[p]Today I’m excited to dive into the balance and QoL changes we’ve been cooking up.[/p][p]Let’s start with the topic you’ve asked about all year.[/p][p][/p]
Balance
[p]The entire balance sheet has been rebuilt.[/p]
[p]The 80 % difficulty tier is gone.[/p]
[p]The gaps between 100 %, 150 %, and 200 % are now much sharper—you’ll feel every step.[/p]
[p][/p]
Enemies
[p]We rewired nearly every system that controls enemy spawns.[/p][p]Early-run behaviour:[/p][p]100% - Only specific enemy types and a limited set of Elites can appear at the start. The mix heats up with each loop.[/p][p]200% - Almost the full Elite roster and enemy pool are available from the very first second.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/9a9fe7b4978c373c5c34b8bcadfc4bccec72333e.gif"][/p][p][/p]
Sirens
[p]Loop 1 is mostly unchanged.[/p]
[p]Deeper runs raise the chance that Sirens spawn in packs of 2-3 (some may be Elite). Higher difficulty brings this forward.[/p]
[p]From Loop 2 onward, Rampants spawn alongside Sirens, scaling with difficulty and run length.[/p]
[p]Shield Generators – every enemy spawns with a shield that must be broken before you can damage health.[/p]
[p]Immortal Pursuit – each player is hunted by their own Immortal. Immortals die only under specific conditions or with certain artefacts; if they hit you, it’s a one-shot. Ouch.[/p]
[p]These join the existing pool, so up to 3-4 events can now trigger simultaneously in late-game normal runs. Mind-blowing chaos.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/dc14e9a4e26d214729e3acdb2e2b52cc3846e759.gif"][/p][p][/p]
Artefacts
[p]Some artefacts were rebuilt from scratch, others tweaked. Individually small, collectively run-shaping.[/p][p]For example:[/p]
[p]Fractal now saves you from death once, then shatters. A spent Fractal can be smelted at the forge for 10 Scrap.[/p]
[p]Enter the Triad of Fractal: assemble it and Fractal gains unlimited uses.[/p]
[p]Unlocking an achievement now instantly unlocks the artefacts linked to it.[/p]
[p]To preserve drop-pool control, ban slots jump from 4 → 10.[/p]
Quality of Life Highlights
[p]Hosts no longer disconnect from their own runs (ancient bug, finally gone).[/p]
[p]Gatekeeper skill descriptions and evolutions rewritten: unified format, key stats up front, readability way up.[/p]
[p]Quiet Bay remade—smaller, flatter, faster.[/p]
[p]Added Merchant’s Altar: trade Omni-Stones for Prisms when you’re just short of an artefact.[/p]
[p]You can shove small enemies by walking into them (push strength scales with enemy size).[/p]
[p]UI overhauled: cleaner visuals, far better controller navigation.[/p]
[p]Optional crosshair backdrop for bright arenas and dense fights.[/p]
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/047d4177a4f78c4bb4f12bdb8751c4decc499e6f.gif"][/p][p]Plus a pile of other tweaks we’ll keep secret for launch.[/p][p]That’s all for today—thanks for the continuous feedback and ideas.[/p][p]Playtest details land in the next few days.[/p][p][/p][p]Until then…[/p][p]See you in the Throne Room. — Gravity Lagoon[/p][p][/p]
[p]We’re kicking off a brand new devblog series about the upcoming update for Gatekeeper, titled “The Nowhere Throne” — aka version 1.0.[/p][p]There’s a lot to talk about (and we do mean a lot), but as tradition demands, we’re starting with what matters most — the new Gatekeeper.[/p][p][/p]
Aegis
[p]Aegis commanded the Order of the Delta Guardians — a force that covered the retreat of allied troops. On the day the Void Empire broke through the defenses, Lord Crustad cast him into a crystal well — the heart of an arcana mine.[/p][p]Arcana did not let the body disappear. Shards grew through his armor, preserved the flesh, and dragged his mind into the Nowhere. There, the Creators offered him a place among the Gatekeepers. He accepted.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/41566e80d0e290dc109cce62bf766069b0473449.gif"][TAG-30][/p][p][/p]
Abilities
Splinter
[p]Fires a crystal shard from one hand that pierces up to 3 enemies.[/p]
[p]Evo 1: Each enemy pierced increases the shard's damage.[/p]
