Greetings breach mages! It has been a while since we last checked in with you, but we’re sure the world is pretty much like it was back in November, right?
Several of you have asked about more content for the game, and we’ve been quiet because we didn’t have anything definitive to share - until now. We are pleased to announce that we are beginning work on The Nameless - the first expansion for Aeon’s End!
The Nameless includes:
Nemesis: Blight Lord The humble Jade is one of your most trusted gems. What happens when a nemesis turns it against you? The terrible Blight Lord seeds your deck with Tainted Jade, which are both blessing and curse. The more tainted your deck becomes, the harder it will be to repel this nemesis.
Nemesis: Wayward One The Wayward One brings the concept of position into Aeon’s End. This nemesis and its minions move to different positions, and if your spells are not aligned at the right time, they'll be more fizzle than fireball. Your strategic abilities will be put to the test!
Mage: Malastar - Breach Mage Mentor Malastar’s unique starter is Immolate, which grants charges if you take damage with this spell prepped. And that’s good news, because his charge ability requires 6 charges, more than any other breach mage currently in the game. His charge ability is Gift of Aether which not only lets you gain a spell from any pile, but you can also prep it into any mage's open breach!
Market Seven new player cards give you more options for the market, including:
Leeching Agate (Gem): When you gain this, gain a charge. Gain 2 Aether.
Temporal Helix (Relic): Cast any player’s prepped spell without discarding it
Scrying Bolt (Spell): Cast: Deal 5 damage. You may lose 1 charge. If you do, reveal the top three cards of the Nemesis deck. Return them in any order.
We don’t have a release timeline to share with you yet, but we’ll post more once we’re further along in development.
Playing Games While Social Distancing
Aeon's End doesn't yet have built-in online multiplayer, but you can still play it online with friends using third-party tools! For example:
Parsec is a game streaming service for playing games together with friends.
Discord is not only a great place to chat about our games, but also a way to play together using screen sharing & voice chat. Join our Discord server!
Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and many other systems can be used as well. Know about a great service? Mention it below in the comments!
Since the coronavirus is making life difficult for (checks notes) EVERYONE, we're giving away our baseball game, Bottom of the 9th, for free! In addition, we are running discounts on the rest of our games, including Aeon’s End, through Sunday! You can read about it all here, and please stay safe and healthy!
What's New in Version 1.1 - Xae from One Deck Dungeon has arrived!
Xae has arrived! She is normally found exploring dungeons in One Deck Dungeon to help keep Mynerva safe, but she has embarked upon a magical journey to Gravehold. There, she will do her part to protect humanity against the Nameless!
Promo Pack 1 is now available as a free DLC. It includes:
• Xae - playable mage crossing over from One Deck Dungeon, with unique starter card (Flight) • 3 player cards - a gem (Glass Core), a relic (Staff of Wonders), and a spell (Lava Bolt), each with brand new mechanics • 3 basic nemesis cards - Decimate, Baneful Crux, and Unmake
Other changes in version 1.1: • Fixed a problem where using Bottled Vortex in some situations could cause the game to get stuck. • The Grim Sight corruption no longer causes the game to get stuck. • Fixed a problem where the Shield the Innocent achievement would not be awarded properly in some cases. • Fixed a damage preview bug with Amplify Vision. • More situations now allow automatic discarding of cards if they are all the same. • Various other small bug fixes and improvements have been made.
Spirit Island is a deep strategy cooperative game (what can we say, we like the co-op). Players take on the roles of the spirits of the island, and need to work together to build their powers. Protect the land and the native islanders, the Dahan, from the colonizing Invaders spreading blight and destruction!
Just like in Aeon's End, you're protecting a refuge from the onslaught of a seemingly unstoppable force. Grow in power, solve tactical problems, and build a strategy for victory against a wide variety of challenges.
Note: A purchase of Aeon's End is good on the store where you made your purchase and does not transfer to other stores. It would be best to decide where you want to play and plan your purchase accordingly. For more information, visit our FAQ.
