accomplishments, etc of your friends and guildmates.
• Includes a running high-score for the most amount of levels played, Coliseum matches played, and crowns acquired in the Clockworks.
• Provides you with a quick list of events that you can join instantly, such as friend and guildmate expeditions and Coliseum games.

Heat Amplifiers

• Heat Amplifiers have been greatly improved to grant double heat to the user when activated!
• Heat Amplifiers are now available from Boost in 2 day, 7 day and 30 day amounts.

European Servers

• New servers have been added to reduce latency for European players.
• When you join a pick up game or enter a town, you will be matched with other players in your region.
• By default, your region will be automatically determined based on your IP.
• If you wish to manually configure your preferred region, you may do so via the Option menu (in the General section, under Region).
• Your knights, items, friends, guild mates, etc., will remain unchanged.
• Please note that joining your friends' parties or town instances may result in increased latency, as your client may be forced to connect to a remote region.

Scenario Rooms

• Special rooms have been added to the Clockworks that offer a little story and atmosphere, hints of a larger story, or a special bonus to those that discover them.
• Some Scenario Rooms are rarer than others. Discover them all\!

Interface

• Personal colors can be previewed in shops and the Auction House.
• Added mini "exchange" buttons to shops and other various interfaces.

Items

• 'Enamorock' added to Sullivan's item list
• Heart Pendant, Dual Heart Pendant, Tri-Heart Pendant, Tetra-Heart Pendant and Penta-Heart Pendant added to Krogmo's Alchemy Machine

Bugfixes

• Lavender Personal Color is now available from Vatel
• Push-to-talk button is now configurable (under "Talk (Voice Chat)")
• Fixed a bug in which a snipe was disappearing into a seat.

Featured Auctions

Featured Auctions are special auctions run by the Haven Treasury. They often contain unique or rare items. Featured Auctions can be buyout only with set quantities. Quantities represent the number available currently and are not representative of future quantities. However, you never know when a new batch of items will show up, so if you see something you like, go for it!

Featured Auctions will be displayed by default when opening the Auction House. They will also appear in standard category searches.

The following items will be immediately available in Featured Auctions:

• Scissor Blades - Leviathan Blades custom made by Bechamel to resemble giant shears. They function EXACTLY like Leviathan Blades in practice, but have a unique look.
• Trojan Disguise - A mask that makes you resemble a fearsome trojan! (Lasts 30 days)
• Love Puppy Disguise - A mask that makes you resemble a super-cute love puppy! (Lasts 30 days)
• Chapeau of the Coral Rose - A new pink Rose Regalia costume helm
• Chapeau of the Violet Rose - A new purple Rose Regalia costume helm
• Tabard of the Coral Rose - A new pink Rose Regalia costume armor
• Tabard of the Violet Rose - A new purple Rose Regalia costume armor
• Personal Colors - Also available from Vatel in the Haven Bazaar, these items allow you to change your Knight's personal color
• Prime Bombhead Mask - Didn't make it to PAX? Here's your chance to get the commemorative mask!

Item Preview

Items can now be previewed in the Auction House. You can even stack previews (if compatible)!

Personal Colors

Vatel has upgraded his recipe shop to now sell 'general goods' and has a selection of items that allow Knights to change their personal color. Each color from Knight creation is available. Once used, your personal color will change to the color of the item and the item will be destroyed.

Accessories

• Reduced the rarity of rarer accessories in all lockboxes
• 'Drab' type accessories are now known as 'Military'

Steam

• Added "push-to-talk" option for Steam voice chat (enable in options dialog, default key is V).
• Elevator passes will now transfer for web accounts converted to Steam.

Credits

The official game credits are now accessible from the 'About' tab in the options menu.

Bugfixes

• Removed collision overlapping parts of the path in the Gloaming Wildwoods
• Surgebreaker, Blizzbreaker, and Blazebreaker gear now have correct art.
• Fixed the issue where you could not invite a player into a party when they had an elevator pass but were low on energy.
• Snarbolax Coats now accept aura accessories... we promise.

Arsenal Stations

Many levels within the Clockworks now feature 'Arsenal Stations' that allow you to change your gear or loadouts before facing the challenges of a level. So long as you have a wide variety of equipment, a difficult stratum with varying themes will be no match for your arsenal!

There are also one-way barriers positioned after each Arsenal Station. Choose your equipment wisely and use loadouts to save time!

Energy Blasts

Energy reviving now comes coupled with an energy blast that knocks back and damages monsters. There are four levels of power that are unlocked as more energy is used for the revive.

30 Day Elevator Pass

We're trying something new! For a limited time only, a 30 Day Elevator Pass may be purchased from the Energy Depot. This pass allows all Knights on the account the ability to bypass elevator costs. Elevator Passes are activated at the time of purchase and will show up in your arsenal's 'Useable' category as with other upgrades.

Shadow Keys

Shadow Keys are now available from Boost for the foreseeable future. They can be purchased for the now non-promotional price of 1,800 CE.

Surveys

Surveys will now occasionally be available from the Uplink. Fill them out and help us improve Spiral Knights!

Graphics

Systems with more memory should now see increased performance.

Levels

• Fixed an issue in a Lichenous Lair room where turrets were surrounded by bramble.
• Fixed an issue where you could get stuck in a Candlestick Keep room.

Accessories

• Drab Sideblade will now equip the right color on use. Existing equipped Drab Sideblades are unaffected.
• Heavy Game Face accessory now shows the proper name on its tool tip when equipped.
• Snarbolax armor will now accept Aura accessories.

Arcade

• Gates in the arcade will now automatically activate when you walk up to them

Bugfixes

• Fixed issue that was causing Drab Canteen's name to display as 'Fancy Canteen' when equipped.
• Fixed issue causing knights to be invisible.

Dark Harvest Festival

• The Dark Harvest Festival has ended. The Punkin King hopes you enjoyed the festival and looks forward to seeing you next year!

Shadow Keys

• The limited time sale of Shadow Keys from Boost has ended. We will be evaluating other options to obtain them in the future.

Bugfixes

• The Flamberge charge attack was previously able to damage other players. This has been fixed.
• Fixed a lighting and camera issue in the Arcade lobby.
• Fixed the missing material and artifact issue at the end of a shadow lair.

• Fixed graphical issues with Jelly gear
• Fixed issue with guild creation

• Celebrate Halloween with darkness and danger! For a limited time only, Shadow Keys are available from Boost, the Special Items Merchant!
• Arsenal chests have been added to Lobbies, Clockwork Terminals, and Subtowns. These do not represent a change in how the Arsenal is accessed while in the Clockworks, but are rather just a visual reminder to equip a suitable loadout before moving on to the next stratum.
• Tooltips for offline friends and guildmates now show last session times.
• Added bindings for individual weapon slots (defaulting to 7/8/9/0).
• Spiral Knight run animations have been adjusted for smoother transitions between animations.
• The Spiral Knight idle animation has been expanded for more variety when in town.
• When in town, equipped shields will hide themselves at set distances determined by setting detail levels to low or medium.
• Adjusted Grim Totem visual effects.

Graphics

• Optimization and level of detail changes to various common particle effects.
• Graphic fix to Divine Avenger charge attack.
• Graphic change to Phantom charge attack.
• Sticky target cursor now renders in front of targets.

Audio

• Fix for crackling/stuttering Windows audio.

Steam

• Fix for occasional failure to switch zones due to Steam authentication issues.

Monsters

• Royal Jelly defense values brought in line with the rest of the Slime family

• Restored background visuals to the Depth 23 terminal for players using Low Graphics Quality.
• Fixed delays with loading Clockwork Tunnel levels.
• Reduced the amount of monsters needed to finish Unknown Passage battles.
• Knights are now locked in before Royal Jelly fight starts.
• Fixed kleptolisks to only steal 1 item out of a stack.
• Fixed issues with material rewards in the Shadow Lairs.
• Only item categories that can be auctioned are shown in your arsenal when on the "My Auctions" tab.
• Fixed an issue where multiple status conditions could cause continuous visual effects to play.

We've got some exciting additions to the Clockworks included in this release. The bravest, most elite knights can take on the most challenging levels to date in Shadow Lairs and everyone can celebrate the Dark Harvest Festival with visits to the Punkin King!

Shadow Lair Overview

The Clockwork Terminal on floor 23 now contains a new area north of the elevator leading to several 'Shadow Lairs.' These mysterious elevators contain the most fearsome challenges found in the Clockworks.

Shadow Lairs are intended for knights equipped with Tier 3 gear, specifically geared toward each Shadow Lair which includes:

• The Gloaming Wildwoods has been infected with a poisonous miasma and the Snarbolax is said to have gone rabid!
• The Royal Jelly Palace has frozen over and it's king usurped by the true heir to the slimy throne, the frigid Ice Queen!
• The Ironclaw Munitions Factory has begun creating in fiery weapons and improved upon its ultimate weapon in the form of the Red Roarmulus Twins!
• A powerful curse has overtaken the Firestorm Citadel, transforming its hordes and lead by the mighty Darkfire Vanaduke!

Shadow Lair Rewards

All Shadow Lairs feature the following rewards:

• Increased crown and heat payouts
• All treasure blocks are red treasure blocks
• All boss monsters drop double boss tokens
• Unique 5* materials guaranteed for each successful run
• Unique 5* gear that can be crafted, including the Heavenly Iron Armor, the Snarbolax Coat, Ice Queen Crown, Mercurial Demo Suit, Arcane Salamander Suit and the Almirian Crusader Armor.
• A very special artifact with unique properties

Accessing a Shadow Lair

Shadow Lairs are grouped into three ranks. All knights with Tier 3 clearance automatically gain Shadow Lair Clearance 1. Completing a Shadow Lair Rank 1 earns you clearance into the next rank and so on.

The highest Shadow Lair Clearance Level of anyone in the party is respected. Not everyone needs the same rank to join a party in a Shadow Lair.

Shadow Keys

Shadow Lairs require a Shadow Key to access. Only one key is needed for the entire party. A Shadow Key is destroyed once used.

Shadow Keys can be found in ANY Iron Lockbox or from the Auction House if available.

The Dark Harvest Festival

The Dark Harvest Festival is now being celebrated in Haven and will end on November 1st! This annual event honors the mischievous Punkin King in order to ensure a healthy fall harvest. All Clockwork Tunnels-style levels like Power Complexes and Blast Chambers now have a chance of featuring special rooms inhabited by the Punkin King. Simply hop on the party pad and discover if the Punkin King has candy tokens or something else in store for you!

Candy tokens come in three varieties (Hard Candy, Sour Candy and Sweet Candy) and can be exchanged in the Haven Town Square for festive masks! Masks include:

• Paper Frankenzom Mask (lasts 2 weeks)
• Paper Phantom Mask (lasts 2 weeks)
• Paper Spookat Mask (lasts 2 weeks)
• Replica Frankenzom Mask (lasts 2 weeks)
• Replica Phantom Mask (lasts 2 weeks)
• Replica Spookat Mask (lasts 2 weeks)
• Authentic Frankenzom Mask (lasts forever!)
• Authentic Phantom Mask (lasts forever!)
• Authentic Spookat Mask (lasts forever!)

