Miners Guild: Miners have more choices when building towers but must mine the ground of the isle in the process
General
Reworded the ignition card to make it more clear it only transforms existing traps
Moved skip button for all events and made it red to avoid confusion and accidental clicks
Added Japanese translation
Balancing
Reduced gauntlet level 1 & 5 difficulty: Max lives are now lowered by 1, instead of 2
Slightly increased the size of the Merchants' starting isle
The Merchant’s coin sacks now spawn adjacent to existing tiles whenever possible
Merchants start with 1 additional bridge
Buried wisdom does not appear anymore with the Architects and Cannoneers
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug that would prevent the score display in daily mode menu from updating properly
Fixed an interaction between a few different relics and rewards that give resources when tiles are destroyed
Fixed a bug that would prevent the legacy tower from spawning and added the legacy bonus when using restart game from in-game menu
Fixed an issue that would result in accidentally clicking items in compendium when scrolling
Winter Fortress
Snowy days ahead
A blizzard has hit the isle and covered it with snow!
To celebrate winter and the end of the year, the Daily Defense will take place in a snowy visual backdrop.
This event, which does not impact gameplay, will last until early January. It requires a connection to the internet when launching the game.
Thanks for playing & happy holidays, Dan
Patch notes for December 2, 2022
Bug Fixes
Hotfix for a save game related issue
Patch notes for November 30, 2022
Introduction
Today’s patch adds Simplified Chinese localization to the game, along with a few other smaller features, improvements, and bug fixes.
Please leave a comment here, on Discord, or through email if you encounter any issues.
Thanks for playing, Dan
General
Added localization for Simplified Chinese
Added a popup with a few stats to the daily mode
Balancing
The Replication relic will not appear in daily mode anymore
Other
Increased the score counting animation speed after a game
Changed the color of the ‘start new game button’ to red to indicate it will override the existing save game
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that prevented the game from launching properly with corrupted save files
Added a missing description to the dice roll event
Fixed a bug that would submit daily mode scores from the previous day
Fixed the screen shake button not displaying properly in the options menu
Clarified the French localization for Horticulture
Patch notes for November 9, 2022
Bug fixes
Fixed a bug that would display a missing localization warning.
Patch notes for November 1, 2022
Introduction
A new guild has been added to Isle of Arrows! Pathfinders are able to bend the rules that apply to building paths but must deal with an increased amount of path tiles.
New content
Pathfinders Guild: Pathfinders are able to extend paths both ways. Adding path tiles behind a compass stone automatically moves the compass stone. Additionally, Pathfinders are allowed to cut off path tiles. A yellow highlight will warn players if they are about to do so. As a drawback, Pathfinders must deal with an increased amount of path tiles. They receive extra path tiles through the regular tile drawing mechanic.
Added 4 new daily modifiers: Isolated, Quagmire, One Hit Wonder, Double Damage
A yellow highlight warns players if they are about to cut off a path
General
High grounds now extend the range of flags
Plaza now shows its range preview correctly when placing over coins, treasure chests and other pickups
Added a door to the Fire Blast tower to better indicate its direction
Changed the location of the skip button in the Beggar event to prevent unwanted skipping
Card inventory button now closes all menus instead of going back to options
Added a small visual effect to the loop tower to indicate its clockwise motion
Balancing
Reduced ring of ruin coins from 2 to 1
Reduced additional bombs from the Detonator daily modifier to 25
Bug fixes
Fixed a bug that would prevent certain gaps in paths to be closed after destroying path tiles
Fixed a bug with gauntlet completion percentage going over 100
Fixed bug with the guild/modifier information not closing properly when hitting escape
Fixed bug with starting lives not set properly
Added a potential fix for a save file corruption bug happening during power outages
Spike trap is now visible under enemy spawn point
Fixed a visual glitch with the training missions UI
Mobile version
In other news, Isle of Arrows is releasing on mobile this Thursday, November 3. Please note that while the leaderboards are shared between platforms, Isle of Arrows does not offer cross-save or cross-play functionality. Pre-orders are now available for both iOS and Android
Thanks for playing!
I hope you enjoy this new update. As always, please leave your feedback and bug reports in the comments or on Discord.
Dan
Patch notes for October 5, 2022
Introduction
Today’s patch introduces new content specifically designed for new players. Since the release of the game, I’ve received a lot of feedback about the experience new players have in regards to the game’s complexity and difficulty. In order to improve the learning curve, a new tutorial campaign has been added: Training Grounds.
The Training Grounds is specifically designed with new players in mind
Training Grounds
A short new campaign that will act as the new tutorial for the game. Training Grounds consists of a limited set of tiles and cards from the core set which aims to reduce the complexity and difficulty for newcomers. The existing tutorial popups have been redistributed across the campaign to avoid an overwhelming amount of information upfront. Additionally, a new set of training missions help players learn the game’s core mechanics. Both Training Grounds and Archer’s Oath will be unlocked at the start of the game.
General
Towers now highlight which path tiles are inside the given tower's range. Similar to this, traps, flags, and buildings that interact with other tiles show their effect dynamically during placement
The in-game options menu and game information menu have been split into 2 different menus. Clicking the guild banner will now open a menu that shows the current guild and active game modifiers.
The unlock structure has been slightly modified: Daily Defense is now unlocked by completing Training Grounds, Gauntlet is now unlocked by completing the Archer’s Oath.
Added an option to disable clouds for people with simulation sickness and/or low end computers
Added an option to disable all keyboard inputs as a potential fix for a rare issue with camera drift
Included the subtle camera sway when turning off camera shake
Renamed Geysir tower to Geyser tower
A few encounters have their continue button renamed to skip to avoid confusion
The full version number of the game is now visible in the options menu
The new tower range dispay shows which path tiles are within reach
Balancing
Lowered content unlock requirements to wave 30 for guilds and wave 35 for campaigns
Wardens now cannot spawn before wave 25 (was 24)
Changed the poison trap’s element to nature
Removed the path tile from the epic (purple) ice trap card
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug with the German localization for Hall of Flames
Fixed a wrong translation for the French localization of the Moat achievement
Fixed a issue that would sometimes show the wrong ground graphics when placing tiles
Fixed a bug with Toxic Leaf that made it apply to an additional enemy each wave
Fixed a bug that would not update Geyser towers after choosing the Dehydration bonus card
Fixed a graphical glitch that would make grass blades stick through dig sites and other tile modifiers
Patch notes for September 22, 2022
Introduction
Today's update further focuses on gameplay balance, bug fixes, and quality of life improvements.
A few balancing changes have been made to the Merchant's guild. These changes should help remove some of the variance, but I want to have a more in depth look at the guild in the future to make it less dependant on starting luck.
The update also adds a few more keybindings, as these have been requested frequently by Steam Deck players. Eventually, I'd like to implement proper key mapping support.
Thanks for playing and please leave a comment or join the Discord if you have any feedback!
Patch notes
General
Added the targeting priority for all towers in their tooltips
Added explicit stat percentages and damage numbers to a bonus cards and tiles
Made the fast forward toggle persistent across games
Slightly changed the wording on the Imitation bonus card to make it clear that it only works with groups of exactly 3 towers
Increased Daily Defense leaderboard size by 20 entries
Added a few more key bindings: Place tile (enter), next tile (n), start next wave (v). These were requested for remapping by Steam Deck users and will be replaced with proper key mapping support in the future.
Towers now always show their targeting priority
Balance
Merchants start each game with a bag of coins already on the isle, maximum number of bags allowed on the isle raised to 10 (was 6)
Merchants starting coins increased by 1
Slightly tweaked the Merchants starting isle to avoid unfair and frustrating setups
Slightly adjusted the number of enemies spawning in the Arboretum and Burning Embers campaigns
Removed the treasure chest from the Cannoneers' random events to avoid nearly unreachable treasures outside the isle
Legacy tower attack cooldown reduced from 1 second to 0.75 seconds
Ice trap slow debuff duration increased from 1.2 seconds to 1.4 seconds
Lowered inferno stone damage buff from 0.3 to 0.25
Moat tower now targets the enemy with the most health
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that would prevent the Toxic Leaf bonus card from working as intended
Fixed a bug with the Ignition bonus card that prevented fire traps from activating immediately
Fixed a mistake with the French localization of the Overflow bonus card
Patch notes for September 15, 2022
Introduction
Thanks everyone for playing Isle of Arrows and submitting your feedback and bug reports. The reviews, messages, and comments have been very helpful! Exactly a week has passed since the release of the game and while I'm still a bit overwhelmed trying to catch up to all the messages, I thought I'd give a quick update on the continued development of the game.
