Dev Blog #28

25 Jan 2025Developer post

Source: Steam Community (opens in a new tab)

Hello again!

We hope you all had a great Holiday Season and a Happy New Year. Now that the holidays are over and our Winter Event has come to an end, we are once again starting work on the 1.2 "Brood Watcher" update. This update will introduce our first Kickstarter stretch goal dragon! Our amazing Kickstarter backers donated above and beyond to bring this additional dragon (and more) into the game. This update will also feature improvements to the nesting system, new mechanics, a map update, and more! Keep reading to check out what we have planned for the 1.2 "The Brood Watcher" Update.

Brood Watcher

The Brood Watcher

The Brood Watcher will make its debut in the 1.2 Update. It will be an unlockable species. In order to become a Brood Watcher, players will need to complete the questline given to them by the Brood Watcher NPC to unlock the species on each server, or be nested in by another player. Kickstarter backers will have the dragon automatically unlocked as part of their Backer Rewards.

Brood Watcher Taunt Emote

Meant as a tank-style dragon, the Brood Watcher will be heavily armored and very capable in combat. They will have various horn and tail spike attacks for close combat as well as a shotgun-like spike throw attack for distance battles. They will have low stamina and low speed, both on ground and in the air, as a result of their massive size and armor.

Hatchling Brood Watcher

Even with all their combat ability, Brood Watchers prefer to be gentle giants. Their special ability will allow Brood Watchers to incubate eggs in their neck pouches and they will be able to increase the stats of their eggs and those of other dragons. Brood Watchers will be able to increase the quality of one random gene, with the chance of increasing more.

Brood Watcher eating from a bush

Brood Watchers will be our first herbivorous dragon and will be able to eat mushrooms along with new Fruit Bushes. They will also have a grazing mechanic, allowing them to graze on grassy fields. Grazing prevents hunger loss, allowing them to maintain their current hunger level when resources are scarce.

Nesting, Incubation, and Regurgitation

Example of possible stats as a fresh spawn

The 1.2 Update will bring a overhaul of the nesting system and spawn stats. Spawns will now be guaranteed one A, two B, 3 C, 4 D, and 5 E stat genes. The remaining three stats will be completely random. Upstatting has been enhanced as well, we've heard your feedback and have reintroduced Legacy-era upstatting with some improved features. The testers have given it over 85% approval!

While players will still be able to increase Bloodline Quality each generation, increasing Gene Quality can be done with the help of Brood Watchers or through Proper Incubation. Some species will now need to use their various bile types to keep their nests the right temperature and condition. Proper incubation will grant the chance of egg's stats increasing if done correctly.

Nesting will also see a new UI menu that will allow players to see the genetic information of each egg. Nesters will be able to invite players to specific eggs instead of a random one.

Taking care of a nest of hatchlings will also be easier in the 1.2 Update. Carnivorous dragons will now have the ability to regurgitate some of their food for hatchlings or hungry dragons to eat. This will increase the player's hunger as a result.

Biolumin Dragon nesting on a cliff side

And finally, Biolumin Dragons will now be able to nest on cliff sides to avoid predation.

Quality of Life Changes

In addition to the Brood Watcher and Nesting updates, we will also be adding several new quality of life features. These are designed to help new players and old players alike.

Respawn message

Our first major new feature will be the ability to respawn as your current dragon after death, but as a hatchling. Players who have made it to the juvenile life stage or above during their current play session will be able to respawn as that dragon if they are killed. The skin and stats of the dragon will be saved, but they will be reverted to the hatchling life stage. The ability to respawn as that specific dragon will remain active until the player leaves the server or dies on a different dragon species. Hatchlings will need to reach the juvenile stage at least once during the play session to be eligible for respawn. This will be available as a server configuration for server owners who want a more hardcore play style.

A hatchling taking flight!

We are also adding the ability for winged hatchling dragons to boost while flying. While hatchlings will still not be able to get enough speed to take off from the ground, they will be able to fly from jumping off high ledges or being dropped into the air.

Active geode compass icon

We have increased the number of Passive Elder Growth Ticks per day from 2 (12 hr intervals) to 4 (6 hr intervals) making passive Eldering take half the time! But for those who like to hunt geodes, we have made that much easier with the inclusion of a Geode indicator on your compass. Players will now see an icon appear on their compass when a geode of their attunement becomes active. This indicator shows the closest attuned Geode, which will make it interesting for PvP encounters.

Example of a Stat Card on the Spawn Menu

Some UI Panels are getting updated as well. The Spawn Menu will now show a Stat Card for each species. This will show the bile type, speed, and other information to help players select the right dragon for them. The admin panel will also be updated, featuring new admin commands and other quality of life updates.

Updated Admin Panel Commands

These are just some of the quality of life changes coming in 1.2. A full list of all the new features and content will be included in the patch notes when the update is released, so make sure to check it out then! Patreon subscribers and Kickstarter backers are able to test out the changes in Update 1.2 right now on our closed test server.

Map Update

Update 1.2 will also be getting a big update to the current map! The Swamp will be getting some much needed love this update. It will introduce a whole new micro biome to the Forgotten Forest map with new trees and ground vegetation. This area will be home to the many swamp snappers, so players will want to be careful when entering the Swamp.

Swamp during the day

Swamp at night

The 1.2 "The Brood Watcher" Update will bring a host of new content and features. We have heard your feedback regarding nesting and quality of life features and are working hard to improve the game! After the 1.2 update, we will focus on a much requested feature; the return of skin crafting. Our new skin crafting system will be much more personalized than the legacy version and will add a personal touch to all the dragons. We will share more about the 1.3 next update in our next Dev Blog and look forward to seeing you in 1.2 "The Brood Watcher" update!

Dev Q&A Livestream

Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!

From the Community

Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!