Hey there folks,

This is it. A little more than a year and a half after our Kickstarter and 7 months of Early Access, we're finally there - Solasta 1.0 is now available on PC. Now the only question that remains is... Are you ready?


We wouldn't be there today without our feline moral support squad


Solasta is finally 100% content complete and ready to be enjoyed by everyone out there. You will be able to play the entire main campaign as well as experience all the sidequests we've prepared for you!
Here is what you can expect from Solasta 1.0:

• A full epic campaign that will take you from level 1 to 10
  
• A large amount of sidequests to enrich and gear up your party
  
• Several new and exotic environments filled with dangerous monsters
  
• A full orchestral upgrade of Solasta's Original Soundtrack
  
• Many improvements requested by the community
  
• Less bugs, more stability, better performance
  
• A sizeable update to the Dungeon Maker (still in beta) with 3 completely new environments, new monsters and new gadgets that we'll go into more details below
  
• The 1.0 version is compatible with saves from the March Spring Update, however we do recommend to start fresh to ensure you get the final launch experience of Solasta!

NOTE: If you are having a black screen or see a weird sky box when launching a new campaign, read that thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1096530/discussions/1/2998794978528957168/



With the 1.0 launch of Solasta, the Dungeon Maker has also received a significant update! Stronghold, Lava Caves and Elven Palace will now join the sides of Necropolis, increasing the number of available environments in the Dungeon Maker to four! Each environment has very different visuals, mood and props available, making them unique in their own right. Just take a look below!


Stronghold - Library


Lava Caves - Mine Tunnel


Elven Palace - Dining Hall

We have also added quite a few new features, such as inner walls to break existing rooms into smaller rooms, activator gadgets to remotely trigger other gadgets such as doors or monster spawns, a key / lock system to allow doors and chests to be opened with specific items, huge and gargantuan monster spawners...
If you want to learn more about all of that, just head to the Dungeon Maker Guide!


Loved the music? The Original Solasta Soundtrack composed Maxime Hervé, containing 23 tracks (MP3/FLAC) from the game, is now available both on Steam and other platforms!

• https://store.steampowered.com/app/1631840
  
• https://idol.lnk.to/SolastaCrownOfTheMagister

For you collectors out there, our audio partner G4F Records are also going to open pre-orders for the Solasta Vinyl on their website: https://www.g4f-records.com/en/shop/

Alright, you've got some free time, drinks and snacks at hand - how do you make sure you have your in-game rewards once your start your campaign?

Q: I didn't even receive my Steam / GOG Key of the game. Where can I find it?
A: You should have received a CrowdOx email long ago with your login information. Just log into CrowdOx and you'll be able to find all your rewards there: https://portal.crowdox.com/digital

Q: I can't find my CrowdOx email / information. What do I do now?
A: No worries! You can simply request a new mail by entering your Kickstarter email address over there: https://app.crowdox.com/retrieve/tacticaladventures/solasta-crown-of-the-magister

Q: I'm trying to add the key on Steam, but I'm getting a message saying I need the game already installed?
A: That's very likely because you're trying to install a DLC before you've installed the game. Make sure you start by adding the game key on Steam before adding the DLC keys.

Q: How do I get my in-game Kickstarter Items to appear in-game and where can I find them?
Depending on your Backer Tier, you will receive keys for the following DLCs (cumulative):

• Kickstarter Backer Items DLC (18€+ backers): Contains the Early Bird, Dwarven Bread, Six League Boots, The One Ring & Spoon of Discord items.
  
• Digital Kickstarter Content DLC (36€+ backers): Contains the Everlasting Torch item & Special VFX for the Burning Hands & Sacred Flame spells.
  
• Loaded Dice Package DLC (58€+ backers): Contains the Loaded Dice item

You will need to install those DLCs first, and then go to Caer Cyflen. There will be a chest located next to the Monument of the Dead near the Legacy Council, the items will be in there. This should also work on existing saves, not just fresh runs!

Q: Some of these items are not magical / don't do anything?
A: Don't forget to identify them! If you don't have a wizard, Hugo Requer can help you (he's located in the marketplace, close to the tavern)

Q: I'm seeing two Burning Hands & two Sacred Flame icons when choosing my spells?
A: That's normal! You can choose between the Kickstarter version or the regular version of the spell. They both do the same thing, but the visuals will be different.

Q: What about the other digital rewards?
A: So, originally we wanted to have all the digital rewards at launch, but with the amount of work we had to prepare the 1.0 launch we preferred not to rush out them out. The digital rewards available at launch are:

• The In-Game Kickstarter Items and VFX
  
• The Supporter Pack Dices (if you're a backer you received a free Steam key of the Supporter DLC)
  
• The Digital Orchestral Soundtrack (Steam Soundtrack, FLAC & mp3 format)

The digital rewards we'll work on releasing in the coming weeks:

• The Solasta Digital World Map (psd & png format)
  
• The Dev Documents
  
• The Solasta Tabletop Sourcebook PDF

For the Solasta Tabletop Sourcebook, we will give you an update later on it with the rest of the other Kickstarter Physical Goods. Thank you for your patience!

Q: What about the physical rewards?
We'll give you an update in the coming weeks about the Kickstarter Physical Rewards (Vinyl / Adventure Box / Sourcebook). Originally we had intended for them to be sent within 3 months of the 1.0 release, but with the current COVID situation it may take a bit longer - though worry not, we're getting there (we'll release more pictures & info in the next update).

---------------------------
Alright folks, that's all for now! Go and enjoy the game, and thanks again for all your support. If you run into any bugs, please inform us on Steam, Discord or our forums!

Hey there folks!

While we're all waiting for the final release of Solasta, here is a little something to listen to. And to watch. Those who followed the project during our Kickstarter campaign may remember one of our stretch goals - an orchestral upgrade to the soundtrack. Some of you might even have noticed that some tracks changed with the Spring Update version. Well, if you were wondering how those new tracks sound and how they were produced, look no further - we have a video for you! 


We're desperately working to finish the game despite the repeated attempts to sabotage our productivity


Hope you enjoyed the video! World of Light (Main Theme) is part of the final soundtrack, which will be available at launch digitally or for pre-order in vinyl format for you collectors out there. For those who are looking for more information:

• The soundtrack will be distributed by G4F Records. Remember Furi? Yep, they handled their OST too! 
• The soundtrack will contain 23 tracks, all composed by Maxime Herve (who've worked on quite a few other games soundtrack, go check him out!):
  • Side A (Vinyl):
    • World of Light
    • Heroes of Solasta
    • High Adventure
    • Prison Escape
    • Hour of the Wolf
    • The Lightbringers
  • Side B (Vinyl):
    • Shadows
    • Caer Cyflen
    • Ruins of Telema
    • Clashing Swords
    • The Crown
    • The Necromancer
  • Side C (Vinyl):
    • Coparann
    • Master's Tower
    • Ambush in the Dark
    • The Legacy Council
    • The Battle of the Rift
    • The Cradle of Fire
  • Side D (Vinyl):
    • Warcry
    • Master Mind
    • Children of Darkness
    • Aer Elai
    • The Last Stand

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hey there folks! We weren't lying last week when we said that you'd get to know the launch date of Solasta soon :D



On May 27th 2021 after a little more than 7 months in Early Access, Solasta will finally launch its 1.0 version with all the promises made during our Kickstarter Campaign! What a ride it has been, from the small prototype made by the hands of Mathieu Girard (our CEO and Creative Director) in Summer 2018, to the core team of Tactical Adventures shaping up end of 2018, to our Kickstarter Campaign and Ruins of Telema Demo in Summer 2019, to our Early Access launch in Autumn 2020... all of this leading to full release in Spring 2021! 

