New loadout system — each character locks in two core abilities, rolls a third at run start, and earns their fourth slot during the run
Trainers reworked — each visit offers one ability card per class in your party; abilities you already own are free, and cheaper cards show up more often
New Gem Forge location — spend gems to unlock the charged variant of an equipped ability for the rest of the run
Recruiting reworked — recruit spots now offer a choice between two potential party members
New dungeon boss: the Goblin Mech — a multi-part machine with shoveable fists, a sealed guard to crack, and a pilot to expose
New warrior abilities: Bash, Erupt, Whirlwind, Wild Strike, and War Cry, each with a charged variant
More new warrior abilities: Reaper, a passive that snowballs +15% damage with every kill, and the heavy-hitting Executioner
New archer ability: Contagion — poisons the target, and when it dies its ailments spread to surrounding enemies
New wrestler ability: Kuzushi — leaves the victim off-balance, staggering them a tile every time they take a hit
New cook ability: Cookout — place a cooking pot that turns the damage it absorbs into food, then scalds nearby enemies when it boils over
Kill preview — targets a planned hit would finish off are marked with a skull
Combo multiplier preview — 1.5x/2x indicators over previewed targets
Status effects now show an xN stack badge on turn-order portraits
Greyed-out ability slots now explain why on hover (cooldown, passive, unavailable)
All-new ability icon art, framed per class
Changed
Enemies now weigh threat when picking targets instead of always attacking the closest hero — and War Cry taunts them onto the warrior while cutting his incoming damage
Charged ability upgrades at the forge now cost just 1 of each gem type
Runs open harder — the easy warm-up battles at the start are skipped
Thrown obstacles now stun the character they hit for a turn
Parry is now a normal equippable ability with a cooldown
Party management simplified — a character's portrait opens their ability loadout directly
Villagers now flee to the safest tile; plague rats hunt whoever is physically closest
Sharper, more legible HUD text with proper outlines
Fixed
The hitch when stepping onto an encounter is now hidden behind the screen wipe
Area attacks no longer stack identical sound effects into a wall of noise
World generation is now identical across platforms for the same seed
The overworld party marker portrait no longer spills outside its circle
Heal effects now play on the healed character's tile