The Aquarion Rework has changed a bit since we first announced it in June, enough to warrant a new blog post detailing all the cool, new features! We're also making the Aquarion Rework Beta available to mobile devices, so now everyone can check out all the nautical fun!
The update will move out of beta and will be released to everyone on August 15th!
So, if you're new to this rework or just want a refresher on what's changed, please join us as we detail how we're changing our fishy friends.
Now that we've gotten the Path of the Ocean out of the way, we were able to dedicate some time to updating the Aquarion, our first Special Tribe. As we've mentioned in the past, the Aquarion are fish people and were always meant to interact with the water in unique and interesting ways. Well, we believe that this rework helps them fulfill their destiny of being masters of the seas!
On the flip side, we didn't want Aquarion to be too strong on the water or too bad on land, or else the game would devolve into staring contests between those on both sides of the shore. Yes, the Aquarion have their strengths, but they also have their limits and can be outmaneuvered even on their home surf turf. Ultimately, the goal of this rework was to turn the Aquarion from "lackluster naval tribe" into "thalassic superstars" that make you think about every lake, ocean, and puddle as a brand new opportunity.
Something Smells Fishy...
The biggest change to the Aquarion is the inclusion of mermaid tails to all of their standard land units. All Aquarion units are now either solely aquatic units or amphibious, but that comes at the cost of slower movement on land and the inability to build or use Roads. You try flopping around on land with a mermaid tail!
The other big change is their terrain. Normally, all land terrain in Polytopia functions the same, but Aquarion land is now "Flooded", which allows both land and naval units to occupy the same space. Naval units will consider it "rough terrain" and it will slow them down, but it's better than nothing, right? Researching the "Waterways" tech will allow all Aquarion units to convert land tiles to "Flooded", allowing you to bring your aquatic forces right to your enemies' doorsteps.
"They can go on the water and their land functions as water, but is that it? Can they develop cities on the water?" We're glad you asked! Yes, primarily in two ways:
1. The Aquarion are able to build all land buildings on the water. Sawmills, Windmills, and etc are all valid options, so now you shouldn't be as limited in where you can place the perfect Market.
2. Unlike the other tribes, the Aquarion can reclaim their Lost Cities from the briny deep by uncovering ruins on the water. Yes, a city on the water! They function like any other city, but start at level 3 with a Wall, and all surrounding Ocean will become coastal tiles. Use these Lost Cities to bolster your forces or work as staging points as you battle for dominance of the waves. And yes, other tribes can capture and use them.
Lastly, instead of burning forests, the Aquarion can "Fertilize" flooded field tiles in the "Construction" tech, allowing crops to grow where they need them.
The Seas Aren't Safe
No rework of a Special tribe would be complete without some new and changed units, so let's go through them one by one.
Shark
In "Marine Life", the replacement tech for Sailing, Sharks are speedy, all-around melee units that excel at zooming around the waters and eating unsuspecting ships. Sharks come equipped with the "Surprise" trait, allowing them to attack without incurring retaliation attacks. Perfect ambush predators are they!
A fan favorite! Yes, don't worry, we kept the mighty Tridentions in all their glory! We did have to make some changes, though. Tridentions are no longer harassment units with Escape, but are now ranged mop-up units with Persist! We've fit them into a role that helps Aquarion deal with masses of units by giving them something more akin to a Knight. They're still amphibious and have great movement, so chucking tons of tridents is just as easy as before.
Puffers are the Aquarion's answer to the Catapult, as they quickly learned that wooden Catapults don't do very well on the water. Puffers are long-range bombardment units that not only deal damage, but can be used to flood land tiles! Blasting a unit with water is fun, but you can also target land tiles individually to flood them in expectation for a future "land" invasion.
This adorable mass of tentacles is actually one of the deadliest things you'll find on the ocean, so don't let its looks deceive you! Jellies are defensive units that will zap enemy units adjacent to them every time they move or the enemy moves next to them! You can use a Jelly or two to hold down certain chokepoints or whittle down a few enemies at once to make them easy prey for your Sharks or Tridentions.
Our old friend, the Crab, has gotten some improvements to make them a formidable opponent both in the water and out. Crabs can now "Autoflood", which means they'll flood land tiles that they walk on, making it much easier to get your mermaid-tailed forces on land. With a Movement of 2, the Escape trait, and a Defense of 5, Crabs are difficult to pin down and defeat, making them great for destroying ships, distracting enemy units, and pushing for a foothold on enemy beaches.
