Rising Spire Devlog #3 - Combat Buffs, Crafting Costs, and UI Upgrades

Progress systems, combat tweaks, and quality-of-life fixes - this update is all about refining what’s already there. With Act 2 almost fully playable, we’ve started polishing the economy and UI to keep every upgrade, battle, and buff feeling tight and rewarding.

Economy Updates – Coin Costs Added to Crafting & Upgrades

As the world of Rising Spire grows, so does the need for meaningful resource management. We’ve introduced a simple but impactful change: coin costs for weapon upgrades and elixir crafting.

Weapon Upgrades – No Longer Free

To encourage better decision-making and item value, upgrading your gear now consumes coins. Implemented:

• Coin cost scales with weapon tier
• Coin deduction now functions properly during upgrade

Still in Progress:

• Balance pass for final coin cost values
• Visual feedback to make the coin deduction clearer

Elixir Crafting – Added Coin Cost & Resist Buffs

Elixirs now require coins to craft, making alchemy feel more like a commitment - and more rewarding. Implemented:

• Coin cost added per elixir recipe
• Magic resist added as a new elixir effect
• Elixir buffs apply correctly in combat

Still in Progress:

• Rebalancing materials vs. coin ratio
• Visual feedback for crafting results

Combat UI – Buff Visibility Improvements

In the heat of battle, knowing what effects are active can make or break your strategy. We’ve reworked the combat UI to display active Elixir and Food buffs directly during encounters.

Buff Display – Combat Readability, Upgraded

New UI elements help track boosts from consumables at a glance:

• Elixir buffs now display on the battle HUD
• Food buffs show their EXP and stat bonuses during fights
• Buffs fade out when expired or consumed

Still in Progress:

• Custom icons and animations for each buff type
• Tooltip support for mouseover clarity (PC only)

Next Devlog: Boss Battles & Act 2 Final Polish

With economy and UI tweaks out of the way, our next update focuses on boss battles and critical polish tasks to wrap up Act 2 development. What to expect in the next devlog:

• Completed with scripting, unique phases, and rewards
• Boss Integration – Animations, drop tables, cutscenes, and engine setup
• Camping System Fixes – Dialogue triggers, scene loading, and timeline control
• EXP Rebalancing – Bosses now give more EXP to better pace progression
• Final Pre-Act 3 Prep – Minor bugs, performance fixes, and story scene alignment

We’re officially shifting gears toward Act 3 - the final chapter of Rising Spire! It’s been a long journey, but the finish line is in sight.

Support Rising Spire & Join the Community
The best way to help Rising Spire is to wishlist & spread the word.

• Wishlist Rising Spire on Steam (it helps us massively!)
• Join our Discord to chat, give feedback, and follow development
• Spread the word - every recommendation helps an indie game like ours!

Thank you for following along - see you in the next devlog!