Wartorn News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Hey Wartorn Community! We are very excited to finally have Content Update 1 for you to enjoy in the world of Wartorn! This update brings new content such as the new battle types, a reworked new-user experience, along with new features, balance changes, and bug fixes. We are excited to be on this journey with you and cannot wait to see what you think![/p][p]Of note, users should NOT experience a hard reset/wipe, and your progression should still carry forward after the update. As a precaution, we have provided how to backup your save file at the bottom of these notes.[/p][p]Items listed with the 🏆 next to them signify that they were found or suggested by the community![/p][p]
[/p][h2]New Content[/h2]

• [p]Raid Battles: Raid battles give you a high-risk, high-reward opportunity to snag extra supplies for your caravan or villa. [/p]
• [p]Pitched Battles: For when you just want a no-holds-barred showdown, Pitched Battles pit your army directly against the enemy's in a straight-up clash.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We recently detailed these new battle types here on our blog, so check all the details: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

• [p]New-user experience: Based on your input from Early Access playthroughs, we've pinpointed that the first 30 minutes to an hour felt a bit slow and story-heavy for some, with extended dialogues and setup in the starting villa pulling focus away from the battles and caravan management. We've heard you loud and clear: less talking, more action! Starting today, this new-user experience is now available to players! 🏆
  [/p]

[p]We also went into all the details on what this looks like here: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2] New Features[/h2]

• [p]Gamepad Input Rework: We have reworked gamepad controls to allow gamepad players to do everything keyboard and mouse players can. This includes area select, queuing movement commands, and separating select and move. A LOT has changed, so gamepad players, be sure to check out the updated controls in the Options before you play.[/p]
• [p]Aggressive/Defensive Stances: Replaced the hold command with toggleable stances (V on KBM, RB on gamepad)—Aggressive for proactive attacks (default), Defensive for staying put while fighting back. Plus, a new stop command (C on KBM, Y on gamepad) for precise control in battles. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Show Upcoming Events: Tokens drop down on the road as you progress, allowing you to better anticipate when an event is coming. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Passive Ability Cooldowns on HUD: Friendly squads now display passives with cooldowns in the squad indicator bar for better tactical awareness. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Enemy Type Preview: See the types of enemies you'll face in the pre-battle squad selector to strategize your lineup. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Steam Deck Optimizations: Introduced a Steam module for Big Picture/Steam Deck, including virtual keyboard overrides and support for custom configs to enhance portability.[/p]
• [p]Homestead Casting Freedom: Yara and Elani’s squad portrait now shows in the homestead, allowing you to cast abilities from anywhere in the villa.[/p]
• [p]Increased Battle Zoom: Raised the maximum zoom out distance during battles for a better overview of the skirmish. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Villa Hero Speed Buff: Heroes gain a small speed boost while in the villa, making navigation quicker. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Expanded Narrative Content: Introduced new conversations in the Villa reacting to spellbook, gallery, and heirloom progress; additional respawn scenes after learning about Vengeance; lore events on death; more Yara and Elani dialogues on respawn; post-Vengeance scenes; completed Turfus story; new Willum story arcs; 10 new Inkyra events exploring her relationship with Voxyra. [/p]
• [p]New Wagon Damage Events: Added 3 events that can damage your caravan's wagon, adding roguelite tension to travels.[/p]
• [p]New Traits: Created a suite of mantra-based and other traits including Fierce, Cooperative, Ambitious, Cautious, Graceful, Harmonious, Calm, Communal, Lawful, Impulsive, Disorganized, Selfish, Organized, Amoral, Decisive, Unsteady, Fatigued, and Timid [/p]
• [p]Movement Tutorial Revival: Brought back the tutorial dialog for movement if not triggered early in the first level (Mouse and Keyboard only).[/p]
• [p]Summon Animation Improvements: You will now see one unit animating per unit summoned, and if you interrupt a casting unit then the number of summons will be reduced by one. [/p]
• [p]New Trinkets: Added new active trinkets Sacrifice’s Barb, Flourishing’s Bud, Purity’s Handkerchief, Calculation’s Winding Key, and Dread’s Veil. Added new passive trinkets Frenzy’s Drum, Bravery’s Handwraps, Scrutiny’s Magnifier, Stability’s Bindings, Deceit’s Needle, and Ubiquity’s Lens.[/p]
• [p]New Hero Spells: Added new hero spells Marked for Death, Shrapnel Grenade, and Iron Bastion.[/p]

