Swordeye

Coming soon

ALX Theory LLC

Planned release: 2026
Platforms
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 07:07 GMT

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20 posts

23 Jul 2026Developer post
The Playtest Starts Today!
The playtest will run from 1pm Pacific on 07-23-2025 through 07-27-2025. New features include a 1v1 tournament event, a queue for ranked duels, 1-handed weapons and shields, and much more. The first Othari Raid of the Playtest will start at 4:00pm Pacific Time and registration fo
16 Jul 2026Developer post
Next Playtest Starts 07-23-2026
The next playtest will start at 1pm Pacific on 07-23-2026 and will run through 07-27-2026. This playtest features a new 1v1 tournament event, a queue for ranked duels, 1-handed weapons and shields, and much more. The tournament consists of a group stage where you are put in a gro
21 May 2026Developer post
The Playtest Starts Today!
This playtest will run from 1pm Pacific on 05-21-2025 through 05-25-2025. It features major additions to the game including a massive expansion to the T1 dungeon, a new boss, a party system, a revive system, helmets and of course the Great Hunt world event. The Othari Raid will r
07 May 2026Developer post
Next Playtest Starts on 05-21-2026
The next playtest will start at 1pm Pacific on 05-21-2026 and will run through 05-25-2026. This playtest features a massive expansion to the T1 dungeon, a new boss, helmets, a party system, combat tweaks, visual improvements and much more. A preview of a portion of one of the new
26 Mar 2026Developer post
Swordeye Playtest 9 Is Live!
Playtest 9 will run from 1pm Pacific on 03-26-2025 through 03-31-2025. This playtest features major additions to the game including proximity voice chat, reworked animations, a compass, end boss rewards, and of course the Othari Raid world event. The Othari Raid will run every 4
12 Mar 2026Developer post
Swordeye Playtest 9 starts 03-26-2026
Playtest 9 will start at 1pm Pacific on 03-26-2026 and will run through 03-31-2026. This playtest features the Othari Raid, proximity voice, new animations, new npcs, a new sword type, a new vendor, performance optimizations, QoL and more. Introducing the Othari Raid The Othari R
01 Mar 2026Developer post
Othari Raid -- Progress Update
Major Updates and New Features This month I've focused on the new Othari Raid Event which is a co-op PvE focused event where an army of Othari swarm the sect outpost and players must defend with turrets, guards and the sect elders. Killing NPCs during the event gives special raid
06 Feb 2026Developer post
Animation Overhaul -- February Update
Major Updates and New Features Since playtest 8, in addition to working on addressing all of the player feedback, I've redone a lot of the animations, added proximity voice chat, a friend system with cross server dms, and tons more. Name Change I decided to change the name of the
17 Dec 2025Developer post
Swordeye Playtest 8 Is Live!
Playtest 8 will run from 1pm Pacific on 12-17-2025 through 12-23-2025. This playtest features major additions to the game including a massive open world, potion crafting, sword smelting, cultivation expansion, combat changes and more. A rundown of the biggest changes is here: Tha
02 Dec 2025Developer post
Swordeye Playtest 8 starts 12-17-2025
Playtest 8 will start at 1pm Pacific on 12-17-2025 and will run through 12-23-2025. This playtest features tons of new content including a giant open world where you can siege the Othari castle, gather herbs to craft potions, explore the underground mines and find new bosses and
Playtest 8 will start at 1pm Pacific on 12-17-2025 and will run through 12-23-2025. This playtest features tons of new content including a giant open world where you can siege the Othari castle, gather herbs to craft potions, explore the underground mines and find new bosses and much more. Everyone who requests access will be able to play on 12-17.
Watch on YouTube
What's new in Playtest 8?
Below is just the highlights, for full patch notes see discord.

