Build 26351148

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ETHYRIAL · public · first seen

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Major update · published by the developer

Ethyrial Update: New Character Models

On Steam

Ethyrial Update: April 1 to October 28, 2026

This update brings new character looks, hand-painted armor and weapons, richer landscapes, a new world map, smoother combat and a long list of fixes.

Highlights

  • New male and female characters, with armor fitted to both.

  • Hand-painted armor and weapons, including the Tier 9 Blood Oath Citadel sets and more color choices.

  • Rivers, lakes and seas, changing skies, wind-driven rain and falling ash.

  • A redesigned world map that opens faster and shows the whole world.

  • A new character-selection screen showing your character in their saved equipment.

  • More reliable enemy targeting, blocking and spell casting.

  • Hardcore characters, fall damage and a Biggest Catch fishing leaderboard.

  • Faster loading, smoother travel and fewer crashes, lost items and duplicated items.


The full notes follow, grouped by what you do in the game.


Login and Character Selection


[IMAGE 02: 02-character-select.png]Getting into the world is clearer and more forgiving, and your character now greets you on a lit stage.

  • A clear "Logging in..." message shows while you connect. If something goes wrong, you return to the login screen and can try again.

  • Your character stands on a lit stage wearing their saved gear. Drag to turn them around. The game returns you to your last-selected character automatically.

  • Character previews stay sharp, including on very wide screens.

  • If Steam is closed, you get a clear message and a Retry button. Launching the game outside Steam takes you through Steam properly.

  • Outdated versions of the game show a clear message instead of leaving you stuck.

  • Old password-reset windows no longer appear during Steam login or while you wait in the queue.

  • After a lost connection, the game can reconnect you and return you to your party dungeon. Choosing Log Out stops the automatic login.

  • Character creation explains problems with a name, rejects blank or duplicate names, and reliably shows your character.

  • Character renaming is available, and duplicate-name problems have been resolved.

  • Fixed missing class icons, errors when entering the world, and failed character creation or deletion.

Characters and Appearance


[IMAGE 03: 03-male-female.png]Male and female characters have been rebuilt, with outfits fitted to each body and more ways to make your hero your own.

  • Male and female characters have a new look, with complete outfits fitted to each body.

  • Townspeople and enemies wear outfits suited to their role and hold their weapons properly. Several incorrect appearances have been corrected.

  • Create your character in a properly lit view of the world.

  • More skin tones, hair colors, hairstyles and skirt options, including new male hairstyles.

  • Hair looks smoother, and closed helmets keep it tucked away.

  • Hide your helmet without taking it off. Character previews follow your Show Helmet setting.

  • Armor catches the light more naturally. The undersides of shoulder armor and clothing no longer look black.

  • Hovering over or selecting a character highlights their full outline.

  • Feet sit properly on the ground, hands grip weapons more naturally, and standing characters no longer stare at the floor or leave their mouths hanging open.

  • Female characters have their own running, jumping, falling, landing and backward movement.

  • Improved one- and two-handed weapon grips. The Divine Sword now points the right way.

  • Fixed the Character and Change Look windows opening incorrectly, and characters flashing while their appearance changes.

Armor and Weapons


[IMAGE 04: 04-five-legendaries.png]
Pictured: the Etherforged Blade, Brightforged Bow, Darkforged Greatsword, Flameforged Greataxe and Stormforged Staff.Cloth, leather and plate across the world have been hand-painted, and dozens of weapons have been redesigned.

  • Hand-painted cloth, leather and plate outfits now appear on male and female characters, including Blood Oath Citadel, Dolenars, Darkfiend, Darkmist, Hemp and Elvencloth.

  • Female characters have fitted armor. Tier 4, 6 and 8 plate fit properly, and the Tier 7 plate helmet shows its complete shape.

  • New looks include Tier 1 and 2 Leather, Tier 6 Cloth, Elvencloth, Miner, Crab and Chef outfits, plus refreshed Blood Oath Citadel plate and leather.

  • New wolf, bear and pumpkin helmets.

  • 31 armor sets have two extra color choices. Crafted gear keeps its familiar colors, dungeon gear has colors tied to its dungeon, and rare drops and quest rewards use the alternatives.

  • 42 older weapons have been replaced with hand-painted designs. Higher-tier weapons have more detail, and rare and quest weapons have matching colors and icons.

  • New weapons include the Etherforged Blade, Spikestar and Shatterstar. Etherforged weapons have magical effects.

  • Brightforged weapons show the correct appearance again.

  • Fixed missing leg armor, invisible Darkfiend pieces, gaps in armor, misplaced cloaks and missing colors on a staff and lanterns.

Water, Skies and Weather


[IMAGE 05: 05-armor-grid.png]The world feels alive overhead and underfoot, with new water, regional skies and weather that moves with the wind.

