The first update for Stoic Studios’ The Banner Saga 2 is a chunky one, and fixes some of the recurring problems which affected the long-awaited sequel at launch.
Among the main issues were Alette’s Mend rank, as well as the Bolverk Training Blockage, and recurring problems with Aleo permanently leaving your group outside of any base story conditions.
There have also been a number of minor balance tweaks and changes which should go some way to answering community feedback.
The full change log is shown below. Did you raise any of these issues? Have your problems with the game been fixed?
We loved the original Banner Saga, so you can expect a full Expansive Analysis on the game shortly, along with a video overview.
- Trample Ability: Trample with Knock back item was causing the knockback to occur with the runthrough damage, before the final hit lands on the target. The knockback effect now applies only with the final hit of Trample.
- Options Menu: The Soundtrack link now takes you to the correct place to purchase the original soundtrack (OST)
- Fixed an issue causing Aleo to leave the roster in Lundar and never return, under certain story conditions. He now reliably returns to the roster after his mission.
- Training Challenge: The challenge vs. Bolverk now spawns the correct number of Bolverk’s allies. Higher ranked Bolverk was causing fewer of his allies to spawn. Bolverk is now clamped to rank 5 during this training challenge.
- Soul Bond: Fixed a typo that incorrectly indicated that Soul Bond drained STR. The attack correctly drains WIL and the description has been corrected to reflect this.
- Bear Rage: Bolverk’s Bear Rage should no longer trigger the Dredge Shudder effect when activated next to a buffed Dredge.
- Fighter Training: Fixed an issue allowing Iver to train more clansmen than are available, after the Oldwood.
- General: Corrected a few typographical errors.
- Optimization: Reduced memory footprint of Sigbjorn’s portrait animation.
- Achievement: Fixed an issue preventing Warmonger achievement progress from displaying in Steam.
- Items: Omit several starting items from the marketplace. These items are obtained in Saga1, or awarded to new players in Saga2. These items include: Horseskor, Tortoise Band, Valka Thread, and Lightning Runestone.
- Tryggvi: The first conversation with Tryggvi after Aleo’s village was incorrect if he had been imported from Saga1. The content of this conversation now correctly reflects your past relationship with him.
- Einartoft Bridge: Hakon was making a reference to your destruction of the Einartoft Bridge, even if you had not destroyed it. This is fixed.
- Knockback: Some knockback effects were causing Barbed Stones and Troll Stones to get moved, although their visual display remained in the same location. This has been fixed.
- Horseborn: Fixed issue causing Horseborn first ability maximum rank to appear to reset to 1 when leveling to rank 6, then increase again while leveling through 10.
- Alette Mend: Alette’s starting rank on Mend was not showing as expected when starting chapter 14 at high levels.
- Startup: The startup time of the game on Windows has been dramatically improved
- Skulkers: Invisible Skulkers were incorrectly targetable using the gamepad, or by clicking on the initiative bar. This has been fixed.
- Umbrage: Fixed an issue that was causing Umbrage to incorrectly trigger Shudder when activated.
- Injuries: Fixed an issue that was preventing injuries from applying to fallen heroes during battle. This was caused by the injury-prevention feature of Training (Sparring and Challenges) fro leaking over into regular battles.
- Bear Rage: Fixed: Bolverk’s Bear Rage was incorrectly indicating allies as targets, even though allies are unaffected.
- Bear Rage: Fixed: Counter attack appears to trigger from Bear’s Rage when being attacked by an archer, causing the frenzy counter attack to attack a melee opponent.
- Bear Rage: Fixed: Using Bear Rage can cause enemies to move to an area unreachable by your characters.