FREE "Spell Again...Again!" Update for Magicka 2 (and some snazzy new DLC)

[Escher]

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Magicka 2 Now Includes Poison Control
in an Elementary Update
Game with Thousands of Spell Combinations
Adds Several Thousand More Spell Combinations

STOCKHOLM — Sep. 15, 2015 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games that are often misspelled, today released a free update to Magicka 2 which includes an overhaul of the game’s iconic spellcasting system. Magicka 2, a game that teaches “with great power comes zero responsibility,” now includes three additional elements to include in spells, added for free to further empower friendship-ending team-killing accidents. The new spell system arrives today on Windows PC, and will appear very soon for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system.

Two of the three elements added to the Magicka 2 spellcasting system make their triumphant return from the classic repertoire of the original Magicka: Ice, created by combining Cold and Water, and Steam, created by combining digital software sales with a convenient interface. These new elements now occupy just one slot each in a five-element spell, allowing players to finally recombine Steam and Lightning, or Ice and Lightning, or Lightning and Lightning (which was available before but is honestly a very nice combination). An all-new element has been added as well: Poison, created by combining Water and Death, which generates a cloud of toxic, life-sapping gas. All spell elements are now lovingly rendered in a new visual effects system also being added to the game today, also for free, also.

A new trailer – which is also free – is available today to demonstrate how to handle wizards with toxic behavior:

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“It’s driving me out of my mind,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “That’s why it’s hard for me to find. Can’t get it out of my head – use it, cast it, try it, (wrong button, you’re dead). That spell is poison.”

In addition to today’s free Magicka 2 update, new in-game content is on sale today for truly professional prestidigitators:

• The Magicka 2 Gates of Midgård Challenge Pack, a set of three new Challenge Maps, perfect for sampling new spells
• The Magicka 2 Three Cardinals Robe Pack, a stylish new selection of wizard-wear (not stain resistant; highly flammable; do not eat).
• Both can be bought as the "Three Cardinals Points Super Pack " bundle onParadoxplaza.com

Magicka 2 brings players back to the world’s most irreverent co-op action adventure series, providing all-new game features alongside the original’s iconic spellcasting system, humor, and always-on friendly-fire. Guided by Vlad, up to four wizards at once can challenge a series of new levels in a co-op campaign, or take on challenge levels for score, prestige, and game-altering ‘artifacts’ that alter Magicka 2 in strange and wonderful ways. The world is invited to put on their robes and wizard hats, invite their friends, and learn to spell all over again.

For more information on Magicka 2, visit www.Magicka2.com.

 

[Escher]

Full patch notes are as follows:

Improved spell system and effects
- There are now more spell combinations to use.
Many of the already existing spells have received a graphical overhaul.


Improved SFX
- Many of the already existing spells have received new and improved sound effects.


Added Steam & Ice as individual elements
- These will take up 1 slot in the element queue when created.

Steam is created from Water & Fire.
Ice is created from Water & Cold.


Added new element: Poison
- This will take up 1 slot in the element queue when created.

Poison is created from Death & Water.

Added poisoned state
- When poisoned, the target will take damage over time that depends on the amount of health and Poison applied. The target will also become slowed. The poisoned state can be extended by applying more Poison to the target. The poisoned state can be removed by applying the Life element.


Changed ice projectiles
- Pure Ice is now a channeled spell, while Ice+Earth will work as it did before the change.


Changed projectiles charge time
- Earth and Ice+Earth have had their charge time reduced, meaning they will reach full effect faster. Damage for these spells has been rebalanced to work with this change.


Fixed staff shield modifier bug
- Staffs that gave bonuses to the Shield element now increase damage dealt by spells containing the shield element.


Rebalanced mines
- Mines now deal more base damage and reach their full damage faster.


Mine damage on clients fixed
- Fixed an issue where clients mines would always deal damage as if they were fully charged.



Changed Earth and Ice armor to also reduce push received
- When using an Earth or Ice armor, you will now also be more resistant to push effects . The amount of resistance depends on the amount of elements used when creating the armor.


Changed pure shield
- Duration has been increased and will decrease faster when taking magic damage.


Rebalanced barriers and elemental walls
- Physical barriers (Earth and Ice) now have longer duration. They have also received a buff to the amount of damage they do when imbued with other elements.


Overhauled the Challenge Experience
- Reworked the challenge menu and added leaderboards.


Fixed sometimes not getting achievement for completing campaign
- This issue should now be fixed and you should be able to get the achievements.

 

[Van Silke]

This patch made me scream like an imp. I felt genuinely awesome when I discovered the Poison. (Ah, nostalgia... It feels nice.)

 

[winddy]

How about other unique elemental fusion? Or other 2 unique base elemental like wind?

 

[Stormross]

Paradox gave up mww for this?




I'm sorry but this is to much.

 

[Phexx]

How about other unique elemental fusion? Or other 2 unique base elemental like wind?

How about a successful Magicka 3 instead, combining single player, coop and PVP? That would be a good game to potentially include those things.

 

[Dikharz]

Paradox gave up mww for this?
I'm sorry but this is to much.

Stahp yer yappin'

They throw a patch at us which is actually good and you start whining? please. ^^

Finally Ice and Steam are 1 element again like they should! Also I like that you guys chose for Poison as the third combined element since it has always been a proper element in Magicka 1 (even though you can't conjure it, anymore). So it definitely fits in the Magicka feel.

Btw Escher, you made a typo in the notes. You wrote "Death" instead of "Arcane". Just a heads up.

