Project Warlock II News

Hey Warlocks!

As we are getting closer and closer to the release of Chapter 2 for Project Warlock II we felt it’s as good a time as ever to share a bit more about the different aspects of the game based on questions coming straight from you. We asked for your burning questions on Discord and got the bunch that you can see below plus the answers.

Check them out below!
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[h3]DEVELOPER Q&A[/h3]



Q: Story-wise, what is Urd’s goal? Do Palmer and her share goals? Would they kill each other on sight? Palmer’s master left Urd in hell so I don’t know how the two would feel about taking on Hell together.

A: Urd has her own motive, but the ultimate goal for both characters is the same - to find the Warlock guy. Each of them has their own motives though, and is coming from a different place - both literally and figuratively. What is going to happen however, and how the story concludes is something I’d like to ask you to wait a bit and find out yourself.

Q: Are you happy with Campaign 1 (Palmer's Chapter)? If not, what are some potential changes you are considering?

A: There are multiple areas that I would like to improve in Chapter 1 still. We have a quite extensive visual overhaul planned for Chapter 1 which should be on par with Chapter 2 geometrical design. We also want to improve the overall arsenal by looking into the upgrade, perk and stats shop. The feedback to Urd’s Wargression System is something we will be looking at very closely as well to see how the players compare the two and what we can get from there.

Q: Will we be able to play campaigns as any character? Ex: Play Palmer’s campaign as Urd.

A: This is a planned feature once the game is ready content-wise. This would work in a way that once you complete all of the campaigns you’ll gain access to new game mode which would allow such a thing.

Q: Will we find the dead body of Superfly Johnson in Chapter 2. If no, then why not?

A: Ok, let’s put it this way. If you are referring to whether his horribly mutilated body is stuffed in some dark corner of a level somewhere in Chapter 2: it wouldn’t be much of a secret if we blabbed about it here, right?



Q: Is the Brutalist West the "Demonic Dimension" Urd went through, or is it just a random place/dimension she got teleported to when (or if) she got out of the Demonic Dimension?

A: It’s the dimension that Urd has been trapped in.

Q: What was the motivation behind changing the character progression system?

A: We wanted to try something new and bring a fresh system to the table as we felt like the classic system in Chapter 1 is a good starting point, but needed something extra for the subsequent Chapters. We also wanted to bring in more replayability and a fun incentive to try different upgrades.

Q: Will there be a combination of upgrade systems like in Chapter 1 and what was revealed in the Chapter 2 demo? How are upgrades for both and future characters being handled?

A: Currently we want to test out and see how the reception of the Wargression System will be. It will be our new base to work with in the future.

Q: Considering the difference in gameplay between Chapters 1 and 2 ( both of which are enjoyable ), will Chapter 3 also have a unique "spin" or follow along the lines of the previous two to some degree? What's possibly been considered for Chapter 3?

A: Regardless of receipt of the Wargression System, each chapter will have unique features, whether small or big. Based on the feedback to Chapter 2, we will look into which parts and pieces might work well in case of Palmer’s system, and how that can influence that which will govern the upgrades for Kirsten in Chapter III.



Q: Is there a lore explanation on why the armies of hell are so big? (be it due to necromancy or just hell being very big/crowded) and on why the Red Elves and the demons are siding together to fight against Urd? or are they that way simply for gameplay reasons?

A: One of the reasons for the armies of demons being so big is that humans become demons themselves when they go to Hell. Demons are also able to multiply and some of them are also created by Satan (or, you know, his successor). As to reasons for anyone standing up to Urd - let’s have you’ll discover that when playing the game by yourself ;)

Q: This was probably asked before but: if Hell is where people go after dying (assuming it's that way in this universe too), then where do the demons themselves go?

A: The fate of the demons after they die is quite brutal - they basically get disintegrated into matter.

Q: Finally, will we ever get the Stress mechanic from the Demo back?

A: The way we originally implemented it didn’t work the way that we intended it to. Once we figure out a right way to do it - it’s coming back, but we’re not there yet.

Q: Has the idea of a multiplayer mode for PW1/PW2 ever sprung during development?

A: Yes, and was immediately dropped. We have no tools and skills to handle that at the moment, and examples of indie fps shooters that did had discouraging results. Having poured time and money into multiplayer development and seeing player numbers dwindle shortly after launch. For now we strive to create the best single player experience.

Q: What's your favorite weapon and ability?

A: Krystallos (Crystal Sentry) and Pump Action Shotgun :)

[h3]TILL NEXT TIME! [/h3]

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Q&A and submitted their questions. Also - please keep in mind that the Chapter 2 demo is available to play on Steam and GOG and your feedback is always appreciated.

