Blades of Fire's massive 2.0 update is here, and it brings plenty of new additions for this crafting-focused dark fantasy role-playing game. These include fresh content for eager players to tackle in the form of Anvil Trials, a new Titanium difficulty setting for the truly hardcore, a transmutation system to make crafting more intuitive, and even a photo mode.

 Anvil Trials is the 2.0 update’s new boss rush mode. When you defeat a boss, an anvil appears that will transport you to an arena where you can fight a more challenging version of that enemy. These encounters restore your health potions, and when you leave, your health and weapon condition will reset to the pre-anvil state, regardless of whether or not you win. 
 

These Anvil Trials aren't just for bragging rights: Blades of Fire will reward you with up to three medals based on your completion time. You can then use these medals to unlock another new resource: Arcana, which are spells that Adso can cast to give passive buffs to your weapons. Each weapon can only carry one Arcana at a time, and it requires a minimum reputation and repair star. Arcana can have a big impact on your playstyle, from aggression to survivability, so we recommend experimenting with this new mechanic to determine what works for you. 

Speaking of buffs, you're going to need as much help as you can get to complete Blades of Fire's new Titanium difficulty mode, which is also new with 2.0. Described as a "path reserved for the reckless and chosen," this new mode is designed with returning players in mind. In Titanium, as the below video explains, enemies deal roughly 20 percent more damage and have much more health and armor, which means that even basic foes might push you to your limit. Titanium also "curses" a number of the game's anvils, meaning you can no longer use them to rest or fast travel, making for a significantly more punishing experience. 
 

If this sounds like a bit too much, you'll be happy to know that Blades of Fire has also added a more casual-friendly option in the form of New Game +. Once you complete the game for the first time, you can continue with most of your progression, including skills, upgrades, health and stamina gems, weapons, materials, and more. However, true to the game's Soulslike influences, NG+ also increases the scaling on enemy damage and health, so you'll need to be on your toes.

In terms of crafting, Blades of Fire 2.0 introduces a transmutation system that allows you to convert materials to each other at the forge. With this, you can now transmute any material into any other, provided that you have discovered it. However, rarer and more powerful materials are grouped into higher tiers, meaning that you'll need more common loot to create the top-tier stuff and vice versa. If you've been looking to craft that perfect sword, this system will now let you essentially trade in your unwanted loot for the pieces you need.
 

Finally, Blades 2.0 also brings in a new wrinkle for the artistically-minded among us: a photo mode. As you might expect, this gives you full camera control, with position, angle, height, field of view, and optional grid framing. You can make fine adjustments to the depth of field to control the camera's focus within the foreground and background, and use the color tools to experiment with exposure, contrast, and channel adjustments to create that perfect color grading that you're looking for. There's also a suite of visual effects to create more cinematic shots, and you can use the photo mode during cutscenes to bring a new angle to the game's story.

There are other additions that we haven't covered, including new skins for Aran, forge statues that unlock new weapon parts, and more. The bottom line is this: Blades of Fire's 2.0 update brings plenty of new reasons to revisit this loot-driven hack-and-slasher. If you haven't taken the plunge yet, trust us, this is one meaty Soulslike adventure that you don't want to miss out on, especially if you're a fan of developer MercurySteam's other work. So grab that ore and prepare to revisit the forge, because there's plenty more weapons to craft in this one.

If you’re curious about how the team behind Metroid Dread reforged action-adventure with Blades of Fire, definitely check out this deep dive from last year.

Get Blades of Fire 2.0 on Epic Games Store today!