The Slormancer News

[p][/p][h2]The Whimsical Witch[/h2][p]Hello everyone![/p][p]In case you missed it at the end of January’s Chronicles, we’ve started implementing the new class for The Slormancer directly into the game: The Whimsical Witch.[/p][p]We’re reposting the teaser we shared in the previous Chronicles, and then we’ll take a closer look at some of the Witch’s core mechanics.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Up until now, the classes we’ve worked on were almost entirely complete before we started sharing information or visuals. We usually had plenty of GIFs and in-game footage ready to show[/p][p][/p][p]This time, things are a bit different. Since we are currently developing the class, I’m constrained by the assets that are already integrated into the game. With HyonD, we’ve always worked in large batches: while I code all the mechanics and skills using placeholder assets and bits borrowed from other classes, he focuses on creating the final visuals. This is usually followed by a few intense days of integration, where everything suddenly clicks and becomes a lot more pleasant to look at.[/p][p]We’re not quite there yet[/p][p][/p][p]That said, I can already talk about the skills and mechanics of The Whimsical Witch that are currently implemented in-game and are getting closer and closer to what you’ll experience in the final version. So without further ado, here are the core mechanics of The Whimsical Witch.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Life and Death[/h2][p]The Whimsical Witch can cast two types of Skills: Life Skills and Death Skills.[/p][p]She possesses a Balance that oscillates between Life and Death, ranging from 0 to 100 degrees depending on the Skills you cast. When you cast a Death Skill, the Balance shifts 10 degrees toward Death. For example, if you were perfectly even (50 Life / 50 Death), you would move to 40 Life / 60 Death. At its extremes, you can reach 100 degrees toward Life or Death, with 0 on the opposite side.[/p][p][/p][p]Certain effects will trigger when you fully commit to one side, while others will activate when you maintain perfect balance. Some effects also scale directly with the Balance itself (for example: +1% Max Mana per degree toward Death).[/p][p][/p][p]You will also be able to Cheat Death (or Life) and distort the Balance, allowing you to temporarily reach 100 degrees on both sides at once for a few seconds.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Soulstone[/h2][p]By default, Death Skills generate a resource called Soulstone, while Life Skills always have at least one upgrade that consumes Soulstone to transform their effect into a Minion once the Skill ends.[/p][p][/p][p]For example, the Skill Spectral Bat Flight launches a Spectral Bat (a projectile) that bounces between enemies. When the Spectral Bat is supposed to disappear, with the right upgrade, and if you have enough Soulstone, it instead turns into a Minion and continues attacking nearby enemies.[/p][p][/p][p]By combining the right Soulstone upgrades and generators, it will be possible to build either a large but short-lived Minion army, or a smaller yet permanent one.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Infection[/h2][p]This is The Whimsical Witch’s Damage over Time mechanic.[/p][p]Infection deals exponential damage and triggers additional effects based on the number of Infection stacks. Infection can stack up to 10 times.[/p][p]Incubation Threshold (1 stack):
