Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Arc Raiders character in witch huntress skin holding a shotgun in the dark
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders Steam reviews wobble as it's called "very frustrating" and labelled "stale"
The custom created character in Dune Awakening
Survival Games Dune: Awakening devs don't expect to "keep launch player numbers" after Steam count hit 189,000 then ran off a cliff
Monster Hunter Wilds character carrying a large egg
Monster Hunter After a year of bad reviews, Monster Hunter Wilds claws its way to 50% positive on Steam after a big performance patch
Fairy-like, Scarlet's Fables skin in Highguard has her clothed in leaves
Third Person Shooters As Highguard claws its way up to "Mixed" Steam reviews, devs add 5v5 mode in response to player feedback
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of a man's face in red lighting
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs "understand your frustrations" with Wolfpack nerf and new crafting recipes, but are changing nothing
Arc Raiders screenshot of player running from a Leaper robot
Third Person Shooters Embark nerfed looting speed in Arc Raiders, didn't put it in the patch notes, just now said we had "unintended" speed
Key art for Highguard showing Kai riding a bear, Atticus with the Shieldbreaker, and Scarlet, crouched, aiming down sights
FPS Games Ex Highguard developers blame "hubris" for the game's failure in new report
A screenshot of three huge monsters facing a player in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Monster Hunter Wilds Steam reviews on the mend following Capcom's latest performance patch
Arc Raiders
Third Person Shooters "A lot of games would be canceled": Arc Raiders lead recalls cutting all but 25 people in "desperation"
Dune: Awakening - two soldiers looking at the mouth of a sandworm during the new game.
Survival Games After surprise server shutdown, Dune: Awakening devs squash bug that cost players 1,000-hour bases
Arc Raiders
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders testers told Embark "they didn't like the PvP" after the game pivoted, and looting wasn't any better
Three Highguard characters strike dramatic poses heading into battle
FPS Games Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam
Highguard hero Scarlet
FPS Games "I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop
Splitgate 2
FPS Games "Steam Charts don't measure fun": Splitgate dev says don't sweat player counts after Splitgate Arena Reloaded mess
Highguard character in purple and black armor
FPS Games "There's no way this will flop": Laid-off Highguard dev says internal sentiment was high "but then the trailer came out"
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Dauntless

"It seems we've missed the mark": As their Steam review score drops to 14%, Dauntless devs wade into feedback after a disastrous update that gutted progress

News
By Ashley Bardhan published 10 December 2024

Dauntless is having a very bad week

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Dauntless
(Image credit: Phoenix Labs)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The free-to-play creature-killing game Dauntless pleasantly operated like a simplified Monster Hunter game for years, but the game's Steam debut came with a massive update that, according to players, efficiently destroyed the peace. Developer Phoenix Labs addresses some of its unpopular gameplay changes in a recent letter to the community.

Most disturbingly to dedicated fans, Dauntless' Awakening update resets player progress. Phoenix notes that there are "a few areas where it seems we’ve missed the mark." 

For one thing, "most returning players will have started off with no Chain Blades, Strikers, or Repeaters," Phoenix explains. "Having to invest precious [level-up currency] Aetherite into a weapon you don’t really want to play with just to get to one you want to because it used to be your main, does not feel good. We're sorry that this has created the impression that these classes are only accessible through Weapon Tokens," a currency attained through a new, loathed battle pass system.

You may like
  • Arc Raiders character in witch huntress skin holding a shotgun in the dark Arc Raiders Steam reviews wobble as it's called "very frustrating" and labelled "stale"
  • The custom created character in Dune Awakening Dune: Awakening devs don't expect to "keep launch player numbers" after Steam count hit 189,000 then ran off a cliff
  • Monster Hunter Wilds character carrying a large egg After a year of bad reviews, Monster Hunter Wilds claws its way to 50% positive on Steam after a big performance patch

"As with any major update, we have some reported issues to address in future patches," Phoenix continues. "Despite the best efforts of all our internal teams and external supporters, things are less polished than we’d like them to be." 

But, despite Phoenix's admirable admittance of guilt, disgruntled players are impatient for the developer's teary-eyed listening and learning process to wrap up. 

