Skyclimbers Release Date

09 Jul 2026Developer post

Skyclimbers Beta: Sentius Preview

A fresh design overhaul for the Drakonian Starter Sentius just in time for Beta. Starters Overhaul This quarter we have an update on the monsters of Skyclimbers, known as Sentius! Sentius are elemental creatures that can be captured throughout the overworld. Unlike other monster

A fresh design overhaul for the Drakonian Starter Sentius just in time for Beta.

Starters Overhaul

This quarter we have an update on the monsters of Skyclimbers, known as Sentius! Sentius are elemental creatures that can be captured throughout the overworld.

Unlike other monster taming games, where each starter typically has a different type, all Skyclimbers starters begin with the elemental type of the player's chosen Dynasty. For example, Drakonian starters all begin as 🔥Magma type. However, each Sentius has a unique final form, and most will gain a secondary type as they evolve.

In Beta, you will choose your starter Sentius during character creation, and they will stand by you from the beginning of each playthrough.
The second and third evolution stages will be revealed closer to the Beta release!

Raikit, the tiger inspired Sentius, evolves into the formidable Raion as its final form. It's the only starter that remains a pure Magma type.

Kumi, the grumpy bear inspired Sentius, starts as a Magma type, but evolves into Maguma, a Magma/Terra dual type with an impressive matchup!

Lastly, there is Raptra, the raptor inspired Sentius! This 🔥Magma type starter matures into Aerapterix, a dual Magma/ 💨Aer type Sentius capable of both ground traversal and gliding!

We're building better animation principles to create more responsive animations while supporting a faster pipeline for artists. This starts with a new rigging standard designed to increase the responsiveness and realism of each animation, such as in these Raptra run and walk cycles.

Old Kumi design on the left, new design on the right.

A new standard for Sentius models.

After years of iteration, we're happy with the design language we've established for Sentius moving forward. Our original concept and Alpha design philosophy have evolved, with smaller 1st evolution Sentius now following the player on foot rather than serving only as as "on-the-shoulder" support companions.

Each design is meant to look fantastical while still being anatomically viable. Because of this, we've moved away from past influences and added a layer of realism, while still preserving the stylized nature of each Sentius. This includes the eyes, which are now rendered with greater detail and personality.

In the side-by-side comparison above, you can see the difference in Kumi's design as we've shifted towards follower Sentius rather than shoulder companions.
Additionally, we wanted each design to have more depth, with strong anatomical influence and subtle hints at its elemental type or future evolution typing.

Beta Sentius Roster

The Beta will feature 60+ Sentius currently in development, each spawning within specific biomes and world conditions. Not all 60+ will be available in the first Beta release. Throughout Beta, we'll continue adding features, movesets, and Sentius spawn criteria as we work towards our roster goals for Early Access.

⚠️Note, not all 60+ Sentius are shown in this update. We chose to showcase new or updated characters.

Rokki is part of a completely new line unique to Drakonia.

Ocean Biome

The Ocean biome appears across every continue you explore, and we've developed new Sentius for both the shoreline beaches and underwater spawn zones.

Kelpup is an existing Sentius with an updated design that better reflects its Aqua element and otter inspiration!

Kelpup is the first evolution in a dual line, that evolves into Aquotta, a more powerful Aqua type Sentius.

Kelpup and Aquotta are uniquely semi aquatic, therefore they are able to spawn in the water or on land.

Pygull is an Aer type Sentius with a fresh design update

Magull, the second evolution of Pygull, received a design update as well during the model creation process.

Complete Pygull evolution line ending with Albarott.

Fully Aquatic Sentius can only be tamed and deployed in the Ocean biome. Since players can free dive, some species may only be found at greater depths.

Mosaqua underwater idle cycle

Coddish another aquatic Sentius found only in the ocean biome.

Coastal Meadow

Most Sentius will be found wandering the vast grasslands, while others may nest on the peaks of the meadow cliffs.

Muragon is a rare coastal meadow Sentius that evolves from Vorak, previously showcased.

Above is the complete Vorak, Muragon, and Thracion evolution line.

Muragon supports multiple mount modes including fly and ground based walk / sprint.

Embra and Embru are both Magma type Sentius, with minor texture updates, maintaining overall design.

Deep Forest

Spawning for Sentius in this biome will vary between the dense forests, and alpine mountain regions.

Sproutlet has been re-designed, and now is part of a two stage evolution line with its final form Moosleif.

Glacub design update along with its idle animation.

Glacub is the first evolution of Avalynx, both are Frost pure type Sentius with rare spawn conditions.

Lamrock, received a design overhaul, giving it a cute new look!

Ramorack, the second evolution is also a pure Terra type.

Woolock the final form, is a dual type Frost/Terra Sentius and a formidable neutral Sentius.

The Ravendos line will also spawn primarily in the deep forest biome and be featured in the beta.

Gyser Plains

Dominated by tall peaks and wide plains, most Sentius will be found roaming the basin of this biome.

The Rokki line is a completely new species of Sentius added to Drakonia.

Rokki in a combat idle stance.

Rokki run animation cycle, he's a chunky boy.

The Rokki/Badgerite line is a pure Terra type evolution tree.

Gyser plains Badgerite animation preview, they say Badgerite shakes the ground with each step!

Magallop the horse Sentius, native to the Gyser Plains.

Charfoal another cute redesign!

Magallop as a mount is a great way to traverse the plains.

Mountable Sentius are essential for traveling long distances.

Aerl > Owlett > Owlthorn All three designs have been refreshed.

The Owlthorn line introduces a unique Gaia/Aer typing combination through its evolution tree.

Owlthorn is an impressive flying mount, taking you through the skies of Drakonia.

New Systems

As we get closer to the Beta, we've chosen to hone in on reusable Systems for all Sentius, improving the user experience and the bond between players and their Sentius companions.

Sentius health will impact their current status, feeding them to raise their health will restore happiness.

Sentius follower AI and player tracking improvements.

Better head tracking controller for follower Sentius.

VFX Development

We’ve upgraded our VFX pipeline with GPU rendered effects, allowing us to create richer, more dynamic visuals with improved performance and faster iteration.

Development Update

We're still pushing forward as a self funded two person team...

Tejas - Engineering | Justin - Art/Sound

With no external funding, we’ve recently expanded production support to help accelerate animation, VFX, and Sentius development for Beta.

The Beta is still planned for later this year, and we're going to keep the community updated as we get closer to the internal release.
Backers can expect access to the first Beta version for Steam late Q3, after which we will consider options for a larger Beta participation round.

Thank you for your continued patience and support while we develop Skyclimbers.

Until next time.

Original post

31 Mar 2026Developer post

Skyclimbers Update: The Road to Beta

We’re excited to share a major update on the development of Skyclimbers! After multiple delays, we have decided to reduce the scope of Early Access to expedite release, while still delivering a strong foundation of content. Deep Forest Jarl, Warg, and Mage class Early Access was

We’re excited to share a major update on the development of Skyclimbers!

After multiple delays, we have decided to reduce the scope of Early Access to expedite release, while still delivering a strong foundation of content.

Deep Forest Jarl, Warg, and Mage class

Early Access was initially planned to ship with three playable dynasties: Drakonian, Foryoku and Rokkuhito. Instead, each Dynasty has now been fragmented into multiple unique Districts. Early Access will be limited to the Drakonian Dynasty, featuring multiple unique playable Districts.

Jarls control each District, and your relation to them will dictate diplomacy.

Deep Forest District Jarl on the left, Coastal Meadow District to the right.

Rivalries between districts will lead to conflicts that you can resolve through one of three methods: diplomacy, trade, or warfare.

This District dynamic is bound to each biome, which will be a small scale representation of Dynasty conflicts across continents.

Districts have unique warfare capabilities, for example the Coastal Meadow Infantry carry spears, while Deep Forest Infantry carry one handed axes and oval shields.

These changes in armor and weaponry will influence the outcome of district conflict, and encourage the player to conquer all 5 districts to attain all distinct unit types.

One of the more prominent results of our procedural design architecture is the character randomizer system.

Artists define the rules of variation (body proportion ranges, curated outfit sets, hand-picked color palettes, hairstyles) and procedural generation creates unique characters by randomizing within those boundaries. The result is a division of labor where artists control quality and visual coherence, while the engine handles the work of populating the world with hundreds of distinct looking characters.

Deep Forest character attributes include pointed ears, thin frames, dark face paint to reflect the ancient woods they live within. These restrictions apply to villager generation and character creation.

Generated villagers support dynamic hair and improved animations.

Every detail from candlestick, to table has been built custom to each district, ensuring players have a completely new experience when exploring Drakonia.

Players can construct blueprints from other Districts after conquering them.

Below is a side by side comparison of Deep Forest [Left] and Coastal Meadow [Right] architectural styles, showcasing the contrast in both materials and construction methods.

Procedural Village Generation

Another powerful result of procedural generation is our new village generator.

Designers put together the "ingredients" for a town, i.e. what buildings exist, how dense each neighborhood is, what decorations or clutter go where, how roads should sprawl. The engine then assembles unique variations from these hand-crafted building blocks, producing anything from small farming outposts to large sprawling settlements. NPCs automatically populate the resulting village, wandering between buildings and roads in natural looking patterns or gathering in small groups at key locations.

Unique village iterations of various shapes and sizes above.

The preview gizmo system that allows designers to review village presets before generation.

Everything is runtime generated, including villager pathways and villager profiles.

This is a work in progress, and as the town generation evolves, our goal will be to generate settlements will look and feel lived in.

Deep Forest Architecture features dark wood harvested from the redwood forests, dragon head beams, and thick angled roofs to account for snowfall.

All districts specialize in unique resources not found elsewhere, with each having a unique crop: wheat for Coastal Meadow, and cabbage for the Deep Forest.

Villagers in spawned towns have basic routines, including specialists such as farmers, blacksmiths, ect...

Specialist buildings such as the Tavern, Blacksmith, and Farmhouse, will offer items to the player for sale, and in some cases workers eligible for recruitment.

As we develop future Eras, Village generator will have to evolve to support different architectural and industrial features.

Procedurally generated cabbage farm with a walking path above

Deep Forest Mage Class

The Deep Forest is home to unique Sentius only found in this District!

Ashrett design update.

Ravos, Ravan, Avalynx, Fyrett, and Moosleif are some of the Sentius unique to this biome.

