Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since our last devlog, so we’d like to share some details about what we’ve been working on.

In the previous entry we mentioned a plan to release an interim patch with the Mint Square’s missing interiors and NPCs. There’s been some adjustments since then: first of all, we decided to add new content not only to the Mint Square but also to the Docks.

Secondly, there were some tweaks to the timeline, so these additions will be a part of the next major update, which we haven’t yet chosen a name for. This update will also include some of the features that were originally planned for Rags to Riches and Wizard’s Fate. Here’s a list of things we’re working on right now:

- Next stage of the main quest - it will wrap up the introduction sequence and will prepare players for the sandbox part of the game. After that, the main story will be put on hold until we finish implementing all the remaining mechanics and content.

- New magic school, Electromancy, that has potential to deal high damage while offering some decent crowd control.

- New utility tree, Magic Mastery - a worthwhile addition to any magic-focused build.





- Fatigue System and supplementary magic mechanics that will require mages to be more thoughtful about positioning and the way they spend their resources (including financial ones).

- Second tier of Proselytes: ten new dangerous enemies that come with roughly 20 new active and passive abilities.




- Several carefully designed Points of Interest, each of them boasting its own backstory.







- Caravan stop, which will provide you with a place to save your progress and store your items. As for global map traveling, we plan to add this functionality in one of the subsequent major updates.



- Folios, a new type of valuable loot that will give you an opportunity to learn more about the game’s world as well as gain some experience points.



- New content for the Mint Square (the Cathedral, the University, a bank, a printing house, the Golden Grain Inn, Azure Thread Tradehouse) and the Docks (the Alchemical Emporium of Curious Goods, a dockside store, the Close Harbor Tavern, and a bathhouse) that we already mentioned.





- Something cool and unexpected that will be revealed alongside the announcement of the update’s release date.

The ongoing war still causes certain financial and organizational issues, so we can’t guarantee that everything mentioned in this devlog will be a part of the next major update, but we’ll do our best to make it happen nonetheless. We’ll tell you more details about the new additions in future devlogs, so stay tuned and follow the news!

The update’s release date will be revealed in a separate announcement once we complete the bulk of the work on new content. And after the update is out, we’ll also revise our Development Roadmap and publish an up-to-date version.

That’s all for now. Until next time!

Hello everyone!

Today we’d like to tell you about the circumstances affecting our studio and the future development of Stoneshard. It’s been almost a month since the Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and it had a rather negative impact on the lives of our team. Let’s start with the most important part.

A significant portion of our team (our game designer, one of the coders, the promo artist) are Ukrainian citizens. The war caught everyone off guard: while some managed to quickly leave the war zone, others got stuck or simply didn’t want to abandon their homes. Right now these team members are in relative safety, but there are still issues with accessing the Internet and setting up a proper work space. There also wasn’t enough time to backup everything, so we lost some assets, although it shouldn’t set the development back too much.

Other than that, there are financial problems: as many of you already know, Steam no longer makes transactions with Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarus banks. Naturally, it affected our team as well, preventing us from receiving income from Steam. At the moment, we still have enough resources, but if we don't find a solution to this issue, we won’t have enough money to continue outsourcing the specialists who’ve been helping us with the game - this might noticeably slow down the rate of updates, even if temporarily.

As for the Russian members of our team, most of them are currently busy with moving to other countries, which will require some time. However, the overall situation is more or less stable, and we most definitely won’t stop working on the game. For now everyone contributes as much as the circumstances allow, but once the most pressing issues are resolved, we’ll continue developing Stoneshard’s at the usual pace.

Now let’s talk about more distant plans. Before the war, we already began working on an interim content update that was supposed to add interiors to key buildings on the Mint Square in Brynn. After that, we wanted to implement some of the long-planned city quests, and then - to start working on the next major update, “Rags to riches”, which was meant to introduce random encounters, a functioning Caravan, tweaks to contracts and the economy, and more.


The Mint Square interim update is already partially complete, so it will be released relatively soon. The rest of the original plan will have to be readjusted - we’ll make sure to share the details and post an updated roadmap once everything is said and done. All we can say for now is that some features will likely be added in a different order and that major updates might end up divided into smaller ones.

And finally, some teasers:









In conclusion, we’d like to say that your support and sympathy are extremely important to us right now. We love and appreciate our community, and we hope that this sentiment is mutual. Stay safe!

