As We Descend News

Hail Wardens, Kev here again. We've got a hefty patch for you today, packed with new and expanded difficulty settings, new unlocks, pacing changes, a number of unit and card reworks, and the beginnings of the codex.

This update WILL clear your in-progress saves due to pacing changes that shorten each run. You can anticipate this for most major updates, which are slated for every 3-4 weeks. As always, your metaprogression and unlock progress is preserved.

Here's an update video going over the way we're going to be updating the game throughout Early Access, as well as covering major patch points.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[v.419014]
Now, onto the changes themselves.

[h3][New] Bug Report & Feedback Tool[/h3]

• You can directly report bugs and send feedback from in-game. Press F2 at any time, or click the bug icon.
  

[h3][New] Codex[/h3]

• The first iteration of the Codex is in
  
• It's very much a work in-progress, so for now you can only view seen/drafted rates for the various categories
  

[h3]Main Menu[/h3]

• Now includes a section that approximately indicates when the next planned update will occur. These will typically occur every 3-4 weeks.
  
• These are generally bigger updates that will disallow in-progress runs from carrying over, so this will allow you to plan a bit around it.
  
• Smaller patches and hotfixes do not follow this indicator. Those can and will happen at any time, and generally preserve in-progress runs.
  

[h2]General Gameplay Changes[/h2]
[h3]Descension System (Difficulty Settings)[/h3]

• Max Descension Level increased from 5 to 18
  
• Reconfigured the five major Descensions to be nine major Descensions instead, both redistributing existing modifiers and adding new adjustments. With all major Descensions enabled, the game is slightly more challenging than the previous Descension 5. With all 18 modifiers enabled, the game has a more challenging endgame for those that desire it.
  
• Added 9 sub-Descensions that allow for additional customization (Challenging Expeditions, Dire Fatigue, Market Depletion, Dire Afflictions, Regenerating Core, Wasteland, Contamination, Staggering Scale, Causality Prison)
  

[h3]Unlocks (Meta-Progression)[/h3]

• [New] Arbalist Mastery – Allows Arbalist to begin with the alternate Empowered Hail innate, and adds Easy Trigger, Locked and Loaded, and Full Quiver into the learnable pool.
  
• [New] Dauntless Mastery – Allows Dauntless to begin with the alternate Empowered Javelins innate, and adds War Spear and Whistling Spear into the learnable pool.
  
• [New] Commander Mastery – Allows Commander to begin with the alternate Empowered Warlord innate.
  
• [New] Overseer Mastery – Allows Overseer to begin with the alternate Empowered Suit innate.
  
• [New] Advanced Technician – Adds Reboot and Field Study into the learnable pool.
  
• [New] Ranger: Gunner – Switches out Lead Shot for Unload.
  
• [New] Lantern: Lightning Rod (Guild) – Switches out Shock Blast for Lightning Rod.
  
• [New] Lantern: Flowstone (Guild) – Adds on Flowstone, and changes the Lantern's auto-action to only Barrier itself.
  
• Vanguard: Butcher reworked into Vanguard: Resolute
  
• Advanced Arbalist cards adjusted slightly
  
• Adjusted the placement of some modifiers
  
• Adjusted the requirement thresholds of various unlocks (generally slightly harder to unlock); this may cause a few unlocks to become re-locked for a few players
  
• Added "Under Development" text to the Sacrosanct Origin to indicate its development status
  
• Updated various visuals in the Vault Configuration screen and fixed QOL issues
  

[h3]Game Length[/h3]

• Total game length decreased from 13 cycles to 11 cycles
  
• Total max battle count decreased from 20 to 19
  
• Once you reach Depth 2, number of Expedition Force cards per cycle increased from 2 to 3
  
• Depth 1 cycles remain at 4
  
• Depth 2 cycles decreased from 5 to 4
  
• Depth 3 cycles decreased from 4 to 3
  

[h3]Progression and Scavenging[/h3]

• No longer draft another rare unit when going from Depth 1 to Depth 2; instead, gain another Squad Up choice
  
• Scavenging rewards generally improved so that Copper/Favor rewards are less common and Upgrade/Forget rewards are more common
  
• [New] Amorphous Ore – A item that can be turned in at either the Old Mentor or the Relic Researcher that offers more specialized card selection.
  