[p]Evo 2: The shard explodes on destruction, dealing AoE damage.[/p]
[p]Evo 3: Two extra shards spawn at the first hit location.[/p]
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/2961271dac16da62f34804efca41865e1ebf0543.gif"][/p][p]A simple but brutally effective skill — especially against groups.[/p][p] [/p]
Deploy Glyphon
[p]Places a stationary Glyphon at a targeted location. Only one can be active at a time — placing a new one replaces the old.[/p]
[p]Evo 1: Max active Glyphons +1[/p]
[p]Evo 2: Max active Glyphons +1[/p]
[p]Evo 3: Glyphons gain access to Aegis’s artifacts.[/p]
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/44bebdec3efd7d258002569547241704f0ef3eb2.gif"][/p][p]Yes — Aegis can summon up to three Glyphons, and each one can use your artifacts. How cool is that?[/p][p] [/p]
Spectra
[p]Leaves behind a Spectra and enters a phase state. The state ends if you take any action other than movement, or when the timer runs out. The Spectra vanishes once Aegis reappears.[/p]
[p]Evo 1: Creates a pulling pulse at the activation point.[/p]
[p]Evo 2: Explodes when the Spectra is destroyed.[/p]
[p]Evo 3: Creates a weakening cloud on death.[/p]
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/53df79751c90470b088aa92d68adae5eed641861.gif"][/p][p]Low on HP? Drop a decoy, phase through enemies, and flank from the side. Profit.[/p][p] [/p]
Ascension
[p]Activates Ascension for Aegis and all active Glyphons.[/p][p]While Ascended, Aegis fires from both hands with enhanced Splinters. Consumes all available charges — increasing fire rate and shard size, but slowing Aegis down.[/p]
[p]Evo 1: Kills replenish the Ascension meter.[/p]
[p]Evo 2: Shards pierce unlimited enemies.[/p]
[p]Evo 3: Each hand fires two shards at once.[/p]
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/3304989b763a5df0d16cff914b8945c0cc48e95f.gif"][/p][p]This is, without exaggeration, our most over-the-top ability yet. Press one button — turn the battlefield into a crater.[/p][p][/p]
Link Field (Passive)
[p]Nice and simple — while Aegis stands near a Glyphon, it absorbs part of the damage he takes.[/p][p][/p][p]I’ve played a lot with Aegis, and as of now — he’s my favorite Gatekeeper. His kit feels really fresh for Gatekeeper, and I think many of you will love the playstyle.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/42755050/79f484a7feb3faa8057126372e403749a5af87ab.gif"][/p][p]Charging into a horde with 4 Ascension charges active, Glyphons blasting, shards flying — yeah, it’s definitely a “wow” moment.[/p][p] [/p][p]That’s all for today — but the next devblog is already cooking. We’ll be diving into tons of QoL improvements and balance changes, so if brutal tweaks and spicy balance changes are your thing… stay tuned.[/p][p]Next post drops in two weeks.[/p][p]Until then...[/p][p][/p][p]See you in the Throne Room[/p][p]— Gravity Lagoon [/p][p][/p]
Today we’re bringing you two big updates: a brand-new trailer, and — deep breath — the official release date!
The 1.0 version is packed with new content — and we’ll be sharing the details step by step over the next couple of months. So make sure to follow us on Steam so you don’t miss anything ;)
A bit more about Aegis
Aegis is a heavy-hitting ranged Gatekeeper with slow but powerful shots that pierce multiple enemies. He can deploy arcane turrets that copy his damage, shift into a ghostly form to avoid danger, and enter an enhanced state to unleash rapid dual attacks. Perfect for players who like methodical control, high burst damage, and battlefield dominance.
We’ll cover his abilities in more detail in a dedicated dev blog.
We’re also happy to announce that the Steam page has been updated!
We’ve refreshed the main header image, added new screenshots, and replaced the old descriptions with updated text and GIFs.
We hope you enjoyed the trailer and are just as hyped for 1.0 as we are :) (We may or may not have rewatched it a hundred times already)
Stay tuned — we’ll be announcing beta testing for the release version very soon. If you want early access, don’t miss it!