And we wouldn't have made it this far without you, our community, supporting Solasta in your own ways - whether by backing us on Kickstarter, buying the game on Steam / GOG, giving feedback and reporting bugs to help us improve the game, or simply talking about Solasta to your friends! To think that our Discord server, which had less than 200 members when our Kickstarter started now has grown to 5,500 members. Our tiny subreddit with 12 subscribers is now nearing 2,000 subs. And we just passed 3,000 Steam reviews and 45,000 members on the Solasta Steam group!

We'll have more exciting news leading to the final release of Solasta: Crown of the Magister - so keep an eye out for more information! 

Since we've announced that our next update would be the 1.0 launch of Solasta, we've seen a lot of questions going around. Considering not everyone has been on the Solasta train since our Kickstarter Campaign, we thought it'd be best to tackle them in a little FAQ so that people know what to expect from the full release of the game!

Will I need to buy the game again if I already bought the Early Access version?
No, of course not. If you already own Solasta: Crown of the Magister, it won't vanish from your library at launch - you will simply be prompted to download an update which will upgrade your Early Access version to the full 1.0 version. 

How long is the game going to be at launch?
Originally we were aiming for around 40h in total, sidequests included - but that number will depend heavily on your playstyle and the difficulty setting of your playthrough. For instance, for those whose Early Access runs already took 30h, you may not be finishing the entire game in 40h - there is a quite a bit of content that was not included in the Early Access version to avoid spoiling the main campaign too much!

Is the level cap going to be level 10? Not level 20?
Indeed, it has always been planned that the level cap would be level 10. We've announced from the start that you wouldn't be able to go past level 10 in our first game at launch. There are quite a few reasons for that, as each additional level would require:

• Development time to implement the new features, as well as animations, visual effects and sound effects for each class. 
• Time and money to design, create and implement new and higher CR monsters (who also need their own animations and effects), otherwise you would just demolish any encounter at higher level.
• Time and money to increase the length of the campaign, meaning more work for the narrative and level design teams, as well as more recordings required. 

So we always knew and said that level 10 would be the limit, given the scope of Solasta: Crown of the Magister. Which doesn't necessarily mean that the level cap will forever stay at level 10 post-launch! 

Why are certain D&D classes like Barbarian and Bard missing?
Just like with the level 10 cap, we've been clear from the beginning that the 6 classes available at launch would be the Fighter, the Rogue, the Wizard, the Cleric - and the two classes that were added through the Kickstarter Stretch Goals, the Paladin and the Ranger. There is also a 7th class that has already been announced, the Sorcerer, who will be available in a free post-launch DLC for everyone. 

As for the other classes, they may be added in future DLCs but we don't want to make any promises before the game is out. That said, trust me when I say that we want to have them in Solasta as much as you do! 

Where is the Battle Master Fighter? The Vengeance Paladin?
Remember that Wizard of the Coast only granted us a license to use the SRD 5.1, not the full D&D license - meaning that we can only use what's in the SRD 5.1. This includes the vast majority of the tabletop ruleset and most of the classes, races and spells - but only one subclass for each class. This is why you won't find certain official archetypes, feats and spells in Solasta - which we replaced by homebrew content linked to our own setting.

Will my Early Access saves be compatible with the 1.0 version?
We are doing our best to not break save compatibility, so you should be able to play the 1.0 version with your existing post Spring Update saves. 

Should I start a fresh run at launch?
Yes, we heavily suggest you start a fresh run as we will have made many changes between the current Spring Update EA version and the full 1.0 release!

How complete be the game at launch?
Solasta will be fully complete at launch! As stated before, we have always been very transparent about what would be in the final version of our game, and you can track our promises back to our Kickstarter Campaign from 2019 - so you can go back and check if you want to.

We know some people have been burnt in the past by Early Access titles that had to release in their current state because they could no longer afford to continue development, but we can assure you this is not the case here - otherwise we wouldn't make so much noise about our upcoming launch, would we! 

Can we expect further updates after that?
While we don't plan on adding more content to the campaign, we do intend to make sure to keep an eye out for bugs, balance issues or popular improvements requested by the community - we're not going to suddenly disappear. Also, because the Dungeon Maker is a recent addition to Solasta, it will still be in Beta at launch - meaning we will be doing some Dungeon Maker upgrades as well post launch.

Depending on how Solasta performs, we might also work on some paid DLCs - but we have a game to finish first before thinking about that! 

Do you plan on supporting additional languages?
We can't promise anything for now - our four languages at launch will be English, French, German and Simplified Chinese. That said, we did spot that some community members started to work on a fan translation mod in Portuguese, so you may want to check the modding section of our Discord Server if you want to know more.

Are you going to improve facial animation?
We did rework some of the mugs we had in our Character Creator, but the visuals and animation for our character faces won't change drastically. Keep in mind that we're not a story-focused RPG, but a Tactical RPG - where combat is one of our key focus, just like in the X-COM series. 

Will you release Solasta on other platforms?
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is currently available on PC, but we did plan to have a Mac version developed post-launch. We unfortunately can't commit to a Linux version - unfortunately the Linux player base is simply much too small for a port to be affordable. As for consoles... we'll have to see how it goes!

Alright folks, this is the end for today! Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hello there folks,

I hope you're all enjoying the Spring Update very much, as we are now headed for the final release of Solasta: Crown of the Magister! "And when exactly would that be" I hear you asking - my most humble apologies, this information will have to stay secret... for a bit longer! Keep an eye on the horizon, for you will soon know the date (for you worrywarts out there, I can tell you that it will indeed be this year). Now, for something you were all waiting for... cats! 


A perfect fit. On a sadder note, Linus (cat on the right, last Dev Update) passed away peacefully last week. Sleep well my friend!

As stated in the introduction, our next big update will be the full release of Solasta: Crown of the Magister - meaning we'll be leaving Early Access once and for all! Thanks again to all of you who joined us during this journey and whose feedback help us make a better game - you guys (and gals!) are the MVPs. 

Here is a reminder of what you can expect from Solasta at launch:

• The full campaign of Solasta: Crown of the Magister
• Additional side quests, including a particularly difficult one!
• Full orchestral OST - you might have already spotted a few orchestral tracks in the Spring Update
• An increase of the max level cap from 8 to 10, with level 5 spells
• An update to the Dungeon Maker Beta
• Steam Workshop implementation to make Custom Dungeon sharing easier
• Digital Kickstarter Rewards for our Backers
• Supporter Pack Digital Rewards (special dice)

But the train doesn't stop there!

• Free Post-launch Sorcerer DLC, which will unlock the Sorcerer class to everyone (not just backers)
• Physical Kickstarter Rewards, planned to be sent the months following the release of Solasta 1.0
• More info later about our post-launch plans - we've got a game to finish first!

A small preview of the Ruins of Carillach Gar adventure included in the Kickstarter Adventure Box (physical rewards are no longer purchasable)[/i]

I'm sure you're here for more than words. After all, we've got you used to seeing progress, not just reading about it and hoping all of it is true - so here is a sample of what we've been working on the last few weeks! 


 Kickstarter Backers Monument of the Dead[/i]


Remember that Concept Art from a month ago? Yep, it's a new in-game level now!


Another upcoming level, also based on a previous Concept Art.


Additional Random Encounters Maps are on their ways as well![/i]


Our talented 2D Artist is still at it making gorgeous loading screens for every new level we add to the game

For those who may not use the Steam Forums, know that there is a thread listing the Known Issues with the Spring Update version of Solasta over there.  And although we'd love to tell you that another hotfix is on the way, it unfortunately won't be so as working on additional patches would put the final release of the game at risk. Now you might be wondering, why is that? Well, first you have to remember that we're a team of... less than 20 people. 

Second, if you ask players how they think a hotfix is released, you'll often get the following:

• Players find a bug, report it
• Devs fix it
• Devs release the hotfix
• Players download the patch, bug is fixed, woohoo!

Well that was pretty fast. So why exactly is it putting the 1.0 release at risk? The reality behind a hotfix is... a lot more complex than that.

