Every ARPG needs a good endgame, and for No Rest for the Wicked, it's a roguelite that just got a huge update

No Rest for the Wicked, the Early Access ARPG from the developers behind Ori and the Blind Forest, just got its first major content update since release, and it's a big one.

Eschewing the usual screensfull of exploding trash mobs found in most ARPGS like Path of Exile or Diablo 4, NRftW has a more deliberate pace. You fight against only a few enemies at a time, and there's more of a focus on combat mechanics and timing than on just exactly how fast you can obliterate nine million monsters. 

With that said, it still features all the things you'd expect from an ARPG, and a few more to boot. There's build variety with lots of abilities, tons of loot that all have their own impact on your playstyle, and a rogue's gallery of grimdark gribblies to try and stuff you in their gaping maws.

There's also player housing, a city builder system where you upgrade buildings and merchants in the hub, and a full roguelite mode at the end of the game to grind away at instead of maps or monoliths. It's that endgame mode that received most of the attention with this first content update, released yesterday.

It features an expanded Crucible roguelite mode that's nearly doubled in size with additional art themes, more randomization, and an entirely new enemy type. They've also addressed some pesky performance issues that have soured some early access players, who otherwise seem to quite enjoy the game. They've even introduced some stray animals to the grim world of Sacra, which importantly, you can pet. Full patch notes for the update can be found on the Steam page.

Personally, I'm excited to give No Rest for the Wicked a shot, despite generally being leery of early access. Path of Exile 2 is flirting with a similar reduction in frenetic pace, with more complicated bosses and deeper mechanics, and I've had a blast playing early versions of that game. With the same team doing the art that worked on Ori and the Blind Forest, a housing and crafting system that is by all accounts surprisingly satisfying, and a roguelite endgame to sink my teeth into this may be the next game off the shortlist… once I drag myself away from the boat league.