Astral Ascent News

Hello everyone! :zimzimSmile:

We are very happy to announce that the 1.4 version is out now on Steam! This time we could not do a simultaneous release on console as we had to release the update as soon as possible in order to be able to participate to a Steam festival in May but we will do our best to release it as soon as we can later this month!

You can check below our first trailer since 1.0 release to showcase the new changes!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Patch Note [/h2]
Find the full Patch Notes here -
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1280930/view/4188984694009010708


[h2]8 New Weapons[/h2]
Each hero received 2 new weapons for a total of 12 weapons to play with!



Our goal was to provide more playstyles with the heroes so you should find a weapon you enjoy for your favorite hero!

You unlock the Arsenal by meeting at least once with the Master. And you unlock new weapon by defeating the Master at Destiny Level 2 and 4 with each hero. While doing so you can unlock passives for your base weapons!



[h2]36 Weapon Passives[/h2]
Each weapon, including the base weapon, has 3 passives attached, each passive has to be unlocked through a small quest during your runs. Some quests are easy and some are hard but you can complete them at any Destiny Level.


Once unlocked you can directly use the passive during your run at the next Arsenal because you have one Arsenal in each intro room and before the Master if you want to change your playstyle during your run.

Showing below one passive per weapon so 1/3 of the passives -



As you can see, the passives are very different from each others giving access to even more playstyles variations and they are meant to be more useful in certain situations than others, up to you to pick what you prefer!

[h2]What is next?[/h2]
The Arsenal was a massive update we really wanted to do to give more variety to the gameplay, we wish to keep adding more polish to the game when possible as we had to focus on the new content for this update. We also want to start working on Yamat, the 5th playable character update as soon as possible.

We will hope you will have fun with this update and thanks for supporting us!

The Physical editions are nearly ready, it took more time than expected but we will soon have delivered everything to Limited Run Games!

One last thing, we saw the community messages and decided to translate the game in Spanish for a future update!

Have an excellent week! :taurusSmirk:

- The Hibernian Workshop Team

⭐Changes inspired by our community!


[h2]Major Features[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• The Arsenal : 8 new weapons and 36 passives for weapons unlockable with small quests
  
  [h3]AYLA[/h3]
  Lunar daggers (Daggers):
  • PARTING GIFT: Killing enemies burst 1 colored dagger out of their remains. It comes back to you after a few moments.
    
  • GLIDING STAR: Dash leaves behind a rotating shuriken that comes back to you after a few seconds. Only one can be out at a time.
    
  • NIGHT VEIL: You gain an extra jump and each Double Jump flings a fan of kunais under you.
    
  Moonlight blade (Katana):
  • RAY OF LIGHT: In each room, until you get hit, the last attack of your basic attack combo will launch a wave of light.
    
  • STARFIRE: Dash through enemies while your signature spell is available will mark them. Using your signature spell calls upon a powerful ray of starfire on all of the marked enemies, consuming the mark in the process.
    
  • JUDGEMENT CUT: After a spells_refresh, your next basic attack will be empowered to execute the healthiest enemy. Zodiacs and Star guardians are too powerful to be affected by this ability.
    
  Eclipse shards (Claws):
  • KUSARIGAMA'S FURY: On a Fall Attack you grab up to 5 enemies with a chain and pull them to you.
    
  • INNER DEMON: Using your signature spell unleashes a clone in your initial position that flies back to you, shredding all enemies in its path.
    
  • HUNTER X HUNGER: The Hunt is On, you gain hunger stack that gives you 5% attack speed and 10% movespeed (up to 50% Movespeed) when killing enemies. You lose 1 stack every 1.5 seconds.
    
  
  
  [h3]KIRAN[/h3]
  Raging Fists (Fists):
  • DOUBLE TAP: In each room, until you get hit, your basic attack does an extra punch.
    
  • COME AND GET IT: On signature spell, you pull all those cowards right next to you to punch them better.
    
  • FLOWER POWER: In each room, your first 4 basic attack are replaced by a fireball. Each time you use your signature spell you get 1 more fireball to throw.
    
  Burning bo (Bo Staff):
  • EXPLOSIVE TEMPER: When you successfully counter an attack with your signatire spell you do A HUGE EXPLOSION!!!!!
    