• Players find a bug, report it
• QA has to switch from the final game's branch to the Spring Update branch. Branches are made to separate different versions of the game, so that development on one branch does not affect another (to prevent WIP stuff for the final game to appear in the Spring Update for instance)
• QA has to find a surefire way to reproduce the bug on the Spring Update branch. Sometimes that's pretty simple because players explained how to trigger the bug 100% of the time, for example "Using the Teleporter to go to Wizard's Tower cause an instant game over". Sometimes it's not because the bug is very vague, for example "my game crashed in Caer Cyflen".
• Once QA found a reliable way to reproduce the bug, the devs start looking at it to try and find the cause. Without a guaranteed way to trigger them, some bugs can sometimes exist for a very long time. For example, we still receive reports that a monster will spend its turn running back and forth instead of attacking. However, it's very hard to find why - first it only happens very rarely, second it seems random (not always the same monster or encounter), third looking at the AI there is no reason it should do that, lastly no one's been able to find a setup that will always make the monster do its little dance instead of attacking like it should. 
• Once they found the reason why it's going sideways, it's time to fix it (they will also need to switch the Spring Update branch). Now just as before, that can be very simple (oh the value was wrong) or very complex (crap, fixing this means we have to tweak how the system works, potentially impacting other areas of the game and creating new bugs). 
• Now when the bug is fixed, both on the Spring Update version (for the hotfix) and the final game's branch (so that the bug is also fixed when the final version hits the store), QA will need to start testing the entire game to make sure the fix isn't breaking something else. For those who may not remember it, because we released a hotfix too quickly in December's Winter Update, the minimap (which was working properly when the update was released) suddenly started crashing the game when used after the hotfix released - due to a change that had nothing to do with it (re-adding grass which was missing from Coparann). Due to the nature of Solasta being an RPG, it takes a tremendous amount of time to test properly - there are a lot of race / class combinations, spells that you could use in all sort of conditions, etc etc...
• Remember about the branches? All that testing needs to be done on the Spring Update branch, as that's what the players are playing. Meaning that in the meantime, QA is not testing on the final game branch - thus increasing the risk of not spotting bugs for the final release of the game.
• After all of that, Devs release the hotfix.
• Players download the patch, bug is fixed, woohoo! And hopefully no additional bugs were created in the process.

Now you should understand a bit better why we can't just keep on doing hotfixes while also working on completing the game. But does that mean reporting bugs is useless? Not at all! Here is what we're currently doing:

• Players find a bug, report it
• QA test the bug on the final game's branch, to make sure the bug wasn't already fixed since the Spring Update release. Find a way to replicate the bug, etc etc.
• Devs fix the bug on the final game's branch that they're already working on, this way the bug will be fixed in the 1.0 release.
• QA keep testing the final game's branch as they do on a daily basis, to see if they find bugs and if bugs that devs say are fixed are... well, indeed fixed or not. 
• Devs release version 1.0 with better quality than if QA kept on running back and forth between two different branches.

As you can see, the difference mostly lies in focusing on one single branch and committing to it, instead of dancing between two different ones. While there's probably no developer in the world that enjoy bug fixes not being available to players after having already fixed them, we need to make sure we don't split our focus too much and endanger the quality and stability of the final 1.0 release. This way, we ensure we push Solasta at a better level of quality at launch!  

Alright folks, this is the end for today! Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096530/Solasta_Crown_of_the_Magister/

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hey there folks!

We've just released a hotfix for the Spring Update (for those who downloaded the previous beta hotfix, it's the same - we're just rolling it out on the default branch).

• Fix being unable to save
• Fix being unable to load after a game over
• Fix being unable to leave Caer Cyflen after the tutorial (you may need to load a previous save)
• Fix some crashes occurring when using the Dungeon Maker
• Fix Sorak Saboteurs having Sneak Attack when they are supposed to
• Fix a crash when starting a fight via proxy spell (like Dancing Light or Flaming Sphere)
• Fix some other rare crashes

Note: Being unable to cast spells is not a bug, make sure you have a free hand to cast somatic spells or disable the spellcasting component option in the setting menu.

If you encounter crashes / Infinite Loading screens, here are a few things to check:

• Make sure you verified game files on Steam
• Exiting a map and / or saving while a spell is active may cause issues. Make sure you aren't saving while a spell is active (Darkness, Mage Armor, Dancing Light, etc etc...)
• If a certain save file doesn't load, try restarting Solasta and loading it again. If it still doesn't load, the save file might be corrupted due to saving when the game is already "broken" (not visible to the player, but something poopy happened behind the scene). That mean you'll have to load a previous save :(
• Specific to the French version: Opening the Brimstone Viper Bestiary causes a crash to desktop.

• In some rare occasions, confirmation pop-ups may no longer appear - meaning you'll be stuck in a location, since you won't get a confirmation message asking you if you want to leave the area when stepping on Exit Areas or when interacting with a door. To fix it, quit the game completely and relaunch it (simply loading a save doesn't fix it)
• After talking to the Council on your return from Wizard's Tower, you must go to the residence immediately. If you don't (for instance, you long rest at the tavern before going to the residence), you will be stuck inside the residence and won't be able to leave, effectively ending your run. To fix it, load a previous save and go directly to the residence after talking to the council. 
• In the Lawkeeper Background Quest, clicking "No" when asked to travel to the sewers will permanently block you from accessing the sewers, thus blocking the quest. To fix it, reload a previous save. 
• Do not go to back to "Imperial Ruins" on the World Map if you don't have "The Collector" side quest active - without that side quest in your journal you will be stuck once you arrive there. 
• In Tower of Magic, if you do the "Research the Crown" side quest before the "Magister's Amulet" side quest, the puzzle of "Magister's Amulet" side quest won't work. To fix it, simply leave Tower of Magic and return there later.

• Using the teleporter to go to Wizard's Tower causes an instant game-over.
• If you click end turn exactly when "Victory" appears, you will trigger a game over. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. But I did find that funny when QA told me about it. 
• In Tower of Magic, the "Magister's Amulet" side quest will spawn 2 elementals very far from you which unfortunately won't do anything so you'll have to hunt them down by running to them. Which is very tedious and we totally hate it too, so don't worry it's not intended.
• Characters are able to walk in the air in certain places in the broken fort in Caer Lem.
• Monsters may also sometimes decide to run back and forth instead of attacking a character. Which is of course not intended, as all monsters are ordered to violently maul any adventurer they encounter by their DM overlord. 
• In the Dungeon Maker, the "Mood" parameter isn't saved properly and will always revert to "Crypt". 
• Paladins can't use scroll of Raise Dead
• Characters who drop to 0 max HP due to Defilers' Vampiric Touch can't be resurrected, forcing a game over.
• Scroll of Freedom of Movement casts Fire Shield instead
• Amulet of Health currently doesn't require attunement (it should)
• Poisonous Bolt recipes are missing their correct name
• Captain Verissa Ironshell is missing lip sync
• Warhammer +1 currently requires attunement (it shouldn't)
• Rolling 20 on a death saving throw skips the character's turn instead of letting them play
• Reading a recipe book when you already know the recipe still consumes the book

Hey there folks!

We've been monitoring the forums closely since yesterday and found out several very annoying bugs thanks to you. We're rolling out a hotfix in a beta branch to help fix these issues.

1. Open your Steam Library
   
2. Right click Solasta: Crown of the Magister
   
3. Click on "Properties"
   
4. Select the "Beta" Tab
   
5. Select "Springhotfix" in the list
   
6. Done! It should now download the update. If not, just close and restart steam

• Fix being unable to save
  
• Fix being unable to load after a game over
  
• Fix being unable to leave Caer Cyflen after the tutorial (you may need to load a previous save)
  
• Fix some crashes occurring when using the Dungeon Maker
  
• Fix Sorak Saboteurs having Sneak Attack when they are supposed to
  
• Fix a crash when starting a fight via proxy spell (like Dancing Light or Flaming Sphere)
  
• Fix some other rare crashes

Note: Being unable to cast spells is not a bug, make sure you have a free hand to cast somatic spells or disable the spellcasting component option in the setting menu.

