Update 44.1 Release Notes

Here are the Release Notes for Update 44.1, released on Thursday, December 5th.

Of Special Note:

Festivult Begins Soon!

Today's patch includes some work in preparation for Festivult, which will arrive soon to the game worlds. This year's event features several changes to the cookies available. Here are the dates:

Festivult Cookies begin to appear: Thursday, December 5th

The Jester of Festivult arrives: Thursday, December 12th

Festivult Cookie drops end: Monday, January 6th, 2020

The Jester of Festivult leaves: Monday, January 13th

News and Notes:

Feats

• Precision no longer passively applies its 5% bonus to hit calculations, and now only applies it while the toggle is active.
• Defensive Fighting no longer passively applies its -5% penalty to hit calculations, and now only applies it while the toggle is active.

Items

• Wands, quivers, and missile weapons now work with the Wish of Inheritance.
• The Wish of Inheritance no longer goes into Ingredients bags.
• The in-game description of the Traveler's Terrific Trunk now properly states that it gives Soverign I Experience Elixirs and Major Slayer Boost potions instead of Superior Experience Elixirs and Greater Slayer Boost Potions.

Spells

• Evard's Black Tentacles is now much easier to cast while you have a Foe selected, and will no longer be placed in an inconvenient manner to yourself or enemies.

Monster Manual

• Monster Manual Deed requirements have been increased for bears, dretches, and mudmen. 

Mounts

• Horses will now do a dressage dance when the /dance emote is used while mounted.
• Dismounting now properly resets a players' Swim skill. 
• Players can no longer be mounted in the quest Redwillow's Ruins. 
• Players will now dismount in tavern zones.
• Mounts will now work in the wilderness areas of the Underdark. 
• Some additional idle, jumping, swimming, and galloping animation and related work has been done. 

Quests and Adventure Areas

• Corrected an issue that could prevent characters from recalling out of the Keep on the Borderlands wilderness area.
• The Gatekeeper in the Hall of Heroes and Korthos will now send players directly to the Keep public area. Return portal and the Keep exit now provides options to return to either the Hall of Heroes or Korthos.
• Fixed an issue where it could be difficult to pick up the Crest of the Spider in the Keep on the Borderlands wilderness area.
• Kobold, Orc, and Gnoll Charms of Evil Chaos no longer drop on player death. 
• Several other small landscape adjustments have been made to the Keep wilderness area. 
• Total Chaos - Yula and Oro will no longer get stuck in certain doorways.
• Watch Your Step - The Kobold Runner is now named Kobold Runner.
• House of Pain - A door will no longer automatically close in your face, and some dialog timing has been adjusted.
• Smash and Burn - A ladder and platform have been added to make the jump room easier to navigate for characters with a low jump score. 
• Smash and Burn - Special Cargo crates now sparkle. 
• Smash and Burn - Fewer mobsters now spawn in the first hallway.
• Fresh Baked Dreams - Fewer wolves and earth elementals now spawn, and the hags no longer cast Cometfall or Acid Fog. The chest in the windmill is now the end chest, and there is a second end chest in the windmill for players who complete the hard optional. 
• Stopping the Sahuagin - Reduced the damage from one of the traps. 
• Ruins of Thunderholme - Fixed a door that could get stuck.
• Amber Temple - The absent-minded lich is once again helpful toward players, and can be helped by magical means, but will no longer help if he gets hurt. 
• Madness of Crowds - Speaking with Brawnpits when he returns counts toward an objective whether the rest shrine was used or not. 
• Best Laid Plans - Fixed an issue that could cause the quest to not complete if players kill enemies too quickly. 
• Slavers of the Shrieking Mines - The failure condition has been removed, and two optionals have replaced it. Rescued miners will now give extra XP instead of failing the quest. The map has also been made less confusing.