  • Rivers, lakes and seas have a new look, with cleaner shores and natural-looking connections between waterways. They appear on your maps too.

  • Shallow water has a sandy bed, and lights no longer leave bright green patches on the sea.

  • Fishing checks that your line is actually being cast into water.

  • Different regions have their own skies, moonlight and sunlight. Deserts have warmer skies, and the moon is a little smaller.

  • Beams of sunlight move naturally with the sun and shadows.

  • Regions have their own weather patterns.

  • Rain moves with the wind, catches the light and creates splashes and ripples. Storms fill the view with rain while keeping the world readable.

  • Dark ash falls in volcanic areas.

  • Rain and snow no longer follow you indoors or underground after stairs and teleports.

  • Fog blends more naturally into the distance, and lights fade gently instead of suddenly appearing.

  • Characters have soft shadows underneath them, with improved shadows on Medium through Ultra settings.

Trees, Terrain and Distant Views


[IMAGE 06: 06-trees-terrain.png]New trees, painted scenery and far longer views make every region feel larger.

  • Harvest snowy pines and firs in both cold regions.

  • More tree varieties: leafy Elven trees in seven colors, new swamp trees, decayed trees and rugged pines.

  • New hand-painted rocks, scenery, fences and a lamppost.

  • See trees, ruins, houses and landmarks farther away, with forest canopies and gentle haze instead of empty views.

  • Trees and resources you harvest disappear from distant views too.

  • Ground surfaces blend more naturally, slopes look smoother, and gaps between patches of landscape have been cleaned up.

  • Grass coverage has been adjusted for each region, with less unwanted grass on snow and less shine on the ground.

  • Trees and walls fade when they block your character, making it easier to see where you are.

  • Roofs and caves open up more reliably. Hills stay visible outdoors, Axeholm interiors reveal properly, and nearby roofs no longer disappear just because you walk along a road.

  • The camera moves more smoothly around creatures, trees and bridges.

  • Irumesa's dock planks sit above the water again. Missing people, enemies, flowers, trees and scenery have been restored in the town and swamp.

  • Improved lighting in NexusHub, with visible Darklight Crypt and dungeon portal effects.

  • Dying in The Lost Mines returns you to Edrivine Main Gate instead of a Guardian pack.

  • Fixed a place where players became stuck near the Edrivine tailor shop.

World Map and Minimap


[IMAGE 07: 07-world-map.png]A brand-new hand-painted world map shows the whole world from the moment you open it.

  • A new hand-painted world map shows mountains, hills, coastlines and water depth across the whole world, without fog of war.

  • The map opens much faster, starts centered on you and remembers your zoom while you play.

  • See coordinates for both your position and the spot under your cursor.

  • The map changes with the world: felled trees disappear, new objects appear and changes to the landscape are reflected as you explore.

  • Snowy trees look correct on the map.

  • The map fills its window properly, and distant views no longer look speckled.

  • The minimap has a new painted look, with shaded hills, shoreline foam and a paper-like finish.

  • Enemies that disappear no longer leave stale markers behind. Quest markers are more reliable, and teleports no longer make the map slow down.

Combat: Enemy Attention, Reach and Casting


[IMAGE 08: 08-armor-grid.png]Enemies pick their targets more fairly, ranged classes reach farther, and casting feels more responsive.

  • Enemies choose their targets more reliably. Tanks can hold their attention, while other players draw them away only when they build enough threat.

  • Taunts have a limited duration and become less effective when repeated, so they cannot keep an enemy locked onto one target forever.

  • See how close you are to drawing an enemy's attention through the threat meter and health bars.

  • Healing can attract enemies that are fighting the person you heal.

  • Applying a damaging effect gets an enemy's attention straight away.

  • Attacks and spells respect walls and other obstacles.

  • Longer reach: caster spells and heals reach 26 tiles, short-range control spells reach 18, bow, crossbow and rifle abilities reach 30, and wands reach 26. Enemy attack ranges are unchanged.

  • Blocking now reduces a hit by 33%, as intended.

  • Press a spell just before its cooldown ends to cast it as soon as it is ready.

  • Weapon swings line up better with attack timing, and moving cancels your cast promptly.

  • Targeting and spell range are more reliable. With no target selected, a hostile skill picks the nearest enemy within reach.

Combat: Spells, Damage and Classes


[IMAGE 09: 09-armor-grid.png]Damage, protection and control effects now behave consistently, and many spells have been fixed.

  • Repeated stuns and similar control effects become less effective. Bosses that are immune to them can no longer be kept stunned or interrupted.

  • Armor protects you consistently against weapon attacks, spells and damage over time. Successful hits always deal at least 1 damage.

  • Damage reductions in fights between players and for pets are shown correctly in damage numbers, meters and item effects.

