As We Descend News

[p]Hail Wardens,

Update 2 for As We Descend is now live in conjunction with TactiCon (a Steam event with lots of cool strategy and tactics games). We've put together a little summary video that you can check out here:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The game is also on 34% discount if you haven't picked it up yet! The sale lasts until July 25th.
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
A few design notes on the update. This update features the new special unlockable mythion unit, the Exosuit, along with a plethora of additional changes. Update 2 also continues the changes started in Update 1 to overhaul synergies. Units now have both greater weaknesses but also greater unique enhancements to help other units. These changes affect the majority of units in the roster.

To better illustrate the synergy changes, a specific combo set that has been changed is the "Exerted" synergies. The Lancer now focuses on individually strong cards and a bonus when any unit is Exerted. The Bombardier now focuses on granting Recoilless, which allows units to ignore the effects of Exerted. The Ascetic now focuses on removing Exerted for a major benefit. These effects can all work independently, but become much more potent when paired (or tripled) together.

[v.424672]
Now, onto the changes themselves.

[h2]General Gameplay Changes[/h2]
[h3]Unlocks[/h3]

• [New] Smith Mastery (Votive-only)
  
• [New] Ascetic Mastery (Votive-only)
  
• [New] Fire Maiden Mastery (Votive-only)
  

[h3]City & Events[/h3]

• After you use two Reactor Rods to repower the City, additional Reactor Rods can be turned in at various locations to upgrade the location
  
• Added a second use for Vestige of Nobility
  

[h3]Drafts[/h3]

• Unit drafts are slightly more likely to offer non-Basic units (when Descension II is active)
  
• Unit combat card drafts no longer offer duplicate cards
  

[h3]Perks[/h3]

• Flanker benefit no longer clears between turns (only after you play a card)
  
• Reservist benefit no longer clears between turns (only after you play a card)
  

[h2]Unit & Card Changes[/h2]
[h3][New] Exosuit[/h3]

• Mythion-quality unit that must be built at the Workshop
  

[h3]Votive-Wide[/h3]

• [New] Solid Footing, which can be learned by any unit
  

[h3]Lantern (Guild)[/h3]

• [New] Lightspeed
  

[h3]Knight/Custodian[/h3]

• [Knight] Blazing Blade reworked to cause auto-attacks to apply Burning 3(4) for the rest of battle, and has limited use
  
• [Custodian] Innate swapped out for Storm Blade, which causes auto-attacks to apply Shock equal to armor
  
• [Custodian] Shocking Blade reworked to cause auto-attacks to apply Shock 3(4) for the rest of battle, and has limited use
  
• [Knight] No longer starts with Intercept, starts with Heavy Slice instead
  
• [New] Valiant Strike
  
• Heavy Slice is reworked a bit into a Starter card
  
• Armored Advance+ changed to have Initiative rather than Fading Armor increase
  
• Iron Fortress bonus effect now grants Provoke (rather than Flurry)
  
• Can no longer learn Cleave
  
• Fixed an issue with Shocking Blade where the buff would be retained if the target was killed by the Shock detonation (or other indirect means)
  

[h3]Forge Smith/Chemist[/h3]

• [New] Empowered Tar innate for Forge Smith (Applying Burning also applies Tar 1)
  
• Tar auto is an alternate innate (now requires Smith Mastery unlock)
  
• Starter cards: Reposition replaced with Copper Cast
  
• [New] Copper Cast (Starter)
  
• [New] Tar Pit (requires Smith Mastery)
  
• [New] Flame Forged
  
• [New] Procession of Ash
  
• Can no longer learn Firestarter, Enflame
  
• Smolder tar decreased from 4(5) to 3(4)
  
• Conflagration rarity increased, cost decreased
  
• Sludge Hammer and Tar Splatter now require Smith Mastery unlock
  

[h3]Purifier[/h3]

• [Purifier] Starter cards: Purge replaced with Rite of Battle
  
• [Docent] Starter Cards: Purge replaced with another Penitence
  
• Purge rarity upshifted
  
• [New] Cleansing
  
• Docent can no longer learn Healing Surge
  

[h3]Ascetic/Herald[/h3]

• [New] Empowered Evasion innate for Ascetic (Switching zone applies 2 Barrier)
  
