Monster Train News

**UPDATE** The stream time/date has changed. See below.

In just 8 days Monster Train will add official support for mods via Steam Workshop in the Herzal's Workshop update. As you might already have seen during our weekly streams, Mark from Shiny Shoe has been playing mods, creating mods for Monster Train live, showing off official developer example mods, and has even shared a few Halloween surprises. On October 16th at 10 am Pacific we will have community modder Chronometrics on the stream to show you how to create your own custom Monster Train card and answer any questions on the process. Follow here and watch.



On October 22nd at launch, we will have several mods available made by the development team and the community and we look forward to seeing where creativity takes you if you decide to make your own mod. As a modder, you can really change or add almost anything you like to the game, from quality of life improvements like the “restart battle button" to a whole new clan! We can’t wait to see what you think of the mods waiting for you in the Steam Workshop. But even if you’re focused on just enjoying the new content, we look forward to seeing the possibilities for new cards, monsters, cosmetic and game-changing benefits for all players.

Halloween is fast approaching and to celebrate Monster Train will feature festive decorations plus something incredibly special you’ve all been begging for. The card Bone Dog’s Favor is one of the most sought after in the game because the chances of it appearing are low. Now, we’ve slightly increased the appearance rate of the event permanently AND because he’s a Very Good Boy, Bone Dog gets his own standalone event. For a limited time, his chances of coming home with you significantly increase during the Halloween celebration. Drop-in and get your ultimate Pyre-restoring buddy during your run to really show Seraph who is boss.

When mod support goes live we will publish some documentation that explains the process to help you get started making your own mod.

Want to stay in touch?

Join us on Discord Subscribe to our subreddit Watch our developer streams on Twitch

September 17, 2020
1.2.6 (10470)

This is a small update primarily focused on bug fixes and a few balance changes.

1. GAMEPLAY - Trample can now be added to a unit that already has Trample. It doesn't do anything but it's a consistency improvement.
   
2. GAMEPLAY - no longer open the deck UI if you cast Molded with no possible targets.
   
3. GAMEPLAY - Molluscmage is now Common.
   
4. GAMEPLAY - Titanstooth is now Uncommon.
   
5. GAMEPLAY - Solgard's Titanchannel now has increased stats, 35->40 at level 1, 75->90 at level2 with an increased Shard requirement of 9->12, and 175->210 with an increased requirement of 12->15. The goal of these changes is to both increase the overall power level and also make the need to focus on casting many spells more prominent as you level up with path.
   
6. GAMEPLAY - Little Fade's Fire Light path now adds +5 max health at all levels instead of the lower scaling amounts previously.
   
7. GAMEPLAY - Little Fade's Eternal Flame at all levels now gives increased attack. Level 1 is 20->25, level 2 is 60->70, level 3 is 120->140.
   
8. GAMEPLAY - Flicker's Liquor now ignores unplayable cards like Deadweight.
   
9. TEXT - updated Cardless tooltip to mention Eaten pile.
   
10. TEXT - improved Melee Weakness Seraph description.
    
11. TEXT - changed description of Razorsharp Edge and Offering Monument to refer to max health specifically (again) to try to eliminate frequent confusion about how they behave.
    
12. TEXT - changed description of Advanced Prototype to try to clarify that it doesn't work on Cardless units. Edge case that comes up with Hivemind and Commemorative Spike.
    
13. TEXT - improved consistency in Portuguese.
    
14. ART - updated one of the Darkshard portraits in battle intro to look more unique like it does in battle.
    
15. ART - updated Primordium's face in clan select to improve visual quality.
    
16. BUG FIX - fixed an issue with Hope for Peace and duplicating Purge cards that could result in Purge coming back.
    
17. BUG FIX - fixed preview issue with Phased units.
    
18. BUG FIX - fixed Sting art missing if you have Wyldenten as your champion via the mutator that selects a non-class champion and then you go the Sting path. This change fixed some other similar issues as well.
    