Hello everyone!

We’re sorry to announce that due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine we won’t be able to stick to the intended release schedule. Some of the key members of our team are Ukrainian citizens and are either already caught in the war zone or might soon find themselves there. Hopefully, the war will not last long, and we’ll be able to proceed with developing the game as planned.

Thank you for understanding.


- Added special map icons to locations with save points.
- Added sleeping spots to Distant Homestead and certain other Points of Interest.



- Tweaked and updated every unique Point of Interest. All doors in these locations can now be interacted with. Some changes won't take effect until you start a new game.



- Fixed the softlock affecting some dialogues.
- Fixed NPCs endlessly giving out items.
- Added unique rumors to most Brynn NPCs.
- Increased dungeon doors’ durability.
- Increased snakes’ spawn rate in some locations.
- Fixed some Achievements not working as intended (for instance, the unique items your character starts with and the items from the Supporter Pack no longer count towards “That belongs in a museum”).
- Fixed “Wetness” not working as intended when the character enters deep water.
- Fixed scouted locations missing their global map descriptions.
- The horse at the brewery no longer respawns after death.
- Corpses that can’t be harvested by “Skinning” are no longer highlighted by it.

- Fixed “Pack Sense” not working as intended.
- Fixed floor traps not interrupting charges.
- Introduced more visual variety among low level bandits.
- Increased the passive chance of discovering secret rooms (in accordance with the Attributes rework).
- The Pawnbroker was given a larger amount of money. He now also offers worse prices for valuables than before.
- Fixed the dialogue softlock caused by attempting to speak with an NPC who previously caught your character stealing.
- Added lots of portraits to Brynn NPCs.
- Fixed the incorrect damage of Dual weapons.
- Fixed items’ text boxes losing their intended color when items are thrown on the ground.
- The following achievements are now available: Right Back at You, I.C.B.M., The Fittest, Outlaw Anthems, Fetch This!, Trapmaker's Art, Tomb Raider, That Belongs In A Museum.

- Added the Survival tree - it comes with 10 new abilities.
- Added a new consumable item: a Bedroll. Bedrolls allow creating single-use sleeping spots outside of dungeons, offering an additional opportunity to save your progress.
- Added new gear:
Pot Helmet, Visored Pot Helmet, War Hat, Baron Sabatons, Levy Bow, Curved Bow, Brotherhood of Ouroboros' Shield (unique), Shield of the Truth's Eternal Sun (unique).
- Added new abilities to some animals:
Howl, Pack Sense, Dying Rage, Ramming Charge.
- Reworked loot generation rules for containers. Loot generation now occurs when the world or locations are first generated instead of each time you open containers, removing the possibility of rerolling their contents.
- Tweaked sleep effects in different locations:

• Tavern: 100% Restoration effectiveness, replenishes Psyche, grants Vigor.
  
• Bedroll: 50% Restoration effectiveness (100% with “Make a Halt” skill), doesn’t replenish Psyche, doesn’t grant Vigor.
  
• Camp: 50% Restoration effectiveness (100% with “Make a Halt” skill), doesn’t replenish Psyche, doesn’t grant Vigor.
  
• Leprosarium: 100% Restoration effectiveness, damages Psyche, doesn’t grant Vigor.
  
• The Watchtower Tavern (Brynn): 125% Psyche replenishment.

- Discovering new locations now grants 100 XP.
- Hands Efficiency can now exceed 100% when using a two-handed weapon.
- Picking up an item that doesn’t belong to you while being observed by an NPC will summon a dialogue with an option to either return said item to its owner without any repercussions or to keep it to yourself, which will count as a crime.
- Removed the basic Intoxication decay. Instead, Intoxication is reduced by expending Immunity.
- Immunity over 100% will now gradually decrease down to the 100% threshold.
- General resistances are now properly factored into locational resistances and are displayed correctly in the character’s menu.
- New effect type: Lingering. Lingering effects don't count as Physical, Mental, or Magical.
- The Osbrook’s sergeant now provides arrows or bolts when asked for a bow or a crossbow respectively.
- Increased the base price for most pelts.
- Reduced the spawn chance for leeches. Leeches can no longer spawn in sea water.
- Map tiles with rivers can now spawn wild ducks.
- Added willow trees to river banks.
- It’s now possible to gather sticks in the woods and use them to start fires.
- Made it possible to catch butterflies.
- Added new achievements.
- Improved optimization.

Hello everyone!

Over the last couple months, we’ve received a lot of feedback and justified criticism about drastically increased travel times and long distances between Points of Interest.

We’d like to assure you that the current version of the global map is far from final. In addition to obvious tweaks to distances between locations, which will happen in the next major update along with the saves wipe, we also plan to implement a number of systems and mechanics focused on making the open world exploration less time-consuming and tedious. One of these additions is the Survival tree that will soon be introduced to the game.

The main purpose of this ability tree is to help your character weather the hardships of mercenary life, giving them a better chance of surviving the wilderness without a sizable stash of supplies. It’s worth mentioning that over the course of development Survival and Medicine ability trees were merged together, allowing us to remove unnecessary fluff and fully focus on the synergy between some of their skills.

Let’s start with the ability tree’s overall structure. It consists of 6 active and 5 passive skills:



Survival skills are acquired in the usual manner - first, you need to unlock them by finding a corresponding treatise or improving relevant Attributes, then you purchase whatever you need with Ability Points. There is a caveat though: the first tier of Survival is unlocked for every character by default.

On top of that, Survival skills have much lower Attribute requirements than other ability trees: in order to unlock the second tier, you’ll only need to invest 3 Stat Points into relevant Attributes, and the third tier becomes available right after you spend 5 SP.

• “Skinning” was moved to the Survival tree where it belongs, and you’ll need to spend an Ability Point before you can use it. At the same time, we greatly increased the price of most pelts, making hunting so much more profitable.
  
  With the exception of these tweaks, the skill remains the same - the chance to harvest a pelt still relies on the damage type you kill a creature with.
  
  
  
  
• “Campfire” allows you to start a fire at any suitable location. To do so, you’ll need four sticks - a new item that is aplenty in the woods. This campfire has the same functionality as the ones you find when exploring the world: it can be used for cooking, drying your clothes, and to empower some of the ability tree’s skills.
  
  The campfires you make only exist for a limited amount of time: they go out after 6 in-game hours.
  It’s the only skill in the ability tree that doesn’t need to be purchased with Ability Points - all characters start with “Campfire” already learned.
  
  
  
  
• “Make a Halt” allows you to combine a pelt, a length of rope, and some straw to craft a new single-use consumable - a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags give you an option to sleep and save your progress in suitable locations far enough from dungeons, settlements, and points of interest.
  
  Sleeping this way is rather uncomfortable and doesn’t provide the benefits of resting in an actual bed: you’ll suffer a penalty to Health Restoration, won’t replenish Morale and Sanity, and won’t receive the Vigor effect. Additionally, there’s always a distinct possibility of being ambushed by brigands or wild animals that can stumble onto you while you're asleep…
  
  Investing into this skill is completely optional, and it is possible to purchase sleeping bags from some traders. Still, being able to craft them yourself will save you money and inventory space - it’s fairly easy to find the required items while exploring, and the materials themselves don’t take as much space as an actual sleeping bag.
  
  
  
  
• “Cauterize Wounds” is great for emergencies: this skill allows you to instantly stop all Bleedings, suffering some Pain and slightly damaging affected body parts in the process. Using this skill will also temporarily increase your Bleed Resistance. This bonus becomes stronger and has a longer duration if there’s a lit campfire nearby.
  
  
  
  
• “First Aid'' teaches your character the procedures necessary to set a dislocated limb or clean a wound without outside help. This skill stabilizes all your Injuries, but raises Pain and reduces Morale.
  If there’s a lit campfire nearby, this skill slightly improves the condition of Injured body parts.
  
  
  
  
• “Will to Survive” replenishes a small amount of Health and removes all physical and mental debuffs. This skill also affects persistent Conditions (effects caused by Hunger, Thirst, Pain, Injuries, etc), removing them for 10 turns.
  
  If there’s a lit campfire nearby, using this skill additionally replenishes some Health for every removed negative effect.

• “Pathfinder” improves the “Examine Surroundings” basic skill, granting it new functionality.
  Firstly, when used on the surface, it allows you to spot tracks left by beasts and other enemy types, making it much easier to locate them on the map tile.
  
