Hello Champions!
We're thrilled to announce the launch of Dragonhold, our latest and most ambitious update yet! We've been hard at work gathering your feedback, testing, and adding new content to the game, with a focus on both expanding the world and reworking existing systems. We've added new boss fights, areas, quests, and items, all designed to enhance and expand upon the rich world we've created, Plamen. But we've also taken the time to rework some of the game's systems, in order to improve balance and polish the overall gaming experience. We've listened to each and every one of your suggestions and our team has put in countless hours to make sure that every aspect of the game is optimized for your enjoyment.
We've packed in way more content than we initially planned, and we know that you'll appreciate the attention to details that we've put into every new element of the game. We can't wait for you to dive into Dragonhold and experience all the new stuff we've added! Time to go into detail about each new feature than! So gear up, fellow adventurers, because there's a whole new world of adventure waiting for you in Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms!
DRAGONHOLD AND DRAGONS
Dragons have always been a force to be reckoned with in the land of Plamen. Their power and majesty have captivated adventurers for ages, but their destructive tendencies have also caused great harm to the kingdoms and their inhabitants. Four dragons have returned to the land and are more dangerous than ever, causing chaos and destruction wherever they go. Each dragon has its own unique abilities and strengths, making each fight unique.
Hello Razen!
The Talons, a guild made up of heroes of all races, have been monitoring the dragons' activities for centuries. They're determined to put an end to the threat once and for all. Dragonhold is even the name of the keep in which the Talons reside, and the update introduces a new area for players to explore and experience. This area has been reworked and expanded to accommodate the new content, and it's located in the bottom part of the game map.
You can find dragon hunters here!
WORLD UPDATE
Exploring the world of Plamen has always been an exciting experience, and the Dragonhold Update adds new areas to explore, as well as new locations for players to discover. Of course we've added new dragons' lairs to be unlocked helping the Talons but new wandering Fighting Areas are now available as well for random encounters on the map. We are aiming to reach 4-6 variations per kingdom for this in the next updates. As you know, these areas are randomized, ensuring that players will never know exactly what to expect.
The southern region of Plamen is taking shape. An island emerged!
In addition to these new areas, we've also added new special places throughout the world. These locations are unique and offer their own set of challenges and rewards. Players will need to complete special quests unlock and conquer these areas. But the effort is worth it, as these locations offer rare items and valuable resources that can't be found anywhere else in the game.
NEW LEVELING SYSTEM
We understand how important it is for you to feel a sense of progression as you journey through the game, and we've made some major changes to ensure that your leveling experience is both rewarding and fulfilling. The leveling system in Alaloth has always been unique, because you don't level up through experience, but through battles and Fighting Areas cleared. We've always had a system of 4 levels to gain skills and traits while progressing, but with Dragonhold, we've expanded this system to include 10 levels, as well as the introduction of proficiencies and new traits.The new leveling system offers a more interesting and varied progression system. Instead of simply getting a Skill, a Trait, and a Stat point as a unique block, players will now gain Skill Points and Legacy Points in a more balanced way as they progress. Legacy Points can be used for both traits and proficiencies, allowing players to customize their character's abilities and skills in unique and exciting ways. Players can gain a maximum of 3 traits and 3 proficiencies on the way to the top level.
Next step: portraits!
This means that players will need to make strategic choices about which traits and proficiencies to invest in, and which ones to leave behind. It also means that players will need to carefully plan their progression through the game. Overall, the new leveling system offers a more interesting and engaging way to progress through the game. With more levels, more skills, and more choices, players will have a richer and more varied experience than ever before. Stats Points will be assigned as before, Hero Books will grant 10 extra Stat Points as before. So get ready to take your character to new heights of power and ability, and explore all the exciting new content that Dragonhold has to offer.
NEW TRAITS AND PROFICIENCIES
We're excited to announce that with the latest update, players now have access to a total of 18 unique traits. This includes the addition of 6 new traits that have been carefully crafted to complement the existing ones. We've also reworked some of the old traits to make them more balanced and exciting. With this new pool of traits to choose from, players will have even more options to customize their characters and create unique playstyles. In addition to new traits, our latest update also introduces proficiencies, which provide unique bonuses to players who decides to specialize. Each proficiency provides a unique skill, with different bonuses available for each weapon, armor, or shield type. For example, a player who specializes in swords may gain bonuses to their critical hit chance, while a player who focuses on shields may gain a boost to their blocking ability. Similarly, players who specialize in heavy or light armors may gain bonuses their speed and mobility.