  • Helpful and harmful effects end on death as intended. Damage-over-time effects stop when their caster dies, and respawn protection applies properly.

  • Frostburst and Ray of Frost apply their chill through the new Shivering effect.

  • Fixed Fiery Facade, Extract Soul and the Hexweaver's Malefic Grasp. Fire Breath has been retired.

  • Spirit Shot's arrow is visible again. Interrupted channelled spells no longer fire afterwards.

  • Filled in missing spell and effect descriptions, and corrected more than 140 inaccurate descriptions.

  • Tier 9 Wisdom food improves healing, and Tier 9 Constitution food improves damage protection. Vocations improve the main attribute they advertise.

  • Falling from a height now causes damage.

Monsters, Bosses and Companions


[VIDEO 10: 10-crystal-grove (upload 10-crystal-grove.webm + 10-crystal-grove.mp4; fallback 10-crystal-grove.gif or 10-crystal-grove-still.png)]Enemies move and fight more believably, and pets and companions follow your lead.

  • Melee enemies spread around you instead of piling into your character. Bosses keep their position.

  • Bosses, outdoor elites and hostile enemies at level 20 or higher can chase you up to 32 tiles, making it harder to attack safely while leading them around forever.

  • Enemies return home correctly on every map. They no longer freeze at certain patches of ground, walk on roofs, sink below the ground or run to a map corner when trying to retreat.

  • The Juggernaut, The Alchemist and the Old Mine pirate boss can target healers again.

  • The Mana Bear can be defeated again.

  • Armed characters hold the correct combat stance when they appear.

  • Practice and training dummies recover their health.

  • Nearby monsters no longer freeze or repeatedly disappear and reappear.

  • Pets follow their passive, defensive and aggressive settings and remember which abilities you set to cast automatically.

  • Companions give up on unreachable targets and return to you. Summoned companions appear beside you, keep their own behavior settings and leave when their owner dies.

Items, Crafting and Trading


[IMAGE 11: 11-armor-grid.png]Your belongings are safer, crafting is fairer and every trade gives exactly what was agreed.

  • Certain dungeon keys and other area-bound items must stay in their own area. They cannot be traded or put into storage.

  • Removed duplicate recipes and fixed recipes that did not make a valid item. Forged bows, staves and croziers use Mythic Frame and the correct station. Added an Infused Slimeskin recipe.

  • Crafting takes only the materials it needs, and building leaves you with unused materials.

  • Processing stations give each player their own workspace. Scheduled restarts no longer erase your processing progress or queue.

  • Woodcutting task items work with all ten tree types.

  • Dragging an item out of your bag drops it at your feet. Large stacks move and split correctly.

  • Bags containing items cannot be sold, used in crafting or turned in, protecting what is inside.

  • Rewards given when your bags are full drop at your feet instead of disappearing.

  • Choice-based rewards give you what you selected. Existing item enhancements are kept when their description or effect changes.

  • Large amounts of gold are counted correctly, change is not lost and party loot shares pay out properly.

  • Trading Post orders use the best available price and cannot complete twice. Refunds are reliable, and trophies and damaged items cannot be listed.

  • Player trades exchange exactly what both players agreed to, or nothing.

  • Subscribers receive extra bank and Trading Post slots. The bank opens on the first click.

  • Failed guild creation returns your gold and releases the name.

  • Closed several ways to duplicate items and gold, and improved protection for other players' belongings.

Progression, Quests and Social Play


[IMAGE 12: 12-desert-grove.png]Hardcore characters arrive, early leveling slows down, and quests and group play are more dependable.

  • Hardcore characters have one life. Fallen heroes are remembered on the Fallen leaderboard.

  • Levels 1 to 30 take longer to earn. Mid- and late-game leveling are unchanged.

  • Compete for the Biggest Catch fishing leaderboard, ranked by fish weight.

  • New characters begin with their starter spells already on the hotbar.

  • Fixed broken quest conversations, storage interactions, messages and rewards, including the Korvaxis and Xander Grimshadow trade-pack turn-ins.

  • Mining Rank-Up III completes correctly, the Letter to Lenisha step takes the letter, and task turn-ins keep track of partial progress.

  • Corrected spelling and grammar in creature descriptions and item names.

  • The Wildlands danger warning appears when you enter and clears when you leave. Characters in the Wildlands no longer reveal their equipment when inspected.

  • Arena teams that miss a ready check return to the queue. Ready checks show a countdown, and logging out during a match no longer leaves a missing player in the party.

  • Appear Offline stays private in whispers. Chat, whispers and player-report history are more reliable.

  • Party health and resource bars update correctly, guild problems have been fixed, and homesteads support 25 players reliably.

  • Respawn times stay correct when the clocks change.