We're creating efficient and lively animations for new Sentius.

Avalynx will spawn at higher elevations

Minor Continents & World Generation

Below are screenshots of an example minor continent consisting of a single biome, the Coastal Meadow. To create more variation between continents, some minor continents will have fewer than 5 biomes, so that each destination is less predictable.

Exploration will be a core aspect of the Early Access launch, allowing players to customize world settings, or allow random generation to dictate the experience.

We rebuilt overworld generation to support better forest density, including an updated birch biome in the Coastal Meadow.

To create more variation within the Dynasty, continents will randomize in scale, biomes, hostility, and environmental factors such as Void presence.

Some continents will be devoid of points of interest but lush with Sentius, while others may be heavily developed with villages of impressive scale.

This continent is inhabited by a massive Magmaton herd, but minimal humanoid populations.

Boats are an essential form of travel between continents, including ships designed to match your District style.

Boat mechanics on the open ocean will allow for free exploration.

The open ocean will be fraught with dangers, including Sentius.

Our newest terrain engine supports real-time Void infections, which grow from spawned Void Eggs, and consume the overworld landscape.

Forests become barren and resources are made unusable by the Void as it spreads.

Land infected with Void cannot be used for city building or base building.

Destroying a Void Egg is critical to prevent it from growing into a Void Altar, and eventually a Void Portal.

The Void infection system is completely procedural and can adapt to any terrain formation and any objects present on it (vegetation, buildings, etc.)

As the Void spreads, Voidlings will begin to spawn, and will persist during the day.

Our next devlog will include Shoi systems used to combat the Void.

Outposts are a new building type that allow you to expand the radius of your settlements when in city building.

Players will be able to construct multiple outposts per townhall to greatly improve the scale and diversity of your settlements.

Each outpost can be surrounded by a limited number of buildings, compared to your townhall which can support the largest radius.

We spent time adding more detail and realism to the stages of construction for city-building.

With much of this development cycle being dedicated to engine level systems, we plan to showcase more gameplay updates in our next update.

Development Status Update

An update from the founders in a blog post: 👉 Two Man Army

We're equally frustrated with the delays Skyclimbers has faced during development, therefore by focusing on transparency and reasonable milestones, we feel there is a sound path forward.

The Current Phase

In 2023, all crowdfunding resources were exhausted paying staff, fulfilling rewards, and covering development costs, therefore all work has been self funded since then.
With limited resources, all work has shifted to the founders: Justin [Art, Sound, Design] and Tejas [Dev, Engineering, Design]
Throughout 2024 and 2025, we've had to focus solely on closed Beta development, with public testing taking a backseat to prioritize internal progress.
Since the two founders skillsets cover all aspects of game dev, the project is moving at a steady pace despite the lack of manpower.

The Roadmap

We're planning to release the Beta to crowdfunding supporters and existing Alpha testers in Q3

Based on how well the Beta is received, we will either move forward with an Early Access launch in Q4 or take the feedback into consideration for a launch in Q1 of 2027.

The Beta and Early Access are both our top priority, and if that means cutting the amount of total districts for launch we will make that sacrifice to get the game in players hands.

Challenges & Strategy

As a two-person core team consisting of Justin (Art/Sound) and Tejas (Engineering/Dev) the ambitious nature of the project has led to timeline shifts.
While open to expanding the team, Paratope is prioritizing the game's integrity, by actively avoiding predatory investments, restrictive publishing deals, or further crowdfunding.
The shift from Dynasties to Districts means fewer Sentius, biomes, and reduced scope creep, while still allowing for robust player experiences. Adding more Districts and Dynasties will only bolster the offering of content post launch.
To focus on progress of the core technology and game loop, there will be limited marketing until the release window solidifies to reduce distractions.

Funding Development

Paratope is open to funding where we retain ownership and self publishing rights as majority stakeholders. We aren't willing to sign away the game or be forced into a rushed launch. Since we are completely self-funded and running a lean two-man team, we have the stability to keep building the Beta on our own terms.

If a healthy and fair funding opportunity arises that protects the players and the project's vision, we will explore it. But until then, we're staying independent.

Thank you for reading this development update, and we appreciate all of the fans, supporters, and testers who have patiently waited years for the release of Skyclimbers.

Until next time.

Paratope Team [ Justin / Tejas ]

Original post

06 Aug 2025Developer post

Skyclimbers Q2 Newsletter - Sentius Devlog

Monster Taming Beta Devlog With another core pillar coming together, we are ready to showcase new Sentius designs, mechanics, and game systems. This step bring us one step closer to the official closed Beta. New Sentius alert, Actylax ! A Magma/Terra Type from Rokkuton We have no

Monster Taming Beta Devlog

With another core pillar coming together, we are ready to showcase new Sentius designs, mechanics, and game systems. This step bring us one step closer to the official closed Beta.

New Sentius alert, Actylax! A Magma/Terra Type from Rokkuton

We have now added climbing to the list of locomotion types for mounts.

Actylax can be found in the Desert Plains, the Savannah Forest, and even the Ocean biome of Rokkuton. With its unique locomotion profile, the player can seamlessly travel on the ground, climb surfaces, and glide to their destination. Keep in mind gliding isn't flying! Players will need to gain altitude first, either by climbing or launching from cliffs.

Buffaqua is a pure water type and the final stage of a three-phase evolution line.

Buffaqua is another new Sentius, inspired by water buffalo and wildebeest. These sturdy creatures are native to the Marsh Plains biome, but can be found in small herds elsewhere. Great migrations happen annually, where they cross the marsh biome into the savannah and back again.

Grollum, a gaia-type Sentius, demonstrates its natural climbing ability in the wild. Though vulnerable to Ice and Magma types, Grollum makes up for it with a powerful physique and sharp intelligence. Known to use natural tools for foraging and nest-building, it balances brawn with surprising cunning.

Waxli is a designer Sentius. Native to Yukos, Waxli has adapted to survive in the cold reaches of the Deep Forest.

Waxli is shown here in the Drakonian biome. Some Sentius can migrate between biomes, and across continents. Learning their seasonal patterns can increase your chances of encountering rare Sentius.

Leolith, another designer, Sentius is the youngest of a pack and is never seen without its immediate family. Wherever Leolith roams, its kin are sure to follow.

Leoclaw, the second evolution in a unique four-sentius chain, carries a similar move progression from Leolith with increased stats and mountability.

Roxli, a fan favorite, now has its first form, Rokkat, fully game-ready!

Nesting Avian Sentius defy continental borders, for example, this Griffos nest, is located in a non native continent of Rokkuton. These hardy avian species are generally rare or super rare but provide biodiversity in barren landscapes, and add gameplay variety.

In the Ocean biome, a wide range of species traverse the sky, sea, and shore, each with its own unique blend of movement adaptation.

Much like cormorants, Albarott fly in formation along the water's edge before descending on feeding sites. These tight-knit groups travel, breed, and hunt as one.

Albarott are capable of short dives, though their large frames limit how deep they can go. Instead, they often paddle across the surface with their feetresting atop the water to dry off while hunting for young Kelpups or Coddora.

Kelpup has undergone a major redesign. We're narrowing in on a more realistic visual style while staying true to our anime-inspired roots. Our goal is to create a believable ecological system that still feels visually striking. To achieve this, we're grounding colors and proportions in nature, while using creative flourishes to suggest plausible evolutionary paths and add depth to each design.

A Living Ecosystem

Our biomes are modeled after real world ecosystems, featuring trophic cascades, keystone species, and predator-prey dynamics that follow established biological principles. This approach results in grounded character designs and game systems that reward stewardship.

This trophic web, inspired by the real kelp forests of northern coastlines, shows a complex interplay of relationships between the different species.

The kelp forest is the foundation of this ecosystem. Without it, countless species would be affected, and Kelpups, our sea otter analogue, wouldn't survive.

Sea urchins, classified as Biota (non-tameable fauna), are grazers that constantly feed on the edges of kelp forests, trimming their boundaries. Kelpups prey on these urchins to keep their numbers in check. Without this balance, sea urchins can quickly devastate entire forests.

At the top of the food web are apex predators, along with mid-tier crossovers like Albarott, which hunt in multiple domains. The orca analogue, Orcydro, serves as the true apex. Its pods patrol several kelp forests, helping regulate Kelpup and Aquotta populations. Albarott will occasionally dive to pick off isolated Kelpups, further maintaining balance within the ecosystem.

These ecological design principles directly influence spawn rates and Sentius rarity. Overhunting or overtaming can lead to reduced spawn frequency or shifts in which Sentius appear in a given biome. For those who prefer a more straightforward experience, ecological systems can be ignored or disabled in the world generation settings without impacting core progression.

Rare Sentius may become more difficult to encounter, but no species will ever go extinct. This approach maintains an immersive ecological system without creating gameplay that feels punitive.

Sentius Gauntlet Updates

When entering gauntlet mode, the player will automatically sheathe any active weapons. Capturable entities within interaction range are now highlighted in blue, while those outside of range appear in red. Input for the gauntlet has been streamlined. Stun and capture have been consolidated into a single mechanic: left-clicking while aiming the gauntlet will stun a Sentius if it is not already stunned, and clicking again on a stunned Sentius will initiate the capture beam.

Once a Sentius is stunned, a limited window begins during which the player must initiate capture. To discourage stun abuse, any Sentius that breaks out of stun will recover up to 20 percent of its health, which decreases the chances of a successful capture. Stunned Sentius are invincible and will immediately target the player once they break free.

During capture, the Sentius will attempt to escape. The likelihood of a successful capture depends heavily on the Sentius’ level and remaining health. Bringing its health down to 30 percent or lower provides the best chance of success. Lastly, all three of your party members can now be summoned at the same time through the gauntlet.

Sentius Mount Updates

Sentius can serve as mounts across land, air, and water, each offering unique advantages based on their movement type. Land-based Sentius provide fast and reliable ground traversal, often with sprint capabilities or terrain-specific perks.

Aquatic Sentius enable swift water travel, making it possible to navigate ocean depths or cross large bodies with ease.

Aerial Sentius allow players to take to the skies, offering freedom of movement and access to hard-to-reach areas.

Saddles are another new addition, making mounts permanent fixtures in your party.

Each mount type enhances exploration in distinct ways and may be required to access certain biomes or complete traversal-based objectives.

Sentius evolution is now implemented at fixed level caps

Evolution is the key reward mechanism for leveling up your Sentius, as over time, they will become more powerful, gain new movesets, and increase base stats. This can also be paired with environment requirements, items, or even questlines for specific Sentius.

Sentipedia Codex Database

Similar to the Web interface: https://www.skyclimbers.net/sentipedia, which is currently being overhauled for a re-release with tons of new features and redesigned + new Sentius; this in game inventory allow syou to read descriptions, see strengths, weaknesses, movesets, ecology descriptions and more!

This concludes the Development updates. Thanks for tuning in!

Rewards Updates

If you still haven't redeemed a Steam key, please contact [email protected] via email [Crowdfunding supporters only]

- If you moved and are expecting a physical reward, please contact [email protected]

Beta Progress

Alongside ongoing improvements to our Sentius systems and taming mechanics, we're making steady progress toward Beta. Work is underway on deeper city simulation, audio engine updates, and key back-end systems. We’ll explore these in more detail in the next development update.

Until then, thank you for your continued patience and support. We're committed to building and self-publishing Skyclimbers with care and purpose.

Paratope Team

Original post

31 Mar 2025Developer post

Skyclimbers Q1 Newsletter - Hostile Factions Devlog

Our first update of 2025 completes the hostile faction systems for Beta and integrates various new game mechanics into the core loop. This development cycle introduces faction villages, diplomacy, and deeper combat features, providing new gameplay opportunities. In case you misse

Our first update of 2025 completes the hostile faction systems for Beta and integrates various new game mechanics into the core loop. This development cycle introduces faction villages, diplomacy, and deeper combat features, providing new gameplay opportunities.

Watch on YouTube

In case you missed our previous updates, here is a montage of our progress over the last year, covering all aspects of development leading towards the Beta.

The wilderness has grown more dangerous and complex. What were once scattered bands of enemies have transformed into organized societies with territorial ambitions to rival your own. The Yagi, goat-men warriors of Drakonia, now function as a war-hardened clan with unique social structures, economies, and village systems.

The Yagi now establish fortified villages, governed by a strict hierarchy, where every rank serves a distinct purpose. From lowly thralls to powerful leaders, the Yagi create a dynamic threat that evolves alongside the player.

Hostile factions use primitive but brutal architecture to intimidate opponents and keep unwanted visitors out of their settlements.

Complex social and economic behaviors evolve to match the players' increased skills and technology. This rivalry makes up a fundamental aspect of the city-building game loop.

At the foundation of Yagi society are the thralls, laborers who handle construction and basic resource gathering. Though generally frail, some thralls rise in rank through displays of exceptional violence, cunning, or unwavering loyalty

New procedural character systems randomize every spawned Thrall, ensuring diverse gameplay encounters within a familiar theme.

Thralls exist in harsh conditions, crowded into crude shelters or kneeling before sacrificial pits, where new thralls are summoned. When settlements expand or require rebuilding after battle, thralls perform the hardest labor. Those who falter face grim fates – exile, execution, or sacrifice.

Warrior class Yagi stand watch at towers and ensure thralls keep working, with direct orders from their leader, they have the authority to dispatch any dissenters from within their ranks.

Thralls that survive long enough to prove themselves go on become specialists, taking on roles similar to human villagers. Miners, woodcutters, blacksmiths, merchants and butchers are the five specialist types.

Smiths transform raw materials into weapons, tools and crude armor. Blacksmiths hold knowledge passed down through generations of captive thralls, incorporating techniques stolen from human settlements.

Merchants oversee the distribution of goods within a Yagi settlement and facilitate limited trade with other clans. If the player earns sufficient standing with a Yagi clan, merchants may offer access to unique items not found in human settlements.

Butchers process Sentius meat. Their workshops contain tools for breaking down carcasses and preserving meat through various means. The most skilled butchers prepare ceremonial meals to fuel warriors before major battles.

Miners excavate stone and ores from nearby deposits. Their primitive tools require brute strength rather than technique. The most valued miners know which materials best serve the clan’s needs for weapons and construction.

Woodcutters are often positioned at the settlement perimeter, providing raw materials for construction, weaponry and ceremonial pyres.

With violence and warfare at the center of clan culture, they split ranks according with social standing and ride into battle with this in mind.

Thralls participate in major battles, deployed on the front lines to slow enemy advances. For those who survive, the chance to rank up can occur mid-battle, with weapons passed to those still standing in formation.

Tier 1 warriors make up secondary lines, with Tier 2 units taking on command roles, and a smaller elite group of these warriors remain in the rear to guard the leader.

Leaders aren’t strangers to battle and will routinely lead their band of elite troops to the front lines to assert dominance over thralls and followers. Sentius, corrupted and chained by the clan, are also thrust into war, wreaking havoc across the battlefield, only barely restrained by the will of their captors.

Each hostile faction has its own specific tactics and warfare technology, but in general, the clans are nomadic by nature, establishing hubs only as bases of operation. Smaller bands of Yagi travel across the landscape in search of victims, bringing the spoils back to camps or their home settlement.

The lifeblood of any Yagi clan are its warriors. Warriors patrol settlements, keeping thralls in line and defending their territory from threats. Unlike human soldiers, who train in structured formations, Yagi warriors embrace brutality and instinct, where only the strongest survive.

Combat is their purpose in life, and every warrior must earn their weapons and armor through victory in battle. Veteran warriors wield powerful weapons looted from fallen enemies, each piece a trophy of their conquests. Captains command raiding parties and lead warbands against rival factions, executing orders from the clan leader.

Yagi warriors do not fight blindly, they take advantage of their environment and infrastructure. Scattered throughout Yagi settlements and battlefields are war towers. These towers provide elevated positions for defense and ranged combat. Warriors stationed in towers maintain constant watch over their settlements. Towers also serve as strategic outposts, allowing warriors to signal for reinforcements.

The Yagi’s brutal society thrives on competition and bloodshed. Members will frequently challenge higher-ranking clan members, though they rarely succeed. Failed challengers are executed, sometimes exiled. Victorious challengers rise in rank. These power struggles occur both within the same clan and between different Yagi factions. The most common cause of these power struggles is territory loss. When a Yagi settlement weakens, warriors blame their leaders, leading to internal power struggles.

Not all Yagi warriors fight alone. Some tame and control Sentius, turning powerful beasts into weapons of war.

Sentius will instinctively resist capture. The Yagi have developed brutal methods for subduing even the strongest of Sentius. Once captured, the Sentius are dragged to a ritual site, where a possession ritual is performed. This ritual severs the Sentius’ previous identity. Possessed Sentius enter a “hyper state,” growing stronger but volatile. They are powerful but harder to control and seldom obey commands. Yagi tamers rely on chains, reinforced leashes and containment crates to keep these Sentius in check. The Yagi being Magma-based warriors can only dominate Magma-type Sentius.

Once the ritual is complete, the Sentius’ body undergoes transformation, taking on a slightly different appearance. Their eyes burn with relentless fury, a sign of the rage trapped within.

Possessed Sentius serve both in battle and labor, compensating for the frailty of thralls. Magmaton, for instance, can haul massive loads, sparing weaker workers. Sentius that prove to be too unpredictable are sent to slaughter. When a Yagi tamer falls in battle, their Sentius turns feral, attacking both enemies and allies alike.

Liberating an captured Sentius is a difficult task. The Yagi responsible for possessing the Sentius must first be eliminated. Once freed, the Sentius is likely to attack anything in sight. Players must withstand their aggression long enough to use their Sentius Gauntlet. Once tamed by the player, a liberated Sentius will retain heightened abilities. They are stronger than their naturally caught counterparts and they may gain movesets typically found in higher-level variants.

The top of each Yagi warband sits the clan Leader, a towering brute that commands with sheer strength and tactical cunning. Leaders aren’t chosen through birthright. They fight, slaughter and outmaneuver every rival to claim the throne. These leaders do not tolerate weakness and will crush both their enemies and less Yagi to further their goals. Leaders have unique traits, strengths and weaknesses, making every encounter with them different. Some prefer brute force, leading warbands into open conflict. Others employ deception, setting traps and manipulating rival factions. When one leader falls, another Yagi will rise to take their place.

Leaders routinely patrol their settlements to see for themselves how thralls and their warriors are behaving. It's not uncommon for them to challenge the loyalty of their subjects.

These tyrants can become volatile, even after gaining their favorable trust. Therefore it’s important you tread carefully and avoid angering the leader, as he can order his guards to have you imprisoned, or worse at any time.

Yagi clans maintain complex relations with each other and human settlements. While humans represent their primary targets, resource competition frequently sparks conflicts between rival Yagi clans. Territorial losses significantly destabilize clan hierarchies. Military leaders face blame for defeats, triggering internal challenges and structuring of leadership. Players can exploit these dynamics by supporting clans against more threatening rivals and targeting key leadership figures. Each clan remembers player interactions, both helpful and harmful, affecting future opportunities and bounties.

Yagi settlements are typically hostile to humans, with intruders being attacked on sight. However, players can gain favor through completing key bounties posted outside Yagi village boundaries. Available bounties can include:

Hunt a Sentius: Locate and defeat specific Sentius creatures
Cull the Void: Eliminate groups of Voidlings
Destroy a Void Altar: Neutralize void corruption sites
Gather Supplies: Collect and deliver resources, weapons, armor or plans
Raid a Rival Camp: Infiltrate and sabotage competing Yagi or human settlements
Eliminate a Rival: Remove specific Yagi or human targets
Gather Intel: Acquire information through stealth or interrogation

Successfully completing bounties grants limited safe passage and access to specialized traders. The Yagi only tolerate human presence when it serves their interests.

Each faction possesses a unique language shaped by its cultural influences and way of life.
The Yagi communicate through a primitive yet effective language characterized by harsh, guttural speech with minimal grammar. Their speech reflects their brutal societal structure. Their language lacks possession, plurality or tenses. Sentence structure follows a straightforward verb + object structure. Common phrases the player may come across include:

“Drogath!” - I am the leader.
“Thrak Azgoth” - You will show respect.
“Vorgh Durm” - I seek your blood.
“Thurg Thrak Gorth” - You dare enter my territory.

Territorial expansion begins with small encampments that develop into larger settlements as they secure resources. Their growth follows a predictable pattern. Initial camps house a handful of Yagi, which then transform into basic settlements with rudimentary structures. Basic settlements establish themselves into villages with specialized roles, eventually becoming fortified strongholds. Much like the player’s city-building journey, The Yagi will actively compete for land, resources and dominance.

