Hello everyone!

Today Stoneshard celebrates its first anniversary: it’s been exactly a year since the game was released into Early Access! By an amazing coincidence, the Black Boar tavern’s anniversary shares the same date - to honor this remarkable event, Brukk the Innkeeper decided to decorate his establishment. During this month his guests will also be gifted a free pie, baked by a special recipe. Make sure to launch the game to participate in the festivities!

Now back to our plans. Over the last year the game saw noticeable improvements: there were four major updates and a content patch, as well as an innumerable amount of hotfixes and smaller updates. We still have a long road ahead of us, something we will talk about today.

Right now we’re working on the “City of Gold” update, the largest one yet. It’s meant to significantly expand the global map, add basic caravan mechanics, the first major city, new biomes, new points of interest, random encounters, and also a number of currently unannounced, but very important features. As you can see, this is a lot of content, so “City of Gold” will be released approximately in Q2 2021.

Most new systems are still being prototyped, so it will be a while before the devlogs on them are published. While we’re working on the technical side of the global map, have a look at this concept art and teasers for the upcoming content:







As we implement the city of Brynn, we also plan to expand the game’s lore. There’ll likely be a few devlogs dedicated to it as well.

That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!


- The Black Boar tavern was decorated in celebration of the anniversary.
- You can now get a free pie from Brukk.
- Changed the troll rewards:

• Increased the gold reward up to 10 000 crowns.
  
• Most item rewards were changed: Weber will now give more expensive and higher level items.
  
• Added an option to ask for a crossbow, a spear, a two-handed axe, or a two-handed mace.

-Increased the loot quality in secret room containers. Some of them are now guaranteed to have unique items.
- Vases as well as both common and wealthy sarcophaguses now contain less valuable loot.
- Temporarily removed unpopular or useless effects (such as resistances to rare damage types) from the list of possible enchantments.
- Changed the power of some enchantment effects:

• Bleed Chance, Damage Reflection: +5% > +7.5%
  
• Fire, Unholy, Move, Control, and Bleed Resistances: +5% > +10%
  
• Armor Damage: +25% > +33%
  
• Crit Efficiency: +20% > +25%
  
• Spells and Skills Energy Costs, Cooldowns Duration: -10% > -7.5%

- With certain exceptions, equipment higher than level 10 can no longer be found in graves. Drop rates for the rest of the valuable loot were increased.
- [Counterattack Mastery] No longer grants Off-Hand Efficiency if the main hand holds a shield.
- Decreased the base level range for the equipment sold by merchants.
- Fixed the Skeleton Crossbowman, which was technically armed with a bow.
- Defensive Stance now works as described.
- Skinning a dog now yields a pelt of the correct color.
- Fixed the bug preventing unlocked skills from being saved.
- Fixed the bug with the Sigil of Darkness disappearing prematurely.
- Fixed animals not displaying a visual indicator when entering a territorial state after being shot at.

• Fixed enemies opening quest doors.
  
• Fixed an issue in the algorithm for alarm accumulation from noise (enemies no longer react to it as fast as they used to).
  
• Multiple changes to some enemy abilities’ usage algorithms.
  
• Fixed Daze Chance from “Earthquake” not taking Control Resistance into account.
  
• Fixed “Elusiveness” not working against enemy skills.
  
• Fixed the Experience exploit with disarming claw traps.
  
• Fixed AoE zones applying their effects to the Troll multiple times per turn.
  
• Fixed the incorrect information on associated Attributes in new stances’ descriptions.
  
• Fixed Injuries persisting after sleeping even if body parts are not damaged.
  
• Fixed the Troll being able to attack while being affected by both Burning and Regeneration.
  
• Fixed “Right on Target” not working with new skill trees’ abilities.
  
• Fixed “Danse Macabre” not reducing enemies’ stats.
  
• Fixed “Coup de Grace” dealing incorrect damage.
  
• “Tormenting Swings” now only triggers on critical hits, as stated in its description.
  
• Fixed the incorrect base value of Armor Penetration (was -5% instead of 0%).
  
• Fixed certain stats being calculated incorrectly while dual wielding.
  
• Fixed the inability of switching to another Tactic while low on Energy.
  
• Fixed the log message for enemies disarming traps.
  
• Fixed the log message for gathering berries.
  
• The effects of “Stagger” are now twice as weak. Its maximum duration is now 1 turn.
  
• Shouting now generates less noise.
  
• Reduced some of the Troll’s resistances and Knockback Chance, increased its Health.
  
• Increased the chance of disarming claw traps.
  
• The Restless and Ghasts now have 100% Bleed Resistance.
  
• Reduced damage from weapon throwing by 25%.
  
• Enemy archers now drop their melee weapons on death.
  