Considering how quickly we rolled out the hotfix, we couldn't extensively test it to make sure everything is stable - however we also didn't want players getting stuck because they can't save during the entire weekend. The safest option for us is thus to release the fix in a Beta Branch, so that those affected can switch to this new version and get the fix, but at the same time if that new version has some other larger problems it doesn't affect the rest of the playerbase.

• Do the same as above to swap branch, but instead of "Springhotfix", select "Januarypatch"

Note: Be careful, save files from after Spring Update won't be compatible with the old "Januarypatch" version.

Hey there folks!

The Spring Update should now be live, with a plethora of changes and new content! With the addition of the difficulty options, side quests and background quests, your Solastan experience is getting closer and closer to the final release. Well bugs and polish aside of course, Early Access has proved quite effective at finding and squashing them so far! But enough talk, it's time to dive into the patch notes.


As stated in our previous articles, due to changes in existing systems save files from previous versions will NOT be compatible with the Spring Update. That said, we're adding a lot of side content in this new update, so restarting a fresh run will give a new experience where you don't have to run after the main quest! 

Note that we will put the previous version of the game (January Update) on a separate Steam branch so that you can keep playing with your old saves if you want to. And although one is never safe from a bad surprise during Early Access, save compatibility should hopefully be preserved from the Spring Update onwards.

Solasta will be discounted when the Spring Update hits the store on March 25th until March 31st, after which the price of the game will increase from $35 to $40 in anticipation of the 1.0 release. This is due to the fact that Steam prevents games from discounting within 30 days of a price increase, so we unfortunately cannot increase the price when 1.0 gets released while also having a launch discount. So if you want to jump in Solasta at Early Access price, make sure you don't miss the Spring Update sales! 

• Added the Dungeon Maker (Beta). The Dungeon Maker allows you to create, share and play custom maps, and will continue to get improved over time. Check the Dungeon Maker section below for more information. 
• The Main Quest now continues a little bit past the Wizard's Tower. You will be able to return to Caer Cyflen to report to the Council and will unlock your own residence (simply a resting area, not customizable), after which you will be free to continue playing instead of being booted back to the main menu. 
• Added Background Quests for each of the 8 Backgrounds available in Character Creation. Background Quests are only available if one of the party member has the right Background - for instance, the Spy Background unlocks the Spy Background Quest. You can check where to unlock them in the following article.
• Added Side Quests. Side Quests are available through the Adventuring Board found in Caer Cyflen close to Gorim's Emporium, with the first unlocking once you talked to the Council after returning from Caer Lem. Be warned, some Side Quests may be quite difficult if you tackle them immediately after unlocking them! 
• Added Difficulty Settings. Difficulty Settings can be found the in the Settings => Game tab and can be customized at any time. Note that higher difficulty modes have not yet been properly balanced yet, so playing on Cataclysm may very well make you want to eat your keyboard (please don't).
• Implemented Legendary Actions for Aksha and Razan. Legendary Actions allow certain bosses to act outside their turn, so you may have to change your tactics a bit!
• Added Achievements (WIP). Achievements are missing localization (FR / DE / ZH) and icons, but are otherwise functional. Note that some achievements may not be unlockable until the full 1.0 release - such as the achievement for finishing the game. 
• Added new Martial Feats and rebalanced a couple of existing ones. Read more about them here.

The Dungeon Maker is an in-game tool available directly in the main menu which allows you to create, edit and play custom maps. The video above is a quickstart guide - if you need a more in-depth guide, it is available in our Forums over there. 

You can access your custom dungeon folder by simply clicking the in-game "Browse Files" button in the Dungeon Maker menu. The folder can also be manually found there: Whenever you create a map in the Dungeon Maker, the game will create a .json file containing all the information with the same name there.

For the moment we're still working on Steam Workshop Integration. In the meantime, you could always drop by good ol' NexusMod where many other mods are already available (reminder: mods are community driven, Tactical Adventures has no control over them and cannot guarantee that they work properly). 

Simply copy paste the .json file into you custom dungeon folder, that you can either access by clicking the in-game "Browse Files" button in the Dungeon Maker menu, or manually opening The new dungeon should then appear in-game in the Dungeon Maker list. 

Make sure you read the in-depth forum guide about the Dungeon Maker, and if you still have questions feel free to swing by our Discord server and head to the #modding channel!

Of course! You might have noticed the Dungeon Maker is still lacking quite a few features, and that's because the Dungeon Maker will still be in beta when we release the full 1.0 version of Solasta (we've got to make sure we wrap up the main campaign properly first). There are tons of things we want to add later - quest systems, dialogs, merchants, more environments... Make sure you tell us what you'd like to see first! 

• Increased max level cap from level 6 to level 8. MORE POWER!
• Adjusted Sorak Skirmishers, Sorak Warriors and Sorak Saboteurs stats to further differentiate them. Read more about it here.
• IMPORTANT: A mistake snuck in at the last moment and Sorak Saboteurs have incorrectly been granted the power to Sneak Attack (2d6), which can make them extremely dangerous in combination with their Doom Laughter Power. This change wasn't intended, so if Soraks feel even harder than before don't worry it's (unfortunately) normal for now. 
• The Major Teleportation Gates are now fully functional! Cobbler found at local tavern lamenting the loss of their best customers. 
• The following spells have been added: Animal Friendship (Green Mage), Entangle (Green Mage), Giant Insect (Green Mage), Freedom of Movement, Wind Wall, Banishment, Black Tentacles, Blight, Conjure Minor Elementals, Death Ward, Dimension Door, Fire Shield, Greater Invisibility, Ice Storm, Identify Creatures, Phantasmal Killer, Stoneskin, Wall of Fire.
• The following feats have been added: Ambidextrous, Discretion of Coedymwarth, Eager for Battle, Follow Up Strike, Hauler (reworked), Might of the Iron Legion (reworked), Powerful Cantrip (reworked), Raise Shield, Rush to Battle, Sturdiness of the Tundra, Take Aim, Twin Blade, Uncanny Accuracy (reworked)
• Note: For Raise Shield and Twin Blade, keep in mind that the reaction pop-up only appears if the +3 AC boost can prevent you from being hit - so don't be surprised if you don't get a reaction trigger if you have 15 AC and the enemy rolls a 19.