New systems have been developed for procedural camp generation in three stages: small, medium, and large. This ensures that every camp is unique to the seed it was spawned in, allowing for greater exploration and increased risk of encroachment when building a settlement.

Larger camps can rival small villages in scale, but they won’t include a leader or all of the specialists found in a complete settlement. These camps are always marked by a central wartower, which, if dismantled, will scatter the Yagi and remove the camp’s influence. Over time, the game world will evolve dynamically based on how many camps you clear, which can then be settled by humans from your District.

Hostile factions develop their own economies based on warfare, resource production, and limited trade. After claiming land, thralls will begin to fill basic ranks, and within time resources can be used to build the war machine for raids which feed a growing army. After earning the clan leader’s respect, hostile factions will offer trade items specific to their culture.

Deeper relations and earned respect can ultimately lead to long-term trade routes, along with protection guarantees for your caravans. Otherwise, Yagi or other hostile factions will routinely ambush and disrupt trade routes with other districts, resulting in financial and personnel losses.

This concludes the hostile factions update and completes the features planned for them in Beta. The team will now pivot to implementing these systems across all Dynasties, including the other hostile factions: the Chojin of the Foryoku Dynasty and the Unaki of Rokkuton.

Our development roadmap is still on track, with Beta planned for this year, followed by public Early Access in 2026.

Console Betas will be rolled out after the PC Beta is available to backers
Most core game loop systems for Beta have been completed
The team is now focused on asset production and scaling systems to deepen gameplay
Quarterly updates will be delivered to backers at a minimum -- 4x annually
Development continues regardless of additional funding

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected] via email.

Fulfillment

If you haven't received your plush, USB, etc, and moved recently...

Please contact [email protected] via email with your backer email and new address.

USB production and shipment continue in limited capacity
Funds are being used primarily for development at this time
A batch of USB drives will be going out with this update
Check your email for a shipping notifications
Make sure to update your address if you happen to move

Keys and Platforms

Contact [email protected] via email for a Steam key!

All backers are eligible for Steam keys, even if you selected consoles for your platform.

Steam keys are valid through Beta, until new keys are generated for release
Once console Betas are available, separate keys will be sent to your email address
Skyclimbers will be supported on new consoles along with legacy consoles
This includes Switch 2 and potential successors to Xbox / PlayStation

We appreciate the patience and support from our community during this long period of quiet development. Rest assured, the team at Paratope is working around the clock to bring Skyclimbers to life, and we are committed to making the Beta both polished and fun!

Until next time...

Original post

24 Oct 2024Developer post

Skyclimbers 2024 Update - Part 1

After a quiet period of intense development, we're excited to share a major update! Player-built and procedurally generated settlements will become a strategic cornerstone, offering numerous benefits: 🪙 Automated Resource and Currency Generation: Once established, your settlemen

After a quiet period of intense development, we're excited to share a major update!

Player-built and procedurally generated settlements will become a strategic cornerstone, offering numerous benefits:

🪙Automated Resource and Currency Generation: Once established, your settlements will continuously generate essential resources and currency, reducing the need for manual gathering.
🔨Crafting, Repairing, and Upgrading Equipment: Villagers can craft, repair, and upgrade tools/weapons for you.
🏃Fast Travel Destinations: Quickly traverse between settlements
🫱🏼‍🫲🏽Trade: Engage in trade with other settlements, districts, and eventually dynasties, allowing you to exchange surplus resources and bolster your economy.

Pick your townhall placement wisely, as it can't be moved!

After placing the town hall villagers spring into action building its foundation.

At the heart of every settlement is the Townhall. This central building sets the boundaries of your territory and serves as the recruitment center for your villagers.

Each villager can be moved around or assigned to buildings using point-and-click features.

Houses are the foundation of your settlement, allowing for new population growth.

Keeping your villagers satisfied is key to prosperity and productivity. Ensure adequate housing and maintain a surplus of resources like food and wood. A dissatisfied village won't attract new villagers, and existing villagers will work inefficiently. Unhoused villagers will refuse to work but will still consume resources. Players can also manually recruit villagers encountered during their travels.

Villagers can be assigned to various roles, each contributing uniquely to the settlement.

Farm: Villagers assigned to farms will plant and harvest crops, ensuring a steady food supply. All villages can plant and harvest basic grains, and converting grains through secondary buildings, such as a wheat mill, is planned. As the most vital resource, it's important to start a farm early in the game.

Sawmill: At the sawmill, lumberjacks will plant saplings and cut down mature trees, supplying the wood needed for construction and upkeep. Players can also cut down trees planted by villagers. Planting trees around the perimeter of the village can offer a tactical advantage. Upgrades to the sawmill can reduce tree growth time.

Mine:Villagers working in mines will extract valuable minerals and stones. Mines operate continuously but will eventually exhaust all stone in the region, freeing the player from the time-intensive task of managing mining operations.

Barracks:Assign villagers to the barracks to train them as guards, ensuring your village is well-defended. There are three sub-categories: infantry, heavy infantry, and ranged units. While villagers can defend themselves, a trained militia offers far stronger protection. A detailed breakdown of unit types is provided in part 2 of this update.

Blacksmith: Smiths will craft, repair, and upgrade tools for both players and villagers. Upgrading this building is crucial, as it can boost resource generation. When integrated with trade routes, blacksmiths can also become a profitable asset.

Tavern: Tavern owners will sell food and general goods. While taverns can be found throughout the overworld, yours will serve as a hub for trade. You can also purchase items from your taverns at reduced prices. Villagers gather at taverns for recreation, boosting overall happiness.

Player-built settlements will periodically face random raids by groups of Voidlings or Yagi. These hostile forces will target both villagers and buildings, posing a significant threat to your community. During raids, villagers can be killed, and those who are injured will require healing.

Every month, the appearance of a Dark Moon will herald even larger and more formidable raids, escalating the danger to your settlement. Preparing for these assaults and strategically utilizing your guards will be crucial for your village's survival.

By carefully managing and expanding your settlements, you can create a powerful and self-sufficient network that supports your broader objectives. Failing to do so can result in the destruction of your kingdom.

The improved world algorithm will dynamically generate diverse villages and cities alongside player-created settlements.

To integrate these villages into their expanding kingdom, players must first improve diplomatic relations. Positive relations are essential for negotiating a purchase price and recruiting villagers from these settlements.

These procedurally generated settlements will differ in resource type, density, specialist availability, and population size.

Built on three core pillars—resource generation, housing, and governance—these villages evolve naturally through different Eras.

Players can enhance diplomatic relations by trading key resources and assisting villages with tasks such as bounties, dispatching enemy camps and activating Shoi points of interest.

These actions will solidify alliances, making generated villages valuable allies that seamlessly integrate with player-built settlements.

By connecting player-built and procedurally generated villages through diplomacy, you can establish a robust trade network and strengthen your strategic position. Allied villages will support the player during times of need, providing additional security and resources.

For those who prefer not to construct their own settlements, these generated villages offer a convenient and efficient alternative.

Town halls are the center of any settlement, where villagers come to feast, and make decisions.

Courtyards contain ancient statues and viewing areas of the village. Some Shoi artifacts remain as ruins until their true purpose is later uncovered. Richer villages will feature more ornate structures, and blueprints for statues and decorations can be acquired through purchase or quests.

Districts are a new design classification for the biomes and their inhabitants of the Skyclimbers universe.

Each district is being developed into a sub-culture within each given Dynasty, adding further depth, replayability, and design opportunities while showcasing distinct architectural styles, cultural traits, and gameplay elements.

Villagers from the District are similar in appearance, aligning with the overall Dynasty and Era theme. The first Era Drakonian design draws significant inspiration from Vikings. Historic District rivalries and trade relations will influence gameplay opportunities. Districts still honor the elemental theme of their Dynasty; for the Drakonians, this is represented by a Magma-themed banner.

Jarls are key figures within the District, making decisions about war, territory, and trade. Building relations with Jarls can lead to alliances, trade benefits, and quest opportunities. Each settlement is governed under a jarl, and some powerful leaders may command multiple settlements with large militias.

Each building follows a similar construction style, using resources gathered from its biome. All Districts are currently being developed through the first Era, with base attributes carrying over into future Eras. You can collect blueprints from various Districts to expand your building options. Character customization options will also be tailored to your chosen District.

Players can choose one of three paths to unification:

Diplomacy: Purchase and unite the districts, fostering cooperation and peace. 📜
War: Conquer the districts through force, establishing dominance. ⚔️
Isolation: Do nothing. Keep a neutral stance while completing the main quest. 🛖

The diplomatic landscape of the districts and dynasties will evolve throughout the game, with friends becoming enemies and adversaries turning into allies.

The Coastal Meadow variant of this Paladin class will be used for all demonstrations, as each district offers unique armor, hairstyles, and weaponry.

Our first completed District; the Coastal Meadow, features wide landscapes with ominous dark mountains, heavy fog, and sporadic small forests.

Locals are known for striking green eyes to match the serene vistas, and contrasting orange shades of hair grown into elaborate braids atop stocky builds. Their culture originates from ancient seafaring peoples who moved inland for the great Magmaton migration hunt.

Their homes are largely wood, though the great beams of a town hall require imported logging from the Deep Forest locale, which is an integral trade partner. The dark tough stone found throughout this district became a major export and is commonly found throughout home foundations and chimneys.

Drakonians of the Ocean District are adapted for life at sea, with shipmaking, fishing, and adept swimming techniques commonplace.

Their survival is tied to the ocean's bounty, relying on time-honed navigation skills and sturdy vessels to traverse the open waters.

Locals are known for their blue eyes, light hair, and slender but athletic builds, shaped by years of physical labor both on land and at sea. Their architecture reflects the harsh coastal environment, with homes built from dried thatch and resistant stone foundations to withstand the corrosive ocean air and relentless winds. Many structures are elevated or fortified to guard against rising tides and powerful storms.

Their deep connection to the sea has made them fierce and resourceful. Life here is simple but resilient, with a strong sense of community rooted in seafaring traditions, rituals to honor the ocean, and a shared understanding that the waters can be both generous and unforgiving.

Drakonians of the Deep Forest Biome are reclusive, living among the ancient groves of conifers set between cascading mountains.

