Northwind News

[p][/p][p]Hello everyone! [/p][p]The January update is here.[/p][p]This update focuses on the balance for non-Faction cards.
With this patch, broad rebalancing is now complete. [/p][p]Our next update will focus on the new mana system and quality-of-life improvements. [/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]🎉 Steam Board Game Fest 2026– 20% Off[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Northwind is currently 20% off on Steam, running until February 3rd.[/p][p][/p][h2]⚖️ Non-Faction Card Rebalancing (English Only)[/h2][p]Guard Up
ATK: 9 / 12 / 15 → 10 / 13 / 16 [/p][p]Guard Up+
ATK: 9 / 12 / 15 → 11 / 14 / 17[/p][p]Reflex
ATK: 5 / 7 / 9 → 7 / 9 / 11[/p][p]Reflex+
ATK: 5 / 7 / 9 → 8 / 10 / 12[/p][p]Blood Sacrifice
Ability: Attack power gain increased from 3 → 4[/p][p]Blood Sacrifice+
Ability: Attack power gain increased from 3 → 4[/p][p]Jab
ATK: 4 / 6 / 8 → 5 / 7 / 9[/p][p]Jab+
ATK: 4 / 6 / 8 → 5 / 7 / 9 [/p][p]Power Slam
ATK: 15 / 20 / 26 → 13 / 18 / 25
Ability: Now draws 1 Energy card when used[/p][p]Power Slam+
ATK: 18 / 23 / 28 → 18 / 23 / 30
Ability: Now draws 1 Energy card when used[/p][p]Belt
Cost/LV: 1 → 2
Ability: Reworked to “Draw 1 Basic card.”[/p][p]Belt+
Cost/LV: 1 → 2
Ability: Reworked to “Draw 2 Basic cards.”[/p][p]Keep Calm
Ability: Reworked to “Reduce 2 stacks of all negative statuses on you.”[/p][p]Keep Calm+
Ability: Reworked to “Reduce 3 stacks of all negative statuses on you.”[/p][p]Awaken
ATK: 0 / 10 / 24 → 0 / 13 / 24 [/p][p]Awaken+
ATK: 0 / 6 / 32 → 0 / 16 / 32[/p][p]Heavy Blow
Ability: Attack power now scales at ×3 from the total cost of other cards[/p][p]Final Blow
ATK: 4 / 6 / 8 → 6 / 8 / 10[/p][p]Final Blow+
ATK: 5 / 7 / 9 → 6 / 8 / 10
Ability: Change the drawn subtype to non-Energy[/p][p]Wounded Resolve
Ability:
“Wounded. As long as this card is in your hand, double the attack power of 2 adjacent Actions.”[/p][p]Wounded Resolve+
Cost/LV: 1 → 3
Ability:
“Reuse. As long as this card is in your hand, double the attack power of 2 adjacent Actions.”[/p][p]Tracking
Ability: “Draw 2 non-Energy cards. (Once per turn.)”[/p][p]Tracking+
Ability: “Draw 3 non-Energy cards. (Once per turn.)”[/p][p]Attune+
Ability: Change the Discard subtype to non-Energy cards[/p][p]Purge
Ability: Attack power gain increased from 3 → 5 (4 → 7 at LV3)[/p][p]Purge+
Ability: Attack power gain increased from 5 → 6 (6 → 8 at LV3)[/p][p]Spare
ATK: 16 / 23 / 30 → 20 / 27 / 33[/p][p]Spare+
ATK: 18 / 25 / 32 → 20 / 27 / 33[/p][p]Surprise Attack
Ability: Reduce attack power reduction from 3 → 2[/p][p]Surprise Attack+
ATK: 8 / 13 / 18 → 8 / 12 / 16
Ability: Reduce attack power reduction from 2 → 1 [/p][p]Swift Strike
ATK: 8 / 10 / 12 → 9 / 12 / 13 [/p][p]Swift Strike+
ATK: 8 / 10 / 12 → 9 / 12 / 13[/p][p]Risky Move
ATK: 9 / 7 / 6 → 11 / 9 / 7 [/p][p]Risky Move+
ATK: 12 / 10 / 6 → 14 / 11 / 8 [/p][p]Blood Reaper
ATK: 7 / 9 / 12 → 10 / 12 / 15
Ability: HP restoration increased from 8 → 10 [/p][p]Stealing
ATK: 6 / 8 / 10 → 7 / 9 / 12[/p][p]Vigor
ATK: 7 / 9 / 11 → 8 / 10 / 12[/p][p]Heavensbane
Ability: Attack power gain changed from ×6 → ×7, scaling gain from 2 → 5[/p][p]Windcutter
Ability: Now inflicts ×6 [/p][p]Bandana
Ability: Change ensnared subtype from non-Basic → non-Energy[/p][p]Practice
ATK: 5 / 0 / 10 → 10 / 0 / 10
Ability: “When leveling up: Discard this card. Gain 10 attack power.”[/p][p]Revenge
Ability: Attack power gain increased from 3 → 5[/p][p]Riposte
ATK: 5 / 7 / 9 → 7 / 8 / 10
Ability: Armor gain increased from 5 → 10[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your continued support! More updates are coming soon.[/p][p]– The Northwind Team, Barking Kitten Interactive[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! 🎉[/p][p]As we step into 2026, I want to sincerely thank all of you for the continued support, feedback, and playtime you’ve given Northwind. It genuinely helps us push the game forward in the right direction.[/p][p][/p][h2]🎉 New Year Sale – 20% Off[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Northwind is currently 20% off on Steam, running until January 6th.
If you’ve been on the fence, now’s a great time to jump in or to recommend the game to a friend who loves roguelite deckbuilders.[/p][p][/p][h2]🛠️ Latest Update: Onboarding Improvements & Major Rebalancing \[LIVE - DEC 28, 2025][/h2][p]Alongside the sale, we’ve rolled out a large gameplay update focused on two main goals.[/p][p][/p][h3]Better Onboarding for New Players[/h3]

