No Rest for the Wicked’s fifth patch introduces much-needed QoL changes and a ton of bugfixes

No Rest for the Wicked has been in early access for eight days, and developer Moon Studios has already shipped its fifth hotfix patch.

The hotfix includes lots of changes, from performance tweaks to quality-of-life updates. What caught my eye is that your cooking and crafting materials finally stack up to 25, you can put food in cupboards, and the durability of tools and armor has been enhanced. On top of that, the update adds eight new shields, for even more class diversity, as the No Rest for the Wicked devs put it.

Moon Studios has been pushing updates regularly, with Hotfix Four going live on April 23. The developer is asking for feedback to improve the game, and is focusing strongly on performance improvements and quality-of-life changes.  Here are the full patch notes for No Rest for the Wicked Hotfix Five.

Full patch notes for April 20’s No Rest for the Wicked: Early Access Hotfix Five

Performance improvements: 

• Further improved Quality Settings for better performance when at higher visual quality
• Optimized rendering of volumetric Fog
• Optimized shadow rendering
• Reduced resolution transparency rendering tech for GPU-heavy overdraw situations
• Significantly reduced unnecessary memory allocations across many game systems
• Improved handling of asset unloading to reduce performance degradation over time
• Tracked down and improved several sources of CPU-side stuttering when the game is loading assets
• Optimized instantiation costs for various often-used Visual Effects and Characters.
• Reduced mutex contention cases that caused performance stutter while streaming content
• Optimized icon texture resolutions and memory consumption
• Optimized Sacrament rooftop models and textures (rooftops, rooftops everywhere)
• Multiple smaller general CPU optimizations for better overall performance

Quality of life changes: 

• Added ability to deposit all items from the players inventory that match the types already in the selected chest
• Default chest sorting changed to Sort By Type
• Enhanced durability system for tools and armor, ensuring correct values are displayed and used

Settings changes

• Increased supported aspect ratios to 32:9
  • Remaining visual glitches with 32:9 will be addressed in future updates

Loot improvements:

• Increased stack size of cooking and crafting materials to 25, allowing for better management of resources
• Food can now be stored in cupboards
• Removed Blueprints from Fillmore shop before Anvil is unlocked

Content additions:

• Implemented eight new shields for better class diversity

Localization:

• Widespread improvements to translations and localizations, we’ve fixed typos, updated NPC dialogues, and ensured consistency across various languages
• Fixed UI translations, including screens for house buying and management, equipment, and warning messages
• Implemented better localization handling mechanisms for NPC names and dialogue

Balance changes: 

• Major Balance Revisions to provide a smoother experience and prevent high level item drops too early
• Adding Stamina cost for parrying with Shields

Enemies and bosses changes:

• Adjusted Prisoner Wolf enemy to jump around less
• Added ability for Shackled Brute to dodge after attacking
• Updated Echo Knight fight initiation to reposition instead of attacking right away
• Improved Risen Spear Bandit attacking out of range
• Increase rotation of the jump follow-up attack for Risen Great Axe Bandit
• Polished Riven Twins taunt
• Polished Risen Axe Bruiser attack animation
• Polished parry animations for enemies

Area changes:

• Updated Cerim Crucible so that leaving the realm will end your run and return you to the atrium. This is to prevent abusing backups and other potential loopholes.
• Improved collision, faders and textures in Cerim Crucible levels
• Improved collision and faders in Mariner’s Keep and The Shallows
• Improved collision, faders and lighting in Sacrament
• Improved Sacrament rooftops

Audio changes: 

• Adjusted sound effects for better ambiance and clarity, including updated tree chopping SFX and ambient sounds in town areas.
• Improved audio cues for NPC interactions to minimize overlaps and ensure clearer dialogues.
• Improved spatial audio for Sacrament Rookery, Town Square, Slums and Training Grounds
• Improved Echo Knight slam down AOE sound effects

Bug fixes:

• Fixed certain enemies being 7 levels lower than they should in various areas
• Fixed bosses and a couple of bounty/quest variants of enemies spawning when not intended
• Fixed player being able to accidentally delete a character when hovering while having another character selected. Now the hovered character will be deleted
• Fixed and balanced Enchantment Effects across the board
• Fixed Health Regen and No Healing Over Time enchantments spawning on the same item
• Fixed Heavy Bandit being able to be pushed off the edge of the ship and block progress
• Fixed enemies during the Orban Glades Darak boss fight not paying attention in some cases
• Fixed Cerim Crucible run ending early if a realm save happens right after you finish a level
• Fixed Durability of Tools being the wrong value when bought from vendors
• Fixed turning in a Bounty showing the replacement prompt
• Fixed exploit with certain bounties
• Fixed the Nith enemies’ Plague Smoke persisting for too long
• Fixed shinies pulling a disappearing act (visually) in the Black Trench
• Fixed Squire’s Attire Armor Set not available for crafting at the anvil
• Fixed Tier on the Gangrenous Eel
• Fixed Finley remaining in his cell after you rescue him and leave Nameless Pass
• Fixed Finley’s missing sign in Sacrament
• Fixed missing enemy and loot spawners in the northern section of Orban Glades
• Fixed spot in Nameless Pass where you could go out of world
• Fixed incorrect texture for the shipwreck in The Shallows
• Removed duplicate models in Sacrament and Nameless Pass
• Fixed bush clipping in the Inquisition Arrival cinematic
• Fixed rain occasionally being heard in the Black Trench
• Fixed ragdolls blinking back into existence when going out of view and coming back in