Your fellow fireball catcher,
Totalloss / Dikharz

 

[Stormross]

Stahp yer yappin'

They throw a patch at us which is actually good and you start whining? please. ^^

Finally Ice and Steam are 1 element again like they should! Also I like that you guys chose for Poison as the third combined element since it has always been a proper element in Magicka 1 (even though you can't conjure it, anymore). So it definitely fits in the Magicka feel.

Btw Escher, you made a typo in the notes. You wrote "Death" instead of "Arcane". Just a heads up.

Your fellow fireball catcher,
Totalloss / Dikharz

Every week on the magicka/mww there were always these threads people were makng (on steam) suggesting new elements. ALL THE TIME. I'd read them and be saying to myself 'thank god the devs are keeping the elements the same". And now they have done it. Adding a new element ruins everything.

 

[Van Silke]

Every week on the magicka/mww there were always these threads people were makng (on steam) suggesting new elements. ALL THE TIME. I'd read them and be saying to myself 'thank god the devs are keeping the elements the same". And now they have done it. Adding a new element ruins everything.

Poison has alvays been an in-game canon element, it just vasn't normally accessible. The entire plot of Dungeons&Gargoyles revolves around it's creation after all.

 

[Stormross]

Poison has alvays been an in-game canon element, it just vasn't normally accessible. The entire plot of Dungeons&Gargoyles revolves around it's creation after all.

It was used by some enemies, but that gave the enemies something you didn't have.

 

[Van Silke]

It was used by some enemies, but that gave the enemies something you didn't have.

Give me one solid reason vhy something that's been since original Magicka's early builds shouldn't be featured in the sequel of the sequel.

 

[Dikharz]

It was used by some enemies, but that gave the enemies something you didn't have.

Actually there are several Poison weapons in M1 you can use to poison your enemies. Also, you can cast Summon Elemental and use a Poison weapon on it to create a Poison Elemental.
Like in M2, M1's Poison element is weak to Life. You can remove the poison status from yourself using Life and Poison Elementals are also weak to Life for instance.

Also, with some modding its actually usable as shown here:

.

So yes, it was definitely an element in M1 and yes it definitely feels right at its place as an own element in M2.

 

[Phexx]

I don't like the magicka 1/2 5 element queue system, because you don't seem to get more useful and unique spells, instead you have to spam a lot of buttons. In magicka 1 the justification was a little bit better than in magicka 2.

I used a bigger variety of spells in wizard wars and it only has a 3-queue.

While I enjoy having more elements, I don't see how combining two elements into one, leading to an even larger queue, improves the gameplay.

I'd prefer some expansion to the T and G keys or something similar instead, or just don't make them single elements.

Apparently somebody had similar thoughts when the game was released.

 

[Van Silke]

Split hybrid elements and have people complain about not having them as one, that the game feels streamlined, mediocre and dumbed dovn and the vhole thing is not Magicka at all
Merge them together and have people complain that it has no sense, spells are OP and take too long to conjure and the vhole thing is brainlessly copied from Magicka 1 only vorse
Give up and have people complain that you haven't listened to them and it's all your fault and that I have predicted it.

Do you knov vhat is the true doom of the franchise? Biased community that complains about every change, argues over everything and is never satisfied. Sure developers are somevhat guilty of the execution, but ve are not clean either.
(Argotha gets a pass because I don't vant to piss him off)

Sorry for the salt, I've used too much poison and I'm becoming toxic.

(Oh, also using a big variety of spells in vizard vars is justified because it's a pvp game, so you have to be unpredictable and use everything you have, vhile NPC enemies don't have as many means of reacting to op spells, so player is not punished for overusing them and thus limits his spell variety by himself. That's the sad truth, Phexx. If you vant to use many spells, you have to do it yourself, nobody's going to make you do it. Sure it's a poor game design, but it's actually almost the same as in the original.)

Nov seriously, 9 dollars for a couple of robes and challenges?

OK I may have been too harsh on the community. But regardless!

 

[Phexx]

feels streamlined, mediocre and dumbed dovn and the vhole thing is not Magicka at all

This does not sound like gameplay focused criticism.

Do you knov vhat is the true doom of the franchise? Biased community that complains about every change, argues over everything and is never satisfied. Sure developers are somevhat guilty of the execution, but ve are not clean either.

I have rarely seen a game community that is as tolerant and supportive as the wizard wars community.

If you look at the magicka 2 reviews, you see a ton of accurate criticism. This can't be fixed by a patch, because people are done playing the game as it was released. You have to release a great game, and then keep improving it. Not release a relatively bad game and then try to fix it somehow, while you simultaneously abandon your other games.This wasn't a beta. Why should you switch back and forth between combining and not combining elements like this in a finished and released game?

That's why I think it's time to put together a sound concept to make magicka 3 awesome instead. By the amount of comments here you can see the state magicka 2 is in.

 

[Phexx]

Played a bit to test the patch. Big improvement from a few months ago. Much better all in all in my opinion.

I'd remove the player movement restriction from the highest difficulty.

 

[-skimmer-]

Okay, I will give it a spin. Luckily I have a friend with the game who still havent played it yet.

 

[OzoneGrif]

Thank you Paradox !
I just did a whole playthrough from the beginning to the very end in solo, and it's a lot funnier and more rewarding with the new spells and sounds. And finally I can protect myself against these poison ennemies.
I had a hard time sending rays of water with the new poison combo though.
Still a really great job !

Ps: there's a missing string, the NPC telling a joke on a tiny island, in the French language.

 

[Escher]

Thanks for the feedback guys, it's really appreciated! Glad to hear you are having fun with it!

 

[Van Silke]

Thank you Paradox !
Ps: there's a missing string, the NPC telling a joke on a tiny island, in the French language.

It's a game development joke. I fell for it too