What We Learned From Playtest 3
Hello everyone!
Playtest 3 has officially come to an end, and we'd like to thank everyone who joined us, shared feedback, reported bugs, and spent time experimenting with different builds.
Every playtest teaches us something new, but this one was especially valuable.
One of our biggest goals with Playtest 3 besides the Seer and the Black Market was introducing our new Statistics & Run Tracking systems. Watching how players approached the game, which cards they gravitated towards, how runs evolved, and where decisions became interesting (or sometimes less interesting) has given us an incredible amount of insight into how Desert Revenant 2 is actually being played.
As always, many of the discussions that happened within the community have also helped shape our priorities moving forward.
Refining the Core Experience
One thing we've always believed is that depth doesn't come from simply adding more content.
It comes from creating meaningful decisions that reward mastery without sacrificing experimentation.
Every card you draft.
Every relic you choose.
Every path you take.
Every turn you play.
Each of these decisions should present interesting trade-offs that reward planning, experimentation, and mastery.
Over the past few weeks we've been reviewing feedback from Playtest 3 and looking closely at every stage of a run, from combat and progression to deckbuilding and encounter design.
Rather than asking ourselves "What should we add next?", we've been asking a different question:
"Does this system create interesting decisions?"
If the answer is no, we redesign it.
Sometimes that means introducing entirely new systems.
Sometimes it means removing mechanics we like because they don't make the game more engaging.
That philosophy has shaped Desert Revenant 2 since the beginning, and it continues to guide every major decision we make.
Looking Ahead
Our current focus is refining the tactical depth of combat, making encounters more rewarding to master, expanding build variety, and continuing to improve the overall flow of a run.
Some of these changes are the direct result of feedback from Playtest 3.
Others come from internal design discussions sparked by watching hundreds of different playstyles unfold throughout the playtest.
We're also working on several new systems that we aren't quite ready to reveal yet, but we're excited to share them once they're ready.
Thank You
Every bug report, every suggestion, every balance discussion, and every run you've played has helped shape Desert Revenant 2.
Your feedback doesn't disappear into a spreadsheet, it directly influences the direction of the game.
Thank you again for taking the time to play, discuss, and help us build something we're all proud of.
Every playtest brings Desert Revenant 2 one step closer to the experience we've envisioned from the very beginning, and your feedback is helping us get there.
Thank you for being part of that journey!
We'll see you in the next update.
The Kreationware Team