• [p]Trinket and Spell VFX: Added new VFX when casting hero spells or activating trinkets.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Changes to Hope system 🏆[/h2]

• [p]Losing all Hope no longer ends the run: When you run out of Hope the run doesn’t end but squads will now “Rout” during battles.[/p]
• [p]Routing: [/p]
  • [p]When Hope is at or reaches 0 during a battle, a timer begins and is displayed around the Hope meter on the HUD. [/p]
  • [p]When the timer expires a random squad will flee the battlefield.[/p]
  • [p]After a squad flees the timer resets at a shorter duration.[/p]
  • [p]Routing squads cannot be commanded.[/p]
  • [p]Yara and Elani never rout.[/p]
• [p]Removed Retreating: You can no longer retreat from battles.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Dev notes: Players identified multiple “feel bad” moments in our Hope system. The first was failing a run due to running out of hope from an overworld encounter.  The second was losing a run because you lost enough Hope during the battle to lose the run despite winning the battle itself.

The above changes to the Hope system were made in order to have run losses always occur due to losing all your squads during a battle. The goal of the routing feature is to accelerate you to that loss condition, unless you play fast and efficiently. It makes battles really tense but if you can win and then recover hope on the road it makes for a great player story![/p][p][/p][p]We also removed the retreat feature as part of these changes because it was allowing players to skip battles and not take enough attrition to keep runs progressing toward Hope loss scenarios. We want you to lose due to running out of Hope and retreating was creating too much of a “get out of jail free” option for players. So now you must win the fight or die trying![/p][p][/p][h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

• [p]Enemy AI Adjustments: Enemies now have "inertia" (1s ramp-up to max speed after stopping) and slower rotation (540° to 180°), making flanking easier in melee. [/p]
• [p]Lightning Rod (Hero Spell): Made indestructible, always lasts full duration; updated description. [/p]
• [p]Shock Chain Rework: Chains can now branch to multiple enemies simultaneously, propagating faster; can chain off material areas like rain clouds, tar walls, and corpses with priority targeting. [/p]
• [p]Shock + Tar Interaction: Narrower area, travels farther, deals double damage. [/p]
• [p]Boulder Toss: Removed minimum cast range; impact no longer damages caster (still hurts other friendlies). [/p]
• [p]Target Practice (Hero Spell): Reworked to knock back units on impact and explode on each collision; added upgrade values. [/p]
• [p]Dip & Light (Bow Hero T4/T5): Explosion now only damages enemies (no longer sets environment on fire via AOE). [/p]
• [p]Explosive Trap: Increased hitbox radius from 50 to 100. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Troll Berserker: No longer gains speed boost during Rampage.[/p]
• [p]Lady Vengeance: Now staggerable except during abilities (can't interrupt them). Fire Line now sets off Explosive Traps. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Player Aggro: Squads no longer aggro enemies outside their range, even if attacked. [/p]
• [p]Victory Conditions: Levels no longer require killing all enemy summons to complete. [/p]
• [p]Goblin Sappers: Fixed stacking Explosive Traps for instant kills. [/p]
• [p]Enemy Aggro Switching: AI more willing to change targets. [/p]
• [p]Troll Slammer: Immune to CC during Puny Creature animation.[/p]
• [p]Water/Tar Spreading: Disabled between non-water/tar objects or identical material objects for performance and visibility. [/p]
• [p]Raincloud: Units don't get wet before VFX appears. [/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Unit Balance Changes[/h2]