Aeon's End Arrives: Version 1.0 Officially Released
It's a big day for Gravehold - Aeon's End has left Early Access, and version 1.0 is now available!
To celebrate the launch, Aeon's End will remain on 10% discount through Sunday, September 22. After that it will be at its regular price of $19.99 USD.
The Need For Speed
If you thought the last update was an improvement, you ain't seen nothing yet! With another optimization pass from the team, the game is now playing smoother than ever. We appreciate your patience through Early Access as we focused on features instead of performance in earlier versions.
What's Next
There's still bonus content unlocked by the Kickstarter to come, including:
Breach Mage Xae: crossing over from One Deck Dungeon
3 new player cards: a gem, a relic, and a spell
3 promo nemesis cards: one from each tier
Alternate playmats (backgrounds)
Alternate mage & nemesis skins
Digital card sleeves
All of the above will be included in every copy of the game on Steam (certain cosmetic items will be exclusive to Kickstarter backers).
Also, the tablet version will be released on Monday, September 30th. It will be available on iPad via the App Store, and on Android tablets via the Google Play Store.
Listening Party Tonight
Don't forget to join us tonight at 6:30 Eastern on Twitch for the Aeon's End listening party with composer Jean-Marc Giffin, followed by Handelabra Live where we'll be playing some Aeon's End and celebrating the launch!
Will You Ever…?
Aeon's End is officially released, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop working on it. We'll continue to fix bugs and make other improvements. We're considering other major items for the future, including:
Expansions - The Nameless, The Depths, and more
Online multiplayer
Smartphone support
Thanks for all your support during Early Access. This is just the beginning and we look forward to the journey of Aeon's End!
Early Access Update #4
The last major Early Access update is here, featuring optimizations, achievements, and more! Read on to learn all about it.
Achievements
We've added 18 achievements to the game, ranging from the most basic (complete the tutorial) to the most puzzly (deal 14 damage in a single blow). Perhaps you'll find some new strategies exploring them. Happy hunting!
Statistics
Wins and losses are now tracked for each mage and nemesis, along with various other interesting data points. You can see how your defense of Gravehold is going over time, and compare with the world!
Speeding Things Up
We've reworked some parts of the user interface so you can play more quickly, with fewer delays. Drag or click cards as fast as you like!
Other Improvements
This update includes various other bug fixes and improvements. Here's a list of the notable ones:
Interactions:
Select a mage to gain life by clicking their life indicator (in addition to the usual button).
Information Display:
View maximum life of nemesis & minions by clicking their life indicator on their full mat/card.
Bug Fixes:
Corruption cards are no longer invisible if you went through the whole deck.
Discarding a corruption with Sifter's Pearl now works properly with Crooked Mask's increased difficulty rule.
Breach open/focus costs are no longer displayed after destroying the breach.
What's Next
This is the last major update of the the Early Access period. We're still working on more performance improvements and optimizations, however. Plus, bonus content unlocked by the Kickstarter is on the roadmap to release soon after retail launch on Steam and tablets.
The retail launch of version 1.0 on Steam will be on Tuesday, September 17th. The tablet version on iPad and Android tablets will be released on Monday, September 30th.
Thanks for playing and keep sending in your feedback!
What's New in Version 0.8.1 - Bug Fixes
Who knew that releasing a version featuring literal bugs could lead to more bug reports? This update includes several bug fixes around Carapace Queen and the Undo feature, along with a small feature!
Added a new button to view cards that have been destroyed and removed from the game.
Casting spells with variable damage (e.g. Phoenix Flame, Consuming Void, Dark Fire) against husks now works properly with damage splitting.
Using undo after discarding cards for effects like Pulverizing Ray no longer results in an incorrect game state.
Using undo after casting Amplify Vision no longer results in an incorrect game state.
Minimizing the Sifter's Pearl card selection window then using undo now works properly.
Early Access Update #3: Carapace Queen + Card Library
The final nemesis of the core game has arrived in the third Early Access update. Read on to learn all about the Carapace Queen and more!
