Dear Monster Keepers,

we're now less than two weeks away from the full release of Monster Sanctuary. As such, this month we worked mostly on polishing the existing content, fixing bugs, and creating the Monster Journal that we will be sending out in digital as well as physical form (more on that below).

We hope you're looking forward to enter the Abandoned Tower!




First, here's an overview of all the content that will be available at full release (compared to what we promised in the Kickstarter campaign):



As you can see, thanks to your continued support, we could add even more content to the game than originally planned. Also, many more people will be able to play Monster Sanctuary since it's releasing on more platforms.

We regret to inform you, however, that we were not able to have some of the promised Backer rewards and Stretch goals in time for the full version - we plan to release these missing features with post launch updates:

• New Game+
  
• Backer Keeper Monuments
  
• Player Customization
  
• Speedrun mode

We've finished the digital version (PDF) of the Monster Journal! The digital version is ready to be sent out to 35€+ backers on full release. Come take a look:



As you can see, each Monster has two pages dedicated to it. These pages include their drawn digital artworks, in-game sprite artworks, lore texts (as they may also be found in the game), weaknesses and resistances, types, skill trees (including Ultimate skills and Shifted skills), attributes (including Shifted attributes), and the in-game locations where they may be found. For Champion Monsters, there's also a small "Tips" section included (below their lore texts) on how to beat them.

In addition to all the Monster pages, the Monster Journal includes five pages with general gameplay hints and tips, eleven pages with additional lore texts, and a glossary of important combat terms that should make skill descriptions easier to understand.

Unfortunately, it will still take some time to print the hardcover Monster Journals and to send them, especially given the current situation with the pandemic. They should arrive some weeks after the full release.

Please make sure you filled the survey with your address for us to be able to ship the Monster Journal. If your address changed recently, just write us a private message with the updated one.


We would also like to use this opportunity to give credits to all the people that worked with us to get the game to where it is now. Since the original Kickstarter campaign, we had some additional Freelance contributors join to help finish the game in time and exceed some of the initial goals:

• Adam Kling: Worked on all the sprites for Monsters after #50, also updated the Player / NPC sprites.
  
• Path of Pixels: Drew all the digital Monster artworks that will be seen in the printed/PDF Monster Journal. Also created a lot of Monster designs, like Nautilid and Thornish.
  
• Daniel Reis: Did the sprite artworks for the in-game Monster Journal (which will also be in the digital and printed Monster Journals).
  
• Steven Melin: Did a majority of the Soundtrack, with some help of Peter Jones.
  
• Conan the Librarian: Conan was a very active community member who joined us recently as our official Community Manager.
  
• Team17: Team17 joined us as a Publisher and helped in a lot of ways, among others: QA, Marketing, exhibiting the game at conventions.
  
• DO Games: DO Games worked together with Team17 to port the game to all the different platforms.

"For a long time, it was believed that Changelings were simply born from the earth itself - but there is evidence that Changelings originated from the stars. All Changelings were once part of a single being, called the Proto-Changeling. It traveled through the empty void like a half-sentient, slumbering comet for many years. Thousands of years ago, it landed on our world, creating a substantial crater. Being a fluid, amorphous mass, it then slowly seeped underground, becoming part of the very lands and oceans of our world. Over the millennia, it absorbed the fallen remains of countless Monsters, gaining access to their traits in the process. Eventually, small parts of the Proto-Changeling gained sentience and dug their way through the earth to the world above, emerging as Changelings. Unconscious parts of the Proto-Changeling can still be found underground in some parts of the world."

Changelings are versatile all-rounder Monsters that can focus on many different skills. They have two unique traits: For one, they are always all Monster types at once, meaning that they will benefit from any Monster-type aura. Secondly, they may learn both Imitate and Counterfeit, allowing them to copy any move that was used by an ally or an enemy.



We hope we got you all excited for the release of Monster Sanctuary on December 8th! We are thrilled for the release dates ourselves, as this will be the first game released by moi rai games - hopefully, the first of many! In fact, in our free time we are already brainstorming and collecting ideas for possible games in the future. But for now, enjoy this gif of a fancy Inferno Ultimate.

Dear Monster Keepers,

we wish everyone a Happy Halloween! Just in time for the spooky season, we want to share a special progress update with you featuring some of the spooky Monsters you will be able to find on the full release of the game! (Which is happening on December 8th, just in case you missed our last update: Monster Sanctuary is exiting Steam Early Access and will launch on PC Dec 8th)

If you have followed our Community Monster contests, you will likely recognize all of these Monsters, as all of them are contest winners!