Lost Cities and your many new cities on the coast will need new ways to grow, and we had some ideas on how to accomplish that.
Atoll
The Atoll is a simple structure, it provides your waterborne cities to connect to each other via trade routes. Since you can't build Roads or Ports, Atolls fill the role similarly to Cymanti Mycellium - they'll automatically connect to every city within 3 tiles over water or flooded terrain. Plop 'em down and watch your cities grow!
Aqua Farms
Yes, we brought back Aqua Crops! After drifting in and out as we worked on the Path of the Ocean update, Aqua Crops and Farms found their forever home with the Aquarion! Only the Aquarion can see and interact with Aqua Crops on the water, and they can improve them with Aqua Farms in the "Aquaculture" tech. They work the same way as normal, land-based Farms, even able to provide adjacency bonuses to Windmills! 5* cost, 2 pop yields, and a reliable way to grow those water cities of yours.
If you're on Steam, follow these steps: 1. Right Click on Polytopia in the Steam sidebar, or click the gear icon on the Library page 2. Click “Properties” 3. Head to the “Betas” tab 4. Use the beta access code: polytopiabetatesters
If you’ve done these steps properly, it should look like this.
Changelog
Adjustment to the Aquarion tribe: - Start with water movement, an amphibious mermaid warrior and the ability to build any land improvement on water, but no specific tech - Terrain is Flooded by default and allows movement for both water and land units - Flooded tiles counts as rough terrain for Naval units - All land units are now amphibious - Naval units are replaced with sea creatures: - Scout ship replaced by Shark that has “Surprise” ability, 3 attack and 2 defense - Bomber replaced by Jelly that damage all nearby units - Roads are replaced by Atolls that connect to all cities within 3 tiles - Ability to flood tiles to create trade networks and waterways - Access to Aquacrop resource and Aquafarm improvement - Water ruins give you a Lost City if the placement is valid for a city - Burn forest replaced with “Fertilize” that create crop on flooded fields - Tridention get “Persist” ability instead of “Escape” and attack reduced to 2.5 - Tridention no longer has the “Fortify” ability - Puffer replaces Catapult. Same stats but can only move on water and get “Drench” ability that will flood any tile it attacks - All other tribes get “Landfill” ability by default - Ability to manually disembark naval units on bridges or wetland - Crab get “Auto Flood” ability so it floods any tile it moves to - Crabs have gotten visual improvements concerning teamcolor - Naval units are now get “water” or “amphibious” ability instead of “float” to better explain how they work (only a visual change)
Bug Fixes from Last Beta Patch: - Ports should not connect through cities - Atolls should not connect to ports, only other atolls or cities - Raychi can no longer move through cities - Area Damage from Jelly and Juggernaut is now counted as violence and will reset Pacifist task etc.
Oumaji Polysseum!
We are happy to announce another month of Polysseum! This month we are playing Oumaji!
How to join?
Open The Battle of Polytopia -> Multiplayer -> Tournaments. Once you find the tournament that suits you, click "Join".
Follow our Tournaments Hub on Challengermode and find your favourite tournaments.
Don't forget to confirm your participation 15 minutes before the tournament start. You can find more details on how to join in the FAQ.
This August
Leaderboard scoring
1st - 400 pt
2nd - 250 pt
3rd-4th - 125 pt
5-8th - 40 pt
9-16th - 10 pt
Maps
[table] [tr] [th]Week 1[/th] [th]Lakes[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 2[/th] [th]Archipelago[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 3[/th] [th]Continents[/th] [/tr] [/table] Tournament capacity Players will be split between up to 3 tournaments.
There will be a maximum of 16 players per tournament.
If there are 10 or more on the waiting list, then a new tournament will be created for them.
Players will be distributed evenly based on their check-in time. So if 16 players confirm participation and 10 are on a waiting list, it will create 2 tournaments with 13 players in each.
All of this means that if you are on a waiting list, don't go too far from your device because you might have a tournament to play.
August schedule
A reminder about Polysseum format
Daily tournaments
9 weekly tournaments - Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. 27 tournaments per month.
Up to 48 players, split into a maximum of three 16-player tournaments.
1v1 Single elimination, finals Bo3.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Tribe of the Month.
Prize pool per tournament - €10.
Monthly Leaderboard Players will be automatically placed on the leaderboard once they participate in the tournament. The top 16 players will be invited to the Monthly tournament.
Monthly Finals
August Finals - August 31st
16 players.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Prize pool - €200 and 4 spots in the Season Finals.
