All the info about the latest update, which is the final one for EA!
Hello, Champions!
Alberto again after recent events and the delay of the 1.0 release with a new Sunday update. First and foremost, regarding the issues we faced for the launch, a heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who has supported us. A delay is never ideal, and it usually comes with reasonable technical timing. For us, it was a last-minute unexpected issue and tough to handle. As mentioned, we tried everything to launch by the Thursday, but there was no way around it. We are actively working on setting a new date, and we can confirm for now that we will be out 110% in November, depending on the plans we’re reworking.
That said, we’re here to dive into the highlights of Arcane Arts, the freshly released update and the final stop of Early Access. Arcane Arts is the largest and most comprehensive update we’ve done, requiring almost a year of work, running in the background while we handled other developments. This is because, simply put, the presence of magic in Alaloth was originally conceived in a specific, focused way, at a time when many aspects of the game were different.
The Magocracy of Valestrum, introduced in Chronicles, marked the first in-game iteration of magic, integrating a new kingdom in Plamen centered around spell users while maintaining consistency with the world’s lore
Every game has its own clear vision, and mine was to create a melee-focused experience with some magical elements and a few classes that fit well into the lore of Plamen, where spellcasters are not exactly common. We crafted a narrative around this vision with elements like the disappearance of Amberwalk Hall, the rare spell users, and the Red Wizard. We’ve always listened to the community, and we quickly realized that the most common request was to allow players to play as a mage. The point, then, was to transform systems initially designed for a certain kind of experience into something compatible with other systems that weren’t originally planned. And in game development, the most difficult part is often starting work in one direction only to change course along the way. This is what led to many of our design choices.
HOW MAGIC WORKS
The major design challenge was figuring out how to properly integrate spells into a game focused on physical combat, where spells were initially intended to be one of the customization options for a fighter. The goal was to maintain the concept of complete freedom in character creation, allowing players to mix skills from various professions without restriction. At first, we considered limiting the use of spells to characters who could only equip mage robes or staffs. But this seemed to contradict the original vision of total freedom, so we found a solution inspired, like several other elements, by Rolemaster, a highly complex game system I loved and played in the '90s, which also emphasized maximum freedom.
The final iteration of the Grandmasters encourages players to adopt specific playstyles to maximize their class potential. Lore-wise, they are scattered across Plamen, and shops will be refined with the 1.0 release
In Rolemaster, any character can attempt any action with any equipment, but there are steep penalties. For example, a warrior in full plate can try to cast a fireball, but the chance of success is nearly zero. Since we didn’t have a system for critical failure in Alaloth, we decided to address this through items rather than by restricting item types outright. So, a mage is encouraged to dress like a mage, as staffs increase magic damage while specialized robes reduce cooldowns. Conversely, non-mage items increase cooldowns, discouraging but not prohibiting a mix of all kinds. Casting a spell in full plate, perhaps with a shield and sword, will lead to cooldowns up to three times longer than usual, though these can still be reduced with other items or character development. Additionally, Grandmasters will now provide some class-specific gear through shops and train passive skills with certain prerequisites, encouraging different playstyles.
Naturally, Valestrum was the first lore step to introduce the various schools of magic, and with the 1.0 release, we’ll be completing the circle. Grandmasters are now spread across the map, each positioned in a plausible location. At launch, a universal shop will be set up in the magocracy [this was one of the final touches that had to be postponed due to the store issue]. Also, we’ve differentiated Quarterstaffs, both craftable and non-craftable, from Magic Staffs, which are specifically tied to spellcasting.
WAYS AND PROFESSIONS REWORKED, NEW TALENTS, NEW PROFICIENCIES, DAMAGE SCALING
The other major addition in Arcane Arts is that, while expanding the magic system, we reworked all the Ways and professions. The Ways are now divided into five categories: Way of Arms, Way of Gods, Way of Nature, Way of Arcane, and Way of Elements. In principle, the Way of Arms and the Way of Gods have remained largely the same. The former Way of Nature, which included magical classes connected to the “natural energy of the world,” has been refined to focus more on nature itself. All elemental spellcasters now fall under the Way of Elements, aligning with the Orders of Valestrum, while the Way of Arcane gathers casters who wield “cosmic” powers, so to speak.
