No Rest For The Wicked's latest update expands its endgame roguelite mode with new enemies, buffs, arenas
Alongside Steam Deck verification and performance upgrades
Grimdark hack-and-slasher No Rest For The Wicked has received its first major update - or the first that isn't focused on bug fixes and performance improvements, anyway. It focuses on revamping the Crucible, the endgame's repeatable roguelite, adding more randomisation to arenas and a new system of player buffs.
"One of the biggest features that we always envisioned for the Cerim Crucible but weren’t able to ship at launch is this Echoes. Echoes allow you to customize every run with a huge variety of buffs and effects, creating a staggering amount of possibilities as it allows you to create a build on top of your build," says Moon's own introduction to the update. "Thanks to Echoes and the randomization of them, no two runs in the Crucible will ever be alike."
The randomised chambers you'll fight through have been tripled in number, alongside a new art theme, a new vendor, and a new enemy faction called the Gloam. Glowing with a "corrupt bioluminescence", the Gloam will only appear in the Crucible for now, but will be added to the overworld in a later update.
Outside of the Crucible, the update adds some extensions to the overworld, new agear upgrades, "punchier" effects in combat, stray animals you can pet, several further performance upgrade, and Steam Deck verification. You'll find the full patch notes over on Steam.
No Rest For The Wicked is from Moon Studios, known previously for the two Ori games. If what you crave is another maudlin metroidvania from them, you're out of luck: they say they'll be working on No Rest in Early Access for up to a decade.