• [p]Troll Heavy Crossbowman:[/p]
  • [p]Crit Multiplier: 5x → 2x[/p]
  • [p]Crit Chance: 0% → 3%[/p]
  • [p]Melee Basic Damage: 56.6 → 55.1[/p]
  • [p]Max Health: 852.5 → 1066[/p]
• [p]Normal Crit Units:[/p]
  • [p]Crit Rate: 3% → 2.5%[/p]

[p][/p][h2]UI Improvements[/h2]

• [p]Quest Clarity: Improved visual distinction between available and unavailable quests on the map. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Battle Report Enhancements: Right-click selects squads; Y opens details view; fixed gamepad scrolling. [/p]
• [p]Hope Loss Toasts: Now show hope lost in Squad/Unit Lost notifications.[/p]
• [p]Family Ability Toasts: Display relevant text for daily abilities. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Summon Indicators: Fixed position under squads; ensured status headers (Enraged, Vulnerable, Fear) appear for summons; adjusted Target Dummy status header. [/p]
• [p]Ability Descriptions: Updated Fire Imp to clarify 3-imp squad summon; changed SpawnLimit text to "Max Active Squads". [/p]
• [p]Routing Vignette: Hidden during boss battles. [/p]
• [p]Day/Season Text: Changed style with transparent background for better readability. [/p]
• [p]Trinket Names: Updated capitalization and wording for non-English languages to better convey Chords and Avatars. [/p]
• [p]Reward/Toast Tints: Trinkets/heirlooms now tint to rarity color. [/p]
• [p]Squad Inspector: Fixed left-padding on equipped trinkets; added scrolling tabs to prevent overflow.[/p]
• [p]Caravan Widget: Hero health now live-updates in overworld. [/p]
• [p]Hotkeys: Hide for routed/escaped squads. [/p]
• [p]Battle Rewards: Show gained trinkets from raids; consolidate similar types. [/p]
• [p]Cooldown Display: No animations on routed/escaped squads; grey out exhausted limited-use abilities. [/p]
• [p]Ability Stats: Now accurate to company upgrades, traits, and trinkets. [/p]
• [p]Yara & Elani Health: Shown on squad caravan screen. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Traits Display: Show for Yara & Elani in squad details characteristics tab. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Give Up Menu: Moved further down escape menu; reworded prompts and defeat splash. [/p]
• [p]Text Size: Increased for in-game dialogue and objectives on Steam Deck. [/p]
• [p]Time Conversation: Fixed text wrapping length. [/p]
• [p]Global Toast Refactor: Combined toasts for notifications like Squad Recruitment so less notifications appear.[/p]
• [p]Encounter Rewards: Fixed header text construction.[/p]
• [p]Options Screen: Fixed Global Illumination Method consistency with quality presets. [/p]
• [p]Reward Selector: Fixed Back button visibility on gamepad when viewing Squad Details.[/p]
• [p]Fog of War: Fixed abnormally dark fog when using non-Lumen GI. [/p]

[h2]Audio Enhancements[/h2]

• [p]Lightning Rod SFX: Added sound for when the rod collapses. [/p]
• [p]Trinket Casting SFX: Implemented basic sounds for casting. [/p]
• [p]Time Sequences: Revised audio soundscape for immersion. [/p]
• [p]Dialogue Audio: Fixed issue where continuing with disabled button stopped conversation audio. [/p]

[h2]Progression Changes[/h2]

• [p]Starvation Tag: Properly applied on load if at 0 food. [/p]
• [p]Quest Saving: Only save quests in QuestsCompleted; fixed previously completed quests not showing on map until retriggered. [/p]
• [p]Orphan's Tears: Adjusted outcome weights. [/p]
• [p]Event Fixes: Fixed grammar/spelling in multiple events (Into the Darkness, All Bets are Off, Canyon Rescue, etc.); fixed Rumor Mill rewards mismatch; prevented full squad loss in A Nest of Strands and Extended Hunt when text indicates survivors.[/p]
• [p]Hope Loss Events: Added new events for running out of hope.[/p]
• [p]Squad Training: Now saved in data. [/p]
• [p]Skip Raid Rewards: No choice rewards (run, meta, squad, trinket) for raid battles. [/p]
• [p]Persistent Damage Healing: No longer heals while starving (0 food) in overworld.
  [/p]