"Plague Eggs are usually reclusive and only rarely appear to attempt to cure illnesses and injuries on unattended patients. However, interrupting their 'operations' or attempting to capture them will provoke them to attack with magic, which curses and interrupts the biological functions of living creatures. Their cures sometimes resemble ominous experiments - for instance, they might save a human's life, but at the price of their legs. Conversely, sometimes they add enhancements to their patient's bodies, such as additional limbs or wings, but neglect to treat their illnesses."

Plague Eggs are the mad scientists of the Monster Sanctuary, with a very heavy focus on debuff skills, but also a good selection of support skills. They're very rare Monsters, but you might just get one from a certain Alchemist...






"Hundreds of years ago, there lived a king with his royal court in a majestic castle. One by one, the people living in that castle started dying under mysterious circumstances. At first, only servants and knights fell victim to this phenomenon. When it happened to close relatives of the king, panic took hold of the court. Many great warriors were summoned, patrolling the castle at all times. However, each of them lost their lives. After many weeks, an old priest came to the castle, feeble and barely able to walk. Thanks to divine magic, she hunted down the Thanatos that was responsible and banished it from our world, returning all of its victims to life."

Thanatoi can be quite deadly damage dealers, but they can also learn several very useful utility skills, including three different Multi-Buff auras. You will find Thanatoi as one of the new Monsters in the final area of the game, the Abandoned Tower.






"According to the Blind Starseer's own writing, she was visited by an Aazerach when she was very young. The demon took her eyesight, but granted her the same supernatural sense that Aazerachs possess. Over time, it allowed her to gain the demonic knowledge that led to the creation of the Ahrimaaya, the tome of demons. According to her later writings, she spent many years trying to escape other Aazerachs that were hunting her. Supposedly, Aazerachs watch over our world and step in whenever humans come too close to finding out about the worlds around us."

Aazerachs are dangerous damage dealers as well, but what makes them truly deadly is their ability to quickly apply many stacks of "Blind" on their enemies and some skills to profit off of those stacks. Aazerach will be a special Champion Monster that you will only be able to fight after completing the main story of the game - as such, defeating it will be no easy task.




You may have spotted something new in the previous screenshots of those new Monsters' skill trees: a new row of three skills opens up after reaching Level 40! These are unlike any of the other skills a Monster can learn so far. They are Ultimates, special skills that can be used in combat and are quite stronger than other skills. Because of that, you are limited to using only one Ultimate per turn, and each Ultimate has a cooldown of three turns. They can be devastating single-target attacks, powerful multi-target attacks with different effects, strong support skills, or a mix between all of these.



A Monster may choose an Ultimate after reaching Level 40, and it does not require a skill point to be spent. A Monster can also always switch its Ultimate without having to use a Skill Resetter item.

That's all for this month's Progress Update! We hope you're looking forward to finding these new Monsters and teaching those Ultimate skills to your Monsters.

Monster Sanctuary is exiting Steam Early Access and will launch on PC on 8th December! As the youngest heir of an ancient bloodline of Monster Keepers, players set out to follow in their ancestors’ footsteps, all the while unpicking a mystery that threatens the long-standing peace between humans and monsters!



During its year in Early Access, Monster Sanctuary has expanded with a series of significant updates that broaden its fantastical world, such as the introduction of player vs player gameplay, and new areas to explore: the volcanic Magma Chamber, the claustrophobic Underworld, and the mechanical Mystical Workshop. Each have expanded on the menagerie of monsters available for players to track down and tame, and added new gameplay opportunities to explore. The full launch of Monster Sanctuary in December will see further content for players to explore as they epic adventure.

• Overcome and collect beasts: Creatures great and small are available to collect and battle, and can be upgraded via deep skill trees
  
• Become the best Monster Keeper: A mysterious force threatens the peace between monsters and humans, and players will unravel these secrets through the story
  
• Battle in strategic 3v3 combat: Player rosters of monsters can fight AI or other players in a turn-based 3v3 system, using elemental attacks and combos to devastating effect
  
• Discover a deep Metroidvania world: From the depths of the Underworld to the heights of the Snowy Peaks, there is plenty to explore, and hidden areas to uncover using monster skills
  
• Items and gear aplenty: Players will find a plethora of useful items on their journey, which may even open new avenues of navigation.

“The full release of the game will bring an exciting five-year journey to an end. Monster Sanctuary originally started out as a hobby project of mine while having a normal day job, and back then I couldn't imagine that it would be released as a full-fledged game on multiple platforms with a publisher on my side. Ever since we launched the game into Early Access last year, the community feedback we’ve received has helped to improve the game and make it the best possible experience.”

Monster Sanctuary will launch digitally on PC on 8th December for £15.99/€19.99/$19.99.

