Final Stand: Ragnarok
FSR Livestream this Friday, September 6th at 1 PM EDT
If you'd like to know more about Update 1.2 and what comes next, you can also check out our latest FSR newsletter.
Final Stand: Ragnarök Newsletter #19 - Version 1.2
Team Tidings
Hey Folks,
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the latest edition of the Final Stand: Ragnarok newsletter. In this edition, we’ll be covering in depth the tons of new content being added to the game in our latest release, Update 1.2! A new Champion, a new game mode, an overhauled progression system and much more await you. Take up the swords of Carthalon, the famed Lion of Carthage, and carve your way through legions of undead while invigorating your allies. Join a party with four others in the new Missions mode, wherein you fight to complete a series of randomized objectives that become more difficult with every success – and should you manage that, you’ll still need to escape alive. After conquering the battlefield, explore the scores of different options within the new Progression Tree, ensuring that your Champion’s playstyle fits you perfectly. There’s a lot to talk about, so without further ado let’s take a look at FS:R’s new update!
State of the Build: Update 1.2 - Carthalon, Missions, and Progression
New Champion - Carthalon, the Lion of Carthage
One of the fiercest gladiators ever to fight in Rome’s coliseums, Carthalon survived impossible odds again and again. Condemned to die in a final bout versus a rabid lion, Carthalon defeated the beast and defied his fate. He would go on to lead a revolt of slaves and gladiators against the Roman Republic, a rebellion that he would not live to see the end of. Now, in death, he has a chance for glory anew and the opportunity to fight for a worthy cause by supporting his newfound allies wherever the fighting is thickest.
Above: Art of Carthalon about to leap into the fray.
Carthalon is FS:R’s first new Champion, and fulfills the role of a Support Hybrid that can deal damage while supporting and, importantly, healing allies. We’ve wanted to add a character that appeals to players who prefer Support classes in their games for a while now, but we also wanted to avoid adding a strict healer that became mandatory to take for every game. Carthalon is the happy medium that resulted from these discussions – a capable combatant and medic that grows more powerful the longer he stays in the thick of the fight.
Above: Carthalon's default appearance in the game lobby, waiting to inflict carnage. Wait, what game mode is that?
Carthalon’s key mechanic is Fervor, represented by the three-pronged flame visible in the center of the screen when playing as him. Fervor increases the strength of all of Carthalon’s abilities in stages, each stage being represented by one of the three prongs being filled completely. Fervor can be built by dealing damage to enemies with either Carthalon’s basic attack Flurry of Blades or one of his active abilities, Shockwave. Carthalon’s secondary attack, Furious Strike, does increasing damage dependent on your Fervor – becoming a deadly single target devastator at max Fervor. However, Fervor will begin to decay slowly if you’re not actively fighting. This results in a playstyle where you’re seeking out enemy NPCs, fighting them to build your Fervor, and then utilizing that Fervor for more powerful attacks, abilities, and healing while trying to make sure that it doesn’t decrease in the process. Playing Carthalon requires managing your Fervor carefully, and knowing how best to build it up while still being aware of your allies’ need for support.
Above: Carthalon's attacks and abilities listed out - study them well before battle.
Carthalon’s three active abilities are reflective of his role as a hybrid Support character. His first active ability, Shockwave, damages and slows nearby enemies. Any enemies killed by this effect award a small amount of Fervor. His second active ability, Protective Shout, is an Area of Effect heal that restores an initial burst of health and then does more healing over time. Importantly, the amount of healing done as well as the total cap for how much healing over time you can receive is determined by Carthalon’s level of Fervor at the time of him using this ability. Carthalon’s third and final active ability, Mark Target, designates a single enemy, allowing allies to regain part of their Shield with each attack. Allies will also deal additional damage to this enemy based on the current amount of Shield they have. If this target dies while marked, it will drop Tokens of Favor that provide small Health and Mana boosts for any allies that pick them up, similar to Runes that can be found in-game currently.
Above: A preview of some of Carthalon's Rune Mods available in-game.
We’re extremely excited to get Carthalon into your hands – a lot of hard work has gone into having him fill a unique niche not currently available from the five original Champions. His playstyle is active, frenetic, and engaging. It rewards action and aggression and encourages keeping your allies close so that you can keep them in the fight. Heed the call for battle, and let the Lion of Carthage roar once more!
Above: Carthalon in action!
Above: He thrives in the fray, where he can build his Fervor and keep his allies alive.
New Game Mode - Missions
Missions are a new type of game mode coming in Update 1.2, honing down the scale of party sizes to focus on a more compact, repeatable, and challenging experience. Whenever you queue for a Mission, you’ll spawn in to a series of three randomized objectives placed around the map that can be accomplished in any order. After completing an objective, the difficulty of the subsequent objective increases. In addition, Missions have several marked and unmarked secondary goals that can be completed to reward Runes, eliminate a source of powerful enemies, and provide bonus experience at the end of the round. Once you’ve completed the three main objectives, you and your fellow Champions will then have to reach a teleporter in order to leave and survive the Mission.
Above: A long abandoned fortress, now turned into a haven for Hel's hordes. Danger and treasure await, but don't tarry...
Above: Offerings. Make use of them if you hope to survive.
For Missions, we wanted to ensure that the gameplay loop was different from FS:R’s existing modes. While Scenarios tend to focus on a set of structured objectives with minor elements of randomization, in Missions the randomization and element of chance is at the forefront of the experience. Each Mission you play will provide you with a unique combination of goals, starting location, and side quests to venture out on. And victory won’t come easy – Missions feature a smaller player cap of only 5, but that doesn’t mean they’re a cake walk. If you venture off on your own away from your teammates, you’re going to be at constant risk. Sticking together, communicating, and tackling objectives as a team of Champions that compliment one another are all key to making sure you survive.
Above: Do you have what it takes to survive? Do you have what it takes to survive? Time to find out.
There’s still plenty of progress for us to make with Missions, including more art assets, but as is they stand as a proof of concept and a showcase of how much content we can put together quickly in response to player demand for more game mode variety. Buckle up, because we’ve got a lot more exciting content coming to Missions in the future that you won’t want to miss!
Above: The sovereign eyes of a fallen demigod watch your ceaseless struggle with unmoving disinterest.
Overhauled Progression System
One of the key changes coming in Update 1.2 is an overhaul to FS:R’s progression system! In the interest of increasing a player’s ability to make meaningful choices, as well as making those choices sooner than they previously could, we’ve both changed how Rune Mods are unlocked and added a separate Progression Tree that allows for you to specialize every Champion to fit your playstyle. There are hundreds of combinations in the Progression Tree for you to try with each Champion as you level them up, and resetting your skill tree is both free and unlimited – so don’t be afraid to experiment!
Above: The chosen Perks for Carthalon here highlight just one of dozens of possible paths in the Progression Tree.
Prior to Update 1.2, Rune Mods unlocked one by one in a vertical tier. So you would need to unlock the first Rune in tiers 1 through 5 by leveling before you could access the second Rune in tier 1. While this system functioned well for those who had a lot of time invested into the game, it meant that players interested in a given Rune couldn’t interact with it or try it out until putting a serious amount of time and effort into that Champion. Now, you will receive Rune Keys as you level up. Each Rune Key can unlock one of the 5 available runes that you have per tier, in any order that you prefer. So instead of having to wait until nearly max level to get the 5th rune slot in Tier 1, you’ll be able to access it almost from the start. Tiers will now also unlock as you level up, providing a more streamlined and easy to understand leveling experience. Additionally, where before you would slowly unlock your equipped Rune Mods in a given match, you will now start with all of your chosen Rune Mods active – all the better to test out new builds and get into the fight.
The largest addition to a player’s arsenal of choice in Update 1.2 comes in the form of the Progression Tree. The Progression Tree puts the power firmly in your hands to decide what is most important to you for every Champion. With scores of Perks to unlock as you level up, you will be faced with branching paths and mutually exclusive upgrades that not only buff you but wholly alter your playstyle. Do you want to deal more damage at any cost? You can specialize in just that, sacrificing Mana with each swing in order to maximize how much punishment you dish out. Or you could focus on enhancing your Shield, making sure it lasts as long as possible – which is particularly useful if you take the perk that gives you unlimited sprinting so long as your Shield is active! Boost your Mana returns from dealing and taking damage so that you never have to stop using your abilities mid-fight. We could go on and on, but it’ll be that much sweeter to see players discover their own builds and preferences with the system we’ve built.