  Secondly, “Examine Surrounding” lets your character to closely listen to what’s happening around them, displaying hidden creatures as question marks in a large radius. This skill works in dungeons as well, allowing you to better prepare for dangers that lurk behind closed doors.
  
  And finally, “Pathfinder” greatly increases your character’s passive chance to hear nearby creatures.
  
  Passive bonus: +1 Vision
  
  
• “Huntmaster” significantly improves the chance to successfully harvest a pelt. In addition to this bonus, it allows your character to extract rare ingredients that can later be sold at a high price (in the future they will have alchemical uses). Right now there are three rare ingredients: Bear Fat, Crawler Eyes, and Harpy Stomachs.
  
  “Huntmaster” also grants your attacks +15% Weapon Damage and 10% Crit Chance when fighting beasts. As a side note, the Ancient Troll counts as a beast.
  
  Passive bonus: +3% Accuracy
  
  
• “Adaptability” is a skill for those who want to shrug off anything that life throws at them. It passively improves the rate at which you recover from Pain and Intoxication, decreases the duration of Poisonings, Bad Trips, and Drug Aftermaths, while also removing Restoration penalties when using a sleeping bag. Other than that, “Adaptability” improves your Morale when resting near lit campfires.
  
  Passive bonus: +10% Fortitude and 10% Intoxication Resistance
  
  
• “Austerity” makes your character less reliant on food and water, raising the thresholds for negative Conditions caused by Hunger, Thirst, and Pain by 10% (these Conditions will activate only upon reaching 35% / 60% / 85% thresholds rather than 25% / 50% / 75% ).
  
  This skill also decreases Hunger and Thirst gain by 20% and makes resting near campfires more beneficial, granting Healing Efficiency and restoring Sanity.
  
  Passive bonus: +15% Pain Resistance
  
  
• “Ever Vigilant” is perhaps the most “combat-oriented” skill of the Survival tree. Once learned, it lowers the Accuracy of enemy attacks by 5% and halves their Crit Chance (this is particularly useful when hunting bears).
  
  It also halves the chance of ambush when using a sleeping bag, doubles the chance of evading a trap instead of activating it, and reduces the Vision penalty while in the Rest Mode.
  
  Passive bonus: +5% Dodge Chance

==========

That’s all for now. As mentioned above, the Survival tree will be added with the next intermediate patch, so you’ll soon have a chance to test it out for yourself!

- Additional adjustments to damage coefficients of different weapon types.
- Added a closing dialogue with Osbrook carpenter after finishing “Fate of the Brewery” quest.
- Osbrook smith now sells caltrops and clawtraps.
- Increased the base price of several pelts.
- Decreased enemy spawns in dungeons.
- Birds now always fly away after receiving damage.
- Additionally receiving already existing effect now works correctly.
- Fixed the crash caused by looting some secret room containers.
- Fixed some bird species spawning in the wrong biomes.
- Fixed block power replenishment working incorrectly in “Raise Shield” ability.
- Fixed "Stay Back!" passive ability still having its old pre-CoG mechanic alongside with the new one.
- Improved optimisation.

- Curbed the inflation to reduce the amount of gold purses required for purchasing and maintaining high level gear.
- Rebalanced weapons’ Durability - most weapons will now require less frequent repairs.
- Reduced the amount of food dropped in Bandit dungeons.
- The money reward for killing the Troll is now the same as declared in the dialogue.
- The Royal Ranger Gambeson is now a unique item - its stats were adjusted accordingly.
- Starting enemies’ stats were tweaked to better work with balance changes to weapons’ damage.
- The map marker for the “Head to Brynn” quest is now placed on the correct map tile.
- Increased Reputation gain from bringing occult items to l’Owcrey.
- Increased the influence of Reputation on NPCs’ selling prices (-5%/-10%/15% > -10%/-15%/-20%).
- The power difference between low and high level Necromancers is now more apparent.
- Returned lockpicks to the Osbrook blacksmith’s stock.
- The Brynn merchant now sells gold purses.
- Fixed the bug causing higher level minibosses to spawn in low level Undead and Proselyte dungeons.
- Fixed “Crimson Gift” being applied to all enemy types in distant dungeons rather than just Proselytes.
- When performing a task for the Osbrook blacksmith, you can now also bring him Home-Made Swords.
- Fixed destroyed crates not dropping loot.
- Fixed the buying and selling prices for Barrels of Beer - trading in them is now profitable.
- Fixed the bug allowing Barrels of Beer to be bought for cheap and then sold at a higher price to the same character.
- Fixed the bug granting additional Crushing Damage to shield-wielding enemies’ attacks.
- Fixed the bug allowing to indefinitely stack Magic Power with “Baptism by Fire”.
- Fixed the bug causing minions in Necromancer rooms to spawn multiple times.
- Fixed some Brynn craftsmen not being able to repair equipment.
- Fixed the Mannshire milk trader’s missing stock.
- Fixed Forest Vipers' overly high spawn rates.
- Fixed the crash caused by Harpies’ passive.
- Fixed the crash caused by certain Brynn NPCs.
- Fixed “Precision” not working as intended.
- Fixed the bug causing you to lose all money when bribing the carpenter in Osbrook.