19. BUG FIX - ensure Looming Darkshard's cost increase is applied in order with effects such as Split Anvil.
    
20. BUG FIX - improve interaction between Wickless Recruitment and Fade's First Blade.
    
21. BUG FIX - fixed a bunch of Hivemind issues introduced in the new content in the Friends & Foes update.
    
22. BUG FIX - fixed wrong bosses being shown in run history for runs before the Friends & Foes update.
    
23. BUG FIX - fixed softlock when using Yeetpocalypse with a deck with no more cards to purge.
    
24. BUG FIX - sped up Little Fade's VFX so they fade out faster on death.
    
25. BUG FIX - fixed interaction with Little Fade's Icarus path and the Highly Reactive mutator.
    
26. BUG FIX - Solgard's Coldchannel path with Cuttlebeard does not apply Revenge if Solgard has 0 Shard.
    
27. BUG FIX - fixed an issue where opening the Logbook with certain timing could prevent artifact effects from occurring in battle, including Covenant effects.
    
28. BUG FIX - Acid Rain can no longer hit Phased units.
    
29. BUG FIX - fixed issue where some cards didn't trigger Moth Magic correctly.
    

This second major update for Monster Train adds new champions, new bosses, new cards, and new artifacts, which combine together to add a significant amount of new strategic options and replayability. We’ve also added a number of frequently requested player features like a personal run records page in the Logbook, an enemy wave counter in battle, and a preview of the ring 3 and ring 6 bosses at the start of a run.



Five new “Exiled” Champions, one from each of the monster clans. The new Champions have new mechanics, come with their own new starter card, and add additional layers of strategic depth and replayability.



Two new bosses at the 3rd and 6th ring of Hell, each with three variations. Talos and Archus join the fight as alternative options to Daedalus and Fel. These new bosses have brand new combat mechanics and increase run variety.



A new final boss variant - Seraph the Patient. This version of Seraph uses a new gameplay trigger, Rally, and applies Melee Weakness to your units.



Five new artifacts, one from each of the monster clans. Each adds new ways to gain power and synergize with clan mechanics.



Personal run records are now available for viewing the Logbook. Track your improvement over time and compare with friends!



Join us for a series of launch day streams on September 3rd, 2020! You can view them right here on Steam or on Twitch.

The schedule is:





You can find us on our official Discord, official subreddit, and on Twitch.



Major New Features:

1. NEW CHAMPION - Shardtail Queen from the Hellhorned clan. Her starter card is the Queen’s Impling.
   
2. NEW CHAMPION - Wyldenten from the Awoken clan. His starter card is Rootseeds.
   
3. NEW CHAMPION - Solgard the Martyr from the Stygian Guard clan. His starter card is Forgone Power.
   
4. NEW CHAMPION - Primordium from the Umbra clan. Its starter card is Plink.
   
5. NEW CHAMPION - Little Fade from the Melting Remnant clan. Her starter card is Primitive Mold.
   
6. NEW BOSS - Talos, the Architect at the third ring of Hell. She attacks before the Relentless phase and her strikes give her benefits.
   
7. NEW BOSS - Archus, Darkness Incarnate at the sixth ring of Hell. He summons Darkshards, a new type of unit that you must counterplay to survive.
   
8. NEW BOSS - Seraph the Patient. A new Seraph variant that both attacks before the Relentless phase and applies Melee Weakness, a new status effect that increases combat vulnerability.
   
9. NEW ARTIFACTS - one new artifact per clan: Queen's Tail, Emblem of the Exiles, Kinstone Totem, Shadowbox, Fade's First Blade.
   
10. PERSONAL RECORDS - in the Logbook you can now view your personal run records.
    
11. NEW EXPERT CHALLENGES - 5 more Expert Challenges for players who have completed Covenant 25.
    

General Gameplay Changes:

1. New keyword: Phased. Phased units cannot attack, cannot be targeted, and cannot take damage in any way.
   
2. New keyword: Attuned. Spell cards with Attuned benefit from Magic Power at 5x the rate as normal. The goal is to increase late-game viability of certain cards.
   
3. New keyword: Melee Weakness. When applied a unit takes more damage from normal combat.
   
4. New trigger: Rally. Triggers when you play a unit card on this floor. Morsels do not trigger Rally.
   
5. Action trigger (previously called “On Turn”) is now used on some new player units. Triggers on the unit's turn, before it attacks.
   
6. GAMEPLAY - any unit that was Eaten now goes to a new Eaten card pile. Reform deals with dead units in the Consume pile and does not Reform from the Eaten pile. Retch pulls from the Eaten pile.
   
