Dark Envoy: Director's Cut, A Hidden Gem That's Still Shining Bright This Winter
It might be chilly outside, but things are heating up in the world of Jaan! This past summer, PC Gamer named Dark Envoy: Director's Cut one of the hidden gems you might have missed. The article - "20 hidden gems from 2024 to grab before the end of the Steam Summer Sale." - can be found here.
You might be wondering why we're talking about a "Summer Sale" gem right before the Winter Sale. Well, sometimes the best gifts arrive a little late đ. And guess what? Dark Envoy is still burning bright as we head into winter. As they put it:
"Successor to the oddball dungeon crawl RPG Tower Of Time, Dark Envoy is more of those slow-mo, cooldown-based squad tactics. Set in a fun science-fantasy world (so youâve got laser rifles and elven summoning magic), story takes a backseat to crunchy combat with a very customizable party. Thereâs some moral decisions to be made along the way too, but donât expect Witcher-scale repercussions."
"With few restrictions beyond cooldowns, it wants you to use every characterâs full set of abilities all the time, as fights can be long and tough, especially on higher difficulties. In boss fights it can feel a lot like an MMO raid, but youâre controlling the whole party all at once, dodging attack patterns and looking for openings. Dark Envoy was pretty rough at launch in 2023, but gets into this list because of a major âDirectorâs Cutâ re-release this year. Not quite an early access graduation, but close enough."
So, if you're looking for a deep, engaging RPG to keep you warm this winter, look no further than Dark Envoy: Director's Cut. It's the perfect time to jump in and discover this hidden gem for yourself or... give someone a gift đ
Dark Envoy Plunges into the Steam Autumn Sale with a Scorching Discount!
đĽ Greetings adventurers đĽ
The scorching winds of change are blowing through Jäan, and with them comes an opportunity you don't want to miss! The Steam Autumn Sale ignites on November 27th, and to celebrate, we're offering a scorching discount on Dark Envoy â a record-breaking 53% off!
Now is the perfect time to immerse yourselves in this world of magic and technology, where your choices forge your destiny and adventure awaits at every turn.
A world of choice and consequence: Forge your own path through a branching narrative where your decisions have a lasting impact on the world and its inhabitants.
Dynamic combat: Engage in thrilling real-time battles with a unique pause mechanic, allowing for tactical maneuvering and devastating combos.
Deep character customization: Craft your ideal heroes with a flexible class system and a wide array of skills and abilities.
Co-op exploration: Team up with a friend online and conquer the challenges of Jäan together!
But wait, there's more!
For those seeking a double dose of RPG goodness, we're offering a special Event Horizon RPG Bundle featuring both Dark Envoy and our acclaimed predecessor, Tower of Time!
This bundle offers an extra 20% off â an incredible value for two immersive RPG experiences. And remember, it's a complete the set bundle, so if you already own one of the games, you'll only pay for the other with extra discount applied!
Tower of Time, released back in 2018, delivers a unique blend of classic dungeon crawling and innovative real-time-with-pause combat:
Tactical mastery: Control time itself with the innovative combat system, allowing you to strategically plan your every move.
A captivating story: Unravel the mysteries of a fallen civilization and the towering structure that holds its secrets.
Deep character development: Build your party from a diverse cast of champions, each with unique skills and upgrade paths.
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to experience two fantastic RPGs from Event Horizon at an unprecedented price!
See you in Jäan... and the Tower, Event Horizon
Inspiring specialization combos
With our latest update 1.5, we expanded the secondary specialization choices for all remaining specializations to make reaching milestones more exciting. Below, we'd like to present two combinations that were highly popular during our patch testing and might inspire you as well.
Combat Medic + Guardian
The combination of Combat Medic and Guardian is one of my favorite setups, like a paladin in other games. Choosing Combat Medic as your primary specialization for adept gives the biggest HP increase with each level.
Choosing Guardian as your secondary specialization gives you abilities like Taunt and Defensive Stance, which not only regenerate your Magic Shield but also deflect 65% of incoming damage back to the attacker. Skills like Healing Crystal also improve your defenses by replenishing your Magic Shield and increasing your magic resistance by 40%. With an extra 25% boost from the passive Adept skill and more resistance from your Endurance attribute, you can protect yourself against all elements except chaos.