Content

A massive new open world with scattered entrance portals to the tower
Sword recycling / smelting
Herb Gathering
Potion crafting
Soul strength / soul flame
New secrets / puzzles
New NPC types

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Community Feedback

Feint changes
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Control of sword upgrades
Can add "Awakens" to swords that don't have it
Lets of minor UI polish
Potion Crafting

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QoL

Lots of animation and sound improvements
Lots of visual improvements
Further optimization of the ice cave
Bulk purchasing
Can't wait to see you all at the next playtest.
Original post
31 Oct 2025Developer post
Beyond the Wall -- October Update
Major Updates and New Features This month I've primarily been working on a new map but I've also made some core combat changes, loot changes, a few ability tweaks, and more. Here is a video sneak peak of the new map. Combat Changes Riposte Damage Reduction: The base incoming dama
Major Updates and New Features

This month I've primarily been working on a new map but I've also made some core combat changes, loot changes, a few ability tweaks, and more. Here is a video sneak peak of the new map.
Watch on YouTube
Combat Changes

Riposte Damage Reduction: The base incoming damage reduction while riposting was increased from 50% -> 75%. The riposte invulnerability passive was removed and replaced with a new passive that gives riposte life steal.
Feint Attack Charge: You now maintain 50% of your previous attack charge when feinting.
Frost Armor: The frost armor active now immediately ends when you get hit and grants you a riposte. If you get hit during its active duration its cooldown is reset. See below for a discussion of the feint changes:
Watch on YouTube
Sword Recycling / Awakening / Upgrading You can now smelt down swords you don't want into raw components that can be used to upgrade or awaken other swords. In addition, you can now pay an extra cost to select a specific upgrade rather than a random one to apply to a sword and you can add or replace the awakening buff on a sword. See the video below for details.
Watch on YouTube
QoL I've also done a significant amount of QoL / polish / bug fix work based on community feedback. Huge thanks to everyone on discord giving suggestions. As always this is just the highlights, for full patch notes see discord: https://discord.gg/tK64nsXheq
Original post
26 Aug 2025Developer post
Swordai Playtest 7 starts 9-3-2025
Playtest 7 will start at 1pm Pacific on 9-3-2025 and will run through 9-8-2025. This playtest features tons of changes based on your feedback from playtest 6 as well as a greatly expanded quest line, new 1vX NPC code that is unparalleled in the slasher genre, a new enemy type, ne
Playtest 7 will start at 1pm Pacific on 9-3-2025 and will run through 9-8-2025. This playtest features tons of changes based on your feedback from playtest 6 as well as a greatly expanded quest line, new 1vX NPC code that is unparalleled in the slasher genre, a new enemy type, new control options, tons of QoL and more.
Right after playtest 6 I also released a new official game trailer. Huge shout out to everyone who participating in the filming. The trailer is absolutely fire and I'm super grateful for all the help from the community. ICYMI:
Watch on YouTube
What's new in Playtest 7?
Below is just the highlights, for full patch notes see discord.

Content

Greatly expanded the main quest line
Significant updates to the ice cave including new sections, new chests/secrets, and a new NPC type
Added a new 1vX AI module that makes the harder AIs riposte transfer, target switch, etc in 1vX scenarios.
A new kata, called the Kata of the Fading Sun. Currently Raydil has the #1 time.
Watch on YouTube

Community Feedback

Killing another player near their bind stone banishes them to a far away bindstone
When you go through a red portal you will not be sent to a bind stone that is being camped
Ability slot unlocks no longer require Kata's instead those have greatly increased quest rewards
The entrance has a PvP toggle
Ice golem hitboxes have been reworked to use the Basalt Golem code base
Greatly improved the directionality of the audio to give a better indication of direction and distance
You can now practice specific phases of the initiation trial and other challenges
You can now practice defending against kicks at the block trainer
Player loot crystals now persist for 30 minutes and are visually distinct from NPC crystals
Tons more, thanks so much to all of you who dropped suggestions in discord

QoL

You can now search and filter your inventory
Added new control schemes such as "Freeblock" which lets you update your block direction in real time while holding RMB.
Added a "Buffered Kiai" option that applies your kiai to the next attack rather than the current one
Added control presets that load in specific recommended configurations
Katas now show a preview of the next orb
The arena is greatly streamlined, NPC duels are greatly sped up if two npcs are fighting and players are queued, npc's auto spawn if you are waiting for an opponent, etc

Bug Fixes

Fixed issues with swords not loading in properly
Fixed a couple of issues with NPCs not resetting properly between duels
Fixed a bug where you could get stuck on the "play now" screen
Many more