[h3]Reclaiming an Expedition[/h3]

• Turning in an Expedition Force moved from Reliquary to Workshop
  
• Reclaiming an Expedition now allows you to choose between 3 Favor and 3 Scavengers on your next Expedition
  
• Fixed a bug where abandoning an expedition would grant +6 Scavengers
  

[h3]City[/h3]

• You can now back out of Upgrade selection and Forget selection (except when the item is a shop item, or had a skill check associated with it)
  
• Market Closure event now shows up a bit later (unless you have the Market Depletion modifier enabled)
  
• Harsh Lesson only shows up in Depth 2 and later, and cost reduced from 100 to 80
  
• Cost of increasing squad size changed from 30/90 to 40/60
  
• Preview cost on a location panel now reflects modifiers
  
• Fixed an issue where reclaiming your item from a location would visually appear as if the item was consumed
  
• Fixed an issue where paying Forcefield in the City could sometimes lead to excess Reactor Rod locations still being occupied
  

[h3]Tech[/h3]

• [New] Observatory (Boss)
  
• [New] Effusing Wings (Artifact)
  
• [New] Mythion Regulator (Artifact – Votive)
  
• [New] Jarred Fury (Artifact – Votive)
  

[h3]Perks[/h3]

• [New] Healthy
  
• Adjusted various Perks so they are slightly more contextual (Pointblank and the other attack checking perks can now be an initial perk)
  

[h2]Unit & Card Changes[/h2]
[h3]Unique Unit Names[/h3]
Design notes: To make it easier to talk about different units, all units now have unique names.

• Navigator (Votive) renamed Wayfinder
  
• Dive Suit (Votive) renamed Overseer
  
• Bell Maiden (Votive) renamed Fire Maiden
  
• Arbalist (Guild) renamed Shock Trooper
  
• Knight (Guild) renamed Custodian
  
• Bombardier (Guild) renamed Demolisher
  
• Zealot (Guild) renamed Surgeon
  
• Forge Smith (Guild) renamed Chemist
  
• Ascetic (Guild) renamed Herald
  
• Lancer (Guild) renamed Cataphract
  
• Purifier (Guild) renamed Docent
  

[h3]Lantern (Votive)[/h3]

• Empowered Echo wording made more clear and no longer affects attacks
  
• Empowered Flame reworked into Empowered Inferno
  
• Watchtower barrier increased from 6(8) to 8(10)
  

[h3]Lantern (Guild)[/h3]

• [New] Short Circuit
  
• [New] Lightning Rod (unlock requirement: Lantern "Lightning Rod")
  
• [New] Flowstone (unlock requirement: Lantern "Flowstone")
  
• Rapid Fire Beam renamed Prismatic Array
  

[h3]Multiclass[/h3]

• Dodge Back renamed Backdash
  
• Fleeting Buffs (Fleeting Attack, Fleeting Stagger, Fleeting Armor) reworked into Fading Buffs (Fading Attack, Fading Might, Fading Armor) which only lose a stack each turn rather than clearing. Many values adjusted accordingly to work with the new improved duration.
  

[h3]Vanguard[/h3]

• Can have the alternate innate Empowered Resolve (Vanguard: Resolute)
  
• Fury Strike downshifted from Rare to Basic
  
• Dust Bomb now has an unlock requirement (Advanced Vanguard)
  
• Distract reworked slightly
  

[h3]Arbalist[/h3]

• No longer has Empowered Flurry
  
• [New] Empowered Critical, which grants +50% critical multiplier for all units per stack
  
• Can start with the alternate innate Empowered Hail (once unlocked with Arbalist Mastery)
  
• No longer starts with Quick Shot
  
• [New] Steady Shot (Starter)
  
• [New] Strafing Run (Basic)
  
• [New] Trick Shot (Rare)
  
• Precision Shot upshifted from Basic to Rare
  
• Target Combo damage reduced from 6 to 5
  
• Critical Eye – Critical Aim stacks reduced from 2 to 1
  
• Bolt Storm reworked slightly, cost increased but no longer Exerts and has a Formation Bonus to reduce its cost
  