Carapace Queen
The Carapace Queen, the Mother-of-Husks, the Swarm Daughter - all these dread names we have chosen in our vain attempts to comprehend this creature. But of all The Nameless, the Queen has brought the most ruin upon Gravehold, for her armies are vast and lethal, more clockwork things than beasts. There is a saying about the husks: “To kill one is to breed six...”
The Carapace Queen is part of the core game and so is available for all to play starting with this update. Swarms of husks will threaten to overwhelm you and Gravehold before you can stop her!
Card Library
Sometimes you just want to take a minute and look at the cool cards. Now you can with the new Card Library screen. It includes all of the cards in the game - basic nemesis cards, nemeses and their unique cards, mages and their starter cards, and player cards available for the supply. Remember, you can right click any card to view the full size with text and artwork!
Under the Hood
We've updated the underlying version of the Unity game engine to the latest available. That brings many small improvements, but there's a risk of glitches too. Please let us know if you run into any trouble!
Notably, on Linux, 32-bit x86 support has been dropped. Only 64-bit CPUs are now supported.
On macOS, you may run into an error like: "The application can't be opened" or "Failed to start process for Aeon's End." If you see this, right-click the game in Steam and uninstall it, then reinstall it, and everything should work again. You won't lose any of your settings or saved game doing this.
Other Improvements
This update includes various other bug fixes and improvements. Here's a list of the notable ones:
Interactions:
Insatiable Avarice now automatically gains a gem if there's only one choice.
Information Display:
The main menu now has an information area we can update to let you know about what's new.
Visual Polish:
An animation is now shown to make it clear when the nemesis Unleashes.
Bug Fixes:
The turn no longer incorrectly automatically ends when you are buying charges with a lot of Aether.
Corruption effects are no longer skipped if you undo within the start of your turn.
Corruption cards acting at the end of turn are now properly highlighted.
What's Next
The Early Access period is nearly at an end! The last major features we plan to add before retail launch are Steam achievements and statistics. We're also working on more performance improvements and optimizations. Plus, bonus content unlocked by the Kickstarter is on the roadmap to release soon after retail launch on Steam and tablets.
Thanks for playing and keep sending in your feedback!
Early Access Update #2: Tutorial + More
The second update of the Early Access period brings an interactive tutorial and many other improvements. Read on for all the details!
Interactive Tutorial
Brama has lived through a lifetime of tribulation but is always willing to pass on her wisdom to a new generation. She guides new players in their first battle against Rageborne.
The tutorial debuted at Gen Con last weekend, and we're happy to include it in this update today. Even if you already know how to play, we'd appreciate it if you try the tutorial and let us know what you think!
Play All Gems
There are many turns where you just want to play your gems and get to work. We've added a quick button that plays all your gems. It goes from highest cost to lowest, so if you have a Burning Opal, you'll get a chance to discard something else first.
Card Highlights
When you are discarding or destroying cards, they have a unique highlight effect to indicate what will happen. That should help you avoid quick misclicks!
More Shiny
We're continuing to improve and expand the animations and visual polish of the game throughout the Early Access period. There's now a cool animation when a card is destroyed, and Rageborne (who felt left out) now has some unique animations. For those who like to play quickly, the animation speed setting now applies to everything we could find, including casting spells. If we've missed something, let us know by sending in feedback!
Other Improvements
This update includes various other bug fixes and improvements. Here's a list of the notable ones:
Interactions:
If all the gems in your hand are the same, Arcane Nexus will automatically choose one.
Revealed cards can be temporarily dismissed to look at other things.
Automatically end the main phase when there are no more actions to take (optional).
Information Display:
Improved position of tooltips on corruption cards in your hand.
Improved position of tooltips on supply cards.
Pulverizing Ray now shows how many of the decisions have been made (x/6).
Bug Fixes:
If no allies have cards in hand, Tourmaline Shard will no longer ask to use its effect.
If all your breaches are open, Flexing Dagger will no longer ask to use its first effect.