• Added Ranged Weapons treatises to Unar the Scribe’s stock.
  
• Throwing now generates less noise.
  
• Landing an arrow near enemies now raises their alarm level.
  
• Resurrected enemies can no longer be seen through the fog of war.
  
• Enemies can now also miss when using “Fire Barrage”.
  
• Enemies can no longer retreat while Immobilized.
  
• Wraiths now become aggressive on the same turn as they appear from their sarcophagus.
  
• Enemies will no longer cast “Sacrificial Blood” on themselves.
  
• Using medical consumables now stops the character’s movement.
  
• Fixed the Beastslayer’s corpse sprite being displayed incorrectly.
  
• Fixed grip visuals for some axes.
  
• Numerous visual fixes.
  
• Numerous text fixes.

- The character no longer gets wet in the rain if staying under a tree.
- Fixed the duration of “Defensive Tactic”.
- Fixed “Mighty Kick” not applying Stagger when failing to knock its target back.
- Fixed crashes caused by throwing certain items.
- Fixed “Taking Aim” not working with crossbows.
- Reputation bonuses which increase traders’ stock no longer apply to the trapper and the scribe.
- Removed an excess folder in the trapper’s trade menu.
- Fixed the crash caused by dying to an unsuccessfully disarmed trap.
- “Blow After Blow” no longer triggers from destroying props.
- Fixed enemies spawning outside of the Abbey’s walls.
- Changed the on-hit algorithm: Fumble Chance is now given a priority over Crit Chance.
- “Grave Chill” now puts abilities on a 1-4 turns Cooldown instead of a 5 turns one.
- Fixed the incorrect duration of the effect of Al’qud.
- Changed priorities for enemies’ consumable usage.
- Fixed the automatic turn skip upon entering a new location.
- Added “Skinning” to the ability bar.
- Map tiles with points of interest now follow the same weather rules as the rest of the world.
- Coughing now correctly reduces Energy by 10 points, not 10%.
- Fixed trajectories for chopped heads.
- Birds no longer scare each other when taking off.
- “Determination” no longer hits the Troll multiple times.
- Fixed “Arc Cleave” replenishing an incorrect amount of Energy.
- Fixed “Onslaught” burning an incorrect amount of Energy.
- Runic boulders now generate less noise upon being raised.
- Fixed “Taste of Victory” not replenishing Energy.
- “Defensive Tactic” no longer grants an extra stack to stances when using a spell.
- “Feast of Steel” now grants Crit Chance instead of Stagger Chance, as stated in its description.
- Fixed some enemies getting multiple Pain debuffs simultaneously.
- Fixed saigas not dropping any meat when skinned.
- The undead and wraith enemies can no longer be put in Coma.
- Mushrooms can now spoil.
- Fixed the crash caused by “Hunter’s Mark”.
- Fixed the character moving into a tile with a trap right after setting it up.
- Log messages about enemies getting the Pain debuff no longer appear while they are hidden in the fog of war.
- Fixed the missing sprite for the damaged Visored Bascinet.
- Multiple fixes to enemy search algorithms.
- Numerous text fixes.

• Archers no longer shoot from the FOG.
  
• Traps are no longer repaired when picked up.
  
• Added unique effects to different berry types.
  
• Increased caltrops damage.
  
• - Fixed “Mighty Kick” not applying Stagger upon failing to Knock its target back. Removed the Cooldown reset upon failing to Knock back.
  
• Replaced the Wraith Warrior’s “Seize the Initiative” with “Cleaving Strike”.
  
• Increased the damage penalty to “Impaling Lunge'' against Immobilized enemies to 33%. “Impaling Lunge” can no longer apply Immobilization to already Immobilized enemies.
  
• Reduced Vomiting chance and Daze/Stun Chances for Hornet Honey and Al’qud aftermathes.
  
• Fixed enemies not using “Mighty Swing” properly.
  
• Fixed “Bad Trip” triggering incorrectly when combining drugs or using multiple alcohol items.
  
• Numerous balance changes to new weapons and the two-handed axes skill tree.
  
• Fixed the incorrect chances for disarming traps.
  
• The Wraith Warrior and Wraith Seer can no longer activate traps.
  
• Fixed Dual Wielding treatises unlocking wrong skills.
  
• Dual Wielding treatises are now correctly numbered.
  
• Removed the increase to Fumble Chance when staying in smoke or poison clouds.
  
• Fixed certain new items not being sold by merchants.
  
• Various visual fixes.
  
• Centering camera on the character upon opening a menu is now an option in the settings.
  
• Restored the old button order for “Prologue” and “Adventure”.
  
• Fixed the “Wetness” effect not working correctly.
  
• Removed the possibility of throwing equipped cursed items.
  
• Fixed the bug causing the loss of control over the character after moving to another location.
  