Known for their contrasting jet-black or snow-white hair, and tall muscular builds, Drakonians of the Deep Forest remain an enigma to the other districts.

After migrating from the coastal meadow a millennia before, these peoples have adapted to the cold climates and daunting landscapes with unique traditions. An old-growth forest can remain connected with their ancestors, and it is forbidden to harvest such trees without careful consideration.

Rich with wood and ore, this District is profitable, but is difficult to traverse, making trade restricted to the major roads and towns of the area. Construction methods rely heavily on timber, cured to a dark tint under flame to make it resistant to rot and corrosion.

Drakonians of the Gyser Plains District are a hardy people able to weather the extreme warm and cold periods of the region.

Featuring wide, open plains where steam regularly bursts from the ground below them, and vibrant vegetation thrives on the fertile soil of this majestic landscape.

The ground is alive with the pulse of geothermal energy, creating a rare balance of beauty and danger. During the harvest season, fertile soil leads to surplus crops needed through the cold winters.

Locals are distinguished by their brown hair, often worn in intricate braids and their practical, earth-toned clothing that allows for freedom of movement in this unpredictable land. Their lifestyle revolves around the geyser pools, which they use not only for agriculture but for crafting and daily routines.

Homes are built from stone and timber, designed with raised foundations to protect against the heat rising from the surface. Growth-covered roofs blend into the plains and provide natural insulation. The people of the Gyser Plains extract a notable purple pigment from the crystalized lotus plant found here used for clothing and decoration.

Drakonians of the Magma District boast high tolerance to heat, making use of unique clothing and lifestyle choices to adapt within the scorched landscape.

These Drakonians have evolved a remarkable tolerance to extreme heat, thriving in an unforgiving volcanic landscape where most would falter.

Their clothing is crafted from fire-resistant materials, using light yet durable fabrics that allow them to endure the scorching air. Every aspect of their life is shaped by the molten rivers and ash-filled skies that dominate their surroundings.

The inhabitants are distinguished by their red hair and intense, sharp features. Physically, they possess muscular, rugged builds, hardened by the harsh conditions. Tattoos are prominent, often representing strength, protection, or their deep connection to the land.

Their homes are built from volcanic stone and fire-resistant ash, designed to resist tremors and withstand eruptions. Lava serves as a natural resource, used not just for crafting weapons and tools but also in rituals honoring the great Arraxos.

Skyclimbers won’t be released to Early Access in 2024, but we’re continuing to make steady progress toward key milestones.

Our roadmap needs an update to reflect the necessary milestones that lie ahead.

Beta 1 - 2025

This milestone will focus on completing the single-player game loop for the Drakonian Dynasty, including all 5 classes, districts, and character creation within the first Era. Although major progress has been made, several key systems are still under development.

Existing Alpha backers have immediate access with their Steam keys
A "Pre-Beta" patch will be rolled out to the Alpha channel before launch
Skycon will coincide with the Beta release, showcasing gameplay and trailers

Beta 2 - 2025/2026

The second Major Beta phase will introduce the Foryoku Dynasty. Feedback from the first Beta will be integrated.

Foryoku Dynasty content will parallel Drakonia with 5 districts for the first Era
A limited round of new participants will be invited to join the testing phase

Early Access - 2026

To enter Early Access, features from Beta 1 and 2 will be expanded based on feedback, and the Rokkuhito Dynasty will be added as a playable faction. Co-op Multiplayer will also be integrated.

Early Access marks the official release of Skyclimbers
Increased likelihood of cross-platform availability at launch
All three Dynasties—Drakonian, Foryoku, and Rokkuhito—will be feature complete

As we progress, we will continue to update this roadmap to reflect our development milestones.

Given the challenges of meeting previous timelines and considering our limited team's size, we're taking a more direct approach to manage expectations. We're focused on steady progress and delivering Skyclimbers with the quality and depth it deserves, while keeping expectations aligned with our realistic goals.

This was the longest gap in community updates since the Kickstarter was funded, and we aim to improve moving forward.

Quiet periods from a developer can be alarming, and your patience is much appreciated.

We plan to keep updates more frequent from here on out and thank the community for supporting Paratope through the years.

Until next time.

⚠️ Click here to read the second half of the update!

Steam has a limit to post length...

Original post

24 Oct 2024Developer post

Skyclimbers 2024 Update - Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of the Skyclimbers 2024 update! Make sure to read part 1 first... Each class has multiple weapon types and unique combos. The Paladin can wield a variety of melee weapons, including swords, spears, axes, and hammers. Each weapon type has its own attack speed, ra

Welcome to part 2 of the Skyclimbers 2024 update!

Make sure to read part 1 first...

Each class has multiple weapon types and unique combos.

The Paladin can wield a variety of melee weapons, including swords, spears, axes, and hammers. Each weapon type has its own attack speed, range, and durability. One-handed weapons allow players to carry a shield for defense, while two-handed weapons offer more power but leave players vulnerable during attacks.

Most weapons will degrade over time, encouraging reliance on smiths to maintain a robust armory. Players will need to strategize carefully, managing their loadouts or adapting to the weapons they come across the world. While the Paladin has access to class-specific arms, the game also features common melee weapons that can be wielded by any class.

Your militia is made of units trained with one of three sub-classes.

As your village grows, you’ll need to construct a building for each unit type, along with securing sufficient resources and population to support your militia. A growing war camp will enable you to defend your settlements or venture out to the battlefield.

Ranged units can be archers, slingshots, or later-era technology equivalents.

Standard infantry carry melee weapons and light armor.

Heavy Infantry units carry the thickest armor and largest weaponry.
Each unit carries a balance of damage, defense, and stamina, along with formation-specific behaviors that can be countered with the right tactics. Certain Districts are known for their exemplary units, and future iterations will include companion Sentius to their ranks.

Units fight alongside you in battle and follow commands.
Bringing the right units to each conflict will make for better results.

Larger battles may require multiple unit types.
Warfare is expensive, and you must be strategic with which battles you pick, as rebuilding the militia takes time and resources while leaving the settlement vulnerable to raids.

It's up to you as the commander to build a strategy.
Basic commands such as follow, hold, attack, and line formations are the foundations of unit combat tactics which the player can apply over any scenario to their wish.

Squabbles with the opposing clan can lead to major battles.

Voidlings will fight both sides should the battle run into night time.

Hordes of Void can overrun powerful units with numbers.
Void and Yagi bases will spawn near your town hall, gathering resources and building their armies. Clearing out Yagi and Void camps will reduce their strength, but raids are inevitable at some point.

Players can now swim and dive in large bodies of water, with swimming consuming stamina. Additionally, resources can be gathered underwater.

The new free-climbing system offers improved fluidity and maneuverability. Players can now climb most surfaces they encounter, from cliffs to buildings. Climbing consumes stamina, requiring strategic planning.

Players can now glide through the air from high places using a paraglider. It's especially useful for covering large distances or safely descending from great heights. Like swimming and climbing, using the paraglider will consume stamina.

Alongside new locomotion methods, walking and running have been revamped with responsive new sub-states.

The stamina bar can now be found as a pyramid-shaped icon near the player on screen, making it easier to manage stamina-consuming actions without having to glance at a distant corner

The resource depletion system has been reworked to be more user-friendly. Gathering plants and ground pickups now requires only a single button press.

Mining and woodcutting are no longer restricted to the multi-tool. Any weapon or tool can be freely used to deplete stone and trees, without the burden of long animations or cooldowns when gathering resources.

Albarott are key species in the ocean biome ecosystem, making nests on rocky islands.

Orcalf and Orchydro make use of a new underwater herding algorithm.

Companion Sentius will follow you on foot or wing, accompanying you on your journey.

Villagers can own domestic Sentius such as Yacabur for food, labor, and companionship.

Super rare Sentius such as Thracion may flee when you approach them. Encounters are rare, so you’ll need to choose wisely before making your move. Certain quests may also be tied to locating these elusive Sentius.

A family of Stagma, Fawsaught, and Fawnra in the Deep Forest district.

Taking on a pack of hostile Sentius can be challenging, even with a companion.

You can watch your Sentius fight, but you may need to step in if more hostiles join the battle.

Your companion Sentus may flee to avoid fainting during battle.

By working with Raikit, the Paladin takes out each Lupyre individually. Bringing the right Sentius can make all the difference—use elemental advantages. Night is especially dangerous, so keep track of high-level Sentius species and their home biomes.

Aerapterix guarding its young in the Gyser plains.

Raptra is hungry!

Aerapterix isn't happy to see the player, and is ready for a fight!

Third-stage Sentius evolutions are mini-bosses, with high stats and dangerous attacks.

Defeating these Sentius requires practice and an understanding of their tactics and strengths. Elemental advantages can make all the difference in battles like these. If you're trying to tame Sentius at this level, the right preparation is essential.

The Magma District is home to high-level Sentius, and Magmacano is a particularly tough opponent.

With multiple ranged attacks, timing your strikes is crucial!

The center biome of each continent is the most dangerous, featuring high-level Sentius and unforgiving terrain.

A brand new sky and weather system has been integrated, bringing new developmental and artistic possibilities. As before, it includes time of day progression, but now also features a range of weather conditions such as rain, thunderstorms, snow, and fog. Different biomes will have distinct weather patterns. Weather is now paired with audio and particle systems to create biome-specific ambiance.

Hex is the nearby moon of Lithan, your home planet.

A planetary neighbor of three unknown Dynasties can now be seen on the horizon.

A new clustering and spatial partitioning algorithm enables denser forests with better performance. Clustering allows for more efficient memory management, keeping usage low and preventing stuttering. Combined with a new level of detail management system, it improves performance by reducing the number of objects rendered.

AI (humanoid and Sentius) now employ a wide array of combat behaviors, including dodging, parrying, and strafing. An entity management system optimizes processing power through parallelization and memory pooling. With these techniques combined, the engine now supports large-scale real-time battles.

Night-time rendering is brighter in the overworld with more accurate colors.

Scenes now support more dynamic lights, with better shadow detail.

The world algorithm now features 5 biome continent generation with an infinite ocean border.

Reaching the ocean biome can take hours, depending on the continent's size.

Border zones feature formations from both neighboring biomes.

Longer render distances for terrain allow you to see the upcoming biome, with improved performance thanks to a custom detail loading system.