Bottled Vortex is now able to destroy corruption cards.
Destroyed breaches will no longer show focus/open buttons.
When revealing corruptions with Sifter's Pearl, the mage's name is now properly shown instead of Crooked Mask.
The "Skip Ability" button no longer covers the charge ability popup.
Potentially fixed issues related to cards/spell casts getting "stuck."
What's Next
We are still hard at work, with more to come during Early Access! We are working on adding the last nemesis from the core game, the Carapace Queen. Plus there will be additional big features like a card library screen, Steam achievements, customized backgrounds, and much more.
Thanks for playing and keep sending in your feedback!
Early Access Update #1: Prince of Gluttons + Undo!
The first update of the Early Access period is here! Another nemesis threatens to devour the very memories of Gravehold. A new feature allows you to undo misclicks or change your mind. Plus a lot more - read on for all the details!
Prince of Gluttons
At first, it seemed too easy to repel his attacks and send The Prince lumbering back into the bright nothing of the breach. But soon those that survived the attack had forgotten the name of The World That Was... The Prince feeds on our very histories, leaving behind only our fear and doubt. We are a people with no past nor future, trapped only in the fleeting moments before our eyes.
The Prince of Gluttons is part of the core game and so is available for all to play starting with this update. This nemesis insidiously devours cards from the supply piles, growing more and more dangerous as he consumes your resources.
Undo
Already the most-requested feature for Aeon's End has been an undo button. During the game you can use the new Undo button to go back after making a decision in most cases. This means you can change your mind after casting a spell, playing a card, buying a charge, etc.
However, when any new information is revealed, you can no longer go back from that point. For example:
When an unknown card is revealed from the turn order deck, you can no longer go back.
When a nemesis card is played, you can no longer go back.
When an unknown card is drawn from your deck (such as a corruption), you can no longer go back.
We hope you enjoy this new feature! It will continue to be refined and improved during development, and we are happy to keep listening if there are ways we can make it better!
Inspecting Mages
Most of the time, you're interacting with a mage's information on their own turn, and they are shown in the central play area. But sometimes you want to look more closely at the other mages, especially if they need to discard a card or take another action.
In version 0.6 you can now get a better look at the other mages using the zoom in button on their panel. All of their interactions work the same way as before - you can just see them better. Click the zoom button again, or anywhere else on the screen, to get back to where you were.
What's Going On?
We've made various improvements to help make it clear what's happening in the game. Played nemesis cards stay on screen for longer by default, and there's a new option to control that (including "forever" so you must click to dismiss them). Whenever a minion, power, or attack card is acting, it will be highlighted so you can tell what's causing damage or decisions.
If you've been following our dev streams you will know about other subtle visual elements that are making it into this update. As Gravehold is damaged, the game background will slowly reveal the impact of the terrible attacks of the nemesis and its minions. Mages corrupted by the influence of Crooked Mask will start to look a little... off. We'll be continuing to add more elements like these in future updates to make the digital version of Aeon's End more immersive.
Other Improvements
This first update is chock full of various other bug fixes and improvements. Here's a list of the notable ones:
Audio:
Clicking a spell to prep it now plays a sound effect.
Interactions:
Added confirmation warning when ending turn and actions can still be taken.
Mage names are shown as tooltips on turn order cards.
Visual Polish:
Improved animation for destroying a breach.
Improved damage animations.
Improved display of exhausted mages.
Bug Fixes:
Fixed a problem interaction between Jian's ability and Xaxos's Flare spell.
Fixed difficulty selection not being preserved between games.
Fixed vsync not being enabled by default causing high CPU/GPU usage for some players.
What's Next
There is still plenty to come during Early Access! We are working on adding the last nemesis from the core game, the Carapace Queen. Plus there will be additional big features like an interactive tutorial, card library screen, Steam achievements, and much more.
Thanks for playing and keep sending in your feedback!
0.6.1 hot fix - improves the vsync fix to make sure it applies to all existing players.
