Hello, everyone! It's been a while since our last update.
Since then, we've been working on adding new areas and combat content while improving various existing systems.
This update introduces a new area and a new Spirit, along with expanded equipment upgrades, improvements to the Divine Power Orb system, combat system changes, beta controller support, and much more.
Here's a look at what's new!
1. New Area & Exploration Content
A new area has been added to the game!
Here, you'll encounter new enemies and bosses, discover hidden locations, and explore a variety of new paths.
Added a new area to explore.
Added new enemies and bosses.
Added hidden paths and shortcuts.
Placed new items and upgrade materials throughout the area.
Improved environmental details and exploration routes.
Adjusted the locations and encounter timing of certain NPCs.
Twisted Forest Changes
We've also adjusted the progression and balance of the Twisted Forest to better accommodate the new area.
Rebalanced enemy levels and attributes.
Increased experience rewards.
Updated enemy drop tables.
Rearranged items and upgrade materials.
Improved certain shortcuts and exploration routes.
Improved lighting and environmental details.
The Rift
The way you travel between areas through the Rift has changed.
Connections to other areas are now locked by default and must be unlocked by obtaining specific items.
We've also added a tutorial to explain this system when you first enter the Rift.
2. Enemy & Combat AI Improvements
The new area offers a variety of enemies and challenges to overcome.
We've also improved the behavior and combat AI of existing enemies, making adjustments to the overall combat experience.
Improved wolf and wolf mage AI.
Improved deer behavior and combat interactions.
Improved boar and cave bear AI.
Improved the combat behavior of Forest Spirit Berserkers.
Improved enemy movement, rotation, collision handling, and target detection.
We'll leave the details of the more challenging encounters for you to discover!
3. New Spirit — Gilded Ashen Wolf's Spirit
A new Spirit featuring a magic-focused combat style has been added!
The Gilded Ashen Wolf Spirit uses magical talismans to attack enemies.
You can attach talismans to your targets and detonate them to deal damage.
It also has a special ability that summons a spectral bow to fire powerful piercing arrows.
Exclusive Traits
New Divine Power Shard traits have also been added for the Gilded Ashen Wolf Spirit.
Inscription: Attaches additional talismans at the cost of reduced damage.
Rapid Fire: Reduces charging time, but removes piercing capabilities and decreases the attack area.
Shatter: Consumes existing talismans instead of attaching additional ones.
These traits allow you to customize how you approach combat.
The Gilded Ashen Wolf Spirit can be found somewhere around your residence.
We're also working on a feature that will allow you to reset your attribute points.
4. Combat System Improvements
Backstab & Execution System Overhaul
We've completely reworked the internal structure of the Backstab and Execution systems.
Executions can now be performed against a wider variety of enemies, with additional animations for different enemy types.
Added execution support for large and animal-type enemies.
Added support for multi-hit executions.
Improved execution damage calculations.
Improved input and action restrictions during executions.
Refined execution animations and hit detection.
Combat Controls & Ability Improvements
Prevented abilities from activating multiple times due to rapid inputs.
Improved ability interruption and termination handling.
Improved knockdown and recovery dodge behavior.
Refined guard and stagger calculations.
Improved animation transitions and chained attacks.
Fixed various combat-related issues.
5. Expanded Equipment Upgrade System
The maximum upgrade level for weapons and armor has been increased from +5 to +10!
We've also rebalanced the attribute increases granted by each upgrade level.
In addition, three new materials have been introduced to unlock further upgrades at specific levels.
Upgrade Threshold | Required Material |
|---|---|
+3 | Catalyst of Awakening |
+5 | Catalyst of Ascension |
+8 | Catalyst of Transcendence |
We've increased the availability of standard upgrade materials, while keeping these special catalysts more limited.
Upgrading a Spirit now increases damage based on its primary damage type, while upgrading Essence Armor grants additional defense.
6. Divine Power Orb & Progression Improvements
The Divine Power Orb's slot unlock reward system has been expanded.
Previously, rewards were primarily obtained by completing an entire line of slots. Now, additional rewards can also be earned by unlocking specific slots.
Added unique slot unlock rewards for each Core.
Added permanent rewards that can only be obtained once.
Increased flexibility in Divine Power Shard slot configurations.
Added accessory slot expansion rewards based on the number of slots unlocked.
These changes provide more options for character progression and Divine Power Orb customization.
7. Upgrade & Attribute Infusion UI Overhaul
We've improved both the attribute infusion system and its interface, along with the menus for equipment upgrades and Divine Power Orb slot upgrades.
Attribute Infusion Changes
Reworked the damage calculation system for infused attributes.
Normal elemental attributes and status effect attributes now use separate damage calculation ratios.
Improved how visual and sound effects are triggered when dealing damage with an infused Spirit.
UI Improvements
Redesigned the equipment upgrade and attribute infusion interfaces.
Improved Divine Power Orb slot upgrade and unlock menus.
Added previews of attack and defense changes before upgrading equipment.
Improved the display of required materials and related information.
Improved controller navigation and focus handling.
Shop & Item UI Improvements
We've also improved the shop interface to make finding Divine Power Shards easier.
Added filtering options to the Divine Power Shard shop.
Added trait names and short descriptions to Divine Power Shard listings.
Improved item tooltip presentation.
Fixed various quick-slot and item UI issues.
8. Controller Support (Beta)
Controller support is now available in beta!
You can now use a controller to move your character, engage in combat, and navigate major game menus.
Added controller support for movement and combat.
Added controller navigation for major UI menus.
Button prompts now update automatically based on the active input device.
Added an option to choose your preferred controller button icon set.
Added control guides to various UI screens.
As this feature is still in beta, some controls or menus may not work as intended. We'll continue improving controller support in future updates.
9. Character Appearance & Visual Effects
Clothing & Armor Appearance
Equipping Essence Armor now changes the color of your character's clothing.
Different Essence Armor items apply different clothing colors, and removing them restores the original appearance.
We've also added an option to remove your character's upper clothing using the wardrobe at your residence.
Environmental Effects on Characters
Characters now visually react to their surroundings.
Characters become wet when entering water or swamps.
Certain surfaces leave their color on the parts of the character's body that come into contact with them.
Rolling causes the effect to spread across body parts that touch the ground.
Special Abilities & Status Effects
We've added a glowing symbol effect that activates when using the special ability of any Spirit.
We've also added visual symbols that appear when status effects such as Bleed, Burn, Petrification, Deadly Poison, and Freeze are applied.
Various other combat effects and environmental visuals have also been improved.
10. Optimization & Stability Improvements
The project has been upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.8.
Alongside the engine upgrade, we've reorganized internal systems and made several performance-related improvements.
Optimization
Optimized certain high-poly environmental meshes.
Improved HLOD configuration and streaming behavior.
Improved the navigation mesh building system.
Introduced asynchronous loading for certain data.
Reduced loading-related stutters when opening shops and inventory menus.
Optimized unnecessary tick operations and collision processing.
System & Bug Fixes
Fixed issues related to ability activation and termination.
Fixed various save and load issues.
Fixed enemy AI and lock-on targeting issues.
Fixed UI focus and selection issues.
Fixed environmental object and water rendering issues.
Made additional stability improvements and bug fixes.
11. Localization
New and updated translation data has been added for the following languages:
English
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Some translations may still require further refinement and will continue to be improved.
With this update, we've focused not only on expanding the game's content but also on improving its existing systems.
We'll continue refining the combat experience, making exploration more engaging, and providing a more stable gameplay experience.
Next time, we'll be sharing news about the underground desert area rework!
Thank you for your continued support!