Two steps forward one step back. That’s the most appropriate summary of Project Warlock II’s journey since venturing into Early Access. Initial idea of making sure Project Warlock’s sequel would be a game that, through sheer number of changes, improves on the first game’s formula in all key areas.
Significantly upgraded visuals, way bigger levels, more characters with vastly different characteristics were the three key pillars when we set up to work on the game. From the get go, the concept was to approach the sequel by reinventing the game, and creating the Quake to Project Warlock’s Doom.
When working on the scope of Project Warlock II we had to go back on the number of weapons and enemies, replace the original game’s magic system with hotkey skills on cooldown one, and stripping away the skills and perks system, instead targeting a different gameplay style varying depending on the character picked for the game.
And then we went into Early Access. And kept on reworking and what we aimed to be perfecting - the game.
The bug squashing took longer than expected, but that wasn’t the real issue. The real issue was that changes - and more importantly your feedback to these changes - wasn’t the one we were hoping for. The big levels were spacious as intended, but proved to be too convoluted, and - frankly - too big. Also - with the removal of perks and skills and associated upgrade points, as well as jewels and treasures that were the main experience currency in the first game - it seemed that we took away what some of the players felt was an important contributor to the original Warlock vibe.
On top of that, the Wargression system for Urd did not work for a lot of you. We felt that not only changing the characters, but also significantly changing the gameplay would, but - to put it bluntly - it seems that wasn’t the case. So it’s not going to stay. Urd’s chapter is already undergoing changes to make sure it’s cohesive with Palmer's Chapter 1 - with more emphasis on magic, but following a more familiar, Project Warlock gameplay. Chapter 3 - Kirsten’s already has all of the levels designed, with enemies work complete, and will be entering playtesting phase with the aim to have the game leave Early Access later this year.
So, for the third - and hopefully - final time - we are going for one of the pages of the original Project Warlock. And leaving what we feel works for Project Warlock II and incorporating systems that haven’t yet found their way from the first game. And we would like to unveil the brand new, totally same but very different Chapter I.
In short: We’re bringing back the Experience system from the first game, and expanding it up to modern standards. We’re also rehauling Palmer’s arsenal to offer more variety and versatility. This goes for both weapons and abilities, as we want you to be able to customize your playthroughs as you like. We want to make sure that every weapon upgrade feels significant and unique. When it comes to Palmer’s abilities - we’re revamping his kit to better match his weapons-guy vibe. Akimbo is here to stay, don’t worry! We’re also introducing even more character progression via the Passive Upgrades system.
Here’s the full rundown of the new systems that will be incorporated into the game early next month:
Perks Stats and Experience Systems
We’re bringing back Leveling and Experience systems. There are two main sources of experience - treasure items which can be found on the floor, and killing enemies. The experience amount gained from killing monsters is multiplied by the combo multiplier, so make sure to keep it stacked to gain as much experience as possible.
We’re also reiterating the Perks and Stats systems to make them more similar to the original Project Warlock experience. Each player level grants 1 stat point, and for every 5 levels you will receive a perk point. You will be able to choose between improving melee damage, max health, max ammo capacity, and more. Stats are directly connected to Perks, which require specific stats to be purchased. Our current plan is to replace or rework all existing perks available to Palmer.
Updated Arsenal
We’ve taken a closer look at Palmer’s arsenal and decided it’s time for some updates across the board. It was a long-time coming update since we were never fully satisfied with how the arsenal looked like. We came to a conclusion that locking certain damage types behind upgrades is not a great idea since it can make certain upgrades feel worse than others. With that we are introducing damage-type runes to all weapons, which can be set to none, or one of two character specific runes - Palmer will have fire and ice. This system is also supported in the Stats and Perks shop which can further assist you in your build.
Cannon & Rocket Launcher dilemma
After gathering feedback we have decided to split the Cannon and Rocket Launcher upgrades into separate weapons since that would make a lot of sense. Cannon feels rewarding to play, and discarding it for Rocket Launcher felt like a downgrade in some ways. The upcoming update is going to increase the weapon count for Palmer from 5 to 6 and add 4 new variants, alongside reworked existing upgrades. You’ll have a chance to play with a Mortar launcher, which is an upgrade for Rocket Launcher, or a Cartier which is one of the Cannon upgrades.
Laser Rifle and damage types locked behind upgrades
As another example, we also reworked the laser rifle upgrade. It felt natural for it to be a fire damage type weapon, but it also meant that you’re stuck with fire damage type if you buy it. Now you will have a burst battle rifle which shoots three bullet bursts that pack quite a punch, and works with scope mode as well. And you can still deal fire damage if you pick the fire rune, so we got the best of both worlds!
We’ve reworked all weapons and their upgraded variants to make sure each of them offers something different in the thrill of the battle. Additionally, each weapon can be infused with either Fire or Ice rune. Fire rune gives your bullets a chance to set the enemies ablaze, and Ice rune infuses your bullets with enough power to sometimes freeze your enemies in place. You will be able to change them at any time in the HUB for each weapon individually.
Abilities Revisited
Palmer’s set of abilities was quite all over the place. The main issue was that the abilities were also damage type specific. In order to make them more viable, we decided to make Palmer’s abilities work more as support for his weapons, since in comparison to Urd, Palmer is more of a weapon guy. We’re revamping the set of his abilities and giving you some options to play with. First of all, Akimbo is staying, and you will be able to improve it to either have a doubled duration or remove the reload while using it completely. Since runes work similarly to Palmer’s previous abilities, we’re introducing two brand new ones.
His second ability is now Phantom, which spawns a static image of Palmer that taunts enemies while it’s active. You can make it explode on death or deal AOE damage while it’s active. Palmer’s third ability is now Ammo Refill, which, as the name suggests, refills a small amount of the current weapon’s ammo. You can make it either refill more ammo to the current weapon, or less ammo, but to all weapons.
Passive Upgrades
After looking through the feedback on Wargression, we’ve decided to bring some of the Wargression upgrades to Palmer’s chapter in the form of Passive Upgrades, which can be purchased with Passive Upgrade Tokens found throughout the levels. We removed the randomization completely. These upgrades are split into 3 categories: Attack, Defense, and Magic. Our goal is to offer you as many build choices as possible, and we can’t wait to see the crazy combos you come up with.
The Hub Renovation
In the next update, we’ll also be renovating Palmer’s Cave to accommodate the new upgrade stations, and to make Palmer feel more at home. You will still be able to visit the monster gallery, stock up on some ammo, or heal up. The HUB is the centerpiece for your adventures, and you will still visit it after each level.
"When can we play it?"
We know it’s quite a lot of information to digest, but we also know that you’re wondering when you will be able to try it out yourselves. We’ve got some good news for you. The Updated Chapter 1 Playtest will begin on Thursday, March 28. All of the systems are already in place and underwent internal playtesting, but we want to make sure we hear your feedback before introducing them to the game early next month.
If you'd like to be among the first players to experience new systems, make sure to have some free time between March 28 and April 2. Submissions for the playtest will open on Monday, March 25. Join our Discord to stay updated on the Playtest status.