• [p]The Perk system is now unlockable, helping reduce information overload early on.[/p]
• [p]Added a tutorial warning for Focus cards, reminding players that Focus already grants mana when drawn and may not always be the best play.[/p]

[h3] Card Rebalancing Overview[/h3][p]This update includes a wide rebalancing across Duelist, Pyrotech, Gems, Gear, and Skills:[/p]

• [p]Adjusted power curves, costs, and rarities to smooth progression.[/p]
• [p]Reduced overly dominant strategies while buffing underused cards.[/p]
• [p]Simplified or clarified several effects to make decisions more intuitive.[/p]
• [p]Improved late-game scaling and reduced extreme burst cases.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🔎 Full Balance Patch Notes (English Only)[/h2][p]The update is live for all supported languages.[/p][p]The following section contains detailed, technical card-by-card balance changes and is written in English only for clarity and accuracy.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]⚔️ Duelist Card Rebalancing[/h2][p]Power Surge
Rarity: Uncommon → Common
Ability:Add 10 attack → Add 12 attack[/p][p]Power Surge+[/p][p]Add 13 attack → Add 15 attack[/p][p]Wind Walk
Rarity: Common → Uncommon
Power: 9 / 12 / 15 → 8 / 11 / 15
Ability: Skip 2 non-Basic cards → Skip 1 non-Basic card[/p][p]Wind Walk+
Cost: 2 → 1
Power: 15 / 20 / 27 → 12 / 16 / 20[/p][p]Lunar Eclipse
Power: 9 / 12 / 16 → 11 / 14 / 17[/p][p]Lunar Eclipse+
Power: 12 / 16 / 20 → 15 / 17 / 20[/p][p]Training
Power: 6 / 8 / 11 → 4 / 7 / 10
Create Focus on draw pile → Create Focus into hand[/p][p]Training+
Power: 7 / 10 / 14 → 4 / 8 / 12
Create Focus on draw pile → Create Focus into hand[/p][p]Last Chance
Exhaust Energy cards → Exhaust any cards
Add 7 attack → Add 8 attack per card[/p][p]Last Chance+
Power: 10 / 14 / 17 → 12 / 17 / 22
Add 9 attack → Add 10 attack per card[/p][p]Battle Stance / Battle Stance+
Power standardized to 10 / 12 / 15[/p][p]Take Control
Power: 6 / 8 / 10 → 5 / 7 / 9
Now gains Control in addition to switching cards[/p][p]Push Up / Push Up+
Might gain per Basic card increased[/p][p]Empower / Empower+
Overpower bonus slightly increased[/p][p]Execution / Execution+
Locked cost changed to 0[/p][p]Unburden / Unburden+
Changed from unequip-all to targeted Gear unequip scaling[/p][p]Replicate / Replicate+
Cost: 0 → 1[/p][p]Berserker Armor / Slash
Armor and Slash power rebalanced for smoother curves[/p][p]Inner Strength / Inner Strength+
Reworked to recover Energy instead of discard positioning[/p][p](Remaining Duelist changes preserved as listed)[/p][p][/p][h2]🔥 Pyrotech Card Rebalancing[/h2][p]Pipe / Pipe+
Mana gain reduced for better risk-reward balance[/p][p]Focused Shot / Focused Shot+
Reaction now triggers on Level up or down[/p][p]Gun Tricks / Gun Tricks+
Reworked from discard scaling to Skill banish payoff[/p][p]Grit / Grit+
Reworked into cost-reduction utility instead of Surge looping[/p][p]Reload / Reload+
Cost: 3 → 1[/p][p]Bomb Throw / Bomb Throw+
Power increased slightly for mid-game viability[/p][p]Rifle / Rifle+
Flow requirement reduced, Surge gain increased[/p][p]Ivy Hairpin / Ivy Hairpin+
Changed to Flow-based once-per-turn Poison trigger[/p][p]Scarf / Scarf+
Formerly Cursed Scarf, reworked to Ascend scaling Surge[/p][p](Remaining Pyrotech changes preserved as listed)[/p][p][/p][h2]💎 Gems Rebalancing[/h2][p]Sapphire
Might +4 → Might +3[/p][p]Chipped Ruby
Price: 8 → 10[/p][p]Amethyst
Price: 15 → 12[/p][p]Onyx
Overpower reworked, now trades attack power for debuff control[/p][p]Chipped Sapphire
Price: 8 → 4[/p][p]Topaz
Converted from cost modifier to Defensive Exceed utility[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your kind support! As always, the journey is far from over! More updates are coming soon![/p][p]– The Northwind Team, Barking Kitten Interactive[/p]