Legacy Points will be used to acquire new traits and proficiencies for a maximum of 3+3
To unlock proficiencies, players must invest their Legacy Points in the specific weapon, armor, or shield type they want to specialize in, gaining access to new and more powerful bonuses, making them a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Overall, the introduction of proficiencies adds a new layer of depth and strategy to our game. So whether you prefer to wield a sword, don heavy armor, or carry a shield into battle, there's a proficiency waiting for you in our latest update!
GRANDMASTERS AND RESPEC
We've heard your feedback on Grandmasters and have implemented some exciting changes to make this feature more meaningful and rewarding. Previously, Grandmasters simply granted a special item that was not particularly noteworthy or useful. We recognized that players were looking for something more impactful and engaging, so we went back to the drawing board to come up with a better solution.
Now, when you choose to train with a GM, you'll receive something much more valuable than a simple trinket. You'll be granted the title of Master in your chosen profession and will learn a new, unique skill that only Masters can use, along with other skills of the profession of choice. This skill will be specific to your profession and will give you a significant advantage in combat and other situations.
With the new patch you can train with a GM but you'll be able to respec anyway, changing traits and proficiencies
We understand that players may be concerned about respec options, but fear not, we've got you covered. While it won't be possible to respec your skills as before, you'll still be able to reset your traits and proficiencies using orbs. This means that you can experiment with different builds and playstyles without fear of making a permanent mistake. So just to recap: training with a GM will switch all your skills with the skills of the profession of choice, addin a unique one on top. You'll not be able to respec skills anymore as before but you can still redisribute Stats and Legacy Points at will, using the standard respec through shrines. We're excited to see how players respond to these!
CRAFTING AND ALCHEMY
Crafting is an essential part of any RPG, and we understand how important it is to our players. That's why we've completely reworked the crafting system to make it more immersive and enjoyable. First of all, we revisited the stocks to grant vendors and smiths the ability to sell items in a more lore-wise way, fitting with the history of the world [you can now find ingots here and there considering the merchants moving among kingdoms]. All the necessary items to craft can be found in one place, and crafting itself has become much more streamlined.
Workbenches allow players bot to repair equipment and to access the alchemy cookbook. You need to buy recipes to craft potions of course
In the past, smithing was the only way to get special procs on weapons and amors, but with the new leveling system, Grandmasters, and items rework, we removed procs from crafting entirely, making gems more efficient. This has allowed us to make socketable weapons and armor more meaningful, and players can now find them scattered around the world.
All you need to craft potions is now available through General Vendors but you can find alchemists around, selling recipes and unique stuff
Additionally, we have added new NPCs who specialize in alchemy, a new feature accessible at benches in safe zones. Alchemy works through recipes and ingredients, all of which have been added to vendor stocks around the world. Players can now craft potions and other consumables from a variety of ingredients, each with their own rarity and properties. With these changes, we hope that players will find even more reasons to explore and craft.
INTELLIGENCE
Many of our players have been asking for more magic in the game, and we're excited to announce that we're taking the first steps to make that a reality. With the introduction of the Intelligence stat, players will now have the ability to increase their magical aptitude for the future. While this is just the first step in bringing more magic to the game, we want to make sure that we're doing it right. We've been carefully balancing these new changes to ensure that they fit within the lore of the game. Spells and new professions are actually under discussions, by now Intelligence will be used to make resistances, cooldown and INT related skills more meaningful. Intelligence replaces Luck as stat, that is still present in a revisited version of Lucky trait [now Lucky Bastard]. More to come!
Luck has been switched with Intelligence as a first step to introduce new magic professions
NARRATIVE ENHANCEMENT
We will be adding new timelines and cosmetic items to enhance the narrative aspect of our game and provide a more immersive experience for our players. We understand that many of our players enjoy playing our game in a more RPG style, and we want to ensure that Plamen is as rich and detailed as possible. With the addition of new timelines, players will have the opportunity to learn more about the history of the world they are playing in. These timelines will show events happening in specific locations, giving hints about quests, chars and events [Primal anyone?]