Hey Monster Keepers,

We are quite busy finishing up the game and recently we started the closed beta for the full release update. This Beta test includes all of the 101 Monsters that you will be able to fight, hatch and train at the full launch of the game. It also includes the last two remaining areas: the Abandoned Tower, the final area of the game, and a secret optional area that houses a couple super-secret Monsters. There are also a couple new features in this Beta test.

If you are eligible for Beta testing (certain Kickstarter backers), you may find instructions on our Discord channel how to access the Beta test. The first step is to join us on Discord.

This Beta test will take much longer as usual, as the full release will still need quite some polishing, as well as bug fixes and balancing work. So for now, the release date is still simply "2020 Q4".

For this Progress Update, we'd like to share two of the new Monsters with you.



Sutsune: This deadly vixen is fully capable of taking Monster lives as well as healing, buffing and reviving allies. She also has the unique "Blood Magic" aura, which allows any Occult- or Mage-type Monster in the party to apply Bleed stacks. Her explore ability is the new "Secret Vision" ability. We have added even more areas and treasure chests that you can discover using new late-game explore abilities like "Secret Vision"!



Vertraag: This powerful god of time is one of several optional late-game Champions that the player can challenge towards the end of the game. They are hidden all across the Sanctuary. This Champion in particular is intended to be challenged only after completing the story content of the game. All of these late-game Champions are capable of using three actions per turn instead of the usual two like other Champion Monsters!

If you have played the Siralim series of Mongames, you probably already recognized Vertraag - he's a special cross-over Monster from Siralim! In turn, you may find a familiar face in the upcoming Siralim Ultimate.

Thats it for now - stay tuned, there is a big announcement coming later this month!

A new update is ready for Monster Sanctuary! This update adds an extension to the Ancient Woods, two new Monsters to collect, as well as a few new features!

But first, we'd like to announce that this will be the final update before the full release. The next content update will be the full release of the game. For that, we are already working on the final two areas of the game, as well as many new Monsters and a few more features. This update will be bigger than any other content update we released for the game - so it will also take more time than previous updates. As we've stated before, the only thing we can say as for the full release of the game is: Q4 2020. We might release more balancing & bug fix updates until then.


Underneath the sunny Ancient Woods, a series of new dark cave rooms are waiting to be explored by you! Two new Beast-type Monsters can be found here:

Trolls, ghastly cave dwellers that will eat just about anything that stumbles into their underground lairs. They have the tools to bring down Monsters of any size, having a strong focus on the "Armor Break" and "Poison" Debuffs. Of course, they're also very sturdy at the same time, having multiple ways to regenerate their health.

Brutus, a massive gorilla-like beast of a Monster, which acts as a new Champion Monster. Brutus is quite a unique Monster in that it has no Elemental weakness, but can only deal neutral damage himself. Its new "Power Focus" skill allows it to drastically increase the force of its next attack!
The new areas are underneath the Goblin-infested area of the Ancient Woods, and there are two entrances. You need to have a Monster with "Improved Flight", as well as a Monster that can light up dark rooms.



We have granted a visual overhaul to some of the very first Monsters that we created for the game: the four Spectral Familiars! No matter which one of the four is your favorite, Wolf, Eagle, Lion and Toad now look better than ever before.

We have also used this opportunity to add new skills to some of them and to change a few of their skills, refining their roles in the game.



We have added a new feature to the game that we have been working on for a long time: the "Talk" feature! In the menu, you may now select "Talk" to talk to your Familiar. From there, you can ask your Familiar about any of your goals that are currently active. It essentially serves as a Quest menu like in modern RPGs, but we aimed to make it much more immersive and less intrusive! It's completely optional and it's never required to progress in the game.

Please note that, if you have already completed all the goals that are available in the current version of the game, you won't have anything to "Talk" to your Familiar about. But who knows, perhaps you missed a thing or two in the game?



To make a few particular actions in combat clearer, there are new, improved visuals when a Monster removes Buffs or Debuffs from themselves or from other Monsters. So next time you attack an enemy with "Cleansing Flames" or heal one of your Monsters with "Restore", you will know exactly which Buffs or which Debuffs were removed!