Weather and ambiance profiles adapt dynamically to each new location.

New lighting transitions during dawn and dusk feature light scattering.

Where are the other Dynasties?

Our resources are best focused on completing the single-player core loop, using Drakonia as the foundation for the other dynasties throughout the first Era.

Dozens of pre-production art assets are still being developed for other Dynasties
Drakonia’s development helps us prototype and refine systems that will be shared across all Dynasties
This approach helps us maximize time and minimize backtracking

When will the next playable build be available?

The next playable build is expected in 2025, before Beta 1. Due to limited resources, we cannot focus on gameplay development and resolving bugs or performance issues that would come with a build release.

Paratope is independently funded and has chosen to self-publish to retain creative control. To support the team, consider purchasing something from the merch store!

We also have a long-awaited plush pillow for Akaneko that will launch along with the Beta release.
Sign up here!

Below is a copy from part 1 👇

Skyclimbers won’t be released to Early Access in 2024, but we’re continuing to make steady progress toward key milestones.

Our roadmap needs an update to reflect the necessary milestones that lie ahead.

Beta 1 - 2025

This milestone will focus on completing the single-player game loop for the Drakonian Dynasty, including all 5 classes, districts, and character creation within the first Era. Although major progress has been made, several key systems are still under development.

Existing Alpha backers have immediate access with their Steam keys
A "Pre-Beta" patch will be rolled out to the Alpha channel before launch
Skycon will coincide with the Beta release, showcasing gameplay and trailers

Beta 2 - 2025/2026

The second Major Beta phase will introduce the Foryoku Dynasty. Feedback from the first Beta will be integrated.

Foryoku Dynasty content will parallel Drakonia with 5 districts for the first Era
A limited round of new participants will be invited to join the testing phase

Early Access - 2026

To enter Early Access, features from Beta 1 and 2 will be expanded based on feedback, and the Rokkuhito Dynasty will be added as a playable faction. Co-op Multiplayer will also be integrated.

Early Access marks the official release of Skyclimbers
Increased likelihood of cross-platform availability at launch
All three Dynasties—Drakonian, Foryoku, and Rokkuhito—will be feature complete

As we progress, we will continue to update this roadmap to reflect our development milestones.

Given the challenges of meeting previous timelines and considering our limited team's size, we're taking a more direct approach to manage expectations. We're focused on steady progress and delivering Skyclimbers with the quality and depth it deserves, while keeping expectations aligned with our realistic goals.

This was the longest gap in community updates since the Kickstarter was funded, and we aim to improve moving forward.

Quiet periods from a developer can be alarming, and your patience is much appreciated.

We plan to keep updates more frequent from here on out and thank the community for supporting Paratope through the years.

Until next time.

⚠️ Click here to read the first half of the update!

Steam has a limit to post length...

Original post

31 Jan 2024Developer post

Skyclimbers Passed 70k Wishlists!

Climbers We've reached a significant milestone by passing 70k Wishlists! This solidifies interest in the game while we expedite Alpha's development toward Beta. Thank you to every one of our community members who has helped spread the word about Skyclimbers; we can't wait to shar

30 Dec 2023Developer post

Soundtrack Preview

If you enjoy the Skyclimbers soundtrack, we have good news! Music from the original soundtrack has been released to all platforms 😎 Listen to the Ether on Spotify ! Listen to Bliss on Spotify ! These tracks are featured from the Shoi Dynasty but can be experienced by all players

05 Dec 2023Developer post

Patch 1.0.13.12

v1.0.13.12 includes several bug fixes and quality of life changes: New Additions: Resource costs for furniture and prop blueprints have been added, along with all current recipes in the inventory recipe tab. Improvements: There are enhancements to the music and audio zone managem

v1.0.13.12 includes several bug fixes and quality of life changes:

New Additions: Resource costs for furniture and prop blueprints have been added, along with all current recipes in the inventory recipe tab.

Improvements: There are enhancements to the music and audio zone management, small rock billboards, delay in music track playback, chest loot, uniformity in villager camps, spawning of runes, and rock cluster spawn rates.

Bug Fixes: Numerous issues have been addressed, including problems with player restarts, entity spawner dysfunctions, time of day glitches, campfire mechanics, audio playback, player model issues, NPC texture artifacts, game balance related to resource costs, and building mechanics.

Known Issues: Footsteps stop playing after input events.

Added

Added missing resource costs for furniture and prop blueprints
Added all current recipes to the inventory recipe tab

Changed

Refactored music and audio zone management
Improved small rock billboards
Improved randomized delay between music track playback
Improved chest loot
Improved uniformity of villager camps
Improved spawning of runes
Improved rock cluster spawn rates
Improved performance of HP bar UI system

Fixed

Fixed missing HP bars
Fixed player issues with restarting or getting stuck in "building world" on non-spawn tiles
Fixed entity spawner dysfunctions on non-spawn tiles
Fixed entity spawner time of day issues
Fixed campfire not progressing time of day
Fixed campfire rest locking player
Fixed campfire rest cycling through two days
Fixed windchime ambient audio zone playback
Fixed overlapping audio events
Fixed missing player after restart
Fixed automatic player ragdolling after restart
Fixed Magmaton and Voidling despawning issues after death
Fixed villager NPC texture artifacts
Fixed Sentius meat drops falling through the map
Fixed slop not fulfilling specific task requirements
Fixed Direpyre freezing when attacked by undetected players
Fixed unlimited wood wall building
Fixed blueprint resource cost bypass by players
Fixed missing ambient weather SFX
Fixed village audio zone spawning
Fixed HUD temperature display
Fixed wind chime audio zone distortion

As the year ends, the team will shift to a sprint of research and development for various game features before the release of 1.0.14 - City Building

Until next time.

Original post

01 Nov 2023Developer post

SC Newsletter / Roadmap Update / Dynasties Preview / Fulfillment Milestone

Dive into a thorough Skyclimbers update! First, a recap of the most recent Alpha updates 😎 Alpha 1.0.13 - Engine Update Available Check out this trailer showcasing new Engine features! 1.0.13 Livestream Gameplay with the Devs This update is our last Engine update before the game

Dive into a thorough Skyclimbers update!

First, a recap of the most recent Alpha updates 😎

Alpha 1.0.13 - Engine Update Available

Watch on YouTube

Check out this trailer showcasing new Engine features!

Watch on YouTube

1.0.13 Livestream Gameplay with the Devs

This update is our last Engine update before the game transitions into Beta
Performance improvements can be seen across all hardware profiles for PC
Visual improvements are visible throughout the game world and the rendering pipeline

Full Patchnotes here

Check out the 1.0.12 livestream!

Watch on YouTube

Villager AI added to overworld spawns

Traveling villagers come from other biomes and will provide trade in future patches
Villagers can be harmed, but there will be consequences when the bounty system is implemented
Each traveling villager has a unique garb/backpack suited to their biome
Villagers have their own Sentius, which will react when you approach them

Full Patchnotes here

With Alpha still in progress, Early Access has been pushed to 2024...

Pushing Early Access to 2024 will allow us to release on multiple platforms simultaneously.

Xbox is the first console to be released due to its similar nature to PC development
Depending on how quickly console development goes we will attempt to release as many of them as possible along with PC

Fulfillment of USBs will continue through 2024, with a target deadline of Q1 to complete distribution.

This will also be the deadline for producing proofs of the physical art book and Arraxos statues.
More information about reward fulfillment can be found later in the newsletter
Skycon is planned for the three-year anniversary of the Kickstarter in Q1 - 2024

The Beta will start mid to late 2024 with multiplayer and more polish than the Alpha.

Alpha lays the foundation for Beta with core features and performance benchmarks
Beta adds the final details and more depth to the game while polishing the experience

If you have questions or concerns about our roadmap, you can contact us directly at [email protected] via email.

We are confident the game can reach Beta / Early Access in 2024 with a few Alpha patches remaining for 2023
Release delays are never easy, though a delayed game with polish will always surpass a rushed product.

An update below on our partnership with Unity

Alpha version 1.0.13 introduced the final version of Unity for Beta and Early Access
Therefore none of the policy changes from Unity would apply to Skyclimbers

Dynasties are a core part of SC Roadmap, as each new Dynasty provides new locations, characters, and items.

Dynasties Home Page

The Alpha has only featured playable content from the Drakonian Dynasty, although the team has continued to make significant progress on other Dynasties during this time.

"Children of the Sky, the Foryoku Dynasty covers vast landscapes from floating cliffs in the Aer biome to the dense Cloud Forests, and their soldiers ride among flying Sentius possessing the Aer element."

The foundation of each Dynasty is its unique Architecture

All concepts and models are of the first technological "Era" from the game progression system
Strong East Asian influences are present such as bamboo roofs and yurt-style circular homes
The villager houses above are occupied by villagers from your city or spawned villages

Townhalls generate villagers and act as the city center

Each concept is carefully modeled in 3D

First era concepts for Chojin such as the base architecture and props were completed and prepared for modeling

New Sentius modeled and imported to the Engine

A distinct set of resources and corresponding source assets are available for harvesting during survival gameplay.

New environment assets were created for the Cloud Forest Biome

Aeroxen and Foryoku Ranger In Engine

"Built from stone, the Rokkuhito Dynasty ranges from the vast desert plains to the lush savannah and marsh jungle; their Sentinels command Sentius through the Terra element."

Rokkuhito - Tough as Stone

The distinct landscapes of Rokkuton such as desert

Rokkuhtio architecture adapts to its unique environment

First Era Town Halls are constructed of clay, wood, or stone, your materials will advance with each Era.

Each detail of the town hall is modeled

Unaki are the snake-like race that wars against the player

Unaki camp asset concepts

New Sentius Roxli was modeled and added to the engine

Oasis areas spawn within the Desert Biome

Ostleaf in the oasis

"Born of fire, the Drakonians hail from high mountain peaks and grassy meadow valleys with deep forests between. Their Sentinels command Sentius with the Magma element."

The First Era Paladin was introduced from Drakonia

A new character controller enables responsive combat

Coastal Meadow Locale villager at camp

Locales are the biome-specific variants for villagers, equipment, and apparel within each continent

Biome-specific variants of the paraglider were developed

New Sentius Stagma was recently added to the Alpha

Stagma Animation Previews

New set of base building assets / E1 Interiors

Some assets are shared with villager settlements

Interiors fitted with base assets and lighting accents

Boats will be commanded by the player or a crew

Runes are new locations that spawn in sub-biomes

"The world stands only for the Shoi to conquer through technology held to the plasma element"

Shoi Golems are sentinels assigned to defend Shoi locations such as temples...