• [New] Windwalk
  
• [New] Battle Focus
  
• Jab reworked
  
• Interweave reworked
  
• Meditation reworked
  
• Solemnity reworked
  
• Force of Will reworked
  
• Can no longer learn Solemn Focus, Mirage Barrier
  
• Shared Burden, Blast Barrier, and Shatter now require Ascetic Mastery unlock
  

[h3]Fire Maiden/Bell Maiden[/h3]

• Fire Maiden now has a unique portrait
  
• Alternate innate Empowered Dynamo
  
• Scouring Light reworked from only applying Feeble 5(8) to apply Feeble 3(5) and Burning 3(5); can only be learned by Fire Maiden
  
• Lantern Keeper draw increased from 1(2) to 2(3)
  

[h3]Lancer/Cataphract[/h3]

• [New] Relief Force (Basic)
  
• [New] Overdrive (Rare)
  
• Lance Reload reworked into Readied Lance
  
• Precision reworked and rarity reduced
  
• Exhaust Blast reworked
  
• Stun Needle reworked
  
• Cavalry Charge reworked
  
• Blitz reworked
  
• Can no longer learn Readiness, Recoil, Critical Mass
  

[h3]Commander[/h3]

• Can now learn Cleave
  
• Can no longer learn Bladestorm, Coordinated Offense
  

[h3]Overseer/Dive Suit[/h3]

• [New] Vent Suit (Votive-only)
  
• Dive In cost slightly adjusted
  
• Oversee Mission bonus effect reworked
  
• Pressure Release reworked
  
• Lateral Barrier reworked
  

[h3]Navigator[/h3]

• Surging Volt has new card art
  
• [New] High Tide (Starter)
  
• Live Current buffed slightly and changed to be a Basic card
  

[h3]Arbalist/Shock Trooper[/h3]

• Rapid Flurry buff renamed Auto Flurry
  
• [New] Find Weakness
  
• Pincushion slightly reworked; now grants Auto Flurry 1(2) to all friendlies rather than Auto Flurry 2(3) to just self
  
• Target Combo damage reduced from 6 to 5
  

[h3]Technician[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where Reboot wouldn't work properly
  

[h3]Enemies[/h3]

• New encounter with Assassin + Bane Moth
  
• Assassin + 2x Watcher encounter now shows up a bit later
  

[h3]UI[/h3]

• Added visuals for upgrades/forgets from several places, such as dialogue choices
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where random upgrade would not upgrade a card
  
• Fixed an issue where the progression screen would flicker when panning around
  
• Fixed a variety of unit navigation issues
  
• Fixed several issues where meshes in the environment could occlude the camera
  
• Fixed an issue where double-click in the forget screen would cause the game to softlock
  
• Fixed a few issues where some units would get stuck infinitely in an animation
  
• Fixed an issue where monsters would not fit on the battlefield
  

Congrats, you made it to the end of the patch notes! If you prefer to get your news via good ol' email, you can signup for our newsletter here.

Sincerely,
Kev and the Box Dragon team[/p]

[p]We're rolling out some additional fixes for various softlock problems as well as visibility obstruction issues![/p][p][/p][p]This will update NOT clear your in-progress runs from Update 1 (Patch 0.6.0) and forward.[/p][p][/p][p][v.422109][/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where Pocket Dimension didn't work[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare crash bug that could happen when an encounter was spawned[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where various visibility blockers could block the battle camera in all three depths but especially Depth 3[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a Purifier/Docent animation could get stuck in an infinite loop (which softlocked the game)[/p]

[p][/p][p]P.S. We're still on 34% discount for the Steam Summer Sale![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Hey, this is Kev, and we've got slightly different type of news today. First, some regional pricing that affects many countries, and then our participation in Summer Sale which affects everyone![/p][p][/p][h3]Regional Pricing[/h3][p]Regional pricing and accessibility has been a topic we've heard a chunk of feedback on, so we wanted to provide an update on it once we knew we could take action on it. After discussing the situation in detail with our publisher, Coffee Stain, we've come to an agreement about making some reductions in many currencies.[/p][p][/p][p]If you're affected by the regional pricing change and your purchase is still eligible for refund (generally this means less than 2 hours played, within 14 days of purchase, but refer to the Steam documentation as this is ultimately up to Steam), you can request a refund with Steam and buy the game again at the new price: [/p][p]https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/5FDE-BA65-ACCE-A411[/p][p][/p][p]For those of you in these regions, these price reductions are active immediately, with reductions generally being ~25-40% in many currencies.[/p]