[/img] We spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of new passive skills were still missing from the game. We realised there was a niche left untapped with passive skills that improve certain Buffs in different ways. These new skills should give Buff teams more of a unique identity and more tools to play with. Previously, the goal of Buff teams usually was simply to amass as many Buffs as possible. We hope that this will make teams more viable that focus on specific types of Buffs, like Sorcery or Glory for instance - kind of like how there are Debuff teams that focus on specific types of Debuffs, like Poison or Chill. [h2]Patch notes[/h2] [list] [*] Removed egg specific hatch level caps - all monsters now hatch at the same level (0-3 levels lower than highest player monster, depending on the progress) [*] There are three new Keeper Duel challenges available at the Keeper Duel Trainer NPC in the Keeper's Tower (Knight Challenge, Champion Challenge and Dragoon Challenge) [*] Wild monster give ~20% more gold now [*] New unique item 'Dumbbell' - available from Brutus (Champion) [*]Spectral Toad underwent a bigger rework to give him more identity in his skill set, he is more focused on Healing and Debuffs, but should be still able to do some decent damage. [*] Also his Shifts are 'Heal Charging' and 'Mana Potential' now [*] Spectral Eagle has 'Charged Start' and new skills 'Impactful Shock' and 'Reborn from Ashes' now Spectral Wolf's Dark Shift has -1 Base Health but +2 Attack & Magic now, also it has 'Shatter' now [*] Most Tier 5 attack deal slightly more damage now [*] Damage of attacks with low hit count got buffed (3 hits or fewer) [*] Reworked Rocky slightly to feature more 'Weakness' debuff synergy in his third skill tree by adding 'Multi Weakness', 'Disoriented' and a new skill 'Tranquility'. His shifted stats got changed slightly in favor of dark shift [*] Shielding Leaves shield value and damage increased [*] Sizzle Knight got 'Multi Shock' and a new skill 'Impactful Shock' now - shifted stats slightly increased [*] Crackle Knight got a new skill 'Electrolytes' (instead of 'Stunned') - shifted stats slightly increased [*] Steam Golem got 'Auto Restore', 'Attack Mastery', 'Cleanse' and two new skills 'Observe' and 'Optimal Performance' [*] 'Solar Rays' reworked to do more hits (6 hits at highest tier) [*] 'Tackle' reworked to do more hits (7 hits at highest tier) and ignore 25% of enemy's Defense now [*] 'Poison Eater' reworked do do many hits and deal additional hits for every poison on the target [*] 'Deep Freeze' reworked to do additional 40% damage hits for every chill on the target [*] 'Mud Cannon' does 6 hits on the highest tier now [*] 'Weaponry' value increased to 15% (from 10%) [*] 'Channeling Balance' value increased to 7.5% (from 4%) and it is unique aura now [*] 'Berserk' gained charge stacks increased to 8 (from 6) [*] 'Glitter' damage and damage reduction value increased to 5% (from 3%) [*] Qilin has 'Hex Support' now [*] 'Shatter' Critical Chance value increased to 10% (from 7%) [*] 'Hunt' Critical Chance value increased to 4% (from 3%) [*] 'Improved Glory' Critical Damage value increased to 20% (from 10%) and it is an unique aura now. [*] -'Improved Sidekick' bonus damage increased to 50% (from 30%) and it is an unique aura now. [*] 'Improved Barrier' bonus damage reduction increased to 7.5% (from 5%) and it is an unique aura now. [*] 'Improved Regeneration' bonus heal value increased to 7.5% (from 5%) and it is an unique aura now. [*] Damage of 'Magic Attack' increased to 300% (from 240%) [*] Vaero's 'Cleanse' got replaced with 'Cleansing Sidekick' [*] One of Goblin Warlock's 'Hexing Support' nodes got replaced with 'Warlock Healing' [*] Grummy got new skills 'Regeneration Shield' and 'Broken Immunity' [*] Monk got 'Flurry of Blows' and a new skill 'Combat Guard' [*] Druid Oak and Ninki Nanka got a new skill 'Restoration' [*] Elderjel and Glowfly got a new skill 'Forceful Sorcery' [*] Glowdra' got 'Multi Sorcery' and 'Shared Sorcery' skills [*] Megarock got 'Multi Might' and new skills 'Forceful Might' and 'Static Glory', also base attack value increased by 1 [*] Dracozul's got 'Copy Shield' [*] 'Intelligent Swarm' Charge gain chance is now 100% (from 75%) [*] 'Mana Charging' required mana value increased to 40 (from 30) [*] 'Punishment' trigger chance reduced to 50% (from 80%) but fixed the skill (was not triggered at all previously) [*] 'Charging Shield' shielding value reduced to 60 (from 75) [*] Oculus got 'Defense Healing' now [*] 'Combo Healing', 'Power Healing' and 'Defense Healing' now heal the monster in the party with the lowest percentual health [*] Ninki has a new skill 'Regeneration Shield' now, also it has the monster type 'Dragon' now [*] Magmapillar got a new skill 'Mana Bolster' [*] Tanuki got 'Meditation' now [*] Mimic lost his 'Evasion' skill and has two instances of 'Gold Sense' now [*] Ornithopter's 'Critical Focus' replaced with 'Crit Chance Plus', 'Energy Conversion' with 'Combo Buffing' and 'Mana Proc' with another 'Combo Buffing'. Both shifts lost 1 Defense. [*] Armor Break Debuff now also ignores non defense related damage reduction but the value got reduced to 25% (from 40%) - Debuff description is not updated yet [*] Ring Focus value decreased to 75% (from 100%) [*] Dark Mimic's Base mana increased by 1 [*] 'Static' damage value increased to 20% (from 15%) [*] 'Combo Initiator' also does an additional hit now when the monster attacks first [*] 'Cleanse' remove buff chance reduced to 25% (from 30%) [/list] Please visit our official forums on Steam to provide feedback on the update - and any issues you may run int, our wonderful Devs are always present :) Enjoy the update - happy monster collecting

We spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of new passive skills were still missing from the game. We realised there was a niche left untapped with passive skills that improve certain Buffs in different ways. These new skills should give Buff teams more of a unique identity and more tools to play with.
Previously, the goal of Buff teams usually was simply to amass as many Buffs as possible. We hope that this will make teams more viable that focus on specific types of Buffs, like Sorcery or Glory for instance - kind of like how there are Debuff teams that focus on specific types of Debuffs, like Poison or Chill.

• Removed egg specific hatch level caps - all monsters now hatch at the same level (0-3 levels lower than highest player monster, depending on the progress)
  
• There are three new Keeper Duel challenges available at the Keeper Duel Trainer NPC in the Keeper's Tower (Knight Challenge, Champion Challenge and Dragoon Challenge)
  
• Wild monster give ~20% more gold now
  
• New unique item 'Dumbbell' - available from Brutus (Champion)
  
• Spectral Toad underwent a bigger rework to give him more identity in his skill set, he is more focused on Healing and Debuffs, but should be still able to do some decent damage.
  
• Also his Shifts are 'Heal Charging' and 'Mana Potential' now
  
• Spectral Eagle has 'Charged Start' and new skills 'Impactful Shock' and 'Reborn from Ashes' now Spectral Wolf's Dark Shift has -1 Base Health but +2 Attack & Magic now, also it has 'Shatter' now
  
• Most Tier 5 attack deal slightly more damage now
  
• Damage of attacks with low hit count got buffed (3 hits or fewer)
  
• Reworked Rocky slightly to feature more 'Weakness' debuff synergy in his third skill tree by adding 'Multi Weakness', 'Disoriented' and a new skill 'Tranquility'. His shifted stats got changed slightly in favor of dark shift
  
• Shielding Leaves shield value and damage increased
  
• Sizzle Knight got 'Multi Shock' and a new skill 'Impactful Shock' now - shifted stats slightly increased
  
• Crackle Knight got a new skill 'Electrolytes' (instead of 'Stunned') - shifted stats slightly increased
  
• Steam Golem got 'Auto Restore', 'Attack Mastery', 'Cleanse' and two new skills 'Observe' and 'Optimal Performance'
  
• 'Solar Rays' reworked to do more hits (6 hits at highest tier)
  
• 'Tackle' reworked to do more hits (7 hits at highest tier) and ignore 25% of enemy's Defense now
  
• 'Poison Eater' reworked do do many hits and deal additional hits for every poison on the target
  
• 'Deep Freeze' reworked to do additional 40% damage hits for every chill on the target
  
• 'Mud Cannon' does 6 hits on the highest tier now
  
• 'Weaponry' value increased to 15% (from 10%)
  
• 'Channeling Balance' value increased to 7.5% (from 4%) and it is unique aura now
  
• 'Berserk' gained charge stacks increased to 8 (from 6)
  
• 'Glitter' damage and damage reduction value increased to 5% (from 3%)
  
• Qilin has 'Hex Support' now
  
• 'Shatter' Critical Chance value increased to 10% (from 7%)
  
• 'Hunt' Critical Chance value increased to 4% (from 3%)
  
• 'Improved Glory' Critical Damage value increased to 20% (from 10%) and it is an unique aura now.
  
• -'Improved Sidekick' bonus damage increased to 50% (from 30%) and it is an unique aura now.
  
• 'Improved Barrier' bonus damage reduction increased to 7.5% (from 5%) and it is an unique aura now.
  
• 'Improved Regeneration' bonus heal value increased to 7.5% (from 5%) and it is an unique aura now.
  