  • BOGGO STICK: Your double jump becomes an awesome attack that works like a basic attack!
    
  • MAGNETIC PERSONNALITY: In each room, until you get hit, the enemies are captivated by the last attack of your basic attack combo and assemble in front of you to admire it.
    
  Diery falchions (Dual Falchions):
  • HIT MARKER: Every 6 seconds, a mark appears on an enemy for a short period. Hitting them with a basic attack makes it explode.
    
  • SANTÔRYÛ: A floating sword appears periodically. Catch it to earn its loyalty for the next 6 basic attack. After those, it will go back to its family and a new floating sword will appear after 7 seconds.
    
  • SWORD JUGGLING: Every 10 seconds, your next basic attack will launch a rotating fire blade that comes back to you.
    
  
  
  [h3]CALIE[/h3]
  Polytechnical Gmmes (Gems):
  • AERIAL STRIKE: Every 8 seconds, your next double jump will bombard the enemy positions in front of you with 5 feathers. Timeless classic.
    
  • CONDUCTIVE PROPERTY: Using your signatire spell creates an energy orb on each gem and links them together with a damage-dealing energy. Practical.
    
  • FIELD SUPPLIES: A crystal will grow on the ground after 5 seconds. You can destroy it with 3 basic attack to create 5 gems that you can recall with your signature spell. A thrifty solution.
    
  Service Spear (Spear):
  • CALL TO ARMS: When using your signature spell, you call forth spears that pierce the enemies around you for 2,2 seconds.
    
  • WOLF HOLE: A mark will appear every 5 seconds on enemies around Calie. Doing a Top Attack will consume the mark and create an area attack around it, knocking the enemies toward Calie's position.
    
  • HOMING SPEAR: In each room, your first 2 basic attack throw a spear that can be called back to you. After a spell refresh you get 1 more spear to throw. Handy.
    
  Unbreakable Rempart (Shield):
  • SIEGE BREAKER: A destructible block will appear after 7 seconds. Breaking it will launch 3 damage dealing debris accross the battlefield. Disappointing craft.
    
  • DEFENSIVE MEASURES: Using your signature spell creates a force field around Calie. Each gem recalled will be deflected by it and launched toward a nearby enemy. Impenetrable.
    
  • AVENGING SHIELD: After 5 seconds, the last attack of your basic attack combo will launch a shield that bounces 6 times off enemies. Old efficient trick.
    
  
  
  [h3]OCTAVE[/h3]
  Pistor Vocatis (Dual pistols):
  • ORBUS MINORIS: Every 8 seconds, you summon Pluto, a flying drone that follows you and attack enemies hit with a close-range basic attack. After 5 shots, it disappears. (Sad)
    
  • CONIICIO IOCOR: A bullet appear after 5 seconds. Collecting it replaces your next {basic attack with a laser that ricochets up to 6 times between enemies. (Stylish)
    
  • AUREA MERIDIES: When entering a Fight Room or an Eclipse Room, your first basic attack launch you into a flurry of laser, killing everything in sight. (Awesome!)
    
  Exterminatum Exemplaris (Rocket launcher):
  • FRAGOR MORTIS: In each room, until you get hit, the last attack of your basic attack combo will launch 6 grenades around your target. (Radical)
    
  • ORBITUM TERMINUS: Your signature spell calls a devastating strike firing 20 shots from orbit. (Total Annihilation)
    
  • PRIORA SIGNA: An energy orb appears after 5 seconds. Shooting it with a basic attack detonates it, damaging all the enemies in the area.
    
  Magnum Cupitere (Gunblade):
  • SECO VERBERA: After a spell refresh, your next basic attack will create an energy orb and split it into a myriad of small projectiles that target nearby enemies.
    
  • MISERIA LABRUM: Your Dash now deals damage and has 30% chances to mark enemies on hit. Hitting marked enemies with a basic attack deals extra damage and consumes the mark. (I hope she'll like it)
    
  • ANIMA VAMPIRIS: After each kill, Octave stores his enemy's power into 1 orb (max 3). Your basic attack consumes 1 orb to release a powerful shot. (Is that what it felt like, Mother?)
    