• Completely redesigned visuals. • Every 5 rounds, players gain access to the Obelisk of Curse, Forge, and Emporium. • When all enemies in the current wave are defeated, the Hourglass timer speeds up, reducing downtime before the next wave. • Numerous balance adjustments and minor tweaks.
New Chat Notifications
• Artifact picked up by a player. • Objective activated by a player. • A player rejoining the run. • Siren defeated. • Arrival at a new location (with its name).
New Location
• Well of Souls on Purgatory-17
Changes
• Drudge (Halfmetal Head) now stands still for less time after spawning. • The Emporium is once again accessible from the main menu and can also be opened from the lobby. • Having Umbra in your inventory now increases the chance of spawning on Elden Tree. • The primary crosshair has been updated — it’s now larger and includes a shadow for better visibility. • Gatekeeper skill icons have been updated (white outlines removed). • Upon activating a Conflict Altar, a popup now shows how many prisms players will receive upon completion. • The prism reward gradually decreases after activation.
Revive System Overhaul
• A visible interaction area is now drawn around a teammate’s tombstone. • Multiple players reviving a teammate now speeds up the process. • The spectator camera now switches to the teammate performing the revive. • Revive progress bar UI has been redesigned for better readability. • The progress bar is now also visible to spectators. • New revive sound effect plays for both the reviver and the revived at the start of the interaction.
End-of-Run Stats
• Fully redesigned stat screen UI. • You can now view your teammates’ stats. • A score system has been added, calculating points from various stat categories and showing each player’s final total. • New tracked stats include: • Loops completed • Elites defeated • Highest single hit • Damage dealt to Sirens • Triads created • Conflict Altars completed • Total artifacts obtained
Fixes
• Smelting Momentum in the Forge could freeze the game. • Colossus pillars didn’t deal damage while sliding. • Entering Quorium with Ghostwalk active caused Mediator to be slowed on the next location. • Flow Bend from elite Quantum wasn’t applying status effects like Burn or Bleed. • Nidum’s Circular skill evolution (second stage) was not working. • Newly spawned Gatekeepers could sometimes be invisible to teammates. • Gatekeeper spawn particles were not visible to teammates. • Enemy difficulty on Arena did not scale properly with player count. • Mediator’s Pain Conduit skill didn’t heal if Leech artifact was equipped. • Chaos Ward objectives spawned fewer enemies than other objectives in late game. • Toxic enemy could randomly freeze in place for long periods. • Momentum artifact miscalculated cooldown for charge resets. • Drudge (Halfmetal Head) didn’t receive any status effects from Elite enemies. • Clients couldn’t pick up Halfmetal Head in the cave on Broods Crest if the Host already had a max number of Halfmetal Head artifacts. • Sometimes Drudge (Halfmetal Head) wouldn’t show up for a player if several others already had it. • Lots of minor fixes and polish.
• Game could remain stuck on an infinite loading screen if unfocused during a loading screen. • Exiting to the Main Menu through the pause menu could cause an infinite loading screen. • Wanderer was missing attack effects. • Enemies could sometimes stop moving completely after being stunned.
New Additions
• Artifact chest for Tech Hunter now has an indicator on the minimap. • Bastion’s passive ability, Rising Fury, now grants a 50% damage bonus per elite enemy within range.
Changes & Adjustments
• Stun status effect description in the database now explicitly mentions elite enemies. • Exalted Elites now heal Sirens by 2% per second.
Update v.0.9.0.07
Changes & Improvements
• Artifact descriptions now display the current bonus and how much it will increase on the next stack. • Chaos Ward paths have been slightly elevated above the ground to prevent clipping with terrain and the environment. • Inferna’s spiked projectiles now emit a glow, making them easier to spot against dark backgrounds. • Unlockable achievements for Gatekeepers are now listed in the pause menu’s achievement section. • Drudge (Halfmetal Head) outline color changed from yellow to green. • Soothe Stone no longer has collision. • Controller hints added in the lobby to make switching between Gatekeepers easier. • Gnash, Cave Creeper, Mourn, and Caldeon have been slightly reduced in size.
Balance Adjustments
• Slightly reduced enemy HP scaling per level. • Lowered base HP values for Sirens. • Certain elite traits have been disabled for Sirens. • Inferna’s spiked projectile damage has been reduced. • Spawn rates for Quake and Inferna have been lowered. • Elite status no longer increases Sirens’ HP. • Opaline Elite’s shield now has lower values and takes longer to regenerate. • Enemy count on Palium reduced. • Slightly reduced enemy spawns during Chaos Ward missions.
