Astatos News

To the Crown Mages,

The latest update for Astatos is here! This patch includes this month’s Hero Skin, along with some new bug fixes and optimisations.

Chapter II is now roughly 25% finalised, with the next quarter of the script currently in revision and implementation! We hope to be able to share more soon.

For the detailed list of changes implemented with Astatos v0.7.3, please read on below.

- From the team at Studio Klondike.

[h2]New Content[/h2]
[hr][/hr]

• A new Hero Skin has been made available as the monthly reward. The previous month’s Hero Skin has been added to the in-game store.
  
• Cerkles - Arcadian Bliss
  
  

[h3]Game Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused some Story Trials in the Chapter ‘Ab Initio’ to soft-lock if the player was playing on ‘Easy’ or ‘Story’ difficulty.
  
• Significantly improved the performance of the splash/login screen animation on weaker devices.
  

[h3]Game Changes[/h3]

• Added a setting to let the user disable non-essential video playback.
  

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• [Linux Only] Due to video format changes, the splash/login screen animation crashes when the Windows version of Astatos is run on Linux using Proton. This animation is automatically disabled on Steam Deck to avoid this issue. In the future we plan to work out a way to disable this animation on other Linux devices as well.
  

To the Crown Mages,

The latest update for Astatos is here! This patch includes this month’s Hero Skin, along with some new bug fixes and optimisations.



Production on Astatos Chapter II continues! While progress has been going well, it may be a few more months before we’re ready to release the next story update. We hope to make it worth the wait!

For the detailed list of changes implemented with Astatos v0.7.2, please read on below.

- From the team at Studio Klondike

[h2]New Content[/h2]
[hr][/hr]

• Season IV of the Takeover Trial leaderboard has concluded. The top 100 players will receive a new player title sometime after the release of this patch.
  
• A new Hero Skin has been made available as the monthly reward. The previous month’s Hero Skin has been added to the in-game store.
  
• Lysander - Charm of the Piper
  
  

[h3]Game Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed several typos in the English version of the game.
  
• Fixed the description for the player title “A mage, of sorts.”.
  
• Fixed a rendering issue that introduced colour banding across some artwork.
  

[h3]Trial Changes[/h3]

• Players are now notified when there are not enough players to rematch.
  
• When rematching the same players multiple times, the game will sometimes ensure that players aren’t on the same side.
  
• Fixed a bug which prevented A.I players on your side from cooperating with you during Conquest Training Trials.
  
• Improved the behaviour of the “Keep or Redraw” stage, fixing a rare bug where not enough cards are redrawn.
  
• Fixed a bug where the Hero Stage could soft-lock if a Hero Card is activated after all players have ended their turn.
  
• The Hero Skin displayed for Makari-Hari and Mukaki is now based on the settings from the first player on their respective side.
  

To the Crown Mages,

The latest update for Astatos is here! This patch includes a few things that didn’t quite make it into last month’s big story update, along with a bunch of bugs we fixed thanks to the detailed reporting from our Crown Mages. Thank you all so much!

In addition, Astatos is in the Steam Strategy Fest! For the next week, you can get Astatos and its soundtrack for a discounted price. We hope you have fun playing with your friends!

[Note: After the conclusion of this sale, we’ll be taking the chance to update the regional pricing of Astatos and its DLC based upon Steam’s recommendations. This means that some regions may see the price increase by a few dollars.]

For the detailed list of changes implemented with Astatos v0.7.1, please read on below.

- From the team at Studio Klondike

[h2]New Features[/h2]
[hr][/hr]
Story Trial Difficulty: Additional difficulty settings have been added for Story Trials. These settings can be changed at any time with no penalty.

Gameplay Settings Menu: A selection of settings can now be accessed in the pause menu during the story, or during Trials. [Note: You must open the settings on the Main Menu to access all available options.]

[h2]New Content[/h2]
[hr][/hr]

• A new Hero Skin has been made available as the monthly reward. The previous month’s Hero Skin has been added to the in-game store.
  