Interface and Settings


[VIDEO 13: 13-darklight-night (upload 13-darklight-night.webm + 13-darklight-night.mp4; fallback 13-darklight-night.gif or 13-darklight-night-still.png)]More control over how the game looks and performs, with clearer names, labels and windows.

  • More graphics choices let you balance picture sharpness and smoother performance.

  • Choose how many spell effects you see. Your own effects, your target's effects, your party's effects, boss effects and nearby ground attacks remain visible.

  • Widen the camera's view, with better support for very wide screens.

  • Shadow settings work correctly, and graphics options no longer slip underneath the Save bar.

  • Nearby hostile monsters show their name and health without needing a click. Hills no longer hide the labels, and labels sit at the right height without piling on top of one another.

  • Names are sharper and a little larger. Your own name stays steady while you move, and defeated enemies show "Dead" instead of a health bar.

  • Names, overhead speech and damage numbers stay underneath open windows.

  • Hold ALT to see ground-item labels. They follow the camera and do not show through from behind you.

  • Menus close after you choose an option.

  • Backpacks show their contents on the first open, loot windows stay on screen and stack numbers are easier to read.

  • Lootable bodies show their sparkle and Loot cursor reliably. Empty loot-window problems have been fixed.

  • Vendors do not offer to buy bags that still contain items.

  • Click-to-walk works more reliably, and building placement resumes after an interrupted walk.

  • Loading screens appear properly, and logging out fades smoothly.

Movement and Sound


[IMAGE 14: 14-female-animations.png]Movement looks grounded again, and the world sounds the way it should.

  • Restored the original movement animations and reduced sliding feet. Some dodge, block, hit-reaction and weapon-drawing animations are temporarily turned off while they are reworked.

  • Punches alternate correctly. Moving sideways with a bow no longer plays a backward-running animation, and overburdened characters use the proper slow walk.

  • Mounts' legs match their speed. Riders stay seated after equipment changes, mounts do not get stuck partly invisible, and dying while mounted dismounts you.

  • Other players move more smoothly in crowds. Their casting bars finish at the right time.

  • Improved movement down mountains, jumping and moving between floors.

  • Farm carts animate, other carts no longer glide or fly into view, and doors show whether they are open or closed.

  • Footsteps match the ground beneath you. Your own footsteps take priority, and riding does not play walking sounds.

  • Restored missing combat, loot, spell, map and coin-pickup sounds. Discovering new territory plays a short musical cue.

  • Background sounds no longer pile up after you travel, and sounds fade in and out properly.

Smoother Play and Stability


[IMAGE 15: 15-harbor-grove.png]Faster loading, fewer stutters and more reliable saving across the board.

  • Smoother towns and busy scenes, with less slowdown from grass and open interface windows.

  • Faster world loading, without the pause caused by music when entering the game.

  • Fewer and shorter stutters during teleports and travel between regions.

  • Long play sessions are more reliable as you explore.

  • A smaller installation takes up less space.

  • Fixed crashes during teleports, map changes and other parts of play.

  • Busy areas respond more smoothly, with fewer pauses while areas load or progress is saved.

  • Movement handles connection hiccups more smoothly, and loading nearby ground no longer freezes monsters.

  • Your progress is saved reliably when you log out, including during a shutdown.

  • More reliable login at busy times, smoother restarts and fewer disconnected characters lingering in the world.

More Fixes


[VIDEO 16: 16-farwood-woods (upload 16-farwood-woods.webm + 16-farwood-woods.mp4; fallback 16-farwood-woods.gif or 16-farwood-woods-still.png)]

  • Fixed objects turning pink or losing their appearance, including missing fires and candle flames.

  • Scenery no longer flashes before fading into view, and missing pieces of the landscape appear correctly.

  • Fixed enemies flickering, remaining invisible or looking wrong after death. Clicking a body or mounted character works more reliably.

  • Spell effects and temporary costumes no longer leave stray dark shadows.

  • Medium and Superior Water Elementals no longer look like white speckles.

  • Spirit Shot's arrow is visible, and projectiles on upper floors follow the correct path.

  • Beam spells end cleanly, and their lights fade smoothly.

  • Fixed walls in the Trading Post cellar and the stone double gate blocking movement incorrectly.

  • Cooldowns and casting bars no longer get stuck or jump backwards. Helpful and harmful effects no longer stop working unexpectedly.

  • Fixed a Shadowblade enhancement dealing the wrong kind of damage.

  • Death drops no longer go missing if you respawn quickly.

  • Fixed getting stuck after changing areas, problems with the starting area, empty leaderboards and enemy speech.

  • Fixed disconnections with the Looking For Group board open.



Thanks for playing. Keep sharing your bug reports and feedback as you explore the update.

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Ethyrial Update: New Character Models · ETHYRIAL build 26351148 · SteamPeaks