Greetings, Pathfinders!
This week we’re delving into the never-before-seen concept behind the Gladiatorial Arena and Barracks on Floor Five! Dare you pass through the tunnel into the stadium and face some of the toughest enemies yet?
We are also revealing design concepts of alternate outfits for each of the iconics, and the results from our recent closed playtest!
Floor Five: The Arena
Long ago, Belcorra constructed a mighty arena for her army. What might appear on the surface as a place for her troops to test their mettle or settle their differences, hides a deeper truth. It would be a proving ground, where the scheming Seugathi could test their latest creations in action... and gain ever more meat for their endless experiments in flesh.
For our heroes, floor five is centred around brutal pit fights in this very arena. To venture deeper into the Vaults, you must enter the arena and become its grand champion.
Fights take place over several deadly rounds with each battle presenting new challenges and surprises to overcome. Expect ever-changing arena layouts, with hazards, traps, and environmental tools changing with each fight. Some fights might swarm the heroes with endless foes, while others will pit the heroes against powerful elite warriors or horrifying Fleshwarp monstrosities shipped in from the mysterious laboratory which awaits the heroes, just below the arena’s grounds...
The barracks outside the arena entrance
Between fights, heroes can rest in the barracks to recover from their wounds, gather information on the next fight, and adapt or rethink their strategy. Choosing the right abilities, tactics, and equipment will make the difference between success and utter annihilation!
Outfit Concepts
Meanwhile, the art team is working on alternate unlockable outfits over the course of the game! These designs are possible thanks to the additional social stretch goal reached during the Kickstarter campaign, so thank you for the support in making this possible! Note that all designs are a work in progress and may differ from the final versions.
Alternate outfits for Harsk, the Ranger
Alternate outfits for Ezren, the Wizard
Alternate outfits for Kyra, the Cleric
We’re excited to continue iterating and polishing these concepts until we’re ready for the final picks. We can already picture choosing an outfit to match the build/playstyle you’ve chosen for each character! What do you think of these designs, and which are your favourites?
Playtest Learnings
We’ve recently had our latest private playtest, this time focused on combat. Let's go through what testers have said, what we learned and what we're doing!
We took players through a few test levels where they fought tons of various monsters and even had a chance to face off with an early version of the Blood of Belcorra. So, what did we learn?
It was exciting to see testers get their hands on the controls and start swinging a massive sword around as Amiri. At first, some of them took a little bit of time to learn the controls and figure out their moves, but we loved watching the use of the abilities from the Iconics. We learned that even if players enjoyed these heroes, we want to make it a smoother experience going from one ability to the next. Similarly, we want to have players spend less time worrying about controls and get them straight into the action!
We also want to make sure the rest of our squad feels equally as powerful. Players tended to use Amiri the most, followed by Harsk. Our goal in the short term is to work extensively on Kyra and Ezren, to ensure all four iconics feel just as exciting to control.
Speaking of the party, another focus for this test was our squad play system. We're excited to see the characters interact with one another, letting you switch between them, use abilities and even combo off each other. We've had great moments when we're playing in co-op, but there's work to do when it comes to non-player-controlled party members. Even if it’s not quite the same as delving into the vaults with your friends, we want to make sure that these bots have your back.
Now let's get to the biggest part of the test: Blood of Belcorra. We don't want to spoil too much, but this boss is meant to be a tough encounter that's just as satisfying to beat. We're early in tests and it's clear we made her a bit too powerful! Many brave adventurers tried to beat the odds and take her down, but we're going to make sure the next time they fight this boss it's fairer (while still being a challenge worth overcoming).
These are just a few highlights of the test, and frankly, we had mountains of great feedback to read through! Every time a player was excited it felt great, but we want to continue improving and make sure everyone has that same level of enthusiasm. We're going to make important changes and get ready for another round of playtests!
Didn't make it into this test? There will be other opportunities in the future! Be sure to sign-up for a chance to be a part of them. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Meet the Iconics Devlog Video
Our latest devlog dives into each of the iconics and their place in Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults. We recently released the video version, so watch now to learn about their in-game progression, abilities and how we took these beloved characters from tabletop to video game!
We hope you enjoy these insights into how each of the four heroes are coming along!
Thanks as always for your continued support! We’d love for you to join our official Discord server and follow us on social media if you don’t already. We’re often posting additional content and news, so it’s the perfect way to stay up to date.
Onward, to glory!
~ The Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults Team
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