Before getting into this, I wanna say there’ll be no bias just because I’m a tester.
Following my post about the last update (My Thoughts on the August 14th Update), I figured it’s best to make posts like that about recent updates. As my previous post, I’ll split this update into multiple parts aswell. It’ll be divided into the new location, balance changes, new mechanics and equipment.
Deadwood Bog
First of all, I’m a sucker for map design, and once again it didn’t disappoint; though I have two issues with the location.
My first issue is the fact that it’s simply too big for what it offers. I think cutting down on the map size would be a good course of action. The land outside the main points of interest feels barren with no reason to go outwards. Essentially you’re stuck into following the paths.
My second issue is the lack of chests. There’s no explorable chests that can be found, and that makes people less open to exploring the new area. Adding small locations (for example a abandoned house in the drifting deadwood or a chest in the Vampire Hunter room) would give people a incentive to explore the map and find rewards for doing so.
Overall, I enjoy the map. It’s decent, but there is room for improvement. It’s a nice 6.5/10 for me. 
Balance Changes
The day I dreamed of… Hiveknights finally get a nerf. For being a build so simple and cheap it did DPS it should never be able to reach in the first place. The nerfs the equipment got doesn’t ruin the build completely, just lets other builds with more investment overpower it. Still has usage, just won’t carry every lobby it is in.
Next up, Moko Spear. To be honest, the nerf is fully understandable yet I feel like it could be left alone. It’s main usage is on Bard and recently, Spider Leg Bow seems to be the no.1 pick for Bard as a weapon; so it’s usage isn’t that high anymore.
Finally, Clown Armor. I’ve seen some backlash to this nerf and I think it’s fully justified… Might go as far as to say the nerf wasn’t enough, but oh well. The power went from 1000 to 850, so it’s a small nerf compared to what I thought it would get. Most people use Juggle only for the damage, overlooking the amazing HP Regen it gives. Juggle, for what it is still seems super good but not to the point where it is detrimental for Burst DPS.
Overall, I’m happy with the balance changes. I do believe a bit more could be balanced (for example Ratboy Dartgun and North Polearm), but this is a good starting point. It’s a 8.5/10 for me. 
Vampirism Trait
Many people are confused, and consider Vampirism a race. It’s more of a trait, and I feel like a trait shouldn’t give a whole ability book. I like the direction of the traits though. Seems like a nice addition for people who want to improve their build even further.
Vampirism has it’s synergies, and if paired up with Hiveknight, you basically don’t feel the increased stamina cost that happened to the Hornet Crusader Tier 1 ability.
It’d also be great if traits would release in a package, not one at a time.
Overall, I like the trait and I don’t have any big issues with it other than it gives us too much stuff for what it is. I rate it a 7/10.
Equipment
I love the models for the equipment. Everything looks amazing and it makes some great vanity. Not a lot to say here.
Sadly, I don’t think most of the equipment will find use in PvE; though I can see it have usage in PvP. Glad to see some more love towards the PvP aspect of the game with all of the new equipment, as I think it’s a move in the right direction. The potential that player combat has in this game is huge, so adding new equipment players can match up against is nice.
The Stake is great for melee subclasses. It basically gives you a free ability, so you can incorporate it into DPS cycles as a last resort if you’re on cooldown on everything else.
Overall, I rate the new equipment a 9/10.
That’s all I have to say about this update. I like how it turned out and I love the direction they’re going with the vampire updates. In my opinion, the best part about this update were the balance changes and the new equipment.