Hey everyone! It's been a few months since the last update but I'm back with some major balance changes, some serious bug fixes and a few new items. I also have some news regarding the future of Plague Breaker.
Balance Changes
This update has a big focus on re-balancing a lot of the game, most notably the order each class is unlocked. There is also some stat changes which should make some elements a bit easier.
Adventurer Unlocks Earlier
The Adventurer class was originally a reward for those who fully beat the game, but after reviewing the progress that a lot of players achieve I've decided to unlock this character much earlier.
The intention behind this is that if the game is too difficult for players to beat with the stock classes then they can at least feel some progress behind their lost runs through new items added to experiment with on the Adventurer. Plague Breaker can be a very difficult game, and I intend to keep it that way, but I don't want people getting discouraged or finding themselves in a boring rut where they keep failing with the same classes.
The Adventurer is now unlocked after defeating the Acolyte, instead of after beating the game with all other characters.
Other Class Unlocks
With the Adventurer being unlocked after the Acolyte I've moved the Mage to be unlocked after defeating the Lich.
Stat Changes
Here is a list of some minor changes to the gameplay:
- Hunter receives 4 hp per level instead of 5
- Bats deal 1 less damage
- The acolyte has 25 less health
- Shop discounts now work with the armor smith as well as the black market
New Items
I've added 3 new items this time:
Flute
The flute makes rats your allies! They'll now follow you around (although they can't jump) and they'll attack nearby enemies.
Holy Water
I've always wanted to add an "Arc" weapon to the game, now you can toss the Holy Water at enemies. Deals extra damage to undead!
Coupon
The final item is the Coupon, which gives you one free item from either shop.
Bug Fixes
There have been quite a few bug fixes this time, most notably around the Co-op mode.
- Ice Ring now has a proper price
- Warrior Belt now increases the difficulty as expected
- Descriptions are now formatted properly in co-op
- Fixed an issue where the game could crash when starting co-op
- Item unlock prompts no longer appear when player 2 selects their level up ability
- Fixed bug where save data could be lost if the player quits immediately after starting the game
- Controller icons should now remain in the button instead of sticking out
- Elemental Resistances could previously negate damage from other elements
- Fixed a bug where the Adventurer achievement would not be unlocked
The Path Forward
Working on Plague Breaker has been an awesome journey. I've had a wonderful artist help me create all the assets along the way, and he is unfortunately no longer able to work on Plague Breaker. This has changed a lot of what I had planned for Plague Breaker and I've decided to expedite the release date.
Currently I have two remaining updates planned before releasing the full game. The next update will add story, which will have to be done though interacting with fallen adventurers throughout the castle. The final update will include the final boss, which will be unlocked through beating the game with all characters. I'm hoping to release Plague Breaker out of early access in June 2023.
Thanks for supporting Plague Breaker! I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's feedback!