Hey everyone!
It's been a busy but great few weeks here at Lavaboots. We've ran a small closed beta which has helped us balance the game and fix a ton of bugs, making the game much more polished for early access launch (coming very soon by the way.) We've also been implementing a lot of new quality of life changes, new content, and a slew of other new things.
Here's a quick look at just some of the content we've been working on recently.
Character Avatar
We love loot as much as the next person, but it just feels special to be able to see that loot on your character. That's why we implemented a system where you can see your character in your inventory and most of the equipment you have as well. We've also implemented a character creation system where you can do some small customization with your character's appearance before starting a new character. This change has really helped hone in on the RPG feel of the game and we're very excited to have it in.
New Abilities
We knew before launch we needed more spells in the game and so recently we started working on implementing some. While we've still got more to go, we feel like we now have a decent base and variety of spells to earn throughout the game that will make you think about your playstyle. We've got multiple new damage spells such as fire bolt, orb of poison, or fire zone if you're into area-of-effect abilities. We've also added lots of new buff spells so you can buff certain stats before going into battle.
As I said we've still got a lot more abilities we want to add and will continue to implement them as the game develops.
End Game
Max level in Wild West and Wizards is level 20 but the game doesn't stop there. This past week we've been working on implementing some end game functionality so you can still earn good loot and experience a challenge past max level. As of right now, when you hit level 20 you'll have the option to transport yourself into an alternate dimension version of the game that looks much the same, except the enemies and treasure chests are all scaled up much higher. You'll also be able to continue to earn xp and every level you would gain past level 20 will earn you a random reward including new gear, weapons, or a rare upgrade orb. In addition to that, you'll be able to level your items a few levels past level 20 using brand new and rare upgrade orbs only attainable in the alternate dimension.
We will still be adding more to the end game in the future including more unique loot, bosses, and content.
Map and Travel Changes
We've also recently been working on finishing up the map implementation and changing some travel functionality. You can now zoom all the way out of your map and see any teleport runes you've unlocked. You can then travel to them from anywhere. This way you don't have to unnecessarily travel back to town to be able to use a teleport rune. This helps a lot in preventing you from having to back track over areas you've been too often.
Weapon Chests
Another new change we've made recently is the addition of weapon chests. You can now find weapon key fragments on enemies every once in a while. If you collect five of these, a blacksmith can craft them into a tiered weapon key for you. These then can be used to open weapon chests scattered throughout the world that guarantee you a weapon drop.
Other Changes
In addition to adding some new options and settings, we've also added the ability to set your own custom keybinds. This was a big requested feature so we were happy to get this in before launch!
We've also added the ability to store your items by talking to any banker in town. And of course we've been consistently adding new quests and points of interests, as well as bug fixes and balancing changes.
As always thank you for reading and we'd love to hear your feedback!