Infection deals 1 Skill Damage per second per stack for the next 7 seconds.[/p][p]Eruption Threshold (3 stacks):
Infection deals 5% Skill Damage per second per stack, and spreads half of its Infection stacks to enemies within a 2-yard radius when the enemy dies.[/p][p]Propagation Threshold (10 stacks):
The spread distance is doubled, and all Infection stacks are spread.
Infection also deals X Increased Damage, equal to your Damage over Time.[/p][p]Agony Threshold (15 stacks):
If the enemy is not a Boss, it dies instantly.[/p][p][/p][p]As you may have guessed, reaching the Agony Threshold will require finding ways to increase the maximum number of Infection stacks. There are already several upgrades spread across different specializations that enhance this mechanic. For example:[/p][p][/p][p]Cluster : If a friendly or enemy at the Propagation Threshold is within 2 yards of at least three other friendlies or enemies affected by Infection at the Propagation Threshold, it spreads 1 Infection to another random enemy within 3 yards.[/p][p][/p][p]Transmission Vector : The Whimsical Witch and the Minions she controls can now be affected by Infection without taking damage from it.[/p][p][/p][p]This second Skill allows you to quickly generate Infection when Minions die, while also enabling the Cluster upgrade to trigger more easily, allowing Infection to spread rapidly without having to constantly rebuild stacks.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Bryan McRipped[/h2][p]This mechanic turns Bryan into a Minion that works a little differently from the others. With certain upgrades, the Witch can transfer charges to Bryan, allowing him to unleash various attacks against nearby enemies.[/p][p][/p][p]This mechanic has changed several times since its initial implementation, as we’re not fully satisfied yet with its feel or gameplay loop. As such, I’m intentionally keeping things a bit vague for now.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Preparing Potions[/h2][p]This is one of the Witch’s core mechanics.[/p][p]With certain Skill and Passive upgrades, you’ll be able to find ingredients on enemies. For example, hitting an enemy with Scythe Strike has a 5% chance to drop a potion ingredient. There are three possible ingredients: Thawed Ice Cube, Beaver’s Pinion and Viper Bristle.[/p][p][/p][p]Once you collect three ingredients, a potion is prepared and immediately consumed, granting a buff based on the potion created. There are 10 possible ingredient combinations (for example: 3× Thawed Ice Cube, or 2× Beaver’s Pinion + 1× Viper Bristle), each resulting in a different potion, such as:[/p][p]1 Thawed Ice Cube + 2 Beaver’s Pinion = “Misplaced Optimism Brew”, granting +15% Inner Fire Chance, +15% Overdrive Chance, +5% Ancestral Chance.[/p][p][/p][p]Potions currently last 30 seconds (subject to change once we start testing), but with the right upgrades they can last longer or even stack.[/p][p][/p][p]As for ingredients, there are already several upgrades that allow them to be picked up automatically or filtered more easily. Ultimately, we want at least two distinct playstyles around this mechanic:
– Collect everything and maintain as many potion effects as possible.
– Or carefully filter ingredients to prepare a single potion and stack it to maximize its effects.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]That’s all for today.[/p][p]As always, these concepts are subject to change and are much easier to understand in-game than in a Chronicles post. I’m sharing what we currently have, and I hope you like it!