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2][p][/p][h3]Crash and Soft Lock Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed crashes/soft locks from caravan-stopping effects on reload. [/p]
• [p]Fixed save migration crash.[/p]
• [p]Fixed encounters triggering saves during quit, causing invalid states. [/p]

[h3]Unit and Ability Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed Vital Strikes not dealing damage on Elf Fencer; added hits per unit display for Shear, Reaver Dance, Combo Attack, Vital Strikes. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Invigorating Fugue not healing friendlies when stunned. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Lightning Riders’ teleport being inconsistent on slopes and maintaining aggro after. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Kaboom Crew grenades stopping enemy movement. [/p]
• [p]Fixed shields absorbing damage after deactivation. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Herbal Medicine incorrectly contributing to Healing Done. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Vengeance Scales using stale data; fixed targeting nothing. [/p]
• [p]Fixed single-unit squads not pushing overlapping units. [/p]
• [p]Fixed units jittering in regroup and cohesion loss. [/p]
• [p]Fixed summoned squad limits not being respected.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Dummy Rigger animation for Destructive Decoy.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Chakram Throw stopping incorrectly and rotated elemental trails. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Pin Down pitchfork always visible. [/p]
• [p]Fixed navigation pathing through thin walls.[/p]
• [p]Fixed heirloom granted to enemies. [/p]
• [p]Fixed water healing non-plants when plant is present. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Elf Mender abilities passing incorrect levels. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Raincloud wetting before VFX. [/p]

[h3]UI and Input Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed input thrashing locking gamepad. [/p]
• [p]Fixed right click not canceling pending moves in ARPG controls. [/p]
• [p]Fixed veterancy display not showing current unit count/trinkets. [/p]
• [p]Fixed friendly fire tab counting fire damage incorrectly. [/p]
• [p]Fixed destination orientation being inaccurate near bounds.[/p]
• [p]Fixed limited cast abilities drawing as castable when unavailable. [/p]
• [p]Fixed boss fights granting double rewards. [/p]
• [p]Fixed tutorials staying open during Time sequences. [/p]
• [p]Fixed spam clicking event rewards giving multiples. [/p]
• [p]Fixed skipping crossroads conversation with gamepad. [/p]
• [p]Fixed HUD visible on Overworld entry. [/p]
• [p]Fixed overworld camera movable with reward open. [/p]
• [p]Fixed squad name not showing on veterancy cards. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Recenter button not reappearing after panning at crossroads. [/p]
• [p]Fixed token drop/pickup jank on overworld map. [/p]
• [p]Fixed saving after multi-day events causing soft locks. [/p]
• [p]Fixed map bounds limiting movement orders in traversal objectives. [/p]
• [p]Fixed hourglass tutorial interfering with escape menu.[/p]
• [p]Fixed quests not showing on map. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Lady Vengeance route disappearance issue. [/p]
• [p]Fixed no reinforcements if match not in progress or using hero slot.[/p]
• [p]Clear slots for removed squads post-match. [/p]
• [p]Fixed Family Portrait icon black fill.[/p]

[h3]Narrative and Localization Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Updated intro cinematic. [/p]
• [p]Enable subtitles by default for non-English languages. [/p]
• [p]Fixed grammar/spelling in various events. [/p]
• [p]Updated "Open the Vein" description to match functionality. [/p]
• [p]Localization improvements.[/p]
• [p]Updated gamepad controls layout. 
  [/p]

