Quick answer
Balance Patch 1 changes Shell map hints from Glimpses to Gloom, refunds Glimpses spent on those hints, cuts equipment-smelting Gloom cost, adjusts multiple enemies/bosses, buffs Great Martyr’s Blade and Troubadour’s Lute, improves Axatana/Black Needle/Clockwork Scythe tracking, lets Guard work while walking and buffs several Tarstones.
Patch status
The developer/community post states the patch is live on PC and coming to PS5 and Xbox Series shortly. If you are on console, verify your installed version before assuming every numeric change below is active.
Economy changes
- Shell map locations now cost Gloom instead of Glimpses.
- Glimpses previously spent on those map locations are refunded in the Shell Keeper area.
- Gold drops were increased, with a larger boost called out for Mammon enemies.
- Smelting equipment at the Tarforge costs substantially less Gloom than before.
This directly affects old advice that told players never to buy Shell map hints because they consumed the same scarce currency used for Bond progression.
Boss changes
The patch reduces health and/or damage for named encounters including The Lost Child and Monolith, and also retimes some Monolith attacks.
Because these are numeric balance changes, boss guides written from advance-access footage should be rechecked before repeating “X hits to stagger” or “Y percent HP” claims.
Enemy changes
Several normal enemy health values are reduced and at least one hit-detection issue is called out. The post says enemies featured in the beta were broadly returned toward beta HP values, with an exception for a specific spider enemy.
Weapon changes
The post explicitly calls out:
- Great Martyr’s Blade: attack damage buff.
- Troubadour’s Lute: very large attack damage buff.
- Caged Hystrix / Triarch Repeater: minimum Resolve firing requirement removed.
- Axatana / Black Needle / Clockwork Scythe: improved light-attack tracking.
Seal change
Guard can now be used while walking. That is a small line in the patch notes but a meaningful usability change for defensive players.
Tarstone changes
The patch lists buffs to Parasitic, Grudge, Bulwark, Clerik’s and Squall stones.
Where the post does not give a number, this site does not invent one.
What to re-check after this patch
The pages most likely to age are:
- weapon tier lists;
- boss health/damage strategies;
- Tarstone rankings;
- economy/farming advice;
- Glimpse spending guides that still treat Shell map hints as a Glimpse cost.
The developers also say future updates are planned for Night Mode, Tarstones and PP Items, so those sections should stay patch-labeled.