Dark fantasy Souls-like Lords of the Fallen just got a new patch on PS5, addressing performance and stability issues, changing how New Game Plus works for the masochists already there. Plus, between consoles, crossplay has been introduced, so now PlayStation and Xbox players alike can mope around Mournstead together.
Developer Hexworks, working at break-neck speed, posted the patch notes to Reddit and showed some of its workings. In response to fan feedback and from today's patch onward, players now have two options after completing a playthrough: Either proceed to the next level of New Game (+1) or replay the current with character, items, and progression intact while resetting the world. This would be perfect for Trophy Hunters who don't want to deal with the increased difficulty and hardship.
Another patch has been promised for Thursday, and we're pretty intrigued by everything about this one, although we're nowhere near beating our first run. Previously, New Game Plus took away virtually all of the game's Vestiges (respawn points, think Bonfires in Dark Souls), which is admittedly pretty hardcore. They will now be gradually stripped back instead, and by New Game +3, all but the major hubs of Skyrest Bridge and Adyr's Shrine will disappear. Hexworks feels this is a happy medium between usability and its original, brutal vision.
Finally, a "New Game Plus modifier system" will let players customize their difficulty in fun ways for a further challenge, likely to be a hit with the streamer crowd. Modifiers like a "hardcore" mode, where dying once deletes your save, were teased, and a release is planned before the end of the year.