- Fully implemented the Guild Quarter of Brynn. There you’ll be able to find:
- Blacksmithing, leatherworking, and carpentry workshops.
- Jewelry workshop.
- The Three Pots Tavern.
- Added a number of secondary NPCs to Brynn and animations to the already existing NPCs.
- Added Barrels of Beer - the first commodity item in the game.
- Added 4 new two-handed swords, one of them is also unique: Veteran Longsword, Lordly Longsword, Espadon, Ornate Two-Hander.






- Tweaked the economy. Fully revamped buying and selling prices in different settlements. Increased restocking times for most NPCs.
- Tweaked weapons’ stats and levels to better suit the new damage system and the updated economy. These changes WON’T AFFECT already saved items.
- Tweaked the amount of Experience awarded for killing most enemy types.
- Changed Resistances for Wraiths, the Undead, and chitinous enemy types.
- Rebalanced some enchantments. Removed the Damage Reflection enchantment.
- Added an expiration mechanic to Deathstinger Jars.
- All Proselytes in distant dungeons now have a “Crimson Gift” passive that will boost their power until high tier Proselytes are fully implemented.
- Giant Rats and Bats no longer spawn in distant Proselyte dungeons.
- Changed Resistances for stone objects.
- Reduced Stone Boulders’ Durability.
- Increased Reputation gain from fulfilled tasks.
- Greatly increased Experience gain from destroying nests, hives, and burrows.
- Destroyed Deathstinger Hives have a chance to drop Hornet Honey. Destroyed Harpy Nests sometimes drop jewelry and gems collected by their previous inhabitants.
- Reduced Cooldown Reduction for “Double Lunge” upon landing a hit or killing an enemy. Removed the skill’s hidden Accuracy bonus.
- “Danse Macabre” now reduces Resistances to a lesser degree.
- Greatly reduced the chance for enemies to drop treatises.
- Rebalanced weapon drops on enemy death.
- “Daze” now applies a small debuff to Accuracy and Fumble Chance.
- All Injuries now reduce Healing Efficiency.
- Changed the Witch’s Hut loot.
- Greatly increased the variety of unique items that can be found in secret rooms and distant dungeons.
- Changed rewards for killing the Troll: all items now have roughly the same power level and for the most part can’t be acquired from other sources.


- Tweaked enemy spawns in dungeons.
- Re-added the option to trade with most Brynn NPCs.
- Re-added Physical Resistance to armored enemies.
- Fixed snakes not spawning on the surface.
- Fixed passive effects not working as intended when moving to a new location.
- Synchronized the Herald's animations with his speech lines.
- Added routes to some secondary NPCs in Brynn.
- The Brynn hover on the global map now also shows the names of its quarters.
- Fixed Kromm’s stock: he no longer trades in high level items.
- Fixed the inability to take a cart to Osbrook from the Brewery.
- Nests and hives can no longer be injured.
- Fixed Skeleton Minibosses not dropping weapons on death.
- The Heraldic Note now also grants Brynn reputation.
- Fixed quest items getting unequipped upon failing an associated contract.
- The quest marker now leads to the correct quarter of the city when closing Brynn contracts (this fix doesn’t affect ongoing contracts).
- Added an option to eat Hop Cones.
- “Push the Falling” now replenishes Energy instead of Health.
- Reputation changes from tasks and dialogue lines are now correctly displayed in the Reputation log.
- Fixed misses being incorrectly displayed in the log (they used to be displayed as dodging a fumbled attack).
- Fixed vegetation objects spawning on top of one another.
- The Experience bar now becomes inactive upon reaching level 30.
- Fixed hives getting displaced when destroyed.
- Fixed most traders’ stock not working as intended.
- Fixed the incorrect tier of “Stance Training” and “Final Push”.
- Fixed the damage penalty of “Hooking Chop” increasing with higher Strength.
- Fixed Brynn elves being assigned an incorrect NPC type.
- Brynn elves will now fight back when attacked.
- Drinking from a well now reduces the same amount of thirst as drinking from a waterskin.
- Fixed “Danse Macabre” not granting Dodge Chance.
- Fixed some high tier skeletons lacking weapon abilities and dropping incorrect weapons on death.