• Removed the “Load Save” button when dying in Permadeath mode.
  
• Corpses unsuitable for harvesting are no longer highlighted when using “Skinning”.
  
• Added a tooltip to “Skinning” about it requiring a suitable weapon.
  
• Fixed the crash occurring when throwing away certain types of rotten berries.
  
• Numerous text fixes

• Fixed the bug preventing new two-handed weapons from being sold by merchants
  
• Fixed the crash caused by applying a debuff to a dying target.
  
• Fixed the "trade" option in the context menu, which hadn't been displaying for new characters.
  
• Fixed lighting issues.
  
• Fixed traps not triggering properly.
  
• Added the missing percent sign to Stagger Chance.
  
• Fixed incorrect two-handed hammers' prices.
  
• Multiple fixes to the text.

• New weapon type: Two-handed axes - 29 pieces.
  
• New ability tree: Two-handed axes- 10 new skills.
  
• New weapon type: Two-handed maces - 23 pieces.
  
• New ability tree: Two-handed maces - 10 new skills.
  
• New mechanic: Throwing. Throw weapons and other items to deal damage, distract enemies, and trigger traps.
  
• New mechanic: Skinning. The chance to harvest a pelt now depends on the damage type used to kill an animal. Added new hunting trophies: dog pelts, snake skin, and bear fat.
  
• New mechanic: Hearing. Increase your Perception to hear nearby enemies before seeing them.
  
• Two new NPC: Bran the Trapper and Unar the Scribe.
  The trapper travels between Osbrook and Mannshire, selling various hunting gear and some other items.
  The second NPC can be found in the Mannshire castle upon completing 3 Osbrook contracts - he trades in treatises.
  
• 20 new enemy types, including 7 new minibosses.
  
• 25 new armor pieces: 7 helmets, 9 chest pieces, 5 belts, 2 sets of gloves, 1 pair of boots, and 1 shield.
  
• New traps: Pressure Plate (Flame & Poison Cloud), Sound
  
• Combat consumables: added a claw trap, a net, caltrops, and a smoke bomb.
  
• 5 new drug types, completed with reworked drug mechanics.
  
• New Mannshire crypt contract.
  
• Additional flora: added 6 berry shrubs, 1, new mushroom type, and 1 new herb type.

ATTENTION: This patch IS COMPATIBLE with the previous version’s saves. It should be possible to continue your current playthrough after this update.

However, we highly recommend starting a new game: item tweaks won’t affect the already equipped or stored items. Additionally, the new contract won’t spawn when playing from an old save.

• Enemies can now also feel pain.
  
• Throwing potions applies enemies with their effect for 25% of the original duration.
  
• Fabric, leather, paper, and organic items will burn if dropped on a burning tile.
  
• Added a system for enemy interactions with traps. By default enemies are aware about the traps of their faction and the traps which were installed within their Vision. Other traps will remain hidden - the chance for them to be discovered depends on enemy Perception. Some enemies also learned how to disarm discovered traps.
  
• Activated claw traps can be picked up, repaired at a blacksmith, and then placed again.
  
• Manually disarming traps will grant experience.
  
• New stat: Stagger Chance
  
• New effect: Stagger. Reduces Crit, Counter, Dodge, and Block Chances to 0, and increases Fumble Chance to 100%.

• Changes to the characters’ Affinities:
  
  Arna starts with Two-handed maces.
  Jorgrim starts with Two-handed axes.
  Dirwin starts with Two-handed axes.
  Velmir starts with Two-handed axes and Two-handed maces, but no longer has Maces affinity.
  Jonna starts with Dual Wielding.
  
  
• Rebalanced primary Attributes:
  
  Strength:
  +[1 > 0.5]% Melee Damage
  +[1 > 0.5] Block Power
  +[2 > 1.5]% Crit Efficiency
  +[1 > 1.5]% Armor Damage
  
  Agility:
  +[0.5 > 0.75]% Counter Chance
  -[0.25 > 0.5]% Fumble Chance
  Added +0.5% Armor Penetration
  [Removed +0.5% Stealth
  
  Perception:
  
  +[0.5 > 0.75]% Accuracy
  +[0.5 > 0.75]% Crit Chance
  +[1 > 0.5]% Ranged Damage
  
  Vitality:
  +[1 > 2] Health
  +[5 > 4] Energy
  Removed bonuses to Immunity
  Added +1% Intoxication Resistance
  
  Willpower:
  +[0.75 > 1]% Pain Resistance
  +[0.5 >0.75]% Magic Resistance
  +[1 > 0.5%] Magic Power
  
  
• Rebalanced pain gain from all damage types.
  
• Made balance changes to most enemies.
  
• Increased the base chance to evade a trap.
  
• Reduced the base chance to disarm a trap.
  
• Traps balance changes:
  
• [[b]Claw Trap

[/b]] 20 Slashing Damage > 35 Rending Damage.
Immobilization duration: 3 > 4-10
Base disarm chance: 60% > 75%

[[b]Spike Trap

[/b]] 25 > 40 Piercing Damage
Bleeding duration: 10-16 > 10-20
Change the formula for damage from Bleeding and Burning - now they don’t scale from Max Health as much.

Base unarmed damage was increased by 2 points.

Block Chance now only works if you have a weapon or a shield equipped.

Crit Efficiency: the base damage multiplayer for crits has been increased from 110% to 120%.

Rebalanced loot from the brigands.

[[b]Brigand Madman

[/b]]: removed “Adrenaline” and “Painful Stabs”.

[[b]Ancient Troll

[/b]]: Decreased its Accuracy from 100% to 90%.
Troll’s Armor was increased to 50.
Experience granted on death was increased by 20%.

[[b]Stun

[/b]]: its maximum duration was decreased from 5 to 2 turns

[[b]Daze

[/b]]: added maximum duration – 5 turns
Removed: +5% Fumble Chance

[[b]Unholy Blessing

[/b]]: +20% > +15% Life and Energy Drain, Damage Reflection.

[[b]Blessing

[/b]]: The duration of shrine blessings was increased to 1440 turns.
Removed passive Sanity and Morale change.
Added an immediate Sanity and Morale boost upon using a shrine
Added +10% Healing Efficiency.

[[b]Satiety

[/b]]: added +10% Healing Efficiency.

[[b]Deafening Roar

[/b]]: To avoid situations with the simultaneous Stun and Disarm, there’s now a sequence of checks, launched one after another in case the previous one fails: firstly, it’s 25% to Disarm. Then, it’s 75% to Stun, and finally - 100% chance to Daze.

[Henbane]: reduced the duration of “Battle Rage” to 12 turns. The effect is no longer guaranteed to activate, instead there’s a 25% chance – high Intoxication can raise this chance up to 100%.

[[b]Velmir

[/b]]: The Condition of his starting helmet was reduced from 60% to 40%

[[b]Waterskin

[/b]]: reduced the number of uses from 10 to 6.

[[b]Stardust

[/b]]: changed its effect.

An item’s level now has lower influence on the damage from enchantments.

Dual Wielding now consists of 3 tiers, just like all other ability trees with 10 skills.

Increased the maximum level for items sold by merchants.

[/list]

• [[b]Endurance Training

[/b]] 25% chance to replenish 5% Max Energy on hit > +25% Energy Restoration for 3 turns after using a sword ability.

[[b]Honed Edge

[/b]] +5% Bleed Chance for 5 > 3 turns.[/list]

[[b]Armor Break

[/b]] Added a Stagger Chance.
Applies -30% > -15% Control Resistance.

[[b]Dazing Strikes

[/b]] Changed: +5% Daze Chance for mace attacks > Mace attacks apply their targets with -3.5% Accuracy and -3.5% Damage for 4 turns.

[[b]Moment of Weakness

[/b]] Stunned enemies take +33% > +20% Damage.

[[b]Concussion

[/b]] Changed: Mace attacks apply -5% Control Resistance for 4 turns > Mace crits apply -15% Control Resistance for 3 turns.[/list]

• [[b]Feint Swing

[/b]] Now applies its target with +10% Damage Taken for 4 turns.
Other bonuses are doubled if the target is Staggered.

[[b]Feast of Steel

[/b]] Added +5% Crit Chance to its stacking effect.
Every third attack gains +100% Crit Chance > +100% Stagger Chance

[[b]Heroic Charge

[/b]] Added a Stagger Chance

[[b]Parry

[/b]] All received attacks are guaranteed to trigger a Counterattack > Grants +75% Counter Chance
Each successful block reduces the Skill’s cooldown by 1 > 2 turns.
Added: Each Counterattack grants +7.5% Crit Chance for 3 turns.

[[b]Arc Cleave

[/b]] Added a Stagger Chance.
Each enemy hit reduces active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 1 > 3 turns.
Added: Replenishes 7.5% Max Energy for each Staggered enemy.

[[b]Courage

[/b]] Added: If the target survives, grants +10% Damage for each adjacent enemy.

[[b]Fight to Death

[/b]] While “Feast” is active, killing enemies reduces active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 3 turns > Each consecutive strike against the same target grants +7.5% Stagger Chance and +5% Counter Chance for 5 turns. The effect resets upon attacking a different target.

[[b]Taste of Victory

[/b]] Killing enemies with two-handed swords replenishes 7.5% > 15% Max Energy.
Added: Attacks against Staggered enemies grant +5% Damage for 4 turns.