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p]This month’s update focuses on balancing patches![/p][p]To address balancing issues, we added the Duplicator subtype to solve the problem where experienced players could easily create infinite loops. Based on your win rates and performance data, we also buffed/nerfed several cards and adjusted the abilities of various Cards, Gems, and Relics. Fixed text on cards, relics, and throughout the game content for consistency. Fixed a sound effect volume issue that was incorrectly tied to the game settings.[/p][p][/p][h3]Fixes![/h3]

• [p]Removed outdated icons shown in tooltips.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the player could not select certain cards while the card selector was active.[/p]
• [p]Added card FX and displayed a message when a card cannot be used. [/p]

[h3]Rebalance List![/h3]

• [p]Adapt: now has the Duplicator subtype.[/p]
• [p]Barrage & Barrage+: Damage increased to 3 / 4 / 5.[/p]
• [p]Focused Mind+: Cost reduced to 2.[/p]
• [p]Slam Shock & Slam Shock+: Cost reduced to 1; damage reduced to 3 / 4 / 5.[/p]
• [p]Spirit Burst & Spirit Burst+: Now adds damage equal to Might ×3. LV3: Uses Might ×4.[/p]

[p]Cards with changes in their Abilities[/p]

• [p]Bull's Eye: Base power lowered to 6 / 9 / 12.[/p][p]Add 1 attack power for each skill played this turn.[/p][p]Reaction: This card is put to your hand by your ability.[/p][p]LV3: Add 2 attack power instead.[/p]
• [p]BullEye+: Base power lowered to 8 / 12 / 15.[/p][p]Add 2 attack power for each skill played this turn.[/p][p]Reaction: This card is put to your hand by your ability.[/p][p]LV3: Add 3 attack power instead.[/p]
• [p]Compass Ring: Cost reduced to 2.[/p][p]Add 3 attack power to all Action cards put to your hand by your ability.[/p]
• [p]Compass Ring+[/p][p]Add 5 attack power to all Action cards put to your hand by your ability.[/p]
• [p]Deceptive: Rarity changed to Common.[/p]
• [p]Deceptive+: Power increased to 3 / 5 / 7.[/p]
• [p]Gun Powder & Gun Powder+: Rarity changed to Common.[/p]
• [p]Trigger & Trigger+: Rarity changed to Uncommon.[/p]
• [p]Illusion: Rarity to Uncommon, subtype Duplicator.[/p][p]Mimic the last card you played this turn. (except for Duplicator card)[/p]
• [p]Illusion+: Rarity to Uncommon, cost to 2, subtype Duplicator, Merged.[/p][p]Mimics last 2 cards (except Duplicator) once per turn.[/p]
• [p]Injection & Injection+: Poison reduced → now applies 2 Poison.[/p]
• [p]Explosion: Cost reduced to 1, power reduced to 7 / 9 / 11.[/p][p]When other card Fade, return this card from Remove Pile to your hand next turn.[/p][p]LV3: When returning, Inflict 8 to front enemy.[/p]
• [p]Explosion+: Cost now 1, power 9 / 12 / 15.[/p][p]Fleeting.[/p][p]When other card Fade, return this card from Remove Pile to your hand next turn.[/p][p]LV3: When returning, Inflict 12 to front enemy.[/p]
• [p]Dauntless+: Cost reduced to 1.[/p]
• [p]Viper Strike: Power adjusted to 4 / 6 / 8. Overpower now applies 3 Poison.[/p]
• [p]Viper Strike+: Power adjusted to 6 / 8 / 11. Overpower now applies 4 Poison.[/p]
• [p]Battlecry & Battlecry+: Now Once per turn.[/p]
• [p]Adjust & Adjust+: Subtype Duplicator; can no longer mimic Duplicator cards.[/p]
• [p]Scout: Now Exhausts; effect unchanged.[/p]
• [p]Scout+: Now Exhausts; effect unchanged.[/p][p][/p]