[h2]Small Features[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• Better zoomed camera at the statue of prowess world 4
  [hr][/hr]
• Additional feedback on Path of Destinies menu when activating a Destiny Level 54+ run
  [hr][/hr]
• Ayla 2 daggers animations improved with improved hitbox
  [hr][/hr]
• Main Menu visual now changes depending on the Destiny Level you beat (DL6+ and DL54 versions)
  [hr][/hr]
• Main Menu font change for version number for better lisibility
  

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• Auras:
  Snow Amulet: Reduced chance to spawn snowflake from 50% to 20%
  Sword Fang: Reduced chance to spawn spirit sword from 50% to 30%
  [hr][/hr]
• Balanced some heroes base weapons attack speed and damage
  

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• Ghost effect behind heroes and enemies is now behind everything for better lisibility
  

[h2]Narrative Design[/h2]

"
[hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Fixed some inconsistencies between voice and text in English
  [hr][/hr]
• Improved translations - ☄️ hotfix 1.4.1

"[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

"
[hr][/hr]
• Counter Sound of Kiran Signature Spell would not play if relaunched quickly
  [hr][/hr]
• Game could crash if paused for a long time at a specific frame of Flying Spirit attack animation
  [hr][/hr]
• Passive could be equipped on a weapon that was still locked - ☄️ hotfix 1.4.1
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Portuguese language was not working - ☄️ hotfix 1.4.1

"
- The Hibernian Workshop Team

• Discord Server
• Twitter Account
• Official Store

⭐Changes inspired by our community!

[h2]Major Features[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• The game now suggests slightly more often loots that could synergize with player's build
  [hr][/hr]
• Players can receive up to 3 accumulated destiny fragments after defeating Zodiacs on DL runs from previous destiny levels not cleared
  

[h2]Small Features[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Reworked the descriptions of Effects in Hints and Glossary to give more details about the stacks, durations of effects, number of hits etc.
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ After clearing the game, on the menu to pick a specific ending, there's a check mark on the name of characters on which endings have already been seen by the player
  [hr][/hr]
• We replaced the void catalyst perk ""Warrior's Pride"" (+1 damage stone per X enemy defeated until player is hit) for the new perk ""Barbecue's grace"", which provides Barbecue's Echo at start of a run (salvaging an aura for the first time spawns another aura of the same Tier)
  [hr][/hr]
• The small dragon at start of runs gives +1 extra choice for auras
  [hr][/hr]
• We added hint descriptions for specific auras that cast elements based on common spells
  [hr][/hr]
• Added an additional feedback for Aura's rarity on player's inventory
  [hr][/hr]
• Small increase XP gain after opening a Zodiac chest
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Mouse cursor is clamped on the app window while it's active
  #ERROR!
  [hr][/hr]
• Updated localisation text for some languages - ☄️ hotfix 1.3.1

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Reduced spark damage by 30%
  [hr][/hr]
• Increased damage of PRÆCIPITATIO spell
  [hr][/hr]
• Rebalanced stacks (burn, poison etc.) applied by effects (slime, wisp etc.)
  [hr][/hr]
• Increased damage of Frostbite effect
  [hr][/hr]
• We increased by 2 per rank the price of the Void Catalyst perk Zodiac's Emblem (Increase charge hate of Zodiacs summon by 20% per rank)
  

[h2]Interface[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• Added Frostbite effect to the Glossary
  [hr][/hr]
• Reworked the descriptions of Elite Aspects in Glossary
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ New option to make the next spell, on the player's spell cycle, to always be visible above the player's sprite
  [hr][/hr]
• New option to make background darker that creates a bigger contrast with game elements, which should hopefully help readability for some players
  [hr][/hr]
• Visual color on Auras in inventory depending of rarity
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

[hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Inputs on Steamdeck were doubled
  [hr][/hr]
• spell MISERIA explosions on side walls could have wrong direction
  [hr][/hr]
• spell MORBUS projectiles would sometimes bounce instead of exploding when colliding with ground
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Enemies Red Feedbacks of attacks would sometimes stay on the screen since 1.2
  [hr][/hr]
• Damage for ""Calie's lightning combo"" Echo not displayed on damage meter and not calculated correctly during co-op
  