• Regulus - By the Master’s Words
  
  

Note: The list below contains issues fixed in this patch, along with issues from hotfixes released throughout August.
[h3]Game Fixes[/h3]

• Various typos fixed in English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
  
• Various missing font characters fixed in Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
  
• Improved the button behavior of the Save Data menu.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would not reconnect to the server after a disconnection event.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could attempt to claim the monthly reward multiple times.
  
• Fixed an issue preventing you from previewing any Hero Skins for Mukaki or Makari-Hari in the in-game store.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Hero Card preview display wouldn’t disappear when accepting a room invite.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could accept a room invite after you’ve begun Hero Card drafting.
  
• Fixed the mouse scroll wheel sensitivity on Windows.
  
• You can now use the tab key to toggle between input fields when managing your account.
  

[h3]Story Trial Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed issues that resulted in some players experiencing random crashes in Story Trials.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented some server functions from working properly after leaving a Story Trial. (e.g. Friend’s List)
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the Takeover Trial interface to load incorrectly after playing a Story Trial.
  
• [Ab Initio: Journey to Irinipolis - Part II] Fixed an issue where Volesus would not always summon Krokos, resulting in a softlock.
  
• [Pro Bono Publico] Fixed an issue where “The Tallest” would not consume Hero Energy when using their Hero Ability.
  
• [Pro Bono Publico] Fixed an issue where a cooldown would be added when a Hero Card is turned to your side.
  

[h3]Trial Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where parts of the Tutorial Trials would not progress correctly due to scripting changes introduced in the Story Trials.
  
• Some minor broken interface animations have been fixed.
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
To the Crown Mages,

Story Trials are finally here just in time for the Steam Visual Novel Fest! You can now play through the entire story with all the intended gameplay scenarios included. This has been a monumental task for our team, and we’re glad to finally be back to releasing new story content.


In addition, this update includes a completely revised story mode, including new story scenes, character sprites, backgrounds, music, and various scripting improvements.

This update is also considered the third and final of the PvE content updates we announced last year. While our sights are now set on completing the development of Chapter II, and the release of Hero Pack III, we hope to be able to share more announcements regarding PvE content for the game in the future.


For those interested in keeping up to date on our latest developments, we release detailed blogs about our development progress over on our Patreon. www.patreon.com/studioklondike

Since this is just the first update including the story trials, we’ll be on the lookout to see player feedback on the community hub, our Discord, or even in reviews! We love to hear from you all, Crown Mages.

For the detailed list of changes implemented with Astatos v0.7, please read on below.

- From the team at Studio Klondike

[h2]Story Trials[/h2]
[hr][/hr]
Playable scenarios have been added to the entire story, including the prologue (Ab Initio) and Chapter I. These scenarios feature a new game mode designed for single player gameplay.

While the core gameplay is the same as the other game modes, we recommend you play through the prologue (Ab Initio) for tutorials regarding the new mechanics.

In summary, the following scenarios have been added:

• [Ab Initio] 6 Story Trials including 10 variations based on player choices.
  
• [Chapter 1] 16 Story Trials including 23 variations based on player choices.
  

Combined, these Story Trials contain almost 20,000 words of dialogue alone! We hope that players enjoy the debates that fill in the missing gaps in the story.


If you wish to experience the story from the beginning, you may use your existing save to replay scenes, or use a new save slot to begin again. You can manage your save data from Trials > Save Data

Note: Story Trials are in active development and their content and mechanics may change in future versions of the game. If you have any feedback or find any bugs please let us know!

[h2]New Content[/h2]
[hr][/hr]
Along with this update, the entire story has been revised in detail. Along with the addition of Story Trials, we recommend players try the updated experience.

• Revised the scripting of all story scenes for a more consistent experience.
  
• [English Version] Revised hundreds of dialogue lines for continuity and polish.
  