[[b]Revanche

[/b]] Added: while Parry is active, blocked attacks replenish 5% Max Energy.
[/list]

• [[b]Double Lunge

[/b]] Now also reduces the Skill’s cooldown when killing an enemy.

[[b]Deadly Trick

[/b]] Grants +25% Crit Chance > +25% Bleed Chance and +25% Counter Chance.
Added: The strike also has a Stagger Chance.

[[b]Gaping Wound

[/b]] Applies the effect for 8 > 10 turns.
Using abilities has a 50 > 75% chance to trigger Bleeding.
The Bleeding duration has been increased.
The effect applies +20% > +33% Abilities Energy Cost.
Added: the effect applies -25% Bleed Resistance.

[[b]Coup de Grace

[/b]] Finishing an enemy off with this skill now grants +50% Crit Chance for 4 turns.

[[b]Quick Hands

[/b]] Killing enemies > Dagger strikes reduce active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 1 turn.

[[b]From the Shadows

[/b]] Added: Thrown daggers do +30% more Damage.

[Counterattack Mastery] Dagger strikes grant +4% > +5% Counter Chance for 5 turns.

[[b]Weakening Jabs

[/b]] Dagger attacks apply their target with +4% Damage Taken > -5% Damage and +5% > +7.5% Cooldowns Duration.

[[b]Danse Macabre

[/b]] Changed: Dagger crits gain +10% Life Drain > Dagger Crits grant +4% Dodge chance for 5 turns and permanently apply their target with +10% Damage Taken and -10% Bleed Resistance.[/list]

• [[b]Unwavering Stance

[/b]] Added: Every 3rd attack gains +100% Crit Chance

[[b]Destabilizing Hits

[/b]] Added: the effect is also triggered by applying Stagger.

[[b]Now or Never

[/b]] Effect duration 1 > 2 turns.
Added: is now also triggered by Dodging and grants +25% Stagger Chance.

[[b]Battle Trance

[/b]] Staff crits now reduce all active Cooldowns, not just the ability tree’s.
[/list]

• [[b]Retaliation

[/b]] Added: Can now only trigger once per 5 turns.

[[b]Last Bastion

[/b]]: Added: Can now only trigger once per 8 turns. [/list]

• [Ring of FIre] Applies -20% > -10% Fire Resistance for 4 > 3 turns.

• [[b]Rune of Sustention

[/b]] Added: Grants the caster -10% Damage Taken when occupying tiles adjacent to their runic boulders.

[[b]Runic Boulder

[/b]]: Raising a boulder will now generate noise.
[/list]

• [[b]Seize the Initiative

[/b]] Reduced the maximum number of stacks from 6 to 5.
If the target uses active abilities, they reduce the number of debuff stacks on it and the number of buff stacks on the attacker.
Added: added a Stagger Chance to the initial hit and Counter Chance buff/debuff to its stacking effect.

[[b]Defensive Tactic

[/b]] and [Offensive Tactic]: Changed:
Instead of a static bonus for each enemy within Vision , they now grant stacking bonuses for performing certain conditions.
Tactics now work for a limited number of turns.
Switching tactics no longer takes a turn or spends Energy.

[[b]Finisher

[/b]]: Added: this attack now has +25% Crit Chance.

[[b]Against the Odds

[/b]] Prevents Health from dropping below 10 > 15%
Added: the first attack received during the next turn does no damage and is automatically countered.

[[b]Stance Training

[/b]]: “Defensive Tactic” now increases weapon stances’ duration by 1 turn for each received attack.[/list]

• [[b]Mighty Kick

[/b]] Added: Failing to knock the opponent back now Staggers them for 2 turns.

[[b]Sudden Lunge

[/b]] Confusion Chance was replaced with Stagger Chance.

[[b]Dash

[/b]] Bonus Damage for each adjacent enemy was replaced by Counter Chance.

Each enemy adjacent to the starting position increases the Energy cost of the Skill by 20% > 10%

[/list]

Some of the skills were moved around. “Dual Wielding Training” is now available earlier, while “Dying Fervor” was moved further down the ability tree.

[[b]Enough for Everyone

[/b]] The effect is no longer removed if the target leaves the adjacent tile.

[[b]Deflect

[/b]] Changed: Using this skill no longer reduces Hands Efficiency.
Each fully blocked attack now grants +5% Hands Efficiency for 2 turns and reduces active Cooldowns of the ability tree by 1 turn.

[[b]Whirlwind

[/b]] Changed: Can now jump between the same targets for an unlimited number of times.
Each jump now grants -10% > -15% Hands Efficiency .
The Skill’s Cooldown is no longer reduced by killing enemies. The same goes for bonus Hands Efficiency - killing enemies no longer increases it.
Added: +4% Dodge Chance for 3 turns per each strike.