[h2]Feedback[/h2][p]Thank you for your continued support with Wartorn! This is just the beginning and we hope that this first round of content not only improves your experience, but also drives your excitement forward as we continue through Early Access. Please continue to report bugs and share your feedback with us by joining the official Discord Server! [/p][p][/p][p]Backup your save files:[/p][p]Make sure Wartorn isn’t running while you follow these steps:[/p][p]Go to your save game directory. This is usually located at: %appdata%\\..\\Local\\WartornGame\\Saved\\SaveGames . [/p][p]Copy (Ctrl+C) your save (ends in .sav). Paste it (Ctrl+V) into another location, such as your desktop.[/p][p]That’s it! If you need your backup save (for example, if your current save file gets corrupted) just copy+paste it from where you saved it back into the SaveGames directory.[/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Hey Wartorn community![/p][p]We're thrilled to announce that our first major content update is dropping this Thursday, August 28th, at 11:00 AM CT! This update is packed with exciting additions that we've been hard at work on, thanks in large part to your incredible feedback since our Early Access launch. You've helped us shape the game into something even more engaging and strategic, and we can't wait for you to dive in.[/p][p]As a quick recap, this update includes the overhauled new-user experience we detailed in our last post. We've streamlined the early game to get you into the action faster. If you haven't checked out the full details yet, head over to our previous announcement here:[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]But that's not all! We're introducing two brand-new battle types to shake up your strategies and add even more depth to the Isles of Talaur. These high-stakes encounters will test your squad-building skills in fresh ways, offering new risks, rewards, and tactical decisions. Here's the breakdown:[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]RAID Battles[/h3][p]RAID battles give you a high-risk, high-reward opportunity to snag extra supplies for your caravan or villa. Here's how they play out:[/p]

• [p]Your squads approach an enemy encampment, catching them off guard.[/p]
• [p]Sneak in, raid caches for valuable resources like coin, food, strands, pages, trinkets—and even rescue refugees to bolster your crew.[/p]
• [p]Enemies start light but ramp up over time (pro tip: it ties to how many caches you capture, but we'll let you discover the nuances!).[/p]
• [p]Escape before the defenders overwhelm you—after you grab a minimum number of caches.[/p]
• [p]Raiding takes time, so position your squads wisely for protection.[/p]
• [p]Think strategically: divide and conquer for max rewards or regroup for safety?[/p]

[p]These are perfect for those moments when you need a resource boost but don't want to commit to a full-on war.[/p][p][/p][h3]PITCHED Battles[/h3][p]For when you just want a no-holds-barred showdown, PITCHED BATTLES pit your army directly against the enemy's in a straight-up clash:[/p]

• [p]Armies line up face-to-face—no traversal needed. The fight kicks off immediately.[/p]
• [p]Smaller, more intimate maps force intense, close-quarters combat.[/p]
• [p]Retreat isnt an option, but escaping? Not so easy either (insert dramatic gif here 😉).[/p]
• [p]Designed to push you into aggressive, decisive fights without room to run.[/p]

[p]Whether you're flanking with goblins or unleashing elemental combos with treefolk, these battles will demand your best tactics.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Arriving August 28 [/h3][p]This update is just the start of our roadmap—we're committed to iterating based on your input, so keep sharing your thoughts on Discord or right here on Steam. Full patch notes with all the tweaks, balances, and fixes will drop alongside the update on Thursday, so stay tuned![/p][p]If you're new to Wartorn or jumping back in, now's the perfect time to harness those elements, build your fantasy crew, and push forward. Thanks for being part of this journey![/p][p][/p][p]See you on the battlefield![/p][p]The Stray Kite Studios Team[/p][p][/p][p]P.S. Join our Discord for live discussions, dev Q&As, and sneak peeks: [/p][p]https://discord.gg/7tkCbbXyga[/p][p] [/p][p]Follow us on X, Bluesky, and TikTok for more updates![/p]