Can't wait to see you all at the next playtest. Here's the hype video!
Watch on YouTube
Original post
19 Aug 2025Developer post
Swordai 2v2 Tournament - 8/30/2025
I'll be hosting a 2v2 tournament on Saturday August 30th at 1pm pacific time on the NA East freeform server. To participate, please join discord and see the signup instructions. If you don't have a partner, you can just show up and pair up with someone that day. The 2v2 tournamen
22 Jul 2025Developer post
Playtest 6 is a Wrap
Huge thanks to everyone who tried the game this playtest. It was awesome to hop on and fight with you all. Had a blast in duels, 3v3s and getting stream sniped with Firebox in the tower by players hunting my bounty. Counting only new players who hadn't launched the game before th
16 Jul 2025Developer post
Playtest 6 starts at 1pm PT on Thursday 7/17/2025
Join us this weekend (July 17-21) for Swordai playtest 6 and battle the upgraded Flame Acolytes, experience the new Endboss, duel Elder Xun, fight the updated Puppeteer, take the new Combat Trial, and much more. Playtest 6 features everything from major QoL improvements, control
09 Jul 2025Developer post
Playtest 6 starts on 7/17/2025
Playtest 6 will start on 7/17/2025 and features a ton of improvements based on your feedback and new content. There is a new End boss with a massive persistent health pool (per region eg. NA/EU/ASIA). When a region defeats him, players who dealt damage to him will get special rew
Playtest 6 will start on 7/17/2025 and features a ton of improvements based on your feedback and new content.
There is a new End boss with a massive persistent health pool (per region eg. NA/EU/ASIA). When a region defeats him, players who dealt damage to him will get special rewards based on their damage contribution.
A new "Combat Trial" has been added to the entrance, test your skills on the official leaderboards.
Watch on YouTube
Entrance redesign. Cultivation and ability crafting are now accessible in the tower entrance along with katas, the combat trial and other training modes. There are also new NPCs to duel.
QoL and control improvements. Based on feedback from Playtest 5, I put a lot of work into the angle before click controls, fixed some bugs related to the turn cap and made dozens of other little tweaks to make the game feel smoother and more responsive.
Tutorial rework. The tutorial has been significantly expanded and improved to better teach the core combat system
AI improvements. In addition the the new end boss AI, all of the npcs have gotten a bit of an upgrade. You can see a sneak peak of the boss AI as it was being developed here:
Watch on YouTube
And much more, see discord for full patch notes.
Original post
22 Apr 2025Developer post
Playtest 5 Starts 4/30/2025
Major Updates and New Features This patch contains all the new features for playtest 5 which starts on 4/30/2025. Between now and then I will just be working on bug fixes and QoL. Bosses: There are two new bosses, the Basalt Golem in the tier 1 area and the Ice Wraith in the tier
Major Updates and New Features
This patch contains all the new features for playtest 5 which starts on 4/30/2025. Between now and then I will just be working on bug fixes and QoL.

Bosses: There are two new bosses, the Basalt Golem in the tier 1 area and the Ice Wraith in the tier 2 area.
Swords: You can now loot unique swords by killing enemies or looting chests. There are different types of swords (claymores, longswords, etc) and within each type there are randomized stats (damage, charge speed, swing speed, etc). The swords have a chance to have an "Awakened" property and can be upgraded. Awakening swords is something you do within a single tower climb, each run your sword starts unawakened and you can stack its awakened buff by doing a specific thing. Some swords awaken by killing other players, or claiming blessings, or looting chests, etc. To upgrade your weapon you will need to kill enough monsters with it to fully charge it with essence. Then take it to an upgrade table and supply the required materials and it will get a random buff.
Reconnect: If you disconnect your character will now stay where they are in game and you can reconnect. Having your internet connection go out will no longer mean losing all your loot.
The meta loadout: After extensive dueling with Lome I think we are both of the opinion that the meta loadout for this playtest will use Winter's Chill and Shatter to provide slows, Wrath for its overall combat power, mist step in the dodge slot, and Disrupting Kiai, along with the standard Kick and Combo-parry. You can see a us dueling with that build here:
Watch on YouTube

Misc: There are tons of other new things to check out such as, a new ore type (glacial ore) the ice cave now has 6 blessing shrines and is (slightly) easier to navigate, lots of AI and performance tweaks, a bunch of QoL and bug fixes, etc. I can't wait to play with you all next week!
Original post
08 Mar 2025Developer post
Update 0.6.74 Patch Notes - Loot Update 2
Major Updates and New Features A pretty substantial update today containing some significant progress on items and loot as well as some performance optimization and an engine update to UE 5.5. Because of the engine update the download for this patch will be big as most of the fil
Major Updates and New Features

A pretty substantial update today containing some significant progress on items and loot as well as some performance optimization and an engine update to UE 5.5. Because of the engine update the download for this patch will be big as most of the files change.

