Hello everyone!
We're ready to announce the release date for “Blood Omens” - March 26th! As a reminder, this major update brings a Lighting System, new Proselytes, slings as a new weapon type, a large side quest, an enemy AI overhaul, a Log System rework, and plenty of other improvements.
Today we'll go into greater detail on some of these additions - and introduce a few entirely new ones. Better get comfortable!
In the last devlog we described this system only in broad strokes. But now that the work on it is complete, it's time to break it down properly.
The Lighting System is built around hidden negative modifiers that are applied depending on the time of day and level of illumination.
During twilight hours (evening and early morning on the surface), the only penalty is -30% Vision range.
The actual darkness will accompany you during night time or when descending into dungeons and caves.
While in the dark, the Vision penalty increases to -60%. It also becomes harder to passively spot traps and secret rooms, and your character will slowly begin to lose Situational Morale.
Still, darkness does have its upsides: attacks against targets within it suffer a small Accuracy penalty - this goes both for you and enemies. It's also worth mentioning that your character's base Vision range will be increased to 12 tiles, preventing you from stumbling completely blindly without a light source, while also keeping the effects of darkness sufficiently impactful.
Light sources will dispel darkness only within a certain range around them. This means that while staying in the shadows, you can easily spot light from afar - and anyone standing within it - but the tiles between you and the illuminated area will still be concealed by fog of war.
As a whole, the system adds a new tactical layer to dungeon exploration: bringing light can help you spot enemies first, but it can also give away your position. And remember, some creatures are perfectly capable of seeing in the dark, reaping only benefits from it: this includes the Undead, Proselytes, and most predatory Wildlife - which is usually balanced out by their smaller base Vision range.
To fight darkness, you'll have a choice of portable light sources: torches and candle lanterns (although an occasional candelabrum or candlestick can still be used in a pinch).
Torches must be carried in hand, acting as a weapon and granting access to a new basic skill, “Set Aflame” (currently available to some enemies as “Torch Strike”). Torches can also be ignited and thrown from the inventory to swiftly create distant fields of light. And while torches burn out over time, they're easy to replace: looted from enemies, taken from dungeon walls, purchased from merchants, or crafted.
Another use for a torch is to exploit the Wildlife's newfound fear of fire. If your character carries a torch or stands near a source of open flame (like a campfire or a burning tile), most animals will hesitate much longer before attacking, giving you a better chance to get away. But if combat is inevitable, fighting near open flame will negatively affect their stats and Will to Fight.
Lanterns can be hung from a belt, lighting the way while keeping your hands free. For most builds, this makes them a convenient tool in actual combat, even if their light radius is smaller than a torch's. And once your lantern goes out, it can always be refilled with a spare candle.
Last time, we briefly touched on the intent behind the Proselyte rework. Today we'd like to show a few examples to demonstrate it.
“Soon enough, his pleas will be answered.”
Even though Supplicants don't attack directly, they are dangerous to ignore. Upon spotting an enemy, they begin a desperate prayer to the Court. After a few turns, the prayer will be answered, transforming them into Thralls - a high-tier version of the Blood Golem with beefier stats and a notable distinction: it explodes not only upon death, but also after performing a certain number of attacks.
“The stench of charred flesh and the clatter of chains weave together into a symphony of perpetual agony.”
The Chainbound voluntarily subjected themselves to fiery torture, and were “blessed” by the Court with the ability to endure it forever. To unleash their full potential, the Chainbound must break out of their bonds, which happens once their Armor Durability drops to zero.
With nothing restraining the fire within, they transform into the Unchained, possessing their own set of abilities. The Unchained gain stacking bonuses from the surrounding flames and any Fire Damage they receive, and can ignite surrounding tiles with their attacks or by simply moving through them.
“Woe to any wandering knight or Vehement who falls alive into the clutches of the catacomb cults, for the conversion rites forced upon them are cruel beyond measure.”
Templars are among the few heavily armored Proselytes. Their “Oath of Retribution” reflects a portion of damage they receive back at enemies, “Oath of Protection” allows them to redirect all damage dealt to an ally onto themselves, and “Oath of Guidance” greatly strengthens an ally when they find themselves at a disadvantage.
“Amid the halls heaped with corpses, a newborn faith painfully takes shape, its first commandments set in blood by mad prophets.”
The Apostle is one of the high-tier mini-bosses. In combat he relies on a constant stream of reinforcements, drawing power from allies, and using their Gift for blasphemous ends. His list of summons is remarkably formidable, ranging from regular Proselytes and Thralls to disruptive Unholy Bells.
For obvious reasons, we won't spoil the story. All we can say is that the quest is large (with nearly twice as many dialogues as in “Fate of the Brewery”), has multiple outcomes, and can be accessed once you reach “Benevolence” with the Rotten Willow.
Since all abilities were added at different times, their usage conditions by enemies varied a lot in how well they were designed. That's why we decided to review every ability in the game, accounting for nuance and expanding old scripts to work with newer mechanics - you can expect enemies to become much smarter and situationally aware.
For example, many Charge skills can now be used by enemies not only to close distance, but also to disengage. Stances are now typically activated from an optimal distance (often right before charging into melee). Buffs and defensive maneuvers are less likely to be used if the main target is already on the verge of death, and so on.
We decided to overhaul Lockpicks and Crowbars, introducing more distinction and depth to their mechanics. For Lockpicks, the base success chance was greatly increased - and now also scales with Agility and Perception.
Crowbars, on the other hand, were fully redesigned and will no longer instantly break through locks. Prying a door or chest open will now take time, with each spent turn producing a great deal of noise and eating away at the tool's Durability. The higher the character's Strength, the faster they'll be able to complete the task. Naturally, the Crowbar received a major buff to its Durability to compensate for this change.
We also added new room templates for Caves, Catacombs, and Bastions, specifically for tiers that lacked the most variety.
Enemies can now have different ability sets depending on their current weapon. This mainly affects ranged units: they'll be able to put up more of a fight up close, even if their melee capabilities won't match those of dedicated brawlers of the same tier.
The mini-boss name generator was fully reworked for stronger atmosphere and lore cohesion. For example, Brigand names now depend on the mini-boss' origin (highborn or not), while low-tier Proselytes will go by regular names combined with church titles and religious epithets. The same applies to Necromancers and Undead mini-bosses: the former will draw from a warlock-style pool of titles, while the names of the latter will depend on who they were in life.
That's all for today. See you on March 26th for the “Blood Omens” release!