We are slowly filling all the locations with narrative timelines to know more about the world lore and about things going on. And even to avoid issues...Primal anyone?
We are also introducing new cosmetic items that will allow players to personalize their characters and further immerse themselves in the game. From unique armor sets to new weapon VFX, these items will provide players with even more ways to make their characters their own.
VOICE OVER AND DUBBING
Voice over and English dubbing are directly connected with narrative-related content. These elements can greatly enhance the immersions by providing a more complete audio-visual storytelling experience. In recent months, we have been working hard to integrate VO into our game, with the ultimate goal of adding English dubbing to our game's narration, main quests, and companion interactions. This has been a complex and time-consuming process, but we believe that the end result will be well worth the effort. Narration is now in and we've added VO to vendors and a few char all around the kingdoms
Hey you, listen!
This adds a new layer of immersion by giving players a more complete audio experience. Instead of just reading text on the screen, players will now hear the characters and world of our game come to life through spoken dialogue. Additionally, the use of voice overs allows us to deliver more nuanced and detailed storytelling. This is particularly important for the main quests and companion interactions, where players will be heavily invested in the narrative and character development and that's why we are trying to find a way to include all of this with the next updates!
COMING UP NEXT
We are thrilled to have shared with you all the amazing things that are happening in our studio. Our team has been working tirelessly to bring you the best gaming experience, and we're excited to announce that we've surpassed our expectations in delivering new and exciting content to you. When we released Alaloth in EA, we planned to roll out new content over the course of the year, but we've accomplished this in half the time, and we couldn't be happier with the results. As we continue to move forward, we are faced with the challenge of keeping up with the pace that we've set for ourselves. The full release of the game is the next big thing we'll have to talk about, and we want to ensure that we continue to deliver content at the same high-quality standard.
We didn't forget the Arena Mode. And you can find something related to this in-game already...
We have been brainstorming and strategizing on how to move forward wisely while keeping in mind all of the work that we've accomplished thus far, along with the business-related opportunities that have arisen. As we move into the summer months, we have some exciting announcements to share with you about the Alaloth's future, but we will keep them secret for now. We promise you that this summer will be hotter than 2022, filled with surprises you won't want to miss. We want to thank you all for your continued support and patience. Our small team of 7 has poured their hearts and souls into this project, and we can't wait to share more of it with you.
We hope you're as excited as we are about Dragonhold. It's important to note that these new features are just the first in a series, and we'll be continuing to add and refine content in the future. Your feedback is crucial in helping us balance and improve the game, so please don't hesitate to let us know what you think.
Also: once again we've kept saves safe but if you want to get the full cake as intended, you should probably restart a new char. Up to you! Full changelog to follow as usual.
A new roadmap will be shared soon!
CHANGELOG
Added
- Added Dragonhold with new locations, quests, items.
- Added dragon boss fights: Pyre, Shadis, Viainne and Razen.
- Added The Moon Inn tavern in Doh’Alran.
- Added Alchemy: potions can now be crafted using a new version of the workbench in Safe Zones, accessing a special UI.
- Added Alchemy table to players' Stronghold
- Added Alchemists selling herbs and goodies
- Added new stocks to general vendors all around the world, with alchemy-related items [herbs, mortar & pestle, bottles] and new unique weapons and armors
- Added 6 new traits: Bastion, Duelist, Tactician, Runner, Evasive, Keeper
- Added 11 weapon proficiencies for daggers, swords, maces, battleaxes, warhammers, greatswords, mauls, great battleaxes, spears, halberds, quarterstaffs unlocking unique proc
- Added 4 armor proficiencies for light, medium, heavy and tank armors unlocking unique proc
- Added 2 shield proficiencies for light and heavy shields unlocking unique proc
- Added many different narrative timelines in certain locations, intended to give a deep overview of the world lore
- Added Intellect [INT] stat influencing items repair, resistances and spellcasting builds [more to come in the following updates].
- Added 4 new wandering Fighting Areas for random encounters on the map.