7. By player request, when playing with a random primary and/or allied clan and you restart your run from the pause menu the clans will now be re-randomized.
   
8. Shieldstone Damage Shield stacks increased 2 -> 3.
   
9. Runestone Armor stacks increased 1 -> 2.
   
10. Removed the keyword "Enhance" everywhere to increase clarity. By default, Status Effects never persist across death in battle. Stat changes always do. No functional changes to any game mechanic were associated with this text change.
    
11. Stackstone now increases Ember cost by 1 in addition to adding Doublestack.
    
12. Hope for Peace now only affects Spells to avoid common confusion with Monster Railspike.
    
13. Redesigned Gnarled Root. Now it gives +1 attack for each stack of Spikes.
    
14. Added a "leave" option to the “Armageddon Battlefield” Concealed Caverns event.
    

Hellhorned Gameplay Changes:

1. Imp-pressive is Attuned.
   
2. Ritual of Battle Rage gain increased 8 -> 10.
   

Awoken Gameplay Changes:

1. Sting damage increased 5 -> 10.
   

Stygian Gameplay Changes:

1. Titan's Gratitude damage reduced 30 -> 25. The card is now Attuned.
   
2. Ice and Pyre is Attuned.
   
3. Crypt Builder is Attuned.
   

Umbra Gameplay Changes:

1. Feast now only triggers eating if there is a unit that can feed in the room.
   
2. New keyword: Buffet. Units with Buffet can be eaten more than once. Currently Primordium is the only unit with Buffet.
   

Melting Remnant Gameplay Changes:

1. Memento Mori rarity was changed from Rare -> Uncommon.
   
2. Intent on Death rarity was changed from Uncommon -> Rare. Ember cost increased 0 -> 2.
   
3. Paraffin Enforcer health increased 15 -> 25.
   
4. Mortal Entrapment Daze amount increased 2 -> 3. The card is now Attuned.
   

Other Changes and Bug Fixes:

1. AUDIO - new music tracks for Talos and Archus.
   
2. TEXT - clarified that Dazed status blocks various triggers from occurring.
   
3. TEXT - changed the gambling event to make it clearer it is Pyre Health that is on the line.
   
4. ENGINE - updated to Unity 2019.4.
   
5. ENGINE - we now support two video playback technologies. The default is still AVProVideo, which has better performance on most systems. We added a new option, Unity, because Unity 2019 supports hardware decoding of video. Using the Unity option allows muting video from Windows Volume Mixer to work correctly and it also works on Linux under Proton/Wine. Select the best option for your circumstances from the settings menu.
   
6. UI - added ability to switch between Exiled and normal Champions for both primary and allied clans on the clan select and challenge creation screens.
   
7. UI - by player request, show which ring 3 and ring 6 bosses you will face on the run on the run start screen.
   
8. UI - by player request, added wave counter to battle. It shows the number of enemy waves until the boss comes out.
   
9. UI - by player request, added an easier way to cancel mutators and expert challenges with one click.
   
10. UI - increased the size of card subtype to improve readability.
    
11. UI - reordered the Logbook tabs to a more logical order with Champion Upgrade right after the Card tab and the Card Mastery Frames next to the Stats section.
    
12. UI - Don’t highlight any part of the champion upgrades in the Logbook so the whole thing is easier to read.
    
13. BUG FIX - fixed missing keyword tooltips on a few cards and artifacts.
    
14. BUG FIX - fixed Pyre VFX disappearing briefly sometimes.
    
15. BUG FIX - ensure Pyre death audio always plays.
    
16. BUG FIX - fixed an issue where discard pile card count could be wrong if you were rapidly playing cards.
    
17. BUG FIX - fixed a rare bug where Train Steward card art didn't display properly in a certain sequence of Concealed Caverns event choices.
    
18. BUG FIX - fixed a rare softlock related to ensuring determinism.
    
19. BUG FIX - fixed a determinism bug related to trials that give out an artifact being dependent on which path you chose prior to combat (left or right).
    
20. BUG FIX - fixed a text issue where an Armor value was displayed incorrectly on a merchant upgrade with Doublestack and Railhammer.
    