Each way now includes a new profession, and the existing ones have been revisited and adapted to the new scaling system
Nearly all professions have been adjusted, blending skills and spells (which are now distinct in gameplay terms), with new talents and specializations. The Guardian and the Elementalist have been merged into other classes, and now each Way includes an additional profession. The new professions are: Rogue and Berserker for the Way of Arms; Druid, Bonder, and Ranger for the Way of Nature; Aeromancer, Pyromancer, Geomancer, and Hydromancer for the Way of Elements; Mystic Warrior, Runemaster, and Warlock for the Way of Arcane; and Shaman for the Way of Gods. This brings the total to 20 professions, with new traits and a complete set of magical proficiencies. One of the key changes is the damage scaling for both skills and spells. Four different tiers are available, influenced by stats, now including Wisdom as well, which primarily affects the Way of the Gods.
COMING UP NEXT
In the coming days, we’ll dive deeper into each Way and profession, but in the meantime, starting next week, a new build will be available with some urgent fixes and tweaks from the original launch package. This update will address numbers and values for various items that aren’t yet final (bonuses from deities, weapons, armor, some spell values, etc.).
Returning to the initial topic: most of the issues with Steam and the store have been resolved, so we’re technically ready to launch soon. However, we’re rearranging a number of things (streams, advertising, interviews, reviews) that were originally scheduled for October 30. More updates to come shortly. In the meantime, Arcane Arts changelos is here!
Added scaling of skills and spells, with 4 different Tiers of power
Added new NPC and more than 40 new items
Added new Traits and Proficiencies, for magic spell users
Added Wisdom, influencing spells scaling and resistansces
Added new Grandmasters for each new profession. Grandmasters will now trade and craft a selection of items.
Added 11 new Achievements
Added new crafting recipes and reagents
New crafting recipes and reagents.
Added voiceover on Throwmasters
Added hostile pawns for Obsidian and Swamp golems and Wicked Shadows in the World Map.
Changed
Player’s abilities are now referred to as Talents: each Talent is categorized as either a Skill or a Spell in its description, which has some gameplay implications.
Stamina is now referred to as "Focus"
Reworked and changed some player's Talents.
Removed Guardian and Elementalist professions.
Now damage from most abilities and projectiles will be influenced from physic and magic buff/malus on the caster.
Ranged weapons attacks will now trigger their cooldown upon the action start instead of shoot time, in the same way of Talents.
Added a chance to apply Lightning condition with “Thunderbolt”.
Removed lifetime limit of summons for Summon Undeads.
Removed usage limit for Vampiric Touch”and reduced healing amount.
Reduced range in which the Fire condition damages other nearby enemies from 3,8m to 1,5m.
Changed Grandmasters cards in Codex.
Now various mobs will have complete immunity to specific conditions; for example generally demon-types will be immune to Bleed and Undead-types will be immune to Poison. When a condition attempts to apply for a character with a matching immunity, the message IMMUNE will now appear.
Updated tutorials texts and shots.
Crimson Cobwebs now requires collecting 25 cobwebs instead of 50.
Timed quests will now have an hourglass icon besides their name in notifications.
Quest items will now have their value at 0 (except for those sold by vendors).
Improved visual quality of various scenes.
Fixed
Fixed “Arrowchain” occasionally skipping directly beyond a new bouncing target.
Fixed talents enabling summons to spawn in unreachable areas from caster position.
Fixed player summons unable to follow player when spawned in areas reachable only through environment interactions (e.g. climbing at Windcrest Heights); now summons will be periodically teleported near their master in such scenarios.
Fixed vfx for some melee skills being retriggered by using knife/bow attacks after the skill.
Fixed Lileah AI unable to use her healing talent in response to player's SUPPORT command when the party member most in need is herself.
Fixed missing collisions with ground in “Lornwood”.
Correct Achievement description for “Amberwalk's Student”, which is meant to be awarded when all four gate portals are open.
Fixed visual issue on weapons with poison effect.
Fixed visuals of waterfall ripples in “Sholunarr”.
Fixed “Talons of the Beast” not properly applying its bonus damage against goblins.
Fixed some enemies auto-poisoning themselves.
Fixed quest item for “Frozen Goblins” dropping outside of Karak-Hohn.