"This game is simply not fun," says one recent negative Steam review. "It has zero charm and no real personality. The economy is insane. No reason to play this, stay away." So much for diplomacy!

Studio behind action RPG Dauntless and farming RPG Fae Farm sees major layoffs, "about 140" devs cut and 3-year game "abruptly canceled" mere weeks before reveal.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS4 PS5 Xbox Series X Xbox One Nintendo Switch Platforms PlayStation Xbox Nintendo
Ashley Bardhan
Ashley Bardhan
Social Links Navigation
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

Read more
Arc Raiders character in witch huntress skin holding a shotgun in the dark
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders Steam reviews wobble as it's called "very frustrating" and labelled "stale"
 
 
The custom created character in Dune Awakening
Survival Games Dune: Awakening devs don't expect to "keep launch player numbers" after Steam count hit 189,000 then ran off a cliff
 
 
Monster Hunter Wilds character carrying a large egg
Monster Hunter After a year of bad reviews, Monster Hunter Wilds claws its way to 50% positive on Steam after a big performance patch
 
 
Fairy-like, Scarlet's Fables skin in Highguard has her clothed in leaves
Third Person Shooters As Highguard claws its way up to "Mixed" Steam reviews, devs add 5v5 mode in response to player feedback
 
 
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of a man's face in red lighting
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs "understand your frustrations" with Wolfpack nerf and new crafting recipes, but are changing nothing
 
 
Arc Raiders screenshot of player running from a Leaper robot
Third Person Shooters Embark nerfed looting speed in Arc Raiders, didn't put it in the patch notes, just now said we had "unintended" speed
 
 
Latest in Action Games
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Ahead of GTA 6, Take-Two CEO says "It’s hard for me to imagine" including ads in a $70-$80 game: "It would seem unfair"
 
 
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Action Games Death Stranding 2's PC player peak is better than both versions of the original game combined
 
 
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild star didn't know what game she was trying for, nor that it was the title role
 
 
GTA 6 Lucia
Grand Theft Auto Crimson Desert could challenge GTA 6 for Game of the Year, claims GTA 5 dev – but only if Rockstar "drop the ball"
 
 
Lara Croft holding two guns while smiling during the teaser for Tomb Raider: Catalyst.
Tomb Raider Crystal Dynamics is still "fully committed" to Tomb Raider despite going through its 4th set of layoffs in under a year
 
 
Sam Porter Bridges flexes for the camera in Death Stranding 2
Action Games Hideo Kojima says a Hawaiian proverb led to the new Death Stranding 2 trailer, because of course
 
 
Latest in News
Live Action Shows Netflix's Assassin's Creed show will tell an all-new story, but return to a fan-favorite location
 
 
Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides in Dune 3
Sci-Fi Movies Anya Taylor-Joy says "there's never been anybody like" her Dune 3 character: "She is one of a kind"
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Ahead of GTA 6, Take-Two CEO says "It’s hard for me to imagine" including ads in a $70-$80 game: "It would seem unfair"
 
 
Arc Raiders character in witch huntress skin holding a shotgun in the dark
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders Steam reviews wobble as it's called "very frustrating" and labelled "stale"
 
 
Alex, Steve and Dennis in Minecraft
Live Action Movies A Minecraft Movie 2 finds its Alex in Kirsten Dunst, after saying she'd happily sign up "to make a pile of cash"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games First big Slay the Spire 2 balance patch makes "infinites harder to achieve" and adds a Phobia Mode
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Stranger Things: The Complete Series box sets with a white outline against a blurred background
    1
    Here's where to buy the Stranger Things: The Complete Series box set and Deluxe Edition for less
  2. 2
    How to steal in Crimson Desert
  3. 3
    Ahead of GTA 6, Take-Two CEO says "It’s hard for me to imagine" including ads in a $70-$80 game: "It would seem unfair"
  4. 4
    How to Synthesize the Abyss Cell in Crimson Desert
  5. 5
    How to solve the Dragon's Stone Chamber in Crimson Desert

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...