Published , by Josh Hawkins
Published , by Josh Hawkins
It wasn’t that long ago – just back in June – that Dauntless received a massive new update, adding the new Training Grounds, new Escalation mission, and other goodies to the game. Now, developer Phoenix Labs is taking things up another notch by bringing a complete revamp of the game’s hub world, Ramsgate, to the Clear Skies update. That’s not all, though, the update also includes a reworking of the Sword, the first weapon ever created for Dauntless, and even new activities. I recently had a chance to go hands-on with the update before its release and these are my impressions.
The real foundation of the Clear Skies update is a complete remodel and recreation of Ramsgate from the ground up. Following the story events leading up to the end of the last season, Ramsgate found itself in a bit of peril. After a risky sequence of events, the citizens of Ramsgate find themselves teleported to a new world, where they rebuild Ramsgate back to its former glory – and then some.
As far as hub worlds go, Ramsgate has always been one of my favorites. I always felt that the developers did a great job creating the hub area and giving players plenty of reasons to explore it. But man, the new Ramsgate is absolutely beautiful. The same amount of detail and precision in creating each portion of the area is present again, but this new location just feels even more fantastical than the last. It truly is a new beginning, and Phoenix Labs have outdone themselves bringing it to life.
Visuals aren’t the only new thing about the hub world, though. There are also new events and activities for players to take part in. I’m not going to spoil those here, though, because I feel that they are better left explored and experienced for yourself.
The other big change with the Clear Skies update is a complete reworking of how the Sword functions. As the first weapon that Phoenix Labs created in Dauntless, and as the most basic of the weapons you can acquire, the Sword always felt kind of disappointing compared to other tools in the Slayer arsenal. Now, though, the Sword has been completely revitalized, giving it new moves and combos for players to work with.
I was never much of a fan of the Sword before, but with the new update it feels a bit more enticing. The new combos make it fun to use, though I still enjoy my dual blades more than anything. I doubt it will ever be my favorite weapon, but those who were looking for more reasons to use it will probably be happy with the changes that Phoenix Labs has made.
The new season of content also brings about some new Umbral Escalation changes, like new amps, upgrades, and encounters for players to look forward to. As always, I can’t sing enough praise for the Escalations. They are by far some of the best content you’ll find in an online game. As someone who isn’t a professional at games like this, the Escalations help challenge me and the others that I play with to become better about how we approach progressing our characters weapons, armor, and other items. If you haven’t tried out one of the Escalations yet, then I highly recommend doing so.
The Clear Skies update is another successful push forward for developer Phoenix Labs and the hard work that they have put into Dauntless. Continuing to build off the world that they’ve created, the new update brings a lot to the table without overwhelming players too much. The new rendition of Ramsgate is absolutely beautiful and packed with things to do, further cementing the hub world as one of the best available in our current generation of video games.
These impressions are based on a pre-release build of the game provided by the publisher. Dauntless’ Clear Skies update is out now on all platforms.