Besides bug fixes and minor improvements, I want to focus work on two major points for the time being:
Improving the experience for new players and reducing overall friction and frustration caused by balance and RNG
Planning out the future of the game and how to expand it going forward
Today’s patch focuses on bug fixes and some rebalancing of the early game content to make the game's difficulty curve less steep. As a next step for balancing, I will be looking at mid and late game content.
Patch notes
General
Fast forward mode is now always available, even to players that have not yet finished the first campaign
Balancing
Lowered the overall difficulty of the Archer’s Oath campaign by slightly reducing the number of enemies that spawn
Rearranged some of the unlocks of the Archer’s Oath campaign. A few powerful cards have been moved to unlock earlier in the progression
Founder’s Guild starting resources increased by 1 each
Treasure chest rewards have been slightly increased and now grant one of the following items: bonus cards, 3 bombs, 4 bridges, or 5 coins
Brutes and Executioners now won’t spawn before wave 15 and 18 respectively
Removed number of water tiles attached to the Sniper Tower by 1
Dehydrate now always rounds up in case of an odd number of water tiles
Bug fixes
Fixed a bug that would soft lock the game when getting a tower from the magic wheel without having room to place it
Fixed a bug that would mess up a tile’s orientation when quickly rotating it
Removed Masterplan from the Cannoneers’ pool of bonus cards and clarified its wording
Fixed a localization issue that would show broken UI when clicking on a crystal while playing as the Cannoneers
Fixed a bug that allowed arched paths to be built over crystals
Reworked the wording on the Cannoneers guild to explain the absence of flags
Added a potential fix for an issue that can corrupt save files when a power outage occurs
5 things to know before starting Isle of Arrows
Message from the dev:
Thanks for checking out Isle of Arrows! This post aims to showcase some of the features of the game and give details on a few gameplay mechanics.
I hope this also helps you decide if Isle of Arrows is a game for you or not.
So here are 5 tips that help you getting started with Isle of Arrows:
1. Tower Defense With a Twist
Isle of Arrows combines Tower Defense with tile placement mechanics, often seen board games. This adds near endless replayability, but also makes the game different from most other Tower Defense games.
Unlike many other Tower Defense games, Isle of Arrows focuses on the strategic placement of tiles, rather than managing/upgrading individual towers. Each tile has a different effect: towers attack the invaders. Roads build out the path the enemies walk on. Flags extend the isle, giving you more space to build. Gardens reward you with coins. Taverns boost all adjacent archery towers. And so on.
Tiles can be placed anywhere on the isle, as long as they are adjacent to existing tiles. Consider the position and rotation of each tile carefully!
2. RNG & Tile Distribution
Every tower, building, trap, and road is drawn from a random stack of tiles. You don’t have control over the order and type of tiles that are drawn, but the randomization guarantees a certain amount of each type, to keep things fair and balanced.
You always see what tile is coming up next, which helps you plan ahead. Spending 2 coins allows you to skip a tile you might have no use for. To beat all waves and reach the top of the leaderboard, strategic thinking, RNG mitigation, and min-maxing are required!
Each type of tile is guaranteed to be drawn after a certain amount of tiles have passed. If you haven’t seen a flag tile in a while, one is just about to show up!
3. Tower Upgrades
Tower upgrades and improvements are not bought with in-game currency, but are acquired through bonus cards, relics, and upgrade buildings, such as the tavern.
Some buildings improve the damage of adjacent towers, others change their targeting priorities.
4. Fast Forward
Once you’ve completed the first Campaign of the game, you unlock the fast forward button, which allows you to speed up the enemy waves.
Make use of the fast forward button, but don't rush when placing tiles!
5. Know Your Enemy
The composition of enemy waves is different in each playthrough. The red circle above the enemy spawn point shows the amount of enemies that will attack. Clicking the circle brings up a detailed view that shows the exact types and amount of enemies of the next wave.
As the game progresses, stronger enemies will spawn. Some enemies have special abilities and behaviours