Fixed quest item objectives for “Everyday Tools” not being available for interaction as soon as the quest is granted.
Fixed depth texture in “Stonechair” and “Gashak”.
Fixed killcam triggering sporadically in some edge cases; now will trigger only on player kill of the last enemy if no other is Aware or Suspicious in the scene.
Arcane Arts is available now, 1.0 release shifted by a few days!
Hello Champions!
It's me again, Alberto, Game Director of Alaloth.
This update was supposed to be very different, but as you probably noticed, we had some issues with the 1.0 launch that is not happend yet. So here I am, as usual, trying to explain things with full transparency.
Essentially, everything was ready for the planned release on the 30th, but an issue surfaced regarding the store availability of the new DLCs announced for launch, tied to the new bundles for the various Deluxe, Gold, and Ultimate editions of the game. For a development team, especially a small team like ours, planning is essential, and much rides on the launch moment and the following weeks. Not having several offers available for users would have been extremely problematic resource-wise, and unfortunately, we couldn't get support from Valve in time due to the time zone difference. We're talking about a pretty trivial issue, just a checkbox, that unfortunately caused cascading problems, leading us to this update.
So, what are we talking about, practically? Game owners would have noticed that on the 30th, a substantial update was available, which was, in fact, Arcane Arts, initially planned as a Day 1 update. This update was essentially the first part of a more extensive two-part update that would constitute version 1.0 of Alaloth in its entirety and the second part would have been released in minutes along with the official announcement. For this reason, owners found the empty link to the announcement in the in-game news hub, which was never posted due to the issues just discussed. The 1.0 version, therefore, wasn’t rolled out in full, but rather only the first part of the work was released, derived from last week's testing with players and the press[[/url]. By the way, the first Metascore that arrived yesterday was a fantastic 8.5/10, which started the day off well...
The issue was related to the Moonstone Pass and Ultimate Pack availability at launch
Among the options available, we considered reverting the work and rolling the game back to Forgemasters [October 10 build], waiting for Valve and then proceeding. This would have caused save issues and confusion, especially among new users, so at this point, we opted for a different solution: to release Arcane Arts anyway and hold back the second part of the update, considered the definitive release to pass into 1.0, for a new release date that we're currently identifying. We’re not talking about months, of course, but rather a few days, which aligns with the post-launch activities already planned for November, with press reviews happening as well
This doesn't mean, of course, that Arcane Arts wasn’t ready for launch, but taking advantage of this challenging situation, we’re trying yet again to turn an incident into something positive, as we've always did. A few extra days will allow us to resolve the store and DLC issues, and for Day 1, we'll be able to include a few things that were initially left out and planned as post-launch free updates. We’re deeply sorry for all this, and in the spirit of transparency that has always set us apart, we're here with explanations. Not having missed a deadline in 2 years before and having this silly issue on the day we’ve been so eagerly awaiting is quite disheartening, but shit happens.
I’m so sorry for the team that worked so hard to be ready, only to be held back by a mistake that’s probably on me. It’s tough to wear 10 different hats on little sleep and remember to check a small box while juggling 200 other tasks, coordinating with dozens of people, and a newborn.
Thank you for your understanding. In the coming days, we'll be detailing things that were initially planned for the days following the launch, and as always, you can find us, day and night, on Discord.
Arcane Arts changelog [which is massive] is already available in-game and we'll post it here soon, along with a detailed breakdown of the update explaining some design choices we've made even considering the feedback we've got from the community during the last week of testing on our internal branch.
This is it. Writing this feels different, it’s so personal, more than anything I've shared before. Tomorrow, Alaloth finally leaves Early Access, and while it’s a big milestone for our studio, it’s also the end of a chapter that means everything to me. This journey started not 7 years ago, but in the ‘90s when I was just a kid, entranced by D&D, spending hours in the worlds we built with nothing but dice and imagination. Those early adventures, the endless maps, and characters scribbled on scraps of paper, they’re all in Alaloth, brought to life in ways I never could have imagined back then.
