Jul 10

🩸How Perks Turn Hexborn Into a Roguelite Monster Machine

Hexborn - Caspian Interactive

💀 Inside the Perk System of Hexborn

Hexborn started with blood and bullets, a tribute to 90s FPS legends like Blood and Doom. Fast weapons. Crunchy feedback. Cultist guts splattered across a cathedral wall.

But that’s only half the story.

Beneath the gothic gore is a roguelite engine, a dynamic system that transforms every run, reshapes every room, and lets you build toward something monstrous.

This devlog is all about the Perk System: how it works, why it matters, and how it turns Hexborn from “just another shooter” into a dungeon-sized engine of chaos and synergy.

⚔️ Build Your Own Monster

In Hexborn, every enemy drops crystal shards, your XP. Level up, and you’ll choose from three randomized perks to evolve your build.

These perks aren’t just flat stat boosts. They reprogram your playstyle. They stack. They interact. They spiral.

Hexborn’s perk system comes in three core types:

🩸 Passive – Always-on effects: bonus damage, bleeding attacks, reload chaining.
⚡ Auto – Triggers on a timer: fire novas, lightning bursts, skeleton spawns.
🔥 Active – Player-triggered abilities: void bombs, blood sacrifices, blink decoys.

Whether you’re summoning flame, warping space, or just reloading faster and stabbing harder, each perk alters how you move, fight, and survive.

🔥 Fire perks in action: Pyro Pulse triggers mid-fight, lighting up the battlefield.

🧠 Archetypes & Synergies: What Kind of Monster Are You?

Every perk in Hexborn belongs to a themed archetype, a playstyle framework that nudges you toward a particular kind of madness.

🩸 Blood – Risk-reward mastery: sacrifice HP for power, then lifesteal it back.
🔥 Fire – Chaos incarnate: ignite enemies, chain explosions, leave flame trails.
🌑 Shadow – Stealth and sabotage: blink, vanish, and ambush from the dark.
⚙️ Machine – Relentless momentum: reload faster, shoot harder, gain speed as you kill.

You can specialize in one, or blend two to become something horrifying: A flame vampire that burns and feeds. A teleporting gunslinger who reloads mid-blink.

But the real power comes when the perks synergize:

🧨 Ignite enemies. Then explode the burning ones. Then leave fire behind when they die.
🩸 Take more damage for more power. Then lifesteal on kill. Then explode in a blood nova when you're near death.

These are builds you feel, not just in stats, but in how every fight plays out. Whether you plan them or stumble into them, synergies turn your run from “strong” into apocalyptic.

🏚️ And it’s not just what perks you pick — it’s where you use them.

Survivors type roguelikes typically drop you into a big arena and let the waves come. Hexborn isn’t that.

Each run unfolds in the Bloodstone Labyrinth: a procedurally generated dungeon of interconnected combat and exploration rooms.

📜 That design comes from something I always loved in classic shooters like Blood and Doom: the joy of exploration. You weren’t just fighting, you were uncovering a strange, deadly world. I wanted to bring that feeling back.

🕯️ I’ll go deeper into how exploration and pacing shape Hexborn’s world in a future devlog.

⭐ Love retro shooters with a twist?

If you're into retro shooters and roguelikes where death can come from a corner shout and a muzzle flash, wishlist Hexborn on Steam to follow the journey.

Jul 10

Skywatch #27 🗺️

Lost Skies - CTRL

Welcome to Skywatch #27

Greetings Awoken! The team has been hard at work since Early Access, processing all your amazing feedback and channeling that energy into the next phase of development. We’re making some big strides in expanding the world, deepening gameplay systems, and adding some terrifying new creatures to the skies. Let's go!

Core Tech & UI Improvements 💻

Vlad has been busy improving the technical foundations of the game. He’s been refining the UI, improving how the game understands what the player is looking at, and implementing better gamepad support. He’s also been making it much more intuitive to navigate the player inventory with a gamepad.

Crafting & Player Systems 🛠️

The crafting system has also received some love! We're exploring alternative views and new categories to make finding and crafting what you need a smoother experience.

Olly has been undertaking a massive review of food and its effects. All 80 food items have been analysed and given a unique buff or debuff. He's also been diving deep into game difficulty, using player feedback and in-game data to create a secret calculator tool! This formula helps us balance NPC stats and damage to fine-tune the time-to-kill and overall challenge of the game.

Performance Optimisation ⚙️

Andy has been focused on performance, specifically tackling the memory strain caused when the environment loads. His work aims to make the experience of discovering and exploring islands much smoother for everyone.

