Welcome, survivors!
The moment has arrived: Skara Beta is finally live!
Thanks to all of you for your patience and the support messages we have received through the process of building Skara - The Blade Remains. There are still a lot of things that need to be done, but we truly believe that this version represents the core of our vision to create competitive multiplayer fighting and evolving storytelling.
Here you can find what Skara Beta represents:
Gameplay improvements
In terms of gameplay, the main focus for this version have been to make combat more tactical and usable and to normalize certain rules that were not deterministic enough. Strongly committed to “easy to play, hard to master”, we are aiming to raise the skill cap of Skara - The Blade Remains while lowering its learning curve.
Damage collision detection
We have deeply improved our system to give not only more consistency to it, but to expand the specificities of each attack. With this changes, you will want to think whether you dash left or right to avoid that wide spear attack.
New combat animations + timings
Combat timings and distances have been rebalanced to promote a slower but more diverse and tactical combat where choices are more meaningful and attacks and survivors have more variety between them.
Feints
Following the timing changes we have added the feint action, which allows to stop certain starter attacks, deepening the mind games and tactics involved in the fight.
Magnet and auto-lock (Free Camera Mode)
Magnet option reorients your attacks towards closest enemies to make it easier for you to hit them when you are in free camera mode. As some of you asked, you can turn it off in the options menu if it doesn’t match your playstyle.
We have also added the auto lock feature that locks a target automatically after attacking them. It only works if magnet is activated and you are in free camera mode.
Smart target (Targeting mode)
Does switching between enemies when you are in targeting mode feel too slow for you? With smart target now you will be able to attack in the direction you wish (WASD or L-Stick). Try it out and give us your feedback!
Deflects
Getting your attack parried or smashing your weapon against a wall will now interrupt you and play a deflect animation.
Dashs rework
Dashes timing and distances have been reworked to make them more systemic and balanced.
New Coliseum layout
The Khilma Coliseum has been modified to avoid unnecessary lengthening of the rounds. Having an obstacle will discourage uninteresting patterns while giving room to wider variety of interactions. It has also received a Sudden Death feature just like Gao-Di map, hope it blazes you!
Dà-shizu new kit
Dà-shizu have received a full rework on their combat kit, with the goal to maintain their core traits while trying to remove some unhealthy patterns. Dashes no longer go through other players and basic and specialized attacks are now more diverse to offer deeper and more appealing options. Defense has been fully overhauled and is now a defensive attack.
Menu new look
One of the first things you will notice is the complete rework on the main menu and the UI. Although it looks way better now this is not only a visual style change. New design layout make the process of navigating through the menu easier for both mouse and controller.
This change will allow us to implement new features faster, as we implemented a new system to make more changes without having to create a new build. More on this to come soon.
New cosmetics: Skins dyes
We know the way your characters look is important, so we decided to give you even more options to distinguish yourself from other survivors on the battlefield!
Dyes will be obtained on Orbs that you can buy or unlock by just playing Skara. They all come with Lore-related names so make sure you find the best fit for your character.
New cosmetics: Emotes
A new way to express yourself on the battlefield has arrived! Use emotes to greet your folks and foes, or just sit down if there is an interesting duel and you don’t want to intervene. These emotes are very Lore-focused; for all of you who have read the novel ‘Time of the Two Suns’ they will be quite clear. If that is not the case stay tuned as we will soon release extra information on our Wiki page.
At the moment there are 3 different emotes per characters. Make sure you use the in-game Communication wheel to display them on the battlefield pressing ‘B’ on your keyboard or the arrow ‘up’ on your controller.
New skins
You will find new skins, helmets and weapons available in the Armory. From the Loút Hunters from the Khärn to the amazing skin of the Klarawatch of the Tamvaasa. Find them all under each culture section and try to get them all!.
More skins are coming on future builds. Stay tuned to Steam, Discord and all our Social Media platforms as we showcase them.
Ingame economy
The economy of Skara comes with major changes as we are approaching the complete integration with the blockchain.
· Karats, the old gem that allowed you to purchase your favorite items now are called ‘Shards’. They works almost exactly the same way than the old ‘Karats’, with some extra bonus - you can now obtain some of the opening ‘Zem Orbs’. The existing ‘Karats’ in your account have been now turned to ‘Shards’.
· The official currency in Skara is now called Talon (T) - from the House of Talé, the Kings of Durno - and it is the crypto currency of the Skara Universe. 1,000 Talons equal 1 SKRT (Skara Token), and you will be soon be able to obtain this crypto currency both in and outside the game. Check skaratoken.com for more information.
Experience Wipe
Experience and levels have been reset on all accounts - something quite common on Alpha-to-Beta transitions - but don’t worry: all the items you purchased during the Alpha are still in your inventory, and same goes with your ‘Karats’ (you should have exactly the same amount on ‘Shards’.
See you on the Battlefield,
The Skara Team
