Hey Zodiac Challengers!
Some of you have seen him eating dumplings in Turtle Village since our very first playtest in 2024. He has never left his seat. But one question remains: what makes this ‘lazy’ Panda formidable enough to enter the Zodiac Trials?
Today, we’re finally introducing Cai Li (tsai-lee), the unstoppable Iron Brawler! He tanks. He punches. He flops. He rolls. More on that last one later.
Imbued with the Panda Spirit, Cai Li is a formidable warrior known for his immense strength, unwavering resolve and... slightly clumsy nature. He has stepped on one too many bugs.
With a heart of gold and a desire to protect those in need, Cai Li enters the Zodiac Trials to atone for the tiny lives he has accidentally taken and uncover why demons have been appearing in greater numbers across his childhood home, Cloud Bamboo Grove.
He also heard that Turtle Village serves the best dumplings in all the realms. So there’s that.
Like Lyra and Sylith, Cai Li will have several combat kits. Today, we’ll focus on his first kit. Cai Li’s abilities usually combine sophisticated martial arts techniques with the beastly devastation that comes from throwing an enormous Panda into a group of enemies.
Cai Li’s Light Attack #1 was inspired by Bajiquan, a martial art known for explosive close-range strikes. Cai Li unleashes a coordinated series of quick punches and powerful shoulder strikes.
After building momentum with his punches, Cai Li delivers a strong finisher with his Heavy Attack #1, pounding on the ground while sending nearby enemies flying off their feet and waddling helplessly through the air.
And then, for his Special #1... he belly flops.
Cai Li throws his entire body into the attack, flattening enemies beneath him or delivering a very unfortunate head bonk to anyone standing in the wrong place.
Due to his size, Cai Li is definitely much slower on his feet than Lyra or Sylith. But he rolls. He ROOOLLLLS.
Once he gets moving, Cai Li becomes a giant furry boulder, crashing through enemies and sending them flying like bowling pins.
While Lyra relies on speed and agility, Cai Li uses his weight and momentum to force his way through the battlefield. Learning when to start rolling—and how to steer him once he gets going—will be an important part of mastering his kit.
Cai Li’s punches are powerful. His belly flops are devastating. His rolls can clear a path through entire groups of enemies.
There is only one problem: His butt flinches when he runs.
But we’ll solve that… later!
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Cai Li has several other moves and abilities that we haven’t shown yet, so keep an eye on our Discord and socials for more updates as we continue working on him.
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In the meantime, which part of Cai Li’s kit are you most excited to try: his martial arts, his belly flops or rolling through demons like a giant furry bowling ball?
Let us know in the comments!
Discord / X (Twitter) / Tiktok / Youtube / Reddit As a quick side note, we also realized that we’ve never done a proper character deep dive for Sylith. If you’d like us to fix that in a future post, let us know!
Crafted with love,
Mixed Realms