The Human Head Studios team is committed to delivering the best version of Rune to Steam Early Access. Rune blends intense Action-RPG survival gameplay with savage PvP and PvE battles, and after undergoing a series of closed betas and gathering feedback from the community, we’re confident we can make the game even bigger and better.
With a heavy axe and large mug of mead, we announce that the game will now launch this Winter.
Although we were close to the anticipated launch, there was feedback from the community that we felt needed to be incorporated prior to release. We’re excited to continue to improve the game with the extra development time and still want continual input from the community through our beta tests. The most important goal is to deliver a game that is bug-free, balanced, deep and, most importantly, a massive amount of fun. Here’s what the extra time allows us to do:
- Greater god interaction: more player abilities, additional quests, narrative, and blessings and curses - Additional combat polish to player attacks and enemy abilities - Adding the female player character - Additional rebuildables (more buildings, structures, and shrines) - Rework the crafting system to have more diverse crafting recipes - More places to explore and more secrets to discover - Additional fierce enemies: Dragons, Sea Serpents, additional Giants, and some surprises
Community members who have pre-ordered the game before September 12 at 11:59 PM CDT will be guaranteed entry into all upcoming beta tests.
What comes next? Stay tuned to our social media channels, and our website, blog, and forums for more news and updates as we march toward launch.
Sharpen your axe, Vikings! Loki awaits, and the battle will soon rage on!
Rise, warrior. Ragnarok, the end of days, is upon you.
Rune will enter Steam Early Access on September 19. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we will hold a 12-hour playtest this Saturday, September 1. PvP and PvE servers in the US and Europe will be live from 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. CDT so you can explore Midgard to your heart’s content. Anyone who has ever held a Rune access key will be able to participate in the bloodbath.
Ragnarok has plagued the nine realms for far too long. Heed the call of the gods and set forth on your quest to defeat Loki. Ragnarok must end.
Rune will enter Steam Early Access this September. For those of you keeping track, that’s next month. You can add the game to your wishlist on Steam today. (Odin favors those who wishlist Rune.)
We’re eager to get more players into the game and continue to build Rune with the community during Early Access. Until then, here’s a message from our fearless leader.
"Rune is a brutal and challenging game set during the Norse apocalypse. We designed it to appeal to fans of the original but also modernized the design for new fans. We hope that all the blood, heart, and soul we put in the game shows as you play and dismember your enemies to take their blood, heart, and soul."
- Chris Rhinehart
Keep a watchful eye on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts for game updates and playtest announcements.
Before Rune moves into Early Access next month, Closed Beta testers will journey back to Midheim for another bloodbath. These brave warriors will witness significant improvements including:
Full open world available for the first time
Traverse the entire map with over 20 islands to explore and conquer (if you can manage to survive the journey)
Revamped combat and enemy AI
Thanks to the community (especially Rune Classic fans like Bringer of Pain), the combat saw major combat updates near the end of Closed Alpha. The combat has been enhanced further to be faster and more intense with improvements to hitboxes and combo button press timing
Enemy AI is now smarter and more deadly, with more attack options and the ability to harness Rune powers
Completely new quests including the main line quests
Set out on your journey to end Ragnarok by defeating Loki’s minions
More god interactions with player and improved first time user experience to help guide you through the beginning of the game
Redesigned UI/UX for inventory, crafting, and equip screens
UI/UX has been streamlined to be faster and more intuitive, including a hotbar weapon system that gives players more flexibility.
Updated crafting system in the game
Gather resources from enemies, animals, and the environment to craft powerful weapons, armor, traps, runes, and more
Rebuild longhouses in the world, by yourself or with your friends
Take your crafting resources to villages and rebuild what was destroyed when Ragnarok began
Clan system
What’s a Viking without their clan? This battle will feature a reworked party system which allows you team up with friends to conquer the end of days
Ability to see nearby clan members via an icon over their heads
Continued improvement to server stability and performance
Reduced rubberbanding and further optimized the build for a smoother multiplayer experience
Vikings who will not be testing with us can wishlist the game on Steam now.