• Giantslayer no longer has an unlock requirement
  
• Fire Bolts and Target Fire now have an unlock requirement (Advanced Arbalist)
  
• Heavy Draw, Full Quiver, and Easy Trigger now have an unlock requirement (Arbalist Mastery)
  
• Can no longer learn Backdash
  

[h3]Dauntless[/h3]

• Empowered Phalanx now utilizes Provoke, so it can behaves consistently with other Provoke effects
  
• Can start with the alternate innate Empowered Javelins (once unlocked with Dauntless Mastery)
  
• Impale reworked slightly, now applies large amounts of Rupture
  
• Javelin reworked slightly, now applies Rupture
  
• Puncture reworked slightly, now applies Rupture
  
• Spears at the Ready reworked slightly, now creates Heartseeker
  
• Can no longer learn Heartseeker
  
• Fury Stinger downshifted from Rare to Basic
  
• Whistling Spear and War Spear now have an unlock requirement (Dauntless Mastery)
  

[h3]Wayfinder (formerly Navigator)[/h3]

• Initial squad members increased from 2 to 3, but health per squad member decreased from 12 to 7
  
• Empowered Abilities innate Empowered stacking reduced from x3 to x2
  
• Channel+ reduces its cost from 1 to 0 rather than increasing Empowered from 1 to 2
  
• Jumpstart cost changed from 2(1) Command to 1(0) Command and 1 Favor. Empowered stacks reduced from 4 to 3
  
• Fixed an issue where Brainstorm could be played even when the Wayfinder wasn't Empowered
  

[h3]Lancer / Cataphract[/h3]

• Lance Reload reworked slightly and text simplified, always grants Command/Flow, and only draws 1 card. Upgrade enhances it with Retain
  
• Boost Lance damage and stagger reduced from 10(15) to 9(12)
  
• Cavalry Charge damage reduced from 11(15) to 10(14)
  
• Can now learn Readiness
  

[h3]Knight / Custodian[/h3]

• Clobber reworked, cost increased but no longer Exerts and has a Formation Bonus to reduce its cost
  
• Can now learn Cleave
  
• Can no longer learn Immortalize or Readiness
  
• Fixed an issue with Shoulder Bash showing incorrect Stagger values against Flying / Heavy Plating enemies
  
• Fixed a bug where the Knight could get stuck with the Heavy Metal perk
  

[h3]Forge Smith / Chemist[/h3]

• Initial health increased from 24 to 26 (Health per squad member increased from 12 to 13)
  
• [New] Flame Forged
  
• [New] Smolder
  
• Dancing Cinders upgrade no longer increases Burning, instead also applies Tar to the main target
  
• Can no longer learn Firestarter
  
• Enflame slightly reworked, cost increased and has a Formation Bonus to reduce its cost
  
• Conflagration no longer costs Favor and can be upgraded
  
• Combustion upshifted from Basic to Mythion, costs less Command, and costs 1 Favor
  

[h3]Zealot / Surgeon[/h3]

• [New] Execute
  
• Sanguine Ritual renamed Sinister Plot and reworked slightly
  
• Bloodletting reworked
  
• Ambush adjusted
  
• Pursuit now draws card(s) instead of applying Bloodshed
  
• (Zealot) Fury Slash downshifted from Rare to Basic
  
• (Zealot) Consuming Fury downshifted from Mythion to Rare
  
• Fixed a bug where every hit was applying Rupture with Empowered Bleed, rather than every attack
  

[h3]Fire Maiden[/h3]

• No longer has Empowered Dynamo
  
• [New] Empowered Lighter, which grants Melting Point on playing a Favor card
  
• No longer starts with Blinding Beam
  
• [New] First Light (Starter)
  
• [New] Blinding Torrent (Basic)
  
• [New] Lantern Keeper (Basic)
  

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

• Can no longer learn Overcharge
  
• Lighthouse Favor cost shifted into Command
  
• Torch Favor cost shifted into Command, stats increased
  
• Blast Wave cost shifted into Command, stats adjusted, upshifted from Basic to Rare
  
• Scouring Light cost shifted into Command, stats increased
  

[h3]Commander[/h3]

• Can have the alternate innate Empowered Warlord (Commander Mastery): It grants Fading Attack to all other units in the same zone as the Commander each turn.
  

