My very subjective problems with the new beta

[PerJacob]

So I just wanted to make a post summarizing my conflicted thoughts about the new beta because, like most of you, I'm really fond of this game and want to help ensure it's the best it can be (at least in my opinion). Unfortunately, the stream left me with some... strong feelings about the new content, so I put together a list of my concerns.

New shadow mobs bring nothing to the table
None of the shadows drop anything new as of now. I know (as they mentioned on the stream) that Icker will presumably have some unique drops, but that still leaves us with the rest. The fourth inkblight and lurking horror drop no new items, which basically makes them a waste of time or just an annoyance. And the mimic... well, it's something that exists — it currently allows you to create infinite hambats or duplicate walking canes, so I’m sure it will see plenty of changes. It's hard to judge it at this stage. I never leave items in the caves on the ground so...

Cave update that barely changes the caves

This beta does nothing to change or improve the current game loop in the caves... aside from throwing a mini-boss at you every 6 –10 days that, yet again, drops nothing new or interesting unless you're playing as Warly. Also, no biomes were significantly altered or added (though the caves are so vast), so we still have tons of empty space that just exists. By the way, I can't believe Klei still haven't added a better way to locate the Atrium, despite all the awesome suggestions players have given them.

New items are questionable?

If you're not a beefalo tamer, this beta only offers you two new weapons. I have nothing bad to say about them, honestly—great designs, interesting mechanics, and Walter mains suffer once again. However, Klei didn't add a single utility item that would make players' lives easier (people have been begging for a void net). I also feel that the crafting recipes are a bit off. You could argue that the shadow heart makes sense for the bell since it can revive a beefalo, but you lose me with the saddle. This highlights the lack of a rare post-rift/FW related material that would fit here. But they definitely could have added something, given that this is THE shadow rift update.

And then there's the fact that you don't even need to visit the rift to craft these items, which makes them somewhat redundant. All the materials can be obtained just from killing inkblights and the Nightmare Werepig.

No new planar boss?

This one is pretty simple — just why not? Adding something like this would help address the lack of rare shadow materials.

The last thing that comes to mind is that the shadow rifts lack a distinct identity. The lunar rifts heavily lean into body horror and mutations, while the shadows are... just shadows with some cloth or red elements. Introducing a new boss would greatly help in establishing a cohesive theme for the shadow rifts

I realize that most of my points might come across as mere complaining, largely because my expectations were set quite high after the masterpiece that was The Host of Horrors. However, this is the 6th From Beyond update, and knowing how much klei "loves" to update the caves, I'm genuinely worried that this arc will conclude with the shadow rifts being left to rot, much like the sealed portal. And I know this post won't change anything since the beta is already out, but I needed to vent some of my frustrations. Still, I greatly appreciate the work the devs have put into this game.

 

[Echsrick]

i mean, the rift stuff in general still feel kinda unfinished, very destructive to the world with no way to "defeat" the rift and to start the circle anew, just how it started day 1 the world, untill you do the things for rift again that is

[PerJacob]

I understand the reasoning behind it, but this update feels worryingly chaotic to me. As I mentioned, this is the sixth "From Beyond" update, so the unfinished excuse is starting to wear thin to me.

[Jakepeng99]

12 hours ago, Echsrick said:

mean, the rift stuff in general still feel kinda unfinished

Its been 2 years though.

[Echsrick]

2 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Its been 2 years though.

and thats kinda alarming, given how small some of these updates realy feel like this one here, and apparently its the sixth one of this series, realy dont feel like that there were 5 before

[Ardcrumb]

18 hours ago, PerJacob said:

The last thing that comes to mind is that the shadow rifts lack a distinct identity. The lunar rifts heavily lean into body horror and mutations, while the shadows are... just shadows with some cloth or red elements. Introducing a new boss would greatly help in establishing a cohesive theme for the shadow rifts

Honestly, I'd disagree and agree at the same time; the shadow rifts have a theme of pollution to them, with the icker being a big ol blob, literal miasma pouring from the rift and acid rain beginning to fall, and there's also a tone of slyness and sneaky actions, but they definitely haven't leaned into these as much as they have with the lunar content.

I'm just disappointed that it's been two whole years and the rift content is still having to be fleshed out. I personally believe it's a bad addition but that's just my opinion, other people like it.