  [hr][/hr]
• The echo ""Sova's feather tornado"" would not work for player 2
  [hr][/hr]
• Telescope would not update perks correctly on switch if players opted to hibernate the console instead of closing the game application or turning it off
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ The guaranteed higher level feather from Pavo's after the third claimed feather would not always have the correct level
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ The small dragon auras would not upgrade the aura tiers correctly after upgrading it at Zim-Zim on the next run
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ The average damage from spells was being wrongly calculated while checking the spell thorough player's inventory
  [hr][/hr]
• Fixed cases on where players would not be able to be revived during co-op mode after dying
  [hr][/hr]
• community inspired ⭐ Fixed wrong localisation text for some Zodiacs name in damage meter (Russian language)
  [hr][/hr]
• Final cutscene was mistakenly being auto skipped if player had the ""Skip Zodiac Intros"" option enabled - ☄️ hotfix 1.3.1
  [hr][/hr]
• Steamdeck version should now work back with Proton - ☄️ hotfix 1.3.1
  [hr][/hr]
• WeMod could cause crashes on the game - ☄️ hotfix 1.3.1

- The Hibernian Workshop Team

• Discord Server
• Twitter Account
• Official Store

Hello everyone!

We just released the 1.3 version on PC. This new version is focused on elements often requested by the community.

[h3]Patch Note[/h3]

Find the full Patch-Notes of 1.3 here -
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1280930/view/7281829929758883013

[h3]Affinity System[/h3]

The most frequent request and complaint about the game since its 1.0 release was the lack of Synergy of your build during your run. Wanting to go in a direction and loots would go in another direction gave the feeling of being unlucky during the runs.

We have created a new system called the Affinity System that increases synergies of the loots depending of your current build so you are more likely to make a fully coherent build at the end of your run. Keep in mind that keeping some flexibility on the loots you find is still important, if you find something very powerful, you might still want to re-orient your build during your run!

We have also made Auras rarities stand out more on your interface.



[h3]Destiny Fragments[/h3]

You will now be able to get up to 3 Destiny Fragments at once per Zodiac victory!



The way it currently works in 1.2 is this :

• You get 1 Destiny Fragment per Zodiac per Destiny Level (up to 54) and the Master gives 3 fragments per level, you can at best get 7 fragments in a run.
  
• If you defeat a Zodiac at a high Destiny Level, you will only get 1 Destiny Fragment and it will increase by 1 the Destiny Level you need to get a new fragment of this Zodiac.
  
• Ex : if you have all fragments of Taurus at Destiny Level 10, if you beat him at Destiny Level 20 you will get his 11th fragment, and you will need to beat him at Destiny Level 12 or more to get one new fragment.
  

This system is slow, does not reward players wanting to take more risks in higher Destiny Levels and it exhausts the Master Destiny Fragments much faster than the Zodiacs fragments, this is how the 1.3 system works :

• You get from 1 to 3 destiny Fragments per Zodiacs depending on the difference between your current Destiny Level and the number of Destiny Fragments already collected from the Zodiacs.
  
• Ex : if you have all fragments of Taurus at Destiny level 10, if you beat him at Destiny Level 13 you will get 3 fragments. Then you will need to beat him at Destiny Level 14 or more to get new Destiny Fragments.
  
• The Master still gives 3 Destiny Fragment per Destiny Level and you cannot collect several ranks at once so your maximum Destiny Fragments per run is now 15 and the Master and Zodiacs fragments would exhaust at the same time if you win all your Destiny Levels runs.
  

[h3]Improved Descriptions[/h3]

We have made descriptions for Effects, Player Statuses and Elite Aspects much clearer adding details for how they work, durations, chances to add stacks in order to give you a clearer idea of what to expect from each of these elements.



Some Astral Auras also used Common Spells without giving informations on them, they now have the descriptions added as hints.



[h3]Permanent spell icon[/h3]

We added an option to make next spell icon always visible above your head. We know this option can help players having an hard time checking the icon during action.




[h3]Astral Dragons [/h3]

Small Astral Dragon now gives 3 Auras to choose from instead of 2 so you have more choices to start your build during the run.