[h3]Bombardier / Demolisher[/h3]

• Load the Cannon reworked, changed from applying Fleeting Attack to Attack Bonus
  

[h3]Ascetic[/h3]

• Fury Bash downshifted from Rare to Basic
  
• Brick Break Dizzy and Feeble stacks increased from 2(3) to 3(4)
  

[h3]Overseer / Dive Suit[/h3]

• (Overseer) Begins with Empowered Oversight, granting Barrier whenever you play another unit's cards
  
• (Overseer) Empowered Suit bonus reduced from +50% to 25%, now has an unlock requirement of Overseer Mastery
  
• (Dive Suit) Persistent Barrier bonus reduced from +50% to +25%
  
• Dive In can now be upgraded
  

[h3]Ranger[/h3]

• [New] Unload (unlock requirement: Ranger “Gunner”)
  

[h3]Technician[/h3]

• Applies Resonant Echo instead of Faint Echo
  
• [New] Reboot (unlock requirement: Advanced Technician)
  
• [New] Field Study (unlock requirement: Advanced Technician)
  

[h3]Navigator[/h3]

• Initial squad members increased from 2 to 3, but health per squad member decreased from 12 to 7
  
• [New] Surging Volt
  

[h3]Electrocannon[/h3]

• [New] Facsimile
  

[h3]Enemies[/h3]

• Bane Turret health slightly increased
  
• Abomination – “Mass Slime” Withered duration slightly decreased
  
• Fixed an issue with Webber not visually shooting a projectile
  
• Fixed an issue where Molter King would play its retreat animation instead of its death animation when killed in the Molter Matriarch battle
  
• Fixed an issue where Phantasm movement speed and walk cycle animation speed was too slow and too fast respectively
  
• Fixed an issue where Tank's zoom-in camera would be above the Tank
  

[h3]UI/HUD[/h3]

• Tech HUD now mirrors so it is always on top of the Lantern regardless of battlefield orientation
  
• Hovering over the Rarity / Faction area of a Unit Info Display will now show a tooltip explaining the rarity and faction
  
• Runic Recycler / Reserver visuals adjusted slightly
  
• End Cycle / Turn button adjusted slightly
  
• Fixed an issue where the height of bonus-only cards was a bit too high
  

[h3]Miscellaneous Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where Burning Weapon and Shocking Weapon could persist beyond a turn
  
• Fixed an issue where Shock Round's bonus effect would cause Shock to count down
  
• Fixed an issue where Jolt's bonus effect would cause Shock to count down
  
• Fixed an issue where cards may have spawned with English text until the text loaded in properly when playing in languages other than English
  
• Fixed an issue with obstructing pillars in certain Depth 3 battlefield locations (especially towards the top-right of the map)
  
• Fixed an issue where Fatigued was visible during the collections phase (from the previous cycle)
  
• Fixed a rare crash related to deploying into battle
  

Congrats, you made it to the end of the patch notes! Follow As We Descend to make sure you get all the announcements on the game:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769830/As_We_Descend
If you prefer to get your news via good ol' email, you can signup for our newsletter here.

Sincerely,
Kev and the team at Box Dragon

[h3]Hail, Wardens.[/h3][p]For all of you that have delved into As We Descend since launch last week, thank you! And if you've left feedback or reviews, a special thanks to you. We've read 'em all, and since we aren't able to reply to all the individual posts and discussions, this post will cover some of our thoughts.[/p][p]If you haven't delved in yet, the 17% discount is still ongoing for a few more days. We've already patched the game six times since it launched, and we've got plenty more in stock for you with regular updates anticipated every 3-4 weeks.[/p]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769830/As_We_Descend
[h2]What's next?[/h2][p]The next slated update arrives in about a week. We're testing a whole slew of changes:[/p]

• [p]Max Descension Level increased from 5 to 18[/p]
• [p]5 Major Descensions will become 9 Major Descensions[/p]
• [p]In addition, there will be 9 smaller modifiers[/p]
• [p]New unlockables in the meta-progression[/p]
• [p]A set of new alternate innates for various units[/p]
• [p]Improved loot yields during Scavenges, increasing the chance you see Upgrade and Forget rewards[/p]
• [p]Unit adjustments to hone each unit to their role, expanding combo potential across multiple units[/p]
• [p]Fleeting Buffs turned into Fading Buffs, which have greater lasting power[/p]
• [p]New tech, new perks, and new cards[/p]
• [p]The beginnings of the Codex, an in-game encyclopedia[/p]

