https://store.steampowered.com/app/821290/RUNE_II/

Hello everyone!

I am pleased to announce today that RUNE II: Decapitation Edition will launch on November 13, 2020! Check out our new trailer below, then grab your friends, your largest tankard of mead, and plan your time off for work… right now!



As we previously promised, everyone that pre-purchased RUNE II before May 2019 on our website via Xsolla will receive their purchased edition’s copy of RUNE II as a Steam key when we launch on November 13, 2020. Aside from opening your mail inbox on November 13, 2020 and redeeming your code, no further action is required.

Let’s address some of the most frequently asked questions on our Steam forums and our Official Discord:

1) Yes, we will have a Steam launch discount when RUNE II: Decapitation Edition releases next month.
2) Yes, you can crossplay in multiplayer with your friends that own RUNE II on another PC Storefront.
3) Yes, you can play the entire campaign in Single Player. I personally think co-op makes RUNE II more fun, but you do you.
4) Yes, we have a roadmap. We are currently working on new voice actors, co-op and PvP improvements, full controller support, new dungeons, and a lot more. Read the full roadmap here.

Have a question that wasn’t answered here? I’m holding an ongoing “Ask Me Anything” in this Steam forum thread.

One more thing - players that purchase RUNE II: Decapitation Edition on Steam within the first month will get the exclusive in-game Dragon Armor!



November 13 is exactly one month away. I’ll see you all in Midgard with a flagon of mead very soon!

Mitch, out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/821290/RUNE_II/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/821290/RUNE_II/

Welcome back to Midgard, warriors! In preparation for our Steam launch next month, here’s what we’re working on right now:




Our brand new voice acting cast has over 2000+ updated lines of dialogue. We’re very pleased with how immersive the world of RUNE II has become with a fully voiced cast of characters. We are in the process of adding a few more characters and voices to round out our cast, as well as adding additional audio effects to RUNE II’s voices and gameplay.




We’ve added support for UPNP networking in RUNE II's multiplayer modes. This means that we can now automatically add port forwarding options without you needing to open ports manually on your firewall and router. It’s never been easier to host a RUNE II game -- just enter a hosted game name at the bottom of your Character Selection in the Campaign menu. You can find more information about our multiplayer at https://rune2.com/multiplayer

As part of our roadmap we will be making improvements to RUNE II's PvP experience. More to come on this topic soon!




We’ve heard that you want to play RUNE II on a gamepad instead of a mouse and keyboard. We are working on full controller support. At the time of this post, we have partial controller support in, with full functionality throughout the menus and game still to come. We’ve got a bit more gamepad work to do internally before our Steam launch next month.




We’ve got 3 brand new dungeons in RUNE II and we’re putting the finishing touches on one more dungeon for next month’s Steam launch. You’ll be plundering the depths of Eldrstadt Castle to retrieve an ancient norse artifact. Be warned, not all who enter Eldrstadt Castle make it out alive...




We’re wrapping up performance improvements, Steam support and integrations, balance tuning, bug fixes, stability upgrades, optimizations, UPNP support, engine dials, user interface and user experience polish, and more.

In addition to everything above in our 2020 roadmap, here is a complete list of all the work we have done within the last year of development on RUNE II:

• SIGNIFICANTLY increased optimization and frame rate
  
• Greatly improved combat, blocking, and added parrying system
  
• Added 200% more new landmass
  
• A brand new tutorial
  
• Redesigned stamina system
  
• Bloodlust system
  
• Added skill tree (and the 29 skills that go along with it)
  
• 1 new inherent skill
  
• 4 new core skills
  
• 6 new Thor skills
  
• 6 new Odin skills
  
• 6 new Hel skills
  
• 6 new Heathen skills
  
• Brand new narrative and campaign
  
• New voiced NPCs (previously there were no open world NPCs you could interact with, only gods that talked at you)
  
• New Villages
  
• Horde mode events
  
• Brand new main and side quests
  
• Removed repeatable ages and the Ragnarok Timer
  
• Dungeons
  
• Boss fights (not just fighting Loki 22 times)
  
• Rebalanced enemy difficulty and greatly improved enemy AI
  
• Added a dodge roll based on community feedback
  
• Greatly improved animations
  
• New weapon types
  
• Improved player progression
  
• Improved one-click co-op experience (previously had to rent a server to play co-op)
  
• Revive system in co-op
  
• Updated User Interface and User Experience
  
• Added attribute points
  
• Overhauled the old hunger system (now gives health regen when full, no negatives when hungry)
  
• Updated visuals across the Ages of Ragnarok
  
• Added destructible buildings
  
• New bifrost gate attunement respawn system

Still have a question about RUNE II? We’re holding an Ask Us Anything in our Steam Community Forums. Bring us your questions!

On behalf of everyone on the RUNE II development team, thank you for your support on our indie game RUNE II. We can’t wait for you to experience RUNE II when we launch on Steam next month.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/821290/RUNE_II/

War, turmoil, and chaos have left Midgard devastated with minimal signs of life throughout the realm. As you journey to end Ragnarok and take down the maniacal Loki, you’ll need to rebuild structures that will provide shelter and a much needed safe harbor for you and your clan. Travel the world, conquering new lands and ensuring world domination for those you serve.

For the chosen warriors that are currently in the Rune Beta Program, you’ve seen rebuildable longhouses scattered throughout the world. These structures are the remnants of once beautiful buildings that held celebrations and sacred events. Now, they’re your first line of defense against the dangers of Ragnarok.



Rebuild longhouses by contributing resources scavenged throughout the lands. When these structures are brought back to their former glory, all who contributed will reap the benefits. Inside, you’ll be able to house crafting anvils to build arsenals, stoke fires to cook food, and gain protection from enemy AI and other players. Those who do not contribute to the structure will be kept out and unprotected from the dangerous inhabitants of the world.

The warrior who contributes the most resources to the longhouse owns the buildings. The owner of the longhouse, and those who are aligned to the same god or in the same clan, will have increased attack power when near their longhouses. As you and your clan take over the realm, gaining more and more ownership of the world, Loki’s power drains and in his weakened state he’ll be no match for you and your vicious Viking clan. Take up arms with other god-aligned Vikings or members of your clan to dominate the entire world on a server.



Beware, warrior. Rebuilding structures and owning them during Ragnarok will not be easy. Rival Vikings can attack your structures, wearing them down and rebuilding them for themselves. Scorned gods may wreak havoc on your property to serve their warriors and further their motives to end Ragnarok. If your structures survive these dangers, the world itself may destroy what you’ve worked so hard to build.

Battles closer to Early Access this Winter will feature the ability to break down enemy structures, reclaim them as your own, and receive god-aligned buffs when in the area. During Early Access Development, you’ll find additional structures to rebuild throughout the world (including villages, shrines, vaults, forges, and more) and the ability to work with your clan to dominate an entire server.



Journey to the forums and let us know what you think as we continue to work on the rebuildable structures in Midgard. You can also follow along as we develop more features and implement new systems by visiting our road map. There’s no better way to experience the dangers of Ragnarok and prove yourself among the fiercest warriors than participating in our Beta Program. Take the oath. Get a key.

See the full blog here.

Take arms and join us for the most intense Closed Beta playtest yet. Servers are live NOW, November 10 and will be up until 4:00 p.m. CST (UTC-6). In addition, the same build will also be available on November 13, 2018. Servers will be live from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (UTC-6). Journey your way through a revamped Viking world and witness a number of optimizations, bug fixes, and updates.

Patch Notes:

• Immerse yourself in the story with god voice over
  
  • God voice over (all temp right now) is in for Odin, Hel, Thor, Loki and the mysterious Stranger for early quests until the Conrack battle
• Track your journey through Midgard with an improved quest system
  
  • You receive quests in larger packs now, from special areas in the world, smoke spires (temp artwork right now)
  • Quests have HUD graphics for both main and side quests
  • The Quest UI screen now has new marked for quests you have not read yet and are broken down into main, side, and complete
  • Some quests will have task lists, a list of things to do in no particular order
• Rebuild the world that Ragnarok has destroyed
  
  • Rebuildable longhouses now have a work-in-progress ownership UI over them.
  • Owners are the person who puts the most resources into the completed longhouse, owners can use the building
  • Contributors are player who put in any amount of resources into the longhouse, contributors can use the building
  • The over-building UI denotes if you are owner or contributer
  • Any player that does not add any resources and the longhouse is completed, will not be allowed to use the longhouse, will be locked out of it
  • The damage bar will be important next beta when you can damage rebuildables
• Feel the divine power with new god alignment cut scenes.
  
  • God alignment now have first pass cutscenes showing the transfer of god power to the player, statues turn to gold, god drop happens afterwards
• Unleash the fury of your god with the powerful prayer stone
  
  • This blessed power is available after aligning with a god. It is no longer in your inventory, but is now tied to the R key
• Experience the realm of Midgard like never before with overhauled world lighting.
  
  • Richer colors, enhanced fog, more dramatic ambience, and improved weather states
• Eliminate your enemies with smoother combat and dodging
  
  • Combat enhancements improve game feel.
  • Revel in the return of the jump spin attack

Known Bugs:

• If you are not a contributor to a longhouse and you follow someone in the open door and they leave, you will be stuck inside of it (Z will kill yourself, you will not be able to retrieve your death bag) or you can wait till someone lets you out
• Sometimes when you die, your death bag might not appear, you will lose your stuff
• Sometimes lore stones will not turn off the glow when you grab them, they will still show up in your lore screen, but the glow will not shut off

FAQ:

• When using a rebuildable, you have to look at each resource to have it register, their should be a thin outline around the item you are looking at
• Use F to place a campfire, ship, raft, or banner
• Once you get past level 10, leveling up can become much harder. We will be adding more quests and things to do to gain XP in the coming months. Development thus far has focused on the levels 1-10
• Not all rocks in the world are harvestable - only the ones with a glowing, shimmering effect can be harvested
• Most trees are harvestable except the really thin ones
• Tab will bring up a quick armor/weapon wheel
• You can loot death bags in PvE. We plan to change this in upcoming playtests

 

Do you want to join the next battle? Click here and take the oath to claim your key.

See you in Midgard, warrior.

Warrior, come with us on the journey to Early Access. Over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve changed up the road map and added new features and systems to the game. So far, beta testers have seen:

Shield-Maidens: Our fearsome female player character has finally made it to battle. Similarly to the male player character, she has unique, customizable hairstyles and tattoos. All of her armor, weapons, Rune powers, and god alignment benefits will be the same as the male character, albeit fitted for her.

God Alignment: We’ve significantly improved the god alignment system. Previously, the entire selection process happened before you spawned into the game. Now, you’ll have to start your journey through Ragnarok as a heathen. If you survive the initial quests, you’ll be lead to the Divine Summit, a place of hallowed ground emblazoned with the ancient shrines of Odin, Thor, and Hel. In this sacred space, you’ll pledge to your god, receiving blessings and power in return. Choose wisely warrior, there’s no turning back once your decision has been made. And, the choice you made may anger the gods you ignored.

Ragnarok Timer: The mysterious Ragnarok timer has been moved up to the “In Development” section of the road map. As the timer counts down, the already chaotic world will become even more unsafe. Once the timer hits zero, Loki’s dark magic forces a world-altering event that may have unexpected impacts on Midgard. We have the technical elements of the Timer and ramifications fully functional. The team is focusing on additional gameplay elements and polishing the feature. We will reveal more in the coming weeks.

Rebuildables: Protect yourself from vicious AI and bring order to Midgard by rebuilding structures throughout the world. Contributing resources to partially built structures will restore them to their completed states and provide shelter while you craft new items, arrange your inventory, and cook food. As we get closer to Early Access this Winter, expect to see more diverse buildings with the ability to take ownership for yourself and your god. If you claim enough rebuildables in a single area, your god will be empowered and bless the area for all who pledge to them. We have a lot of ideas for future buildings, providing useful abilities for you as you seek to rebuild villages and towns. Just a quick taste: forges, smelters, shrines to your god, and even a meadery.

Combat: Brutal combat is an essential part of any Viking experience. We’re continuing to tweak and polish the combat system. We’ve worked on AI improvements, making them more dangerous, more intelligent, and giving AI many more abilities. We’ve improved the feel of combat when striking enemies, improved dodge functionality, and tweaked enemy pain/stuns. A small, but powerful addition that has been requested a lot: you can finally easily sheath your current weapon with its associated hotkey.

The November 10 & 13 playtests are going to highlight all of the areas shown here. It’s not too late to get in on the action. The Closed Beta Program is still open and limited keys are available. Sign up now and get access to every playtest happening until the game hits Early Access this Winter. See you in Midgard, warrior.

Closed Beta servers just went live! The playtest will go from 4:00pm - 8:00pm CDT (GMT-5). Has your clan been notified?