• Preserve Random Seed has been turned off by default. If you're wondering what that does, we talked about it in detail in a previous article. Long story short, parallel worlds and time travel. El Psy Congroo. 
• Removed one enemy from the first Sorak encounter in Caer Lem Caves. Poor non-tabletop players usually spend all their resources on Goblins and Flying Snakes before getting there, making them easy pickings for the Soraks. 
• Removed one enemy from the Crown Room encounter in Tower of Magic. 4 vs 7 at level 3 was a little too brutal considering most Soraks are CR 1, even after a long rest.
• Fixed Fly not allowing players to reach treasure chests in some areas. 
• Character Proficiency screen should now correctly display bonuses to ability checks
• Hovering items in the Crafting Screen will now display a tooltip. Because knowing what you're about to craft is somewhat important, I'd say.
• Made HP values easier to read on the initiative bar.
• Oil of Sharpness can no longer be applied during combat, as it takes one minute to do so.
• Attempting to cast a concentration spell from a scroll while already concentrating on a spell will now correctly display a warning message.
• Items are no longer automatically equipped when transferred between characters.
• Monsters will now respect the spellcasting rules just like adventurers, they've been barred from casting two spells and are now correctly restricted to spell + cantrip when using their bonus action. 
• Large monsters such as Giant Spiders should no longer be able to attack much higher than their model would suggest.
• Save Files should now be smaller in size
• Spellcasters should now be able to use scrolls directly from their inventory during combat
• Feared characters will now run a bit less far so you don't have to spend multiple turns chasing after their fleeing butt
• Adjusted Minotaur AI so it's a little more agressive, its axe has your name on it.
• Refined AI spell usage to avoid spellcasters automatically unleashing all their most powerful spells at the start of the fight
• Game Over screen when caught during stealth tutorial will now correctly tell you that you got spotted instead of telling you that you died (although let's be honest, you very likely died as a result of getting spotted anyway). 
• Added Steamworks and GOG Galaxy Integration - note that Steam Workshop hasn't been implemented yet, we'll try to get that done for the full 1.0 release. 
• Added new visuals on the World Map
• Added clouds and stars in open levels' skybox for better lighting
• Improved the lighting in the tavern cutscenes.
• Arrows & Bolts which hit their their target now have a 50% chance to be recoverable after the fight on their body
• Optimized performance in all areas
• Added a message informing players to lower their graphic settings if the game crashed due to running out of resources
• Monsters now visually swap weapons when attacking from melee / range. Gone are the days where you got whacked for 1d6 slashing damage with a bow by a Goblin. 
• Characters should now move more smoothly on the grid and stack less on top of each other
• Improved visuals in the Bestiary
• Added Brightness / Contrast calibration screen when starting the game for the first time
• Belt of Dwarvenkind now has a chance to add a beard to characters who attune to it
• Characters now only turn towards their attacker if they get hit with a melee attack that they can see
• Ranged weapon attacks which miss now properly... well... miss the target. Instead of the target going all Matrix style and dodging the arrow. 
• Improved shading on haircuts and beards
• Allied NPCs behind walls now have the proper color to differentiate them from enemies. 
• Characters now properly orient towards their target with ranged and thrown weapons. 
• Solasta should now be less power intensive when minimized 
• Added some new crafting recipe and spell scrolls
• Bestiary now includes monsters' passive abilities (like Child of Darkness)
• Made many adjustments to loot tables, chests and merchants
• Added many different poisons
• Added loot to poor ol' Adam that players do so love to kill in Dark Castle
• Added smithing tools to craft bolts and arrows
• Beefed up Razan to make him stronger than Aksha
• Defiler's "Darkness" have been replaced by "Dark Veil"

• Fixed Defilers draining maximum HP on non-necrotic damage inflicted. Life drain is already tough enough as it is. 
• Haste should now correctly inflict lethargy when the spell ends, hopefully after the fight is over or you're about to have a very bad time. 
• It is no longer possible to ready a cantrip if you shouldn't be able to cast it due to component restrictions (Vocal, Somatic, Material)
• Fixed additional enemies sometimes not joining combat correctly and just sitting there staring at you. Bystander effect, everyone.
• Arcane Fury should now apply extra damage to the first Magic Missile projectile only. First one asking us to buff Magic Missile gets to meet the Adamantium Hammer of Bans +3. 
• Scroll of Raise Dead can no longer be used in combat. The spell takes one entire hour to cast for heaven's sake, did everyone just go take a nap?
• Fixed some monsters in the bestiary not appearing correctly
• Creatures protected by Aura of Devotion (Paladin) are now correctly immune to Hypnotic Pattern (saving throws are still rolled, but they won't be affected even if they fail)
• Fixed the description of Mark of Fate (Oblivion Domain), which isn't supposed to be re-targatable
• Fixed Flawless Concentration allowing the spellcaster to ignore concentration rolls even when taking more than 10 damage (cheater).
• Fixed a rare case where re-ordering the inventory would freeze the game for a short amount of time
• Undead and Constructs are now correctly immune to Blight
• The game will now correctly select the most suitable character to interact with traps instead of sending the leader of the party every time, even if the party hates their leader.
• Fixed Spirit Guardians dealing damage equal to the previous AoE spell cast, which effectively turned the Cleric into a walking Fireball
• Somatic Component setting no longer prevents casting when restrained, as per RAW (Rule As Written). 
• Life Domain Blessed Healer Feature no longer triggers if the Cleric only heals themself like the selfish doodoohead they are. Yea that's right, heal me earlier next time! 
• Fixed Might of the Iron Legion Feat not working properly. 
• Lockbreaker Feat now correctly grants expertise if the character was already proficient with Thieves Tools
• Greenmage Magic Arrow Feature no longer trigger on Firebolt
• Ghoul's Paralysis is now correctly removed after a successful saving throw. That was pretty annoying.
• Paladins and Rangers can now use scrolls again. They took some reading lessons and all is well now
• Fixed a rare instance where unconscious characters would refuse to get up after getting healed once outside combat. Lazybones. 
• Fixed Lay on Hands being able to use more points than the maximum HP of the target, effectively wasting some resources.
• Fixed some sound issues that occured when Spiritual Weapon is out on the field
• Fixed some instances where monsters would refuse to act and instead spend their turn goofing around
• Fixed AoE looting not working properly when a character was directly on top of a loot bag. We saw you dude, don't try to steal from the party. 
• Fixed a rare instance where the entire screen could turn black if you paused the game right before the camera teleported
• Players are no longer able to pause the game during a fade to black screen, to avoid them from believing they're stuck in a black screen (since they paused the game at the wrong time)
• Fixed being able to run through doors if you clicked behind them before they closed
• Fixed some clothes & haircuts being able to stretch infinitely in some rare instances. As it was destroying the law of physics we had to put an end to that.
• Fixed some sound issues that would occur when controlling a proxy spell (such as Flaming Sphere)
• Fixed some armor parts sometimes turning invisible during certain cutscenes
• Fixed a rare case where characters would spawn twice when reloading a save (doppelgängers have been thoroughly exterminated) 
• Made particles spawn / despawn properly when a character is invisible
• Fixed some NPCs having the wrong skin color
• Caer Cyflen citizens no longer appear through the fog of war
• Fixed time stopping when someone would strike the Minotaur with a ready action during its charge
• Fixed 3d feedback being able to "detect" invisible creatures
• Fixed clothes popping in between camera cuts during cutscenes
• Particles now fade out properly instead of popping out of existence
• Fixed flying characters animation sometimes bugging out
• Fixed a rare crash when you try to fast travel with an unconscious character
• Fixed character's hair popping out of the Plate Armor +1 helmet
• Fixed being able to trigger a certain cutscene after completing the puzzle, which made no sense at all
• Fixed being able to return to the Master's Room by using Misty Step after exiting it. Seriously there's nothing left for you to do there, just be kind and leave the place alright?
• Fixed some props not properly blocking line of sight in the caravan encounter
• Fixed a certain fight not triggering properly if Kythaela was sent alone. Shame on you if you used the NPC to scout for you. 
• Fixed the resting area not appearing on the map outside the Wizard Tower
• Fixed a certain stone in Coparann's basement not being clickable 
• Fixed one particular door in Dark Castle being stuck closed under certain conditions
• Fixed a quest marker incorrectly pointing towards the tavern after returning from Tower of Magic, instead of guiding you to the Council. Regardless, we all know where the party wants to go first.
• Fixed the dialogue repeating itself in the cutscene when returning to Caer Cyflen from Tower of Magic with the crown. 
• Angbi's Bones should finally be removed after the quest is complete - if not, you'll now be able to remove them from your inventory. 
• Fixed some backer submitted names not appearing properly in the Character Creator name pool
• Fixed being able to talk to Aksha while in stealth to "surprise" her when the fight starts. Yea no, the DM is going to call bullshit on that move. 