New Location
• The Conflux Hall on Celestium
Bug Fixes
• Flicker from Astral Elites was sometimes invisible on Gatekeepers. • Colossus could infinitely spawn in Arena rounds 14-15. • Aeonic Elites could permanently disable skills under certain conditions. • Umbra was incorrectly included in database percentage calculations. • Inability to scroll certain lists when using a gamepad. • Multiple players could sometimes pick up the same Catalyst from the pedestal at Altar of the Awakened. • When carrying a large number of artifacts, the artifact list would overflow in the pause menu. • The console for freeing Void Model could be highlighted even if the player didn’t have the Umbra artifact. • The Triple Seal achievement could sometimes be obtained without having three Triads in the inventory. • Localization issues in several languages. • The Duality Sigil debuff could remain permanently after a Gatekeeper’s death. • Drudge (Halfmetal Head) was incorrectly dealing damage to other players in co-op. • The second and third evolutions of Valiant Charge (Bastion) were not working. • Missing button sounds in the online mode selection window. • Incorrect Duality Sigil values in Mediator’s artifact descriptions. • Completing a mission could sometimes spawn an excessively large enemy wave. • Typing in chat while in the lobby could switch selected characters. • Aim sensitivity on controllers could be set to 0 (minimum is now 0.1). • Various menu navigation issues when using a controller. • A Gatekeeper could take damage if their Drudge (Halfmetal Head) stepped into a Cursed Shard area. • Pressing “Main Menu” in the pause menu could cause the game to completely freeze. • Players who respawned with chat open could lose control of their character. • Void Model in Fade didn’t go through enemies. • Triad of Devastation didn’t work.
Greetings, Gatekeepers! We’re happy to announce that Children of Tarra is finally out. We hope you enjoy Palium and all it has to offer. Let us know what you think!
Aurora got a new location, and more locations are coming to the other planets very soon as well
Quality of Life Changes
• Enemy Strength Indicator added. • The selected difficulty level is now displayed on the gameplay UI. • Emporium has been moved to Quiet Bay, allowing players to unlock new artifacts mid-run. • Artifact Ban System in the Emporium. Players can now block a limited number of artifacts from appearing in Obelisks during a run. Each ban costs 5 Omni Stones. • Enemy level scaling has been revamped for a smoother and fairer difficulty curve. • Artifact descriptions have been fully redesigned for better readability. • Singleplayer mode added to the network menu, allowing offline play. • Paths from Chaos Wards to their areas are now shown as moving dashed lines, making navigation easier. • Sprint can now be triggered immediately after attacking (previously had a short delay). • Cursed Artifact descriptions for Mediator now display both old and new values for better clarity of the passive ability.
Mechanics Changes
• Certain artifact stats now scale logarithmically for improved balance. • Bleed effect reworked. Damage is now dealt once per damage tick, regardless of the number of Bleed stacks. Tick frequency depends on the Gatekeeper’s attack speed. • No more elemental damage bonuses from Bleeding, but overall damage has been increased. • Tech Hunter’s first skill evolution now applies Bleed with a 15% chance instead of guaranteed. • Final damage calculations have been improved, accounting for various buffs and debuffs on both Gatekeepers and enemies. • Gatekeepers can now be affected by Burn and Bleed (yes, it’s going to hurt). • Powered enemies (with green outlines) have been removed and replaced by Elite enemies. • Kettlebell artifact now has a stronger knock-back • Drones no longer spawn in the Quiet Bay.
Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements
• Fixed: Sirens and Rampants on the Arena could reach excessively high HP values. • Fixed: Players could sometimes get stuck on an infinite loading screen when entering a location. • Fixed: A large number of reconnect-related issues that could occur when a player rejoined a run. • Fixed: Audio overloads and distortions caused by extremely high enemy counts. • Fixed: Changing graphics presets too drastically could sometimes cause the game to freeze or even crash. • Save System Overhaul: Previously, if a computer lost power unexpectedly during gameplay, save files could become corrupted. Now, the game automatically creates a backup of the save file. If the main save gets corrupted, data will be restored from the backup. • A lot of work has been done on optimizing code and graphics, and we ain’t stopping anytime soon :)
When picking up Catalyst from the pedestal at Altar of the Awakened, the artifact count in the pop-up was miscalculated.