Before Rune moves into Steam Early Access, Closed Beta testers will journey back to Midgard for another bloodbath. These brave warriors will witness significant improvements including:

Patch Notes:

• Newly added female player character
  
• Updated god alignment - choose between Odin, Hel, Thor, or remaining a heathen
  
• Improved story and god dialogue shown through pop-up dialogue boxes
  
• Updated quests with more solid flow for levels 1-10
  
• God blessings - each god gives you a different blessing, be sure to equip the prayer stone in your hotbar to use, only works after you align to a god
  
• God alignment stats updated - each god has different stats for health, damage, movement speed, stamina, and defense
  
• Updated longhouse rebuildables - less resources and less steps to complete
  
• Expanded levels -  50 is the new maximum
  
• Night time enemies - more wolves and draugr at night, higher damage and health values at night, less human warriors and Einn at night
  
• New enemy type during night time - you will have to explore to find it
  
• Environment changes including additional paths/roads and human objects to show the destruction of Ragnarok
  
• Updated world lighting (day, night, and all weather conditions

Known Bugs:

• Sometimes when you take a quest, the beacon light rays don’t go away, but you still have the quest
  
• Sometimes when you die, your death bag might not appear, you will lose your stuff
  
• Sometimes lore stones will not turn off the glow when you grab them, they will still show up in your lore screen, but the glow will not shut off
  
• Some video cards have a gray screen, if you change the quality settings from Epic to High back to Epic, it usually fixes this issue

FAQ:

• When using a rebuildable, you have to look at each resource to have it register, their should be a thin outline around the item you are looking at
  
• Use F to place a campfire, ship, raft, or banner
  
• To use your prayer stone, add it to your hotbar and activate it by pressing the number for the slot (1-5).  You must have aligned to a god before the stone will work. Enemies will be affected that are in close, forward proximity of you
  
• Once you get past level 10, leveling up can become much harder.  We will be adding more quests and things to do to gain XP in the coming months. To date we have been focused on the levels 1-10
  
• Not all rocks in the world are harvestable - only the ones with a glowing, shimmering effect can be harvested
  
• Most trees are harvestable except the really thin ones
  
• Tab will bring up a quick armor/weapon wheel

Do you want to join the next battle? Click here and take the oath to claim your key.

See you in Midgard, warriors.

In our October 20 playtest, you’ll be able to slay enemies, defeat rival Vikings, and sail to dangerous lands...as a female.

Our female player character is in the game and ready to take down Loki. Similarly to the male player character, she will have her own customizable hairstyles and tattoos. However, she’ll use the same armor, weapons, Rune powers, and god alignment benefits as the male character.

To support the game design, we had to match and accommodate, one-for-one, the armor/wardrobe and weapon systems. She can do and use everything the male player can, so our first step was to fashion all existing armor to fit her proportions. Additionally, we needed to design a new base costume for her chest, and new chest armor versions for all available torso armor.



Having a female player character was always on our battle plan and we were able to get motion capture of both male and female characters during our initial recording last year. Every animation is then hand-edited to smooth out the movement and fit the gameplay. Like most things when designing a female player character, we’ve tried to avoid a stereotypical portrayal and aimed to make her movements every bit as agile and determined as the male’s.

Our art department’s primary goal was to make certain that she was strong and capable in appearance. At the same time, we also wanted her to maintain an attractive feminine quality - a beautiful woman that can kick your ass, and then bite the head off a lizard!



We really liked the portrayal of strong women in the show Vikings. Lagertha, portrayed by actor Katheryn Winnick, and Porunn, portrayed by actor Gaia Weiss were very inspirational. From the athletic anatomy side, we referenced various female crossfit enthusiasts, and UFC athletes like Holly Holm. Her facial features were comprised of various elements inspired by Polina Chernenko, Claire Holt, Scarlett Johansson, and others who possess what’s known as facial “angel beauty,” and who also possess golden ratio facial proportions. Hairstyle inspiration came from shows like Vikings, and Game of Thrones, and numerous fans of Norse styles and Viking reenactments.

The female player character is now in testing, which means you can expect to see her in the upcoming October 20 playtest. Click here to take the oath and claim your Closed Beta key before it’s too late.

READ FULL BLOG HERE

Welcome, warrior. Are you ready to prove yourself?

We’re seeking the bravest and most fearsome warriors for our Beta Program. Battle side-by-side with your friends (or turn the tables and battle your friends), slay mythical beasts, and free Midgard from the deadly grasp of the maniacal Loki. 2018 playtest dates have been announced, our course has been set, and we want to see you on the battlefield.

