Hello there Wardens!
We're back with a big update, and we’re excited to walk you through all the new features, changes, and improvements in version 0.5.0. but, before we start and as a heads up: this update makes some major changes under the hood, so the save files from earlier versions won’t work with this one.
Why? We've made a massive overhaul to the Hero abilities system, which means a bit of a fresh start here will allow us to build more smoothly in the future. This change aims to prevent any issues when we add new abilities or make adjustments. If you have any questions, jump into our Discord server, and we’ll be happy to chat! And now… Let’s get started!
Heroes, Classes, and New Abilities!
The hero roster just got a major upgrade with 12 new classes spread across our four main archetypes. These new classes bring fresh playstyles and strategies, giving each run a unique twist. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Alistair (Warrior Archetype)
- Captain: Tactical Command - Empowers allies and controls the field.
- Berserker: Unleashed Rage - Unleashes raw fury but sacrifices defense.
- Champion: Shield of Valor - Absorbs and redirects damage to protect the team.
Ignatius (Cleric Archetype)
- Theurg: Shield of Compassion - Healer and protector of those in need.
- Paladin: Divine Resilience - Gains strength from injuries and can survive deadly hits.
- Inquisitor: Blood Pact - Risks health to weaken enemies with powerful debuffs.
Elara (Rogue Archetype)
- Blade Dancer: Dance of Blades - Strikes swiftly and evades with finesse.
- Ranger: Ranged Specialist - A master of ranged attacks, especially effective on distracted foes.
- Assassin: Cunning Disguise - Blends into surroundings, surprising and avoiding danger.
Octavia (Mage Archetype)
- Archmage: Sorceress of Destruction - Commands powerful, destructive elemental magic.
- Seer: Prophetic Insight - Can reveal hidden dangers and prevent surprises.
- Occultist: Whispers of the Abyss - Taps into the abyss, with some risky (but powerful) spells.
Each class comes with its backstory, strengths, weaknesses, and a unique quote that hints about its personality. As you play, you can mix and match these classes to find your favorite combos. Unlock them as you progress, and explore a whole range of tactics as you unlock and level up! We’d love to know: Which combo are you most excited to try?
Cinematic Action Cam
Get ready to see your heroes in action like never before! We’ve added a cinematic action cam that zooms in on big moments during combat—attacks, critical hits, and finishing blows all get their own spotlight. This feature amps up the intensity and gives battles a fresh feel.
UI and UX: Smooth and Sharp
We’ve polished up the UI to make every move in combat feel smooth and intuitive:
- Enhanced Feedback: Clearer action visuals mean you’ll never miss a beat in battle.
- Detailed Hit Info: The cursor now shows combined hit and damage percentages, so you can better predict outcomes.
- Action Queueing: Queue up moves and attacks for a seamless flow—single moves need confirmation to prevent misclicks.
- Targeting Improvements: One-click attack on an enemy lets your hero move and attack in one go.
- Ability Previews: Right-clicking abilities now shows possible upgrades in the Heroes screen, Level-Up screen, and the Almanac.
Balance Tweaks
With these new classes and abilities we’ve adjusted enemy stats, so now you’ll notice Elites gaining more HP as you progress through each act. Our goal is to keep the encounters challenging, making the enemies nastier as you progress through the game.
Bugs and Fixes
No update is complete without a round of bug fixes. Here’s a look at some of the biggest fixes in 0.5.0:
- Reduced Almanac load times and improved UI.
- "New Abilities!" notification now clears after you leave the Level-Up screen.
- Fixed multi-hit animations so every hit plays as expected.
- Corrected bugs with specific abilities, like the Scorched Dice artifact and Berserk ability upgrades.
- Lots of visual tweaks for abilities, tooltips, and character screens.
You can check the full list in its dedicated post: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2699280/view/4445708897933590810
And That’s a Wrap on 0.5.0!
We’re thrilled to bring this update to you, and we hope you have as much fun with the new classes and features as we did making them! Dive in, experiment with class combos, and let us know what you think. Join us on Discord, tell us about your favorite class, or share which ability saved your team on the toughest level.
Until next time, happy gaming Wardens!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2699280/Valor_Of_Man/