Haven't played since launch. What are the most important changes in recent updates?

As the title says I haven't played since launch. I got about halfway through NG when I had to put the game away to study for a huge test. Now that I've finished the test I'd like to start playing again but I'm having a hard time following the patch notes. Can anyone summarize them for me? I'm planning on starting over and I was a str build last play through. Are faith/int builds viable yet?