Whether you are a seasoned Realmwalker or new to the Faewilds, a lot has changed in Nightingale. As you start your journey in this week’s Realms Rebuilt update, here are some of the major new features (plus a few other big updates since our Early Access launch) you can expect to find when you jump in on September 12.
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A Brand New Handcrafted Campaign
The core questline of Nightingale has been completely recreated thanks to the incredible feedback we’ve received from the community. Realmwalkers now embark on a more immersive and substantive quest, as Puck guides players across gravity-torn deserts, corrupted forests, and beyond, on a journey to reignite the ancient Crossway portals. Each of the new Storied Realms has been handcrafted; packed with challenging enemies, ancient discoveries, and all-new puzzles and dungeons. But fear not, proc-gen fans: you can still craft Realm Cards and access Untamed Realms (what we’re now calling procedurally-generated maps), which contain further challenges and precious resources to discover - and all the procedurally-generated maps are all-new in Realms Rebuilt. Let’s not forget, every Realm can be further customized by one of the dozens of Minor Realm Cards activated at a Realmic Transmuter.
- New Weapons and Spells You can never go wrong with more weapons, and we’ve been steadily adding new armaments to Nightingale for our players to use. Realms Rebuilt features the much-requested Bow and Arrow (both short and long bows, in multiple tiers), the perfect weapon for Realmwalkers looking to silently take down enemies and Fae wildlife. You’ll also be able to wield new spells in the update, including the explosive Immolation spell, and Fionn's Wrath which conjures up giant fish to attack your enemies. And if you haven’t braved the Realms in a while, we’ve added and updated a whole host of Bound enemies, including the cannon-wielding Bound Breaker, the brutish shield-carrying Bound Aegis, and sharpshooter sniper Bound Marksman.
- More Boss Battles (and Dungeons) We’ve added a variety of new and unique boss fights that you’ll encounter throughout the campaign in our Realms Rebuilt update. You’ll find them deep in the revamped Sites of Power - all-new dungeons that offer a tougher and more elaborate challenge for even the most seasoned Realmwalker. These deadly adversaries are designed from the ground up with unique abilities and are set within distinctive locations. Want to battle a bear that spews tentacles from its maw? We’ve got you covered.
- Improved Build Limits and A New Tileset Another highly-requested feature is an expansion of our build limits, and Realms Rebuilt allows players to go bigger and more elaborate with their architectural creations. We recently released a whole blog on the subject so check that for all the details on what to expect. Realm Rebuilt also features the new elegant Regency tileset. So get building and make sure you share your grand designs with us on our Official Discord!
- More Pets! A dapper dachshund in a top hat is all well and good but what about a fancy feline in a bonnet? Realms Rebuilt allows Realmwalkers to shelter up to 20 pets, and we’ve added several new creatures (yes, including cats and the adorable Eoten Sapling) for you to adopt and take home. Now who’s up for a catnap in their furry friend’s sleeping spot?
- Overhauled Progression System Feedback has told us that players often found progression in Nightingale confusing, either not understanding what they should be doing next, or how to obtain the next tool or gear upgrades. For Realms Rebuilt, the design team has redesigned the progression system to make it more understandable and to create a better connection between your character’s progression and your journey through the Realms. You’ll find a new ‘Progression’ tab in your guidebook that allows you to unlock new recipes (tools, gear, spells, tilesets, etc) using Essence unlocked throughout the game.
- Clothing Customization Another community-requested feature coming in Realms Rebuilt is the ability to further customize your clothing. With the new Glamour Station, you’ll be able to change the physical shape of an item to another item of the same type you’ve unlocked - meaning that you can make your high-end gear look like your Sunday Best. We’ve got further clothing customization options coming on the horizon.
- Streamlined Crafting While players love the depth and versatility of our crafting system, feedback has shown that it can sometimes be confusing - whether it’s how to unlock recipes, or how to place Augmentations to unlock crafting options. We’ve streamlined this system in Realms Rebuilt. Now, Augmentations no longer unlock the ability to craft items. Instead, Augmentations offer bonus stats to crafted items and boost refinement times for workbenches. This change paired with the new progression system makes the joy of crafting much more straightforward without sacrificing the breadth and depth of the system.
- Set Your Home ANYWHERE Now you can set your Respite Realm (i.e. where you set your home base) in any Realm! Don’t mind us, we’re just laying down roots on one of the floating rocks in Welkin’s Reach.
- And Loads of Other Things… There is no part of the Nightingale experience that hasn’t been touched by this upgrade, from small balance changes to UI improvements. Highlights include 10 new charms, NPC recruits being able to use Grenades and Throwing Knives, a new Q button consumables radial menu, centre-aligned shelves and decorations, NPCs no longer damaging estates, a new toolbar arrangement, new ranged weapon variants, new rest options including time of day and difficulty adjustments, NPCs having the ability to use consumables, and so much more.
- Bonus: Other Updates Since Early Access Launch
We know a lot of players will either be new to Nightingale when Realms Rebuilt launches, or haven’t played in quite a while. So, as a bonus 11th point, here are a few things we’ve added in recent months:
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Offline Mode:
Players can now play Nightingale both online and offline when they start their adventure, offering more choices in how to experience the Realms. -
New Tool Abilities:
Turn your Sickle into a deadly boomerang, parry incoming attacks with your Hunter’s Knife, or unleash a flurry of blows with your Hammer. New tool abilities bring greater variety to combat encounters. -
New Outfits:
Plenty of new spiffy outfits have been added to Nightingale since launch, meaning you can always look your finest when bludgeoning giant swamp frogs. -
Craft/Build from Storage & Queued Crafting:
These quality-of-life improvements allow for a more streamlined crafting experience. -
Grappling Hook & More Traversal Options:
Your Climbing Picks now have a Grappling Hook ability, allowing you to quickly reach previously inaccessible heights. On top of that, fast travel points and other traversal improvements have been added to the game. -
And More…:
We’ve also made major performance improvements, squashed lots of nasty bugs, added new NPCs to meet, added new quests to explore, introduced a thing called a Pepy’s Box (a transdimensional storage chest), and much more…
We’re still working hard on even more updates; including new biomes, triangular build pieces, and more. Stay tuned to Nightingale on socials to be the first to know when new content drops, and a big thank you to everyone joining us in Early Access as we continue this development journey.
See you in the Realms!
The Nightingale Team