Darkspore Beta 7 Patch Released

The Darkspore open beta is progressing at a steady pace, recently moving into Beta 7 with the release of a new patch.

General
Added Endless Play mode After completing Apocalypse mode (or hitting the beta Darkspore Threat cap), players may chain to harder versions of the same Darkspore Threat level to prove their skills and to increase the chance of gaining rare special items.
Loading screens now show loading progress for each player.
Hero profiles now have combined stats as one number rather than two.
Increased scroll speed on Darkspore Threat selection screen.
Updated Item names to be more consistent and suggestive of their purpose.
Fixed issues where Helix was repeating background information on areas that had already been visited.
Added custom key binding to the Options screen.
Added an option to disable left-click-attack so that left click will be move-only.
Chat system will now inform the player if they are whispering or inviting someone offline.
Fixed an issue where the friends list was not updating online and offline status.
Moved and expanded the Galaxy Map to fit more information and to make it more readable.
Fixed an issue where loot drops would not show the dropped item.
Health and Power numbers are now displayed when you rollover the Health and Power bars in the UI.
Updated hint text so that it doesn’t appear at incorrect times.
Players can now reset all game options by using a new (Default) button in the Options screen.
Rotating tips and hints are now displayed on the main Navigation screen.

Art
Added additional effects to the black hole near Zelem’s Nexus.
Added muzzle effects to many squad abilities.
Fixed some issues where movement animations were popping.
Improved planet environment textures and lighting.
Changed appearance of combat text to be clearer.
Wing items now flap periodically.
Improved legibility of catalyst link text.
Made numerous improvements to visual effects.
Added a new fire thorns effect for Undermind and Pain Hounds abilities.

Party UI
The party UI now includes the player.
Players in a party will now be able to see what area of the spaceship each member is in.
Hero profile and Helix log can now be accessed in the party UI.
Inventory
Updated inventory UI to have large tabs for Upgrades, Weapons, Items, Detail, and Buyback.
Added (Special Items) filter for items rewarded after completing a Darkspore Threat.
Added icons to indicate which items are currently equipped.
Fixed an issue where items picked up on a planet were not immediately appearing in the inventory.
Retuned starting inventory size and inventory size upgrades.
Moved the search filter and enabled persistence of last setting.
Detail items now sell for a flat amount regardless of their initial item level.
When inventory capacity is exceeded, you are required to clear space immediately upon returning to the spaceship.

Objectives
New Objectives system implemented.
Objectives for each Darkspore Threat now include a daily objective, three random objectives, and an unlockable time objective.
Objectives are now tracked individually, and can be reviewed while on planet by pressing the (o) key or clicking the Objectives button on the HUD.
Added several new possible objectives.
Hero Editor
Updated the Editor item selling functionality to improve usability for power users:
– Sell items in the editor by holding the shift key down while left-clicking on an item.
– Shift-right-click to quick-sell an item without prompting the player. Items sold in this manner will temporarily remain with a DNA icon, and may bought back by clicking on the item again.
Added hints to the Editor describing how to equip a hero, rotate the camera, use place items asymmetrically, and sell items.
Updated the stat tooltips in the editor to clarify the relationship between stats and squad abilities.

Hero Profile
Hero profile now has greater emphasis on showing abilities.
Moved hero biography and fiction to a second tab.
Added passive ability descriptions for each hero.
Added short and easy to understand ability descriptions to each ability.
Hero profile can now be viewed while on planet by pressing the (c) key or by clicking the profile button in the HUD.

Gameplay
Players now have a 1.5x chance of earning rare item rewards after completing their first Darkspore Threat each day.
Fixed some issues where enemies that died from an ability with knockback sometimes remained floating in the air.
Horde gates will now close on the first player who triggers them.
Allies and enemies can now teleport into the horde gate area by walking up to the horde walls.
Resurrection Orbs can now be found in solo play.
Fixed some issues where Heroes that had been enlarged by abilities were firing over the heads of short enemies.
Fixed a bug where the display of catalyst links was not properly shown when chaining Darkspore Threats.
Picking up health catalysts now increases current health instead of only increasing max health.
Seraph-XS is now unlocked at Crogenitor Level 20; Tork, Char, Skar and Orion are unlocked five levels later than before.
Added new Weapon Store weapons so that heroes always have at least one weapon available at their unlock level.
Reduced the amount of power that is returned by power capsules.
Items with Dodge Rating now have higher values.
Catalysts now scale more slowly as their level increases.
Each point of Dexterity is now worth 6 points of Dodge Rating instead of 5.
Each point of Mind is now worth 6 points of Resist rating instead of 5.
Cooldown reduction cap is now 60%.
Reduced DNA drop amounts.
Retuned some of the rare and epic catalysts.

PvP
Added two new PvP Arenas on Scaldron and Verdanth. Heroes in PvP now display a ring showing their team color.
Player images are now shown in the PvP matchmaking screen.
Fixed an issue where PvP squads were not selecting properly.