- Added English Voice Over for narration books.
- Added new VFX on existing unique weapons
- Added Mark all as seen in CharacterUI Equipment tab and Journal.
- Added icons representing interactables in each location to the infobox in the World Map [Shops, taverns, vendors, sailors, etc].
- Added Ice Stalker Armor Set to wearables
- Added 5 new achievements
Changed
- Revised player progression and leveling system: 10 levels are now available. Skill Points to be spent at level 1, 4, 7, 10. Legacy Points to be spent at level 2,3,5,6,8,9, Stat Points assigned each level as usual [Hero Books stay to get 10 more Stat Points]
- Trait Points are now Legacy Points and have been increased to 6 [to be spent on Traits and Proficiencies for a maximum of 3 each]
- Removed procs from craftable materials: due to current usage pattern procs have been re-distributed as traits, proficiencies, effects on equipment. Gems and enhancing have been adjusted to be consistent with the new proc sys
- Blacksmiths will now sell ingots and crafting materials available in their kingdom according to lore
with renewed stocks - HP Regain % changed to +35%/LVL0 and then +30%/LVL1 decreasing 3% up to LVL10
- Reworked Grandmaster specialization: Grandmasters’ will now unlock a passive ability upon acquiring their specialization [Mastery]
- Respec for Stats and Legacy Points (traits, proficiencies) won’t be locked out anymore. It is now possible to train with a GM using orbs to change stats, traits and proficiencies
- Removed Luck stat: its effects have been conflated in the Lucky Bastard trait [former Lucky trait]
- Revised deities passive buffs.
- Reworked game bootstrap: start-up is now more responsive and should take less time overall [improvements vary according to PC specs]
- Changed the polearm weapon name The Malice to Valkat.
- New patrolling enemies in the boss area in Krazurag.
- New patrolling enemies in the outside area in Silvermoor; also change aggro parameters of enemies at the top of the settlement.
- Moved companions from Doh’Alran location inside the new tavern.
- Elemental Aegis skill will no longer buff Acid Resistance.
- Summon Familiar skill limited to 3 uses per FA, familiar base HP changed from 825 to 1300.
- Healing Spring skill use limit changed from 5 to 3 per FA.
- Vampiric Touch skill limited to 4 uses per FA.
- Boahi’s Hand skill description changed to better describe the Bleed condition application.
- Summon Undeads skill now summons different sets of minion types based on the caster’s skill level.
- Revised stamina and damage bonus on successful enemy poise break.
- Change subnames of Hashak and The Bleeding sub area.
- The special vendor Yumuil will now appear also in Bardushel,Coldwood,Mayfalls beside Na'Kazkadden, at different periods across one year calendar.
- Updated tutorials following UI and features changes [texts and images].
- Revised World Map geography [added new locations at the bottom, for future updates]
- Increased World Map texture resolution.
- Improved Lindorwin lighting
- Revised World map location sprites for Goldport, Withewind, Lindorwin, Forlariath, Na’Nardur, Ballek’Mahl, Bardushel.
- Reduced Fire Condition damage spread range between player’s party members.
- Companions are now able to interact with health pools, traps and can help other companions while playing coop with other players.
Fixed
- Fixed incorrect mace weapon name Malis to Malice.
- Fixed sheathed position/orientation and size of various shields/weapons.
- Fixed typos of different locations, items and dialogues.
- Fixed daytime icon displayed in top left UI not updating if resting at a bed without reaching the midnight mark.
- Fixed World Map locations not turning on nightlights if the map was loaded in-between midnight and dawn.
- Fixed Affliction, Curse, Boahi’s Hand skills descriptions showing some incorrect values.
- Fixed weapon Bones of the Thirst omitting the special effect Curse in item stats view.
- Fixed typo in enemy champion Bhavuk description.
- Fixed companions controlled with M&K ignoring input to move towards the mouse direction (Left ALT hold).
- Fixed edge case that could leave save in an invalid state when all Investigate tasks of a quest entry were already completed upon entry activation.
- Fixed combat consumable hint for player 3 not displaying correctly the relative button.
- Fixed darts trap in Temple of Virtues not triggering for companions.
- Fixed a bug that could lead to multiple side notifications when in World Map
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