Hello everyone!
Sounds of Suffering brings more than 100 new impact sounds and the Acolyte mastery—a hexer who turns pain and fear into an advantage. You’ll also find town defenses, trading and balance changes, new veteran progression, and fixes based on your reports.
First, a small teaser of updated terrain you will see in the game soon
Sound rework
- Added more than 100 impact sounds for different weapon and armor combinations.
- Expanded combat audio, including ranged attacks, creature sounds, hits, misses, and defensive reactions.
- Improved sound timing for attacks, pushes, and drags.
- Improved audio feedback for rewards and inventory interactions.
New mastery: Acolyte
A strong-willed hexer who fights to the last drop of blood. The Acolyte combines curses, morale manipulation, and bonuses that reward fighting while wounded.
- Pain Attunement: For every point of missing Health, gain +1% Accuracy and reduce Morale lost by 1%. These bonuses shrink as you heal.
Subperks:
- +3 Willpower.
- +10% maximum Health.
- −15% Morale lost.
- Unbreakable Will: Reduces Morale lost by 50%.
Subperks:- +3 Willpower.
- −15% Morale lost.
- +15% Morale recovery.
- Unbound Will: +25% maximum Morale and allows Morale to exceed its normal maximum. Half of the excess is lost at the end of each turn.
Subperks:- +3 Willpower.
- +10% maximum Morale.
- +25% starting Morale.
- Deathwish: While below 25% Health, gain +25% Initiative, +15% Accuracy, and +50% Morale gained.
Subperks:- +10% maximum Health.
- +3 Willpower.
- −15% Morale lost.
- Vulnerability Hex: Costs 5 AP, has a range of 2–3 tiles, and requires a free hand. Affected visible enemies take increased damage equal to (0.15 × the caster's Willpower + 0.05 × their Intelligence)%, until the end of each affected enemy's turn. Repeated applications do not multiply the effect.
Subperks:- +10% Vision.
- +3 Willpower.
- +3 Intelligence.
- Battle Hardened: +15% maximum Health and +15% Endurance.
Subperks:- +15% Morale recovery.
- +10% maximum Health.
- −15% Morale lost.
- Weakness Hex: Costs 5 AP, has a range of 2–3 tiles, and requires a free hand. Reduces affected visible enemies' Accuracy by (0.30 × the caster's Willpower + 0.10 × their Intelligence)%, until the end of each affected enemy's turn. Repeated applications do not multiply the effect.
Subperks:- +10% Vision.
- +3 Willpower.
- +3 Intelligence.
- Antiquarian: Grants 1 additional trinket slot.
Subperks:- +1 belt slot.
- −5% Load.
- +3 Willpower.
- Fearsome: Increases Morale damage dealt by (0.30 × Willpower)%; for example, 100 Willpower grants +30% Morale damage.
Subperks:- Additional Morale damage bonus of (0.10 × Willpower)%.
- Additional Morale damage bonus of (0.10 × Strength)%.
- Additional Morale damage bonus of (0.10 × Intelligence)%.
- +3 Willpower.
- Cursed Body: Reduces damage taken by 20%, at the cost of 20% maximum Health.
Subperks:- +3 Intelligence.
- +10% maximum Health.
- Mask of Fear: Costs 10 AP and affects visible enemies within 3 tiles. Deals Morale damage equal to 20% of the user's Willpower. Fleeing enemies instead take direct Health damage equal to roughly half that amount.
Subperks:- +3 Willpower.
- +10% maximum Morale.
Gameplay and balance
- Towns now have defending garrisons that fight attackers and recover over time. Defeating the defenders leaves the town raided.
- Reworked trading and price calculations, including item-specific city price modifiers.
- Improved the selection of goods generated by markets and exotic traders.
- You can now hire beyond your company's unit limit. Each excess unit adds a stack of Disorganized, reducing company movement speed by 25% and Initiative by 15%. Staying over the limit can also lead to desertion. (Ottosama)
- Veteran units continue gaining perks and subperks every fifth level after level 10.
- During maintenance, units now help repair their companions' equipped gear before working on items in the inventory. (祈雨)
- Added the permanent Missing Arm status: removes 1 left-hand weapon slot and 2 reserve left-hand weapon slots, disables Double Grip, and prevents abilities that require a free hand.
- Improved enemy behavior, including ranged units and Shades, and reduced situations where battles stall because neither side advances.
- Keen Eye’s Vision subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +10%.
- Third Eye’s Vision subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +10%.
- Skirmisher Training’s Vision subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +10%.
- Marksman Training’s Vision subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +10%.
- Illusory Mark’s Vision subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +10%.
- Reassuring Presence’s Morale recovery subperk has been reduced from +30% to +15%.
- Martial Training’s Morale recovery subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +15%.
- Battle Hardened’s Morale recovery subperk bonus has been reduced from +20% to +15%.
- Damaged Heart now reduces maximum Health by 30%, up from 15%.
- Punctured Lung now also reduces maximum AP by 1, in addition to its existing −20% Stamina retention penalty.
- Base maximum Height Advantage has been reduced from 5 to 2.
- Roads now reduce camping cost by 1.
- Towns now reduce camping cost by 1 instead of 10.