In case you're just a few pieces of candy shy of the mask you desire, candy tokens can also be purchased in the Haven Town Square. However, they are very expensive!

Remember, this event ends November 1st so collect all the candy you can and get those masks!

Royal Jelly

• The Royal Jelly boss fight has changed, adjust your strategies accordingly!

Bugfixes

• Having an accessory in one slot will no longer prevent the application of another accessory in a different slot on the same item.

• Fixed bug that might de-equip your shield or give the wrong message about changing loadouts after playing Lockdown.
• Fixed bug that sometimes caused friend's locations to be incorrect.
• Fixed bug that caused some players to not see prize labels on the prize wheel.
• Fixed bug that would sometimes skip a player from getting the prize wheel.
• Fixed the Volcanic Binocular Visor and the Bomb Bandolier.

• Fixed issues with Roarmulus Twins locking up.
• Fixed issues with parties getting stuck at elevators.
• Fixed Bechamel's name and title.
• Fixed Capsules and Vials not showing their counts
• Fixed your shield sometimes being unequipped after a Lockdown match

Today's update introduces a host of exciting features. Get ready to customize your gear with accessories and spin the Prize Wheel!

Accessories

Accessories are new items that can be augmented on to helmets or armor. There are hundreds of them to discover and include techno widgets like antennae and visors for your helmets, canteens and side blades for your armor and even holy auras and wings! All accessories come in a wide variety of colors and styles. The most common will match the standard armor color schemes and the rarer styles match color schemes like 'divine' and 'volcanic' gear. The rarest of all are the 'prismatic' accessories that recolor to your personal color.

Once you have an accessory, visit Bechamel, the Accessorizor on the far western side of the Haven Bazaar. Once an accessory is attached to gear, it is permanently attached unless removed by Bechamel, the Accessorizor. However, removing an accessory from gear will destroy the accessory in the process.

Accessories are divided by attachment location and can only be attached to gear that supports the attachment location. Not all gear can use all accessories. Consult the tooltips to determine which accessories can fit your gear. Locations include:

• Helm Top
• Helm Side
• Helm Back
• Helm Front
• Armor Front
• Armor Back
• Armor Aura

Lockboxes

You can now find Iron Lockboxes, a new usable item that, when opened, reveals a special prize! Iron Lockboxes are the only way to find accessories. Any player can find an Iron Lockbox and trade it with other players or put it up for sale on the Auction House. Additionally, any item found within an Iron Lockbox is also unbound and can be traded as well.

An Iron Lockbox requires a Silver Key to open. Silver Keys are purchasable from Boost, the Special Items Merchant located in Haven and every subtown. Once used, a Silver Key is destroyed. Silver Keys can also be traded and put up for sale on the Auction House.

The Prize Wheel

All Knights that complete levels in the Clockworks will now have an opportunity to spin the all-new Prize Wheel\! The Prize Wheel is displayed as your heat is tallied during the end of level report. There are all sorts of prizes to discover. Many of them are helpful boosts for your next floor like health or crowns, but the truly lucky players will be awarded Iron Lockboxes!

Lockboxes have the highest chance of appearing in Tier 3, followed by Tier 2 and then Tier 1.

Lockdown

• New map! Ramparts: Use gates to open up paths for you and your allies or leave them closed to secure your territory! Use respawning fire pots to help you siege an enemy's CP!
• New map! Furnace: Use water orbs to reveal new paths through this fiery arena!
• UI: Arrow indicators added to the HUD, can be disabled in 'options'
• UI: Killer Cam

Shops

• Boost the Upgrades Merchant is now known as 'Boost the Special Items Merchant'
• Boost the Special Items Merchant now sells Silver Keys, which open Lockboxes.
• Bechamel, the Accessorizor has opened up shop in the Haven Bazaar.

Bugfixes

• Costume items may be sold for 1 crown to dispose of them.
• Fixed bug where preset emotes (such as /lol) from muted players weren't being blocked.
• Removed a short period of invulnerability after being hit by certain attacks in Lockdown
• Fixed bonuses from showing up twice in item tooltips
• Fixed an issue where players could potentially activate a loadout for PvP while in Lockdown
• The "Allow Full Inspect" will now remain checked between sessions
• Fixed Gravity bombs affecting teammates in Lockdown

A bugfix patch will be released today that mostly includes behind-the-scenes things but also includes:

Lockdown

• Class Mods in Tier 3 Lockdown now grant Knights more health.
• Heal pads now also clear status.

Loadouts

• Loadouts will no longer auto-equip unbound items.

A bugfix patch will be released today that fixes game crashes when attempting to open the character panel or loadout menus on some systems.

A new content update will be released today that includes a bunch of new, exciting features!

Lockdown - A New Coliseum Event

In Lockdown, two teams face off against each other to capture multiple Control Points scattered across the map. Capturing and holding onto a Control Point increases your team's score over time. Owning more than one Control Point increases your team's score even faster! To win, your team must be the first to reach the target score or have the highest score before the match ends!

How to Play

Capturing Control Points (CPs)

• To capture a Control Point, stand on it until it changes to your team's color. You will see an expanding "influence" ring indicating your progress. When the expanding influence ring reaches the outer CP ring, the CP changes to your team's color.
• If the Control Point is Neutral (white) you will only need to change it to your team's color.
• If the Control Point is owned by the enemy team, you will need to stand on the CP until the enemy team's influence ring shrinks and turns the CP to Neutral. After the CP is Neutral, it can be captured as normal by expanding your team's influence ring.
• Be warned! If an enemy player is also trying to capture the same Control Point, neither team's influence will grow or shrink. The only way to capture a Control Point is if there are no enemy players standing on it!

Class Mods

Class Mods are a new feature in Lockdown! Class Mods replace your normal shield with a special ability that is unique to that class. The ability is mapped to the key that would normally activate your shield.

Within each team base you will find three Class Mods. To change your class, simply stand on one of the pads supporting a Class Mod! The classes grant the following special abilities, bonuses, and penalties:

Guardian

Special Ability: Guardian Shield

• Activating this ability creates a shield of protection for you and any of your teammates in its radius (instantly for you, and after 1 second for your allies)
• Any damage you or your allies take is blocked by the shield, but be warned, this may also cause your shield to break faster!

Bonuses:

• Attack Speed bonus for Swords and Bombs

Penalty:

• Attack Speed decreased for Guns

Recon

Special Ability: Cloaking, Disruption Field

• Activating this ability causes you to turn invisible for a period of time
• While invisible, you project a "pulse" every few seconds that will give a "Recon Mark" status effect to any enemy it hits
• Any enemy player hit by one "Recon Mark" gets a warning, but no other negative effects are applied
• Any enemy player with a "Recon Mark" that is hit by another pulse receives a "Death Mark" and has has their defense removed for five seconds!

Bonuses:

• Attack Speed increased for Guns and Bombs

Penalty:

• Attack Speed decreased for Swords

Striker

Special Ability: Striker Dash

• Activating this ability allows you to sprint for a short period of time

Bonuses:

• Attack Damage increased for Swords

Penalty:

• Charge Time increased for Bombs

Loadouts - Gear Profiles for Fast Equipping

Loadouts are specific sets of gear that you can create and customize for fast equipping in towns, Clockwork Terminals and Lockdown team bases. A Loadout can be flagged as PvE (green) or PvP (red). By default, your current set of gear will be flagged as a PvP Loadout. However, if you would like to easily switch gear during a PvP match, you will want to create multiple PvP Loadouts. You can only swap loadouts during a PvP match before leaving the area designated as the Locker Room inside your team's base.

Note that your highest tier PvP-enabled Loadout determines the tier of the game you are eligible to join, and once you join a game, you will only be able to switch to Loadouts of the same tier you are playing. If you would like to play in a specific tier, ensure that all other tier Loadouts are flagged as PvE.

Creating a Loadout

First, equip the set of gear you would like to become your new Loadout. In the character window, there is a new Loadout pill below your character showing the following information:

• The name of the current Loadout. It will display if there is no specific Loadout being used
• The tier you are eligible for in PvE and PvP
• A meter showing the overall quality level of the Loadout (higher star gear makes for a much more powerful Loadout!)

Now it's time to save that Loadout:

• Click on the Loadout pill and then select "Save As..."
• Name your new Loadout and then select "Save"
• You can see all your saved Loadouts by clicking on the Loadout button that can be found next to the Arsenal button in the top right of the screen (two swords icon)
• You can flag or un-flag a Loadout for PvP by clicking on the Loadout icon (red crossed swords indicate the Loadout is flagged for PvP)

Other Changes

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug in a Devilish Drudgery room where players could accidentally bypass a spawn trigger.
• Loot from treasure blocks now properly despawns in 120 seconds.
• The preview item feature is working once more.

Danger Rooms

• Increasing rewards in Danger Rooms

Blast Network

• You can no longer bomb or gather powerups when you're invincible (following a respawn).

Levels

• Fixed several bugs in Candlestick Keep that caused players to get stuck behind doors.
• Fixed a typo in the level description for Candlestick Keep.
• Fixed a bug causing Rocket Blocks at the beginning of Ironclaw Munitions Factory Abandoned Assembly to not shoot.
• Fixed a bug where players could get stuck on a toggle wall in Ironclaw Munitions Factory Warfare Workshop.

Items

• Hearts, crowns and heat dropped from monsters and treasure blocks now despawn in 120 seconds.

Blast Network

• Arenas now have names for easier identification!

Candlestick Keep

A new Undead level series has appeared within the Clockworks- the Candlestick Keep. These haunted grounds are all that remains of the once prosperous Owlite Academy. Though now overtaken by Spookats and other undead horrors, Knights will find Owlite ward candles scattered about the Keep that will save them from what lurks in the dark.

• Grimalkins are giant, shadowy spookats completely immune to damage. They lurk in the dark so stay in the light to avoid their attacks... they cannot be blocked with a shield!
• The light of any ward candle will protect you from grimalkins.
• Blue ward candles will always be lit.
• Orange ward candles must be lit with embers and will only stay lit for a short period of time.
• Some orange ward candles open doors when lit, listen for a chime!

New Danger Rooms

Deadly new danger rooms have been added to the Clockworks! Be warned, these new challenges are not for the faint of heart!

Revamped Crash Site

The Crash Site has been streamlined and tightened up significantly. New players will be able to join their fellow knights in the Rescue Camp in no time!

Items

• Crowns/Heat now have a 90 second lifespan

Krogmo Coin Rewards

• Mod Calibrators have increased from 50 to 75 Krogmo Coins.

Punch's Variant Forge

• 1 Variant Tickets have increased from 15,000 to 20,000 crowns
• 3 Variant Tickets have greatly decreased from 375,000 to 225,000 crowns

Bugfixes

• Recipe tooltips will show proper lock on acquire state for 4/5 star recipes
• Tooltips for goods in the cart will show proper lock on acquire state for token vendors
• Fixed issues where monsters of the wrong family or status type would spawn in some levels

Levels

• Fixed a respawn pad bug in Scarlet Fortress Spiral Court 2 and Grim Gallery.
• Fixed an issue where trying to pick up a mineral of the same size/type you are currently holding would cause the mineral to disappear.