The Oath:
- Sign up for an account on the Rune website (If you haven’t done so already)
- Participate in as many playtests as possible
- Sign an NDA and agree that you will not stream the game or publicly share information, screenshots, or videos
- Fill out a survey following the playtest
- Verify that you have a computer that meets minimum specifications
- Admit that you’re over the age of 18
- Willingly join the Closed Beta Discord channel (information will be sent with your key)

The Glory:
- Exclusive access to all beta tests until the game launches into Early Access this Winter
- Access to the Closed Beta Discord channel
- The opportunity to provide feedback on newly implemented features
- Advanced access to new features and gameplay content
- Membership into a community that’s shaping the game
- Entry to Asgard - the Closed Beta section of the Rune Forums

All warriors who sign up will receive a beta key via email. Keys are limited and the oath will close when all keys have been distributed. We cannot guarantee that keys will be available again for Closed Beta. Keys will be sent out the week prior to a playtest. Don’t let another warrior steal your loot.

Take the Oath

Note: All players that currently have beta keys will automatically be in the beta program. If you sign up and have already been issued a key, you will not be sent a new one. You are not allowed to sell or giveaway duplicate keys. For questions, please contact rune@humanhead.com.

"Before Ragnarok, Sigurd the Drunken would say he saw faces of demons in the stones around us. We all see them now."

Ragnarok has all but stopped time on Midheim. Its inhabitants - giants, beasts, and the last remaining humans - share nothing in common but the struggle to survive. This brutal island is where you will begin. An unearthly mix of lush green lands, snowy mounds, and barren valleys surround you on your journey to end Ragnarok.

With only an axe to defend yourself, you’ll begin a series of quests that will bring an end to Loki’s madness. Gather your clan and prepare yourself for a battle so great, not even Thor, Odin, or Hel could survive. Before your first quest, here’s what you should know about Midheim.

Beasts
"In the first year of Ragnarok, Uri the Elder sacrificed all remaining cows to the gods, so that Hel on earth might end. In the second year; the goats. In the third, he offered himself. Uri is gone, and Ragnarok is still with us."

Ragnarok has driven the beasts to madness. Boar and wolves hunt you - for meat, to protect their young, and because war has driven them to near extinction. No corner is safe on Midheim from these foes. Take heed warrior, these animals are not to be challenged.

Dangerous Lands
Though entirely surrounded by water, Ragnarok has made Midheim a diverse biome with strange and unpredictable climates. Snow, rain, fog, and freezing temperatures will cover the land and may hinder your visibility, leaving you more vulnerable to attack. Aforementioned beasts have quality pelts, providing you and your clan can ambush them and harvest the resources.

Nestled between frozen peaks, burning villages lay tattered after the war. Guarded by giants, these dangerous locales make for brutal battles, but defeating enemies and looting their bodies provides great reward for those brave enough to make the trek.

Devastated Landmarks
Before the apocalypse, Midheim was a beautiful land filled with breathtaking views and serene waters. Ragnarok has devoured these lands causing chaos and unrest. The giants have taken over many of the valleys, Fort Skaal and Fossa Village are in ruins, Bogbosi Mountain is nearly demolished - all the while, death has paved the way for new landmarks. If this island is a mirror of the rest, you’ll find more than Garm’s final resting place.

"What strange island is this? It looks nothing like the world before Ragnarok’s waters swallowed it. My men are reluctant to set foot upon it, but our ship can take us no further. I set this stone in honor of our new home. -- Knut Knutsson, Chieftain"

This island marks only the beginning of the journey. Death, destruction, and madness lie ahead. Are you ready, brave warrior?

READ FULL BLOG

Last week, we announced that Rune will no longer be entering Early Access today, September 19. Instead, we’re taking time to carefully implement the community’s feedback and incorporate more features and polish that will make the game significantly better before entering Early Access. Now, Rune will enter Early Access this Winter.

We’re committed to delivering a game that is bug-free, balanced, deep, and a massive amount of fun. In order to do that, we’re continuing with our Closed Beta playtests and have outlined a road map of features and systems that you can expect to see added to the game. We’ve also introduced a new forums section to get feedback and provide status updates on the topics listed in the roadmap.

In the next few weeks, we’ll announce another Closed Beta key giveaway and the dates of some of the upcoming playtests. In the meantime, let us know what you think of the road map via the forums or social media.

See you in Midgard, warriors.

VISIT THE ROADMAP