• Damage of 'Magic Attack' increased to 300% (from 240%)
  
• Vaero's 'Cleanse' got replaced with 'Cleansing Sidekick'
  
• One of Goblin Warlock's 'Hexing Support' nodes got replaced with 'Warlock Healing'
  
• Grummy got new skills 'Regeneration Shield' and 'Broken Immunity'
  
• Monk got 'Flurry of Blows' and a new skill 'Combat Guard'
  
• Druid Oak and Ninki Nanka got a new skill 'Restoration'
  
• Elderjel and Glowfly got a new skill 'Forceful Sorcery'
  
• Glowdra' got 'Multi Sorcery' and 'Shared Sorcery' skills
  
• Megarock got 'Multi Might' and new skills 'Forceful Might' and 'Static Glory', also base attack value increased by 1
  
• Dracozul's got 'Copy Shield'
  
• 'Intelligent Swarm' Charge gain chance is now 100% (from 75%)
  
• 'Mana Charging' required mana value increased to 40 (from 30)
  
• 'Punishment' trigger chance reduced to 50% (from 80%) but fixed the skill (was not triggered at all previously)
  
• 'Charging Shield' shielding value reduced to 60 (from 75)
  
• Oculus got 'Defense Healing' now
  
• 'Combo Healing', 'Power Healing' and 'Defense Healing' now heal the monster in the party with the lowest percentual health
  
• Ninki has a new skill 'Regeneration Shield' now, also it has the monster type 'Dragon' now
  
• Magmapillar got a new skill 'Mana Bolster'
  
• Tanuki got 'Meditation' now
  
• Mimic lost his 'Evasion' skill and has two instances of 'Gold Sense' now
  
• Ornithopter's 'Critical Focus' replaced with 'Crit Chance Plus', 'Energy Conversion' with 'Combo Buffing' and 'Mana Proc' with another 'Combo Buffing'. Both shifts lost 1 Defense.
  
• Armor Break Debuff now also ignores non defense related damage reduction but the value got reduced to 25% (from 40%) - Debuff description is not updated yet
  
• Ring Focus value decreased to 75% (from 100%)
  
• Dark Mimic's Base mana increased by 1
  
• 'Static' damage value increased to 20% (from 15%)
  
• 'Combo Initiator' also does an additional hit now when the monster attacks first
  
• 'Cleanse' remove buff chance reduced to 25% (from 30%)

Please visit our official forums on Steam to provide feedback on the update - and any issues you may run int, our wonderful Devs are always present :)

Enjoy the update - happy monster collecting!

As part of Monster Sanctuary's participation at this years Indie Arena Booth at Gamescom we will run an AMA on our Monster Sanctuary subreddit

You'll be able to ask us anything about the game or its now-more-than-four-year-long journey of developing it. We’ll be happy to answer!

Meanwhile you can visit our virtual booth at the Indie Arena at Gamescom:

Monster Keepers!

Monster Sanctuary is participating at this year's online version of the Indie Arena Booth at Gamescom!
This year's Indie Arena Booth is completely virtual - you can participate the exhibition online and visit all the great indie games they show off.

We will run a couple of special events during the Gamescom.
One of those events is a Steam Early Access key giveaway: On the 28th of August, starting at 22:00 CET (16:00 EDT) we will give away 50 Steam Early Access keys. To participate you'll need to retweet this post!

Monster Keepers,

Due to popular request we released a small update (0.10.1.3) addressing a couple of balancing issues:


- Mimic got -1 base Attack, light shifted version got -1 base Health, 'Buff Catalyst' got replaced with 'Heroism' and one of its resistances got changed from fire to earth.

- Shield Burst damage value reduced to 275% (from 350%) and 225% for the base version (from 275%) - also mana cost slightly increased

- Volatile Shield value reduced to 175% (from 200%)

Enjoy the update and hope to see many of you in the PvP arena!

Monster Keepers!

Another new Monster Sanctuary update has arrived - Mystical Workshop, which includes a new area unlike any other in the game, as well as several new features!




Enter the Mystical Workshop, the place in the Sanctuary where all the mechanical Monsters roam around! This area is another late-game area, designed to be around the same difficulty level as the Underworld.

The new area features:
- A new story arc, uncovering the secret of the infamous leader of the Alchemists, Marduk. This story arc can be started at any point in the game, provided you are able to enter the Workshop. Entering the Workshop requires any Monster with the "Improved Flight" ability.

• Six new Monsters to collect, most of which are new Construct-type Monsters. They're great to build around with each other, but also fit into any other Monster teams that utilise Charge stacks, Shield generation or Debuffs!
  
• A vast array of new equipment to discover - this update adds more equipment to the game than any other update so far! Many of the items are also a great fit for Charge or Debuff-based Monsters.

The Mystical Workshop can be found above the Stronghold Dungeon. A Monster capable of "Improved Flight" is required to enter.




The Monster Journal is getting a royal makeover! We hired the talented @DanieruArt to create all-new pixel artworks for all the Monsters in the game; since they are made from scratch, they look much better than the old artworks, which were digital drawings that were converted into pixel art. Many in-game Monster artworks have already been replaced this way, and all will be replaced in this way, eventually!