When picking up Halfmetal Head in the lab at Brood’s Crest, the artifact count in the pop-up was miscalculated.
Gatekeepers could get stuck on stairs in Elden Tree.
Inferna was not displayed as a Rampant on the minimap.
Incorrect burn damage calculation for Inferna.
The Aeonic Elite ability that disables Gatekeeper cooldowns could sometimes persist after the Aeonic enemy's death.
Under certain conditions, a Gatekeeper could get stuck in an animation, preventing the use of any skills.
Opaline Elite’s HP bar sometimes did not appear when taking damage.
Incorrect elite kill count for the Elite Hunter achievement.
The Tested By Time achievement was not always obtainable.
The Three Times Fooled achievement could be obtained by opening empty chests across different locations.
Nidum’s Circular skill had no impact sound.
Bastion’s Roar skill sound did not sync with the effect.
Increasing the area of Pandora’s Lightning Conductor skill actually resulted in a smaller damage radius.
Under certain conditions, Mediator could continue using Cranium Scatter while in Ghostwalk.
Umbra was present in the database.
Duality Sigil retained its damage reduction effect when destroyed in the Forge.
Attacking the Dummy on Delta could cause the game to crash due to excessive effects (especially when playing as Mediator).
Multiple players could pick up Halfmetal Head simultaneously in the lab at Brood’s Crest.
Light from lamps on Delta could flicker at certain angles.
Void Model lacked a gold outline when Supporter Pack was enabled.
Changes
Legends Never Die achievement has been updated: Now, you must defeat an Elite Rampant to obtain it.
Gnash’s shield now equals 50% of its max HP (previously, it was based on its current HP at the moment of casting).
Adjustments to the balance of Elite enemies.
Reduced the push force applied to Gatekeepers by enemies.
Additions
Elite status descriptions have been added to the database.
Children of Tarra Beta
Greetings Gatekeepers, The CoT beta is live! If you’d like to hop in keep in mind the following:
To access the beta go to Steam, Select Gatekeeper, Manage>Properties>Betas> select “children-of-tarra-beta”.
Please note, if you switch from the beta branch back to the main one you’ll lose your saves! We recommend staying in beta until the full release of the CoT update. Then your saves will be fine when switching.
New Content
• 1 New Gatekeeper • 1 New Planet with 3 unique locations • 1 New Location for Aurora (with 3 more coming post-beta for the other planets) • 8 New Enemies • 8 Elite Enemy Types • 14 New Artifacts: • 6 Modifiers • 4 Structure Changes • 2 Cursed Signatures • 1 Amulet • 1 Rune of Creation
Quality of Life Changes
• Enemy Strength Indicator added. • The selected difficulty level is now displayed on the gameplay UI. • Emporium has been moved to Quiet Bay, allowing players to unlock new artifacts mid-run. • Artifact Ban System in the Emporium. Players can now block a limited number of artifacts from appearing in Obelisks during a run. Each ban costs 5 Omni Stones. • Enemy level scaling has been revamped for a smoother and fairer difficulty curve. • Artifact descriptions have been fully redesigned for better readability. • Singleplayer mode added to the network menu, allowing offline play. • Paths from Chaos Wards to their areas are now shown as moving dashed lines, making navigation easier. • Sprint can now be triggered immediately after attacking (previously had a short delay). • Cursed Artifact descriptions for Mediator now display both old and new values for better clarity of the passive ability.
Mechanics Changes
• Certain artifact stats now scale logarithmically for improved balance. • Bleed effect reworked. Damage is now dealt once per damage tick, regardless of the number of Bleed stacks. Tick frequency depends on the Gatekeeper’s attack speed. • No more elemental damage bonuses from Bleeding, but overall damage has been increased. • Tech Hunter’s first skill evolution now applies Bleed with a 15% chance instead of guaranteed. • Final damage calculations have been improved, accounting for various buffs and debuffs on both Gatekeepers and enemies. • Gatekeepers can now be affected by Burn and Bleed (yes, it’s going to hurt). • Powered enemies (with green outlines) have been removed and replaced by Elite enemies. • Kettlebell artifact now has a stronger knock-back • Drones no longer spawn in the Quiet Bay.