We are happy to announce another month of Polysseum! This month we are playing Zebasi!
How to join?
Open The Battle of Polytopia -> Multiplayer -> Tournaments. Once you find the tournament that suits you, click "Join".
Follow our Tournaments Hub on Challengermode and find your favourite tournaments.
Don't forget to confirm your participation 15 minutes before the tournament start. You can find more details on how to join in the FAQ.
This July
Leaderboard scoring
1st - 400 pt
2nd - 250 pt
3rd-4th - 125 pt
5-8th - 40 pt
9-16th - 10 pt
Maps
[table] [tr] [th]Week 1[/th] [th]Dryland[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 2[/th] [th]Continents[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 3[/th] [th]Archipegalo[/th] [/tr] [/table] Tournament capacity Players will be split between up to 3 tournaments.
There will be a maximum of 16 players per tournament.
If there are 10 or more on the waiting list, then a new tournament will be created for them.
Players will be distributed evenly based on their check-in time. So if 16 players confirm participation and 10 are on a waiting list, it will create 2 tournaments with 13 players in each.
All of this means that if you are on a waiting list, don't go too far from your device because you might have a tournament to play.
July schedule
A reminder about Polysseum format
Daily tournaments
9 weekly tournaments - Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. 27 tournaments per month.
Up to 48 players, split into a maximum of three 16-player tournaments.
1v1 Single elimination, finals Bo3.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Tribe of the Month.
Prize pool per tournament - €10.
Monthly Leaderboard Players will be automatically placed on the leaderboard once they participate in the tournament. The top 16 players will be invited to the Monthly tournament.
Monthly Finals
July Finals - July 27-28th
16 players.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Prize pool - €200 and 4 spots in the Season Finals.
The Aquarion Rework Beta Has Emerged from the Depths!
Hey Polytopians!
This year is a time of change, a time to show some much-needed love to our maritime friends, the Aquarion! In this update, we have given them tons of new toys, art, and mechanics to play with!
This is a beta, and you can expect to find bugs, glitches, and oddities. You can find instructions on how to join the beta at the bottom of this post.
So, without further ado, let's talk about the plethora of changes to our fishy friends.
20,000 Design Philosophies Under the Sea
The Path of the Ocean showed us that the game's naval mechanics needed improvement before we could work on the Aquarion - a naval-oriented tribe. But now that it's out of the way, we can do this rework!
Aquarion has always been focused on the water, which makes sense - they're fish people. So, we wanted to align them to that idea much better, blending them with the water in some very unique ways. As you'll see, we've given them new naval units, new aquatic buildings, and a totally new look to match! We want the Aquarion to be superb on the water, which is their home biome, but less effective on land. They still have ways to contest land and coastal cities, but they might have to get resourceful and understand their limits.
Let's Spin You a Nautical "Tail"
So, the first thing you probably noticed when you saw some of the promo images is that there’s now a big pink, fin-looking thing that seems to have replaced the average Aquarion’s lower torso. That, my friend, is a mermaid tail, and it represents the fact that all of the Aquarion's land units are now amphibious! Yes, you can now waltz into the open seas without issue at any time with any land unit! Of course, this flexibility comes at a cost, as their land movement is reduced, as it's really hard to walk on land or use a road when you have a fish tail where your feet would be. All Aquarion land units have been replaced with "mermaid" variants, which otherwise function identically to their land-based counterparts. And lastly, yes, we know that "mermaid" isn't a gender-neutral term (since the Square's inhabitants are genderless), but are you really going to tell the Aquarion they can't be mermaids?
To make it easier for the Aquarion, all of their land terrain has now been given a new tag - "Flooded". Flooded tiles count as both land and water, so your "land" units are unrestricted on their own home terrain and naval units can sail on them without issue. Units can also flood tiles outside of their borders, so that you can move your troops on land more effectively.
Nabbing those land cities is now a little tougher for the Aquarion, so we've given them an alternative. If you uncover a ruin on the water, instead of getting the normal bonuses, you'll get a city! Yes, a city on the water!!!!! It functions like any other city and can be captured by your opponents. Obviously, it's "on the coast" for the sake of units that can only be trained in coastal cities, like Raychi. This should give you some incentive to work your way out into the oceans as fast as possible. Note: you'll only get a city if the ruin is far enough from other cities, otherwise you will get normal ruin bonuses, and this only works for ruins on the water, but it doesn't matter if it's on the Water or Ocean.