See you in the next update!

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[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Project Warlock on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page

Hey Warlocks!

It’s time for another part of the Road to Chapter 2 series!

Previously, we introduced you to the core systems of a new adventure in Project Warlock II and shared various details about its weapons, locations, and enemies. Now, we would like to delve deeper into the story and lore of the upcoming chapter.

As you might have noticed, the prevailing theme in Chapter 2 revolves around mysterious crystals, which are present in almost every aspect of the game. Urd’s weapons are partly made of those crystals, she can conjure a Crystal Sentry with one of her magical abilities, and via Wargression, she can unlock a Crystal page of the Spell Book.

Today, we're eager to share some insights about the concept of these crystals and how they enhance gameplay.

Let's get right to it!

[h3]CREATION OF KRYSTALLOS[/h3]



Since a very young age, Urd has been immersed in the study of magic through various books and scrolls, yet her hunger for knowledge was insatiable. She even ventured into the realm of forbidden manuscripts that describe the use of dark magic and, crucially for the story of Chapter 2, alternative methods for harnessing energy.

This brings us to the creation of a mysterious crystal known as Krystallos, a product of Urd's experiments during her exile. Traditionally, crystals were charged by druids with solar energy. Since that wasn’t a possibility in the void, the crystal had to seek another source of energy, the only one present in the nothingness, Urd herself.

Krystallos draws its energy from Urd, and she possesses the ability to manipulate it in various ways, either accumulating or increasing its power. The crystal can alter its size according to Urd's needs, regardless of the amount of stored energy.


[h3]CRYSTAL-POWERED WEAPONRY[/h3]



The skills Urd has honed while harnessing Krystallos provide her with a significant advantage against her foes in battle. She grew especially fond of the ability to transfer energy from the crystal to various objects, enabling her to wield crystal-powered weapons.

Urd extracts a portion of energy from the crystal and links it to a chosen weapon. This grants her the ability to wield a variety of deadly firearms, even those she holds in her hand for the first time.

Crystal-powered weaponry has a potential of dealing an extra type of damage, known as crystal damage. Its impact on the weapon's performance varies depending on the chosen upgrades. For example, the ammunition of an SMG can be enhanced by conjuring crystal bullets into the clip. You can also utilize a crystal slugshot, an immensely potent alternative fire mode for the shotgun that releases energy stored in Krystallos.

Furthermore, the crystalline aesthetic of Urd's weaponry is also mirrored in its visual design. This includes gems socketed into the gun barrels, a unique crystal scope for the pistol, and dazzling flashes of otherworldly light emanating from the weapon muzzles.

[h3]CRYSTALLINE MAGIC[/h3]



Urd’s witchcraft too, just as her firearms, utilizes Krystallos as its primary power source.

As your adventure unfolds in Chapter 2, the path to harnessing the formidable Crystal Spell becomes accessible through a series of Wargression upgrades. This incantation grants you the ability to wield the pure energy of Krystallos, which you can then unleash in the form of crystal projectiles to plow through demon hordes.

During your journey through the brutalist west you will also unlock the Crystal Sentry magic ability. Urd conjures this magical companion to fight tirelessly by her side, embodying the very essence of Krystallos itself, and launching deadly crystalline shards towards her adversaries. Moreover, thanks to the "Chained Shards" upgrade, these projectiles can bounce between multiple adversaries, enhancing the Crystal Sentry's effectiveness in battle.

The magical connection between Urd and her crystal guardian is also reflected in the exchange of energy between them. Through one of her abilities, Urd can sacrifice a portion of her armor to heal Crystal Sentry.

[h3]TILL NEXT TIME! [/h3]

That’s all for today’s update, marking another checkpoint in the Road to Chapter 2 series. We can’t wait for you to step into Urd's shoes and experience her array of crystalline abilities and weapons.

Also - please keep in mind that the Chapter 2 demo is available to play on Steam and GOG and your feedback is always appreciated.

See you in the next update!

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[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Project Warlock on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page

Hey Warlocks!

The road to Chapter 2 continues, and we are back to share another update on the preparation for its release. Our team is analyzing the feedback shared by a group of players who had a chance to test Urd’s adventure in its entirety.

First-hand impressions gathered from players in the last phase of development will help us polish the overall experience when it comes to weapon performance, spell casting, enemy behavior, level design, character progression and more.

Let’s break it down in our playtest summary!

[h3]CHAPTER 2 - COMMUNITY IMPRESSIONS
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During 4 days of playtesting all of the 12 levels of Chapter 2 you shared over 1200 comments on various aspects of the game. Below, you can learn more about how it relates to the main pillars of Chapter 2 of Project Warlock II.