• [p]LATAM USD 19.99 → 14.99[/p]
• [p]Brazilian Real 137.49 → 88.99[/p]
• [p]Chilean Peso 22900 → 15500[/p]
• [p]CIS USD 20.99 → 14.49[/p]
• [p]Colombian Peso 107000 → 70000[/p]
• [p]Indian Rupee 1759 → 1300[/p]
• [p]Indonesian Rupiah 321999 → 245999[/p]
• [p]Kazakhstani Tenge 10900 → 9000[/p]
• [p]Malaysian Ringgit 94 → 72[/p]
• [p]Mexican Peso 469 → 334.99[/p]
• [p]Peruvian Sol 89.95 → 63[/p]
• [p]Philippine Peso 1249 → 910[/p]
• [p]Russian Ruble 1839 → 1100[/p]
• [p]Singapore Dollar 39 → 26[/p]
• [p]South African Rand 479 → 270[/p]
• [p]South Asia USD 19.99 → 10.49[/p]
• [p]Taiwan Dollar 688 → 488[/p]
• [p]Thai Baht 799 → 590[/p]
• [p]MENA USD 19.99 → 14.99[/p]
• [p]Ukrainian Hryvnia 799 → 600[/p]
• [p]Vietnamese Dong 499000 → 385000
  [/p]

[h3]Summer Sale Discount[/h3][p]While we weren't able to go on sale on day 1 of the Steam Summer Sale due to our launch day (you can't go on sale within 30 days of the launch due to Steam rules), we're now on sale for the remaining duration! To celebrate the big Summer Sale, we opted for a splashier sale so the game is 34% off.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Thank you all for your support and understanding. If you've already backed the game, we appreciate you being here from the start. Lots of you have mentioned that there's a good deal of content and replay value in the game already, and we've got plenty more in store for you as we keep updates rolling for Early Access; the next major update is currently planned for July 17th.[/p][p][/p][p]Best regards,[/p][p]Kev and the Box Dragon team[/p]

[p]Quick note again, we were aiming to be on sale today for the Steam Summer Sale, but the Steam backend had some issues with applying the sale so I'm not sure when our discount will go live. I've put in a support ticket with Valve, so fingers crossed that they find a solution.[/p][p][/p][p]/////[/p][p][/p][p]We managed to find the cause of at least some of the softlock issues. This potentially fixes all of them, but we won't know until we see that it's not affecting any players after this change. So if your game gets stuck at all, please send a bug report, thanks![/p][p][/p][p]This will update NOT clear your in-progress runs from Update 1 (Patch 0.6.0) and forward.[/p][p][/p][p][v.421250][/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue where an animation could get stuck in an infinite loop (which softlocked the game)[/p]

[p]Quick note first, we'll be on sale tomorrow (assuming all goes well on Steam's end) for the Steam Summer Sale. There was a 30-day cooldown from the launch day, so unfortunately we weren't able to be on sale today. Which means, don't buy the game today, buy it tomorrow![/p]

/////

[p]We're patching in various fixes for some issues that have been reported since we introduced the Bug Report tool. Thanks for using the new feature, and make sure to include your email so that if we have follow-up questions we can reach out to you!

This will update NOT clear your in-progress runs from Update 1 (Patch 0.6.0) and forward.[/p][p][/p][p]While we haven't solved the soft-lock issue that might be affecting some of you, we've fixed some adjacent issues and narrowed it down a bit, as well as adding additional debug data to make it easier for us to track down the specific cause. Please keep reporting this problem![/p][p][/p][p][v.421011][/p][h3]Expedition Map Screen[/h3]

• [p]You can now go "Back" when using an Expedition Force at the Rally Point[/p]
• [p]Fixed a softlock issue where you could be stuck at the Rally Point with no valid choices[/p]

[h3]Perks[/h3]

• [p][New] Added the Guild-exclusive perk "Pocket Dimension"[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Healthy would not give +10 Max Health[/p]

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a handful of French localization issues[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with the positioning on the Watcher's HUD to reduce the chance of it overlapping[/p]
• [p]Fixed a visibility problem with the "Your run has been cleared" popup[/p]
• [p]Fixed some likely-harmless divide by 0 UI errors[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash that could occur when zooming in on an unit/enemy that is dying[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare crash in the unit buff selection screen[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare crash that could happen in the squad up screen[/p]
• [p]Fixed the scaling behavior of the forces inspection screen to prevent cards from taking up the whole space (especially noticeable on ultrawide screens)[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where right-clicking one of the perma-locked unlocks on the Vault Configuration screen would crash the game[/p]