Steam Trading

• Fixed icons for Mist Tanks in Steam inventory interface.

Coliseum

• Fixed joining guild teams.

A bugfix patch will be released today that includes mostly behind the scenes issues but also includes:

• The white personal color on the Knight Creation interface has been removed.

An update will be released today that includes new monsters a couple new features:

The Polyp and the Howlitzer
Two new types of turrets can now be found within the Clockworks: the polyp and the howlitzer.

The polyp is a slime turret that fires piercing barbs and can see in all directions. The howlitzer is an undead turret that fires shadow bullets and will attempt to make a last ditch strike at Knights with its missile-like skull. Watch out!

Both of these monster types have complete status variants:

Polyp
Slick Polyp
Polar Polyp
Silver Polyp
Caustic Polyp

Howlitzer
Smoking Howlitzer
Chilling Howlitzer
Shocking Howlitzer
Vile Howlitzer

Code Redemption Interface
Codes can now be redeemed from the main menu by selecting 'Redeem Code.' Codes will be used in the future to redeem special prizes.

Blast Network
Hazard rooms are back! Several levels now have rockets and spike traps that cause a stun status effect instead of damage.

Arsenal
There is a new arsenal group for costume-only items, both helmet and armor

Guest Login
New players can now try Spiral Knights without needing to create an account. In order to keep the Knight created as a guest, a player must create an account when logging off.

Bug Fixes
Coliseum delay messages will be correctly translated now.

We're doing a minor bugfix release today to fix an issue that caused Blast Network games to fail to start.

A bugfix patch will be released today that includes the following:

The Coliseum

• Players who go AFK in a Coliseum match will be removed from the match.
• Players who do not participate adequately in a Coliseum match will receive a message from King Krogmo stating that they have dishonored his Coliseum and as a result will receive no Krogmo Coins, Rank Points or other prizes.
• Player who leave a Coliseum match early or are kicked due to AFK will receive no Krogmo Coins, Rank Points or other prizes.
• Increased the chance of Bombhead Masks showing up as Krogmo Bribery rewards in all Blast Network game modes.
• Rank Points will be reset across all games every Sunday at midnight PT.

Monsters

• Gunpuppies will now target mechaknight bodyguards.
• Removed rear, near-range blind spot on Gunpuppies.
• Decreased the status power of tier 1 gun puppies and increased the status power of tier 3 gunpuppies.
• Fixed issue that would occasionally cause Mechaknights to inflict neutral damage.
• Gremlin menders have had their normal defense increased and their health decreased.
• Gremlin menders have taken an oath to do no harm. (Fixed issue that was allowing menders to attack with their wand.)

Misc

• Gamepad controls will only work for the client in focus and not control multiple clients at once.

A bugfix patch will be released today that mostly includes behind the scenes fixes, but also includes:

Monsters:

• Vanaduke will now spawn minions regardless of how many are still alive. Existing minions are destroyed by his horrible wrath.

Items:

• All Krogmo bribery rewards now bind on acquire.

A bugfix patch will be released today that includes the following:

Blast Network:

• Players should no longer appear invisible to some players.
• UI adjustments to leaderboards and German and Spanish crown costs
• Krogmo bribing fixed.
• Players should always have unique initial spawn points
• Notifications sent to guild when a guild team is formed.
• Fixed problem in FFA that caused score cards to break.
• Adjusted rank point calculation in team games to be similar to FFA.
• Players sorted within a team in the end game report.
• Blast Network bombs won't count towards achievements.
• Spike traps and Rocket Blocks in Blast Network maps will now inflict Stun damage only.
• A chatty devilite has appeared in the barracks.
• Fixed players getting no points in FFA after someone leaves.

Monsters:

• The Zombie acquire area has been adjusted making loss of target harder.
• Zombies will now wander around when they have no target.

King Krogmo’s Coliseum officially opens today, and the first of many events, Blast Network, is available to play.

How to Play:
The Coliseum can be accessed by clicking on the crossed swords icon on the HUD. This opens the Coliseum interface and allows you to choose your event or join a forming guild party.

Krogmo has promised that he will be unveiling new events regularly throughout the season. Blast Network is the first and allows for three types of game modes:

Free For All - Blow up every player in sight, trying not to include yourself.

Random Team - Get placed in a random team with the sole purpose of blowing up the other team.

Guild Team - Open up slots for yourself and guild mates to battle another guild team. You can also join forming guild teams by simply pressing the ‘Guild’ tab within the Coliseum interface.

All Coliseum events have a crown entry fee. A portion of the fees are used as rewards for the winners of each match.

Blast Network Rules:
The object of the game is to eliminate your opponents with your bombs. All of your personal equipment is ignored in Blast Network. When a match begins you will have a single weapon, a bomb that explodes in a cross formation. No charging is required. You can place bombs instantly. Any bomb will kill a player, even your own so watch out! You will find several powerups that randomly spawn in the field:

Bomb Blast Up - Increases the blast area of your bomb by one tile.

Bomb Count Up - Increases the number of bombs you can drop at once.

Speed Up - Increases your movement speed.

Health Up - Increases your health by one cell. While bombs eliminate you in one hit, other hazards such as traps and monsters will do a single cell of damage.

In each game you earn points for having your bombs eliminate your opponents. The player or team with the most points at the end of the match wins.

Respawning:
If you are killed you will wait in the rolling respawn queue. All players in the respawn queue will respawn at once after the respawn counter reaches zero. However, during this time you may instead choose to instantly respawn with energy in the same manner as in the Clockworks.

Earning Krogmo Coins:
Any Coliseum game played to completion will earn the participant 1 Krogmo Coin. These are token items that can be traded for special prizes from Sullivan, the Coliseum Rewards Supervisor found in the Haven Arcade. Winning a match will earn the winning player or winning team an additional Krogmo Coin.

Bribing King Krogmo:
Before a match begins, players will find themselves in the barracks outside the match’s arena. Here you can bribe King Krogmo with energy to further up the ante for everyone for the match that’s about to begin. If players manage to fill the pot with energy, Krogmo will unveil a recipient and prize for the match. Recipients include 'all participants,' 'the winning team,' and 'the winning player.' Prizes are random and can be anything from extra Krogmo Coins to special costume items.

Krogmo Coin Boosters:
A new upgrade can be purchased from the Upgrade Shop called a ‘Krogmo Coin Booster.’ This upgrade awards the user an additional Krogmo Coin for each completed Coliseum match and lasts 24 hours. Up to 6 Krogmo Coin Boosters may be used simultaneously.

Bombhead Masks:
To celebrate the launch of Blast Network, King Krogmo has constructed a series of festive costume helms for the Spiral Knights that curiously resemble a live bomb. Perhaps it’s some kind of monster joke? There are many different kinds of Bombhead Masks out there for you to discover. Some can be purchased with Krogmo Coins and many more can be discovered as bonus prizes from bribing King Krogmo. Collect them all!

Krogmo’s Alchemy Machine:
King Krogmo has constructed a new kind of alchemy machine that Knights are free to use. Instead of it reading the recipes a Knight has learned, it instead stores unique recipes within the machine that a Knight may use as if it were his own. Krogmo Alchemy Machines will allow Knights to craft items they are otherwise incapable of producing themselves, such as highly-prized weapon module trinkets.

...and there’s more to come!
King Krogmo has dedicated the entire season to new Coliseum events! Expect to see regular updates with exciting new events, rewards and Coliseum features.

Additional Changes

Item Changes:

• The Haze Bomb is now 2* rarity and is no longer a requisite component of any of the Vaporizer bombs.
• The Haze Bomb now has a complete alchemy line of its own up to 5*
• Sleep resistance no longer appears as a unique variant when crafting or using Punch. It will return some time in the future.
• Several recipes have been changed slightly to bring them more in line with the rest of the items in their family.
• The Volcanic Pepperbox recipe now requires 4 Iron Gears instead of 4 Blast Powders.
• The Umbra Driver now requires 1 Rocky Core instead of 2 Mugs of Misery.
• The Nova Driver new requires 1 Rocky Core instead of 1 Chroma Tear.
• The Magnus family of guns has had its recipes trimmed down. Depending on their rarity, they now require Red Shards, Bronze Bolts, Gremlin Gizmos, Force Dynamos, Heavy Gears, Plasma Cells and/or Primal Ore.

Levels:

• Added more gremlins to Jigsaw Valley levels.
• Fixed a bug in Ironclaw Munitions Factory | Warfare Workshop that was causing quicksilvers to get stuck on the walls.

New Items:
Earn enough Krogmo Coins and get your hands on these new items:

Recipes:

Bombs:
3* Haze Bomb Mk II
4* Haze Burst
5* Stagger Storm
3* Electron Charge
4* Electron Bomb
5* Electron Vortex

Swords:
3* Shockburst Brandish
4* Boltbrand
5* Voltedge
3* Grintovec
4* Jalovec
5* Triglav

Handguns:
3* Toxic Needle
4* Blight Needle
5* Plague Needle

Trinkets:
4* Bomb Focus Module
4* Boom Module
4* Handgun Focus Module
4* Trueshot Module
4* Quick Draw Module
4* Sword Focus Module
4* Slash Module
4* Quick Strike Module

These trinkets can all be upgraded in 5* 'Elite' versions from a Krogmo Alchemy Machine.

Basil now has the chance of having a recipe for the 3* Graviton Charge (bomb) and a 5* Sudaruska (upgrade of the Khorovod).

Lastly there are many Bombhead Masks to discover by playing Blast Network. Get blasting!

A small bugfix release went out today that addressed a few issues related to the new Unbinding Forge.

An update will be released today that includes the following:

Punch and Vise

Punch and Vise, two gremlin outcasts from Emberlight, have set up shop in the Haven Bazaar. Using very dangerous looking equipment, they provide the services unbinding items and adding unique variants to items.

• Punch can add one, two or three random unique variants to items in exchange for crowns.
• Punch's UV service erases any of the previous UVs on the item.
• Vise can unbind an item in exchange for energy.
• 0 star and starless items (costumes) cannot be unbound.

Alchemy

• Crafted items may now randomly obtain up to three unique variants. However, obtaining three UVs via crafting is exceptionally rare.
• During crafting, if the option to retain existing UVs is selected, the item will have no chance of gaining 'extra' UVs. For example, an item that has a single UV that is preserved during crafting has no chance of retaining the existing UV plus gaining more.

Item Previews

• Vendor catalogs now have a Preview button which allows you to select vendor items and recipes and see what they look like on your knight.

Steam conversion

• New knights created on Preview Event accounts converted to Steam will receive their Preview Event items.

Graphics

• Improved performance for low graphic settings.
• Alpha maps on all armor materials have been smoothed out.
• Fix to laser visuals for users in Compatibility Mode.
• Sharpened the knights' eye texture.
• Knights will now blink on high detail. Dry, irritated eyes no more!

