Hey Heroes,
The Big Progression Update is now live! Updating to this version will require starting a new campaign due to many changes internally to the structure of the Acts, heroes, and Renown, so you'll be prompted to do so when you first load this update up.
If you prefer to finish up your current run, we've got you covered as well - you can quit when prompted and instead switch to the legacy (build 97i) branch, which contains the previous update. This branch will stay alive for another month, at which point it will be disabled.
So, what can you expect as a returning player? Let's take a dive into the major changes!
Welcome to The New Realm Mode
We are pleased to unveil a brand new game mode called the Realm Mode (previously code-named Gauntlet Mode). Here, your heroes enter the Maelstrom Gate to challenge an endless chain of procedurally-generated Realms where conquering each one yields precious rewards.
A Shorter Mode that Packs a Deadlier Challenge
Existing fans of Gordian Quest will know that the Campaign Mode is a monster adventure packing dozens of hours of gaming time. Some of you have been requesting for a shorter version and the Realm Mode is our answer to that. Using the same party hero concept and card battle system, Realm runs do away with quests and stories, hence offering a much faster paced yet progressively more intense challenge than the Campaign runs.
The Spoils of Successfully Challenging the Realms
As you progress through the realms, you will be rewarded with Renowns that can be used to unlock artifacts to make your party more powerful. Squeeze out every last benefit you can get from artifacts to be able to progress further! As an added incentive, the artifacts you unlock in Realm Mode will appear too in the Campaign Mode.
Renown is no longer obtained as a hero-specific currency. Instead, any runs you complete (or partially complete) accord you Renown, which can be used to unlock Artifacts. Artifacts are items that grant global bonuses or effects to your party, and they are persistent once unlocked. You can think of Artifacts as a measure of how much more your party can grow, and in turn, your ability to go further on future runs.
Introducing A New Hero - The Warlock
Meet Kudo. His kind also call them Blood Mages or Wild Mages, from tribes that splinter off from the main settlements. In a land where water is scarce and death is one unforeseen disaster away, one must learn to wield one's very lifeblood as a weapon and for nourishment. A man of few words, he seems to have unfinished business with the Cult you've been tracking down.
His ability schools are as follows :
Blood Magic - Involves using his own blood or that of others to defend himself.
Malediction - Powerful curses and voodoo magic to debilitate enemies.
Reaping - Manipulate a blood pool, a cell effect that can be used to control and devastate the battlefield.
There are a plethora of changes - here are the most significant ones!
- Reworked progression system to have a max level of 60.
- You can reach Lv 60 in Quick Play. Acts can now be played through in order, with Act 1 bringing you to Lv 20, and Act 2 bringing you to Lv 36. Acts 3 and 4 will be released next year, progressively covering up to 60.
- Skill cards can now be ranked up multiple times. Common cards have a max rank of 2. Rare cards have a max rank of 3. Epic cards have a max rank of 4.
- When at max rank, a card is eligible to be mastered. This resets the card's rank to 1, but lets you pick from 1 of 3 upgrade paths for it. Each card can only be mastered once.
- Talents are now integrated into the skill tree in the form of special sockets. You can swap these out to whatever talent you like, as long as you have the required statistics to use them.
- Resistances have been reworked. Enemies now also have weaknesses and resistances to certain elements. Damage cards now indicate their damage type. A variety of abilities will be needed to ensure you can handle different enemy compositions.
- Introduced Augmentation as a way to make items even more powerful at a cost. This lets you acquire special effects like +1 AP, or even granting you the benefit of certain Talents.
Moving Forward
For our dedicated bleeding-edge players, we know you're excited to see what's coming up next. While we don't have the details nor specific dates yet, we want you to know that the forges are still burning hot and we are running several experiments in the background.
A new hero, the Golemancer.
Eagled-eye gamers may have already spotted her on the new main screen! She is a spellcaster who specializes in earth magic, shaping and manipulating the earth to her bidding. She also has a unique mechanic - she will always be accompanied by her Golem companion, who acts as another hero on the battlefield.
Relationship System among Heroes
We hope to add more text dialogue to give heroes more personality, and this is meant to complement a system where heroes can bond with each other, obtaining special moves in battle.
More Impactful Random Events
We are not happy with the current state of the blue ? Event nodes, and we feel the choices they present can be more interesting and impactful. We will be exploring more variations soon.
UI Improvements
We want to improve the consistency and flow of the UI. As the game evolves with new features and functions, certain UI functions may be difficult to access or not well represented, and we'll be taking steps to change this.
The World Expands with Act 3
In the long term, we will roll out Act 3 of the game. At this point, we will be collating the contents of Act 3 and 4 into one act due to how the game progression has changed. It does not necessarily mean less content, but a more streamlined story to introduce Realm Mode, which we are rolling out earlier than originally planned to address replayability. Beyond Act 3, we think that the format of GQ is ripe for even more adventures and content if it has a successful full launch.
Overall Improvements
New mechanics and improvements to current contents will make its way back into Realm Mode in some form or another.
PvP Mode
The big goal for the year: we are building up a PVP mode with the basis of you and your opponent spending an equal amount of points to build a party, pitting them against each other. This one is still very early in development, but we will announce invites when the time comes. This mode is targeted to be released at the end of the year, and we expect there will be rigorous playtesting needed.
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Thanks for reading. We will continue to work hard in bringing you more exciting features and improvements in the game. We thank you for your support and patience as we continue to build this game with you.
As always, we hope to hear your thoughts below on what we’ve put forth so far. Feel free to join us on Discord https://discordapp.com/invite/tce6YMW to chat with us.
And last but not least, if you haven't already, please consider giving us a positive review on Steam if you like how we are doing so far. It would really mean a lot to us. Thanks! :)
Crafted With Love,
The Mixed Realms Team