[[b]Concentration

[/b]] Lasts for 6 > 12 turns.
Added: receiving damaging attacks reduces the duration of the effect by 1 turn.

[[b]Dual Wielding Training

[/b]]: Using weapon-based skills no longer grants bonus Hands Efficiency.
Using weapon-based skills while wielding two weapons of the same type grants +7.5% Crit Chance and -7.5% Fumble Chance for 2 turns.
Using weapon-based skills while wielding two weapons of the different type grants +25% Off-Hand Efficiency and +7.5% Counter Chance for 2 turns.

[[b]Berserk Tradition

[/b]] +2.5% Hands Efficiency > +4% Counter Chance.
All bonuses now scale based on the character’s level and Attributes.

[[b]Dying Fervor

[/b]] Grants +10% > +20% Hands Efficiency when Health drops below 50%.
Added: Additionally grants +7.5% Crit Chance and +7.5% Counter Chance when Health drops below 33%
[/list]

• [[b]Nail Down

[/b]] Changed: Immobilizing enemies with this skill no longer reduces active Cooldowns of “Nail Down” and “Impaling Lunge”.

[[b]Impaling Lunge

[/b]] Changed: The bonuses are no longer doubled when attacking Immobilized Enemies.
Using this skill against Immobilized enemies now does -25% Damage and halves other bonuses, but instantly refreshes this Skill’s Cooldown.

[[b]Maneuver

[/b]] Changed: now gains stacks for each reduced Cooldown, not fully refreshed one.

[[b]Determination

[/b]] Added: replenishes 10% Max Energy for each affected enemy. The enemies are additionally applied with -20% Move Resistance for 3 turns.

[[b]Precise Hits

[/b]] Grants +10% Accuracy > -5% Fumble Chance and +20% > +15% Bodypart Damage.

[[b]Stay Back

[/b]!] Affected enemies are applied with -25% > -15% Piercing Resistance for 1 > 2 turns.
The chance to trigger “Impaling Lunge” on a basic attack is 15% > 10%.

[[b]Wounding Spearhead

[/b]] Spear crits deal extra damage equal to the target’s 4% Current Health > 5% Max Health. Added a threshold for the max damage, based on the character’s Strength and Agility.[/list]


As you may already know, the shortcomings of the existing item quality system prevent the unique items from being enchanted, which makes them less attractive to players. To compensate for this issue while the quality system is being properly reworked, most of the existing unique items (with the exception of the starting ones) were buffed:

• Fancy Sword: -15% Abilities Energy Cost
  
• Engraved Sword: -15% Cooldowns Duration
  
• Decorated Warhammer: +25% Armor Penetration
  
• Ornate Flanged Mace: +10% Daze Chance, +5% Stun Chance
  
• Decorated Dagger: +10% Crit Chance
  
• Carved Longbow: +10% Immobilization Chance
  
• Vagabond Knight's Armor: -7.5% Damage Taken
  
• Ceremonial Cuirass: +5% Health Restoration, +25% Healing Efficiency
  
• Occult Cloak: +13% Bleed Resistance
  
• Jousting Cloak: -5% Damage Taken, -5% Abilities Energy Cost
  
• Raven Heater Shield: +15% Fortitude
  
• Pig-Faced Bascinet: +15% Fortitude
  
• Cervelliere with Ear Guards: +10% Control Resistance
  
• Ornate Barbute: +5% Accuracy

• New potion sprites.
  
• New icons for some modifiers.
  
• New sprites for some consumables.
  
• Some enemies got their visuals updated.
  
• New shop signs for merchants and artisans in the settlements.

• Changes to the mode menu: the attack and rest modes can now be moved to the ability bar. Added Shout and Reload actions to the mode menu.
  
• Upon equipping dual weapons, the stats for both hands are now being displayed separately in the character menu.
  
• Sleep and Blindness effects now make the screen go dark.
  
• Bow and crossbow hovers now display their Range.

• Removed the rain sound from the winter biome.
  
• Fixed issues with the enemies’ Injury thresholds.
  
• Fixed issues with the fog of war.
  
• Fixed blood decals appearing in wrong situations
  
• The Ancient Troll now properly fells trees when moving.
  
• Surface enemies no longer spawn inside trees and impassable ravines.

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the remaining new features of the Equipment Update II and also announce its release date - December 25th!




The noise system will now work not just for your enemies, but your character as well, allowing you to better plan out your actions. As you explore the surface or dungeons, you’ll be able to hear enemy activity, which will mark their location on your screen. The chance of hearing the enemy depends on their actions and your Perception: enemy steps are the hardest to detect, but the noise from a fight will be heard from many tiles away.






Berry bushes will come in handy if your character is starving. Depending on the biome, you’ll be able to encounter six berry types: bilberry, raspberry, blueberry, lingonberry, gooseberry, and barberry.