- Trade goods now sell according to local demand, with a 10% sale-price penalty on Veteran and 15% on Madness. Other difficulties have no additional trade-good sale penalty.
- The Exotic Trader city status now adds a −50% selling-price modifier for Wine, Spices, Gold, and Gems.
- Standard crossbows now use standard crossbow attacks and ammunition instead of light-crossbow versions: normal range increases from 6 to 8 tiles, aimed range from 9 to 11, and Dexterity scaling from 30% to 40% for normal shots and 50% to 60% for aimed shots. Reload and aimed-shot costs increase from 5 to 6 AP, and shots use standard crossbow bolt damage.
- Shortsword Thrust can no longer be used as a Sidearm ability
- Hornets now count as 400 strength instead of 500 when encounters are generated, allowing larger groups.
- Big Hornets now count as 600 strength instead of 1,000 when encounters are generated, allowing larger groups.
- Acolyte training is now available in northern and southern towns.
UI and QoL
- Crossbows now use their own projectile visuals.
- Added a Long Night progress indicator to the global map.
- Added a notification when the Long Night ends.
- Added a tutorial explaining veteran levels.
- Added a tutorial explaining hiring beyond the company limit.
- Added a tutorial explaining the Overburdened status.
- Trade goods now show a clearer price breakdown.
- Camping now shows its cost calculations.
- Added an option to block edge scrolling near interface panels. (HattoriHanzo)
- Added a comma option for large-number separators. (K Kineman)
- Joining a battle now reveals the area around your allies. (Special Caesar)
- Improved perk descriptions. (祈雨)
- Improved tooltip refreshes.
- Improved equipment previews.
- Improved affordability indicators.
- Tutorial hotkeys now follow the configured bindings in the updated descriptions.
- Updated translations for mastery descriptions, tutorials, and interface text.
Miscellaneous
- Added a new hidden achievement.
- Completed more achievement artwork.
Bug fixes
- Fixed ambient sounds continuing to play after returning to the main menu.
- Fixed cases where enemy companies could not be engaged on the global map. (Sobaken)
- Fixed companies remaining stuck in combat after a battle ended or a combat transition failed.
- Failed battle transitions now restore the global map instead of leaving the loading screen stuck.
- Fixed completed world-map battles being resolved more than once.
- Fixed enemies repeatedly skipping turns instead of approaching or attacking.
- Fixed cases where battle generation could get stuck, including battles around bridges and difficult crossings.
- Fixed cases where units became stuck on bridge structures or tiles remained incorrectly occupied after movement.
- Fixed battle escape failing at an exit.
- Fixed duplicate camp contracts granting rewards for the same target.
- Fixed Battle Hardened being unavailable despite meeting its requirements.
- Fixed duplicate crossbow attacks appearing in older saves.
- Fixed equipment comparisons incorrectly favoring the currently equipped item.
- Fixed weapons carried in the inventory or belt granting unintended combat bonuses. (祈雨)
- Fixed morale feedback, including Rally and incorrect Inspired flags.
- Fixed expanded item inspection not working in the victory window.
- Fixed linked tooltips closing while moving the cursor from a highlighted term into its explanation.
- Fixed overlapping visuals in the secondary weapon slots.
- Fixed the bug-report button's position at lower resolutions.
- Fixed exotic traders being announced without usable stock appearing. (Sakke)
- Fixed smithy repairs not updating immediately. (祈雨, RPG World)
- Fixed camp growth being lost after loading a save. (Ottosama)
- Fixed peat-pit obstacles and several movement-connectivity issues.
- Fixed stale camp quests and crashes caused by references to removed world objects.
- Improved large-save handling to reduce memory-related saving failures.
- Fixed several inventory drag-and-drop and tooltip display issues.
- Other minor fixes. (Henry Ha, Darkpenatrator, K4llu, Sakke, RPG World, OliverAudio)
Questions – Answers
Some of you use the bug-report form to suggest features and ask questions. We can’t reply through the form, so we’ll answer them here.
Q: Spear is not classified as polearm (OliverAudio)
A: This is intended: a one-handed spear is not classified as a polearm. Two-handed spears will be classified as polearms when I add them.
Q: Since you read those as I wrote in the one before, this one will be feedback: First of all, some sound for finishing a mission and winning combat would be nice. Would do wonders for game being satisfying. Bow sounds as well. (OliverAudio)
A: Yes, I’m reading all of it! Please keep the feedback coming. I’ve added more bow sounds, among others, and I’ll continue adding sounds over time, including the ones you mentioned.
Q: А еще хорошо бы завести лог амбицый. А то сложно вспоминать, сколько кого надо уничтожить. (Sobaken)
A: Your current ambitions are shown in the top-left corner of the screen.
Q: Пояса загрузки явно работают некорректно. Вмето того, чтоб снижать - увеличивают. (Sobaken)
A: Heavy belts have weight of their own. This is intended to prevent them from being too strong on characters built around dodging.
Q: Interesting that you use Czech names for some cats and locations haha :D (OliverAudio)
A: I’m planning several factions inspired by a mix of different countries. The first will draw on Czech and German history, with strong influences from the League of Lords, the Hussite Wars, and the Reynevan saga. For now, I’m using names from that faction as the baseline.
Thank you for the reports, saves, screenshots, and suggestions! Keep them coming through the in-game report button or Discord!