Amulets: Introduced a new gear item, amulets, which give a damage absorbing shield that recharges rapidly when out of combat.
Selling: You can now sell items to the sect quartermaster.
Trading: You can now trade with other players
Sword Kill Tracking: Swords now track how many enemies they have killed. In the future this will tie into the system for upgrading them.
DLSS 4: Added DLSS 4 and multi-framegen support
Optimization: Did a fair amount of optimization work. Also added toggle for many performance effecting features as well as 240 and 360 fps cap options.
Combo Feint: You can now hit feint during the combo window and stop your attack at that point.
Tutorial Flask: The Lost Soul in "Beginnings" now drops a simple flask the first time you kill him. For existing players that have killed him before, he will appear to drop two flasks but only one will be stashed. For anyone killing him for the first time everything will work as expected. Thanks as always for all the feedback, particularly on the performance related items. It is invaluable—thank you for being an integral part of this journey! Stay tuned for the next update. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321890/Swordai/
Original post
18 Feb 2025Developer post
Update 0.6.60 Patch Notes
Major Updates and New Features This patch has a ton of changes and additions so I'll be a bit less detailed than usual in these patch notes and won't cover every single change. This is part 1 of a 3 part loot/crafting update that will include swords, amulets, uprading/enchanting
Major Updates and New Features

This patch has a ton of changes and additions so I'll be a bit less detailed than usual in these patch notes and won't cover every single change. This is part 1 of a 3 part loot/crafting update that will include swords, amulets, uprading/enchanting and two major new sword mechanics. A significant portion of the work for this patch went into adding new UI for things like vendors, loadout selection, quests, etc. You can duel any vendor in the game and get access to special items if you defeat them.

Unequip: Added the ability to unequip and equip swords, this includes animations for running around with no weapon. The new animations use UE5s motion matching system which I didn't use before so I'll need to do some performance benchmarking on that, but I think it looks nice.
Crouch: Added crouch, you cannot fight from crouched. The default key is Z. When crouched your footsteps are silent so you can use it to sneak up on people
Loadout UI: Added a system for choosing your loadout when entering the tower so that you can change your ability loadout and chose what equipment to bring with you at the entrance portal.
Vendors: Added a system for npc vendors / quest givers. You can buy stuff from them. You can also duel any of them. Right now there is just one, the tower quartermaster.
The Mines: Added the a new beginner friendly zone called the mines. Right now there is just a small area where you can mine ore and the rest is closed off. It won't be fully ready for a while.
Sword Stats: Added a sophisticated system for swords to have special effects. Right now each of the swords in the weapon rack has an example effect. You can mouse over to read them.
Borrowed Items: Updated the weapon rack to give you "borrowed" swords that can be used but cannot be brought through portals or into the tower.
Mouse Responsiveness: Added an option to disable the camera smoothing and made having it disabled the default. I think the mouse movement will feel more responsive.
Animation Quality: changed the npcs to run at a higher tick rate locally but the same tick rate on the server. This should make npc animations a bit easier to read.
Achievements: Added new achievements for blocks per minute that must be done on 6 direction + random mode. There is an achievement for 50 blocks per minute and 60. I've only gotten 57 so far but one player has already gotten to 60.
Cleave: Fully charged attacks now cleave through multiple opponents, each hit opens a new combo window (or resets it if the previous has not expired).
Crippling Kiai: Deleted "Cleaving Kiai" as it is now the default behavior. Replaced it with "Crippling Kiai" which makes your kiai attacks slow the person you hit.
Entrance Instancing: Added support for multiple instances of the tower entrance within a region, this is part of a goal to make the entrance have a lot more stuff (quests, crafting, duels, trading, marketplace, etc.)
Tower Tokens: Added a system for using "tower tokens" to enter the tower. Your "tower token" controls your start location within the tower (and in the future certain tokens will give buffs).
Miscellaneous

Added katas to the entrance
A lot of UI QoL, eg you can click on an item to use it for crafting instead of dragging. Lots of little things like that
Fixed crash issue with traversing red portals when being attacked
A lot of minor bug fixes.
What's next?
This is the first major chunk of what I have planned for adding meaningful loot and a quest/story progression. I won't get into the details of the quests, but loot wise, the next steps will be.

