Quick answer
Balance Patch 1 (PC, 2026-08-20) changes Shell map hints from Glimpses to Gloom, refunds Glimpses spent on those hints, cuts Tarforge smelting Gloom cost by 75%, buffs enemy gold drops (double in Mammon), nerfs The Lost Child and Monolith, buffs Great Martyr’s Blade / Troubadour’s Lute / several weapon tracking values, lets Guard work while walking and buffs Parasitic, Grudge, Bulwark, Clerik’s and Squall Tarstones.
Patch status
The patch is live on PC as of 2026-08-20 and is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series shortly. Console players should check their installed version before assuming every numeric change below is active.
Economy changes
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shell map locations | Now cost Gloom instead of Glimpses |
| Glimpse refund | Any Glimpses already spent on Shell map hints are refunded. Pick them up from the Shell Keeper’s alcove in Blackmarrow |
| Gold drops | Significantly increased across the game; enemies in Mammon drop double gold |
| Tarforge smelting | Gloom cost reduced by 75% |
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
| Boss | Change |
|---|---|
| The Lost Child | Base damage -10%, max health -15% |
| Monolith | Base damage -19%, max health -10%, some attacks re-timed to be more fair |
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
| Enemy | Change |
|---|---|
| Cultist (mace) | Max health -21.1% |
| Caerinid Spider | Max health -33.3% |
| Infested Stalker | Max health -52.4% |
| Rusted Knave (Halberd) | Max health -20.8%, overhead strike hit detection fixed |
The patch notes state that enemies featured in the open beta were broadly returned toward their beta HP values, with the Caerinid Spider in Magdalena’s area kept dangerous on purpose.
Weapon changes
| Weapon | Change |
|---|---|
| Great Martyr’s Blade | Attack damage +20% |
| Troubadour’s Lute | Attack damage +100% |
| Caged Hystrix | Minimum Resolve requirement to fire removed |
| Triarch Repeater | Minimum Resolve requirement to fire removed |
| Axatana | Improved light-attack tracking |
| Black Needle | Improved light-attack tracking |
| 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 announcement 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 and rankings
- 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.
History note: this page documents Balance Patch 1 (2026-08-20). The next major build is the Week 1 Update (2026-08-29), which replaced several of these numbers and added the Fragile Tarstone economy plus Mether’s Severance respec.
Last verified: 2026-08-28.