[p]As mentioned before, we'll be aiming to bring a bigger update to the game every 3-4 weeks in a steady fashion. That way, you can consistently check back into the game to play with new content and adapt your strategies over time.[/p][p][/p][h2]Our plan after that[/h2][p]This next update will only be the first of many as we improve pacing, power curve, progression and agency over deckbuilding. Some bigger topics we're thinking about tackling include:[/p]

• [p]Speeding up runs a bit[/p]
• [p]Offering more meaningful and impactful choices in the City[/p]
• [p]Unfolding the narrative a bit further[/p]
• [p]Improving consistency of synergy for multi-unit combat[/p]
• [p]Expanding the Codex so you can peruse all the content that you've unlocked[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Feedback and Discussions[/h2][p]Your feedback comes first for Early Access. Make sure to join the Discord to discuss with players and developers there, or post right here in the Steam Community forum.[/p][p]If you've got questions about roadmap or other things like that, you can read the full FAQ here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1769830/discussions/0/591772621004108662/[/p][p][/p][p]I'm looking forward to developing the game further alongside you and the rest of the community over the course of the Early Access. If you haven't left a review yet, do consider leaving one - we're almost at 200 reviews! May AVA bless your descents.[/p][p][/p][p]Best regards,[/p][p]Kev and the Box Dragon team[/p]

[p]We've managed to solve many of the crash bugs players have been getting. However if you're experiencing odd crashes (GPU related), make sure to enable the launch option for "GPU crash debug" (the third launch option). We're tracking a GPU-related crash on certain devices and if you experience it, please use this option and click "Send" in the crash reporter to help us provide more information so we can figure it out.[/p][p][/p][p]This will update NOT clear your in-progress runs.[/p][p][/p][p][v.416877][/p][p]✦ ⇒ Community-inspired change[/p][p][/p][h3]General Gameplay[/h3]

• [p]Empowered Echo and Empowered Flame now activate immediately, rather than the turn after the Lantern is Empowered[/p]
• [p]When playing as Votive, Lantern drafts during Scavenges will now always offer an Empowered card option[/p]

[h3]UI/UX[/h3]

• [p]✦Added a small lightning bolt icon on Empowered Perks to visually connect it to the HUD[/p]
• [p]✦The Sacrosanct button in the Metaprogress screen now says "Not Yet Available" to reflect its development status[/p]

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• [p]✦Fixed an issue with Wounding Perk / Wounding Upgrade / Wounding Forget where you could choose a unit that did not have a Perk slot / Upgradable card / Forgetable card respectively[/p]
• [p]✦Fixed an issue where you could get more Manuscripts than you had learning slots[/p]
• [p]✦Fixed an issue where the Noble only gave you 2 Copper instead of 30 Copper for helping him on his quest[/p]
• [p]✦Fixed an issue where Revelator applied Armorshred rather than Armor Break[/p]
• [p]✦Fixed an issue where units could get stuck between certain regions in Depth 3[/p]
• [p]✦Fixed an issue where Rapid Fire Beam could go infinite if you played it at 0 Flow while the Lantern was Exerted[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Descension I was unlocking even if you lost the first run[/p]

Hey, Kev here. It's great to see all the reviews and discussion about the game so far, so keep 'em rolling! We've got our first slightly bigger patch here that makes some baseline difficulty adjustments to enemy encounters and shop quality. In addition, there is improved performance optimization for the later Depths.

This update will NOT clear your in-progress runs.

[v.415681]
✦ ⇒ Community-inspired change

[h3]✦Encounter Scaling[/h3]
Design notes: Enemies in As We Descend scale their stats based on how many battles you've taken before in a Depth. With this change, enemies now scale their stats slower in all three Depths, and at low Descension the early fights stay easy for longer. At Descension+3 (D+3), it will be closer to the values pre-patch although it may still generally be slightly less challenging.