Above: The decisions made in the Progression Tree can be reset at any time – but why would you ever want to get rid of unlimited sprint?
Between the six different Champions and scores of Perks within the tree, there are truly so many different ways that you can choose to take things as you level up – all coming in Update 1.2!
Game Mode Selection
A longstanding feature request from the community, we’re happy to announce that you can now select which game mode to queue for in Update 1.2. Simply click on the UI element directly above that beautiful big ‘Play’ button and you’ll be able to choose between hopping in the queue for Scenarios (Towers of Vigrith, Arena, and Dungeon Maze), and Missions (new in Update 1.2). Adding this quality-of-life feature made sense for Update 1.2, as the addition of a new game mode with a drastically different experience means having the element of choice is more important than ever. Game mode selection will become even more important as more maps and modes are added to FS:R in the future.
Above: The new game mode selector – while Battle Royale won’t be available when Update 1.2 releases, you can expect it to feature shortly thereafter!
New Character Skins
In any third person game, you’re going to spend the vast majority of your experience staring at your chosen character – in FS:R, this means watching them hack, slash, and blast their way through thousands of enemies in an epic battle for the ages. But not every battle has to be fought with grim, dark determination – there’s always room for a little sunshine. That’s why to cap off a summer full of FSR updates, we’ll be releasing our Beach Collection! It’s time for the Champions of Ragnarok to soak in some sun and catch some (snow) waves. Available for purchase through the in-game store, make sure to pick them up so you can close out the summer in style.
Above: Our fabulous five, ready for anything summer has to throw at them.
Release Notes: Update 1.2
Major Features
Progression
- Players now have an entirely new way to customize their Champions with the Progression Tree! Assign perks that grant buffs to your Champion, and watch your power grow as you level up. You have a limited amount of perk points but can respec freely at any time – build your Champion to be a brutal damage dealer or a speedy tank, the choice is yours.
New Game Mode: Missions
- In our new Missions game mode, the Champions are sent to complete a series of randomized objectives on one of the infinite battlefields of Ragnarok! Fight hordes of enemies, achieve your goals, and then fight your way back to the portal to escape before time runs out.
New Champion: Carthalon the Gladiator
- FS:R’s first new Champion, Carthalon, is now available to play! Carthalon is both a melee damage dealer and healer able to slash through minions with his dual swords while building up Fervor to buff himself and heal allies.
Art
Missions Map Decoration
- The Art Team has created new assets and updated old ones for the Missions game mode. With randomized layouts and objectives, we’ve made sure to create some recognizable landmarks to help players navigate the battlefield and complete their goals.
FX
Missions Objective FX
- The FX team has been hard at work supporting our efforts on Missions. New explosions, new sparkles, and revamps of some of our favorite twinkles have been added to spice up the action.
Audio
New Music
- Our Missions Game Mode comes with a suite of new music for various states, such as the dramatic escape finale. Keep your ears tuned for all of the new grooves that serve as the backdrop to your glory!
Gameplay
Game Mode Select
- With the introduction of Missions, we’ve added a Game Mode Select to the main menu. Now you can choose whether you queue for one of the existing Scenarios, or the new Missions mode. And who knows what other modes might find their way there?
Rune Mod Rework
- Rune Mods have been reworked to go along with the new Progression system. Now you unlock your mods with Rune Keys that you can earn by leveling up your Champion. As you keep playing you keep earning more Keys to unlock powerful new Mods. This allows you to choose the order in which you unlock new Rune Mods with much greater freedom.
-
Revive Adjustments
- Noticing the loop of revives in matches, the Gameplay team has adjusted when you’re able to revive your allies. If you’ve just been revived yourself, there’s a 16 second cooldown until you can revive your allies – so try to stick together! You will see the “Too tired to Revive” message if you attempt to revive during this cooldown. In the future, we’ll be adding a UI element to more clearly communicate when a player is unable to revive/be revived.
Bug Fixes
- Several Rune Mods were not functioning as intended, such as the damage values from Jalb’s Sundering Shield Bash. We have tuned these to work as expected.
- We’ve implemented a fix for usernames overflowing in the End Match Summary screen.