Levels

• Rebalanced the following levels to only have monsters of specific themes appropriate for their level set.
  • Concrete Jungle | Blight Boulevard
  • Concrete Jungle | Blight Boulevard 2
  • Concrete Jungle | Totem Trouble
  • Concrete Jungle | Totem Trouble 2
  • Concrete Jungle | Briar Bone Barrage
  • Dark City | Sinful Steps 2
  • Dark City | Plazamonium
  • Jigsaw Valley | Emerald Axis
  • Jigsaw Valley | Emerald Axis 2
  • Jigsaw Valley | Perimeter Promenade
  • Jigsaw Valley | Perimeter Promenade 2
  • Jigsaw Valley | Jade Tangle
  • Jigsaw Valley | Jade Tangle 2
• Cleaned up bramble in several levels to make it easier to spot and avoid.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue with the Kilowatt Pulsar series not consistently causing proper damage type.
• Player paperdoll model no longer clips through lighting effects.
• Fixed an issue where party platforms could be triggered prematurely when a player disconnects.
• Fixed a bug where battle music wouldn't stop playing in a devilish drudgery room.
• The floor icon for Royal Jelly Palace | Battle Royale is now the correct icon.
• Fixed a bug in Firestorm Citadel | Ashen Armory where a party was able to open both sides of the path split.
• Fixed a bug in Ironclaw Munitions Factory | Abandoned Assembly where the door after the shock bridge wouldn't open.
• Fixed a bug where players were getting stuck in the final encounter in Ironclaw Munitions Factory | Warfare Workshop.
• Fixed a bug where unique variant defense type and status bonuses were being doubled in some cases.

Levels

• Loot rebalanced in some levels to bring them in line with the rest of the game.
• Optional energy turrets have been installed in some areas of the Jelly Farm 2.

Ironclaw Munitions Factory

• Slowed down timing on shock traps along bridge in Abandoned Assembly.
• Shock traps along that bridge now turn off when gate is opened.
• Patched a hole in the wall in Warfare Workshop.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue causing Quicksilver line armor and helm recipes to very rarely spawn in Basil's catalog.

New Boss Stratum:

Within the depths of Tier 2 a new gremlin weapons facility has been discovered, The Ironclaw Munitions Factory. Intel from Spiral HQ has confirmed that under a direct mandate from the Crimson Order, gremlin engineers have begun developing a weapon of incredible power. Known only as 'Project Roarmulus,' this weapon has been designed with the sole purpose of destroying Haven!

Knights are ordered to infiltrate this harrowing complex of devious destructive devices and put an end to 'Project Roarmulus' as well as recover a recon module of the Alpha Squad. Take heed though, gremlins don’t exactly believe in a ‘safe’ work environment.

Survive this deadly complex and earn your Bark Modules as you'll find that Brinks has a new selection of 2* items available for trade. These include:

• The Pulsar, an experimental energy gun that shoots bullets that grow stronger as they travel
• The Catalyzer, a gun whose regular shots can be combined with its charge shots to create a powerful explosion
• Quicksilver Mail and Helm, armor created from the mercurial quicksilvers, capable of resisting shock
• The Static Capacitor, a bomb that creates a shocking field of electricity

All of these items can be further upgraded through 5* provided you acquire their recipes from Basil.

New Items:

Handguns: 2* Pulsar (token reward only, has two upgrade paths) 3* Heavy Pulsar 4* Radiant Pulsar 5* Supernova

Alternate Pulsar path: 3* Kilowatt Pulsar 4* Gigawatt Pulsar 5* Polaris

2* Catalyzer (token reward only, has two upgrade paths) 3* Industrial Catalyzer 4* Volatile Catalyzer 5* Neutralizer

Alternate Catalyzer path: 3* Toxic Catalyzer 4* Virulent Catalyzer 5* Biohazard

Bombs: 2* Static Capacitor (token reward only) 3* Lightning Capacitor 4* Plasma Capacitor 5* Voltaic Tempest

Armor: 3* Quicksilver Mail (token reward only) 4* Charged Quicksilver Mail 5* Mercurial Mail

Helms: 3* Quicksilver Helm (token reward only) 4* Charged Quicksilver Helm 5* Mercurial Helm

Additional Changes:

Items

• All handgun charge times have been reduced.
• Most handguns have had their charge attack animation speed increased by 33%
• Two-Shot heavy style handguns and Autogun style handguns can now move while reloading at 55% run speed.
• Prismatech and Shadowtech Alchemer damage increased.
• 2*-4* 'Vaporizer' style bombs have an increased cloud radius and duration.
• The Ash of Agni, Shivermist Buster and Venom Veiler have a slightly reduced cloud radius and duration.
• New inventory icons for Relic and Chemical bomb families.
• New sounds for Cold Snap.
• New sounds for Fang of Vog.
• New art for 3* and 5* chemical bombs.

Monsters

• Lumbers now do split elemental damage.
• Lumbers now have a attack flash notification.

Merchants

• Basil is now guaranteed to have at least one of the highest star recipe in each tier.
• Vatel is now guaranteed to have at least one 2* recipe
• Brinks the Token Trader has had his boss token catalogs revamped. Material rewards are no longer available for boss tokens, and many existing equipment rewards are now cheaper to obtain.

Levels

• Replaced the corner pillars in Vanaduke's throne room with water wells.

Bugfixes:

• Fixed an issue where a rare love puppy spawn would prevent players from progressing in the Clockworks
• Fixed an invisible pitfall in the first Clockworks Terminal
• Fixed an issue that was causing the Freezing Atomizer to apply the wrong tier of Freeze.

Greetings Knight!

The following changes were made to the game in the release on June 24th:

Steam Account Conversion

• We have added the ability to convert accounts created on the web site to Steam accounts.
• Be aware you do not have to do this, this is only for those who wish to do so.
• This will allow you to log on automatically using the Steam client as well as to take advantage Steam features such as achievements, voice chat, and invites.
• You can only convert one web account over to your Steam account. Make sure you choose the right web account and Steam account as this cannot be undone.
• If you have already created a knight using your Steam account, you must ensure that no more than three knights exist between that account and your web account.
• Everything from your web account will be transferred to your Steam account. Don't worry about something being left behind.
• You will no longer be able to log into the game using your web account, but you may still use it to access the forums and wiki.
• All further energy purchases must be made through the in-game Steam Wallet as you will not be able to log into the web account.

How to Convert to Steam:

• Install Spiral Knights through Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/99900/)
• Start Spiral Knights from Steam. It will automatically bring you to character selection or creation for your Steam account.
• Click on the Back button in the lower left corner, or if you can't see that button, hit ESC and log off.
• Uncheck the Use Steam Account check box.
• Enter your Spiral Knights web account name and password.
• You will be prompted if you are sure that you wish to transfer your web account to the Steam account. If you confirm to convert it will complete and you will immediately be logged into the Steam account instead.

Emberlight

• Brinks has arrived in Emberlight, eager to collect your tokens.

Some changes were made to various monsters to make them a bit easier to manage. The monsters of the Clockworks would like for it to go on the record that they had no say in the matter.

Red Rovers and Gremlin Scorchers

• 'Flamethrower' style attacks burn for half as long and move about 20% slower

Oilers

• Oil burn time reduced 66%
• Movement speed reduced
• 'Oil dash' attack removed
• Oil deposit count on death reduced
• Oil deposit count on movement reduced

Quicksilvers

• Reduced shock time
• Reduced movement speed during shock time
• Shock status power and chance reduced

Phantoms

• Inactive period after death increased
• Health reduced

Wolvers and Devilites

• Reduced rate at which they can perform a dodge maneuver

Zombies

• Melee range (one handed swipe attack) reduced

Status Conditions

• Maximum duration of shock spasm has been reduced
• Defense debuff during shock spasm has been removed

A bugfix release will go out today that includes the following:

Objectives

• Added in a failsafe for stuck or bypassed Rescue Camp objectives. Head out the front gates of Haven just South of the town square fountain to trigger the next objective if you are in haven and your current objective is 'Cross the Chasm to Haven' or 'Explore the Rescue Camp.'

Levels

• Concrete Jungle levels will no longer appear at Tier 1.
• Added new Scarlet Fortress level: Grim Gallery.
• Bramble thinned out in Concrete Jungle Totem Trouble 2.
• Fixed an issue that caused an inaccessible floating island to appear in the Clockworks

Matchmaking

• If choosing to start at tier 2 or 3, you should no longer be matched with a party that has just completed the previous tier.

Steam

• A warning now appears in the exchange interface when the Steam overlay is disabled, and the checkout button is disabled.

General

• Fixed issue that caused system-wide slowdown at around 5 AM PDT.
• Fixed an issue that caused new players to be unable to enter Rescue Camp/appear with white armor.

Monsters

• Fixed issue that caused fire based attacks to spread over large areas.
• Status slimes can now have their alt-forms triggered by status traps.

Lastly, we realize some of you are still experiencing connection issues. We would like to let you know we are actively looking in to these issues and will hope to have a fix as soon as it's available. Thank you.

A Bugfix Release will go out today that includes the following:

Bugfixes

• Fix for scrolling in Steam invite dialog. You can now invite all the friends you like!
• Fix for inability to close Steam invite dialog after moving to a different scene.
• Players invited via the extra Invite Steam Friends context menu will from here on be counted towards referral rewards.
• Fix for issues with incorrect packages being displayed in the energy purchase dialog.
• All items from the Starter Pack now correctly bind to the player who purchased it or accepted it as a gift.

A bugfix release will go out today that mostly includes behind the scenes stuff but also includes additional gameplay bugfixes and a new feature:

Energy Packages

• A new Party Pack is available for purchase if you have never purchased the Starter Pack. The Party Pack is a Starter Pack for you as well as three additional Starter Packs to gift to your friends. The Party Pack costs $59.95, making it a 'buy 3 get 1 free' deal for Starter Packs.
• A new Gift tab is available from the Spiral Uplink interface if you are in possession of any Starter Packs to gift.
• Purchasing a Starter Pack, Party Pack or accepting a Starter Pack gift removes your option of purchasing either the Starter Pack or the Party Pack. Essentially, you may only gain the benefits of a Starter Pack once.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue allowing jelly cubes and lichens to send their ground spikes across chasms and under blocks. Now if they cannot 'reach' you, they cannot hurt you.
• Fixed an issue causing rockets, flamethrowers and other bullets to change elevation across chasms.
• Fixed an issue with awarding the "Dauntless Delver" and "Cradle and All" achievements after parties were split.
• Fixed the Static Flash tooltip incorrectly stating that the bomb dealt the Freeze status effect.

A new update will be releasing today that includes the following:

Token Rewards

• The Blackened Crest is now available from Brinks for Almirian Seals

Monsters

• Wolvers have had their fangs sharpened. They now inflict PIERCE damage.
• Chromalisks now have a whirly tongue attack that deals PIERCE damage.
• Devilites have started ordering their office goods from a demonic supply warehouse. They now inflict SHADOW damage.
• Thorns are all the rage in the Slime fashion world right now. Slimes now inflict PIERCE damage.