• In some rare occasions, confirmation pop-ups may no longer appear - meaning you'll be stuck in a location, since you won't get a confirmation message asking you if you want to leave the area when stepping on Exit Areas or when interacting with a door. To fix it, quit the game completely and relaunch it (simply loading a save doesn't fix it)
• After talking to the Council on your return from Wizard's Tower, you must go to the residence immediately. If you don't (for instance, you long rest at the tavern before going to the residence), you will be stuck inside the residence and won't be able to leave, effectively ending your run. To fix it, load a previous save and go directly to the residence after talking to the council. 
• In the Lawkeeper Background Quest, clicking "No" when asked to travel to the sewers will permanently block you from accessing the sewers, thus blocking the quest. To fix it, reload a previous save. 
• In Tower of Magic, if you do the "Research the Crown" side quest before the "Magister's Amulet" side quest, the puzzle of "Magister's Amulet" side quest won't work. To fix it, simply leave Tower of Magic and return there later.
• If you click end turn exactly when "Victory" appears, you will trigger a game over. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. But I did find that funny when QA told me about it. 
• Do not go to back to "Caravan" on the World Map if you don't have "The Collector" side quest active - without that side quest in your journal you will be stuck once you arrive there. 
• In Tower of Magic, the "Magister's Amulet" side quest will spawn 2 elementals very far from you which unfortunately won't do anything so you'll have to hunt them down by running to them. Which is very tedious and we totally hate it too, so don't worry it's not intended.
• Characters are able to walk in the air in certain places in the broken fort in Caer Lem.
• Monsters may also sometimes decide to run back and forth instead of attacking a character. Which is of course not intended, as all monsters are ordered to violently maul any adventurer they encounter by their DM overlord. 
• In the Dungeon Maker, the "Mood" parameter isn't saved properly and will always revert to "Crypt". 
• Paladins can't use scroll of Raise Dead
• Characters who drop to 0 max HP due to Defilers' Vampiric Touch can't be resurrected, forcing a game over.
• Scroll of Freedom of Movement casts Fire Shield instead
• Amulet of Health currently doesn't require attunement (it should)
• Poisonous Bolt recipes are missing their correct name
• Captain Verissa Ironshell is missing lip sync
• Warhammer +1 currently requires attunement (it shouldn't)
• Rolling 20 on a death saving throw skips the character's turn instead of letting them play
• Reading a recipe book when you already know the recipe still consumes the book

Aside from hotfixes, we've got our sight now locked onto the final 1.0 release. Keep an eye out for more information about our official launch date!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hey there folks,

We know you're eager to have a go at Solasta's Spring Update, so we're just going to come clean with the date. You'll be able to enjoy everything we've been talking about the last few weeks on Thursday March 25th - including the brand new Dungeon Maker. Alright, now for more information about this upcoming patch...


Home office perk: Warming your lap with cats. Provides heating and relaxation!

As per usual, we'll be hosting a stream on Twitch to accompany the update. Join us on the day before the patch, Wednesday March 24th, at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 5 pm CET to discover the new content at our side and ask us any question you can think of! The participants this time will be Mathieu, Creative Director, Xavier, Gameplay Director, Pierre, Marketing Director and myself Emile, Community Lead. Make sure to follow us on Twitch so that you don't miss the stream!


We'll mostly be playing around with the Dungeon Maker and show a few sidequests, then we'll be taking requests!

As stated in the previous update, we want to remind everyone that save files will become incompatible with the Spring Update, so you'll have to start fresh! For those who want to finish their current run, we will put the previous version of the game (January Update) on a separate Steam branch so that you can keep playing if you want to.

In this Spring Update, we'll be solidifying and enlarging the foundations of the house rather than building a new floor. For those who aren't used to having bards or pompous wizards in their party, that meant we won't be adding new quests to the main campaign in this update, to avoid spoiling too much of the story before the release of the full game. 

... Well, truth be told we are adding a bit more to the main campaign: you'll now be able to come back from the Wizard's Tower and talk to the Council at Caer Cyflen, after which if you try to continue the main storyline you'll meet the End of Early Access message. But this time, it won't send you to the main menu - you'll be free to explore the world and take on side quests! Indeed, you will no longer be limited to the main story quests, with the addition of 8 backgrounds quests which will give you a little more insight about the past of your party members, depending on the backgrounds you picked during Character Creation. Those quests are fully fleshed out with dialogs and new locations, and will be available at different times.


The Aristocrat Quest will drag you into a little conflict about inheritance, but not everyone will play fair...

• Acolyte: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from the Wizard's Tower, provided the party picked up Emtan's Journal when visiting the ruined Monastery
• Aristocrat: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from the Wizard's Tower
• Academic: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from Tower of Magic
• Lawkeeper: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from the Wizard's Tower
• Lowlife: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from Caer Lem
• Philosopher: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from the Wizard's Tower
• Sellsword: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from the Wizard's Tower
• Spy: Unlocks after talking to the council once back from the Wizard's Tower

The Lowlife Quest will make use of your former connections to find something that was stolen, though you might run into a bit of trouble too...

Note that the background quests are not equal in difficulty (some unlock much earlier than others) - and may be challenging if tackled immediately when unlocked! We still need to polish the difficulty there, so we're looking forward to your feedback on these newly added background quests. Also, for those who may not remember the Wizard's Tower is the location that previously marked the end of the Early Access.

The Background Quests isn't the only thing that will make you squeeze more hours out of Solasta (well, aside from the Dungeon Maker and the custom dungeons people will be making). We now have an Adventuring Board where you can take a break from saving the world and get to help the local populace! These small quests will encourage you to go back to previously visited locations and will feature new encounters. Now don't worry - while these quests will help you get some more experience and items, you can absolutely focus on the main campaign and forget about them if that's not your thing. 


I get to slay more monsters AND I get paid for it? I love this job.


Caer Lem after the outpost has been re-established and (tentatively) repared

Are you scared that all of these changes we previously talked about will be making the game too easy? My oh my, don't be. First of all, remember that we're adding difficulty settings in this update  - meaning that if you find the game too simple, don't hesitate to crank up a few notches. 


You can find Difficulty Settings in the "Game" Tab when changing the settings

Second, keep in mind we still need to do a final balance pass before the full release of the game - so some encounters that you consider too easy or too hard may very well be different when 1.0 hits the store, nothing is set in stone. While some fights may be easy on purpose (for story reasons or simply because we know the next long rest is still quite far away), some simply haven't been revisited yet by the design team.  

Third... Some bosses will now have access to legendary actions. For those who may not be familiar with the tabletop ruleset, some powerful creatures have access to legendary actions which allow them to act outside of their turn - usually right after a party member acts. In the Early Access, the two bosses with legendary actions are Aksha and Razvan - you will need to tackle these fights with care or you'll regret it!


Aksha using a Legendary Action to cast Dark Veil outside her own turn

Remember that you can change the different difficulty sliders (not just the preset) at any time, even during combat. If an encounter is particularly tough, don't hesitate to tune down a few difficulty options and revert them to normal after the fight is over. Note: Currently all the settings, including difficulty ones as you can change them at any time, are saved game-wide. This means if you set your game difficulty to "Scavenger" and load a save, you will still be in "Scavenger" difficulty regardless of what the difficulty setting was when you made that save. 


You can change a whole lot of things, including attack modifiers if you feel like it's too hard to hit your foes

In this update, we have decided to turn "Preserve Random Seed" off by default when launching Solasta for the first time (it used to be on by default). Too many players were unaware of this being an option and were struggling in some encounters where they had a really rough start, making them think the RNG gods were dancing on their grave by forcing them to roll poorly. 

For some who may not understand what "Preserve Random Seed" did, think of it like time travel. When activated, you stay in the same timeline: If you look through the window and see a bird landing on a branch, then go back in time and look through the window again, you'll see the same bird landing on that same branch at the same moment. However when deactivated, you go into a different timeline every time you load - whenever you'll look through the window, the bird may not land on the same branch, it may be a different bird, or there might be no bird whatsoever. To go back to Solasta: with "Preserve Random Seed" on, if you roll 5 on your attack roll and reload, you'll roll 5 again on that same attack every time (the timeline remains the same). With "Preserve Random Seed" off, you may roll a 12 after reloading, or 18, or 2, or even 5 again.