- We’ve also gotten in fixes for several issues backfilling matches.
- The Audio team has improved the audio volume in several areas that were playing either too loudly or softly to be more balanced.
What's Next?
While players can expect to have their hands full with a new Champion, new game mode, and overhauled progression system, we’re always looking to hint towards what’s coming in the future of FS:R. In this case in particular, a screenshot will speak more clearly than any description ever could!
Above: These are not the frost-rimed hills we’ve become accustomed to – where are we?
Final Note
That just about wraps up everything coming to FS:R in Update 1.2, big and small. Between the game’s first new Champion, a new game mode, and a complete overhaul to progression, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. Many of the changes and additions were only made possible utilizing player feedback, so be sure to share what you want to see in-game with the team. Keep an eye out for the next edition of our newsletter in order to stay up to date with the latest and greatest that FS:R has to offer!
If you or a friend has been waiting to check out Final Stand: Ragnarok, you can purchase the game right here on Steam.
If you’re looking for other Champions to play with, you can check out the FSR Discord server here: https://discord.gg/finalstandragnarok
We’ll see you on the battlefield, Champions!
Update 1.2 - Carthalon the Gladiator, Missions Mode, and Progression
Tomorrow, Friday August 30th, you'll be able to join us live on Twitch at 1 PM EDT to take a look at Update 1.2 and even play with some of the devs!
Major Features
Progression
- Players now have an entirely new way to customize their Champions with the Progression Tree! Assign perks that grant buffs to your Champion, and watch your power grow as you level up. You have a limited amount of perk points but can respec freely at any time – build your Champion to be a brutal damage dealer or a speedy tank, the choice is yours.
New Game Mode: Missions
- In our new Missions game mode, the Champions are sent to complete a series of randomized objectives on one of the infinite battlefields of Ragnarok! Fight hordes of enemies, achieve your goals, and then fight your way back to the portal to escape before time runs out.
New Champion: Carthalon the Gladiator
- FS:R’s first new Champion, Carthalon, is now available to play! Carthalon is both a melee damage dealer and healer able to slash through minions with his dual swords while building up Fervor to buff himself and heal allies.
Art
Missions Map Decoration
- The Art Team has created new assets and updated old ones for the Missions game mode. With randomized layouts and objectives, we’ve made sure to create some recognizable landmarks to help players navigate the battlefield and complete their goals.
FX
Missions Objective FX
- The FX team has been hard at work supporting our efforts on Missions. New explosions, new sparkles, and revamps of some of our favorite twinkles have been added to spice up the action.
Audio
New Music
- Our Missions Game Mode comes with a suite of new music for various states, such as the dramatic escape finale. Keep your ears tuned for all of the new grooves that serve as the backdrop to your glory!
Gameplay
Game Mode Select
- With the introduction of Missions, we’ve added a Game Mode Select to the main menu. Now you can choose whether you queue for one of the existing Scenarios, or the new Missions mode. And who knows what other modes might find their way there?
Rune Mod Rework
- Rune Mods have been reworked to go along with the new Progression system. Now you unlock your mods with Rune Keys that you can earn by leveling up your Champion. As you keep playing you keep earning more Keys to unlock powerful new Mods. This allows you to choose the order in which you unlock new Rune Mods with much greater freedom.
-
Revive Adjustments
- Noticing the loop of revives in matches, the Gameplay team has adjusted when you’re able to revive your allies. If you’ve just been revived yourself, there’s a 16 second cooldown until you can revive your allies – so try to stick together! You will see the “Too tired to Revive” message if you attempt to revive during this cooldown. In the future, we’ll be adding a UI element to more clearly communicate when a player is unable to revive/be revived.
Bug Fixes
- Several Rune Mods were not functioning as intended, such as the damage values from Jalb’s Sundering Shield Bash. We have tuned these to work as expected.
- We’ve implemented a fix for usernames overflowing in the End Match Summary screen.
- We’ve also gotten in fixes for several issues backfilling matches.
- The Audio team has improved the audio volume in several areas that were playing either too loudly or softly to be more balanced.
FSR Livestream this Friday, August 23rd at 1 PM EDT
FSR Update 1.2 Livestream this Friday, August 16th at 1 PM EDT
FSR Update 1.2 Livestream this Friday, August 9th at 1 PM EDT
FSR 1.2 Livestream this Friday, August 2nd at 4:30 PM EDT
FSR 1.2 Livestream this Friday, July 26th at 1 PM EDT
FSR 1.2 Livestream this Friday, July 19th at 1 PM EDT
Final Stand: Ragnarök Newsletter #18 - Version 1.1
Team Tidings
Hey Folks,
We’re beyond excited to welcome you to another edition of the Final Stand: Ragnarok newsletter! In this edition, we’ll be covering our biggest content update ever - including a brand new scenario, new enemies, new bosses, and more! Delve into the Dungeon Maze, where a gauntlet of powerful undead prevent your means of escape. If you manage to fight through them (and avoid the myriad traps set for you along the way), you’ll come face to face with the Warden, one of Hel’s strongest Generals. In addition to the new Dungeon Maze scenario and all it has to offer, we have a series of balance changes, performance improvements, and bug fixes to talk about! So without further ado, let’s get into it.
State of the Build: Update 1.1 - The Dungeon Maze Beta!
Dungeon Maze
After months of hard work and testing by our team, we’re excited to announce the Beta edition of our third scenario, Dungeon Maze! You and your fellow Champions will battle your way through a prison purpose built to confuse, confound, and confine you. Navigate your way through the stone corridors of Hel’s stronghold, evading traps and unlocking new pathways by completing unique encounters. Your ultimate goal is to reach the Warden, one of Hel’s fiercest generals and the last line of defense for the entire prison. Reaching him will be no small feat, and defeating him and his lieutenants will take everything you have.
Above: Concept art of the Dungeon Maze’s spidery depths, beckoning you further in.
Above: One of our new objectives, featuring hundreds of mindless dead and the infamous ‘Big Boys’.
The Jailers and the Warden
The Champions within the Dungeon Maze’s confines face steep opposition in their escape attempt. Two of the Warden’s subordinates, known collectively as the Jailers, await those who manage to progress far enough to threaten the prison’s security. They are the Soul Reaper and the Dead Caller, fierce foes that emphasize new mechanics and attack patterns. Reaching these bosses will require accomplishing different randomized objectives - be careful not to get lost along the way, as the longer it takes you to reach one of the Jailers, the more enemy reinforcements will arrive to try and stop you!
The Soul Reaper
The first of two Jailers that you will face during your escape attempt, the Soul Reaper is a ruthless enforcer of order that views you as nothing more than a pest to be squashed. Utilizing powerful magic and a pair of enchanted weapons, the Soul Reaper will require keen awareness of your positioning in order to succeed. Standing in the path of his sweeping strikes will not only deal a ton of damage, but will also serve to heal him. If you’re careless with where you stand, you’ll end up losing a battle of attrition as the Soul Reaper overwhelms you with his minions at full health!
Above: The Soul Reaper about to perform his namesake on a helpless Champion.
Above: Concept art of the Soul Reaper, whose ravenous hunger knows no limits.
The Dead Caller
The second Jailer within the Dungeon Maze is the Dead Caller, a demented mistress of torment that calls upon the spirits of the damned to power various runestones. Tread carefully and keep an eye on your surroundings, as these runestones are the key to victory…or defeat. Among the Dead Caller’s repertoire are a runestone that summons an impenetrable shield and a runestone that summons additional and deadlier variants of enemies. The most dangerous, however, is the Rune of Sacrifice. These runestones cause damage dealt by Champions to be reflected to themselves and nearby allies, effectively turning your attacks against you. Simply burning the boss down isn’t an option here - if you want to win, you’ll need to be careful.
Above: Concept art of the Dead Caller, a terrible mistress of the damned whose wrath you must beware.
Above: The Dead Caller dispatching some overeager Champions, calling upon her army of necromancers to join her.
Above: The Runestone of Suffering is one of many runestones the Dead Caller will utilize when fighting. Destroy it quickly, lest it return the favor.
The Warden
Handpicked by Hel herself to protect the Dungeon Maze and manage its forces, the Warden is not only a vicious fighter but a strategic mind. Overcoming him will be your final challenge, and what a challenge it is! Three arcane towers protect the Warden, shielding him from harm while he throws massive javelins at any nearby Champion. Each of these towers is protected in turn not just by hundreds of undead, but by Officers, powerful minibosses that strengthen the defending forces in unique ways. Defeating the Warden will require first defeating his Officers and disabling his shield.
The first of these three minibosses is the Summoning Officer, who will continually spawn portals nearby in order to overwhelm you with numbers. The second is the Support Officer, who continually buffs nearby undead so long as they remain in the field. The third is the Artillery Officer, who directs scores of skeleton archers and launches long range projectiles at the Champions. After each of these Champions is defeated, the towers under their control must be captured, held, and then destroyed in order to weaken the Warden’s shield.
Above: One of the Warden’s protective towers mid-destruction, after being captured and overloaded by the Champions.
Once the Warden’s shield is gone, the final fight begins. You will be staving off hundreds of elite enemies as he calls for reinforcements, and every second counts to finish the fight. The Warden himself utilizes a mix of area of effect attacks, high single target damage, and heavy knockbacks to disrupt players. Defeat him to finally escape the Dungeon Maze, depriving Hel of one of her best generals and leaving her stronghold in ruin!
Above: The Warden doing what he does best - commanding soldiers and mocking his opponents.
New Enemies
Dungeon Maze is host to all sorts of deadly denizens, some of which you’ve never seen before. Bolstering the endless ranks of the damned, these undead will make your escape that much more difficult. Not only will you find them wandering the halls of the Dungeon Maze, but you’ll also spot some of them in our two other existing scenarios - Arena and Towers of Vigrith.
The Forsaken General stands out amongst its peers with prodigious size, leading the ranks of the Dishonored Dead from the front. This sturdy, high damage enemy is absolutely relentless - and completely immune to knockback and crowd control. You’ll need to deal raw damage to bring one of these elite soldiers down. Lesser versions of this new enemy are referred to as ‘Berserkers’ and can be found in certain encounter rooms.
The Plague Bearers are larger, stronger variants of their mindless undead cousins. Occasionally found as the objective of encounter rooms within the Dungeon Maze, these Big Boys(yes, that’s their current title in-game) can take a ridiculous amount of punishment before they collapse. Defeating them is as much an exercise in patience as it is in skill.
While not yet stalking the halls of the Dungeon Maze, the Skeleton Commanders are an entirely new enemy that deals death from afar. Summoning ranks of lesser skeleton archers to follow them into battle, these master marksmen launch volleys of arrows with staggering efficiency. While closing the gap will make them less effective killers, it’s by no means a sure thing - once you’ve gotten close enough, the Skeleton Commander will set a series of traps to make you pay the price for approaching. Beware and utilize your ranged attacks to bring them down.
New Objectives
In addition to the new enemies and bosses you’ll face in Dungeon Maze’s Beta, there are several new objectives that have never been featured in FS:R before. You’ll see these objectives in randomized encounters that you have to complete in order to progress to the next boss in Dungeon Maze.
One example is the ‘Capture’ objective, which requires the player and their fellow Champions to remain within the radius of a crystal in order to control it and open the way forward. You have a limited time to capture the crystal, and leaving the radius of it will stop any progress you were gaining - so stand your ground and fight off the horde!
Above: This objective will require you to carve your way through several elite enemies, all while dodging volleys of archer fire and pit of poison gas.
Another new objective is focused on defeating a mass of spiders - and I mean a lot of them. Seriously, I cannot overstate how many spiders there are in this room. Arachnophobes beware. You have to destroy the egg sacs spawning them within the room and kill the Broodmothers protecting them, all while hundreds of smaller eight legged attackers quite literally block your path forward.
The above examples are only two of many new variations you can find in the new scenario, and some of the mechanics used in these encounters will be able to be used for future scenarios or existing ones in-game. This greatly increases our ability to add more variety to the gameplay loop for a given match of FS:R.
Traps, Treasures, and More
What dungeon would be complete without some traps to go with it? Or treasure, for that matter! Fortunately, the Dungeon Maze Beta is awash with both. You’ll have to avoid two kinds of pressure plates that see spikes jutting outwards and powerful magic stripping away your Champion’s shield. Flames roar from the mouths of stone dragons along the walls of long corridors, and toxic poison spreads from a hard-to-reach vent, daring you to find and shut it off at the source. It is fortunate that great risk comes with great rewards, for behind locked gates, hidden alcoves, and numerous dead ends are treasure chests with Champion Runes and consumable items galore. Keep an eye out for doors off the beaten path, and then break them down to earn whatever Hel’s minions tried so hard to hide from you.
Above: Some of the pressure plate traps you can expect in the Dungeon Maze. Believe me, they blend in terribly well in a fight.
Release Notes: Update 1.1
Major Features
The Dungeon Maze is here!
- A brand new scenario featuring three new bosses, several new enemies, several new objective types, and a completely different environment from anything else you’ve seen in FS:R. The Beta for this new scenario is live with FSR 1.1!
Art
Dungeon Maze Assets
- The Art team has completed a major effort in populating the Dungeon Maze with new walls, ceilings, and assorted smaller props. This includes a major lighting and set dressing pass for beautification - though lighting may be tweaked slightly in the future.
- In addition to the Dungeon Maze itself, a background scene was constructed for Dungeon Maze to clearly illustrate the differences from our other zones.
- New model for some spider variants.
FX
New Ability FX
- With the addition of many new NPC types (including Elites and Bosses), we’ve also added new VFX to make their abilities stand out. From the Soul Reaper to the Skeleton Commander, you’ll see a lot of new VFX popping!
Audio
New Dialogue
- Dungeon Maze comes with a whole set of dialogue, including new villains like the Warden and Soul Reaper. We’ve also added some new lines to the Towers of Vigrith scenario.
Additional SFX
- Our Audio team has been creating a whole slew of SFX for new abilities, new events, and updating outdated SFX. Listen to the audioscape and let us know how you like it!
Menu SFX
We’ve also completed a pass on audio in the assorted menus of the game, especially the Equipment and Rune Mod selection menus. Background music and SFX have been altered to more easily show what menu you’re in.
Gameplay
New NPCs
- Dungeon Maze is host to three brand new bosses - the Soul Reaper, the Dead Caller, and the Warden, each with their own mechanics, attack patterns, and models.
- In addition, we’ve also added a variety of Elites that will show up in other scenarios, including Forsaken Generals, Skeleton Commanders, and Giant Spiders.
New Scenario
- The Dungeon Maze scenario is a brand new addition to the current scenario lineup - escape from Hel’s labyrinthine fortress while slaying swarms of undead! Dungeon Maze comes with a variety of new objectives, enemies, and doors to smash down! While we still consider Dungeon Maze to be in a Beta state, there’s a lot for you to discover in-game.
Match Size Balancing
- We’ve tweaked the math behind matches to balance them a bit better for different numbers of players. This includes damage and defense buffs for Champions, as well as extra lives in the Towers of Vigrith scenario at lower player counts.
Bug Fixes
- Completed a number of assorted SFX fixes, including playing the wrong SFX and playing SFX at the wrong volume.
- Fixed some unintended behavior on boss NPCs, causing them to play animations incorrectly.
- Fixed Intel ARC GPUs not being able to run the game.
- Fixed startup issues for certain laptops, due to a false reporting of their specs.
What's Next?
With Dungeon Maze soon to be in the hands of our players, we’re excited to continue adding content to it, our other existing scenarios, and the game as a whole. Coming soon, in addition to a focus on some oft requested quality of life fixes (improved visibility for downed allies, anyone?), you can expect to see FS:R’s first Battle Pass! For the next big content update, we’re currently hard at work on a sixth Champion and an entirely new game mode. Keep an eye out for more information soon.
Above: Who could this Champion be? A new fighter?
Final Note
While we currently consider Dungeon Maze to be in a Beta state, we’re proud of the exceptional work our team has done to get it where it is today. The amount of effort and love put into it has been a pleasure to witness, and I hope that sharing some of what it has to offer in this newsletter provides some excitement for what’s to come with FS:R. Be sure to tune in to our next edition to keep getting the latest and greatest from us at Unchained Entertainment!
If you or a friend has been waiting to check out Final Stand: Ragnarok, we just went live with a sale on Steam! Get FS:R for 25% off until June 27th! You can purchase the game right here on Steam.
If you’re looking for other Champions to play with, you can check out the FSR Discord server here: https://discord.gg/finalstandragnarok
We’ll see you on the battlefield, Champions!