21. BUG FIX - Spell cards that Purge or duplicate on kill now trigger correctly when they kill
    bosses.
    
22. BUG FIX - unfocus the hand if you open deck view while dragging out a card to avoid mouse cursor confusion.
    
23. BUG FIX - a few Spells that didn't work with the Volatile Spells mutator were fixed. For example: Restoration Detonation.
    

This second major update for Monster Train adds new champions, new bosses, new cards, and new artifacts, which combine together to add a significant amount of new strategic options and replayability. We’ve also added a number of frequently requested player features like a personal run records page in the Logbook, an enemy wave counter in battle, and a preview of the ring 3 and ring 6 bosses at the start of a run.

NOTE: for the Public Test Train, we are temporarily setting runs to always use the new bosses. When the update goes live, run generation will go back to normal and mix in the new bosses with the old. Also, all changes listed are still subject to change before the update officially launches.

You are welcome to join us for feedback and discussion on the official Monster Train Discord server in the #public-test-train channel.

How to join:

1. Make sure Monster Train is not running
   
2. Right click on the game in your Steam Library
   
3. Click "properties"
   
4. Click the "BETAS" tab
   
5. In the dropdown menu, choose "public-test-server"
   
6. Press close and wait for the game to update
   

Major New Features:

1. NEW CHAMPION - Shardtail Queen from the Hellhorned clan. Her starter card is the Queen’s Impling.
   
2. NEW CHAMPION - Wyldenten from the Awoken clan. His starter card is Rootseeds.
   
3. NEW CHAMPION - Solgard the Martyr from the Stygian Guard clan. His starter card is Forgone Power.
   
4. NEW CHAMPION - Primordium from the Umbra clan. Its starter card is Plink.
   
5. NEW CHAMPION - Little Fade from the Melting Remnant clan. Her starter card is Primitive Mold.
   
6. NEW BOSS - Talos, the Architect at the third ring of Hell. She attacks before the Relentless phase and her strikes give her benefits.
   
7. NEW BOSS - Archus, Darkness Incarnate at the sixth ring of Hell. He summons Darkshards, a new type of unit that you must counterplay to survive.
   
8. NEW BOSS - Seraph the Patient. A new Seraph variant that both attacks before the Relentless phase and applies Melee Weakness, a new status effect that increases combat vulnerability.
   
9. NEW ARTIFACTS - one new artifact per clan: Queen's Tail, Emblem of the Exiles, Kinstone Totem, Shadowbox, Fade's First Blade.
   
10. PERSONAL RECORDS - in the Logbook you can now view your personal run records.
    
11. NEW EXPERT CHALLENGES - 5 more Expert Challenges for players who have completed Covenant 25.
    

General Gameplay Changes:

1. New keyword: Phased. Phased units cannot attack, cannot be targeted, and cannot take damage in any way.
   
2. New keyword: Attuned. Spell cards with Attuned benefit from Magic Power at 5x the rate as normal. The goal is to increase late-game viability of certain cards.
   
3. New keyword: Melee Weakness. When applied a unit takes more damage from normal combat. It does not decay unless the unit takes combat damage.
   
4. New trigger: Rally. Triggers when you play a unit card on this floor.
   
5. Action trigger (previously called “On Turn”) is now used on some new player units. Triggers on the unit's turn, before it attacks.
   
6. When playing with a random primary and/or allied clan and you restart your run from the pause menu the clans will now be re-randomized. (player request)
   
7. Shieldstone Damage Shield stacks increased 2 -> 3.
   
8. Runestone Armor stacks increased 1 -> 2.
   
9. Removed the keyword "Enhance" everywhere to increase clarity. By default, Status Effects never persist across death in battle. Stat changes always do. No functional changes to any game mechanic were associated with this text change.
   
10. Stackstone now increases Ember cost by 1 in addition to adding Doublestack. This is our one big nerf for this update. Overall the data and feedback showed that this was one of the biggest ways to swing a run easily and as it was relatively easy to pull off we added this drawback to bring it a bit more in line with other upgrades. We'll be keeping an eye on the results in the public test train and beyond and buffing any cards that seem to have had an outsized impact from this change.
    
