Hey everyone!
It has been a minute since the last update! First off, I'd like to say thank you to everyone for your understanding and kind words of support. As some of you know, I ran into some unexpected health problems after the last update, and development ran slowly for a couple of months.
I am pleased to report now, however, that I am fighting fit once more, and development is proceeding at a much better pace! Speaking of which, we'd better get into what you can expect from the latest update...
The Royal Sepulcher
The path into the Royal Sepulcher is finally open for those of you who have obtained the key.
The Sepulcher itself is one of the largest and most complicated zones yet, teaming with new fiends to fight and recruit, new items to find, and a slew of boss fights to challenge your party.
You can expect some seriously tough fights, as well as some answers about the protagonist's origins and motivations, and what is happening in the ruins of the Capital. We're getting close to the end of the story now, and the pace is picking up!
Traps & Hazards
As if the fiends constantly trying to gnaw your bones for Ash weren't bad enough, you can now encounter traps & hazards on your travels. Running into one (usually) won't send you back to the last Wellspring, but a swinging blade or rolling boulder can leave your party with nasty wounds for their next battle.
Animation Overhaul (Ongoing)
Many skills and spells now have revised animations as part of an ongoing effort to make combat look and feel better. There are already a lot of changes to check out, and you can expect more to come with next updates.
Evolution Adjustments (Ongoing)
I'm continuing the develop the evolution system, which is becoming a bigger feature than I had initially intended. This update brings another evolution to track down, as well as a small change to the system - some evolution items are now consumed in the evolution process, so you may need to farm multiple copies if you want your reserve full of the most powerful evolved fiends.
Glyph Adjustments (Ongoing)
The kinds of fiends that can't hold a sword or swing an axe instead utilize magical runes called Glyphs as weapons. Glyphs have always been a solid option, but tend to lag behind conventional weaponry in terms of versatility and cool factor. I'm working to change that by adding new Glyph types, and giving the ones we have a bit of an overhaul.
The Mind Glyphs have been updated to grant the same Acuity and Acuity+ skills as staves, and a new line of Glyphs is available from the Binder. The new Mending Glyphs specialize in defense (both physical and magical) and grant your fiendish allies powerful healing spells.
Bug Fixes & Miscellaneous Changes
As always, this update brings a host of small tweaks and bug fixes, as well as some bigger ones, which I'll detail below:
The Sluice Chamber has had a visual overhaul and looks much nicer now... Well, you know, "nicer" by the standards of flooded ruins filled with poisonous filth, anyway.
An annoying bug where Incense wasn't clearing correctly after combat should now be fixed.
The M̷͕̟̝̗͆̉͆̑à̸̡̖̬̘̑̐́̏̇̏̀͌ļ̷̧̫̖̳͇̳̫͕͉̱͍͒̓̆̌̊͐͗͝͝į̸͚̩͍̙̠͎̻̳̖̘̻̫̈ͅc̸̭͉͊̒̐̔ë̷̢̡́͐̄̆̎͗͑̉͒̎ ̴̘̲̀̽̈̉̀̑͒̐̈́̈̀̄̏̐̍s̵̢̧͉̟̱̣̩̘̜̝͓͖͖̞̰̕y̷̛͈̰̣͓̯̐͋̀͋͊̉s̸̨̯̫͚̲̱̘͕̲̈́͜ͅt̵̞͉̗̼̪͓̦̞̺̫̙͊͆e̶̪̪̓̽̃̎̎̈́̄̌̊͒̌͒̒͘͜m̴̭̪̼̮͈̾ had a few bugs that should also be gone now.
What Comes Next (Spoilers)?
This update has been a big one, and I'm excited for what comes next. I've decided to focus on the story for the next little while, with the goal of at least getting to some of the endings over the next two major updates. The plan for those updates is as follows (some spoilers ahead):
Version 0.4 - The Dragonpeaks
The next major update will see our hero travel through the Passage of Despair to the fabled Dragonpeaks, seat of the Order's power, where the Lord Commander waits with the final piece of the Godsdoom. Will our intrepid adventurer find a new foe, more fearsome than any they have faced before, or an unexpected ally in their quest? You'll have to play to find out, but either way, you can expect some answers as the story nears its final act.
Version 0.5 - The Ruined Lands
After the adventure in the Dragonpeaks is done, it will be time for a showdown with a Goddess, and a journey to the fabled Ruined Lands where the Curse of Ash first came to be. With the past closing in, our hero will have to face their demons (both figurative and literal), in one final battle to bring the Cycle to its end.
Reaching the end of the story won't mean the end of development, as there will no doubt be plenty of bug fixes and side content to work on, as well as the additional endings, but it will represent an important milestone for Early Access. Exactly how long it will take to get through those two major updates also remains to be seen, and I'll do my best to keep you all in the loop as development continues.
Thank You & See You in the Next Update!
In the meantime, these patch notes are plenty long enough already! I hope you enjoy the version 0.3.0.1 release of Drowning Ashes, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the forums! Let me know how you go with all the new challenges that the update brings.
Until next time, may your adventures in the ruins of the Capital be Glorious!
-Daniel