For the past 7 years as indie dev, Alaloth has been a constant, mixing the creation of our world with the whirlwind of real life. Through the development of this game, I’ve experienced every emotion: the ups, the downs, and the moments that make you who you are. There’s been loss and grief, incredible happiness, and some of the hardest challenges I’ve faced. This journey demanded more than just development skills, it took everything i had.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved as a team: Alaloth has turned into something far beyond what i ever thought possible. It’s grown into a huge game, with hours upon hours of content, the result of a relentless drive and passion. Even now, it’s hard to believe we’ve created something of this scale and depth, something that people around the world can experience. But even as we step out, know that this isn’t the end, we’re here to keep expanding this world, building more stories, and making this fantasy realm everything it was meant to be.
And personally, this moment couldn’t be more profound. Two months ago, I became father, welcoming a new baby into my life. So, here I am, at 45, managing late nights, early mornings, and the final stretch of launching this game I’ve lived and breathed for years, after 24 years in a industry i still love, despite the shit we had to deal with on the way.
It’s midnight here, and I’d planned to have this out earlier, but there was just more work to do. It was supposed to be a different update, sorry, but tonight, it felt right to set aside the work and just share what this moment means.
Alaloth will launch at 7PM CET tomorrow. We’re here, still working on those final touches, knowing they’re worth it. Thank you all for being here, for believing in this world we’ve built, and for coming with us on this journey.
The testing phase has been extended until the release!
Hello Champions!
We’re excited to announce that the test branch, originally scheduled to shut down today, will remain open until the release! We’ve rollied out an update today, reflecting the invaluable feedback we gathered during the first week of testing. Thanks to the extensive data collected, we've implemented a significant number of internal fixes. While we planned to update the test branch on Wednesday, we needed more time due to the numerous iterations we made. In this update, we’ve introduced new traits and proficiencies tailored for spell users, offering you a wealth of new character customization options. We’ve also reorganized traits into distinct categories for better clarity. Additionally, we’re excited to add part of the Grandmaster stocks, including magic robes, staffs, and a selection of recipes.
While you can start testing the Elementalist and a few other classes, please note that we’re still finalizing the requirements for casting spells. For example, to be a mage, you’ll need to wear a robe and wield a magic staff. The same goes for other classes, such as requiring knives for certain Rogue skills or two-handed weapons for Berserker skills. Dialogues, descriptions and a few card data are still missing but no worries! You need a new save in the test branch once updated.
A new gameplay montage showing 7 minutes of Alaloth from the latest public build, Forgemasters!
We recognize that there's still much to accomplish over the weekend, but we're confident in our schedule as we work toward the full release. Thank you for your support and happy testing! If you didn't try Arcane Arts yet, just follow the instructions here. Standard version of the game, Forgemasters, has been patched too with a very few preparation fixes for the full release!
Try Arcane Arts before launch and give us your feedback!
Hello Champions!
As promised, we’re excited to give all players who own the full game a chance to test the Arcane Arts Update ahead of the official 1.0 launch! This update, packed with massive new content, will be available at launch on October 30, but starting today, you can dive into the test branch for a full week until next Friday. While we’ve thoroughly tested everything on our side, we believe a short closed test with players familiar with the game’s systems will help us fine-tune the final touches for the big release. Your feedback will be invaluable in making the Arcane Arts Update the best it can be. You can leave your feedback on our Steam board or join our Disord posting in the dedicate #feedback channel.
HOW TO ACCESS THE TEST BRANCH
Ready to test the new features to be released at launch? Follow these simple steps to join the 1.0 Test Branch and experience the new content firsthand. We've included some helpful screenshots to guide you through the process!
Open Your Steam Library and locate Alaloth – Champions of The Four Kingdoms. Click on "Manage" and select "Properties"
In the "Properties" window, navigate to the "Betas" tab. Enter the password "arcaneartstesting" in the field, then "Check Code"
Click on the dropdown menu and select "arcane_arts_testing_branch". Close the window, and Steam will begin updating your game to the test branch version. Once the update is complete, launch the game and create a new save file (test branch saves are not compatible with the current Forgemasters version).
If you want to go back to the latest official version of the game, follow the same path and select "None". The test branch will be available today at approximately 4PM CEST, though the exact time may vary slightly depending on our preparations. It could go live a little earlier or a bit later, so stay tuned! The event will end next Friday at 4PM CEST.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN TERMS OF CONTENTS TO CHECK
Please note that Arcane Arts content is still partially missing, so don't expect to experience everything yet. The focus of this test is on skill and spell scaling, as well as some key changes, listed here!
