Introducing the Crux – A New Core Mechanic in Arms of God! ⚔️🔥
During the first playtests, many of you asked about the mysterious cross that the protagonist places on the battlefield at the start of each level. Today, we’re answering that question and unveiling a brand-new mechanic that you’ll be able to test in the upcoming open playtests!
What is the Crux?
The Crux is no ordinary artifact - it is a relic of divine power, forged through ancient rites by the last remnants of the Templar Order. It is both a weapon and a symbol, channeling the will of God into raw destructive force. In the hands of the protagonist, it serves as a beacon of holy retribution, but its full potential depends on the souls it consumes.
Each time the Crux is placed on the battlefield, it acts as an anchor for divine energy, gathering the remnants of fallen demons. These souls are drawn into the Crux, fueling its power and unlocking new effects as the battle progresses. Depending on your strategy, you can collect these souls yourself to enhance your weapon build, or you can let the Crux absorb them, making it stronger instead. Choosing between empowering yourself or the Crux will shape the flow of battle and your approach to combat.
How Does the Crux Work?
The Crux does not remain static - it evolves based on the souls left behind by your slain enemies. The more souls it absorbs, the more potent its abilities become.
Your character levels up by collecting experience. Each new level unlocks unique Crux abilities, shaping its impact on the battlefield. These abilities fall into several categories:
🛡️ Defensive Enhancements: Blessings – Buffs that enhance the Templar when standing within the Crux’s sacred aura, strengthening your survivability or offensive potential.
🔥 Offensive Amplifications: Curses – Debilitating effects that weaken enemies within the Crux’s aura, making them more vulnerable to your attacks.
⚡ Strategic Support: Actions – The Crux can unleash devastating holy forces, including piercing beams, explosive energy waves, and divine smites that obliterate enemies. It can also stun foes, making them vulnerable to critical strikes, or provide supportive effects, such as healing, lifesteal, and projectile deflection.
🛜 Aura Enhancements - Upgrades that expand the Crux’s aura or reduce the cooldown of its abilities, allowing for more frequent and powerful activations.
✝️ Burden of Faith - The most unique upgrade - Unlocking the ability to move the Crux mid-battle, repositioning it to maximize its influence on the battlefield.
Crux Upgrade Tree – Strategic Progression
The Crux’s upgrades follow a tree-based progression system. Each time you select an upgrade, adjacent upgrades on the tree become available for future selection.
On level up, three upgrades are randomly chosen from your currently unlocked options. This means that the direction you take in the upgrade tree determines which future upgrades you’ll have access to. Careful planning is essential - will you focus on curses, blessings, powerful actions, or mobility?
The upcoming open playtests will introduce this mechanic for the first time, allowing us to fine-tune its effects based on your feedback. We can’t wait to see how you’ll use the Crux to purge the infernal legions!
💬 Let us know what you think! Join the discussion on our Discord and don’t forget to wishlist Arms of God on Steam!
See you on the battlefield, Templars. ⚔️🔥