• Depth 1 enemies scale slower with encounters fought and there's an extra easy encounter (until D+3; previously this was no longer the case at D+1)
  
• Depth 2 enemies scale slower with encounters fought, and there's an extra easy encounter (until D+3)
  
• Depth 3 enemies scale significantly slower with encounters fought, and there's an extra easy encounter (until D+3)
  
• Depth 3 elite enemies no longer scale with the number of battles you've taken in Depth 3 (their stats are now pinned as if you've done about 2 battles rather than fluctuating from 0-5)
  

[h3]Enemies[/h3]

• ✦Hermit has slightly less base health
  
• ✦Tank has slightly less base health, slightly lower base attack power, slightly lower attack scaling, and slightly lower stagger threshold scaling
  
• Tank slightly prefers healthier targets when initially selecting a lock-on target
  
• Warlock Queen slightly prefers healthier targets when selecting a lock-on target for Chest Burster
  

[h3]Units & Cards[/h3]

• Hyperbeam: Damage and Stagger both increased from 25 to 30
  
• Beam Strike: Stagger increased from 12 to 18
  
• Seeker Beam: Favor cost reduced from 1 to 0, and now has limited charges 2(3) instead
  
• ✦Fixed an issue where Pilebunker (with active bonus) did not receive bonus attack from attack power
  

[h3]City & Events[/h3]

• ✦Collector: Now restocks the Perk Draft between Depths (at a slightly higher cost).
  
• Librarian: Now sells Mythion rarity cards and Enhanced(+) cards. Higher chance for Enhanced cards in later Depths. Normal cards are slightly cheaper than they were before, and these new high rarity or pre-upgraded cards are more expensive.
  
• Apothecary: Upgrade and Perk items now remain in stock between Cycles, and restocks up to 2 between Depths.
  

[h3]Optimizations[/h3]

• ✦Improved a common issue with performance in later Depths
  

A quick patch for some more fixes and minor improvements. This patch also contains a few run-progression changes in the form of greater baseline Scavengers per expedition and tech drafts that are biased in the player's favor.

This will update NOT clear your in-progress runs, and should actually fix an issue where some runs may have been cleared.

[v.415663]
✦ ⇒ Community-inspired change

[h3]Tech[/h3]

• ✦During Boss tech drafts, you are guaranteed to get an option that draws you cards and an option that grants additional Command
  
• During tech drafts, you will not see repeat tech again (until you've seen all tech)
  
• Signal Booster has been moved from artifact tech to boss tech
  

[h3]Scavenging[/h3]

• Base Scavenger count on expeditions increased from 5 to 6
  
• Bonus Scavenger count on expeditions from empty deployment slots decreased from 2 to 1
  

[h3]Units[/h3]

• During perk drafts, you will not see a repeat perk again (until you've seen all perks)
  
• Added victory animations for the Bell Maiden, Navigator, Purifier, and Lancer
  
• Field Ingenuity: Fleeting Attack value increased from 1(2) to 2(3)
  
• Back to Back: Fleeting Armor value increased from 3 to 4
  

[h3]Enemies[/h3]

• ✦Various Depth 3 encounters show up slightly later and have less stat scaling
  

[h3]City & Events[/h3]

• Squad improvement cost for basic units increased from 25 to 30
  
• Squad improvement cost for rare units decreased from 100 to 90
  
• ✦Fungal Bloom Strength option increased so the base value is always a minimum of 1
  

[h3]UI/UX[/h3]

• Intent tooltip separated from the other tooltips so that they only appear if you hover the intent area
  
• ✦Max HP becomes visible when hovering a unit or enemy's combat HUD
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• ✦Fixed an issue where Sunder was applying Armorshred rather than Armor Break to fix an interaction with temporary armor
  
• ✦Fixed an issue where deploying to various regions in Depth 3 would take longer than expected for the units to arrive on the battlefield
  
• ✦Fixed an issue where the weakpoint on the Siege Murk could be obscured under the HUD
  
• ✦Fixed an issue where the upgrade preview would jitter (again)
  
• Fixed an issue where the {!} (New card icon) would stay on the screen if the card was hovered as it spawned
  
• Fixed an issue where the Commander's perk description on the metaprogression screen was incorrect