Hic Sunt Dracones
We figured it was time to make Aquarion a bit more fun to play by giving them new naval units instead of the Scouts, Rammers, and Bombers that everyone else uses. Contrary to the name of this section, Aquarion doesn't get any dragons.
Tridentions, Amphibians, and Crabs are all effectively unchanged, so there's no point in mentioning them here.
Shark
In "Marine Life", the replacement tech for Sailing, Sharks are speedy, all-around melee units that excel at zooming around the waters and eating unsuspecting ships. Since they have Creep, they’re even able to swim through forests effortlessly (assuming they’re flooded or on the water).
These giant jellyfish are unlocked in Navigation, which still retains the ability to harvest Starfish. They're defensive units that function similarly to Juggernauts, dealing damage in a radius around them as they move. Unlike Juggernauts, enemy units that move next to them will also be damaged, so they're good for holding down an area. That even includes dealing damage when you train them!
Being fish people, the Aquarion don't get Ports anymore, but they do get one and a half new aquatic buildings instead!
Atoll
Unlocked in the new "Waterways" tech, which replaces “Roads,” the Atoll is a lot like the Cymanti's Mycelium, it will not only produce 1 Population, but will connect nearby cities over Ocean, Coast, and Flooded areas within 3 tiles. One per city, costs 5*, it can only be built on aquatic tiles.
Aqua Farm
Here's the half. As you might know, we added Aqua Farms to all tribes in the Path of the Ocean update, but removed them for feeling redundant and cluttery. Well, they're the perfect fit for Aquarion, allowing them to get population on those coastal and aquatic cities! You'll still need to place them on Aqua Crops which will spawn in the ocean. Costs 5* and provides 2 Population, and is in the "Aquaculture" tech.
How Do I Join the Beta?
Note: This beta is only available on Steam, and will not be coming to mobile devices until it is released.
If you haven’t already joined the Steam beta, it’s really easy! Just follow these steps:
1. Right Click on Polytopia in the Steam sidebar, or click the gear icon on the Library page 2. Click “Properties” 3. Head to the “Betas” tab 4. Use the beta access code: polytopiabetatesters
If you’ve done these steps properly, it should look like this.
We look forward to hearing what you think of the Aquarion rework! You’re always able to send feedback either in the comments or on our Discord!
Don't have the game on Steam? Don't fret, both the game and the Aquarion are -70% off on Steam right now, and the deal will end on June 21st.
- Terrain is Flooded and allows movement for both water and land units, but it is not possible to build roads there - All units are now amphibious - Rammer replaced by Shark - Bomber replaced by Yelly Belly that damage all nearby units - Roads are replaced by Atolls that connect to all cities within 3 tiles - Ability to flood tiles to create trade networks and waterways - Access to Aqua Crop resource and Aqua Farm improvement - Water Ruins sometimes give you a Lost City, which begins at level 3 and has a Wall - Tridention no longer has the “Fortify” ability - Crab now has “Creep” ability - Aquarion start with water movement, an amphibious mermaid warrior and the ability to build any land improvement on water, but no specific tech - Crabs have gotten graphical improvements related to teamcolor
Other Changes: - “Aquaculture” tech renamed to “Ramming”
Kickoo Polysseum!
We are happy to announce another month of Polysseum! This month we are playing Kickoo!
How to join?
Open The Battle of Polytopia -> Multiplayer -> Tournaments. Once you find the tournament that suits you, click "Join".
Follow our Tournaments Hub on Challengermode and find your favourite tournaments.
Don't forget to confirm your participation 15 minutes before the tournament start. You can find more details on how to join in the FAQ.
This June
Leaderboard scoring
1st - 400 pt
2nd - 250 pt
3rd-4th - 125 pt
5-8th - 40 pt
9-16th - 10 pt
Maps
[table] [tr] [th]Week 1[/th] [th]Continents[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 2[/th] [th]Archipegalo[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 3[/th] [th]Lakes[/th] [/tr] [/table] Tournament capacity Players will be split between up to 3 tournaments.
There will be a maximum of 16 players per tournament.
If there are 10 or more on the waiting list, then a new tournament will be created for them.
Players will be distributed evenly based on their check-in time. So if 16 players confirm participation and 10 are on a waiting list, it will create 2 tournaments with 13 players in each.
All of this means that if you are on a waiting list, don't go too far from your device because you might have a tournament to play.