Cheers![/p][p][/p]

[p]Happy New Year everyone!

Just like last year (and the year before that… and the one before that), this Chronicle is a recap of the past year. That said, this time we actually have quite a lot to share, so make sure to read all the way through!
[/p][h2]A Year of Chronicles: 2025 Edition[/h2][p]Fun fact: You may not know this but we publish the Slormite Chronicles devlog every 6th of the month, which is the day The Slormancer was released (on April 6, 2021). Everytime we publish a Slormite Chronicles, the game gets one month older, and it is currently 4 years and 9 months old.

The actual out-of-Early Access release was on May 13, 2025, so it is actually 8 months old in its final form.[/p][p][/p][h2]Quite a year![/h2][p]Since 2025 was the year of The Slormancer’s full release, it was obviously a very intense year for both the game and us, not only in terms of workload, but also stress and preparation. Looking back, everything went incredibly well. Of course, there were a few bumps along the way, but nothing we couldn’t handle.[/p][p]The year kicked off with the announcement of the final changes coming to the game, as well as the start of the full localization process across multiple languages for the entire game, back in Slormite Chronicles #46.

[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]In that Chronicle, we announced the opening of the Experimental Branch, which was initially planned to last for nearly two months. We later went back on that decision in Slormite Chronicles #47, which understandably caused some frustration.[/p][p]In hindsight, we should have given this more thought before making the announcement. However, opening the Experimental Branch two weeks before release instead of two months allowed us to better focus and concentrate our player count during that period, and ultimately proved to be a positive decision.[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p] Things got serious when we started updating our Steam Page with new gifs and key arts. [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]A little over a month before release, we carefully planned every major milestone: the Experimental Branch, the patch notes, the final Chronicles, the release date announcement, and the unlocking of Achievements and Steam Cards, all with the goal of driving as many new and returning players as possible.[/p][p]These are small details, and it’s impossible to know whether each of them truly made a difference. Still, nothing was left to chance. All of the elements below were carefully timed so we would have enough room to handle any kind of issue.[/p][p][/p][p]On April 24, we officially announced the release date: the future of planet Earth (or almost) would be decided on May 13, 2025. [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]April 27: Patch Notes go live![/p][p]April 29: Experimental Branch opens![/p][p]May 6: Final Slormite Chronicles in Early Access[/p][p]May 12: Achievements and Steam Trading Cards are activated[/p][p]May 13: We hit the “Release” button… and start sweating.[/p][p]
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Two weeks after release, we published a Slormite Chronicles dedicated to the launch, reporting a peak of over 10,000 concurrent players, strong positive coverage from content creators, and more than 250,000 copies sold.[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]With the release behind us, we could finally take a step back and start discussing the future of the game and our plans for what comes next.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]At the same time, as mentioned in the following Chronicle, my goal was to fix as many bugs as possible. With so many new and returning players jumping into the game, the number of reported bugs was astronomical, so it was time to roll up our sleeves for one last sprint. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Then, holidays![dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p][p]By the time September rolled around, we were more or less rested, with the release behind us and most of the feedback either addressed or waiting for a future update. It was finally time to look ahead and focus on new content.[/p][p]Looking back, this next series of Chronicles is actually quite funny. Here’s a quick summary:[/p][p]In Slormite Chronicles #53, we talked about our plans for the future, including a new mode called “The Rogue Mode,” which was meant to introduce a roguelike way of exploring the game’s content. The feedback was positive, and players were interested.[/p][p]In Slormite Chronicles #54, we went into more detail about the mode, and the feedback was almost unanimous: nobody wanted it. Oh. Well.[/p][p]Since we weren’t fully satisfied with what we were building either, we ended up agreeing with the players (Slormite Chronicles #55) and decided to take a safer route instead: a brand-new class, which we started teasing in Slormite Chronicles #56. [/p][p][/p][h2][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/h2][h2]The Whimsical Witch[/h2][p]December brought some real progress! All the abilities are now ready to be implemented in-game, and on my side I was waiting for the few animations needed to start integration. At a minimum, we needed an idle animation, a walk cycle, and a few attack poses to begin farming our first enemies.[/p][p]And HyonD didn’t waste any time, most of the class’s animations are ready. All that’s left is to integrate them into the game so we have the core of the class in place before focusing on the animations and effects for each ability. Things are really taking shape![/p][p]Without further ado, here’s a little visual teaser for the new class: The Whimsical Witch.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That's about it!
Cheers![/p][p][/p]

Hello everyone and welcome to The Slormite Chronicles #56!

This month, we’re taking a look back at the work we've accomplished in November. As mentioned in our previous Slormite Chronicles, we started from scratch on a new class. This time, unlike our experiments with the Rogue Mode, there were no nasty surprises, everything turned out to be quite smooth and straightforward. We weren’t sure what challenges we would face, nor were we certain this would be the class we’d add, but for now, all signs are green.

[h2]Creating a Class[/h2]
The design of the first three classes dates back nearly two years before Early Access, more than six years for us, and it’s really interesting to revisit that. The game has evolved a lot since then, and the constraints are no longer the same. Back then, we had almost none of the other layers that now make up the game: maybe a few Slorm Reapers (in their very first version), but no Ultimatums, Traits, Ancestral Legacy, Legendaries, Runes, Inventory, etc.

This actually makes class creation much easier. Back then, we had to be cautious with more generic effects that we preferred to reserve as the base for Slorm Reapers or legendary effects. Now that everything is in place, it’s fairly simple to navigate and fill in the gaps with what’s missing, or at least take into account what already exists and avoid redundancy.