Shoi drones will also patrol temples and can be found in the overworld to guide the player

Concepts for the legendary weapon each class can select

Legendary weapons never break and can be upgraded through a skill tree

"Void is limitless, void is everywhere, Void is all consuming chaos"

The Void Reaper was brought to life for a new trailer

The Foryoku Dynasty Sentipedia is complete! #101 - 200

After the concept, graphic arts are published with important data about the Sentius on our website

With Drakonian and Foryoku complete, we are now phasing down the final 80 + Sentius designs for Sentipedia 1.0

Moveset concepts are created for each attack effect

The Art team has also implemented new standards for Sentius designs, including pose sheets:

Some amazing fan art from the community:

Submit your fan art in Discord!

Follow our socials for more frequent updates!

TikTok
YouTube
Instagram
Discord

We hit a major fulfillment milestone for USB production and rewards shipment!

Over 3,000 USBs have been printed and assembled, with hundreds shipped to backers internationally.

We've also shipped all reward bundles for the Deluxe tier and above internationally! 🚀

⚠️ Console physical editions, physical art books, and legendary edition statues are waiting for production still.

If you are missing rewards excluding those listed above please contact [email protected]
Console physical editions can't be produced until the game is fully released

The team is still preparing a new product line for Akaneko, planned to launch in early 2024!

This campaign will increase awareness for the Skyclimbers brand while supporting a good cause!

Exclusive discounts will be offered to existing backers 😎

As always, we thank you for your support while we continue to develop Skyclimbers. Please contact [email protected] for any inquiries.

Until next time.

Original post

08 Oct 2023Developer post

Alpha 1.0.13 - Engine Update

Version 1.0.13 Marks our last major Engine update before we transition into Beta. This patch introduces many new rendering features, while improving performance by up to 50% Points of interests such as Temples now spawn with volumetric fog volumes Better texture scaling has been

Version 1.0.13 Marks our last major Engine update before we transition into Beta.

This patch introduces many new rendering features, while improving performance by up to 50%

Points of interests such as Temples now spawn with volumetric fog volumes

Better texture scaling has been implemented on large assets such as landmark rocks and trees

A new grass shader has been implemented with wind animation and better lighting

Improved lighting, fog, day/night cycle and volumetrics.

Watch on YouTube

Premiere of new rendering engine and model fidelity 🎥

Share your experience by reporting bugs / sharing your top seeds!

Upload your bug reports here to help the team fix them!
Share your favorite world seeds, or select one from the list for your next session!

Added

Added footstep SFX for Stagma, Direpyre, Okamito and Magmaton mounts
Added birch sub-biome entity spawning
Added POI spawn area time of day filters

Changed

Improved day and night cycle rendering
Improved dawn and dusk transitions
Improved cloud rendering
Improved grass wind effects
Improved volumetric lighting and fog
Improved terrain generation (more visible POIs, flatter terrain)
Improved memory management -- reduced average RAM usage to ~3.7GB and max RAM usage to 5GB
Improved level load time
Improved "building world" time
Improved average frame rate
Active background music fades out when player death event is activated
Refactored entity spawner (biome spawning rules, time of day spawning rules, weather spawning rules)
Player can only open chests from the front
Updated Direpyre walk and run animations
Disabled player footstep SFX when depleting a resource

Fixed

Fixed memory leak on terrain chunk load
Fixed player unable to set other Sentius as active mounts after selecting Stagma
Fixed Stagma and Direpyre not taking damage after reaching half their HP
Fixed Yagi spawning underneath towers
Fixed traveling villager NPCs spawning inside villages
Fixed resource harvest loop bug
Fixed wood tasklist entry bug
Fixed death screen buttons not being clickable
Fixed village music loop bug
Fixed Stagma not dropping loot
Fixed combat music restarting when AI attack dead player's body
Fixed depth of field menu toggle
Fixed cooking pot flames being active before player operation
Fixed mesh distortion bug
Fixed virtual camera and DoF not activating on NPC interaction
Fixed resource harvest issues on non-spawn tiles / unique biome seeds
Fixed NPC virtual camera stuck when player walks away from NPC interaction
Fixed ambient audio triggers not functioning on non-spawn terrain tiles

Watch on YouTube

Tune in for the live stream with live commentary from the devs!

A hotfix is planned for this patch, which will fix many of the remaining bugs from 1.0.12 still present in this build.

Also, stay tuned for the upcoming newsletter with an in-depth development and roadmap update!

Original post

06 Oct 2023Developer post

1.0.13 Launch Event

New paladin character preview Alpha Patch 1.0.13 is releasing Sunday! Subscribe to the YouTube Channel Streaming on Steam, YouTube , and Twitch Sign up for the Newsletter and Join the Discord Tune in for the event on Sunday at 12:00 EST + Dev Newsletter and changes to our roadmap

02 Oct 2023Developer post

Important Roadmap Update This Month 📢

Development Roadmap Update Coming This newsletter will expand on our release timelines along with an in-depth development update This will also be paired with an Alpha 1.0.13 launch event, where you can ask the developers questions during the live stream about our roadmap. Tune i

04 Aug 2023Developer post

Alpha Milestone 1.0.12 - Villagers and Camps Update

Alpha 1.0.12 is one of our largest updates yet with tons of new content and improvements! Villagers are a new AI type you can come across in the overworld Traveling villagers come from other biomes, and will provide trade in future patches Villagers can be harmed, but there will

Alpha 1.0.12 is one of our largest updates yet with tons of new content and improvements!

Villagers are a new AI type you can come across in the overworld

Traveling villagers come from other biomes, and will provide trade in future patches
Villagers can be harmed, but there will be consequences when the bounty system is implemented
Each traveling villager has a unique garb / backpack suited to their biome
Villagers have their own Sentius which will react when you approach them

Villager camps are new locations that spawn randomly within the biome

Each camp contains a cooking pot and resting fire by default for your convenience
Villagers are locals to the biome surrounding the camps and dialogue will reflect this
Companion Sentius at camps can't be tamed and are owned by the resident Villager
There are 8 camp variations which randomize location / attached villager with each seed

Yagi camps have also gotten an upgrade this patch

Originally planned as 1.0.13, a major Yagi update has been included with 1.0.12
New ranged Yagi types will attack from a distance using throwing axes
Yagi will ragdoll upon death providing more visual feedback
Camps are larger with more AI and wider battleground

New tamable Sentius Stagma has been added to the loop

Stagma is an aggressive Sentius that will attack within distance
With a combination of ranged and melee attacks, it is a formidable foe
After taming, you can spawn in Stagma as a mount
Some villagers will have Stagma as well in their camps as companions

In game UI, base building UI and overall UX improvements

Updated UI pallette with flat black and white theme
New features to in game menu such as depth of field
Rebuilt the categories system and inventory for better readability
Music player issues resolved
Base building performance drop resolved
Random crashes decreased through UI causes

Share your experience by reporting bugs / sharing your top seeds!

Upload your bug reports here to help the team fix them!
Share your favorite world seeds, or select one from the list for your next session!

Watch on YouTube

Check out the Livestream with the devs with live commentary!

You can expect hotfixes between this patch and 1.0.13, to improve new systems and fix bugs.

Until next time, thank you for your patience and support while we develop Skyclimbers.

Original post

31 Jul 2023Developer post

1.0.12 Villagers and Camps - Launch Event

The dev team needs another week to polish 1.0.12, so it has been delayed to this Friday. We appreciate your patience and support, so the update can get the time it needs. Alpha 1.0.12 - Villagers and Camps Update! A preview for some of the changes coming to this patch: AI Village

01 Apr 2023Developer post

Alpha Milestone 1.0.11 - Patchnotes

Alpha Version 1.0.11 Marks a significant milestone for Skyclimbers. Entity spawning improvements and new AI Yagi spawn reliably at camps Voidling spawn reliably during time of day changes Sentius spawning varies based upon time of day Direpyre and Okamito spawn alongside Magmaton

Alpha Version 1.0.11 Marks a significant milestone for Skyclimbers.

Entity spawning improvements and new AI

Yagi spawn reliably at camps
Voidling spawn reliably during time of day changes
Sentius spawning varies based upon time of day
Direpyre and Okamito spawn alongside Magmaton

Player improvements

New player model (example of what character creator will produce)
New player assets (staff and multi-tool)
New player animations
New player SFX

Base building overhaul: new assets, blueprints and UI

All new assets for blueprints except for campfire
New structure blueprints
New roof blueprints
Improved snapping
Hotkey HUD
Additional blueprints will be rolled out before 1.0.12

World generation updates and seed system

Player can customize coastal meadow generation through seeds
Player can select game hostility
Asset overhaul for organics (trees, stone, ground foliage)
Texture and materials overhaul for terrain and organics
Improved and expanded Yagi camps (new assets, textures and materials)
Improved era 1 villages

Sub biomes and new locations added to world spawn conditions

Human encampments
Runes
Birch sub-biome
New locational discoveries

Tasklist improvements and progression systems

Basic controls
Basic resource depletion
Basic base building
Basic cooking
Basic gauntlet interaction
Basic combat
Player leveling additions

Quality of life improvements and bug fixes

Several cooking station related bugs resolved
Sentius capture bugs resolved
Village related crashes resolved
Rest related crashed and freezes resolved
Resource depletion mode refactored
Weapon & tool auto-sheathing
Audio event bugs resolved (combat and village events)
Improved input consistency for UI such as mode switcher and cooking interface
Saving improvements
Default gauntlet behavior improvements
LOD and asset pop-in issues resolved
Physics interaction improvements
Updated minimap UI elements

Performance increases across a spectrum of hardware

Navigation mesh generation time reduced
Level load time reduced
Chunk load time reduced
Improved camera render distance
Game quit time reduced (to desktop and to menu)
Average frame rate increased on low, mid and high-end hardware

Share your experience by reporting bugs / sharing your top seeds!

Upload your bug reports here to help the team fix them!
Share your favorite world seeds, or select one from the list for your next session!

Check out the launch trailer for 1.0.11 👇

Watch on YouTube

This update allows the team to focus on adding content moving forward at a faster pace, therefore, you can expect update/patch frequency to increase.

