Editing Changelog (section)

== v0.39.8 — Rivals Fight Back Properly Now ==
* '''A rival you cannot hurt no longer falls eventually.''' Duels used to end after a fixed number of bouts decided by your war score — which meant any raid could be ground out if you were patient enough, no matter what you were carrying. [[Rivals]] now have real armour, and your blow has to get through it: land a strike that their guard turns aside completely and they simply never go down, while every bout still costs you blood. It is the same rule hunts and expeditions have followed since the gear wall arrived; raids were the last place you could win by waiting.
* AND THE FIGHT NOW ANSWERS TO YOUR WEAPON, NOT JUST YOUR SCORE. A rival's bar falls by what you actually hit them for, so a sharper blade genuinely shortens the duel and a heavily armoured rival genuinely lengthens it. Come to a raid at the gear the ladder expects and NOTHING has changed — every duel is exactly the length it always was. Turn up under-armed and you will feel it in time and in blood, which is the point.
* The rivals board and the scouting sheet quote the duel you would actually fight, armour and all — not the old score-only estimate.