Two new characters will be added to the game: Bran the Trapper and Unar the Scribe.

The trapper will periodically appear in either Osbrook or Mannshire, offering you some hunting gear, including the new traps.

Unar the Scribe can be found selling treatises in the Mannshire castle - you’ll be able to shop from him after completing three Osbrook contracts and gaining access to the castle.




We’ve added a number of new narcotic substances to the game. Consuming them provides powerful buffs for a short period of time, however you’ll have to pay for them with a long and painful aftermath.

• Al’qud will give you a stamina boost, increasing Max Energy and Energy Restoration, while decreasing Abilities Energy Cost.
  
• Abasa will put you into the state of narcotic rage, granting bonus Weapon Damage, Crit Efficiency, Armor Penetration, and Pain Resistance.
  
• Hornet Honey will sharpen your reflexes, improving Accuracy as well as Counter, Dodge, and Crit Chances.
  
• Nikkaf will improve your concentration, increasing Vision, Experience Gain, Hunger Resistance, and decreasing Fumble Chance.
  
• Paregoric is a potent painkiller which will decrease Pain and Pain Limit while improving Morale, Pain Resistance, and Healing Efficiency.
  
• Stardust has already been available for quite a while, but its effect is now different: it will grant Magic Power, Magic Resistance, Bonus Range, and decrease Cooldowns Duration.

The enemy roster has also been expanded: this update will add 10 new brigand enemies, armed with two-handed maces and axes, and a few new minibosses, including the skeleton ones - eliminating the latter will be a part of a new contract.

That’s all for now. Until the next time!

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the second new ability tree of the Equipment Update II: two-handed axes!



As always, let’s start with a general overview. This ability tree consists of 5 Actives and 5 Passives, focused around the same thing as 1h axes - damage, Bleeding, and Injuries.




Wide Cut - the opening skill of the ability tree. It performs a strike with bonus Weapon and Armor Damage. Additionally, it affects three body parts upon a successful hit.



Dismember performs a strike to a random Body Part affected by a Minor or Medium Injury (or a random Body Part if the target is uninjured) with a huge bonus to Bodypart Damage and Crit Chance.
If this strike worsens an Injury or applies a new one, it causes Bleeding, and the target itself loses 9% Max Health.



Reign in Blood performs a strike which prolongs active enemy Cooldowns by 1 turn for each Injury and 20% missing Health affecting them. Also has a chance to cause Bleeding on each Injured Body Part, replenishing 5% Max Energy for each Bleeding caused.



Rampage - a traditional stance-based skill. It grants stacking bonuses to Crit Efficiency, Bleed Chance, Bodypart Damage, and reduces Cooldowns Duration.

Just like with other 2h weapon stances, every 3rd attack with two-handed axes is granted a special effect: it deals bonus damage equal to 15% of the target’s Max Health (the damage has a threshold tied to the character’s level).



Make Space performs a strike on three adjacent targets with bonus damage for each degree of Injury affecting them. If this strike kills at least one target, performs a second strike on the same area (this effect can only trigger once).

• Finish ‘Em - attacks against targets with more than 50% Health gain bonus Bodypart Damage. Attacks against targets with less than 50% Health gain bonus Weapon Damage.
  
• Shieldbreaker - 2h axe attacks decrease their target’s Block Chance and Block Power for 5 turns. This effect stacks.
  
• Maim and Kill - applying Injuries and Bleeding grants bonus Weapon Damage and Crit Chance for 4 turns.
  
• Fatal Strike - while under the effect of “Rampage”, Critical Hits grant an additional stack of it and apply their target with extra Damage Taken.
  
• Tool of Execution - activating “Rampage” grants bonus Crit Chance for each enemy within two tiles.

And finally, here are some of the two-handed axes which will be added to the game:



That’s all for now. Until the next time!

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about the first of the two new ability trees, which will be added to the game with the Equipment Update II – two-handed maces!



Let’s start with the general structure of the ability tree:



Just like ability trees of other two-handed weapons, 2h maces have 10 abilities: 5 Actives and 5 Passives. Their overall theme is controlling the battlefield with Stuns, Dazes, Knockbacks, Debuffs while dealing large amounts of damage with powerful, but slow strikes.

Let’s have a closer look.




Mighty Swing – the first of the two opening Active abilities is a buff which grants bonus Weapon, Armor, and Bodypart Damage, as well as extra Stun Chance for the next turn.
Other than that, it also synergizes with the rest of 2h mace abilities: if “Mighty Swing” is active when you activate them, they receive additional properties.



Unstoppable Force - the second opening Ability. It performs a strike on three adjacent tiles with a large bonus to Knockback Chance and Armor Damage.
Additionally, for each enemy you successfully Knock back, it reduces Skills Energy Cost for the next few turns.

