Hi all!
You’ve been asking for it and you know we like to deliver, so here it is - the Griffon Update Open Beta. This means that if you have the game on Steam, you will be able to play with the Griffon Update by opting into the Griffon Beta (see instructions below).
While this Update doesn’t have many big Reworks like the Tiger or Ogre Update, there’s tons of cool new Features awaiting. We’re talking Flaws, Hero Class Updates incl. the brand new Warlock Class, Extra Faction Data and AI Starting Bonuses. With our Open Beta’s we set out for two things:
A big benefit of our Open Betas is the incredible amount of Stability feedback we receive. What you’re receiving today is the version of the game we’ve just submitted for Certification. While this Open Beta is running we’re simultaneously developing our Day 0 Patch. Things might be a bit more hotcode but this allows us to implement the most pressing fixes into our Release Build.
We also want to give the Modding Community a headstart in updating their content to match the new update. We’ve done some testing to verify initial compatibility but there’s a vast variety of mods and mod combinations out there.
After updating to the Griffon Beta your in-game version will read 1.010.000.109635.
Leaving Feedback
The most effective way to provide us with feedback is by making a Discussion Thread in the Open Beta Discussions. There’s a couple different types of Feedback that we can process during this Beta period.
Stability
Crashes reported with the Crash Tool will automatically show up in our back end, so when you experience a crash please make sure to Upload those.
If you have a Blocker i.e. a Crash or Hang that will not allow you to continue your game, please make a report and include your Crash Report Name - given after upload - so we can tackle it.
Any general Bugs reported are welcome but not the main focus of this period, we’ll try to address those in a timely manner depending on our available resources.
Modding
If you experience issues and suspect that it might be related to one of the mods you have installed, then please verify which mod it may be by disabling your mods. If you’ve determined which Mod is causing your issue try to contact the Mod Developer first.
If you experience crashes with your mods, then please make a thread as stated above. While outdated mods can cause issues, we do try to ensure that they do not crash.
Balance
We’re open to make Balance changes that focus on any extreme imbalances that need to be tackled asap. These changes need to be known and implemented before Friday the 25th.
Balance changes that are more general or require us to change text are not feasible during the Beta Period. This feedback is welcome but will be addressed during our regular development period as resources allow.
The final Update of this Beta will be when we submit the D0P for Certification. After that the branch will remain active until the release of Archon Prophecy & the Griffon Update on August 12th. In the hours after release this branch will be disabled and removed, users should be automatically moved back to default but it’s advised to switch back yourself shortly after the release.
Getting into the Beta - What you need to know
If you want to take part in the beta there are a few important things you need to know!
This Beta is only available on Steam, owners on Console, Epic or Gog will receive the full Griffon Update alongside the Archon Prophecy Expansion on August 12th.
If a save has been made in Open Beta, there’s no going back! You will not be able to open that save in the game outside of the beta until the beta ends on August 12th!
Only use this in multiplayer if all participants agree. Make sure you do not use the beta in multiplayer without checking with the other players first, once a multiplayer game session has been updated to use the open beta, you cannot go back to previous versions!
That being said, to access the beta you will need to do the following:
To switch to a custom branch in the Steam client, right-click on the game from the library page and select "Properties".
Among the available tabs will be the "BETAS" tab. 
The Griffon Beta should be listed in the dropdown menu under "Select the beta you would like to opt into:" A restart of your Steam Client may be needed if the Branch isn’t visible.
Complete Griffon Update Notes
Check out the full list of changes included in the Griffon Update here
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