11. Hope for Peace now only affects Spells to avoid common confusion with Monster Railspike.
    

Hellhorned Gameplay Changes:

1. Imp-pressive is Attuned.
   
2. Ritual of Battle Rage gain increased 8 -> 10.
   

Awoken Gameplay Changes:

1. Sting damage increased 5 -> 10.
   

Stygian Gameplay Changes:

1. Titan's Gratitude damage reduced 30 -> 25. The card is now Attuned.
   
2. Ice and Pyre is Attuned.
   
3. Crypt Builder is Attuned.
   
4. New keyword: Shard. Powers Solgard the Martyr’s abilities.
   

Umbra Gameplay Changes:

1. Feast now only triggers eating if there is a unit that can feed in the room.
   
2. New keyword: Buffet. Units with Buffet can be eaten more than once. Currently Primordium is the only unit with Buffet.
   

Melting Remnant Gameplay Changes:

1. Memento Mori rarity was changed from Rare -> Uncommon.
   
2. Intent on Death rarity was changed from Uncommon -> Rare.
   
3. Paraffin Enforcer health increased 15 -> 25.
   
4. Mortal Entrapment Daze amount increased 2 -> 3. The card is now Attuned.
   

Other Changes and Bug Fixes:

1. AUDIO - new music tracks for Talos and Archus.
   
2. TEXT - clarified that Dazed status blocks various triggers from occurring.
   
3. TEXT - changed the gambling event to make it clearer it is Pyre Health that is on the line.
   
4. ENGINE - updated to Unity 2019.4.
   
5. ENGINE - removed use of AVProVideo because Unity 2019 supports hardware decoding of video. Now muting the game from Windows Volume Mixer affects video volume.
   
6. UI - added ability to switch between Exiled and normal Champions for both primary and allied clans on the clan select and challenge creation screens.
   
7. UI - show which ring 3 and ring 6 bosses you will face on the run on the run start screen.
   
8. UI - added wave counter to battle. It shows the number of enemy waves until the boss comes out. (player request)
   
9. UI - added an easier way to cancel mutators and expert challenges with one click. (player request)
   
10. UI - increased the size of card subtype to improve readability.
    
11. UI - reordered the Logbook tabs to a more logical order with Champion Upgrade right after the Card tab and the Card Mastery Frames next to the Stats section.
    
12. UI - Don’t highlight any part of the champion upgrades in the Logbook so the whole thing is easier to read.
    
13. BUG FIX - fixed missing keyword tooltips on a few cards and artifacts.
    
14. BUG FIX - fixed Pyre VFX disappearing briefly sometimes.
    
15. BUG FIX - ensure Pyre death audio always plays.
    
16. BUG FIX - fixed an issue where discard pile card count could be wrong if you were rapidly playing cards.
    
17. BUG FIX - fixed a rare bug where Train Steward card art didn't display properly in a certain sequence of Concealed Caverns event choices.
    
18. BUG FIX - fixed a rare softlock related to ensuring determinism.
    
19. BUG FIX - fixed a determinism bug related to trials that give out an artifact being dependent on which path you chose prior to combat (left or right).
    
20. BUG FIX - fixed a text issue where an Armor value was displayed incorrectly on a merchant upgrade with Doublestack and Railhammer.
    
21. BUG FIX - Spell cards that Purge or duplicate on kill now trigger correctly when they kill
    bosses.
    
22. BUG FIX - unfocus the hand if you open deck view while dragging out a card to avoid mouse cursor confusion.
    
23. BUG FIX - a few Spells that didn't work with the Volatile Spells mutator were fixed. For example: Restoration Detonation.
    

Get ready to reignite your love of Monster Train, your favorite deckbuilding game, with new content and exciting new strategies to employ. The second free content update is coming in 2 weeks!. Friends and Foes will include a new Exiled Champion for each clan, new Seraph tricks and select ring boss variants. We’re also equipping the new Champions with their own unique starter card! We can’t wait for you to revisit each clan and its new hero.

Next week the Public Test Train will go live again so you can start discovering all the exciting new content we created before launch. It is prudent to warn you, we’ve already seen some very immersive gameplay that will seriously get your social life in trouble all over again :wink:. Visit our social channels and Discord for instructions on how to jump aboard.

As always, join Mark from Shiny Shoe as he will be revealing new surprises and previewing the update live in the Good Shepherd weekly stream next week here. Find the rest of the playlist from past streams here.

Looking for other friends to share your midnight strategizing? Check our Discord or visit our Reddit page.