In this week’s Expansion Devlog, we’re keen to discuss one of the newest and most exciting features we’re adding to the upcoming expansion of Vagrus: Exploration Encounters. We are also introducing two named characters from the upcoming expansion and inviting you to participate in the giveaways we are running on two of our social media platforms!
How Exploration Encounters Came To Be
While it would not be entirely truthful to say that the game’s development has always followed a carefully curated path, it is not exaggeration to mention that our imaginations have run boundless thanks to that, leading to a myriad of ideas and, occasionally, feature creep. We have, however, always felt that more Events to cover simpler matters – mining salt, random encounters, or procuring scrap, for example – would have a place in the game, even if their creation may not be the best use of our writers’ time.
During the development of our At the Heart of Ruin expansion, we reached a crucial decision point, one where we decided it was time to create an Exploration Encounter prototype, not so different from the one you see above. Thus, Exploration Encounters were born. You can expect Exploration Encounters to ship along with this ever-growing expansion. It’s just one more thing in a sea of new content we’re frothing at the bit to get out the door! While we sometimes think that we should tone down the amount of content we’re releasing, it can be pretty difficult when we’ve got such a supportive community that we want to deliver for again and again.
What Are Exploration Encounters
On a basic level, Exploration Encounters are a series of procedurally generated Companion Combat encounters, obstacles, and chances to get loot. In essence, they are shorter, more gameplay-focused bits of encounters and challenges grouped by location or theme. They are meant to provide resources if you overcome the risks, and break up traveling and reading a bit. Each location tailors its challenges specifically to what characterizes it. Launching a foray into a fiery cavern filled to the brim with Salamanders is, naturally, quite different than descending into the depths of an old mine, especially one occupied by gangs in a bloody war of dominance. Similarly, fighting oversized arachnids in a labyrinth of webbed gossamer provides markedly different rewards than those found among Varnurud’s (more) delusional gangs – of which there are many!
Encounters In More Detail
Getting started will be easy. One simply needs to find the right point of interest, go to the Story Pane, and select an Event that leads to an Exploration Encounter (you’ll find these fairly easily). This Event will provide some reference about what the player should expect from the Exploration Encounter(s) at this location, and then, typically, they’ll have to select a group of Companions if they choose to tackle one. Once started, Exploration Encounters generate challenges (combat, obstacles, loot) procedurally along certain rules tailored to the location.
After each challenge, test, or obstacle, you may decide to turn back or continue pushing, which creates a sort of risk versus reward gameplay segment where you need to evaluate your resources and capabilities in a dynamically changing gauntlet. Suffice to say, this is just the beginning. We’ve plenty of ideas to make this more interesting, and as always, we look forward to your feedback on changing it further in the future. Our primary focus is the expansion currently, but as things evolve, we’ll be able to better support or iterate upon what we’re building on the side, and we’re thrilled to see what you’ll think of it.
Intrepid Adventurers of the Molten Kingdom
It’s not often that a post introduces two important, named characters, but today is one such day, since both Kharandar and Dralla will be integral figures in our coming expansion.
First off, there’s Kharandar – a man of action and intent. A stalwart, even noble, leader. He is the one who speaks in the expansion’s trailer. Those who follow him trust his decisions and instincts above all others. They know that when push comes to shove, Kharandar will be there, calling the shots for everyone’s benefit.
And yet, a leader is nothing without strong advisors, lieutenants, and warriors, individuals with wise counsel to give. Kharandar needs people with know-how and can-do that rivals even the best. Dralla is one such woman, and over the long years the pair has known each other, she has demonstrated cunning, skill, and tenacity in everything she was sent to deal with. Dralla leads the scouts and reports directly to Kharandar.
So what role will these two play in the expansion, and what kind of operation are they involved in leading? For now, we can say two things: they lead a clandestine group of Dwarves with a secretive goal, and they protect both their own and their knowledge with their lives if they must. To learn who they are, what they do, and what they ultimately wish to achieve, you will have to earn their trust first. Then, and only then, may you be able to work alongside them.
Ruinous Supporter Pack Giveaways
This week we decided to make our Ruinous Supporter Pack teaser a bit more fun, and instead of revealing the full new Companion look, we only shared a close-up detail and invited the community to guess who it belongs to. If you are interested in joining the giveaways, check out our posts in the /r/Vagrus subreddit or over on X.
We look forward to sharing more with you soon. Until then, stay safe, stay insightful, and conquer the wasteland!
– The Lost Pilgrims Team