Luminary Early Access: What Changed This Week

Build 0.4.7 went live on Tuesday, and it is a big one. The headline changes are a rework of the lantern charge system, a major nerf to the Hightower boss, and a new vendor in the main hub. We also got a batch of quality-of-life fixes that address several long standing complaints. Here is the rundown of everything that changed this week.

Lantern charge rework

The biggest mechanical shift is how lantern charges work. Previously, charges regenerated passively over time. Now, you build charges by landing melee hits or parrying enemy attacks.

• Light attacks grant one charge per hit.

• Heavy attacks grant two charges on the final swing.

• Perfect parries grant three charges instantly.

• Passive regeneration outside combat is removed.

The tradeoff is that the Ember Lantern's dodge ability now costs only one charge instead of the old two charge cost. In practice, aggressive players will have near constant access to the dodge, while defensive players have to work for it.

"We wanted to reward players who stay in the flow of combat. Dying with a full lantern meter felt bad, and sitting in a corner waiting for it to refill was boring."

This also applies to the Frost Lantern, which now grants freeze stacks on parry instead of on charge consumption. The fire and ice builds feel much more distinct now.

Hightower boss changes

The Hightower fight in the Ember Spire has been a wall for many players. This patch rebalances its second phase.

• The charge attack now has a visible windup animation before impact.

• Shockwave projectiles are slower and easier to jump over.

• HP scaling in co-op has been reduced from 2.5x to 2.0x per additional player.

• The enrage timer was extended by 30 seconds.

These changes bring the fight in line with the rest of the game's difficulty curve. The boss is still challenging, but the fight no longer hinges on one sudden, unreadable attack.

New vendor and hub additions

A new merchant, Mira the Cartographer, has set up shop near the entrance of the Hub. She sells traversal upgrades in exchange for Specter Dust.

• Featherstep (triple jump) costs 20 Specter Dust.

• Windcatch (air dash reset on kill) costs 35 Specter Dust.

• New map markers for rare ore deposits are free after her quest.

Both upgrades open up new shortcuts in the Hollow Depths and the Crystal Expanse. If you have been trying to reach the hidden cave under the western bridge, the Featherstep is required.

Opinion - Speedrunner Vex

"The new charge system is a speedrunner's dream. We no longer have to wait around before a boss door, the flow is just better."

Bug fixes and quality of life

• Fixed a crash that occurred when opening the map during the Hollow Depths lightning storm.

• Fixed the Ember Lantern not consuming charges during the Hightower cutscene.

• Inventory tooltips now show the correct damage modifiers for alloy weapons.

• Improved controller dead zone settings for flight sections.

Known issues

The developers have acknowledged two outstanding bugs that were not fixed in this patch. The audio cue for the Frost Lantern's parry effect sometimes plays twice, and co-op clients may see an incorrect lantern charge count on their HUD. Both are slated for the next hotfix.