This is where you can find Preserve Random Seed in the option menu

This means before the patch, some unlucky players ended up with terrible rolls on their first round and had one character die straight away, making them reload and... see the same things happening again. Now with the option off by default, this will no longer be the case. You might wonder, why was it on by default in the first place? Well, almost all tacticals - such as XCOM, or Final Fantasy Tactics - preserve random seed. There are multiple of reasons why. For instance, it encourages players to not reload every time they have a bad roll (since the player knows they can't get out of it), saving time in the long run and making them play with the consequences of their action. It also encourages the player to change their approach instead of brute forcing the save/reload option for better rolls - if a frontal confrontation doesn't work out, maybe it's time to use the dodge action on that frontline fighter and not just keep pressing that attack button, or cast Shield of Faith for more AC instead of Guiding Bolt for more damage. 

That being said, we also understand that most RPGs don't have the issues it brings up - and Solasta is a Tactical RPG, not just a tactical, which is why we've decided to turn that option off by default. We invite everyone to give your feedback on that decision, as our hearts still waver between the two options for the full release - both having strong arguments for and against. Note that "Preserve Random Seed" will always be available in the game settings, we're just talking about the default setting of that option. 

As usual when we release a large patch, it will be full of bug fixes! Things like Rangers and Paladins not being able to use scrolls, fear and paralysis not allowing you to roll a saving throw at the end of each turn or the game sending the cleric instead of the rogue to disarm traps should now hopefully be a thing of the past. Clear the way old bugs, and make way for new bugs that the Spring Update will bring - hopefully smaller and less annoying ones though. 

Some of you may have noticed a lone hidden achievement popping up a few weeks ago on Solasta. That was us testing around to make sure the system was working properly (unfortunately, Steam achievements can only be tested live). Now, you can probably imagine what's coming next!


We're still missing the icons for now, but don't worry everything will be ready by the time we release the full game!

Achievements, that's what! Yes that was quite obvious, I know. The entire list of achievements will be coming to Steam and GOG in the Spring Update, although they are still being worked on - the icons and localization are still missing for now, though they are still 100% functional (meaning you can unlock them normally). Note that not all achievements can be... well... achieved, due to the fact that some require you to complete quests that are not available in the Early Access version of Solasta, so you'll have to wait until the full launch to get these ones. Regardless, have fun hunting them down!

Solasta will be discounted when the Spring Update hits the store on March 25th until March 31st, after which the price of the game will increase from $35 to $40 in anticipation of the 1.0 release. This is due to the fact that Steam prevents games from discounting within 30 days of a price increase, so we unfortunately cannot increase the price when 1.0 gets released while also having a launch discount. So if you want to jump in Solasta at Early Access price, make sure you don't miss the Spring Update sales!

Alright folks, this is the end for today! See you on March 25th - or 24th if you're joining our Dev Stream. Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

Read our previous articles here:

• Spring Update, coming soon! What's in it?
• Dungeon Maker Showcase - Create your own Dungeons!
• Cracking Open The Difficulty Settings

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hey hey hey,

Now that the Dungeon Maker has been revealed, it's time for more good news. We will be releasing a Spring Update soon - in a matter of weeks! Exciting news isn't it, now stay with me for a bit longer to read about the upcoming content that you'll be able to enjoy... At least some of it! You'll have to come back next week for a date and the rest of the exciting changes we'll be bringing to Solasta now that Winter is over!


As you can see here, the entire Tactical Adventures team is hard at work to bring you the Spring Update

Unfortunately as you may well remember, we've always said that there might be a point during Early Access where save files become incompatible with a new update... And this will be the case for the Spring Update. As we revamped many systems in the background, we had to break things to move forward.

Now the good thing is, this should be the only time it happens before the 1.0 launch - and on top of that, load times are now significantly faster. Also, we're adding a lot of side content in this new update, so restarting a fresh run will give a new experience where you don't have to run after the main quest! 

For those who want to finish their current run, we will put the previous version of the game (January Update) on a separate Steam branch so that you can keep playing if you want to.

Many of you have been asking when you would be able to try out the Dungeon Maker - well, wonder no more! The Dungeon Maker will be included in the Spring Update, and will be directly accessible from the in-game main menu. Keep in mind that we're working on the Dungeon Maker and that it will still be in beta when Solasta 1.0 launches, as we're still prioritizing the main campaign above all!




Here's a screenshot of the updated Dungeon Maker UI, which will be available in the upcoming update

As a reminder, you can read more about the Dungeon Maker in our previous article, which goes over several questions regarding the tool. Our interview with Wccftech is also a good source of information as it is fairly lengthy and detailed! 

An important feedback we received from players was that most of our feats were just too passive - a flat bonus here and there, but nothing that would really change how you would play a character. So we went back to the drawing board to bring a new set of feats (as well as adjusting some existing ones)!

• Ambidextrous: +1 DEX, allows for dual-wielding with non-light 1 handed weapons
• Discretion of Coedymwarth: +1 DEX, grants proficiency with Light Armor, Shortsword, Shortbow and Longbow
• Eager for Battle: +1 DEX, grants advantage on initiative rolls
• Follow Up Strike: When attacking with a two-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to deal an additional 1d4 + STR bonus damage of the same type
• Hauler: +1 STR, now doubles your carrying capacity (rather than increasing it by a flat 40 lbs)
• Might of the Iron Legion: Now requires proficiency with Medium Armor
• Powerful Cantrip: Now works with every cantrip that deals damage, not only ones with saving throws
• Raise Shield: When you are about to get hit by a ranged attack while wielding a shield, you can use your reaction to gain +3 AC until the end of the attacker's turn
• Rush to Battle: You can use your bonus action to increase your movement speed by 15', but you suffer -2 AC until the start of your next turn
• Sturdiness of the Tundra: +1 CON, grants proficiency with Medium Armor, Warhammer, Light Crossbow and Heavy Crossbow
• Take Aim: You can use your bonus action to negate all advantages and disadvantages on your ranged weapon attacks until the end of your turn
• Twin Blade: When you are about to get hit by a melee attack while dual-wielding (2 weapons), you can use your reaction to gain +3 AC until the end of the attacker's turn
• Uncanny Accuracy: Now works with all ranged attacks (including spells)

Longsword in one hand, Rapier in the other. With Ambidextrous, those d6 are turning into d8!

Our goal here was twofold - to give martial classes more options to use their bonus action and reaction, and to differentiate weapons playstyle. Dual wielders now have access to Ambidextrous and Twin Blade to increase both their offensive and defensive options, Two-handers can now dish out even more punishment with Follow-Up Strike, Shield users can now use their shield to greater effect against ranged attacks with Raise Shield, and every melee combattant benefits from Rush to Battle to catch up to pesky ranged opponents. Ranged characters can now also have a decent shot no matter the circumstances with Take Aim, and even spellcasters are receiving some love with buffs to Powerful Cantrip and Uncanny Accuracy.

While not everything might be perfectly balanced in these new options, we hope you'll give us plenty of feedback to finetune them - and most of all, we hope you'll have fun with them!


With Follow-Up Strike you get to smash things more often, which in my book is always a win.

The Spring Update will also increase the level cap from 6 to 8, which will unlock the following:

• Every Class: An additional feat or ASI (Ability Score Improvement) at level 8
• Clerics: Level 4 spells & Level 8 Divine Domaine Feature (Note: Destroy Undead hasn't been implemented yet)
• Fighters: Level 7 Martial Archetype Feature
• Paladins: Level 7 Sacred Oath Feature
• Rangers: Level 7 Ranger Archetype Feature
• Rogue: Evasion
• Wizards: Level 4 Spells 

Here's a little level 5 Wall of Flame to warm up the room! (warning: friendly fire may occur)

Throughout the Winter Update we've seen a lot of players struggle against Soraks - and while our reptilian foes are supposed to be challenging, we don't want them to become frustrating either. There are two particular difficulty spikes early on that we identified: one being the first time you face a Sorak party when trying to escape Caer Lem (in front of the firecamp), and two being when you fight a large group of them after the library in the Tower of Magic. 

