Hey Zodiac Challengers! Big news today — we’re officially announcing that 13Z’s Co-op Mode will land on the demo build this November 21, 2025.
It’s the feature many of you have been waiting for, and we can’t wait for you to experience the Trials together.
Before we dive into the details of this update, we’d love your help spreading the word.
If you’ve enjoyed your time in the Trials, please tag “13Z: The Zodiac Trials” on Steam with “Action Roguelike” and “Hack-and-Slash.”
It’s a small gesture that helps more players who love games like this discover 13Z. Thank you for giving us that extra push forward!
We’re also thrilled to announce that 13Z is one of the finalists in this year’s Indie X showcase! We’ll be temporarily unfurling from our introvert pods to join their team to chat as they livestream 13Z! 🙂
WHEN: Oct 23 (Thu) at 11 AM PST / 8PM CET
WHERE:
Now, on to the updates!
Boons have been reworked to tie directly to a new performance-based currency: Glory. You earn Glory by playing well during your Trials, and spend it to purchase Boons of different rarities
Boons now come in five tiers: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Patron Boons.
Only Patron Boons are linked to the Zodiac Guardians, but the expanded pool adds more build variety and experimentation for every Challenger.
Here are some examples:
BOON
RARITY
Cloud Step
You can jump an additional time before landing.
Epic
Concentration
Increase Qi Regen by 2.5 if you've not taken damage recently. Double the value while walking or standing still.
Common
Martial Prodigy
Boost your Light Attack and Heavy Attack by +3 Levels.
Legendary
Avarice
Take 25 damage when you open a Chest. This damage can kill you.
Curse
This system rewards skillful play and adds a more strategic layer to your builds. It also sets the stage for some friendly (😈???) team dynamics when co-op arrives next month!
Lyra and Sylith’s jump animations have been adjusted to improve timing and weight. We’ve also added a new target lock option called “Free Rotation,” which offers smoother movement compared to the original, more focused “Locked” mode. You can switch between the two under Options > Gameplay > Target Lock-On Camera.
Enemies have received some love too! Attack telegraphs are easier to read, with updated VFX that make danger zones clearer. Certain enemies have had their animations, timing, and movement patterns adjusted to feel fairer and more reactive. Still a work in progress, of course. Your early feedback would help us iron out the roughest spots
…And word has it that the Goat Zodiac has a new trick up his sleeves.
Our Master of Feast has upgraded his humble food cart. It no longer sucks the living daylights out of your HP. It goes straight for your wallet instead. Apparently, he’s been taking business lessons from the Rooster. Stop by his stall between runs to see what’s cooking.
Clearing a run on Normal difficulty now unlocks higher difficulty tiers, with stronger enemies and better rewards. The Jade Tree system has also been updated to support the expanded progression structure, giving you more long-term goals as you strengthen your Challenger.
Alongside the major systems, this update also adds new cosmetics to unlock, an improved tutorial for new Challengers, and various fixes and quality-of-life improvements.
We’re temporarily removing Companions from the demo. Don’t worry, they’ll be back! We’re reworking the system to make Companions more impactful and meaningful in future updates. For now, they’re resting in celestial waters while we fine-tune their roles.
All these improvements are available now in the current demo. Then, on November 21, Co-op Mode will officially arrive, bringing team-based play to the Zodiac Trials! We’ll share more details and previews closer to release — so make sure your squad is ready.
—
Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms
You can find us on:
Discord / X (Twitter) / Tiktok / Youtube / Reddit
Those with * were inspired by community suggestions!
NEW SYSTEMS
Added the in-trial experience system with access to Glory
The end of stage chests will contain boons and uses Glory to update
*Introduced different difficulty levels which comes with higher challenges and better rewards
*Introduced a out-of-camera danger awareness system
*Introduced slow walking and power jumping to the locomotion system
NEW CONTENT
80+ of new seals, boons of different rarities
Connection between rooms now have more variations
New cosmetic for completing higher difficulties
*New character specific cultivation tree nodes for character focused progression
General & QoL Updates
*Multiple optimization change
*Introduced new camera lock mode to fully lock on to the target
*Improved readability and signals of all enemy attacks
*Streamlined the end-of-room experience to gain rewards immediately after completing the battle
*Simplified food as a 1-slot use consumable items and coin-based purchase
A revamped tutorial system
Various VFX & SFX improvements
Various optimization changes
Removed contents(to return in a better format)
Trial pass is now removed
Arbiter & banes are removed
Zodiac koi fish companions are removed
BUG FIXES
Too many to mention...... ːdrunk_gqː