Revised XP system, with Stat Points will be awarded every 2 levels, for a total of 10 Stat Points. Hero Books are back, granting an additional 10 Stat Points to develop your char, encouraging exploration and questing at the same time. Special quests will also reward extra Stat Points.
Wisdom has been added as a stat, influencing Way of Gods spells and taking over Weakness and Confusion resistances, while INT remains crucial for other Ways.
Grandmaster shops are currently missing, and certain skills or spells might require specific conditions, such as wearing a robe to be an Elementalist or using light armor as a rogue.
Keep in mind that some text might be missing or change, and the test branch is mainly a way for us to collect data and feedback before the final iteration of the update on launch day. Also, consider that all the magic equipment such as robes, staff, wands [TBC] and wereables are not in at the moment, and will be added next week. We thought it was useful to test spells and scaling with the CS as it is now, before iterating a bit [and we did it already of course but still want you to try things a bit]
Participation is entirely optional, but for those interested, it’s easy to join! Please be aware that to play on the test branch, you’ll need to start a new save file, as it won’t be compatible with the current Forgemasters version [and viceversa]
Lastly, a patch for both the Forgemasters build and the test branch will drop next week, bringing new content to both versions!
Added new loot tables for Cortians, Serlians, Drolnaks, Martum Acolytes, Martum Fanatics and Crawlers.
Changed
Now when attempting to use a consumable inside an FA, a text will inform if the item was not usable at that time (e.g. attempting to use healing items when already at full health).
Updated Mounts names.
Now “Charge” skill and all variants for any character will deal Physical instead of Magical Damage; raise relative damage for player and enemy champions.
Now the Harpy’s song skill can be interrupted while the area warning indicator is still filling up.
Minor changes to aggro parameters in “Volkar’s Tomb”.
Revised enemy weapons, with new values for Physical and Magical Damage redistributed and Bleed and Stun values added
Changed quest item required in A Shield Against Darkness from Vaizmil’s Chalice to The Everlight.
Fixed
Fixed sitting Troll in “Windcrest Heights” being invulnerable until the stand up animation completes.
Fixed Codex art for capital “Khunden-Hohn”.
Correct “Holy Fire” skill description to better state the increased damage on undeads
A first glimpse of what to expect with the full release!
Hello Champions!
We've been listening to all your feedback over the years, and this last update before 1.0 launch, reflects both our vision and your passionate voices. It’s a blend of Alaloth’s signature melee combat and highly requested changes, bringing a fresh twist to spell users, professions, and much more. We're excited to share what you can expect from the full release! Let’s dive in!
A BRAND NEW MAGIC SYSTEM
The biggest highlight of the 1.0 is the long-awaited magic system overhaul. While we’ve always stayed true to Alaloth's roots, grounded in visceral melee combat, the demand for a broader and deeper magic experience from our community has been impossible to ignore. You asked for a richer handling of magic and spell users, and we are ready to deliver. The rework isn’t just a simple tweak, it’s a complete transformation of how magic is used in the game. This required us to rethink the lore and mechanics to ensure balance and consistency within Alaloth’s world. Spellcasting will become an essential and thrilling part of the game, with each magic-using class now feeling unique while still respecting the brutal melee-focused combat that fans love.
A mage draped in flowing robes... finally!
We’ve introduced a variety of magic-focused classes that bring their own flavor of combat and spellcasting. Each class has been intricately designed to mesh with Alaloth’s systems without overshadowing the tactical melee combat the game is known for. You can expect an Alaloth-twist on traditional spellcasting—magic in our world is as deadly and precise as swordplay.
NEW WAYS OF POWER AND PROFESSIONS
Along with the magic overhaul, we’re introducing two brand-new Ways of Power: the Way of Elements and the Way of Arcane, while also reworking the existing Way of Arms, Way of Power, and Way of Gods. These changes bring a new level of depth to character progression, offering expanded paths for exploration and a broader range of gameplay options. The Elementalist profession has been retired, replaced by four distinct mage professions tied to the lore of Valestrum, introduced in the Chronicles Update. These mages specialize in manipulating elements, each following their own unique orders. The new Way of Arcane includes the Arcanist, joined by three other professions: the Warlock, deeply connected to black magic, demons, and summoning, the Runemaster, a specialist in runes and sigils, and the Mystic Warrior, who is not a typical mage but a fighter enhancing their combat abilities with arcane powers.