Design Deep Dive 🗺️

Luke and Tony have been collaborating on some significant improvements to core gameplay systems, giving players more diverse ways to play.

Randomised Ship Part Stats

To mitigate the issue of lighter ships always having an advantage, stats on ship components are now randomised! - Huge apologies! Our design team are telling me this is not the reasoning behind the randomised ship part stats. Please see the actual reason below. - Adam

* UPDATED - Until now it didn't matter what propellers you used on your engines, or what barrels you used on your cannons - it was purely a cosmetic change. Going forward however these sub components now come with random stat rolls, allowing you to find the perfect combination to enhance and modify your ship parts. Sub components can even roll with unique stats that cannot be found on ship parts.

This introduces a new challenge of hunting for schematics and parts with the best possible stats. Different schematics will grant different stat ranges, so you'll have more options to create your perfect build.

The Comfort System

Luke and Tony have also been working on the comfort system implementation. In short, the more effort you put into decorating your ship, the more rested you will become! Furnishings like plants and other nice items will grant a buff while you're on board. As you can see in the video, walls will also affect line of sight for these comfort zones.

Ship Core Upgrades

A small but mighty improvement: when you move your ship's core, any attached core upgrades will now move with it!

A Host of New Creatures 🐲

Olly has been designing a menagerie of new creatures to populate the skies, particularly for the upcoming Region 4 biome.

Cave Bug Hulk: A monstrous scorpion-like evolution of the Cave Bug.

Atterbane & Harpie: These new flying beasts hunt in family groups of adults and juveniles. Harpies are blind but have incredibly sensitive hearing; they will circle overhead and dive at any sound you make.

A core theme for Region 4's creatures is a new poison mechanic. The Atterbane, for example, will leave a lingering cloud of poison gas when it dies. This was such a great idea that we're applying it as a theme to all mobs in Region 4!

AI in Action 🧠

Danny has been bringing these new creatures to life, programming the AI that will have you watching your back in Region 4. Check out how cool these new mobs look, especially with the poison-on-death effect!

Art Showcase 🎨

The art team has been creating some stunning new assets for the 1.0 release.

Lara has designed a range of beautiful new player masks and ship parts.

Meanwhile, Klaudia has been working on some incredible new boss-tier enemies: the Arbiters, Heralds, and the truly intimidating Harbinger. As you can see below, these formidable foes will have segments that break off as you deal damage!

Skytravel & World Building ☁️

As we build out Region 4, Andy has been working on the awe-inspiring weather wall that separates the different regions of the world. Just look at those lightning flashes!

This all comes together on the new world map, which is being updated to accommodate Region 4. Speaking of new regions, keep an eye out for more island creator contests in the community soon!

It's a Wrap!

Phew, that was a lot! We’re incredibly excited about the direction these new features are taking the game, adding more depth, challenge, and variety to your adventures. Thank you for your continued support and feedback!

{LINK REMOVED}

See you in the skies!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931180/Lost_Skies/https://store.steampowered.com/app/2102670/Lost_Skies_Island_Creator/

Jul 10

War Sails Q&A #3

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - Piconi

Greetings Warriors of Calradia!

Our “Setting Sail” dev blog revealed the expanded Calradia coming with War Sails as well as the new campaign gameplay mechanics — and your questions quickly followed. Below you’ll find answers to some of the most common ones since our last Q&A.

Got something else you’re curious about? Drop your questions below — we’ll be picking some for the next Q&A!

General

Is the new expanded/changed map from War Sails also in the base game, or do you have two different world maps?

There will be two separate world maps - the existing one for the base game and the new one for War Sails. The latter will contain changes relevant to naval gameplay and the new Nord faction discussed in our last blog.

Will bridges interrupt sailing on rivers?

No, bridges won’t disrupt your naval voyage.

How many towns and castles will the new Nord kingdom control?

Four towns and ten castles, though the exact number of castles may still change slightly as we balance the experience.

What food will the Nordic villages produce?

The harsh environment of the North makes it harder to produce surplus grain, leaving the Nords to rely more on fish. Several villages across the map also had their production changed to accommodate the new Warlus Ivory and Whale Oil trade goods, as well as to boost fish yields, bringing them on par with grain as another staple food source of Calradia. All of these will introduce new trade opportunities in combination with naval voyages.

What will happen to the islands between the Aserai and the Empire?

They will no longer be there in the War Sails map.

How will ships enter the Perassic Sea — due to the passage between Aserai and the Western Empire?