- Verren can now give you a ride to some additional destinations: the Ralph & Sons Inn, the Rotten Willow Tavern and the Oaken Barrel Brewery. You’ll need to discover these places first though.
- Added an option to place markers on the global map.
- It’s now possible to use a waterskin to pour water over yourself or surrounding tiles. This feature can be used to extinguish flames and reduce the duration of Burning.




- Traveling with Verren now skips time in the same manner as does sleeping in a tavern: it will increase Hunger and Thirst, improve Bodypart Condition, although it won’t grant Vigor or improve Morale and Sanity. The amount of skipped time depends on the travelled distance.
- The composition of ambushes and random brigand groups is now more diverse.
- Block Power now scales with Strength rather than the character’s level. Starting Block Power was reduced.
- Tweaked Pyromancy spells’ damage in accordance with the updated armor system.
- Rebalanced secret rooms: their loot now scales with a dungeon’s level. Overall they’ll provide you with much more money and valuables. High tier unique items no longer spawn in low level dungeons’ secret rooms.
- Rebalanced Hunger and Thirst: reduced Hunger and Thirst gain from traversing tiles, skipping a turn, and attacking. Increased Hunger and Thirst gain from the Rest mode and casting spells. Reduced Thirst gain from shouting.
- Reduced items’ Durability loss from Wetness by 25%.
- All characters start the game with Peasant Shoes instead of Travelling Shoes.
- The Hazzun Celestial Sphere no longer grants the effects of Elusiveness and Vigor.
- Reduced the chance to ruin a pelt with Slashing Damage (slightly), Piercing Damage (significantly), and Crushing Damage (significantly).
- Reduced the influence of the wilderness factor on enemy and animals’ spawn rates: very low wilderness will no longer result in completely empty tiles.
- The duration of Burning can now be reduced by skipping a turn (the same mechanic as with freeing yourself from Ensnarement).
- The speed of reducing the duration of Ensnarement by skipping a turn is now also affected by Agility.


- Removed the possibility of finding additional copies of already acquired artifacts.
- Fixed the error in the fog of war calculations that sometimes allowed revealing tiles through walls upon entering a dungeon.
- Fixed the incorrect trajectory for chopped heads.
- Fixed the combination of Saiga Horns and Lentil Soup appearing in containers more often than it should.
- Fixed “Seize the Initiative” always hitting its target when used with a ranged weapon.
- Fixed “Endurance Training” not triggering under certain circumstances.
- Removed the possibility of selling unidentified and cursed items to regular traders. Cursed items can still be sold to a certain NPC that was added in one of the previous hotfixes.
- Fixed enemies abandoning the chase quicker than expected.
- Increased the number of turns required for transitioning from the Territorial state to Hostile.
- Fixed incorrect formatting of the pawnbroker's opening line.
- Fixed Magic Resistance affecting Rending Resistance.
- Traders should no longer move around while you trade with them.
- Removed the possibility of repeating the dialogue about the brewery with Odar, preventing repeated Reputation loss from choosing certain lines.
- The dog at the mill no longer complains about the weather or tells you to move out of the way.
- Birds will now fly away if you miss a shot at them.
- Fixed some containers in houses not having an owner.
- Fixed the crash caused by opening a new container without closing the previous one.
- Fixed the possibility of moving around while sleeping.
- Fixed Two-Handed Swords’ treatises unlocking incorrect passives.