The patch has been released as a Beta patch.  Check the first post for details on how to update to it.

I know I haven't heard word yet on those map fixes, are these pre-made maps with rivers going to be fixed? I understand that you need to check through them to ensure that they are good fixes; just curious on the status there.

Also, the impale - cleave - crush skills

is it intended to be only normal (piercing) damage no matter the weapon? I've a fix for that floating around too.

Keep em coming, Derek! Really freaking liking this game!!

It says I need a beta code.  Where can i find my code.  Sorry.

restart steam and try it again.

"In the army/city context areas in the main game wnd, units now fill up with red based on how much damage they have taken"

Love this!  Really makes wounded troops stand out.  Medic!!  

Haven't encountered any bad effects from the move through friendly units mechanic.  Quite handy, so far...

Salt the Earth- A new spell which destroys tile yields in the area of effect, it can only be cast in neutral territory

MOTHER OF GOD THIS IS EPIC!

please allow this spell to be castable on frendly territory, including frendly towns, to wipe town permanently.

opt-in right now to test 

Unable to find Salt the Earth.  Looked in spell books and hero traits.  Do I have to start a new game?

After a patch to see new changes, you ALWAYS need to start a new game. When this game starts it puts a copy of the xml into the save game, that is why patches rarely break the saves. The saved games work, they just don't get the changes.

Why is Destiny's Insight so expensive?

And why does everyone have so much metal?

Tried to get the beta, but steam is asking for an "access code for the private beta".

Can someone please tell me what the code is?

leave it blank

Thanks. It worked. There was a delay between selecting beta, and the data downloading.

Yay!

It does show up now at least, but:

1) it has no icon, just an empty circle.

2) the damage-over-time effect is healing the enemy instead of damaging them (the initial hit does normal damage, however).
It's not just a display effect either, checking hp before and after reveals it does actually heal.

This gets particularly amusing when you kill something with the regular damage: it shows up as surviving the fight with 3 hp and can then be killed again. And then you can repeat the process for infinite exp, or probably even items in some cases

3) the upgrades don't appear to do anything. Bleed will just heal 3 hp no matter what.

The problems lie within the xml code

<SpellDef InternalName="Bleed_Ability">
        <DisplayName>Bleed</DisplayName>
        <Description>Attack that does normal damage and 3 damage per action to the victim.</Description>
        <FormattedDescription>Attack that does normal damage and %d damage per action to the victim.</FormattedDescription>
        <IconFG>Ability_BleedI_Icon.png</IconFG>
         <Cooldown>5</Cooldown>
        <SpellBookSortCategory>Unit</SpellBookSortCategory>
        <SpellBookSortSubCategory>Other</SpellBookSortSubCategory>
        <SpellType>Tactical</SpellType>
        <SpellClass>Offensive</SpellClass>
        <SpellSubClass>Debuff</SpellSubClass>
        <SpellTargetType>EnemyUnit</SpellTargetType>
        <HideInHiergamenon>1</HideInHiergamenon>
        <IsCastable>0</IsCastable>
        <CanBeDodged>1</CanBeDodged>
        <IsSpecialAbility>1</IsSpecialAbility>
        <UseWeaponRange>1</UseWeaponRange>
        <GameModifier>
            <ModType>Unit</ModType>
            <Attribute>DefendableDamage</Attribute>
        </GameModifier>
        <GameModifier>
            <ModType>Unit</ModType>
            <Attribute>CurHealth</Attribute>
            <IsForFormattedDescription>1</IsForFormattedDescription>
            <Duration>-1</Duration>
            <Effect>Bloody_OnHit</Effect>
            <PerTurn>1</PerTurn>
             <Calculate InternalName="Calc" ValueOwner="CastingUnit">
                <Expression><![CDATA[3 + [UnitStat_BonusBleed]]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
            <Calculate InternalName="Calc2">
                 <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc] * -1]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
             <Calculate InternalName="Value">
                <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc2]]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
            <Calculate InternalName="ValueForFormattedDescription">
                <Expression><![CDATA[[Calc]]]></Expression>
            </Calculate>
        </GameModifier>
        <AIData AIPersonality="AI_General">
            <AIPriority>5</AIPriority>
        </AIData>
        <HitSoundFX>Spell_Knockback_01</HitSoundFX>
        <SpellDefEffect>
            <EffectName>Ability_ShieldBash_Particle</EffectName>
            <LocalPosition>0,0,0</LocalPosition>
            <EffectScale>0.25</EffectScale>
            <EffectDelay>0</EffectDelay>
            <SnapToTerrain>1</SnapToTerrain>
        </SpellDefEffect>
    </SpellDef>

The following needs to be added to fix the ability appropriately. The orange text color indicates that a new icon needs to be drawn to represent the ability in combat, since the 'I' shouldn't appear on the spell when selecting the ability. Hope this helps the devs out in fixing this ability.

The problem with the abilities not adding to the bleed is the fact that they were using UnitStat_BonusBleeding instead of the actual stat of UnitStat_BonusBleed

If you put this in an xml file and put it in your mods folder you will have a fixed version for your game.

Thanks Parrotmath!

Updated mine.

I think it is strange that the value is first 1 and later calculated.

I am really loving the additions that this patch has brought to the game.

Good catch, didn't notice that other problem. Fixed in my post. I just copied and pasted and added edited the few extra lines that were already in the code, that's what I get assuming other parts of the spell were fine

It's almost as if it was

Have you read the instructions ? Steam only gives you this beta release if, in the Steam options, you selected that you agree/choose to receive beta versions. By default, you don't receive them, so you need to change the option in question if you want to get those beta versions.

I ditto prior comments about the tactical movement radius being too hard to see sometimes. Also, there are times when the clicks register in the incorrect tile in tactical combat - I think this may only occur when zoomed out.

We have been bringing this problem up for quite some time.  They must have some reason to leave it as is, that we don't know about, because we have had no acknowledgement so far that they are even aware of it. 

Did this just go live, I see steam downloaded something?

Just a comment about this change: Increased the casting cost of Tornado form 45 to 150

I think this is a bit too much of a over correction. You need to draw a line between abuse and non-use and the 150 cost makes the spell too expensive to use IMO. The Tornado spell is a great Doom stack busting spell, but at 150 it won't get used enough by the player. I put this in the same spell range as Cloudwalk and I would expect this spell to be around 80-100 mana. What I would add is a cool down feature that allows it to be used only every 3-5 turns instead of the increased mana cost much like Freeze has.

JMO.

Guessing another beta patch.