Items

Alchemizing the following items now requires an additional prerequisite...

• The Graviton Bomb now requires a level 5 Super Blast Bomb
• The Stone Tortoise shield now requires a level 5 Drake Scale Shield
• Silvermail now requires a level 5 set of Drake Scale Mail
• The Vitasuit Deluxe now requires a level 5 set of Solid Cobalt Armor
• The Heater Shield now requires a level 10 Mighty Defender

Levels

• The Crash Site level has been streamlined, offering tighter spaces and tweaked dialogue.

Gates

• The two stratums in a tier may not be the same theme.
• Stratums will give a bit of feedback as to how their current theme was determined.
• Mineral payouts will vary between stratums more.

Interface

• We now show a warning that in-game mail will be deleted after 30 days.
• Trade channel is turned off by default for new knights. So they can join it later when needed instead.

Bugfixes

• Survivor achievements can be earned now even if you go solo, split up or get removed from a party now. It will not grant retroactively however.
• Barbarous Thorn Shield has a proper description now
• Fixed issue with being able to join players who have locked their parties.

Gloaming Wildwoods

• Fixed level not loading after being kicked from a party or going solo

Monsters

• Fixed an issue that was allowing the Snarbolax to inflict damage types not cleared for it's tier in some cases.

Localization

• Fixed German, French and Spanish translations for Artifacts

Levels

• Disconnected players will no longer prevent activation of elevators and party platforms

A new update will be going out later today! It includes:

New Boss Stratum:

The Clockworks have just revealed a new, perilous boss stratum for Tier 1 Knights to challenge, The Gloaming Wildwoods. However new recruits should take heed - this dense forest is home to a fearsome creature known as the Snarbolax. Said to be a massive beast draped in living shadows, this dark predator enjoys toying with its prey before delivering the final blow. It is advised that only Knights who have mastered Tier 1 take on this formidable beast as those who have entered unprepared have never returned! Should you return from the Wildwoods victorious, with Frumious Fangs in hand, you'll find that Brinks has a new selection of 2* items available for trade. These include:

• The Snarble Barb, a piercing sword that fires razor sharp barbs
• The Spine Cone, a piercing bomb
• The Bristling Buckler, a spiny shield that raises sword attack power

All three of these items can be further upgraded through 5* provided you acquire their recipes from Basil.

Swords:

• 2* Snarble Barb (token reward only)
• 3* Twisted Snarble Barb
• 4* Dark Thorn Blade
• 5* Barbarous Thorn Blade

Bombs:

• 2* Spine Cone (token reward only)
• 3* Twisted Spine Cone
• 4* Spike Shower
• 5* Dark Briar Barrage

Shields:

• 2* Bristling Buckler (token reward only)
• 3* Twisted Targe
• 4* Dark Thorn Shield
• 5* Barbarous Thorn Shield

New Mission Objectives:

Boss stratums now issue players an email upon entering from Spiral HQ requesting the recovery of an Alpha Squad recon module. Players will also get a new ‘current objective’ whenever they are in that boss stratum and have not yet completed the objective.

The end of each boss stratum features a recon module that issues players an artifact when the player interacts with it (approaching it and pressing the attack button).

The artifact will provide some insight in to the expedition of the Alpha Squad. The artifact can only be claimed once and is stored permanently in your arsenal.

Additional changes:

Levels

• Fixed an issue on Emerald Axis II where it was possible to leave the gold key behind.
• Replaced most health pads with heart blocks in Firestorm Citadel.
• Fixed an issue whereby players would appear under the floor in Haven and Royal Jelly levels.

Items

• Fixed an issue preventing the Rigadoon and Flamberge series of weapons from applying their status damage during some charge attacks.

We're issuing a small bugfix release today to address the following:

• Mission emails from Spiral HQ will no longer be sent out to players in boss stratums. The emails are used in a future update.
• Reimbursements have been automatically issued to players affected by the 'buy now' bug from yesterday's update. Should you have any further issues, please file a support ticket in game.

We did another small release:

Auction House

• Listing fees have reduced by 50%

Bugfixes

• The Hearthstone Pendant trinket was incorrectly set to 3* rarity. It is now a 2* item.
• Fixed awarding of "Gold Survivor," "Cradle and All," and "Dauntless Delver" achievements.
• "First Steps," "Mission Accomplished," and "Spiral Spelunker" will be awarded retroactively (you may have to complete a dungeon level or equip an item for this to take effect).

An update will be released today that includes some new features:

Achievements

You can now earn a wide variety of achievements in Spiral Knights. Achievements can be viewed on the Character Panel under the 'Achievements' tab. We plan on further developing our achievement system in the future, including adding more achievements in future updates.

Items

The Heat Amplifier is now available from the Upgrade Merchant. This upgrade grants the user 20% extra heat for 48 hours.

Monsters

• Devilite Yesmen no longer drop loot as if they were defeated when they change jobs.
• Devilite Pit Bosses now get demoted to grunts if they lose their work force.

The Starter Pack

A new energy package is available called 'The Starter Pack.' This energy package can be purchased one time per account. It contains 7500 crystal energy for 19.95 (the standard 19.95 package) but also includes:

• 5 mist tanks
• 1 heat amplifier
• 2 trinket slot upgrades
• 2 weapon slot upgrades
• A 1* unique bomb, the Static Flash
• A 1* unique shield, the Green Ward
• A commemorative Artifact

All items are character-bound. The Static Flash and Green Ward have a chance for a unique variant as well, just as if they were crafted.

Gate Creation

• Stratums no longer have a progress meter during the gate creation phase.
• Stratums no longer lock after a certain point. Themes are decided based on whichever minerals are in that stratum the moment the gate launches. You can now continue to modify them up to the last second\!
• Boosting has been removed. The boosting system was not working as intended. We are currently developing new methods for players to influence the autoselling of other players and have more control over the outcome of gates.
• Mineral payouts have been modified to adjust to the new changes. The system will still pay out a maximum of 5 crowns for a needed mineral, but will pay less if it is not needed.

Auction House

• If you are online, outbids don't generate mail, just a message and the crowns are directly deposited.
• Listing fee rejigged; should be fairer for cheaper items
• Allow sorting by lot size
• Sorting by bidPrice/buyPrice now sorts by price per unit
• Sorting by stars now defaults to a descending sort
• Most searching changes now instantly update the search results, except for text search
• The "my auctions" tab will now allow refreshing to see new data (and it automatically refreshes if switched-to and it has not been refreshed for a while)

UI

• Some adjustments were made to the Heat Acquired UI to show the amount of heat you acquired in a level

Bugfixes

• Canceled auctions will be purged.

Today's bugfix release included the following:

• Repeating levels bug has been fixed.
• Problems with Go Solo and Remove from Party has been fixed.
• Vanaduke's orbiting fireballs can be doused again.
• Mac users on Leopard were unable to access AH, this has been fixed.
• The Token Trader will show the correct bind information for items now.
• Not a bug but an Energy Depot Stranger is back in the Town Square again.

We performed a bugfix release today to take care of some behind the scenes stuff, but it also included the following:

Uplink

• Messages with item/crown/crystal attachments can be accepted/deleted in one step.

Auction House

• You can now sort by # of Unique Variants
• The "My bids" panel will now automatically update after you've been outbid.

The Birdsong Construction Co. has informed me that their recent project has been completed!

The Haven Town Square now features an Auction House located just north of the fountain, and an Advanced Training Hall located by the western stairs leading to the Bazaar.

The Auction House allows players to buy and sell items across all game instances. You can browse by item type, search by item names, manage your own auctions and even search materials by your known recipes!

The Advanced Training Hall is a special, fully interactive combat room that's free to enter and allows new players to learn about various features of the Clockworks. It even contains a room where you can practice defending against custom-built training bots. The hall holds 8 players at a time.

As you will note, we've adjusted prices for certain items in the game. This was intentional based on our analysis of how players are using the different features currently offered in Spiral Knights.

Changing prices for goods and services is a natural, unavoidable part of operating a Free-to-Play game, although we do not expect them to be common. Changes like this will always be a give and take between what we believe is best for the balance of the game and what is fair to players. We will always strive to respect both in any pricing decision we make.

Because this is the first major change of this nature we have made, we are making a correction to the crowns spent by all players with unlearned recipes for the amount of the difference between the price paid and the new recipe prices.

This one-time action will be implemented as soon as you log in.

We hope you enjoy these new features and look forward to seeing you with our next major update that will instead feature content below the surface of Haven...

See you then!

The following changes were made to the game in the release on May 17th:

Haven

• The new Advanced Training Hall can be found on the west side of the Haven Town Square!
• The new Auction House can be found just north of the fountain in the Haven Town Square!

Boss Tokens

• Bosses now drop a single, giant boss token that distributes boss tokens based on participation in the boss dungeon. The more levels you complete of each boss dungeon (in that run) the more boss tokens you have the chance to earn. The only way to guarantee a chance at the maximum number of tokens is to start a boss dungeon from the first level of that boss dungeon (from the terminal).

Levels

• Clockwork Terminals are now free to join. There is no entry fee like other levels. Their minerals have been removed.
• Fixed a minor bug in Royal Jelly Court where some monsters weren't spawning.
• You should no longer get stuck between the door and exit elevator in Spiral Court 2.

Shops

• You will not be able to purchase 2+ star items from a terminal vendor if you have not completed an entire floor before reaching the terminal. Never buy a 'Basil port' from another player unless you're in the market for 1* items!

Crafting

• Using a bound items in alchemy will result in the finished product being bound as well. For example, crafting a 4* item that requires a item of heat level 5 will result in an item that is bound to the crafter.
• Crafting energy costs have increased.
• Alchemy machines have new art.

Items

• Items now display their star value and number of unique variants on the item pill. Handy!

Recipes

• Recipe item costs have been reduced.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where excessive upstream bandwidth usage would cause persistent lag.
• Fixed an issue where you would sometimes join a party in a deeper tier than was specified
• Fixed an issue where you would sometimes join a party behind a closed door and were unable to proceed
• Fixed an issue where you would be charged double energy when proceeding from a subtown

A small bugfix release was issued today composed of mostly behind the scenes stuff but also included:

Items

• Fixed a bug with certain sword recipes from Basil having unlimited stock.

Levels

• Some minor balancing and bugfixes to random level components.

Sixteen new swords have been added!