If “Mighty Swing” is active, successfully Knocking enemies back also puts their abilities on Cooldown for a few turns.



Skull Crusher lets you perform a one tile dash and swing at the enemy’s head with bonus Stun Chance and Bodypart Damage

If “Mighty Swing” is active, this skill also burns the percentage of the target’s Energy equal to the percentage of its missing Health.



Slaughter - a stance-based skill, customary to all Weapon ability trees. It grants bonus Crit and Knockback Chance, reduces Skills Energy Cost, and increases Armor Penetration with each stack of its effect. On top of that, every 3rd attack has 100% chance to Daze.

If “Mighty Swing” is active, using this ability will deliver a strike to a random adjacent enemy.



Forceful Slam - the final Active ability, which can be used to either start a fight or finish off a stunned enemy.

First, “Forceful Slam” marks a tile, skipping a turn. If the next turn this tile is occupied by an enemy, the character will deliver a strike with a significant bonus to Crit Chance and deal bonus damage (scaling with the target’s Max Health) for each remaining turn of Daze, Immobilization, or Stun affecting the target.

If “Mighty Swing” is active, this skill also weakens the enemy occupying the marked tile, applying them with extra Damage Taken and reducing their Control and Move Resistances.

• Blow after Blow - killing enemies with 2h mace attacks and abilities grants the effect of “Mighty Swing” for the next turn and a bonus to Energy Restoration for the next few turns.
  
• Unbalance - Knocking enemies back with 2h mace attacks and abilities applies them with extra Fumble Chance and reduces their Control Resistance and Dodge Chance for the next few turns.
  
• Bonebreaker - attacks against enemies without Armor or with their Armor Durability lower than 50% gain bonus Bodypart Damage. Attacks against enemies with their Armor Durability higher than 50% gain bonus Armor Damage.
  
• Severe Concussion - Stunning, Dazing, or Immobilizing enemies with 2h mace attacks applies them with a debuff to Move Resistance and increases their Fumble Chance for a few turns.
  
• Revel in Battle - killing enemies while under the effect of “Slaughter” replenishes 20% Max Energy. Killing enemies while under the effect of both “Slaughter” and “Mighty Swing” additionally reduces the ability tree’s active Cooldowns by a few turns.

That’s all for now. Until the next time!

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll tell you about some new features of the Equipment Update II, planned for this December (and which ended up containing more than just new equipment).


Since the game was first released, pelts had been dropping with a random chance. It was meant to imply that sometimes pelts are way too damaged, and that there was no use harvesting them. However, this mechanic wasn’t well-explained - unsurprisingly, it was only confusing players when they weren’t getting any loot after killing an animal.

To resolve this issue (and to increase immersion), we’ve added a new mechanic - skinning. Killing an animal is now just a first step: in order to get pelts, meat, antlers etc, you’ll need to harvest them. To do so, you’ll need something sharp in your inventory: a dagger, an axe, or at least a sword.

For the time being, skinning is implemented as a basic skill with 100% efficiency, but once Survival skill tree is in place, you’ll need to spend some Ability Points to learn how to do it properly.



The way an animal is killed is an important factor. You’ll get the best outcome with piercing weaponry, which won’t damage pelts too much. If you score a kill by primarily using Piercing Damage, the chance to get a pelt will be the highest.

On the other hand, Slashing damage types fare much worse, as cuts won’t do any good to a pelt’s condition. As for using Pyromancy, you can imagine the outcome... Naturally, the market adjusts accordingly: since harvesting pelts is harder now, their value has been greatly improved.



Certain damage types can also affect the harvested meat. Animals killed with Fire Damage get well-cooked in the process, while Poison, Caustic, or Cursed Damage might cause the meat to spoil.


In addition to skinning, we’ve also implemented more dungeon traps. Let’s start with pressure plates, which, for the time being, will have two variants:



The first one is a fire trap. It will ignite the floor and deal heavy damage once triggered.
The second one has a twist: it creates a cloud of poisonous gas, slowly filling the surrounding area. Staying in this cloud will deal Poison Damage with a chance to cause violent coughing, which reduces Accuracy, increases Fumble Chance, and generates lots of noise.

At the same time, certain traps will be available to players as well.



For instance, claw traps can now be disarmed, stored in the inventory, and then placed.



Caltrops are light enough to be thrown right in front of the approaching enemies.



Nets will help dealing with particularly agile foes (although they won’t help much against ghosts, for obvious reasons).



And finally - smoke bombs, which function similarly to poison traps, capable of ruining the day for enemy archers: the smoke obscures vision, triggers coughing, and deals a small amount of Poison Damage.

That’s all for now. Until the next devlog!