[h3]Weapons[/h3]

As the Project Warlock community was always very perceptive about different aspects of weaponry we decided to let our playtesters try out the full arsenal available for fiery Urd.



Some of you pointed out that certain weapons feel weak without any perks, but they may be overpowered when fully upgraded. Right now our goal is to put additional work into balancing this aspect of the combat system. Among a few other changes, we plan to buff the base version of Scoped Pistol, reduce the ammo capacity of SMG, or introduce more variants of the grenade via Wargression upgrades.

We also received feedback regarding Urd’s dagger. “Dagger Dash” skill will be redesigned and now it will only work if grounded. We also want to reduce the time of the blade throws with an additional upgrade and enhance the visual effects of “Dagger Storm”.
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[h3]Magic[/h3]

Urd is a magic caster first, and gun user second which is reflected in her arsenal and separates her toolset from that of the more trigger happy Palmer. Your experience with a full set of magic abilities in Chapter 2 helped us list a few areas requiring some changes.



Utilizing Spell Book on the battlefield can make a huge difference and we’ve put a lot of effort into making it as satisfying to use as possible. Some of the changes will be focusing on the animations, cooldowns of spell casting, or in general, the performance of certain spell types.

We would like to also address your suggestions regarding the Crystal Sentry. Changes that we plan to implement relate to its spawning and targeting enemies. In addition, we want to disable friendly fire against our magical companion and improve its pathing.

We also plan to boost Urd’s witchcraft a lot to make it more appealing to use. Area of Effect and damage outputs will all be buffed to a point where magic feels really powerful to use.
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[h3]Wargression & Skills[/h3]

Our team is also working on improving the Wargression system based on the information collected from our Discord. Many playtesters didn’t stop on a single playthrough which helped us learn more about different outcomes for upgrade categories or effectiveness of perk parameters.



Our aim is to tweak certain perks in terms of additional damage, duration of upgrade effects or the frequency of accessing particular types of upgrades. Based on your experience with the Luck perks and Token rerolls, we decided to change its basic rules to provide reasonable proportions in using this system.

More changes we consider for character progression relate to the way of acquiring upgrade tokens or even implementing the new perk category.
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[h3]Locations[/h3]

Our playtests let all the participants visit the whole 12 levels of the treacherous brutalist west. Giving you a chance to lurk in every nook and cranny of each location in Chapter 2 allowed us to plan more improvements.



First of all, we were able to learn more about your reactions when it comes to navigating the Chapter 2 levels. Based on your comments, we can put some final touches to the overall guidance of the player through the different segments of the game’s locations.

We also received a lot of feedback regarding enemy spawn placements and overall amount of monsters wandering about in given areas of maps. Let’s just say repopulation of certain areas seems in order with the aim to serve you a stronger adrenaline rush where it's too quiet, or give you a little bit more space where it feels right to do so.
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[h3]Enemies[/h3]

Killing hordes of terrifying foes is Warlocks’ bread and butter so we need to make sure that your encounters with all sorts of deadly creatures are satisfying.



The overall reception of the enemies of Chapter 2 was very positive. Our team put a lot of effort into creating an extensive roster of grotesque foes and we can clearly see that it was appreciated by players.

Many of our playtesters took their time and effort to share with us the information about the reactions of enemies in particular situations and performance of certain weapons against a given type of foes. Feedback we received led us to plan changes such as additional animations for dodging (Demonface), the priority of the weapon chosen for the attack (Elf Shaman), damage dealt by special attacks (Vamps), amount of health points (Turboshambler), and more.

Most importantly Wraith and Demonface will be adjusted, where Wraith's resistances will be more visually represented, and their behavior will be unique among other monsters - they will be the only monsters to have the possibility to move and attack simultaneously. Also, Wraith will be nerfed when it comes to his attack interval and damage output.

Another crucial point, which the playtester raised are boss fights. We’ll be thinking of ways to make sure you have the most fun possible during those encounters and we’ll be taking another look to see what we can do about the bosses placement on the levels as well as their healthpools and overall difficulty.
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[h3]TILL NEXT TIME![/h3]

That’s all for today’s entry on Chapter 2. Our team will be now working hard on implementing various changes based on playtesters impressions in order to polish game systems and deliver a thrilling experience on the release.

Also - please keep in mind that the Chapter 2 demo is available to play on Steam and GOG and your feedback is always appreciated.

See you in the next update!
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[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Project Warlock on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page

Hey Warlocks!

Road to Chapter 2 continues with a second part of our Wargression Deep Dive! Last week we revealed a detailed description of fundamental upgrade categories such as attack, defense, and luck - you can jump back to our previous post here.