• All-new Flourish family of Piercing damage swords! Starting from the basic 2* Flourish...
• Swift Flourish (3*), Grand Flourish (4*) and Final Flourish (5*)
• Rigadoon (3*), Daring Rigadoon (4*) Fearless Rigadoon (5*)
• Flamberge (3*), Fierce Flamberge (4*), Furious Flamberge (5*)
• The Brandish family is enhanced and expanded!
• The basic 2* Brandish now has an explosive charge attack.
• The 3* Fireburst Brandish, Iceburst Brandish and Nightblade all have new appearances.
• The Nightblade's tooltip now correctly states that it deals Normal and Shadow damage.
• The Fireburst and Iceburst Brandish lines now do Normal and Elemental damage.
• All three of those sword lines now extend all the way to 5*...
• Blizzbrand (4*) and Glacius (5*)
• Blazebrand (4*) and Combuster (5*)
• Silent Nightblade (4*) and Acheron (5*)

Levels

• Clockworks level variety has been expanded.
• Fixed a bug that could cause twice the wolvers to spawn in wolver dens.
• Fixed a level exploit in Jigsaw Valley Emerald Axis 2.

Chat

• Trade chat is now limited to one message every thirty seconds per person.

We had to perform a bugfix release early this morning and another this afternoon to address some connection issues that some of you may have experienced as well as the lack of elevators in Deconstruction Zone levels.

In addition to that a new feature was added to trade chat that sends trade chat to all same-language instances within Haven. So in order to advertise to the most potential customers, please use trade chat!

A small bugfix release was shipped today that included the following:

Levels

• Minerals can now be found in Deconstruction Zone levels.
• Danger Room rewards now contain heart boxes.
• Some Danger Room traps adjusted.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where reconnecting after disconnect would leave you stuck at logon.
• Fixed an issue where T3 gremlin corpses were not de-spawning.

We will be updating the game this afternoon. After the update, the game will be unavailable for approximately 20 minutes for maintenance. The update includes the following:

Items

• Recipe tweaks:
• Freezing Vaporizer Mk II now requires a Frost Gel, instead of a Cooling Cell.
• Volt Driver now requires 1 Volt Oil, instead of 2.

NPCs

• Wegner in the Arcade has a new objective and new info about minerals:
• He now gives new players an objective to deposit minerals, teaching them the basics.
• Once completed, he teaches advanced mineral lessons and even displays a gate creation guide!
• Brinks in the Bazaar has received a fresh shipment of Philoso Feathers for sale. Best not to think about where from.

Levels

• Minerals can now be found in Aurora Isles levels.

Party

• Added option to party menu to "Go Solo" and continue without the rest of your party (equivalent to booting yourself from your own party)

Social

• You may now view other players' equipment by clicking on them and choosing "Inspect."

Chat

• Added /trade channel in Haven. Please use this channel for all trade related chat.
• Added commands to join and leave channels: /join zone, /leave trade
• /join 2 or /join trade = join trade chat channel
• /leave 1 or /leave zone = leave general chat channel
• /leave 2 or /leave trade = leave trade chat channel

Fixed some sound bugs, item bugs, and invite bugs.

We did a quick extra bug fix to resolve an issue with Devilites.

Aside from the optimization work that was performed tonight, a small update was released that included the following:

Items

• Fixed a bug giving the Umbra Driver's regular shots a knockdown effect.
• Fixed the Critter Carapace's rarity: it is now 2* instead of 3*.

Monsters

• Rocket Puppy Rockets have had an adjustment to their behaviors. Tier 2 should be far more forgiving.
• Royal Jelly's regen has been reduced.
• Royal Jelly now has fewer minions.
• Status-themed Retrodes are now properly immune to their associated status conditions.

A small bugfix patch of some behind the scenes stuff was released this morning that required a game update.

A small update was released today to address a few issues and fix some bugs. Also included:

Items

• The Dread Skelly Mask and Suit now correctly require the Sinister Skelly Suit as a prerequisite.
• Fixed a couple missing recipe name translations, and added descriptions for a number of bombs and handguns.
• Removed Health/Remedy Capsules from subtown vendors.
• Added Vitapods to subtown vendors.

Monsters

• Lumbers' attack speed has been decreased.
• Lumbers' damage area has been decreased.
• Jelly cubes' attack speed has been decreased slightly.
• Jelly cubes are slightly more aggressive in Tier 1.
• Lichens have had their windup time doubled.
• Trojans now wander about when they have no target.
• Vanaduke has regained his ability to cast fire snakes.
• Royal Jelly's tantrums are now slightly less violent.

UI

• The progress tab in the character panel has been updated to offer more clarity.

Special Announcement:
Gate themes are experiencing some growing pains as we are getting large influxes of new players who are mining the earlier stratums for minerals, resulting in gates with mostly all the same themes. We are aware of this issue and will be adjusting some stratum themes to prevent gates from having mostly all of the same theme. We feel as though this is best for our growing community. It will become less necessary as things stabilize.

Items

• Fixed the Umbra Driver recipe being mistakenly labeled as for the Nova Driver.
• Increased the blast radius on the Deconstructor line of bombs.

Levels

• Added proper names for themed versions of Deconstruction Zone and Wolver Den.
• Updated poison level skybox.

Monsters

• Retrode status attacks can now properly do things like light oil on fire. Watch out!

Graphics

• Fix to a bug that was causing Haven and other areas to have improper lighting.

Miscellaneous

• Added an option for players to enable joining parties of any language.
• Fixed a bug that allowed guilds to exceed 100 members.
• Fixed a bug that allowed friends lists to exceed 250 friends.
• Players using low-detail graphical settings will now see simplified skyboxes.

Guildhall

• Added an alchemy machine.

Items

• Angelic armor set now has updated art.
• Increased the chance of a random mineral type spawning in place of a given level's associated mineral types.
• Reduced the sell values of trinkets.

We also refreshed the arcade gates in preparation for launch today. All gates should have some nice variety.

Monsters

• Fixed a bug that was causing the Royal Jelly to clone himself
• Art change to Tier 1 Chromalisks

Environments

• Fix: Some breakable blocks in the Clockwork Tunnels were spawning in without textures.

Guild

• You can now walk out of your guildhall and back to Haven

Items

• Reduced the drop rate of spark tokens (a minor bug was causing them to drop far more frequently than planned).

Combat

• Reduced the camera shake effect

Levels

• Fixed a broken Clockworks prefab
• Fixed treasure drops in the Rescue Camp levels from dropping pickups

A small bugfix release followed this one:

• Pickup usage has been fixed
• Screenshots will no longer be taken by using other keys (like laptop volume controls)

Today's release was mostly lots of bugfixes but also included:

• Shields are now much better at blocking status damage
• Damage numbers can be toggled on via the options menu (press Esc)

We will be doing a release tonight that is mostly bug fixes and a lot of behind the scenes stuff but also includes the following:

• Combat no longer has numbers. When monsters are hit you will now see a visual indicator for power and effectiveness:
• A dull gray flash means that the monster is highly resistant to the damage type
• A bright blue damage flash means the monster has average resistance to the damage type
• A golden flash with stars means the monster is weak to the damage type
• The size of the flash tells you about how hard you actually hit the monster. The more health you remove, the bigger the flash.

• The penalty for falling in combat is now illustrated via heat falling out of you. If you revive, you will see it return to you, but if you quit, the heat fizzles out.

• We've streamlined the Adventure Board to make it easier to join or start a party.
• Now when frozen, you will receive damage if your freeze block is broken early, instead of if the freeze time runs out
• Hearts will now disappear after 90 seconds

Bugfixes:

• Fixed Mecha Knights from spawning outside walls/doors
• Fixed Quicksilvers from spawning in Poison levels instead of Toxigels
• Fixed various broken Clockwork levels
• Fixes and more rebalancing to various equipment

We did a small bugfix release tonight that included mostly behind the scenes stuff. Though there was some fancy new loading screen art added!

We did a release tonight that contained the following:

• Jelly and Demo series gear now has fancy new art!
• Fixed a couple armor stat errors (helms that were missing penalties the matching armors had, and so on).
• Added a few new inventory icons for materials and armor.
• Fixed Trojan immunity to status damage
• You can now toggle off player names in the options menu
• Fixed a bug where gold keys could land behind gold doors

We will be performing a release shortly that includes some preparation for our Power Surge Weekend.

Also included:

• There were a few adjustments to phantoms that should make them more forgiving in tier 1 and 2.
• Special bonuses on armor and helms were increased on 5* items.
• Status resistances on armor and helms have been generally increased.

We will be performing a release tonight that includes the following:

• We've simplified the columns in the Arcade. Instead of giving you a read out of mineral ratios they now show the current theme of each stratum to give you a quick 'at a glance' look at what is being built.
• Lieutenant Feron has shown up for duty in the Arcade and will provide an overview of your mission as well as present new players with the objective of reaching the first terminal in tier 1.
• Chief Geo Knight Wegner has reported for duty and relieved the arcade assistant. Wegner will give you a basic overview of how minerals work and (soon) an advanced lesson on gate creation.
• Required ingredients are now shown on recipe tooltips.
• The damage values shown when attacking monsters will vary based on if the special attack types are effective against that monster (bigger numbers if the monster is weak to the damage, smaller if they are resistant)
• Fixed a bug where damage bonuses were not showing up on armor/helmet/trinket tooltips
• More rooms and monsters were added to the deconstruction zone as well as some refinement to the size of the rooms

A pretty small release tonight in prep for something very big tomorrow (what could it be????)

• Rocket puppy rockets should now home on their targets.
• Mecha knight bodyguards will now be sure to catch up with you.
• Collision on shard bomb bullets has been fixed
• The gate building recipes were altered a bit. We apologize if this resulted in themes being switched on in progress gates. The good news is that now everything is equally balanced.
• Shops now have limited stock for many items (typically over 1*).
• Lastly, we branded the game with our new official logo!

We will be doing a release tonight that includes the following:

• Armor and helm depth scaling is now much balanced. You should see much better results by using tier appropriate armors in tier 2 and 3
• Hearts are now locally available to each player in a party. If a heart drops, every part member will have the opportunity to get it.
• Health respawn pads now heal you as you sit on them.
• Your character panel should now display your total combined stats for each configuration of gear and weapons.
• Trojans will hurt you again.. Vacation's over.
• Spikes no longer damage monsters.
• Poison no longer inverts monster regen, it simply prevents it from occurring. If a monster is healed by another while poisoned, it will still take damage.
• Red Rovers no longer damage other monsters
• Bullets should no longer go through blocks.
• New rooms for deconstruction zone and devilish drudgery levels
• Kleptolisks now appear in treasure vaults - hold on to your loot!
• Fixed Trojan Ghost Block bug in firestorm citadel smoldering steps
• Phantoms in Tier 1 no longer curse you
• Many items recipes have had their ingredients updated to add in the new status-based items and balance out the occurrence of some of the higher end materials

There are some pretty significant item and stat related changes as you can see, so please give us good feedback on game difficulty in each tier and the current feel of combat. Thanks!

We will be doing a release tonight that includes the following:

• When hit while charging any weapon you will no longer have your charge broken. Instead your charge meter will be set back a fixed percentage, merely slowing you down.
• Fewer status type monsters will appear in all Tier 1 levels. For example, in a fire themed level, when monsters spawn there will be a selection of normal and fire monsters. This was done in order to reduce the difficulty of Tier 1.
• Translation errors on some levels have been fixed.
• Lots of new armor art has been completed:
  • Wolver Coat & Wolver Cap
  • Dusker Coat & Dusker Cap
  • Ash Tail Coat & Ash Tail Cap
  • Vog Cub Coat & Vog Cub Cap
  • Skolver Coat & Skolver Cap
  • Volcanic Salamander Suit & Volcanic Salamander Mask
  • Virulisk Suit & Virulisk Mask
  • Deadly Virulisk Suit & Deadly Virulisk Mask
• Lots of other minor bug fixes.

