Hello everyone! ːtaurusSmirkː
Astral Ascent is free to play on Steam until May 18th! ːbarbecuePogː If someone in your circle has been on the fence about the game, this is the window. The base game and all DLCs are also on sale during the event. If you want to grab everything at once, the complete bundle gets you an additional 10% off. Cherry on top? The game will be 60% off until May 28th!
Arven is a Ranger of relentless determination who heard of a group of heroes trapped within the Astral Prison. Fighting alongside Kat, his wolf companion, he had no other choice but to lend his blade to those fighting for their survival.
Arven is the only character in the game who is never alone. Kat follows him through every room, every fight, every attempt. She is not a summon, not a cooldown ability. She is just there, fighting alongside you the entire run. And as you progress, Arven's specializations will make Kat stronger too. Kat is also compatible with the Celestial Haven DLC, so you can take on the Astral Prison with both your favorite pet and Kat by your side.
Their Signature Spell lets you throw a grappling hook at an enemy and dash toward them while Kat rushes in to assist. Three specializations let you shape how that dynamic plays out:
Quaking Roar: at the end of Kat's dash, she lets out an Enraged Roar that damages surrounding enemies and pushes them back.
Swift Execution: in the seconds following the Signature Spell, basic attacks have a chance to summon Rapid Claws that strike nearby enemies.
Ethereal Rampage: the Signature Spell unleashes a Savage Hurricane around Arven, dealing damage to every enemy in range.
The DLC includes:
25 new unique spells
2 weapon types: the Alpha Sword for close-to-mid range combat, and Ethereal Missiles for long-range magical attacks
6 weapon passives (3 per weapon)
Full voice acting in English and Japanese by Ben Starr and Tagui Omi
4 new Papa Yalee stories covering Arven and Kat's origins
New cinematics and ending screens
Don't own the DLC? You'll still see Arven in the Garden, collect and use 2 of his Echoes during your runs, and face his Shadow Clone as a new boss encounter.
Arven, The Wolf Blade is available on Steam. Arven is also the main character of Fallen Fates, Hibernian Workshop's upcoming action RPG. If you back the Fallen Fates Kickstarter at the Loner tier or above, you get the DLC for free.
Note that key delivery may take up to 24 hours after backing.
With this update, we completely reworked how Prowesses work for every character. At the first statue, you now choose one of three specializations specific to your hero. From there, every next statue only offers passives tied to the specialization you picked. No more dead options, no more passives that don't fit your build. More control, more consistency, more build identity.
In total, this update adds 166 new Prowesses to the game, bringing the full Prowesses pool to 211 across the entire roster. Every character in the roster now has three new specializations. Here is what each one brings.
Ayla's shadow mark now splits into three specializations.
Phantom Daggers: hitting a marked enemy with a basic attack has a chance to drop a phantom dagger on the field. Pick it up to launch a blade at the nearest enemy, which explodes on impact.
Shadow Clone: when the shadow mark fades, a clone materializes on the enemy and dashes through random targets.
Spinning Daggers: periodically spawns a spinning blade on every marked enemy, dealing damage in a loop for as long as the mark holds.
Kiran's counter game now runs three different ways.
Solar Fist: the first enemy hit by a counter triggers a Radiant Flare that bounces between enemies, dealing damage with each jump.
Can't Touch This: landing a successful counter wraps Kiran in a Psychic Barrier that reduces incoming damage for a short time.
Full of Spirit: while your Signature Spell is on cooldown, a spirit orb spawns every second, orbiting Kiran and dealing damage before vanishing on contact with an enemy.
Calie now wields sculptures, each one a new way to shape your run.
Unchained Fen-dweller: summons a Fenrir sculpture, on ability use, that attacks enemies in an AoE zone around it.
Fiery Familiar: summons a Phoenix sculpture that follows Calie and shoots projectiles at nearby enemies every second.
Emerald Protector: while her Signature Spell is on cooldown, each basic attack has a chance to summon a Tarasque sculpture. The more sculptures on the field, the higher her armor.
Octave's Bellator drone now has three new modules to equip.
Detonation Module: Bellator releases Explosive Bombs that detonate on contact, dealing damage to nearby enemies.
Energy Field Module: Bellator emits an Energy Field around him that damages any enemy that enters it.
Directed Energy Module: Bellator continuously fires a laser beneath him, dealing damage to every enemy it passes through.
Yamat's draconic arsenal now channels three distinct powers.
Way of Fire: at the end of her Signature Spell, Yamat launches Draconic Flames below her, projectiles that explode on contact and spread flames along the ground and walls.
One with the Shadows: summons a Draconic Shadow that teleports across the battlefield and attacks enemies.
Warrior of Darkness: at the start of her Signature Spell, Draconic Swords materialize around Yamat and slash at enemies on each basic attack.
Also included in the free update: a new Sun Pieces Bonus system. In the Hub, one character will be highlighted with a Sun Pieces icon. Run with that character and you'll earn a bonus on your Sun Pieces at the end of the run.
Three years of updates and today still feels like a big one. Thank you for sticking with us. Stay tuned, we'll have more to share about the Steam Workshop very soon.
See you in the Garden! :zimzimSmile:
The Hibernian Workshop Team Complete patch-notes: