Patch 3/23/26

Greetings Defenders,

This update introduces new DPS armor sets, improvements to enemy behavior, significant tower adjustments, a new Map of the Week, and an additional Core Transmog unlock.

Enemy Updates

• Goblin Copters can now target towers with their flares

  • This change helps prevent AI from wandering and reduces cases where ogres are removed by the stuck timer in Pure Strategy

New DPS Armor Sets

New DPS-focused armor sets now drop in Mixed Mode on Insane, Nightmare, and Massacre difficulties.

Note: This is the first wave of DPS sets. All sets grant a 40% attribute bonus when fully completed.

Each set is designed with a primary stat focus:

• Ancient Set (Ability Focused)

  • Main Stat: Ability

  • Stat Scalars: 1.0 Ability, 0.9 Vitality, 0.9 Power

• Militia Set (Damage Focused)

  • Main Stat: Attack

  • Stat Scalars: 1.0 Attack, 0.9 Ability, 0.9 Vitality

• Guard Set (Hero Health Focused)

  • Main Stat: Vitality

  • Stat Scalars: 1.0 Vitality, 0.9 Attack

• Miner Set (Health and Damage Hybrid)

  • Main Stat: Power

  • Stat Scalars: 1.0 Vitality, 1.0 Power, 0.3 Ability

• Primitive Set (Ability and Health Hybrid)

  • Main Stat: Ability

  • Stat Scalars: 1.0 Ability, 1.0 Health, 0.3 Attack

Tower Updates

Deadly Striker Tower

• Removed cooldown from the DST rune ability, allowing the AoE effect to trigger consistently

• Increased post-multiplicative additive value by 0.1

• AoE radius increased to 600 (up from 450)

Note: At level 8, the AoE projectile now deals 220% tower damage to nearby enemies.

Lightning Tower

• Falloff divisor reduced to 1.25 (down from 2)

• Removed distance-based damage falloff from rune effect

• Replaced with a flat scaling calculation based on tower range

Result:

• AoE damage from the rune is now consistent regardless of enemy distance

• Approximate 60% damage increase at high stats (20k range scenario)

• Increased post-multiplicative additive value to 1.2 (up from 1.0)

Flameburst Tower

• Added additional AoE impact effect similar to the Bowling Ball Tower

Note: This brings Flameburst more in line with the Bowling Ball tower which is a tower of similar DU cost.

Wisp Den

• Base damage reduced by 10% (243 down from 270)

Note: The tower remains strong; this change brings it closer in line with other 3 DU defenses.

Map of the Week

This week’s Map of the Week is Lava Mines.

Campaign

• Completing the map awards double rune drops on both Nightmare and Massacre

Challenges

• No rewards this week

  • A challenge for Lava Mines is planned for a future update

Survival / Mixed Mode

(Rift Mode required)

Nightmare

• Fused Guard Set

• Fused Woodland Hearth

• Yellow Ramster Can

Massacre

• Arcanist Chest Piece

• Yellow Ramster Can

  • All three variants can drop, with the Fused variant most common

• Fused Furnace Poker

Pure Strategy

(Rift Mode required)

nightmare

• Spireblade

• Yellow Ramster Can

• Fused Guard Set armor Piece

**massacre **

• Spireblade

• Yellow Ramster Can

  • Regular and Fused variants can drop, with Fused more common

• Fused Seal of the Forsaken

New Core Transmog Unlock

• What is Juice Core is now awarded for completing Alchemical Laboratory on Massacre Campaign, after completing all other Act 1 maps

Closing

This update expands build diversity with new DPS armor sets, improves tower performance and consistency, and continues evolving the Map of the Week system with new rewards and rotations. We will keep refining balance and progression while adding more content in upcoming patches. As always, thank you for playing Dungeon Defenders: Awakened and for continuing to share your feedback. Happy Defending.

Best,

The Community Development Team