The Loathing makes the game unwinnable

[Spiny]

The new "DLC" gives you islands full of Forsaken which you have to get past to activate towers.
Getting to the tower without picking the loathing (purple stuff which reduces maximum health) is pretty unlikely. You can clear it with a potion, but you need a cauldron to make that.
Making a cauldron requires metal.
The loathing struck in chapter 3. There's no metal to be found and I've fully explored every map, so I'm doomed.

Of course there's no in-game information telling you any of that.

I could also mention that it's fundamentally changed the character of the game and I wouldn't have bought Windbound at all if this was included from the start. It's not a DLC at all, it's a mandatory feature update, and an unwelcome one at that.

I can't believe the developers of Satellite Reign are behind this, for a start you could change the key bindings in that game!

[Minim]

You can eat the plants raw too to reduce it. They respawn plenty fast.

[Forra]

Setting aside keybinding worries, the Forsaken are not that bad once you get past the initial intimidation and I finished the game (as of a few minutes ago) without ever actually needing to use anything to clear the loathing thanks to a few quirks of how the game progressed. So a few points you might find helpful:

1 - The Forsaken are *really* vulnerable to being parried. The parry mask will make that easier, but once you get a feel for the timings (and for which moves you can't parry) you can take out most of the normal ones in three or so hits with just the Guardian Spear. Even the shield ones can be parried to death, though their tells are the most challenging (also pretty much all of the Forsaken's moves have their own tells, it's worth getting a feel for them).

2 - There's a Mark that boosts damage even further after parrying, which only compounds the above.

3 - The Spectral Spear is not enormously hard to craft once you've taken out a couple of Forsaken on your own, and that also makes point 1 all the more effective. If you're worried about durability as I was, there's a mark that can absorb durability damage instead of your kit.

4 - I don't know if it runs contrary to instinct, but especially in light of point one when you're fighting the Forsaken, GET IN CLOSE. The attacks that can be parried are the ones they use at close range, and they generally won't commit to using their special abilities when you're close enough to stab them. This includes abilities like summoning allies, and I've even had the Tricksters abort their ranged attacks for fear of me stabbing them while they're casting. Just watch out for the shield-carriers' charge attacks.

5 - Acquiring the loathing *is* a sod, but it's one you can endure. With the above, I was able to complete my business on the infected islands and then leave without taking more than a couple of portions of the stuff. Try to identify objectives and don't fart about exploring besides. A good vantage point helps, both deciding where you need to go and the safest route through the filth.

6 - Their reach is longer than it ought be, be careful. I've been hit by swings that looked like they missed me by a foot.

7 - Anything that influences your health positively like health shrines or the healing from ending a chapter clears whatever loathing infection you may have.