[p][/p][h2]Enhancing the New Player Experience in Wartorn[/h2][p]Hey Wartorn community,[/p][p]We've been hard at work behind the scenes, listening closely to your feedback and diving deep into player data to make sure your journeys across the Isles of Talaur are as thrilling and engaging as possible. One area that's come up a lot in discussions on our forums, Discord, and social channels is the opening moments of the game—specifically, how we can get new players into the action faster without overwhelming them with too much story right out of the gate. [/p][p][/p][p]Today, we're excited to share some big changes we're making to the “early game” experience, all designed to ramp up the pacing, reduce initial friction, and let you dive straight into the strategic chaos that makes Wartorn great.. You know… The core loop of battling hordes, losing runs, and coming back stronger with heirlooms and squad enhancements. This is where the magic happens, and we want everyone to experience that addictive rhythm as quickly as possible. Especially new players hopping in for the first time![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h2]
Your Feedback:[/h2][p]Based on your input from Early Access playthroughs, we've pinpointed that the first 30 minutes to an hour felt a bit slow and story-heavy for some, with extended dialogues and setup in the starting villa pulling focus away from the battles and caravan management. We've heard you loud and clear: less talking, more action! This overhaul wasn't easy… it involved reworking cinematics, tweaking battle sequences, and balancing progression paths—but we're committed to evolving Wartorn with our community at the forefront. Your play data showed drop-offs in those early stages, and your comments inspired us to streamline things without losing the narrative depth that ties everything together.[/p][h3]
Here's a breakdown of what's changing:[/h3]

• [p]Revamped Opening Cinematic: We've condensed the initial story setup into an updated punchy, concise cinematic that covers what we previously had users navigate through in the villa prior to getting to a battle. This includes, you fleeing from home, the attack on the villa, key interactions with characters like Redjrix, barring the door, and those pivotal conversation beats. This sets the groundwork efficiently, so you get the lore without the lengthy start-and-stop feel of the previous walking and chatting.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Straight into the Fray: Once the cinematic wraps, you'll jump directly into the opening battle. We've kept this one short and sweet, serving as a gentle tutorial to introduce core mechanics like squad positioning, elemental interactions, and basic ability use. No more lingering in the villa at the start. [/p][p][/p]
• [p]Overworld and Wagon Journey: After that intro skirmish, you'll transition seamlessly to the overworld map and start your wagon trek. We've sprinkled in a few light events here to build atmosphere, hint at the world's dangers and get players into the flow of overworld events and battles. The goal is to get players to the first crossroad much quicker, where the core loop of the game begins in earnest.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Skipping Ahead for Better Flow: We've decided to bypass what was originally Battle 2 entirely. Player feedback and our data revealed it felt too similar to the first encounter, dragging out the early game without adding fresh strategic layers. Instead, your second battle will now be the original Battle 3 (the Recognition Stone clash). This is where things really heat up: battles become more chaotic, enemy waves demand clever elemental synergies, and you start flexing those tactical muscles with your growing caravan.
  [/p]

[p]These tweaks shave significant time off the new player ramp-up, dialing back the upfront story exposition while propelling you faster into Wartorn's roguelite heart: experimenting with squad builds, chaining elemental attacks, looping through failures, and unlocking upgrades that make each run feel epic. Whether you're igniting tar with fire or shocking wet foes with lightning, you'll be experiencing the best of what our game offers sooner, leading to that oh-so-satisfying "just one more run" feeling.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]What can previous players expect?[/h2][p][/p][p]All of the above is designed for the new player experience, but what about those of you who are  past your first run? There are big changes to how the beginning of each run plays out for experienced players as well.[/p]

