Patch notes - 0.5.12e:
Backup save files are also created when the game saves
Added a dialogue line post-WK fight clarifying that Witchbrand can cut through cell bars.
Added player hitless buff during boss fights (explanation below)
The hitless buff (called Heroic Surge in-game) is a QOL update in response to some feedback about boss fights. My design approach is to use the early stages of a fight where attacks are slower and isolated to teach you to master the later stages where attacks are faster and in tighter sequences, and to give you some extra health for each phase/bracket of a boss health bar you make it through.
It came up in some community discussions that if you're still learning a later phase, but have mastered an early phase - to the degree you're not even getting hit - that you're sort of unrewarded for that. In particular, the health pickup for clearing an early phase hitless can go to waste if you start well, and can't be saved for when you'd want it later in the fight, when you're taking more hits against a phase you're not as strong at yet.
On thinking about it, this was... really valid! So I've added something to specifically reward mastery of early boss phases, to help expedite you getting back to the parts you haven't mastered yet:
If you get through an entire boss phase without getting hit at all (regardless of your health), you'll activate Heroic Surge.
During Heroic Surge, your damage will increase by a flat amount per-hit - this is equivalent to around 50% more damage with Strata Blasts, but it's not percentage-based so varies a bit from spell to spell; you'll notice it more with weaker attacks like Strata Blast than already-strong attacks like Arc Bomb.
You'll stay in Heroic Surge mode indefinitely until you get hit - at which point you lose the buff.
You can always re-enter Heroic Surge state, but you'll need to survive a subsequent phase hitless to do so, since you already got hit that phase.
The reward here is specifically for demonstrating mastery, which is why the damage buff is so strong (although, I'm always open to tuning it more against feedback). If you can already no-hit a boss phase, a damage boost only equates to helping you get back to the content you haven't yet mastered faster, you know? And if you haven't mastered the fight yet, there's still benefit to working through that phase again on repeat attempts until you have.
If that sounds a bit confusing to read... well, it makes more sense in play, maybe, try it out! There's some fun effects to go alongside it.
-Dev mode Jake