Welcome to the last weekend of Rend Alpha! We've just deployed the last major Alpha game update and are making preparations to transition Rend to its next development milestone: Early Access on Steam. Our testers have been crucial in getting the game ready for this moment: our sincere thanks to everyone who logged into Alpha and shared their experiences with us! Let's look ahead at Rend's Early Access launch schedule.
We will be taking all of the official Alpha servers offline on Monday, July 30 at 10:00 AM PDT (UTC-7). The official servers will be wiped of all game progress and character information and updated for Early Access. The private servers will show as online but all Rend Alpha keys will be deactivated, preventing login.
Rend Early Access will launch on Steam in all regions on Tuesday, July 31 at 10:00 AM PDT (UTC-7). Early Access (or EA) will bring dozens of official servers situated in multiple geographic locations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. While most will use the Standard game mode, some will feature Conquest mode in which there are no shields protecting the faction bases. We'll be able to scale up the number of official servers per region or game mode as needed.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/rend-early-access-launch-schedule
CohhCarnage Livestreams Rend: July 25 @ 8:00 AM EDT
Watch the very first Rend livestream live from Alpha! CohhCarnage will be exploring the world of Rend in an exclusive broadcast the day before the Alpha media embargo lifts. Starting at 8:00 AM EDT on CohhCarnage's Twitch channel, you may find some familiar Frostkeep names watching the stream and answering questions as they come up. Come join the beginning of a new adventure on a new server!
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/cohhcarnage-livestreams-rend
Alpha Media Embargo Lifts July 26
Rend Alpha continues to grow with thousands of new testers added and major content patches releasing with the new Roots of Yggdrasil biome, Ascension metaprogression system, starter area Tutorial Stones, and much more, all leading up to Rend’s Early Access launch on July 31.
We are excited to announce that the Rend Alpha media embargo will lift on Thursday, July 26 at 12:01 AM PDT (UTC-7). Those who remember our developer letter from the very start of Alpha will recall the purpose of the embargo was to facilitate press features and give our indie game the best possible chance for mainstream coverage and awareness, while also ensuring that the game looked its best with finalized visual assets and a polished game interface.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/alpha-media-embargo-lifts-july-26
Alpha Roadmap: Archetype Rebalance
Rend’s sixth Alpha roadmap feature is on the talent and skill rebalance, a sweeping review and reharmonizing of the talents of the four archetypes and perks of the adventuring, crafting, and combat skills. While abilities are tweaked and adjusted with each game update, our latest patch features revamped talent and skill trees based largely on the gameplay experiences and feedback of our Alpha testers.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/alpha-roadmap-talent-skill-rebalance
Introducing the Rend Partner Program
We are proud to announce the launch of the Rend Partner Program, our content creator engagement initiative. The program is now accepting applications and is open to both established and up-and-coming channels across a wide variety of platforms. Regardless of whether you're a livestreamer, YouTuber, fansite administrator, wiki author, guild leader, or cosplay artist, if you're a fan of the survival genre and have an interest in making Rend content then this program is for you!
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/introducing-rend-partner-program
Beasts of Rend: Festerwig
Be careful where you tread when entering festerwig territory. Though these nightmarish invertebrates spend the bulk of their time underground, they are quick to strike when an alluring new vibration reaches their den. Muculent yet muscular anatomy allows them to burst from the soil and seize suspecting travelers with their concentric sets of curved teeth, crushing victims as they are swallowed whole. Even if you manage to encounter one in the open, don’t be disarmed by its clumsy, slow crawl: these vile creatures can spew highly acidic bile at a distance, melting through armor and flesh alike.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/beasts/festerwig
Alpha Roadmap: Character Redesign
Rend’s fifth Alpha roadmap feature explores the full character redesign which goes far beyond nicer-looking models (though they certainly are). The all-new expandable character rig they're built around allows for a world of fresh customization and animation options, opening options for our designers and artists to add to Rend in exciting new ways just as the game enters Early Access.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/alpha-roadmap-character-redesign
Penny Arcade Presents Rend Livestream: July 13 @ 2PM PT
Join us live from Penny Arcade headquarters in Seattle as Jerry "Tycho" Holkins meets Frostkeep's Jeremy Wood and Jake Strapko for a livestream featuring Rend! Starting at 2:00 PM PDT on the Penny Arcade Twitch channel, the team will discuss everything from early gameplay to advanced tactics. Afterwards, we'll finish things up with a live question and answer session.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/penny-arcade-presents-rend-livestream
Rend Early Access Begins July 31
We are proud to announce that Rend will enter Early Access on Steam later this month. Beginning on Tuesday, July 31, you’ll be able to purchase Rend and join the community shaping the game along its journey to launch. We’d like to highlight our deep appreciation for our tenacious Alpha testers on their diligent and ongoing help in preparing Rend for its Early Access debut!
From Jeremy Wood, co-founder and CEO of Frostkeep Studios:
“Early access marks a pivotal moment for Frostkeep Studios. We have been developing Rend side-by-side with our players since we first announced the game and are grateful for the invaluable feedback they provided to help shape Rend into what it has become today: the game they want to play.”
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/news/article/rend-early-access-begins-july-31
Biomes of Rend: Dreadveil
Growing like a pestilent tumor on the edge of the world, Dreadveil is a labyrinthine mushroom colony pervaded by the stench of decay and mildew. Bulbous caps atop spindly stalks blot out the sun and any errant shafts of withering light are choked by an air thick with poisonous spores. And yet the true scourge here is not the fungi: silken cobwebs blanket every surface and you can’t help but feel you’re being watched by dozens of eights of eyes hiding amongst the shadows.
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Read more at https://www.rendgame.com/biomes/dreadveil