We've also decided to extend one of the main features of the game: the combat rating system. It will now be possible to score a hidden sixth star on every wild Monster encounter and Champion encounter in the game, which usually isn't visible in the post-combat screen. The sixth star is awarded for scoring 12,000 or more points during an encounter, and awards the player with even more rare loot than usual!

This mechanic is in place specifically for our power-gamers, who are seeking an even greater challenge! We hope it will motivate players to find new, even more efficient and stronger PvE strategies. Share your six-star screens and your Monster builds with us on the Steam forums - or on our Discord server!

In addition to that, the game now saves and displays the exact high score numbers for your Champion fights.




An often-requested and long-planned feature: Your items are now sorted into different categories in the inventory menu. This makes it much easier to find what you're looking for in your inventory!




We've added new item merchants to the game that let you spend the money you earn from Monster encounters in new ways, giving you new options for item builds throughout the game. These are the new merchants:

• A Crafting Material Merchant appears in the blacksmith's room in the Sanctuary after you have gained the "Keeper Seeker" rank (5 or more Champion Monsters defeated). You can buy crafting materials depending on your Keeper rank.
  
• One of the NPCs at the Tree of Evolution in the Ancient Woods now sells some new equipment items.
  
• A new merchant can be found in the Mystical Workshop, which also sells some new equipment items.
  
• The Alchemist merchant in Magma Chamber also sells a new unique equipment now.

We overhauled the Infinity Arena slightly:

• You will start at a higher level right away as your Keeper Rank progresses
  
• Enemy’s Level increases quicker now
  
• Available Monster pool depends on the areas you have completed now
  
• Revive actions are now limited to 5 uses per single combat (similarly like revive items are. Both share the same counter, so a player can use a mix of up to 5 revive items/or revive actions total per combat)

The new update also features a number of new, smaller features and balance changes to older Monsters.

Minor Feature Updates

• Level Cap increased to 38
  
• All equipment and weapons can be upgraded to +5 now.
  
• After the appearance of shifted Monsters, you're now also able to get shifted eggs from reward boxes (chance is 50% for an egg to be shifted)
  
• There are 'Craft Boxes' consumables now which grant you a couple of craft materials when opened based on your Keeper rank.
  
• Consumables are now allowed in Keeper Battles (except for revive items in online PvP). Consumables used in online PvP are refunded after the battle.

Balancing Changes

• Ucan base defense and base magic increased by 1
  
• 'Divine Shield' value increased to 7.5% (from 5%)
  
• 'Charged Up' cap value increased to 15 (from 10)
  
• Promethean's Light shift reverted back to be ‘Buff Mastery’
  
• Healing Wave tier 3 now does 3*3 heals
  
• Increased the required Champions defeated to reach Keeper Knight, Keeper Champion and Keeper Dragoon by 1
  
• Solar Burst 3 now deals 3*3 hits
  
• Charging Shield value increased to 75 (from 60)
  
• Restore removes more Debuffs now
  
• Crit. Chance values on Coat, Bandana, Brooch, Fang, Feather, Fin and Sun Pendant reduced by 1
  
• Ocarina and Drum healing value reduced, but their bonus stat values increased
  
• Concealed now gives increased dodge chance on the first turn of the combat of a monster even if the monster is switched in at a later turn
  
• Blob has 'Multi Armor Break', 'Corrosion' and 'Slime Infestation' skills now. 'Hex Support' moved up to be available at level 10+ and 'Healing Shield' moved up to be available at level 20+.
  
• Ice Blob has ‘Congeal’ now
  
• Lava Blob has 'Critical Heat' now
  
• Crystal Snail and Mogwai light shift changed to 'Curse Breaker'
  
• Crystal Snail's 'Tackle' got replaced with 'Beating' and it also got ‘Critical Boon’
  
• 'Goblin Smith' passive skill value increased to 15% (from 10%)
  
• 'Goblin Provisions' passive skill value increased to 10% (from 7.5%)
  
• 'Fire Shield 2' now applies two burn to two random enemies and costs 10 mana more
  
• Moon Sword stats slightly increased
  
• Reflect value increased to 40% (from 25%) - in Keeper battles it reflects 20% now (before it was 12.5%)
  
• Kame's 'Empower' got replaced by 'Protector', one of the 'Giant Bane' by 'First Impact' and 'Charge Amplifier' with 'Protected Offense'
  
• Raduga's 'Fireball' got replaced by 'Spark Shower', 'Sure Strike' got replaced by 'Cascade', 'Ice Hail' got replaced by 'Freeze','Lightning Bolt' with 'Whirlwind', 'Critical Consistency'
  with 'Combo Buffing' and its Dark Shift is 'Critical Appex' now
  
• Arachlich's Dark shift is 'Dark Instinct' now and has +1 Base Health
  
• 'Blood Drive' chance increased to 75% (from 50%)
  
• 'Bleed' increased to 20% of the critical damage dealt (from 15%)
  
• 'Mana Conflux' now grants one charge stack for every 75 mana consumed (instead of 100)
  
• Catzerker has an additional 'First Impact' passive node now
  
• Kongamato’s Base Attack and Base Magic increased by 1
  
• Yowie has 'Frostbite', 'Autoheal', 'Critical Freeze' and 'Heroic Party' now. Both shifts have +1 Base Health.
  