• Added sprites for the following characters: Janus, High Priest, The Tallest, The Broadest, The Strongest, The Thinnest.
  
• Added new sprites to existing characters.
  
• Added new music.
  
• Added new sound effects.
  
• Added new backgrounds.
  

Note: Due to the significant changes to the story, your bookmark progress will be reset when loading a previous save. While your overall story progression will remain the same, your progress will be reset to the beginning of the current scene you were on.

Additional scenes have been added to Chapter 1.

• The Art of Benevolence.5 – Blood from the Stone
  
• Pro Bono Publico.5 – Vive Ut Vivas
  

These scenes will be available automatically if their unlock conditions have been met.

New Hero Cards: 8 new Hero Cards have been added to the game to represent the side characters present throughout the story. Please note that these Hero Cards are only accessible in the story mode, and are not planned to be made available for use in multiplayer Trials.

[h2]New Features[/h2]
[hr][/hr]
Cut-In Sprites: Several scenes now have new cut-in sprites where no sprites were shown previously.

Ability Order UI: When toggling multiple Hero Card Abilities in a turn, the activation order will now be displayed on the card.

Colour-Blind Mode: This mode adds additional element indicators on cards during gameplay.

[h2]Game Changes[/h2]
[hr][/hr]
[h3]Story Changes[/h3]

• A notification now appears when the game has successfully saved your story progress to the server.
  

[h3]Trial Changes[/h3]

• The mid-Trial pause menu has been updated to allow you to restart or leave a story / tutorial Trial.
  
• The game now confirms with the player before they leave or restart a Trial.
  
• Improved feedback to the player if the game can’t connect to Steam when launched.
  
• Optimised the AI opponent behaviour to be less aggressive, but more varied.
  

[h3]General Changes[/h3]

• The splash/login screen artwork is now animated.
  
• The settings menu has been updated with new settings related to Story Trials, and Accessibility.
  
• A hidden player title for Season III of Takeover Trials has been added.
  

[h3]Technical Changes[/h3]

• The compression method used for character sprites has been updated, resulting in higher quality artwork than the previous version.
  
• The game now uses less RAM under certain conditions.
  

[h3]Game Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue when the “Trial begin” screen appears during story mode while the skip button is held.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would not load the “fade to black/white” state when loading a saved bookmark in story mode.
  
• Fixed an issue where activating a Hero Ability and quickly ending the Hero Stage would cause players to desync.
  

[h3]Additional Notes[/h3]

• As of this update, the minimum system requirements for Astatos have been revised.
  

To the Crown Mages,

This update includes some minor tweaks and this month’s Hero Skin. In addition, we would like to announce the release date for the next major Astatos update, v0.7.

Astatos v0.7 - Journey to Irinipolis, is planned to be released on August 7th. This update features a complete revision of the Prologue (Ab Initio) and Chapter I of the story. Some highlights of the new update include:

• All playable story sequences, with a brand new game mode.
  
• New character sprites, backgrounds, and music.
  
• Improved story scripting and text revisions.
  
• Additional story scenes and over 20,000 words of new dialogue.
  
• Plus many gameplay optimisations.
  

We would like to thank all the players who have been patiently waiting for more story content. We’re thankful that we have been able to take the time we needed to fulfil our original vision for the story mode gameplay, and believe this update will be a solid foundation for the production of more story content going forward.

For the detailed list of changes implemented with Astatos v0.6.7, please read on below.

- From the team at Studio Klondike

[h2]Game Changes[/h2]
[hr][/hr]

• After player feedback we have optimised the appearance of the skin “Timaios - Seeker of Solitude”.
  

[h2]Game Content[/h2]
[hr][/hr]

• Season III of the Takeover Trial leaderboard has concluded. The top 100 players will receive their player title upon the release of Astatos v0.7. We apologise for this delay!
  
• A new Hero Skin has been made available as the monthly reward. The previous month’s Hero Skin has been added to the in-game store.
  
• Nikos - The Shrouded Truth