Dark and Darker Hotfix 124 lets Rangers tame beasts

Dark and Darker Hotfix 124 gives Rangers a Taming Shot skill and a Servant Control system for commanding captured dungeon animals. Holding E opens a wheel with Attack, Follow, Hold, Aggressive, Defensive and Passive orders, turning the tamed beast into a controllable companion rather than an uncontrolled temporary effect.

Dark and Darker Hotfix 124: confirmed details

The update adds Feral Resonance, a mandatory new-player tutorial that can be replayed later and inventory item swapping by dragging one item onto another. Network latency compensation now resolves hitscan spell damage using the target position shown to the attacker. A unique Loot Goblin can appear in every dungeon, and the Trading Post window grows from 5×5 to 6×6.

What changes for players

Rangers gain a new tactical layer built around positioning both the character and a beast. Latency compensation should make targeted spells feel more consistent, although edge cases will need live testing. The tutorial lowers the account-entry barrier by covering movement, combat, healing, skills, magic and extraction before new players create an account.

Timing and wider context

Hotfix 124 also contains a long bug list, anti-cheat improvements and class balance changes. Meteor Strike’s burn multiplier falls from 1.0 to 0.5, while Curse of Weakness moves from a 25% to 20% all-stat reduction. Golden Goblin cosmetics are limited-time shop items and separate from the free system changes.

The feature list and timing above reflect the developer’s announcement published on August 21, 2026. Future hotfixes can adjust balance or availability, so live values should be checked against the current client.

For Dark and Darker, the practical checkpoint is the live client: confirm the installed version, platform notes and regional rollout before relying on a scheduled feature. Store availability, maintenance windows and certification can create timing differences even when the developer announces one date for the wider release.

Source: official announcement. All release dates, named features and numerical values in this report come from that primary source; the analysis is our own.

More live-service context: Apex Legends Showdown explained, Marvel Rivals Season 3 and Helldivers 2 Into the Unjust.