[p]List of Gems that were rebalanced.[/p]

• [p]Aquamarine: Card draw now Once per turn.[/p]
• [p]Chipped Aquamarine: Now draws itself when leveling up.[/p]

[p]Relics that was rebalanced.[/p]

• [p]Chewed Bubblegum: Reaction triggers only from cards in hand.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]We are humbled to be featured in these two events![/h3][p]Turnbased Carnival https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Acram/sale/Turn-BasedCarnival2025[/p][p]& Be a Hero! https://store.steampowered.com/sale/be-a-hero-sale2025[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you so much for all the support! It’s the biggest motivation boost ever.
We’re currently cooking up the Monster Guild Engineer right now! The art isn’t ready yet, but we’ll be dropping more updates soon. We hope you look forward to it!! 🔧👾✨[/p][p]– The Northwind Team, Barking Kitten Interactive [/p]

[p]Hello everyone,[/p][p]Apologies for the wait! [/p][h2]The first batch of fixes is here![/h2][p]There are many areas where we can improve the overall speed of the game. We’ll tackle them one by one, and this patch includes the first set of fixes.[/p][p]Speed and Settings[/p]

• [p]Animation speed options are now 1x, 2x, and 3x.[/p]
• [p]Resolution settings now have an “Apply” button.[/p]
• [p]Settings menu now includes Screen Shake controls.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Some FX speeds were not being applied correctly.[/p]
• [p]Most UI screens now support pressing “ESC” to go back.[/p]
• [p]Added V-Sync setting.[/p]

[p]Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed: Minions spawned from The Hive were missing their sprites.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Spiral Edge card caused the game to freeze when transforming.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Using Attune while only an XCard remained in hand caused a soft lock.[/p]
• [p]Update: Attune+ no longer counts XCard.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: The Once keyword in Recycle+ now works correctly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Card reward tooltips now properly wrap text when reaching the screen edge.[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Event bugs[/p]

[p]Balancing Issue[/p]

• [p]Our game designer needs a little more time to work on the balancing issues. We plan to nerf some cards and look into the difficulty levels. We’ll also explore player performance stats in more detail after Gamescom Asia and let you know about any upcoming changes. In addition, we’re planning an update to the roguelite progression system, so we’ll be reviewing that together as well.[/p]

[p]Localization Fixes![/p]

• [p]We’ve learned that many players were confused by the Overwhelm ability, this happened across all languages! So we’ve made some fixes: instead of “when Overwhelm,” the text now correctly uses the Overpower keyword.[/p]

[p]Thank you for all the bug reports and feedback![/p][p]Please keep them coming! We are serious about improving the game.
Thank you kindly for your patience and support![/p][p][/p][p]We be at Gamescom Asia on October 16th–20th! If you’re going, make sure to drop by our booth to grab a free giveaway![/p][p] – The Northwind Team, Barking Kitten Interactive[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p]Tokyo Game Show has just ended, and we landed back home a few days ago. It’s been an amazing week! Looking through your reviews, and discussing everything as a team, we wanted to share our next steps.[/p][p]It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost two weeks since Northwind launched in Early Access! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for being among the first to support us. [/p][p][/p][h3]🎁 Supporter Pack[/h3][p]As a small thank you, we’ve prepared a Supporter Pack!
The Supporter Pack will be available at a later date—we’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready. For now, here’s a glimpse of the design![/p][p][/p]

• [p]This special skin that will be available to everyone who purchased the game in Early Access.[/p]
• [p]The supporter skins will be available for all mercenaries, that includes the 3rd Mercenary.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]🔧 Upcoming Fixes[/h3][p]Based on your feedback and survey responses, here are our current top priorities:[/p]

• [p]Game Speed & Flow – We heard your concerns that animations, card play, and transitions can feel a little slow and cluttered. We’ll focus on improving pacing and making the game feel smoother.[/p]
• [p]Localization Fixes – We’re aware of issues in Chinese, Japanese, and Thai. Thank you for reporting them! Any bug report and pin point in the language issue really helps, it allow us and our localization partners to fix things faster.[/p]
• [p]Balance & Bugs – Some cards are a bit too strong right now, and we’re reviewing balance carefully. Alongside that, we’ll continue fixing bugs and improving UX.[/p]
• [p]New Languages – We’re preparing to add German, Russian, and Polish to the Early Access version. If you’d like to help us with localization we’d love to hear from you![/p][p][/p]

[p]We’ll continue releasing regular patches to address your feedback and polish the game step by step.[/p][p]Thank you again for being here with us on this journey! We’ll keep working hard on improvements and are excited to see how Northwind will grow and take shape throughout the Early Access journey.[/p][p][/p][h3]Sales end in 3 days! If you haven’t yet, grab it now!
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/h3][p]— The Northwind Team[/p]