This combination lets you heal through elemental damage while also acting as both a tank and healer in the party. This way, other party members can focus only on doing damage, making the team stronger overall.
Sharpshoter + Elementalist
The Sharpshooter specialization, with its great passive boosts for basic attacks, benefits the most from combining with the Elementalist. Elemental Rune is one of those skills that enhances your character's elemental resistance and skill power while standing on it, and it freezes enemies who try to approach you.
Additionally, the skill Frostfire Blink gives the Sharpshooter an extra escape option, similar to the Ranger class's basic roll. These two skills work perfectly to maintain the right distance, allowing the character to focus on what it does best: dealing damage.
Discover Your Perfect Combination
The examples provided above are meant to inspire you to experiment and find the best specialization combinations that suit your playstyle. While these setups offer unique advantages, there are countless other combinations to discover. We encourage you to explore and come up with even better builds and combos. It's important to note that these examples do not include unique items and weapons, which can also be used to create excellent combinations.
We would love to hear about your innovative combinations and the strategies that work best for you. Happy experimenting!
Thank you all for your reports. Below is our second hotfix after the 1.5 update, addressing other important issues you have reported.
Version: 1.5.2.73561; download size: 59.5MB
Changelog
Fixed stat limits like resistances which could have previously been abused by resistance strip
Fixed translations for Sharpshooter's skills in different languages
Removed automatically selecting the first specialization which could lead to selecting it accidentally
Fixed an issue when hovering over an item with previewed stats being different than actual stats when the item was equipped
Fixed an issue with weapon skills not being updated when weapon skill level was increased or decreased
Fixed issues with extra stats from research not being properly added to units
Disabled dialogue animations for overhead dialogues when the characters are in combat
Fixed an issue with bugging UI animations in character creation
Fixed issues in coop regarding units visibility and disabled option to select party order when no units are available to a player
Please continue to share your feedback with us. The best way to do it is via the in-game "Report Issue" option or by joining our Discord and sharing it there. If you encounter a crash, please send a report after restarting the game.
Thank you for your patience and continued support. Event Horizon team :shield::sparkles:
Thank you all for your reports. Below is our first hotfix after the 1.5 update, addressing some of the most important issues you have reported.
Version: 1.5.1.73535; download size: 81MB
Changelog
Fixed a critical issue in co-op which caused the players not to be able to split their party.
Fixed an issue with units not picked for the dungeon to have their abilities shown on the skill bar.
Fixed an issue in co-op where in rare cases a player couldn't properly join the host.
We are aware of the remaining co-op issues and are actively working on fixes. We'll release another hotfix as soon as possible to address these and other reported problems. Thank you for your patience and continued support. Event Horizon team :shield::sparkles:
Special Promo and Updated Demo Release for Dark Envoy!
Changes
Since the game's release, we've consistently supported Dark Envoy. So we decide now to launched an updated demo featuring the latest version 1.5.
Here are some key features that we added since last wersion of the demo:
Challenge Arena
Training Room
Complete animation overhaul for improved responsiveness
Reduced bugs and improved game stability
New unique enemies and random events
Polished and redesigned cutscenes
Updated and expanded all skills
More crafting options
This demo provides players with the opportunity to delve into the first two main missions of the game, along with two randomly generated dungeons. Optional cooperative gameplay is also available, allowing you to team up with friends.
Take advantage of the 35% discount available until the end of the Steam Summer Sale. Now is the perfect time to dive in!
We are excited to release our first update since the last Director's Cut update. Patch 1.5, called the Tactical Combat Update, introduces expanded specialization choices, additional skill levels, and numerous bug fixes. Balance changes include reduced weapon damage and enhanced skill power, along with difficulty adjustments to improve gameplay.
Version: 1.5.0.73523; download size: 4.1GB
Changelog
Extended secondary specialization choice by all remaining specializations to make reaching the milestone more exciting. For example warrior characters will be able to become elementalist, gunslinger or technomancer.
Introduced additional levels for both active and passive skill (4th and 3rd respectively) for base class and first specialization. Skill costs of additional level equals 2, but their mana cost remains the same.
Fixed a potential issue with game breaking in case unit wasn't properly removed when leaving a dungeon
Fixed an issue with auras (e.g. from chaos armor enchantment) triggering with every unit attack
Fixed an issue with multishot enchantment not applying resistance strip even when applied on items with resistance strip
Vasso will now join us in autonomous mode during tutorial sequence
Party will automatically be reselected after Vasso leaves during tutorial sequence
Fixed a critical issue with input hotkeys not working for players who had played earlier versions of the game
Fixed an issue with inventory item slots not updating correctly when lots of items were sold and the inventory was almost emptied
Improved camera fade in/out during dialogues and cutscenes in game
Lighting improvements in cutscenes in chapter 1 and 2, and Capital Ruga Quest
Fixed an issue with player not being able to interact with quest characters if settings from a previous version of the game were corrupted
Suggested characters will now be shown when selecting party for different quests
Characters not added to party will now be presented as holograms when taking part in dialogues
Fixed bug with damaging auras that dealt damage multiple times (cooldown reset every time unit attacked).
Fixed Gunslingerâs Stream of Metal issue where bullets were stopped by allied units.
Fixed some audio issues on skills.
Fixed a game breaking bug in explosions challenge that prevented players from completing the challenge
Balance Changes and Crafting Changes
Weapons:
All tier 2 and 3 weapons damage (both melee and ranged) was slightly reduced across the board as we received feedback that they were too powerful in comparison to skills:
Tier 2 weapons damage reduced by 2
Tier 3 weapons damage reduced by 10
In addition to that we reduced crit chance and crit damage values that could be rolled during crafting as secondary stats. Those values are doubled for two handed weapons.
Crit chance [table equalcells=1][tr] [th]Crafting research 0[/th] [th]Crafting research I[/th] [th]Crafting research II[/th] [th]Crafting research III[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Tier I - 5% to 3% Tier II - 7% to 4% Tier III - 8% to 4%[/td] [td]Tier I - 7% to 4% Tier II - 8% to 5% Tier III - 10% to 6%[/td] [td]Tier I - 8% to 5% Tier II - 10% to 6% Tier III - 12% to 8%[/td] [td] Tier I - 10% to 6% Tier II - 12% to 7% Tier III - 15% to 10%[/td][/tr] Crit damage [table equalcells=1][tr] [th]Crafting research 0[/th] [th]Crafting research I[/th] [th]Crafting research II[/th] [th]Crafting research III[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Tier I - 12% to 4% Tier II - 20% to 8% Tier III - 24% to 12%[/td] [td]Tier I - 16% to 8% Tier II - 24% to 12% Tier III - 28% to 16%[/td] [td]Tier I - 20% to 12% Tier II - 28% to 16% Tier III - 32% to 20%[/td] [td]Tier I - 24% to 16% Tier II - 32% to 20% Tier III - 36% to 24%[/td][/tr]
Skills general boost
Most of the skills in base classes remained at the same power level as before.
All of the specializationâs active skills were buffed across the board by increasing their damage, summons duration, buff duration etc.
Indirect buff to skills in crafting - allowing Skill Power to roll in additional stats for weapons. Detailed values (doubled for two handed weapons) below:
Skill power [table equalcells=1][tr] [th]Crafting research 0[/th] [th]Crafting research I[/th] [th]Crafting research II[/th] [th]Crafting research III[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Tier I - 5% Tier II - 6% Tier III - 12%[/td] [td]Tier I - 6% Tier II - 8% Tier III - 15%[/td] [td]Tier I - 7% Tier II - 9% Tier III - 17%[/td] [td] Tier I - 8% Tier II - 10% Tier III - 20%[/td][/tr][TAG-201]
Debuff nerf
As it was possible to strip all of the enemy stats we added cap for strip status effects:
Armor strip cap introduced at 50 stacks
Resistance strip cap introduced at 25 stacks
Difficulty changes
We decided to make some changes in difficulties as we received some feedback that for some players the highest difficulty is too easy and vice versa normal difficulty is too difficult.
To target those issues we:
Added 10% damage reduction at normal difficulty. If it is still too hard we recommend decreasing it even further.
Buffed enemies hp on insane difficulty to make fights longer and force to build more tanky instead glass cannon raw damage:
Normal enemies from 5% to 25% hp increase per party level
Boss enemies from 2% to 25% hp increase per party level
We hope these updates enhance your experience and make the game even more enjoyable. Thank you for your continued support and feedback. Event Horizon team đĄď¸â¨
The upcoming patch 1.5 is called the "Tactical Combat Update", and it aims to enhance combat throughout the entire game, making it more polished, challenging, and entertaining. Below, I want to share with you some of the upcoming changes that hopefully will bring us closer to making this game as perfect as it can be.
Updated skill tree
We have received a lot of feedback that as players progress, leveling up becomes less enjoyable. Many feel that starting skills are sufficient throughout the game. That's why one of the first changes in the 1.5 update is revamped skill trees for all classes and specializations.
As seen in the screenshot, each skill has gained an additional level, with the new skill cost increased to 2 points instead of 1. Additionally, to highlight the uniqueness of specializations, we have boosted their power compared to the base class skills.
Choose any secondary specialization!
Currently at level 14, players can choose one additional specialization from two options, which, based on your feedback, did not significantly impact gameplay. With the upcoming update in version 1.5, you can select from the remaining 11 specializations across all classes at level 14, rather than just two for your class.
We believe this will provide the opportunity to create new, exciting combinations. The possibilities are endless, and we can't wait to see what ideas you come up with.
What Else
Of course, there is more. From this patch, You can also expect balance changes, enhanced crafting options, and improvements for late-game caster builds, based on all your feedback in the store reviews and Steam threads, like this one HERE.
Of course, if you want to share your own feedback, feel free to comment or come to our Discord and share your thoughts and ideas. We want to make this game as perfect as it can be, and we can't make it without you.
It's time to drop our first hotfix after our latest Director's Cut Update. As before, we want to express our gratitude to everyone who shares feedback with us. Your input is invaluable in shaping the game.
Version: 1.4.1.73319 download size: 301.4MB
Changelog
Fixed an issue causing units summoned from unique items to infinitely multiply in the hub area. Previously created copies will despawn when you leave the location. We learned the hard way that you can, in fact, have too much of a good thing.
Slight rebalance focused on early game experience - minibosses have had their HP pool lowered on lvls 1-6 so as not to be so deadly to a 2-3 character party without proper equipment. Enemy DMG and HP was lowered by 10-20% on Normal and lower difficulties. Hard difficulty was very slightly rebalanced as well. Insane remains as it is - a significant challenge, requiring the most game-breaking builds to be conquered.
Fixed an issue that caused the new Elite Assassin to appear too often.
Fixed an issue with Warriorâs Frenzy passive skill that could have caused an infinite Attack Speed bug.
Fixed small glitches in dialogues and cutscenes throughout the game, including a bug that caused units that were sitting down to glitch and return to idle for a brief moment at the start of a dialogue.
Fixed a slight graphical issue on the opening splash screen.
Fixed a scrolling issue with conflicting drop-down lists.
Fixed a co-op issue that could have caused the client to be unable to change their weapon.
Fixed various exceptions that could have caused the game to become unstable.
Google Analytics data gathering was turned off by default. Please note that all data gathered is completely anonymized and only tracks your in-game actions (skills used, story choices, character classes, etc.). We do not gather any data from your operating system or other software. You can always opt-out using an in-game option to remove all data related to your gameplay that was stored so far.
Please continue to share your feedback with us. The best way to do it is via the in-game "Report Issue" option or by joining our Discord and sharing it there. If you encounter a crash, please send a report after restarting the game.
Director's Cut is Live! The letter to our community.
Dear Community, Players, Warriors, Sorcerers
We want to share an enormous thank you! Weâre releasing Dark Envoy: Directorâs Cut using each and every comment, report, and piece of feedback youâve shared with us over the last six months.
Summary of most important Changes:
Less shy about connections with Tower of Time universe, new main meta level voiced narration
Major narrative changes, reworked main cutscenes, some VO reworked, creating a completely different experience, especially during the first few hours of the game.
Balancing, polishing then reworking again, then repeating the process
Improved Jaan map and unique boss items
further optimization and QoL improvements
And we fixed one major sinister memory leak bug that made us all so miserable!
Instead of pushing the marketing for Dark Envoy, we gave this game 6 months of pure love and improvements. Weâre still not done, but want to share this news with you.
If youâve enjoyed your time with Dark Envoy, please leave us a review and share your thoughts with your fellow players! Tell your friends, sister, neighbor and maybe a hamster or two; HELP OUR LITTLE INDIE STUDIO COMPETE FOR VISIBILITY in this harsh AAA market.
Here is our Socially Awkward Zero Budget Launch Trailer:
Brutally honest one, but dire straits tend to create the best anecdotes.
The Directorâs Cut update is coming, along with a 40% off Steam Daily Deal starting from Wednesday, May 15th, 2024, which will last for a week.
It was thanks to your immense support and belief in out team that we've managed to complete this enhanced version. We deeply appreciate your ongoing collaboration with us on this world that we love so dearly. We are committed to making this game as perfect as it can be.
Reworked tutorial. Characters will no longer split up for the first part of the game, allowing for more seamless co-op play from the first minutes of the game. NOTE: Due to multiple changes to the flow in the early part of the game, saves made on the very first location will not be compatible with the new version. All other saves from further points in the game should be fully compatible. If you encounter any issues, please inform us using the in-game Report Issue function.
Rebalanced and updated combat encounters throughout the game and a general overhaul of player skills, items and even the tech tree. Our focus was to increase the variance in valid player options instead of nerfing the builds that were performing extremely well. As such, the changes mostly include buffs to the most overlooked items and upgrades, including a considerable boost to 2-handed weapons and melee options. There was, however, slight nerf to the most powerful combinations but we expect them to still perform well despite the changes (looking at you, dual pistols with chaos damage enchantment and maxed out Crit Chance). Detailed overview of balance changes can be found here: [LINK]
Recut and improved dialogues with high emphasis on improving the overall pacing, especially at the beginning of the game.
4 new cinematics throughout the game, including a brand new intro.
18 new unique items including custom handcrafted Boss drops, granting distinctive new weapon skills. Ever wanted to be able to throw explosive rats like a certain Rodent Monarch or summon Manaless out of enemy corpses? Nowâs your chance!
2 new minibosses: Imperial Elite Assassin and League Winterâs Breath. Both may now appear on any random dungeon with the corresponding faction, further increasing their variance.
New cutscenes as well general improvement and polish on the existing ones.
Added a highly requested UX feature: clicking on the map will now move the camera to the designated point.
Reworked Rex bossfight for increased clarity in boss mechanics and smoother experience.
Upgraded world map: it now has an additional layer, showing the geographical names and borders of various regions for some extra lore and greater immersion. In addition, previously visited locations will remain visible (although grayed out, to be easily distinguishable), showing a map of your previous voyages.
Other changes
Added tutorial pop-ups explaining each side objective as they appear for the first time - either in the main game or in random dungeons.
New 20 level challenge awaits in the challenge arena - complete with a unique reward.
Polished audio, with high focus on UI and player abilities. New audio events for many interactable objects.
Respecialization Trainer got his own custom icon. He certainly deserved one!
Skill cooldowns will now immediately reset on combat end. No more sitting around, waiting for this juicy ultimate to be available again.
Further improvements to lighting and level art on both quest locations and random dungeons.
More dynamic cameras in select dialogue scenes, overall cutscene and dialogues polish.
Fixed issues with healing fountains occasionally bugging out and not healing the user despite having additional charges.
Most skills effects will now automatically disappear as soon as a cutscene starts. No more firewalls and summoned trees blocking the view.
Mining deposits received new looks based on the resource they grant.
A âselect allâ button was added over the leftmost character portrait.
Added an option to hide all tutorials. It can be turned on and off at will in the settings.
Forgotten Altar side objective will now reset on each game load, making it harder to brute force it with a save/load tactic.
Increased responsiveness on enemy units and fixed an AI issue that occasionally caused them to get stuck in-between actions.
Ancient Generator side objective will now correctly count down on the timer at the top of the screen, as indicated by the player goal.
Enemy tooltips will now correctly appear when the currently selected character is armed with a prism.
Crafting menu will now display a âCraft Itemâ button instead of âPrecraft Itemâ for Normal rarity items that do not need to be precrafted.
Invisible units will no longer immediately exit combat.
Solved numerous small graphical issues on enemy and summon units and their abilities.
Multiple fixes to desync issues and other co-op specific bugs.
Fixed waypoint interactions on gamepad.
The Challenge Arena will no longer misleadingly inform the player that they would not be able to return if they leave. In fact, they are welcome to!
Fixed an issue with HP bars occasionally not updating correctly.
Fixed an issue that occasionally could have caused the controls to glitch upon changing the keybindings.
Fixed a potential blocker in the Faction Meeting quest.
Numerous other fixes, corrections and slight upgrades throughout the whole game.