• [p]Streamlined first road experience: The tutorial events and battles on the intro road before Herald Junction get phased out over the first three runs until you essentially start your new runs in the aftermath of the Recognition stone battle. No more fighting the trivial battles over and over again.
  [/p]
• [p]Squad Randomization: With Update 1 we are also moving forward the time at which the intro squads start being randomized from run 4 to run 3. This allows you to start getting more custom and interesting builds earlier and kicks off each run with a little burst of rewards for you to choose from at the start of a new run.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]What’s Next - The First Major Content Update[/h2][p][/p][p]We can't thank you enough for your honest feedback! It's what drives us to iterate and improve. This update represents a ton of effort from the team, from redesigning sequences to playtesting, all to ensure Wartorn feels welcoming yet brutally challenging right from the start.[/p][p][/p][p]When can you expect these changes? They'll roll out with our first major Content Update, slated for later this month. This Update will also introduce two brand-new battle types to shake up your strategies even further! We'll be dropping more details on the exact timing, those fresh battles, and additional goodies very soon, so keep an eye on our Steam page, Discord, and socials.[/p][p][/p][p]We hope that these changes offer perspective to our awesome community that we are listening to you and that through Early Access we are working together to make Wartorn the best that it can be! How can you help? Keep giving us feedback, tell your friends about Wartorn, and drop a review on Steam![/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for joining us on this adventure—we're just getting started.[/p][p][/p][p]The Wartorn Team[/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][p]Greetings, caravan leaders! The latest patch for Wartorn is here, bringing a focus into enhancing the experience based on your feedback! Thanks to your feedback, we’re making your journey smoother and more immersive. Let’s explore what’s new in this patch![/p][p]Items listed with the 🏆 next to them signify that they were found or suggested by the community! [/p][h2]New Features[/h2]

• [p]Improved visuals in The Villa: We have made some adjustments based on player feedback to The Villa being “Too blurry”. These improvements should assist with overall visual clarity, but players can also disable the “Painterly Effect” in The Villa using the new options. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Painterly Effect Options: You have been asking for this, so here it is! Control the painterly effect with new settings—turn it on or off completely, or use it only in battles or the villa for a tailored visual experience. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Candle Flicker Accessibility Toggle: Customize your overworld journey map by enabling or disabling the flickering candle effect. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Migration to Unreal Engine 5.6: We have migrated all engine work to Unreal Engine 5.6 – which should improve overall performance and includes many crashes for users using NVIDIA 50xx series GPUs. [/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]Balance Changes[/h2][h3]Unit Balance[/h3]

• [p]Updated various unit stats to align with our latest balance pass. These changes fix missing or misnamed entries, ensuring all units perform as intended. [/p]

[h3]Unit Balance Changes[/h3][h3]Health Adjustments[/h3]

• [p]Human Vanguard Spearman: 173.25 → 165[/p]
  • [p]Human Bannermen: 273.735 → 261[/p]
  • [p]Human Dummy Riggers: 248.325 → 237[/p]
  • [p]Human Elite Bannermen: 342.195 → 326[/p]
  • [p]Human Elite Dummy Riggers: 310.38 → 296[/p]
• [p]Human Hydro Pugilist: 336.6 → 337[/p]
  • [p]Human Water Acrobat: 316 → 317[/p]
  • [p]Human Elite Hydro Pugilist: 420.75 → 421[/p]
• [p]Elf Elite Healer: 235 → 294[/p]
• [p]Troll Elite Berserker: 1100 → 1375[/p]

[h3]Damage Adjustments[/h3]

• [p]Elf Elite Fencer (Melee): 16.14 → 15.6[/p]
• [p]Troll Heavy Crossbowman (Ranged): 46.43 → 44.1[/p]

[h3]Critical Hit Adjustments[/h3]

• [p]Elf Fencer: Critical Multiplier: 5 → 2[/p]
  • [p]Elf Elite Fencer: Critical Multiplier: 5 → 2[/p]
• [p]Elf Elite Healer: Critical Multiplier: 5 → 2, Critical Chance: 0 → 0.03[/p]
• [p]Troll Elite Berserker: Critical Multiplier: 5 → 2, Critical Chance: 0 → 0.03[/p]

[h3]Resource Management[/h3]