• In the first case, it mostly comes from the fact that the party had no access to long rest since the moment they arrived to Caer Lem. While more experience tabletop players know to conserve their resources, it's not exactly obvious for most players... Meaning quite a few parties had to face those Soraks with most if not all of their spell slots and class features expended already. This made for a tough fight, especially since it's due to choices made much earlier - so reloading at the start of the fight wouldn't really solve the difficulty spike. 
• In the second case, it's more due to how action economy works at low level. At this stage of the game players have very little access to spells or features that can deal with multiple foes at once, so it's a simple case of being overrun by too many monsters - even if the monsters were weak (which is not the case here).

To make things a little more fair, we've removed one Sorak from both of these encounters to start with. Originally we expected the "surprise round" in these encounters to have a greater impact in leveling the playing field, but at the end of the day those fights were still a little too tough. Note that if you find these fights too easy as a result, you can always pump up the challenge by tweaking the difficulty settings that will be added in the Spring Update. 


This encounter which previously featured 3 Warriors and 3 Saboteurs (6) is now 2 Warriors, 2 Saboteurs and 1 Skirmisher (5)

There are many other encounters that we will tweak before launch, and not always to make them easier (for instance some of the later boss fights are a little too simple). However, most won't be included in the Spring Update as we want to prioritize finishing the entire campaign before polishing the rough edges. We've also seen some more experienced tabletop players talking about encounter balance using CR. This is definitely something we're keeping an eye on, but keep in mind that fights play out very differently on Tabletop and in a video game. This is why even though some encounters may be considered deadly when checking a CR encounter calculator, they seem very manageable in Solasta - monster AI, unlike human Dungeon Masters, don't adapt very well on the fly, and they can be far more predictable.

Another issue in general with the Soraks is that their stat bloc didn't mesh well with their intended CR level. This is partially because we originally designed the Soraks as if they were a playable race with class levels and such - which is a little bit of an older mindset dating back to the 3rd edition. Consequently, Soraks had similar traits to low level adventurers, with relatively low HP but high defensive capabilities (both AC and Saving Throws) - which were further boosted by the Child of Darkness buff when not under bright light conditions.

That brought up two major issues:

• The first one is fairly obvious. Higher AC and Saving Throws mean players would miss more often, generating a lot of frustration for them. 
• The second is more pernicious: Lower HP means that if a fight went well, it felt very easy because Soraks would just die in a few hits - creating a confirmation bias that nothing needed to be changed for those who rolled well during the encounter. 

So once again, back to the drawing board we went - this time taking more time in comparing them with 5e monsters of similar CR. As a result, we further fleshed out our different Sorak archetypes to give them more specific roles. Note that these won't necessarily make them easier to face - some may even end up deadlier than before!


You won't be confusing them with each other anymore! Read below for more explanation on what changed

Sorak Skirmisher: The Skirmisher was a little too dangerous for its CR (1/2), especially since it was difficult to catch with its Shadow Escape power and the fact that it hid behind its beefier friends. As a consequence, we slightly lowered its AC, Dexterity Saving Throw, Attack Bonus and Damage Bonus, and its poison now deals 1d4 instead of 1d6. Its role remains to stay far and chip away the party's HP.

Sorak Warrior: Up until now, the Warrior felt like a bigger Skirmisher with very similar stats and slightly higher HP. To differentiate it from its ranged counterpart, the Sorak Warrior is now a big beefcake, with significantly more HP but less AC and a significantly weaker ranged attack (no poison). Its role is reinforced into blocking the party from reaching more juicy targets behind it, but itself will be a little less dangerous than before. 

Sorak Saboteur: The Saboteur remains in its role of mobile melee damage dealer, with a nerf to their Dexterity Save which used to go through the roof and a little less poison damage (d4 instead d6) on their bite attack. It already had a fairly defined role compared to the two previous archetypes, as it trades its ranged attack with mobility, Doom Laughter and Call of the Night.


Child of Darkness buff now scales, making it less of a headache to deal with at lower levels

Most importantly we've made adjustments to the Child of Darkness buff, which now scales with the type of Sorak. Low CR Soraks like the Skirmisher, Warrior and Saboteur will receive a smaller buff overall (+1 instead of +2), and only when in Darkness (not in Dim Light) - while higher CR Soraks like the Acolyte will get a small buff in Dim Light, but a larger one in Darkness. Get your torches out folks! 

All in all these changes should make fights against Soraks not necessarily much easier, but at least a little less RNG dependent. We invite you to give feedback once the Spring Update comes out to help us further fine tune them!

Ohhh plenty more, but you'll have to come back next week to know! Can't have everything be spoiled straight away :D

Alright folks, this is the end for today! Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

Read our previous articles here:

• Dungeon Maker Showcase - Create your own Dungeons!
• Cracking Open The Difficulty Settings
• Dev Diary #28 - Side Quests, Monsters and... Digging?

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hey there folks,

You wanted it, we wanted it - modding tools to create your very own adventures in Solasta. We didn't make any promises back during our Kickstarter as we weren't sure we'd be able to make it before launch... But today we're happy to announce the Dungeon Maker - a map editor that will be accessible in-game to each and everyone of you! And we're not just making promises with a few screenshots here - here's a full video to show you what the Dungeon Maker is, and how it works!


Will the Dungeon Maker be fully complete when Solasta 1.0 launches?
No, the Dungeon Maker will be in a beta state for quite some time - even after the 1.0 launch of Solasta. In order to have a playable version of the Dungeon Maker and avoid putting the main game at risk, we've decided to start small and add features as we go (rather than being too ambitious from the start).

What are the current features of the Dungeon Maker?

• Freely create dungeon layouts using a selection of preset rooms
• Link multiple maps together to create larger dungeons
• One environment available for now, the Necropolis, with its set of environmental props to decorate your dungeon
• Almost all monsters and items from Solasta: Crown of the Magister main campaign to create your encounters and loot
• A selection of traps (just a few for now) to punish greedy adventurers
• Easy to share online, it's a simple .json file in a folder. We plan to add Steam Workshop later on so it becomes even easier to share.

What are the future features planned for the Dungeon Maker?
Provided we see people using the Dungeon Maker, we plan to add a Quest system, Merchants and other environments. After that... time will tell!

Can I import my own monsters / items in the Dungeon Maker?
No, at least not using the official Dungeon Maker tool on its own. That being said, it might become possible through the use of other community-created mods, as some have already started to create new classes and archetypes - so new items / monsters may not be an impossibility in the long run!

Where can I share my creation / download other people's Dungeon Maker maps?
 While Solasta will eventually be on Steam Workshop later, in the meantime you could always take a look at Nexusmod - where you can already find mods from community members adding new feats, archetypes and other creative ideas! Note that we (Tactical Adventures) do not guarantee anything when it comes to user created mods - some may not work at all.

When will the Dungeon Maker be available?
Soon! That's all we can tell you for now :D

Many of you Kickstarter Backers have been asking about the progress of our physical goods. We're happy to announce that we've finished working on the digital version of the Adventure Book - a short adventure included in the Adventure Box - and will be moving onto completing the Adventure Box next, before starting the layout of the main Solasta Setting Sourcebook (which currently sports a meaty 180 pages!)


This short adventure will take your party from level 1 to level 4 by diving deep into the Ruins of Carillach Gar!


The Adventure Book should contain everything to help new DMs run their adventure without additional material

Alright folks, this is the end for today! Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

Read our previous articles here:

• Cracking Open The Difficulty Settings
• Dev Diary #28 - Side Quests, Monsters and... Digging?
• Kickstarter Rewards - February Update

Article by Tactical Myzzrym