The dev team has stood behind the changes made during the new Dauntless: Awakening update.
Dauntless, a free-to-play co-op action RPG just launched on Steam and it’s already getting review-bombed, receiving 1,077 negative reviews, and earning an “Overwhelmingly Negative” review with a 2/10 rating after launch.
The game received harsh criticism for its controversial updates with the release of Dauntless: Awakening, including the reset of weapon upgrade progress, loot boxes, and monetisation schemes.
Developed by Phoenix Labs, Dauntless is a co-op game that has players band together to hunt massive creatures called Behemoths. Similar to Monster Hunter, it focuses on crafting gear and mastering combat as you progress through increasingly challenging encounters.
The game first launched on early access in 2018, followed by a full release on PC and consoles in 2019. It was previously exclusive to Epic Games on PC before it finally made its way to Steam this year, alongside the launch of the newest update.
What are the controversial changes Dauntless: Awakening implemented?
Many players who have claimed to have hundreds or thousands of hours in the game are extremely upset, complaining that their weapon progress has been reset. A review from Steam user Dragontooth652 said that “All weapons you had in the game are taken,” and further clarifying that the game “Removed a lot of weapons (Yes the ones you love and grinded for).”
One of the game’s main features before the Awakening update was crafting weapons from materials dropped by Behemoths after they were slain, or other materials you gather while exploring the Shattered Isles, like crystals. With seven available weapon types, many players have built and collected gear through the years.
“I had every single weapon (all weapon types and elements) fully upgraded and now I have just one or two options from each,” Steam user CrystalFox said. “Tha[t] looks like spit in the face of players to me. For what? Wasted years of playing?”
“Your weapons have all been removed unless it was an exotic like the Godhand. This means that your weapon options for each of the 7 types are now 2-3 at the most,” Steam User BlackJack said.
On top of that, certain weapon upgrades have been locked behind a battle pass, which would take $20 out of pocket for the Alluring Moons, instead of giving players the ability to grind out the items from scratch.
Fans have also expressed frustration with recent changes to Cells, which are items slotted into armour for buffs. In Awakening, Cells can no longer be fused to enhance their effectiveness, leaving all cells fixed at +1 bonus. This severely diminishes build variety, especially since new update won’t be stacking stats. Cells are also a one-use item now, so players cannot reallocate or use it for different types of armour. This also prevents players from experimenting on their builds using Cells.
Finally, one of the most contentious updates concerned monetisation. This included the introduction of loot boxes—which were viewed by users like Blackjack as “gambling”. On top of that, many cosmetic items and Transmogs that were once free have now been placed behind a paywall as in-game shop items.
Dev team doubles-down support on changes made to the game
After overwhelmingly negative feedback, the Dauntless dev team posted a letter on their Steam community page.
“Our decision behind this change was rooted in the desire to ensure that all Slayers, new AND old, would receive the same instructions surrounding the new and modified gameplay systems,” they said.
They also said they “wanted to ensure that even veteran players would have and take the time to dig into the new and complex systems before jumping straight into the hunt potentially with non-ideal gear set-ups”.
To alleviate the frustration of “pre-Awakening players,” the dev team have “granted” a few weapons at the onset of the game, including the Golden Claws (radiant Strikers), Twin Suns (shock Repeaters), and Netherlights (umbral Chain Blades).
The lengthy letter also explained why they made changes on Cells, added lootboxes and implemented other such additions that generated player complaints. However, there was nothing in the letter that suggested any inclination on the developer's part to revert or improve updated player features. This letter seem to have done nothing to appease the players, especially based on player feedback from Reddit.
Many, like Reddit user DeadlyFatalis, have alleged that Phoenix Labs had been secretly acquired by a blockchain company last year. "This is likely one last milking before shuttering down the game.”
Phoenix Labs had previously been acquired by Garena in 2020 before going independent in 2023, in the same year that they were allegedly acquired by Forte Labs, the blockchain company. More updates will be shared as the story develops.
