Hello everyone, dev here! It's been a long time coming, but I'm happy to announce that it's finally here! The new major content update for Elite Exorcist Miko, the holoX Stage update, is now available! Check out the trailer for a glimpse of what's included!
I'll be going over the major points here, but check out the patch notes for a detailed list of all changes! And in case you missed it, check out the January QoL update notes for information on some gameplay changes that came before!
New Stage, New Enemies, New Bosses!
holoX Stage, or Stage 3C, is the last stage in the 3rd stage tier, on par with the Medieval and Makai Stages in difficulty! It comes with tricky new enemy types, and of course, 5 new Bosses: Chloe, Koyori, Iroha, Lui and La+! These new Bosses come with many new tactics and gimmicks, so keep your guard up as you challenge them on their home turf!
New Equipment!
18 new equipment items have been added, requiring materials from the new holoX Stage to craft! These new items can fit into a variety of strategies, and enable new ones as well. Experiment with their effects and see what you can come up with!
Numerical HP Displays!
New toggles in Display Settings will allow you to display player and Boss HP as numerical values!
Mouse and Gamepad Icons!
Icons for mouse and gamepad inputs are now displayed in the Controls menu and Help/Tutorial text! Xbox and Dualshock controllers are currently supported, with the possibility for more to be added in the future.
Story Advancement!
With the 3rd stage tier now complete, new story dialogue will now play in the Shrine upon defeating all Stage 3 Bosses! Said Bosses will also be added to Boss Rush!
And more! Be sure to read the patch notes for more detailed information!
What's next?
There are several ideas I've been brainstorming that I'm considering implementing in the future, whether as their own update or together with a major content update. While these aren't locked in for implementation just yet, I will list them in case you may have any thoughts about them that you'd like to voice.
Skill-Based Bonuses
I've briefly touched on this before a while back, but there are plans in the works to implement a system for earning additional Amezon Deliveries, and perhaps additional Holo Essence, during a run. This would be done through achieving certain goals during gameplay, such as avoiding hits, maintaining high Combo or Heat, grazing projectiles, etc.
Player State Preservation
Currently, initiating rematches will reset certain modifiers accrued during a run, such as those from Prospecting Pickaxe or equipment strengthened using Heat Treatment. This may be changed in the future with a system that snapshots a player's state right before a Boss battle, and may also open the path for implementing mid-run saving.
More Enemy Wave Variation
You'll likely have noticed during Main Expeditions that certain preset layouts for enemy waves are guaranteed to appear. To make runs less predictable, I am thinking of adding a greater variety of preset waves that may be chosen at random.
Split Boss Rushes
With the addition of Stage 3 Bosses to Boss Rush, the time and effort required to complete it has now greatly increased. I am considering having a separate Boss Rush for each stage tier, while keeping the option available for challenging everyone in one go. The integration of the aforementioned mid-run saving into Boss Rush will also be considered.
A New Gamemode?
One idea I've been considering is a new tower-defense-like gamemode. It would be similar to Shrine Sweep, but with a focus on protecting and upgrading a building that automatically attacks enemies and provides buffs to you and familiars. The mode may also include a unique Scroll allowing you to summon familiars that utilize Talismans you've crafted, with the possibility of it being available to use in other modes as well.
Of course, what many of you are likely looking forward to is the addition of more hololive members and content! So to give you an idea of what's coming next, I'll be revealing the name of the first stage to be added as part of the 4th stage tier:
Oceanic Stage!
Just from the name, you can probably guess who might be joining the roster next, but I'll leave it to your imagination for now. What I will say is the number of Bosses to be included: 4 main Bosses and 1 Extra Boss! I've got some interesting things planned for this next content update, so do look forward to it!
For the time being, I hope you enjoy the new content this update has to offer! As always, if you've got any feedback or suggestions, feel free to let me know through a discission topic or a review!
- tian nya