A new patch for The Binding of Isaac: Repentance was recently released, the Repentance+ Beta v1.9.7.9 Patch, by Tyrone Rodriguez (yes, he did it again). As we were just trying to get used to the new Online Version of The Binding of Isaac, a major addition included in the last beta update, another set of changes decided to knock at the door. Unlike last time, this patch only covers a few items changes, re-roll machines exploits, small bug fixes and…just some changes about locusts. Without further ado, let’s look closely at each change included in the patch:
Mars’ Rework
As we all know, since the Planetarium was added in the game in the TBOI: Repentance update, the item Mars is a passive item that makes Isaac quickly dash in the faced direction by double tapping: during the dash, Isaac is immune from all kind of damage with the exception of Blood Donation Machines, Devil Beggars and similar. Mars hasn’t always been exactly a fan favorite, other than the fact that it allows you to enter cursed rooms without taking damage (a godsend for T. The Lost enthusiasts!). Here’s how Mars changed according to the new patch:
- “Removed the wind-up for Mars’ dash and added impact tremors when hitting an enemy or obstacle. The player will now bounce off of enemies when colliding with them during a dash”;
The Item Mars
That’s right: upon impact, Mars now has the same effect as Mega Bean… or does it?
The new Mars’ Tremors Effect
Mega Bean’s Charge
The mega bean also underwent a small change: apparently, the big Mama Mega-style explosion was too big of a buff, so the charge of the active was simply increased.
- “Increased the charge of Mega Bean from 4 to 6”;
The Item Mega Bean
No More Double Rerolls in Shops
Good news for reroll lovers: now, only if destroyed with a bomb, the store’s restock machine will not cause a double reroll of items for sale (and thus the sadness of seeing Birthright pass by without being able to catch it in time…). On the other hand, when the machine is destroyed naturally after x number of coins, the double reroll persists.
- “Restock machines no longer double roll items when destroyed”;
A Restock Machine
A New Card Reading Portal
Speaking of shops, now there is a new way to get there: through the “card reading” object. Normally, Card Reading used to offer a choice between two portals at the beginning of each floor, which could be blue (for the secret room), yellow (for the treasure room) or red (for the boss room). A green colored portal has now been added, which leads into the store.
- “Added the shop to Card Reading’s potential destinations”;
The Item Card Reading
A Passion for Locusts
The developers must really love locusts and all the objects associated with them, because in this patch there are no less than 5 changes concerning them!
First of all, now the trinket “Apollyon’s best friend”, that spawns a locust upon collection, causes much more damage, making it much more worthwhile to collect. Then, an exploit was fixed with Abyss and Void where players could get the effect AND the item at the same time (sigh…). But on the other hand, another thing has been fixed: now locust trinkets and Purgatory correctly spawn in challenge rooms, Boss Rush and Greed mode.
The fourth change concerns a rune, in particular, Berkano: the rune used to make three friendly blue flies and three friendly blue spiders spawn: a nice thing, of course, but not very effective. Now, upon use, Berkano will spawn 3 abyss locusts for the duration of the entire room. Pretty useful for dealing with complicated bosses that stand still in one spot, like Mother! The last update concerns new Abyss-synergies: I’d say it’s time to dust off Tainted Apollyon and its starting item!
Tainted Apollyon using Abyss
To recap, the updates regarding locusts and the items Abyss and Void are:
- “Increased the damage multiplier for the Apollyon’s Best Friend trinket”;
- “Fixed an exploit with Abyss and Void where players could get the effect AND the item”;
- “Locust trinkets and Purgatory now correctly spawn in challenge rooms, Boss Rush and Greed mode”;
- “Rune of Berkano has been reworked to give 3 Abyss locusts for the duration of the room”;
- “Updated Abyss with many more synergies and art to differentiate locust types”.
The Item Void, The Rune Berkano and The Item Abyss
Lil Portal’s Location Revealed
This update is a direct consequence of the one introduced in the previous patch (like the Mega Bean one): once it has swallowed enough collectibles, Lil Portal spawns a purple mini-portal that takes you to a room outside the map, which can contain other collectibles and useful items (as well as being an escape route in case of need). With the new patch, you can now see Lil Portal’s location on the map once you have created the small portal.
- “Added a map indicator for Lil Portal’s location”;
The Item Lil Portal
…And Where Are My Blessings?!
The last major update of this patch is probably the most debated. Remember those long runs with diplopia, death certificates and wild cards to get as many Eden’s Blessings as possible? Well, forget about them. Now the maximum Eden’s Blessings you can get for the next game is 2, and no longer 10. Ugh, I know, it hurts.
- “Reduced the maximum number of Eden’s Blessing items granted on subsequent runs to 2”;
The Item Eden’s Blessing
Other changes include bug fixes, especially in the online version, where you can now write longer chat messages! Ready to decant Shakespeare in chat and make your teammates lose their patience? Then go and try out the new patch!
Source: The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth Steam Page
Want to see these updates in action? Check out this new video by SlayXc2:
