Update #113 is a small story release in order to tie up the last loose end before the final story update -- the question lingering in Freeport. If you've been there, you know who we are talking about, so but I won't say much more. if you return to Freeport during Episode 4 after the final trip to the City of the Dead, you'll be able to pass your judgment.
To help make the end of the game faster, we've added a fast travel network stemming from the Fierhold inn. Visit the tents there where you can rest and you'll find options to immediately travel to Brunehorn, Braeyshaulm, Freeport, and the Storm Bastion. Once you've made the trip, you can return to Fierhold from the inn at any of these far flung locations.
While the Wooden Flute is still waiting for its purpose, we've fixed its missing art. We've also fixed a longstanding bug where sometimes the Talents list would get stuck during screen transitions.
v4.5.17 - 10/29/2018
- The Crone's story arc is now ready for completion in Freeport after the return from the City of the Dead
- Visit Freeport to make your decision and judgment
- Added Fierhold Episode 4 fast travel network: travel between Fierhold, Brunehorn, Braeyshaulm, Freeport, Storm Bastion immediately
- Added missing art for story item: Wooden Flute
- Fixed bug where sometimes the Talents list goes nuts
Update #112: Shifting Sands
Update #112 brings some re-adjustments to the latest Episode 4 content and rules changes. With this update, we've completely rebuilt the end-game Orcin. They had turned into full-on dodge tanks and were no fun to fight, impossible to hit and even fully cursed, many groups were finding them extremely difficult to kill. With this change, we've made them easier to hit but tougher to kill over all with more HP and more Armor. Now, your curses are needed to help chew through them quickly, as they are in return heavier hitters themselves. All in all, this rebalance goes back to the way Orcin have always been -- heavy hitters, dangerous in large numbers, and heavy on HP but easy to hit.
We have added new 3 AP bows with range 8 to the weapon shops at Fierhold.
We have fixed a bug that was allowing the new Strength-based weaponry to exceed its maximum damage. We also fixed a set of monsters that were using incorrect SFX for their swing and hit sounds. Finally, we fixed a set of monsters that had a visual glitch - an odd red dagger from a yet-to-be-released monster was haunting many of the undead.
We are excited to announce that our supporters on Patreon have cast their votes for the 9th hero -- and she will be a witch! Able to swap into the Kyera/Fyona slot, the witch will be a master of curses and hexes. We will be working closely with the patron crew to determine her exact special powers. However, we won't start any work on this crowd favorite until the Episode 4 story arc is complete.
v4.5.15
- Completely rebuilt the Orcin monsters in Episode 4 -- easier to hit, heavier armor, heavy hitters in return
- Improved bows for sale in Fierhold -- now include 2 additional 3 AP range 8 bows
- Fixed issue where Strength-based minimum damage could exceed weapon's max damage
- Fixed odd red dagger floating under all undead monsters
- Fixed a set of monsters that were using incorrect attack SFX
Update #111: In the Hunt
As we keep working on wrapping up the final story update, we're continuing to balance, improve and bug fix as needed. We're closing in on the completion of the Episode 4 storyline -- in summary, the monsters are all done, the loot is all prepared, the maps have been made, the story events being written and everything is getting wired together. With so many choices in the story that all lead to this moment, it has become a challenge to weave it altogether again cohesively in the last few moments. We are taking our time to get it right but it is our top priority in Heroes of Steel at the moment.
Balance Tuning and Improvements
This update includes an important improvement to Vincent's Eye of the Storm buff to make it compelling for a melee-striker Vincent as well as a ranged spellcaster.
We've also tuned the math on how Strength is applied to base Damage for melee weapons, simplifying it to be Strength x Weapon AP, which is better in favor of heavier weapons.
We've added a small story event the first time the heroes encounter a Bloodstone Crystal to be sure to explain the crafting system.
Patreon Epic Booster
In other exciting news -- after the story is finished, Heroes is lucky to have been selected by our supporters on Patreon for an epic booster. A huge thanks to the patrons who all voted for Heroes of Steel to be selected from among our catalog of games. Soon all of our patrons will be invited to vote again -- this time picking the exact nature of the epic booster. Check out the current exciting list of potential additions -- including a 9th hero, a slimmed down version of the original Honor Classes stretch goal, a redraw of all the gods and villains, a redraw of the heroes' sprites, a redraw of the 4 oldest hero portraits or a tileset upgrade! Sound exciting and want to get involved? Join us on Patreon -- there is still time to get in before the vote!
v4.5.13 - 6/17/2018
- Vincent's Eye of the Storm Buff now adds Melee Accuracy as well as Ranged for striker build
- Rebalanced Strength-based weapons base damage bonus -- now equal to character's Strength x AP (200% for 2 AP, 300% for 3 AP, 400% for 4 AP)
- First encounter with Bloodstones in the game triggers an explanatory dialog about crafting
- Improved all early game magical gear with minor HP/MP bonuses to be more appealing
- Fixed bug where +Crit Dmg % was not shown in Talent detail for all magical spells
- Stealth bonus now correctly weighted in crafting
- Rebalanced Orcin in Episode 4 City of the Dead
- Fixed crossed dialogs in Episode 4 talking to Laranda
Update #110: 3 and 4 AP Spells
This week's update focuses on improving a set of the 3 or 4 AP attack spells in the game. Specifically, Kyera's Holy Retribution, Kjartan's Firestorm and Immolation and finally Vincent's Energy Storm. Retribution's damage structure has been completely rebalanced for the better, and you'll find that it can finally deliver the punch that it deserves. Firestorm gains Critical % of its own at high levels and Immolation and Energy Storm have now packed a little extra Critical Dmg %. These changes are coming out of fine tuning to the Talent balancing equations that give a bit more recognition to how much AP is being spent for an ability.
As a non-spell outlier, Vraes' Ferocity also gained increased Critical Dmg % across all 10 levels, pumping up the combo between Ferocity and Berserk Rage.
We've found the possible root cause of the issues with the Orcin in Episode 4 and fixed it which should snap their balancing back into the fun-zone.
Finally, with @drdave's, we've resolved an issue that was preventing an important Laranda conversation from appearing.
v4.5.11 - 4/24/2018
- Boosted and fixed Holy Retribution damage progression
- Added +Critical % to high level Firestorm
- Added +Critical Dmg % to Ferocity across all 10 levels
- Added +Critical Dmg % to Energy Storm and Immolation across all 10 levels
- Further nerfed Episode 4 Orcin
- Fixed story bug preventing some Laranda conversations after passing through City of the Dead
Update #109: Boost-In Improved
This weekend we have a quick update for Heroes of Steel. Update #108 increases the number of Bloodstones for groups that Boost-In to Episode 2 up to 20. This is a competitive number versus playing through the Episode, but below the perfect count if you got them all. Also, to help with that we've added another 5 Bloodstones across Episode 1. The continued response to the fun and new strategies offered by the crafting system has been overwhelming, so thanks to all of our players.
We've also ported back some bug fixes, crash fixes and closed some memory bugs based on the work we are doing for Star Traders: Frontiers, our latest game.
v4.5.9 - 4/13/2018
- Boost-In to Episode 2 now starts with 20 Bloodstones
- Added 5 new Bloodstones across Episode 1
- Additional fixes for memory bugs
Update #108: Shattered Leylines
Crafitng has become such an integral, exciting and vital part of the Heroes of Steel fabric, that we are pushing another release that increases the Bloodstones count across the early to mid game. With 11 new Bloodstones, we've canvased the maps in the first half of the game to ensure that there are Bloodstones to be found in the nooks and crannies.
We've also fixed an issue that was preventing the dialog that Laranda could offer about what you might find in the far southern ocean. Now added!
We've improved some of the balance in Episode 4 monsters, still working to perfect the Orcin.
The next major release will include the game's climactic ending and final dungeon. We're working toward this steadily, and in the mean time will continue to release updates with new content, added stuff and bug fixes.
v4.5.7 - 3/1/2018
- Added 11 new Bloodstones across Episode 1 and 2
- Added story dialog to Laranda's histories about the chains in the abyss
- Improved balance of monsters in Episode 4
- Fixed quest logs related to Brunehorn story arcs
- Fixed typos
Quick Patch: Republish v4.5.5
When 4.5.5 was published in the latest update, it shipped with a few small issues. We're republishing v4.5.5 with those issues fixed. Apologies for any delays, anyone who was stuck on the Tower Battlements or in the City of the Dead!
v4.5.5 - 2/16/2018
- Fixed crashes and content locks in Episode 4
- Added 16 new Bloodstones to Episode 2 in the Underforge
- Fixed longstanding bug with misreporting Nikolai's fate
- Fixed bugs status screens for Sneak & Mystic characters in late Episode 4
- Fixed map bugs
Update #107: Save 50% + Return to the Forge
To start off Lunar New Year Sale, we're launching a new update with a major boost to the Underforge. Known to be some of the most terrifying dungeons in the entire 170 dungeons of Heroes of Steel, we've sweetened the deal a little by adding 16 new Bloodstones across that lava-cracked, spider filled nightmare.
With the help of some of our awesome players, we've resolved a major longstanding bug with the Nikolai story arc and your potential return to Gholla Outlook. If you head back there, you will no longer misreport Nikolai's fate.
Thanks to all of our Heroes willing to risk life and limb in the dungeons of the Underdeep to fight for their people. If you've enjoyed Heroes of Steel, be sure to pick up our newest title, Star Traders: Frontiers which is 20% off during the sale as well!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/335620/Star_Traders_Frontiers/
v4.5.5 - 2/16/2018
- Added 16 new Bloodstones to Episode 2 in the Underforge
- Fixed longstanding bug with misreporting Nikolai's fate
- Fixed bugs status screens for Sneak & Mystic characters in late Episode 4
- Fixed map bugs
Update #106: Treasure Hunter's Dream
As heroes across the Underdeep battle their way to the final sanctuary at the foot of the glacier, we've got an exciting treasure hunter and crafter's update tonight!
We've been hearing about a few drought zones in the game where bloodstones are hard to come by. This update addresses one of those major stretches and litters 15 Bloodstones across the surface of the City of the Dead. They always said it was a city full of riches and ready for looting!
We've also made some nice improvements to performance, memory management and fixing some crashes that were intermittent with late game content and the special Talents added in Episode 4.
v4.5.3 - 1/26/2018
- Added 15 Bloodstones across the surface of the City of the Dead
- Map fixes and improvements for Episode 4 dungeons
- Improves loading performance, memory usage in big fights
- Fixes crashes with late game talents on some GPU
- Fixes memory issues when using Paladin on some maps
- Fixes issues with certain menus getting stuck after right click
- Fixed issues with rare bug effecting armor + ring crafting combos
- Fixed story bugs and typos
Update #105: Foot of the Glacier
The dangerous path leading to the Sur-Relliar Glacier and to the foot of the final confrontation has now opened. For heroes waiting in Episode 4, pick up at the hunting gate from Vrenhaulm or the track shown by the Storm Brothers, you can pick your way down to the plains of Relliar on the surface and come to the final town -- Fierhold.
We're also excited to add two of our revered Patreons to the game in this update -- the major characters of Fierhold come straight from our amazing supporters on that service who won a raffle last year. A thank you that has been a long time coming :D
In other exciting news, the shops in the final city of Fierhold are putting Moonstones and Bloodstones up for sale! If you have the gold pieces you can craft and respec to your hearts content!
v4.5.1 - 1/10/2017
- Episode 4: opened travel to the foot of the Sur-Relliar Glacier
- Episode 4: 2 new dungeons + final town
- New loot, craftable weapons and armor available in late Episode 4
- Final town shop sells Moonstones and Bloodstones
- Two long awaited Patreons appear as characters in game
- Windows: Improved Taskbar and Window Icons
- Fixed map bugs and typos
