Dauntless' latest and biggest patch is live, and with it, the game has officially left early access and gone into its full release. The massive Aether Unbound patch features lots of new content for the online co-op RPG that now boasts over 15 million players.

Developer Phoenix Labs, a studio comprised of industry veterans from BioWare, Riot Games, Blizzard, and more, has been continually evolving and adding to Dauntless over 5+ years of development. Patch 1.0.0 turns over a new leaf for the already-popular monster-hunting game, bringing changes to the gameplay experience that are based on years of feedback from the Dauntless community.

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Aether Unbound is a giant seasonal expansion, and first on the list of many additions is a powerful Behemoth: Tempestborne Stormclaw, which utilizes "deadly storm clouds, lightning attacks, and electric traps" on the battlefield. Players will also get access to aether strikers, a martial weapon made to enhance the hands-on combat experience by "transforming the very Slayer who wields them into a weapon of flesh and deadly focus." This is part of players' introduction to the game's latest Hunt Pass, The Way of the Fist; Slayers can prove their worth to a newly introduced ally called the Scarred Master and unlock  up to 50 levels of content and cosmetic rewards. Further additions include a new and more flexible bounty system and an aether strikers quest centered around the so-named weapon.

Player feedback was heavily incorporated in the new bounty system, and Phoenix Labs says it's "tossing out everything bad about weeklies," thereby giving players the freedom to choose what and when they want to slay. Other small player provisions are included in the update, such as the "Friends Indeed" quest that gives Slayers yet another chance to play alongside their friends, plus with the ability to skip cutscenes. In addition, the Aether Unbound patch also comes with a handful of graphics, performance, and quality of life changes. And, of course, a whole host of various bug fixes have been implemented, which players can check out on the full list of patch notes.

Having amassed 15 million players in the time since its initial closed-beta launch in 2017, with showing no signs of stopping, Dauntless has a busy future ahead of it. Phoenix Labs has plans to update to the game with new monsters, missions, and other perks for years to come; those plans can be tracked on Phoenix Labs' official Dauntless roadmap.

Dauntless is available to play now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version also in development.

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Source: Dauntless