A class consists of 8 Active Skills, 3 Support Skills (with their specializations), one class mechanic, and between 3 and 4 sub-mechanics. In total, there are roughly 220 effects (Active, Upgrades, and Passives) to design. It’s a lot.

We started by laying the foundations of the class mechanic, then the sub-mechanics the class would have. Once these were in place, the identity of the class became clear, and we could quite easily design skills based on all these ideas.

[h2]Where We Stand[/h2]
The first step was creating a big spreadsheet with all the ideas for mechanics and skills thrown together. Then we cleaned it up, because writing the tooltip that will appear in-game requires a good deal of clarification and helps us ensure that we’ve accounted for all the parameters of a skill (mana cost, duration, range, etc.). With a well-written tooltip and a clear logic, almost half of the coding work is already done since I know exactly what needs to be implemented.

We’re currently at this stage. About 75% of the effects exist in a more or less rough form, which we’re now refining. In doing so, the remaining missing effects usually become obvious. For example, if two upgrades of the same tier are useful for two very specific builds, adding a third, more generic upgrade that is useful by default becomes quite easy.

Once everything is polished in a first version, I can jump straight into coding. But since the brainstorming is done by both of us, the art side only kicked off in mid-November when I started finalizing the tooltips on my end. We already have the base sprite (idle, no animation) and a design we really like, distinct enough from the other three classes but still keeping the Slormancer spirit.

[h2]So… What Is This Class?![/h2]
Spoiler alert: Names, mechanics, and effects are all still very much subject to change. Between finalizing, implementation, and testing, we’re far from the final effects.

The class we’re working on has the codename “The Whimsical Witch.” She wields a Scythe and casts witchy spells. Among other things, she can: gather ingredients to brew potions with various effects, spread Infection and disease around her, or open a third eye to cast spells from another position.

We didn’t necessarily aim to fill a gameplay gap in the game, since we feel it’s relatively complete at this point. Even though the Necromancer class is highly requested, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. We wanted to build a unique class with its own mechanics, with a possible minion-focused build and a more passive gameplay style.

That said, given The Slormancer’s constraints and our desire for all Slorm Reapers to be playable with this new class, we kept a classic foundation with melee attacks, projectiles, and AoEs.

[h2]A Little Teaser: Soulstones and Minions[/h2]
For minion enthusiasts, one of the Witch’s class mechanics (similar to the Mage’s Clones) allows certain spells to be converted into more or less permanent Minions. Here’s how it works in more detail:

The Whimsical Witch has some spells with the keyword “Life” that launch projectiles or AoEs. For example, “Spectral Bat Fling” launches a bat at an enemy. It’s a homing projectile that applies a DoT on hit. With the right upgrade, once the projectile finishes, the Spectral Bat becomes a Minion that can autonomously attack nearby enemies for a short duration.

This duration is determined by your Soulstone reserve, which fills up when casting “Death” spells. By building your character with the right upgrades, it’s possible to reduce Soulstone usage and gain them passively, allowing for a more or less passive Minion-focused build depending on your preference.

Beyond Bats, The Whimsical Witch can also summon Toads, Spiders, and Ghosts, which, once their skill effect ends, can become Minions.

That’s it for this first teaser.

See you in 2026 for another year full of Slorm!
Merry Christmas!

Cheers!

Hello everyone and welcome to The Slormite Chronicles #55!

[h2]A Little Word About the Slormite Chronicles[/h2]
Since the game’s release, we’ve stopped following a strict roadmap like we did during Early Access. We also don’t have a specific “end goal” in mind that would mark The Slormancer as “complete” or signal a point where we should stop developing updates.

Right now, we’re simply trying to follow our inspiration. Without a clear post–Early Access plan, that means we’ve been experimenting here and there, trying things that don’t always lead to meaningful or well-integrated content.