• 'Lifelink' value increased to 20% (from 15%)
  
• ‘Sun Pendant’ shield value increased
  
• Buffing Restore chance increased to 75% (from 50%)

We hope you enjoy this huge new Monster Sanctuary update! Thank you for playing, and enjoy, Monster Keepers! :)

It's time for a new update!

We're bringing new visuals for all NPCs to the game, and some new Monsters in the Snowy Peaks area -- NOW LIVE!






This update introduces three new Monsters to the game; all located in the Snowy Peaks area. The first two are Monsters designed by members of our community, who won our Community Monster Contests, while the third is a new evolution Monster we created!

Shockhoppers - which use a debilitating combination of ice and lightning. Shockhoppers are an extinct species - you need to talk to the new Cryomancer NPC to reintroduce them to the world of Monster Sanctuary. The Cryomancer can be found close to the Snowy Peaks teleporter crystal.

Targoats - sturdy hyper-defenders of the mountains. Targoats can be found in a hidden area close to the Snowy Peaks teleporter crystal. You need the exploration ability of a Goblin Miner or a Salahammer to reach this area.

Dracozuls - a ferocious dragon-type Champion Monster. Watch out for its deadly ice and wind attacks! Dracozul is the first in a series of optional end-game Champions we plan to introduce to the game. As such, Dracozul is harder to defeat than other Champion Monsters in the game so far. Dracozuls can be found in the same area as Targoats.





In a much earlier update, we updated the player character's visuals. Many players noticed since, that the player characters differed in style to most other, older characters. Now, we updated the player character visuals again, making the animations even more fluid and detailed, and we applied the same visual overhaul to all other character sprites in the game. The characters of Monster Sanctuary should look more vibrant and life-like now!


Snowy Peaks now features a new music theme - while the old was already great, we felt this one sounds more in line with the majority of our other tracks and also better transfers the mood we want this area to have.
Keeper’s Stronghold now has new music as well - we felt the quality of the old one was not up there. Also, Keeper’s Tower now has its own theme, different from the rest of the Keeper’s Stronghold.
Lastly, we added an alternative battle theme which can be enabled in options. This battle theme is now also played in the Infinity Arena.


- Displaying enemy dodge chance is now an option setting which is disabled by default
- There is a new unique Equipment 'Frozen Tear'
- Protect shows a buff icon on the protected monster for as long as the target redirect is active
- Balancing Changes
- Flurry of Blows 4 now does 3 hits
- Gale 3 now does 3 hits
- Ucan now has 'Critical Break', 'Armor Crush' and 'Defense Healing' passives
- 'Water Allegiance' now also make attacks ignores water resistance
- Replaced Nightwing's Combo Buffing by Critical Mass
- Molebear has an additional 'Critical Defense' passive, Dark shift gets +1 base mana
- Akhlut now has the 'Flash Freeze' and 'Cooling' passives
- Blade Widow, Spectral Eagle and Promethean now have a new Light shift: 'Charged Up'
- Blade Widow Dark Shift has +1 base mana now
- Monk now has the 'Meditate' passive, also his healing passives got slightly relocated
- Crackle and Sizzle Knight now have the 'Chain Reaction' passive
- Moon Sword values slightly increased
- Druid Oak both Shifts +1 base attack and base magic
- Pirate Hook healing on higher upgrades slightly increased
- Rocky now got 'Defense Healing' passive
- 'Relentless' value increased to 25% (from 20%)
- 'Rampage' value increased to 7% (from 6%)
- Lifelink now heals the whole party by 15% of the damage dealt on critical hits - is no longer an Aura
- Heroic Party damage value reduced to 1% (from 1.5%)
- Reworked Spectral Lions skill tree and shift passives to be revolved more around applying buffs
- 'Sheltered Nature' value increased to 20% (from 15%)
- Tanuki now got a new action called 'Imitate' and a 'Mana Proc' passive
- Catzerker's Heal got replaced with Fireclaws and the according skill tree slightly reworked

That's everything for June's small update. Keep en eye out for more updates to come! Happy hunting, Monster Keepers!