[Update #2]: Fatshark have now revealed more about the upcoming RPG-like talent trees and accompanying balance changes.

[Update]: Darktide will be getting RPG-like talent trees and an Xbox version on October 4th.

While it may have taken far, far longer than I would've liked for us to get here, I'm incredibly happy to say that Darktide has now finally fixed its mission selection system. Thanks to Patch #12 you now not only have a much wider selection of maps to choose from, but also a larger assortment of difficulty options that range from relaxed romps to soul-crushingly brutal gauntlets of misery.

The way it works is that there are now two distinct mission boards for you to peruse. The normal one has only the most basic modifiers and is meant for casual play, while the advanced Auric board is exclusive to level 30 characters and comes with a much, much more challenging set of missions. Combine that with faster map rotations and a new "Maelstrom" mission type that comes with fun extra modifiers (and extra rewards), and the end result is a highly diverse mission system that has really managed to revitalize my interest in the game.

Patch #12 has also slightly overhauled the crafting system, though unfortunately the crafting locks are still a thing. The good news is that you can now replace two of anything on your weapon of choice, meaning you can either replace one perk and one blessing, or two perks and two blessings. A small improvement, but a welcome one regardless.

Curio crafting, however, has received a much bigger boon. You're now able to change two out of three properties on your curios, thus giving you an incredibly easy way of creating perfect ones! And best of all, the random re-rolling of perks has been replaced with a much more logical "pick and choose" system!

The final big addition is an account-based wallet that combines all of your crafting material, dockets and in-game currency found across all of your characters. Once again it's a relatively simple change, but it should still make everything just a bit smoother as you now won't be as starved for resources when playing a variety of different characters and builds.

You can read more about these additions, as well as keep an eye on any hotfixes, over at the official website. Have fun with the new missions, and I'll make sure to let you know once the next big update goes live.