Last Friday was also very special for us because we launched Chapter 2 Playtest which allowed over 40 participants to test the whole 12 levels of Urd’s adventure. During 4 days of playtesting, we received over 1000 messages with feedback on our community Discord server and we are very thankful for every single one of them!

Coming back to the Wargression, today we would like to share with you new info on the remaining upgrade categories that will be featured in the development of your character build in Chapter 2. Those are Weapons, Magic and Poison.

[h3]UPGRADING WEAPONS[/h3]



[h3]Dagger[/h3]

Urd’s faithful dagger adds a new style of gameplay into the Project Warlock series and various upgrades make it even more powerful. As previously established, you can use it in two ways - stab or throw, both of which can be improved by Wargression.

Basic upgrades for a dagger influence its attack speed, the amount of throwable daggers available before cooldown or can extend the attack range. Going deeper into the system you can become a true blade virtuoso!

For instance, “Homing Blade” perk will let your thrown dagger seek a target on its own and “Phantom Slash” will send a wide cutting projectile that pierces through enemies!

Having your dagger equipped will also give you a chance to be more agile during the combat by utilizing “Dagger Dash’, another useful upgrade. The basic form of it will let you perform the dash forward when attacking and upgrading it further will allow it to dash in all directions.


[h3]Pistol[/h3]

The setting of Chapter 2 is gritty and unforgiving so elevating your gunslinger skills will also be a useful strategy in order to survive - and here come Pistol upgrades which will make you the fastest gun in the brutalist west!

Apart from increasing bullet speed, your fire rate and size of a magazine, you can also improve the performance of your aiming with scope to land (even more) brutal headshots.

What about some heavier stuff? You can count on “Dum-dum Bullets” which will increase the chance of dealing double damage against armored enemies. Another useful tip is to go for “Crystal Shot” upgrade which will add a little bit of Urds favorite type of magic into your gun - the first bullet in the clip will be a crystal one - it is always nice to have an extra type of damage at your disposal. .


[h3]SMG[/h3]

SMG can give you a lot of advantage on the battlefield, even if you are pinned down by the whole horde of enemies.

Still, if you’re not satisfied with the basic performance, there are means to spice things up! With bullet speed and fire rate upgrades as your base, adding some crystal bullets into the mix will be a right decision - “Crystal Shot” upgrade will help you achieve it, allowing every 10th fired bullet to be a crystal projectile. Bearing in mind the incredible fire rate of SMG, it will significantly improve the overall damage of this weapon.

You can also tune up your accuracy by “Better Aim” perk or switch the mags in no time thanks to “Reload Speed” improvement.


[h3]Shotgun[/h3]

This monster with two fire modes (single buckshot and crystal shards) can be even deadlier when you take your time and choose the right upgrades.

Next to classic reload speed, cooldown or piercing damage upgrades you can improve the strength of the crystal projectiles by choosing “Enhanced Crystals” - shards will be even more devastating.

What about getting some crazy combo of various benefits via a single upgrade? Invest in “Sawn Off Barrel” to increase almost every possible stat of this weapon.
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[h3]POWER OF MAGIC[/h3]



[h3]Spell Book[/h3]

The basic set of spells that you can have in Spell Book are freeze, fire and poison. Investing in its upgrades will open even more possibilities.

“Magic Scroll” and “Crystal Scroll” will unlock two new types of spells - magic and crystal attacks.

Having the full set of magic abilities in the book will let you boost its performance in various ways. “Awaiting Pain” gives you a chance to increase magic attack speed and “Wild Projectiles” will let you have more shots at your disposal.

Any fans of explosions? If you’re one, try “Spontaneous Combustion” which will make projectiles explode on hit!


[h3]Spells/Skills[/h3]

In this category you will be able to increase the effectiveness of the magic abilities and tools available in your quick menu.

With upgrades for the Poison Grenade, you will be able to not only increase its damage but also extend the duration and radius of the poison cloud that it generates.

For Dagger Storm, you can count on a higher amount of daggers in the tornado, longer spell duration or regenerating throwable dagger if the monster will get killed.

When it comes to Crystal Sentry, you can boost its performance with better crystal damage, chance for piercing damage or a bouncing shot that will hit multiple enemies.
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[h3]POISON UPGRADES[/h3]



Apart from the Poison Grenade that can be available on your skill bar there are also other ways to take advantage of venomous attacks and skills via the Wargression system.

Poison upgrades can be very useful not only with just dealing damage but also when you need to very significantly weaken your opponents. One of those is “Poison Slowdown” which can influence the speed of movement of Urds foes. In addition, you can also count on “Weakened Arms” which will negatively impact their attack rate.