We will be doing a release tonight that includes the following:

• Monster defense has been adjusted across the board. As seen in this thread: http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/1488

Monsters are now weak, neutral to and highly resistant to one of each of the special damage types. You should see much better damage output against the neutral defense than before.

• Higher tier items in lower tiers will always perform a little better than tier appropriate items.
• Shields can no longer block status damage as it happens. For example, if you are on fire, blocking with your shield will not block the damage you receive from the fire.
• Fixed dual damage type damage imbalance.
• Shields are now more resistant to status-based damage. Use those shields!
• Characters will now receive emails from Spiral HQ as they progress through the game. Currently this can be seen upon arriving to the Rescue Camp, Haven Tier 2 and 3 for the first time. In some cases, a new 'mist tank' is awarded that refills your mist meter.
• Phantoms now stalk the graveyards! Graveyards are now finally the scary, terrible place they were always intended to be, with phantoms stalking players over time. Phantoms act like players in their attack style, can travel through walls, across chasms and can never truly die. They are bad news.
• You can now change your equipment at clockwork terminals.
• As always, lots of bugs were squashed.

Let us know what you think in the forums!

We will be doing a (mostly) bugfix release that among other things includes:

• Bullets will no longer pass through force barriers
• Mecha Knight bodyguards will warp to party pads

Some non-bugs that were also included:

• Added an auto sell button to the mineral deposit box. Auto sell will sell all of your minerals across multiple stratums at whatever is the current best price for each mineral.
• Monster defenses for special damage types that they were previously 'resistant' to (as seen in this thread: http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/1488) have been reduced.

Greetings! We are doing a release tonight that brings with it lots of changes, so please read the following notes.

**Many of these new features are still in development! Please be aware that there may be missing components to new content, lack of information, etc.**

There is an all new gate creation system

This new system offers much greater transparency into gate creation and how minerals generate levels. When depositing minerals, players will have the option of depositing them into different groupings of floors, called 'stratums.' There are two stratums in every tier. The 'default stratum' is always preselected upon opening the deposit interface.

You are now paid in crowns for every mineral deposited. However, opting not to deposit in the default stratum will probably cost crowns per mineral for the privilege of depositing into deeper stratums earlier.

You can also 'boost' the payouts mineral types in stratums to encourage other players to deposit the minerals you want.

Stratums have themes

As you deposit minerals into each stratum, you will see the 'theme' of that stratum change. The theme dictates what kinds of levels will be created.

Many new levels and monsters have been created to support these themes. They will be further fleshed out as we continue to develop this new feature.

Status conditions have changed

Status conditions are undergoing some changes. Here's what's different so far:

• Freeze now lasts for a long time and breaks on a single hit. It is intended for crowd control on monsters. If the ice breaks naturally, the target receives some damage.
• Shock now prevents monster movement and damages other targets around it on spasm intervals.
• Fire damage has been decreased.
• Poison now damages monsters when they are healed and gives an attack and defense debuff.
• A bug with curse has been fixed

An important notice regarding exploits:

Over the weekend, a bug was discovered that some players exploited. Those players have been banned.

Please remember that the purpose of this preview event is to give us good feedback and help us improve Spiral Knights. Helping us discover exploits and reporting them- good. Discovering exploits and using them to damage the game- bad.

Other additions:

• Some monster defenses have been altered.
• Loading screen images have been added
• The core approach terminal has changed
• As always, lots of random bug fixes

A very small release today with all under the hood stuff save for adding some stats in the tooltip for shields.

We did a small bugfix release today that included allowing chat at the elevator advancement screen and some balance to sword stats.

A small bugfix release where a few new features have crept in:

• The item tooltip bonus pills should once again be showing the correct information
• You can now make Credit Card based energy purchases securely from within the game without needing to head to the Spiral Knights Energy Depot website
• Successful trades will now show the full trade contents in your chat
• If you're logged into the website and start the game from your browser, you will log into the game automatically
• You can attach your Facebook account to your game account and authenticate using your Facebook login

We will be doing a release today that includes the following:

• The Royal Jelly has been made a bit more difficult. Please let us know what you think in the feedback thread: http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/1293
• Many weapons have received wonderful new art! (I'm partial to the Cold Iron Vanquisher)
• Lots of bugfixes, as always.

Happy Valentines Day!

We did a release today that included the following:

• We added a new Uplink interface that has three tabs:
  • The News tab will let you know what's going on in the game and display special promotional offers.
  • The Mail tab allows users to send mail to each other. Please give us your feedback! More features, including the ability to send items are on the way.
  • The Invite tab allows you to manage and send invitations to join Spiral Knights.
• The Royal Jelly Palace is coming! The next gate created should contain a slimy palace that is home to a Royal Jelly, royalty within the slime family and our newest boss.
• Tokens are live! All bosses now drop special tokens that can be exchanged at the token trader in every town for special items. Get some!
• As always, plenty of bug squashing.

Updates on other features NOT included in this update:

• The Core is taking longer than expected. We want it to be really special so we're holding off on it for this release.
• We're currently working on a whole new way to build gates that will offer much greater transparency into the underlying system as well as create a more varied overall experience. Some things are in the works that should make the Clockworks a much more interesting place for everyone. Stay tuned!

We're individually shutting down and restarting the server peers in order to upgrade their operating systems. You will be able to continue playing, but you'll be moved between peers as they're brought offline. The process will be completed shortly.

We're doing a quick web server maintenance today January 28th from 3:30pm to 4pm Pacific Time.

This will affect the forum here, the Wiki and the website. But not the game itself.

Sorry for the inconvenience folks!

We have added another payment option: Mobile Phones.

How to use: Enter your mobile phone number, reply Y to the text message you receive to confirm, and you'll get the Energy delivered to your account!

Note: Boku's Paymo service cover a large amount of countries and phone service providers, but not all are covered. Phone service networks charge fees for these kinds of services, so the cost per Energy will be different from other payment options.

Problems?: If you run into problems with this please see Paymo's Support Center for standard problems. And if you believe the issue is on our side please contact us via billing@spiralknights.com.

We will be doing a small bugfix release today that, among other things, includes a peering issue and the HUD locking feature.

We will be doing a release today that includes the following:

• You can now lock your HUD in dungeons by clicking the small lock icon in the top left corner of the HUD or by pressing the tilde key. In order to unlock it, you must press the tilde key. This key can be remapped in the options menu.
• If kicked from a party you will now carry on solo rather than be booted back to Haven. This feature is still undergoing testing, so please be on the look out for bugs and report them if found.
• Many shields have undergone a visual makeover and now have unique art! More on the way.
• Many of the custom levels have undergone a few tweaks to balance difficulty and include a few new components like energy doors.
• As always, lots of bug fixes.

We did a small release today that fixed a few bugs and added some polish to the social panel and market interface.

We will be doing a release tonight that includes the following:

• The social panel has received a major upgrade, and now has a host of new features including online and offline friend and guild tracking and click tells.
• The vendor interface has also been upgraded and now resembles an arsenal. It should be much easier to use.
• The Arcade Assistant now has handy images to help explain the Arcade. Let us know what you think!
• The bug that was causing hallways to be cut off should be fixed, please let us know if you encounter it.
• The stun locking combo bug should also be fixed.
• Idle time in dungeons has been increased to 10 minutes.
• Windows 7 full screen crash bug should be fixed.
• As always, lots of other misc. bugs.

Coming soon:

• Boss tokens, shops and THE CORE!

Small one - We fixed the bug with the instant button for selling energy.

We will be doing a release today that includes the following things:

• As mentioned in my previous post, the gate passes required to access more advanced tiers from the Haven Arcade have been removed. A player will still need the appropriate Tier Clearance to access each tier from Haven, but no longer needs to work their way through each tier of each gate from Haven. The current Gate Pass table in the Progress tab of the character panel will remain, albeit slightly tweaked as a handy tracker of tiers you have yet to explore on each gate.
• Danger Rooms are back! Every Clockwork Tunnels level has a chance of spawning an optional danger room, identified by the red skull recon module located in front of them. A Danger room locks a party inside and forces them to survive in order to gain access back out, but if victorious, the party is rewarded with a lots of treasure. Danger rooms are tough, please enter at your own risk.
• Treasure blocks now contain a lot more treasure variety, including many more 'whole item' loot drops like weapons and gear.
• The exchange has undergone a few changes to it's UI that should make things a little clearer for everyone.
• The holidays have officially left the Clockworks, with holiday hats removed from treasure blocks and monsters.
• Improved silkwing targeting (the healing moth-like monsters)
• And as always, lots of bugfixes

• Fixed a bug with copying and pasting text containing carriage returns into chat
• Spans of whitespace in chat are now collapsed into single spaces
• Fix for dragging helm/armor within arsenal (had been causing "Unexpected error" messages)
• Elevator fix

Happy holidays!

• Translation fixes for items, recipes
• Fixes for party splitting
• Item tweaks
• Additional information added to progress display
• Entering subtown lobby from Haven takes you to the interior start pad (assuming you have tier access)
• Dialog fixes
• Scene tweaks/fixes
• Full health restored on reaching subtown lobbies
• Tweaks to energy exchange dialog, including one-button instant trades
• Fix for certain graphics cards' being unable to display new gate map background
• Adjustments to difficulty (lower tiers now have higher difficulty but greater reward for advanced players)
• Health bonuses scale by tier
• Fix for HUD's sometimes disappearing on reconnect
• Monster tweaks

• Subtown change as documented here
• "Free for All" loot distribution mode changed to "Random"
• Tweaks to materials, items
• New equipment descriptions
• Recipe fixes
• Fix for mapping controls to triggers on X-Box 360 controller
• Fixes for monsters' attacking each other
• Maintain a members' health if they leave and rejoin the same party
• Fix for players' being pushed out of scenes
• New party splitting interface
• Interface fixes
• Tweaks to spikes (warning before activation)
• Changed all health refill stations in Terminals and Battle Arenas to large hearts
• Battle Arenas no longer open before all monsters are dead
• Firestorm Citadel tweaks
• Holiday cheer

We will be doing a bugfix release today to fix some issues:

• Vendor stock bug resulting in swapping items at purchase
• 5* recipes now cost 16,500 crowns
• Bramble no longer damages monsters
• Some weapon damage adjustments
• Various recipe ingredient fixes

Some big changes to shops are included in today's release as well as a new addition to the Coliseum:

• The Haven Bazaar's merchants now have a random stock of goods that changes every day and is unique to each player. Check in every day for rare items just for you!
• A new merchant, the Spiral Quartermaster is located in the southwest end of the Haven Bazaar. The Spiral QM reliably sells special Spiral gear, weapons and recipes with 'average' stats that allow you to be competitive in each tier. The Spiral QM will become much more prominent in the future as we direct your experience more towards acquiring the right gear to compete in each tier.
• Coliseum events now reward the weekly top player (as seen from the leaderboards) a special costume reward. For Super Brawl, it is a fantastic golden crown! The winner is chosen Mondays at midnight PST (i.e. late Sunday night). The reward costume expires after 7 days, when a new winner is chosen.
• Firestorm Citadel has new content in its levels. Look out for terrible siege wheels that will flatten you if you're not careful! More developments on these levels will be coming soon. Use the balls of water to extinguish the columns of shadow fire!
• 5 Star items are finally here! You can find recipes to build them from traveling merchants deep within the Clockworks or as rare 'drops' in your daily recipe stock from the Haven recipe vendor.
• Traveling merchants in Clockwork Terminals have many new recipes that can show up.
• Elevators now have handy buttons allowing you to return to Haven at any time and cash out your heat or continue down into the depths of the Clockworks. Parties can now split up at any time, allowing players to end their experience when they please.
• Various recipe related bug fixes

Coming soon (not in this release):

We're working on some neat new features that will better direct players to the content that's appropriate for their gear as well as making some changes to sub-towns that will turn Haven back into the home base of all players. We will also be updating trinkets and added new ones. Stay tuned and thanks for playing!