We have also replaced the Void Catalyst element that increased strength when killing enemies without being hit by Barbecue's Grace giving the Echo of Barbecue to reroll the Auras you do not want with new Auras of same rarity. This gives even more choices to build during your runs.






[h3]Darker Background Option[/h3]

In order to give more options related to readibility, we added an option to make everything in background darker so enemies and players stand out much more.




[h3]Ultimate Challenge[/h3]

We sponsored Gellot ,a great content creator that performs very hard challenges on games, to do all Zodiacs no-hit at Destiny Level 6 which sounds ridicously hard but that wasn't even close to the challenge he did, making a no-hit on all Zodiacs at Destiny Level 54, it sounds really impossible but he made it!

Send him some love in the comments of the video for the incredible performance this is!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h3]Arsenal Update Preview[/h3]

The Arsenal will be the next update, the 1.4, it will give each Hero 2 new weapons and 3 passives modifying gameplay of each hero, including for their base weapons.

We announced Ayla will have a Katana giving her more impactful attacks with a longer range.



Kiran will have a Double Falchions for large range attacks at a slower pace but keeping high mobility.





Octave will have a Rocket Launcher to kill enemies from far but without auto-targeting, you will need to position correctly to hit your enemies, a bit similar to the one from Hades.



Below, Octave has a passive creating grenades on the third Basic Attack.



Calie will have Spears, all Signature Spells will keep working the same so the spears will create gems when attacking.



And today we announce the second weapon of Octave : the Gunblade! Giving him the ability to fight at a closer range.



We are targetting for this update to release by the end of April 2024.


Have an excellent day

-The Hibernian Workshop

[h2]Patch Note[/h2]
Find the full Patch-Notes of 1.2 here -
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1280930/view/4061752935706427823

[h2]20 new spells[/h2]
We have added 5 new spells per Hero, 2 of them are directly unlocked and you need to buy 3 of them at the Merchant. If you already have a rarer spells you won't need to unlock them with experience at the end of runs


We received a lot of feedback saying you would like to see more spells about making the enemies move. More spells making something else than pure damage. We have tried to include that as much as possible in our new spells design and we are really happy about these new spells!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]PvP Arena[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The PvP Arena is placed in Andromeda's Bar. It is accessible only in local co-op during runs and you can make as many duels as you want. We had so much fun testing this new feature, we know it won't be used by everyone as it requires playing in co-op but during co-op runs it adds a lot of fun!


When you start the duel it will make you full life and full mana and it will restore the amount you had before the duel when getting out.

During the duel both players get mana point with time so you can focus on launching spells more than attacking with Basic Attacks to restore mana. We also added some buff trees spawning sometimes to spice things up. We also removed the Echoes and Zodiac Summon during the duels, it was way too chaotic when it was possible.

The player winning the Duel will get a little crown symbol above their avatar as a reward for the run but it can change back to the other player if they win another duel.


We received a lot of questions relative to online PvP but we are not going for it as it requires so much work. We also thought about accessing the PvP from main menu or from the game hub but it would require a build creating system and we also know that the PvP is not balanced depending of the spells you currently have, it's mainly targeted to get some fun when you do co-op runs!

[h2]Extras[/h2]
Some noteworthy change mainly inspired by community suggestions!

• Offline Telescope - We have made the Telescope working offline now, it will solve the problem that it was not working in some regions of the world and it will also be available on Console now.
  
• 4 Categories at Cetus Cavern - Cetus Cavern now has 4 categories instead of 3, the fourth one will always be the random one (Nebulous Choice)
  
• Pavo Feathers - Feathers on Pavo's ruins will always be of a higher level after sacrificing health 3 times (globally)

[h2]Arsenal Update Preview[/h2]
We have also started working on the next update : The Arsenal. In this update each Hero will have new weapons and associated passives. We will explain this better next time but for now you can see one of the new weapons of Kiran below -



[h2]Merch Suggestions event[/h2]
We are also gathering your ideas about potential merch on our Discord Server, you can give your own ideas and vote for other suggestions you like, do not hesitate to join!


Have a great time in the game and a fantastic week,

- The Hibernian Workshop Team