Dauntless’ reported 30 million players have some new things to do with the launch of the Return to Light update this week, particularly if they’re looking to beat on the Chronovore some more or fight a new challenge as the update introduces a new Escalation and a new Behemoth.
The newly released Radiant Escalation will see players fight the light-wielding Chronovore as the mode’s keystone encounter, which means it’s been moved out of the Paradox Breaks hunting ground. In its place is the Alyra, a winged beast that has the ability to swap its elemental power from fire, frost, shock, or earth and poison on the fly. Tangentially, the Chronovore has been tuned down, while the Paradox Breaks has removed beasts with Elder Spikes or Primal Pylon modifiers, reduced the cost of using the Paradoxicon, and made the Alyra the final encounter of the island’s signature event.
Naturally, fighting Alyra will reward some new armor and weapons that provide a switchable perk that can either deal big radiant damage or shield friends in a radius. There’s also a new perk in the Invigorated mobility cell that increases movement speed when stamina gets low, on top of new challenges and rewards in the continuing season and two new hunt passes that offer new and returning rewards.
Return to Light further adjusts Escalation mode in several ways, such as the replacement of the Strega’s Tonic talent with the Strega’s Harvester talent, which grants a percentage increase in double parts from monster breaks in the mode; tweaks to certain modifiers and amps; and the removal of additional wound health scaling in Heroic Escalation and Trials. Other updates include changes to axes, a new Trials mode reward, and various UI changes.