We're going to do a release tonight, here's what it will include:

• The mini map now displays points of interest, such as elevators and gold doors. Once you have 'seen' these things, they will be added to your map. This should be especially helpful in open levels like the Deconstruction Zone.
• The freeze status condition was not working properly, this has been fixed. Freeze away!
• A few recipe bug fixes
• Some tweaks to the PVP scoring
• Fixed a trade bug
• A few new crafting materials

Coming soon in a future release:

Lots of new recipes and items, including the arrival of 5 star weapons and gear!

• Changes to item scaling as announced in previous post
• Fixes for random dungeon generator
• Fixes for treasure blocks
• Revive fix
• Item spawn tweaks
• Fix for Trojan
• Tweaks to Deconstruction Zone
• Recipe tweaks

• Devilite throws go over low walls/edges.
• Weapon damage scaling.
• Tweaks to Deconstruction Zone.
• PVP leaderboards.

• Star value fixes.
• Fixes for wolvers.
• Daily points tracking for PVP.
• PVP post-game display fixes.
• Gate construction tweaks.

• Translation fixes.
• Fix for actor spawns.
• PVP fixes.
• New "Super Brawl Ultimate" PVP mode: no gear restrictions, costumes allowed, 5000 crowns to sign up.
• Scene fixes.
• End-of-game report for Super Brawl.
• Recipe tweaks.
• Experimentally, the Windows installer now disables desktop composition on Vista/7 for better compatibility/performance.
• Items should be displaying as Level 10 now when they've maxed out heat
• There should be no more problems with missing waves of enemies when you're stuck inside monster doors

• UI tweaks.
• Translation fixes.
• Zombie fixes.
• No climbing on the PVP terminal.
• Fixes for explosive blocks/traps/hazards.
• Gremlin adjustments.
• Cost for revives capped at 1000 (per player).
• Heart/coin drop fixes.
• Gravity bomb fix.
• Loot drop tweaks.
• Item use animation fix.
• New danger level indicator.

Happy Thanksgiving!

• An early version of our competitive games space, the Coliseum is now available to test! The first game, Super Brawl can be accessed via the Coliseum terminal located in all Arcades. Coliseum games require crowns to enter, with the winner taking a share of all entrance fees. Each Coliseum game is divided by tiers.
• Vitapods are now automatically picked up if they are better than what you have. To drop them, drag and drop the one you have equipped out of its slot.
• Monster health is now reduced when soloing and in a party of two. It increases slightly with three and four players.
• Many more items are available in the Haven Bazaar. Please note that all art is not complete for these items and you may see redundancies with models and textures.
• Hazard damage has been fixed, watch out for those spikes!
• Heart drops now come in larger sizes and we have changed their spawning mechanism. Please give us feedback on the rate at which hearts drop.
• Some monsters have new art to denote tiers.

Higher level monsters should no longer spawn many levels in advance.

• New chat colors.

• Item and monster rebalance as detailed in previous post
• Friend limit increased to 250.
• Fix for the elevator's raising its gates early
• Fix for targeting dead monsters
• Tweaks for gate construction
• Zombie fixes
• No "returning" to Haven from Rescue Camp
• Removed limit on text for bug reports/suggestions
• Tweaks to remove/scale back effects for medium/low detail settings
• Material fixes
• Translation fixes
• Town pass costs decreased
• Reenabled chat messages for shortcut-able emotes
• Show minimap arrows for out-of-view players in towns as well as dungeons
• Gates now rotate at eight o'clock pm (PST)
• Various other tweaks/fixes

Expect more updates in the next few days!

New Vitapods!

Vitapods have changed in this release. You will now pick up a vitapod, and it will show up on your health bar. You can only hold one vitapod at a time, however the vitapods will get larger the further you are from town. You will be able to swap out your current vitapod for a new one you found in the level. Also, once you've left the lobby, any vitapods you pick up will only increase your maximum health, but not your current health, so you will need to find some hearts to fill yourself up the rest of the way.

• Uniform blur render effect added to sky boxes
• Tweaks to exchange interface
• Tweaks to random level bits
• Do not allow "returning" to town from initial tutorial
• Fixed chat command history
• Added zone instance chat prefix, plus /1 as alias for it
• Fixes for resurrected players
• Don't show "add as friend" in context menu if you're at the friend limit
• Additional item text
• Fix for the infinite loop condition that brought down one of the server peers
• Haven fixes
• Vanaduke fixes

• Tweaks to Tortodrones and Lumbers
• Level 10 added to Fencing Jacket
• Fixed shock resistance for Volt Breaker armor
• Fix for lootless terminal travelers
• Hide the chat entry field after submitting
• Resurrection costs taken from (full) energy tab when available
• Invitation system added for inviting your friends from within the game
• Tweaks to swords
• Fixes for players' getting stuck in certain areas
• Fixes for chat command help
• Tweaks to random level generation
• Tell feedback messages ("You told...") colored blue, like tells
• Fix for weapon text
• Added toggle for "Render Effects," which is disabled by default: eventually we will be adding more advanced graphical effects and those who want to live on the bleeding edge are encouraged to enable this option to help us test them
• Fixed issue with reconnecting after disconnecting (sending you to a different place, removing your progress, etc.)
• Fixed issue with Lichen drops
• Added some code to avoid repeated affliction with the same status condition
• Fix for gates' displayed energy costs
• Change to matchmaking: only add new players within a brief period after starting each level
• Fix for heat levels

New feature:

• Travel passes added, which allow instant travel to recently visited towns for a crown fee

Tweaks, fixes:

• 'Sulfur' is now 'Brimstone' and its star value has been changed to 1
• New materials added to certain monster loot tables
• Some recipes now require new materials
• Fixed a hole in Treasure Vault levels
• Fix for gold keys' not being removed after opening doors
• Tweaks to arsenal/recipe interfaces
• Tweaks to gate displays
• Zone chat is no longer the default; use /zone to address entire town
• Place chat is audible from increased distances
• Clicking energy panel now brings up exchange interface
• Text fixes.
• Save screenshots to desktop rather than application folder
• Windows uninstaller deletes preferences from registry
• "Compatibility Mode" added to advanced video options that prevents use of GLSL shaders
• Fixes for moving items between quickslots
• Fix for adding stackable items to trade window will all slots filled

• Text fixes.
• Fix for gate displays not updating after rotation.
• Lighting fix.
• Don't let poisoned monsters heal.
• Fixed bug with tray times in subtowns.
• Fixed bug with gold key doors deleting player instead of key.
• When creating a party or joining one in the lobby, you're charged when you leave the lobby.
• Reduced gate dormancy range.
• Devilite tweaks.
• Two seconds of invulnerability after resurrection.
• Chat can now be heard from anywhere in the town instance.
• Fix for accidental clicking on resurrection dialog.
• Level generation fix.
• Allow setting 1024x600 resolution.
• Fix for chat displays' clearing when moving between zones.

• Fix for gold key levels.
• Translation fixes.
• Tortodrone, Zombie, and Devilite tweaks/fixes.
• Tweaks/fixes for the new arsenal interface.
• Emote tweaks.
• Fix for certain swords' hurting players.
• Sound fix.
• Minerals added to loot displays at end of gate.
• Fix for repeat fire bug.

• Arsenal/Recipe interfaces updated.
• Text fixes.
• Fix for Gremlin loot drops.
• /poke and /sigh emotes.
• Substantial Gremlin adjustments.
• Fixes/enhancements to randomly generated levels.

• Fixed floor display on friend panels.
• Fixed some errors in the text.
• Fix for being able to unequip helmet/armor.
• Controller fix.
• Fix for dupe issue dropping vials/capsules in scene.
• Fix (hopefully) for "server error" messages on vial/capsule use.
• Effect for when items gain levels.
• Fix for server error messages when trading stacks of items.

• Vial descriptions fixed.
• Guildhall spiffed up.
• Revive-related messages fixed.
• Error related (primarily) to crafting Dusk Drops fixed.
• Fixed bug with dropping vials, etc., when a player leaves the dungeon.
• Controller fixes.
• Added tray display when adding minerals to a gate.

Again, we're inviting more people, so please welcome them.

Mostly bug fixes in this release:

• Solved the issue of the revive window popping up while you're still alive (but only just)
• Solved the issue of the Ash Tails warping outside the playable area of the map
• Fixed seeing a gray armor icon show up when a party member uses a capsule

We're also testing allowing you to run while using a capsule.

Probably some other fixes/changes that I forgot to mention.

We will be releasing some new stuff today:

• There are and will continue to be changes in the economy as we determine what's best for the game world
• There are new coins, so you will now find crowns in values of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50.
• You can now compare your own loot against that of a vendor's loot
• There is a new system for when you meet your demise in the Clockworks. Just as before you can wait to receive half the life from another player or wait to have your party (hopefully) make it to the next floor. But now you can also revive yourself and other with energy. The cost to revive increases each time you die but is reset upon reaching any town.
• Some new items have been added to treasure block drop tables.

We will also again be inviting more players to the game this evening. Please give them a warm welcome!

We've just put out a new release to fix two major bugs in the game.

1. Shops should now display the correct prices for all items
2. There should no longer be a trade bug where you can duplicate items

Hello!

We will be updating the game today and I wanted to give you a heads up on a few changes:

• The prices of all items are in a state of change. We're working hard to determine the best prices for everything.
• '0 Star' items now exist. These items will be purchasable in the Rescue Camp.
• As a result of introducing a new level of gear, some low level gear has moved up or down in star value. This will affect their heat levels in some cases. You may have lost or gained heat levels but your total heat invested in the weapon has remained the same.

Lastly, we will be introducing many more new players to the game in the very near future. Please give them a warm welcome!