• [p]Elf Fencer: Food Upkeep: 0.5 → 0.4[/p]
  • [p]Elf Elite Fencer: Food Upkeep: 0.5 → 0.4[/p]
  • [p]Elf Elite Healer: Food Upkeep: 0.5 → 0.4[/p]
• [p]Troll Elite Berserker: Food Upkeep: 2.5 → 4[/p]

[h3]Morale Impact[/h3]

• [p]Elf Fencer: Hope Loss on Death: 1 → 2[/p]
  • [p]Elf Elite Fencer: Hope Loss on Death: 1 → 3[/p]
  • [p]Elf Elite Healer: Hope Loss on Death: 1 → 3[/p]
• [p]Troll Elite Berserker: Hope Loss on Death: 10 → 30[/p]

[h2]UI Improvements[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a bug where the heirloom icon occasionally displayed a placeholder image, ensuring your equipped heirlooms always show correctly.[/p]
• [p]Resolved gamepad navigation issues in the family tab for caravan and squad selection menus, making menu browsing seamless on controllers.[/p]

[h2]Audio Enhancements[/h2]

• [p]Adjusted voice-over sounds, ensuring they respond correctly to the dialogue volume slider for a balanced audio experience. [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bugfixes[/h2][p][/p][h3]Unit Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed Lightning Rider getting stuck in the casting state after teleporting by prioritizing command completion, ensuring smoother ability execution. [/p]
• [p]Removed blend-out on Water Brawler’s custom death animations, guaranteeing the notification triggers reliably. [/p]

[h3]Narrative Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed the Turfus conversation not playing on the second meeting, ensuring he’s properly granted to your caravan. 🏆[/p]

[h3]Gameplay Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Corrected difficulty adjustments, ensuring difficulty multipliers work as intended.[/p]
• [p]Merchant Spawn on Load: Merchants now spawn correctly when loading a save at a junction, ensuring you never miss a trade opportunity. 🏆[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that was causing performance drops when in a “Warlord Battle”. [/p]

[h2]Localization[/h2]

• [p]Applied minor localization updates for keybinds and controller actions, improving clarity and consistency across languages.[/p]

[h2]Feedback[/h2][p]This update refines your Wartorn experience with community-driven polish and new customization options. We’re grateful for your input on Discord and Steam—keep it coming! [/p][p]Please continue to report bugs and share your feedback with us by joining the official Discord Server! 
[/p][h2][/h2][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Hey everyone! We hope you have been enjoying Patch 2 and we appreciate all the additional feedback! As mentioned with the patch, there were a few Known Issues that we wanted to address, so we have now deployed a hotfix with these changes -- Please see below. Also, we are continuing to work toward future patches and our first content update, so stay tuned for more details! Some large things we are addressing that take more time include, re-working "abandoning a run" so that you do not lose resources, along with some changes to the pacing of the beginning of the game.

Hotfix changes:[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where Lightning riders using shock chain would cause the game to freeze.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue when abandoning a squad in the squad inspector would not remove it from the squad list.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a user could navigate outside of the bounds of the squad selector causing it to lose focus/control - On Gamepad.[/p]
• [p]Improved performance
  
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[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Hi everyone!

We hope that you have been enjoying all the changes we have rolled out in Patch 1, which just released a couple days ago! Please see the link below to read the full patch notes.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]As you head into the weekend, we also wanted to share a brief overview video with you that highlights some of the key items in this patch. Check out the video above and enjoy![/p][p]Lastly, we did deploy a small hotfix addressing a few issues that we noticed since launching this patch, so please see below those fixes:[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where Turfus conversation does not add Turfus to the Caravan,[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where units get stuck "T-Posing" on death,[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Heirlooms show placeholder icons on old saves,[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where if a user sets an individual audio slider to 0, it bleeds in some sound from UI and Reverb.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thank you for being on this journey with us and for making the first full week since launch great! If you haven't yet, please join the official Discord so you can share your feedback, report bugs, and engage with the devs and community! [/p]