Hell Clock released just over two weeks ago and shortly after announced their roadmap for the rest of 2025 into 2026. One thing I did not expect was that there would be a patch in August that would make the game more approachable to roguelike beginners. In GSC’s review of Hell Clock, we mentioned it was hellish and difficult, which was all true. This Hell Clock update now allows for more of a taste of hell with varying levels of difficulty.
As of this article, Hell Clock still has a very positive rating on Steam and it will be interesting to see if this continues. Patch 1.0.2 brings many changes to the game including campaign balance and a new endgame system. While the Softcore and Hardcore options were always there, Hell Clock now comes with difficulty levels. Those who played the game on launch and have save files will see their previous saves are all considered Veteran. Those who want a bit less of a challenge can now choose the regular setting.
Along with this patch, there is also a change to the Ascension levels. You can keep all of your progress and not deal with the reset that previously plagued players. Players will still need to complete the campaign at least once to unlock this, but it will also be its own save file. The number of save slots has increased from 3 to 6 to allow more saved variety of plays. This is also helpful for those who previously has campaign and ascension progress in a save file. This has now been automatically separated into two different files.
Hell Clock is also making a point to make sure that players understand the perks they can gain. Pop ups will display when players select a blessing for over 1.5 seconds, they’ll see a pop up that better explains buffs for blessings to make better choices. Better choices will always help your runs gamers.
Of course there are some changes that could make things slightly harder if you’ve relied too heavily on them. Lightning critical effects will have a reduced base density so if you’re a lightning fan, keep this in mind. They have also rebalanced the memory level progression meaning it will be much harder to get beyond level 80. Hell Clock has also raised the cap to 120.
There are also a variety of fixes that the team released with this patch. Some are still being looked into but you may notice some names of consellations are resolved. Chests in Act 2 and 3 dropping Act 1 relics is also resolved. For those still learning aspects of the game, you can now pause during those non-intrusive help screens. For a full list and to see if the fix you wanted made the cut, check out their full note here.
Having taken some time to play the game prior to writing this, I can confirm, the game does feel much more welcome and inviting to those who are not ARPG roguelike veterans. The shift feels much easier, especially in Act I and II but still a fun challenge. You may not be throwing your controller or mouse across the room after a failed run. I’ll be curious to see how the game feels once there are more load outs, relics, and constellations to play with.
Are these Hell Clock updates enough to make you dive into the game? Hell Clock is available on Steam for $19.99 USD.
