Sinners, As many of you know, The Stir of Dawn free DLC comes to Blasphemous for all players on August 4th. To prepare you for what awaits in the dark, forgotten corners of Cvstodia well be sharing some behind the scenes looks on the run up to launch. This will include new content, quality of life improvements, balancing and more! To start things off on your journey toward Dawn we will be focusing on the following for todays post:

• New Game+ - True Torment Mode
• The Penitence System
• New Bosses - The Amanecidas
• New NPCs

Whilst we shall be sharing useful information from our tomes of forbidden knowledge, we will be leaving some surprises and secrets for you to discover as you play through The Stir of Dawn yourself [previewyoutube=9QdGzJhunb4;full][/previewyoutube]

New Game+ - True Torment Mode

SPOILER WARNING - GAMEPLAY & BOSS DETAILS New Game+ comes to Blasphemous in The Stir of Dawn, giving the penitent amongst us the opportunity to play through the whole game again with a greater challenge! Enemies will:

• Deal more damage to you.
• Be able to take more damage from you.
• Feature better anticipation and recovery times (Also in NG).
• Improved behavior to create smoother combat and less unfairness (Also in NG).

But fear not! Whilst your foes have grown stronger, so have you! When starting a True Torment playthrough the Penitent One will start with the following upgrades from your previous playthrough:

• All Mea Culpa upgrades earned
• All Sword Hearts collected
• All Rosary Beads collected
• All Prayers unlocked

Just as the Miracle gives, it takes away - The Penitent One will start NG+ with their base levels of Health, Fervour and Bile Flasks. In order to restore these precious resources to their former glory you will have to venture out and reclaim them once again!

The Penitence System

Shortly after awakening in NG+ you will be offered a choice. The Miracle will bestow upon you the choice of the Three Penitences. Each penitence offers a set of handicaps and bonuses that lets you experience and play through blasphemous in a different way. These will offer a greater challenge that changes the rules of the game Penitence of the Unwavering Faith For those looking to have a more Prayer focused, caster style build.

• Melee attacks are half as effective.
• Fervour regenerates over time.
• Taking damage will reduce your fervour stocks.

Penitence of the Bleeding Heart For those that relish combat and do not fear death.

• Your HP bar is replaced by Life Orbs.
• Taking damage will remove an orb.
• Bile Flasks will replenish multiple orbs over time.
• Taking damage during the healing process will halt it.
• Enemies will respawn every time you reenter a room.

Penitence of the True Guilt For those that see failure as unacceptable.

• Upon death, all Tears of Atonement are placed on your Guilt Fragment.
• Falling in battle will maximise your Guilt Level.
• Bile Flasks do not heal you, but instead refill your Fervour.

But then, penitence has its rewards Those that manage to embrace their chosen penance and prevail will be rewarded with a new skin as well as a powerful, unique Rosary Bead that both share the theme of said penance. Each penance has its own set of rewards. Will you earn them all?

New Bosses & NPCs

The Amanecidas - New Game+ & The Stir of Dawn questline only
The Amanecidas are ancient guardians of the Miracle, resting underground in their gilded sepulchers buried throughout Cvstodia. They present the greatest challenges in the game and will push the Penitent One to their limit

• Each Amanecidas wields a different weapon and moveset.
• New animated cutscenes are attached to them.
• Each feature a set of hand-crafted animations that rival that of the Penitent One.
• Get ready for new mechanics, moves and attacks never seen in the game before!
• Fight and defeat them all to face their master and engage in the most difficult boss fight in the game...

Much like the three penitences, besting the Amanecidas and their master will earn the Penitent One powerful gifts. What they are, you will have to find out New NPCs From August 4th you will encounter new NPCs throughout Cvstodia. All of them will be available in NG+, however some will be absent in your NG (first) playthrough as they are directly linked to The Stir of Dawn DLC which is only available in NG+. You may have spotted the new NPCs in the trailer or in our recent Spanish VO post, but to keep the mystery and reward of discovery were only going into detail about two of them today. Jibrael
Jibrael is the condemned harbinger of the Amanecidas and a key NPC in The Stir of Dawn questline. You will meet Jibrael early on in your NG+ playthrough, if you find him, and by interacting with him you will begin the DLC questline. Keep an eye out for Jibrael as you progress through NG+ as only they and they alone can awake the Amanecidas from their slumber for you to challenge. Alberos Newest Resident! The Penitent Ones pilgrimage is arduous and wrought with suffering and danger, but when The Stir of Dawn arrives so will some comfort in the form of a furry friend
This particular resident of Albero will appear for particularly lucky Penitent Ones, so if they do be sure to take a moment to give them a pet or two, or three, or twelve

Friday 31st July - Next Post Details

That wraps things up on our New Game+, Penitence System and Boss / NPC overview, but theres more to come! Well be creating another post on Friday that will detail:

• Community feedback and how weve put it into action.
• New map & expanded fast travel system.
• Enemy & Prayer rebalancing.
• Further gameplay and quality of life improvements.

Penitent be the heart.