The world of Alaloth is expanding with new professions that bring fresh ways to enhance your journey. Stay tuned to know more, revealing their unique strengths and how they will shape your adventure!
Notably, all four Ways now have four professions instead of the previous three. The reworked Way of Arms, Way of Nature, and Way of Gods maintain their structure but feature fresh stuff. The Way of Arms has seen a major overhaul, introducing more versatile combat options with a refined Warlord, an Archer (replacing the Marksman), the Rogue (focused on stealth), and the Berserk (focused on brute force). Guardian's skills are now used by other professions. For the Way of Nature, we’ve kept the Warden while adding the Bonder, a type of nature mage, alongside the Druid and Ranger, both connected to nature in their own distinct ways. The Way of Gods remains similar to its original form but now includes the Shaman, with their deep connection to spirits.
With the introduction of so many spellcasters, we initially considered adding mana alongside stamina. However, for balance and consistency, we decided to replace Stamina with Focus, which now governs both physical skills and spellcasting abilities, keeping the system streamlined and intuitive.
DYNAMIC SCALING FOR SKILLS AND SPELLS, GRANDMASTERS REWORKED
In addition to the rework of ways and professions, we are going to introduce a dynamic scaling system for skills and spells, ensuring they grow alongside your character's development. Key characteristics like duration, damage, and effects now scale based on the progression of your character's Stats. When you acquire a skill, it becomes scalable across three different tiers, with options to invest 1, 3, or 5 Stat Points to enhance its power. Each profession has a dominant Stat that significantly influences its skills or spells, for instance, Strength for the Way of Arms, but other stats can also affect skills and spells in varied ways. Wisdom will be added.
Skills in Alaloth now scale directly with your stats, ensuring that every choice matters more than ever. Fine-tune your build to unlock your full potential!
This flexibility ensures that while each profession remains focused, there's room for customization and consistency across the broader system. Grandmasters will serve as micro-hubs for each profession, allowing players to train passive skills and access class-specific items. As champions of their craft, they will act as both mentors and gatekeepers for your journey through the game. We’ve refined their role to ensure each Grandmaster feels like a critical part of your development in Alaloth.
Train your passive skills and gain access to exclusive class-specific items, tailored to enhance your mastery: new Grandmasters are here!
POST RELEASE ROADMAP AND EXTRA DETAILS
We want to assure you that the full release is just the beginning. We’re committed to supporting Alaloth post-launch, with future updates and content planned. From additional lore to new features, this is a journey we’ll be on together for a long time to come. With this update, we’re primarily highlighting the major changes the Arcane Arts will bring at launch, but that’s just a part of the massive Day 1 patch to expect. Arcane Arts will include a comprehensive round of iteration on every aspect of the game to ensure a proper 1.0 release, along with a ton of extra additions we’ll be sharing in the coming weeks. You can look forward to new quests, NPCs, items, weapons, armors, and more. Before launch, we’ll also give details about what’s next, including a DLC plan that’s ready, alongside a massive volume of free content to be released from day one and continuing into the next year. Additionally, we’ll be providing more information about localization and special bundles available at launch.
Our new roadmap will cover upcoming bundles and exclusive details about Moonstone Pass, with planned DLC on the way and a ton of free updates!
We can’t wait for you to experience all that the full release has to offer. Alaloth has grown into a truly unique indie RPG, and we are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. October 30 is just around the corne, prepare your blades, hone your magic, and get ready to step into Plamen like never before. Once again, we would like to kindly remind our wonderful community that if you wish to support the ongoing development of the game, there are numerous ways to get involved through our social initiatives.The Guild and Keepers Program, as well as Connect & Collect initiative. From sharing your gameplay experiences on social media and participating in our community forums, to contributing directly via our support platforms, every bit of engagement helps us continue to enhance and expand the world of Plamen!
Just follow us on our social media platforms: Steam, YouTube, Twitch, and join our Discord server. As we reach specific follower thresholds on each platform, we'll unlock exciting giveaways for our entire community.
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