June schedule
A reminder about Polysseum format
Daily tournaments
9 weekly tournaments - Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. 27 tournaments per month.
Up to 48 players, split into a maximum of three 16-player tournaments.
1v1 Single elimination, finals Bo3.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Tribe of the Month.
Prize pool per tournament - €10.
Monthly Leaderboard Players will be automatically placed on the leaderboard once they participate in the tournament. The top 16 players will be invited to the Monthly tournament.
Monthly Finals
June Finals - June 29-30th
16 players.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Prize pool - €200 and 4 spots in the Season Finals.
Fixed broken sound effects for movement in water and sword hit
Make ₼idŋighţ ∑∫ỹriȱŋ ambience sound work when taking over other climates
Fix so tribe mixing works as before again
Fix so converting units with new override-system works - no more grave riding :'-(
Added skinned sprites for the following ₼idŋighţ units:
Bomber
Rammer
Scout
Cloak/Dinghy
Pirate
Mountains are correctly skinned in tech tree
Luxidoor Polysseum!
We are happy to announce another month of Polysseum! This month we are playing Luxidoor!
How to join?
Open The Battle of Polytopia -> Multiplayer -> Tournaments. Once you find the tournament that suits you, click "Join".
Follow our Tournaments Hub on Challengermode and find your favourite tournaments.
Don't forget to confirm your participation 15 minutes before the tournament start. You can find more details on how to join in the FAQ.
This May
Leaderboard scoring
1st - 400 pt
2nd - 250 pt
3rd-4th - 125 pt
5-8th - 40 pt
9-16th - 10 pt
Maps
[table] [tr] [th]Week 1[/th] [th]Drylands[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 2[/th] [th]Archipegalo[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]Week 3[/th] [th]Continents[/th] [/tr] [/table] Tournament capacity Players will be split between up to 3 tournaments.
There will be a maximum of 16 players per tournament.
If there are 10 or more on the waiting list, then a new tournament will be created for them.
Players will be distributed evenly based on their check-in time. So if 16 players confirm participation and 10 are on a waiting list, it will create 2 tournaments with 13 players in each.
All of this means that if you are on a waiting list, don't go too far from your device because you might have a tournament to play.
May schedule
A reminder about Polysseum format
Daily tournaments
9 weekly tournaments - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. 27 tournaments per month.
Up to 48 players, split into a maximum of three 16-player tournaments.
1v1 Single elimination, finals Bo3.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Tribe of the Month.
Prize pool per tournament - €10.
Monthly Leaderboard Players will be automatically placed on the leaderboard once they participate in the tournament. The top 16 players will be invited to the Monthly tournament.
Monthly Finals
May Finals - June 1-2nd
16 players.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Prize pool - €200 and 4 spots in the Season Finals.
The special ₼idŋighţ skin for ∑∫ỹriȱŋ allows you to create graves, build crypts, and summon demons from the graves in the dark forests.
Spread darkness with the new ∑∫ỹriȱŋ ₼idŋighţ Skin in our new beta!
Among the dark, spooky forests resides the ₼idŋighţ Cult, an insidious grouping of ∑∫ỹriȱŋ that worship and draw their power from the mysterious Shard of D'Naeh. They've set their sights on transforming the Square into an endless dark forest populated by hungry Dire Wolves, corrupted Dragons, and shadowy Demons.
Instead of Polytaurs, the ₼idŋighţ Cult prefers to uncover the graves of the deceased and revive them as shadow beings known as "Demons". Building Crypts will allow you to uncover more of these grave sites in your forests.
The magic that fuels their nightmarish desires will spread to the land they conquer, functioning as an indicator of their strength.
Even the mighty Fire Dragons aren't immune to the corrupting influence of the Shard of D'Naeh, and have lent their help to spreading the darkness.
How will you use their Necromantic powers to dominate the rest of the Square?
Note: This purely cosmetic ₼idŋighţ ∑∫ỹriȱŋ Skin does not have any gameplay changes from the normal ∑∫ỹriȱŋ Special Tribe, which must be purchased separately in order to be used.
Before we can release it to everyone on April 25th, this skin will need some testing, and we'd like your help! Starting right now, you'll notice that the beta program has been updated on Android, iOS, and here on Steam. You will need to purchase the skin in order to use it, but don't worry, you'll keep it after the beta period ends.
To join the Steam beta, follow these steps:
Right-Click on Polytopia
Select "Properties"
On the popup, choose the "Betas" tab
Use the code "polytopiabetatesters" to get into the beta program!