Back in Early Access, creating new missions or Slorm Reapers felt natural, we were filling gaps in the game. Now, the game doesn’t really have gaps anymore. It’s technically “complete.” We could keep adding more, but at this point, we’d just be filling an already full glass.

[h2]Back to the Drawing Board[/h2]
In many ways, we’ve gone back to where we started, taking time to brainstorm and test ideas that sometimes turn out... not that exciting. That’s why it’s been hard for me to write new Slormite Chronicles with genuinely thrilling news to share.

Apart from “We’re thinking hard!”, there’s not much I can say right now. And I’ve always regretted revealing things too early. And at this stage, everything still is too early.

I often put pressure on myself to make each Chronicle exciting. But sometimes, that leads to announcing things too soon just to keep it interesting. I’d like to stop doing that.

From now on, some Chronicles, like this one, might be shorter and less packed with new content. That’s simply because we don’t have much to show yet. We’ve even taken a small step back in some areas (more on that below).

The Chronicles were a perfect format back when we released updates every two or three months. That’s less true now. Still, I don’t plan to stop writing them, I want to see this development through to the end, even if that means some Chronicles are just about “We’re thinking hard!”

And since we’re now leaning toward an Expansion model rather than smaller DLCs or frequent updates, most of what we’re working on isn’t something you’ll see in the next few weeks anyway.

But instead of pausing the Slormite Chronicles completely, I’d rather keep posting shorter updates like this one, just to give you some news.

[h2]About That Rogue Mode[/h2]
Speaking of things we’re thinking hard about, let’s talk about the Rogue Mode.

Back in Chronicles #53, we mentioned the possibility of adding one, and most comments were enthusiastic. Then, in Chronicles #54, when we got into more detail, many of you raised very valid points against the idea.

After reading through all the feedback, our conclusion was: “There are already so many great roguelikes out there. Why try to make another one that might end up being mediocre, instead of focusing on content that truly fits The Slormancer?” And, honestly, that’s true.

When I tested the first prototype, I found myself raising more questions than I could answer. It wasn’t just your feedback, we also felt it internally. It became increasingly difficult to adapt all the game’s systems to fit a roguelike structure.

So, for now, we’ve decided to pause development on the Rogue Mode and go back to simpler, more interesting, and easier-to-implement ideas.

[h2]A New Class (Maybe)[/h2]
I can’t share much at this point, no screenshots, no visuals, because we’re still at the Excel spreadsheet stage. It’s way too early to promise anything, or even guarantee it’ll make it into the game, but yes, we’re sketching out a new class.

[h2]Console Port[/h2]
And finally, a little piece of news that is quite exciting: the console port is progressing well!

Lately, we’ve implemented trophies for PlayStation, as well as achievements for Xbox. Also, alongside the Nintendo Switch, The Slormancer will also be coming to Switch 2!

No release date yet, but things are moving forward nicely.

That's about it!
Cheers!

Hello everyone and welcome to The Slormite Chronicles #54!

In the last Slormite Chronicles, we talked about several questions we were asking ourselves regarding the future of the game’s development, things like our sales model (DLCs, paid cosmetics, expansions, etc.) and the direction for the fifth game mode. We received a big number of responses, probably more than ever before in a Slormite Chronicles. It was really interesting to read through them all, and it helped us make some key decisions.

Toward an Expansion
As for updates and the overall development model, we’ve decided to focus on creating a large expansion that will include everything we’re currently working on, as well as everything planned for the coming months. It’s not impossible that we might release a small update in between, but that’s not the plan for now. Nor is it impossible that we’ll change our minds mid-development, that’s not uncertainty, that’s agile development!

Progress on the Rogue Mode
On the development side, we’ve started exploring ideas for The Slormancer’s “Roguelike” mode. I spent some time experimenting with an idea where the player would control Bryan (the little blue orb) and issue commands to the hero, who would move semi-automatically, something like a Survivors-like. Long story short, it didn’t work. There wasn’t much interesting happening on-screen or for the player, so I quickly abandoned that concept.