To open the seas, some land also had to give way. Two major crossings — once narrow land bridges — have been removed. The southern corridor between Quyaz and Ortysia, and the northern pass linking Omor to Varnovapol. This allows for travel into two massive bodies of water, which would otherwise be blocked off.

When forming a naval army, does each party have to own and maintain its own ships, or can an army leader supply vessels for everyone?

Each party is responsible for acquiring and maintaining its own ships. However, armies may set sail even if not all linked-up parties have ships, as long as some parties in the army have them. Additionally, a low ship vs troop ratio penalizes the army’s campaign movement speed.
Shipless parties “on route” to join the army try to link up on land or move to the last known army embarking position if the army is already naval. Once the army disembarks, they attempt to link up via land again. Parties in this limbo state also take care of their urgent needs, like acquiring food or avoiding significant threats.
The army creation menu contains information about which summonable parties have ships — allowing you to make informed decisions that impact your army’s effectiveness on waterways.

In the previous posts, you mentioned how horses take up inventory space on ships and do not provide a naval speed bonus. Does this apply to cavalry units, and will the AI have the same restrictions as the player?

Yes, it includes both cavalry and horse archers. This system benefits factions like the Nords, who rely more on mariner troops, while limiting cavalry-heavy factions like the Khuzaits. The AI follows the same restrictions as the player.

Will we have a skill or a companion that can predict the storms?

The Boatswain skill will reduce the negative effects, though the storms themselves aren’t predictable. These dynamic weather events will move across the sea and deal damage to ships caught in them. Players will be able to spot storms forming thanks to visual cues like dark clouds and thunder during a brief buildup phase. While you can’t forecast their paths, careful navigation and good ship stats can help you pass through safely or avoid them entirely.

Can you order your ships to meet you at a port while you're elsewhere, or do you need to be at the port before you summon them?

You need to be at the port yourself — ships can only be summoned to the port you're currently in.

Will ships always have a fixed waiting time to arrive when summoned, or does it depend on how far they are from the destination port?

Arrival time depends on distance, but it's shorter than regular travel time. Certain perks can reduce it even further.

If a town is captured while our ships are docked there, will we lose them? And does the same apply if enemy ships are docked when we take the town?

No, ships will automatically leave the port when the town changes hands, regardless of who owns them. However, they will not be interactable — you will need to visit another port to summon them.

Do blockade-breaking naval battles take place in the port or open water? And near river towns, are river scenes used?

They take place in coastal waters for seaside towns, and river battles are triggered for riverside towns.

How will the AI nobles decide whether to follow a land or naval path?

For each journey, the AI will weigh a land-only route against one that uses waterways. It will compare their travel time — which is impacted by many factors like equipped ships, mounts, troop counts, inventory weight, etc. It will then estimate the damage the water route would inflict on the vessels. If the ships’ current condition (plus a safety margin for unforeseen trouble) can withstand that wear, the party will choose the route that includes water; otherwise, it will stay on land.

How and when will the AI nobles decide to acquire ships?

AI nobles aim to maintain enough ships to transport their party efficiently, with many factors taken into account. When evaluating a suitable party ship composition, they will target to have a capacity that comfortably exceeds the maximum party troop size to allow for flexibility (like taking prisoners or losing a ship). On the other hand, they will avoid compositions with too large of a skeletal crew — to prevent movement speed penalties. They also prefer balanced ship compositions with light, medium, and heavy ships, and those that align with their own culture. For example, a large party might get one of each ship type before acquiring a fourth one, while smaller ones may field just one or two. In practice, this means AI parties favor type variety and slightly overcompensate to stay mobile, though they’re also mindful not to significantly impact their clan’s treasury with their ship purchases.

Why is the expansion coming only to current-generation consoles?

War Sails makes use of several systems and improvements that benefit from the performance and capabilities of newer hardware. Focusing on current-generation platforms allows us to make design decisions that lead to a better overall experience across all platforms.

Besides the announced town and castle project changes to the base game, will there be any other adjustments to settlement income?

Yes — tariff income has been significantly rebalanced to diversify town income sources. Previously, tariffs made up only a tiny fraction of a town’s income (around 2%), but they will now contribute about 30% on average and can reach over 60% in trade-heavy towns like Danustica. This change will encourage players to consider trade routes and town specializations more carefully, making settlement management and project choices more meaningful.

Modding

Will the .NET version used by the game (and server) executables be updated?

We’ve experimented with newer .NET versions, and plan to continue during less busy periods.

Will the new XML editor announced for the base game also work with the War Sails DLC?

Yes.