Introduced Arena Tier System:
Grand Arena
Regional Arena
Local Arena
Players can now fight lower combat rating opponents, allowing newly recruited gladiators to gain experience from combat
Added combat rating restriction (100) to prevent high-level farming while still allowing creative matchups (e.g. 1v3 scenarios)
Betting system added to tournaments for enhanced spectator engagement
Added ability to free gladiators with 3+ victories:
Join the Hall of Fame
Provide permanent daily bonuses and morale boosts to the roster
Bosses are no longer random (previously 10%) and now appear as separate, structured encounters
Lower arena tiers do not grant prestige allowing players to progress at their own pace (after hitting 30 prestige and unlocking all 3 tiers)
Removed prestige rewards from kill streaks and tournaments to better control progression pacing
Reworked death system:
No longer flat 10% chance
Now influenced by crowd support meter
More loot opportunities during playthroughs
Improved staff (Scout/Medic) scaling:
Costs and effectiveness now scale properly with progression
Early access to top-tier staff has been corrected
Added Upkeep and Sell Value display to the Gladiator Details screen
Added financial tooltip breakdown showing total gladiator upkeep breakdown
Added new sorting options:
Base stats
Sell value
End Day button moved to far right and styled in red to prevent accidental clicks
Roster view expanded from 10 to 12 gladiators and now displays win/loss records
Improved clarity of auto-equip systems with updated text and guidance
Tutorial updated to include combat camera zoom and follow options
Increased team fight frequency from 10% → 30%
Added combat effects for kills
Added Steam Cloud support
Save files remain compatible
Note: defeat records require a new save to track correctly
Numerous minor bug fixes and general quality of life improvements
Streamers Nookrium and Dastactics have been incredibly helpful in highlighting real player pain points. As the developer, I know these systems inside and out, and many long-time players from the Itch.io days do as well. Watching fresh players interact with the game has been invaluable in improving onboarding and overall flow.
While I know many of you are eager for deeper systems, this phase has been focused on strengthening the foundation. These improvements have already increased retention and average playtime, and the game is now in a much stronger position going forward.
Work will now begin on the next core feature: Gladiator Classes.
A huge thank you to everyone on Discord and Steam Discussions for your continued feedback and support. It genuinely means a lot.
The following players will be added to the credits for completing the game in next update:
Sidarous
Sir Sup
Ginge
Also, great to see Norker77 win a 1v5 fight, very impressive. That was achieved against the odds. The new systems make moments like this more possible, but that one stands out.
As always, my door is open. I will always make time for players who reach out. Let us create something special.