We’ve now moved toward a more traditional roguelike idea. We believe we have a lot of horizontal content worth exploring, and the goal of this mode is to let players build complete, interesting setups in about 30 minutes by cleverly combining the elements they’re given.

I’ve had a pretty busy month with real-life obligations, so we haven’t progressed as much as we’d hoped, but things are picking up again.

We’ll enter production once we’ve nailed down everything needed to make this mode solid. After a few prototypes and brainstorming spreadsheets, we should be ready to move forward.

We can’t completely recreate a roguelike at the level of a game built from scratch around that concept. We have constraints tied to what’s already in the game, which limits what’s possible. We also want to make sure this mode is accessible, even for players who’ve never tried The Slormancer before.

When launching the mode, you’ll start from scratch, level 1, a basic Slorm Reaper, and your class’s first skill. From there, you’ll have to build an efficient setup based on the elements the game offers you.

The run will take place across floors similar to the Battlefield. At the end of each floor, players will get to choose their path forward by selecting between three different floors, each with distinct rewards and bonuses. Every few floors, you’ll face a boss (campaign bosses, not procedurally generated ones), until you reach the final boss.

During the run, the player will build their character based on what they acquire:

• When leveling up: choose 1 new Skill “card” (see the menu below) from 3 options.
  
• When closing a Breach: gain 1 stat bonus from 3 options.
  
• When closing a Cataclysmic Breach: gain 1 Ancestral Skill from 3 options.
  

…and so on.

Simplified Character Building
We started with an accessibility constraint: the entire build must fit into a single menu. For a rogue mode meant to be played in around 30 minutes, there should be no need to juggle the 6 or 7 different interfaces usually used to manage your build.

To keep things simple, there won’t be gear management. Instead, you’ll gain regular stat boosts that can easily be directed toward the attributes most useful for your current build. Legendary effects will appear separately as passives.

We’ve also separated elements that can stack indefinitely (like Ancestral Tree passives or stats) from elements that replace one another, such as Slorm Reapers or Primary Skills.

Here’s a look at the build menu prototype:


Imbue Skills and Ancestral Skills are grouped as “cards,” just like class skills, and replace the previous configuration when selected.

One issue we had to solve was related to the game’s many stats. There are dozens, and not all are inherently useful in this mode. However, most of them have at least one synergy or Slorm Reaper that gives them a reason to exist. So we decided to keep all stats in the game but simplify how they’re obtained. If we had removed some stats, certain Slorm Reapers or legendary effects would have instantly become obsolete, which we wanted to avoid.

A roguelike usually ends in one of two ways: either the player dies, or they reach the end of the run. The question of player death came up, because once you reach a certain point, the game isn’t particularly efficient at killing experienced players. During the campaign, once you find your first Life Regen or Life on Hit stat, difficulty drops sharply.

To avoid that, while still keeping Life on Hit, Leech, etc., we’re changing (in this mode only) how and when health can be recovered, making fights more tactical than in other modes. Limiting out-of-combat healing is being strongly considered.

We also ran into another issue with mana. If a player picks a skill they can’t actually afford to cast, they can’t immediately or reactively adjust their mana pool, regen, or reduce the skill’s mana cost by removing an upgrade. In this mode, if the player runs out of mana, the skill will still cast, but its damage will be reduced in proportion to the missing mana. The idea is that if a player’s mana management isn’t great early on, it can improve as the run goes on, and the skill will become more effective over time.

These are just a few of the design problems we’re thinking through. For now, we have a system that feels robust enough to enter production. We’ll no doubt face many challenges along the way, so the more stable the foundation, the better.

We haven’t yet tackled certain topics such as Skill upgrades, Slorm Reaper upgrades, NPCs and their utility during a run, various events that may occur or metaprogression. I’ll save those for the next Slormite Chronicles. First thing first, we now need to make sure that our idea is working as intended.

That’s all for now!
Cheers!