We would like to thank our crowdfunding supporters for making this possible and sticking with us through the Alpha development of Skyclimbers!

See you in the next patch!

Original post

31 Mar 2023Developer post

Alpha 1.0.11 Livestream - 5:00 EST 🚀

Join the Devs at 5:00 EST 👉 YouTube 👉 Twitch 👉 Steam

28 Mar 2023Developer post

1.0.11 Launch Event This Friday

Toki's excited Alpha Milestone 1.0.11 is releasing Friday! Streaming on Steam, YouTube , and Twitch Sign up for the Newsletter and Join the Discord Subscribe to the YouTube Channel Check back Friday for the full patch notes!

04 Feb 2023Developer post

SC Newsletter / Development Update / 1.0.11 Preview

We're kicking off the year with lots of news! New character models are coming in preparation for Character Creation Sub biomes create variation within a master biome seed such as this red birch forest Development Update The team has been working hard on Alpha version 1.0.11 This

We're kicking off the year with lots of news!

New character models are coming in preparation for Character Creation

Sub biomes create variation within a master biome seed such as this red birch forest

Development Update

The team has been working hard on Alpha version 1.0.11

This version will include:

Major performance update
Load time reduction
New Sentius
Random seed generation
New Yagi camps
Secondary biome forest spawn
Deeper task list progression
Location discovery update
Character model update
Character weapon update
Music soundtrack update
Time of day music events
Night time lighting update
Numerous bug fixes

New Sentius have been added to the spawner, while also fixing spawn bugs

Yagi camps spawn larger settlements, and higher-tier units can also be present

Stay tuned for the upcoming Coastal Meadow Biome trailer, and 1.0.11 release notes on Steam!

Our animator Isadora was busy with cinematic animations for upcoming trailers, along with Toki the Drakonian Dog Sentius.

Toki run animation

Toki excited animation

We've published almost 200 entries to the Sentipedia!

Designer backer Sentius are making their way into the Sentipedia
As we near completion of the Foryoku Sentius, Rokkuhito is up next
New features are coming to Sentipedia, such as a 3D render preview of every Sentius
All of the lovely renders for the new Sentius are done by our creature artist Bisloba 💖

The Drakonian 1st Era takes influence from Vikings and Celtic culture.

Our concept artist Gael completed most of the 1st Era Drakonian character designs, preparing for Character Creation features very soon!

Villagers and specialists make up the AI within your village.

We also completed the 1st Era villagers and specialists designs for the upcoming City Building Patch!

Modeler Leo kept up with Gaels concepts, completing the Drakonian hair for character creation in the 1st Era, specialist villagers, buildings, and a new Sentius Tokinu!

Lastly Erik our Web Dev rolled out a cross platform version of the music player, and crucial EULA | Privacy Policy pages.

PlayStation Backers!

You can now wishlist Skyclimbers on PS4 and PS5 devices! Store link

Stay tuned for more information about the PlayStation and other console Alphas.

Watch on YouTube

Earlier this month, we published a video/text tutorial for setting up Skyclimbers on the Steam Deck!

Make sure to leave your feedback in the forums on performance/gameplay on Deck!

Our recent cloud gaming blog post provides some perspective on the industry trends after the recent shutdown of our partner platform Google Stadia.

Skyclimbers will release on GeForce now once it enters Early Access
Once we are further into Xbox development, the possibility of X Cloud integration will be explored.

We're gearing up to release a new plush line with our partner Backerkit! 🐼

New plush products and more will be revealed in the campaign
This will help expand the SC audience while also funding new product lines
Backers from the SC Kickstarter will get special promotions and rewards!

⚠ | Steam Key Update |🗝️

All Steam key issues have been resolved
Contact [email protected] via email for key requests
Console backers can redeem a complimentary Steam key
Steam keys can only be used with Windows at this time or Steam Deck

Until next time, thank you for your continued support while we develop Skyclimbers.

Original post

11 Jan 2023Developer post

Steam Deck Guide

Watch the video guide Steam Deck Guide Step 1 Access the Steam Deck Beta branch by entering the code: valvesteamdeck Once you enter the code, your device will download and update the game files. It can also be helpful to verify the integrity of your local game files using the pro

Updates & announcements

Skyclimbers Beta: Sentius Preview

Starters Overhaul

This quarter we have an update on the monsters of Skyclimbers, known as Sentius! Sentius are elemental creatures that can be captured throughout the overworld.

A new standard for Sentius models.

Beta Sentius Roster

Ocean Biome

The Ocean biome appears across every continue you explore, and we've developed new Sentius for both the shoreline beaches and underwater spawn zones.

Fully Aquatic Sentius can only be tamed and deployed in the Ocean biome. Since players can free dive, some species may only be found at greater depths.

Coastal Meadow

Most Sentius will be found wandering the vast grasslands, while others may nest on the peaks of the meadow cliffs.

Deep Forest

Spawning for Sentius in this biome will vary between the dense forests, and alpine mountain regions.

Gyser Plains

Dominated by tall peaks and wide plains, most Sentius will be found roaming the basin of this biome.

New Systems

As we get closer to the Beta, we've chosen to hone in on reusable Systems for all Sentius, improving the user experience and the bond between players and their Sentius companions.

VFX Development

We’ve upgraded our VFX pipeline with GPU rendered effects, allowing us to create richer, more dynamic visuals with improved performance and faster iteration.

Development Update

We're still pushing forward as a self funded two person team...

With no external funding, we’ve recently expanded production support to help accelerate animation, VFX, and Sentius development for Beta.

Thank you for your continued patience and support while we develop Skyclimbers.

Skyclimbers Update: The Road to Beta

We’re excited to share a major update on the development of Skyclimbers!

After multiple delays, we have decided to reduce the scope of Early Access to expedite release, while still delivering a strong foundation of content.

Early Access was initially planned to ship with three playable dynasties: Drakonian, Foryoku and Rokkuhito. Instead, each Dynasty has now been fragmented into multiple unique Districts. Early Access will be limited to the Drakonian Dynasty, featuring multiple unique playable Districts.

Jarls control each District, and your relation to them will dictate diplomacy.

Rivalries between districts will lead to conflicts that you can resolve through one of three methods: diplomacy, trade, or warfare.

Districts have unique warfare capabilities, for example the Coastal Meadow Infantry carry spears, while Deep Forest Infantry carry one handed axes and oval shields.

These changes in armor and weaponry will influence the outcome of district conflict, and encourage the player to conquer all 5 districts to attain all distinct unit types.

One of the more prominent results of our procedural design architecture is the character randomizer system.

Deep Forest character attributes include pointed ears, thin frames, dark face paint to reflect the ancient woods they live within. These restrictions apply to villager generation and character creation.

Every detail from candlestick, to table has been built custom to each district, ensuring players have a completely new experience when exploring Drakonia.

Below is a side by side comparison of Deep Forest [Left] and Coastal Meadow [Right] architectural styles, showcasing the contrast in both materials and construction methods.

Procedural Village Generation

Another powerful result of procedural generation is our new village generator.

Everything is runtime generated, including villager pathways and villager profiles.

This is a work in progress, and as the town generation evolves, our goal will be to generate settlements will look and feel lived in.

Deep Forest Architecture features dark wood harvested from the redwood forests, dragon head beams, and thick angled roofs to account for snowfall.

All districts specialize in unique resources not found elsewhere, with each having a unique crop: wheat for Coastal Meadow, and cabbage for the Deep Forest.

Villagers in spawned towns have basic routines, including specialists such as farmers, blacksmiths, ect...

Specialist buildings such as the Tavern, Blacksmith, and Farmhouse, will offer items to the player for sale, and in some cases workers eligible for recruitment.

As we develop future Eras, Village generator will have to evolve to support different architectural and industrial features.

The Deep Forest is home to unique Sentius only found in this District!

Ravos, Ravan, Avalynx, Fyrett, and Moosleif are some of the Sentius unique to this biome.

Minor Continents & World Generation

Below are screenshots of an example minor continent consisting of a single biome, the Coastal Meadow. To create more variation between continents, some minor continents will have fewer than 5 biomes, so that each destination is less predictable.

Exploration will be a core aspect of the Early Access launch, allowing players to customize world settings, or allow random generation to dictate the experience.

We rebuilt overworld generation to support better forest density, including an updated birch biome in the Coastal Meadow.

To create more variation within the Dynasty, continents will randomize in scale, biomes, hostility, and environmental factors such as Void presence.

Some continents will be devoid of points of interest but lush with Sentius, while others may be heavily developed with villages of impressive scale.

This continent is inhabited by a massive Magmaton herd, but minimal humanoid populations.

Boats are an essential form of travel between continents, including ships designed to match your District style.

Boat mechanics on the open ocean will allow for free exploration.

The open ocean will be fraught with dangers, including Sentius.

Our newest terrain engine supports real-time Void infections, which grow from spawned Void Eggs, and consume the overworld landscape.

Forests become barren and resources are made unusable by the Void as it spreads.

Land infected with Void cannot be used for city building or base building.

Destroying a Void Egg is critical to prevent it from growing into a Void Altar, and eventually a Void Portal.

The Void infection system is completely procedural and can adapt to any terrain formation and any objects present on it (vegetation, buildings, etc.)

As the Void spreads, Voidlings will begin to spawn, and will persist during the day.

Our next devlog will include Shoi systems used to combat the Void.

Outposts are a new building type that allow you to expand the radius of your settlements when in city building.

Each outpost can be surrounded by a limited number of buildings, compared to your townhall which can support the largest radius.

We spent time adding more detail and realism to the stages of construction for city-building.

With much of this development cycle being dedicated to engine level systems, we plan to showcase more gameplay updates in our next update.

Development Status Update

We're equally frustrated with the delays Skyclimbers has faced during development, therefore by focusing on transparency and reasonable milestones, we feel there is a sound path forward.

The Current Phase

The Roadmap

We're planning to release the Beta to crowdfunding supporters and existing Alpha testers in Q3

Challenges & Strategy

Funding Development

Thank you for reading this development update, and we appreciate all of the fans, supporters, and testers who have patiently waited years for the release of Skyclimbers.

Skyclimbers Q2 Newsletter - Sentius Devlog

Monster Taming Beta Devlog

A Living Ecosystem

Sentius Gauntlet Updates

Sentius Mount Updates