If you want to make things even more brutal, try out the “Poison Burst” - poisoned monstrosities will explode like mad!
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[h3]TILL NEXT TIME![/h3]

That’s all for today’s update about the Wargression system. Also, once again, we would like to thank you all for your participation in our Chapter 2 playtests as well as sharing with us your opinions about its overall feeling, level design, weapons and more!

Also - please keep in mind that the Chapter 2 demo is available to play on Steam and GOG and your feedback is always appreciated.

See you in the next update!

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[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Project Warlock on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page

Hey Warlocks!

We’re happy to be back with a fresh entry of our weekly update and take another step on our road to Chapter 2!

As day by day we are getting a lot of precious feedback from the Chapter 2 demo and we’re getting ready for the playtest of its bigger chunk, we would like to talk a bit more about the brand new progression system.

We introduced the Wargression system in one of our previous updates but since this is a pretty big departure from Palmer's chapter - we want to give you a better look at what you can expect when it comes to choosing your progression path in the game. In today’s entry we are diving into the areas influenced by Wargression and pointing out the benefits that can come from various improvements for Urd, as well as her arsenal.

Let’s get right to it!

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[h3]OFFENSIVE UPGRADES[/h3]



To emphasize Urd’s personality and gameplay style, her offensive upgrades will show you the true meaning of “high risk and high reward” gameplay. As she embarks on her quest of revenge, you will be able to see that this theme is also reflected in some of the upgrades.

Common knowledge says wounded animals can be quite dangerous. And same goes for our red headed avenger. And you will be able to experience it in the game by following this category of upgrades.

Choosing perks such as “Aggressor”, “Anger Management”, “Sadist”, “Berserk” or “Super Combo” will give you benefits when your health points are below a certain level, your combo meter is draining or - simply - when you get hit.

The names of each of those upgrades should also give you an idea of what hides behind them.

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[h3]DEFENSIVE UPGRADES[/h3]



While wandering through the sinister locations of the brutalist west you can find yourselves cornered. Fortunately there is a suit of Urd’s abilities - and ones you can further level them up no less - that allow her to pose a threat in that situation. To paraphrase the animalistic metaphor - cornered Urd is as dangerous as a wounded one. Her set of defensive upgrades is designed in a way where she is protected from incoming danger but can also bite back and give the demons a nasty, and lethal surprise.

The first set of defensive perks relates to the classic meaning of this category. With “Defence Boost”, “Fortification”, or “Stabilizer” you can increase Urd’s armor and health points or even slow down the drain of your life essence.

On the other hand (and here’s a biting back part) you can choose upgrades that will let you also damage enemies. Pick up the “Spiked Armor” upgrade and see monsters attacking the fiery magician get wounded or start bleeding profusely.

Another tool in Urd's vast arsenal is the "Reflective Armor" - useful when facing trigger happy foes to reflect their projectiles back their way.

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[h3]INCREASE YOUR LUCK[/h3]



As the system contains over 80 different upgrades, spanned across 13 different categories, each allowing between 1 and 5 upgrade levels - it’s important to have some degree of control over your progression path.

This is where the luck upgrades come in handy. These will increase your chances of rolling the perks that will be more suited to your gameplay style.

Thanks to a “Specialist” you can choose a certain category of upgrades and be sure that you will get at least one perk of a given type on rerolls. “Bargain Hunter” will give you an additional reroll and upgrade option at each upgrade selection. With “Lucky Bastard” you will receive a rare opportunity to buy two upgrades on one go!

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[h3]CHAPTER 2 PLAYTEST TOMORROW![/h3]

Just a friendly reminder - there's less than 24 hours to apply for the Chapter 2 playtest, where anyone who applies on our Discord will have a chance to play through all of the 12 levels of Chapter 2 and experience everything we’ve been building up until this point.

So, without further ado - Project Warlock II: Chapter 2 playtest will begin tomorrow (Friday) at 19:00 CEST / 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT. It’s expected to run until Monday 23:59 CEST / 2PM PDT / 5PM EDT.

How to sign up for Chapter 2 Playtests?

Just join our Discord server and head to the “Playtest Club” channel for more information - it’s the second channel on the list.

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[h3]WHAT'S NEXT?[/h3]

That’s all for today’s update revealing more details about the progression system in Chapter 2. However, this is just one part of our Wargression Deep Dive as next week we will be sharing new bits of info about upgrades for weapons, magic and poison.

Please remember as well about the Chapter 2 demo which is available on Steam all the time. New feedback is always appreciated ;)

Till next time!

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Project Warlock on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page