Awakening: The next major mechanic for swords will be "awakening" conditions. A big challenge for extraction looters is balancing making gear feel meaningful without making it feel like vets are just gear checking new players. An idea I've had in mind for some time is to have the higher end swords start off very weak and "awaken" incrementally throughout a tower run when certain sword specific conditions are met. So a simple example would be a sword that gains base damage each time you go through a red portal. It would be weaker than a normal sword in the beginning areas but very strong against the puppeteer. Experienced players don't need a good sword in the early game anyways and this keeps them from running around 1-tapping noobs.
Shields: And by that I mean magic shields not physical ones. Another area I want to improve is how health feels in the game. I've been having trouble finding the right balance of healing within the game so that getting hit every now and then doesn't feel terrible, while at the same time making your HP feel precious (so not resetting to full after each fight). I've decided to have the 3rd gear item (amulets) that will give you a "shield" which will absorb X damage, after which damage will start reducing your health. Your shield will automatically recharge if you are out of combat (and not sprinting) for a fairly short time. Then I will significantly reduce the amount of healing in the game. Better amulets will give bigger shields, or shields with special effects.
Loot tables: After that I'll go through and add loot tables for swords / amulets to all NPCs and change their swords to match their play styles. Right now there are some significant mismatches (most notably with the Othari, where they are using a sword that favors riposte based offense, but they hardly ever block).
As always, your feedback is invaluable—thank you for being an integral part of this journey! Stay tuned for the next update, and I hope you enjoy exploring these new features and improvements.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321890/Swordai/
Original post
08 Jan 2025Developer post
Version 0.6.54 Patch Notes
Major Updates and New Features The latest patch notes reflect what has been added since the last Steam update, alongside a sneak peek at the exciting features planned for this weekend. Recent Patch Highlights - Improved Weapon Mechanics: Introduced unique charge speeds, stamina d
Major Updates and New Features

The latest patch notes reflect what has been added since the last Steam update, alongside a sneak peek at the exciting features planned for this weekend.

Recent Patch Highlights - Improved Weapon Mechanics:

Introduced unique charge speeds, stamina drain, and base damage values for each of the four base sword types.
Black Claymore: Slowest charge speed (2s), highest base damage (90).
Katana: Fastest charge speed (1s), with unchanged base damage (60).
The variation in these stats creates distinct playstyles for each weapon type.
Slower weapons excel in riposte and Kiai-focused combat, while faster swords reward aggressive, combo-heavy strategies.
Holding charged attacks for extended periods enhances the versatility of slower swords.

New Multiplayer Features

Multiplayer Interactions Framework: Established foundational code to enable player-to-player interactions, paving the way for future systems like parties and guilds.
Dueling System:

Players can challenge each other to duels in the entrance area.
Introduced ranked duels with an Elo rating system.
Leaderboards are now available to track duel Elo rankings.

Trading System: Players will be able to trade items with others in the entrance area. (This is coming in a later update, pending bug fixes.)

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue causing AI to improperly combo after kicks in certain scenarios.
Resolved a bug with ability crafting costs incorrectly displaying in Hotbar tooltips.

Gameplay Adjustments

Tower Respawn Timers - They are now situational:

30 seconds if another player recently damaged you.
15 seconds if you died to NPCs and there is someone nearby to spectate.
5 seconds if you died to NPCs and no one is nearby to spectate.

Katas Available in the Entrance: Players can now access katas directly in the entrance area.

Developer Notes
This patch introduces significant changes to core combat mechanics, with a focus on weapon differentiation and strategic depth. The groundwork laid for multiplayer systems will support future features, making Swordai a more dynamic and interactive experience.
As always, your feedback is invaluable—thank you for being an integral part of this journey! Stay tuned for the next update, and I hope you enjoy exploring these new features and improvements.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321890/Swordai/
Original post