What are the major points we want to work on and address?

[p]Hello Dragon hunters,[/p][p]Today, we’d like to give you more visibility into what’s coming next by sharing our plans for both the multiplayer update and full release.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve been reviewing player feedback and collaborating with our community to understand your needs and expectations. With that in mind, here’s a summary of the major points we’re focusing on and addressing, along with our reasoning for each.[/p][p][/p][h3]Generator / Spenders Concerns[/h3][p][/p][p]Many players get frustrated by the generator system early on and stop playing. Therefore, they never reach the point where progression and better fragments and equipment would make those generators less necessary.[/p][p]We are reworking the system so that resource-based skills are much less resource-dependent early in the game. Obviously, to maintain aspects of theorycrafting and optimization, we are considering a system where resource requirements evolve, and where new modifiers to link on your skills will allow you to manage those costs.[/p][p]We’re still very early in the process, and we genuinely want to hear your thoughts on both the generator/spender and a spender-only system.[/p][p]⚠️ Note: We aren’t sure yet if we’ll be able to implement the changes we have in mind for the multiplayer update, but rest assured that if not, they will be addressed in the full release.[/p][p][/p][h3]Smoother Progression & Pendants[/h3][p][/p][p]At the beginning of Early Access, many of you told us that progression just didn’t feel right. It was slow, and not nearly as exciting or rewarding as it should be.[/p][p]To start with, in the Nurõrgartt major update, we improved the overall loot drops, aiming for a more exciting progression, especially at lower levels. We adjusted the loot curves for players to find more high-rarity drops earlier and introduced the Eternal’s Gift.[/p][p]We also made further adjustments in the Tracker major update by increasing the drop rate of high-quality items, reworking the importance of item level versus rarities and adding a Quest Reward system.[/p][p]That said, there were still some outliers we’re working on improving. While overall itemization is now close to a satisfying point based on your feedback, leveling speed remains too slow for many of you.[/p][p][/p][p]So, here’s what’s next:[/p]

[p]We're accelerating both character and city leveling by at least 30% faster.[/p][p][/p]
[p]We’re also giving a bit of attention to fragments by reworking the loot tables for players to find better and more interesting ones earlier in their playthrough. Players will also be able to rotate fragments, which we hope should make theorycrafting easier at every stage of the game and smooth the character progression.[/p][p][/p]
[p]As part of these updates, bosses will now drop two Gifts of the Eternal, giving them the greater sense of importance they deserve.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Another issue we’re tackling is that some players can't find specific skills even after several hours of play. This will be addressed alongside the rework of the City of Montescail. For more details, check the section below.[/p][p][/p]

[p]What about pendants?[/p][p][/p][p]Pendants have been a hot topic, both internally within the team and among players.[/p][p]One key realization from your feedback is how difficult Pendants are to obtain. In many cases, players would reach the endgame or advanced character progression before ever finding their first pendant.[/p][p]While Pendants are meant to feel special and rare, they shouldn’t be so hard to acquire, so here are the changes we are planning to make to improve this:[/p]

[p]Pendants will now have an increased drop rate.[/p]
[p]Champions and semi-bosses will now drop Pendants.[/p]

[p]We hope these changes make Pendants more accessible. Ultimately, we want players to acquire their first Pendant before reaching endgame content.[/p][p]There is still a lot more to do to improve the progression though! So, rest assured we’ll be monitoring how these changes are received once you get your hands on the multiplayer update and will make adjustments as needed.[/p][p]⚠️ Note: Changes regarding the progression are planned to be included in the multiplayer update![/p][p][/p][h3]City of Montescail Rework[/h3][p][/p][p]If there’s one thing the City struggles with, it’s being confusing when it comes to which upgrades players should choose.[/p][p]Our intention was always to give players the freedom to shape their progression experience according to their preferences. However, we recognize that some upgrades and buildings are too important to miss.[/p][p]If a player doesn’t invest in a rather important upgrade early on, it could lead to a frustrating experience, especially since we don’t allow our players to refund their city points. A single mistake could then negatively affect the player experience for a long time, especially since the progression was slow.[/p][p]Another downside, tied to the slow progression, is that as you level up, you unlock increasingly interesting and powerful upgrades and services, but players often don’t have enough points to invest in all of them.[/p][p]This forces difficult choices. For example, you might skip upgrading your Apothecary and end up with low-rarity potions because gaining access to the Ornamentalist, which provides a more impactful powerspike by increasing your talent points, feels more enticing.[/p][p]This creates a dilemma: do you upgrade your potions, essential for comfort, or pursue new upgrades that increase your power? We understand that this kind of progression can feel harsh and frustrating.[/p][p]While we are increasing City XP by roughly 30%, it doesn’t fully solve the issue.[/p][p][/p][p]Why don’t we just add a city reset option?[/p][p][/p][p]It’s not that simple.[/p][p]Unfortunately, from a balance perspective, allowing players to refund city points could disrupt game mechanics. For example, players could invest points to craft high-quality rings or potions, then reset their points and invest elsewhere.[/p][p]We think that kind of exploit would undermine the progression system and game balance.[/p][p][/p][p]What are we doing to address this issue?[/p][p] We’ve decided to rework the City progression itself![/p][p]Instead of giving players complete freedom, we’re introducing a more linear progression. Each service will now unlock at a specific city level, aligned with when it’s intended to be accessed.[/p][p]Don’t worry, you’ll still have choices to make, as we’re adding an upgrade tree that lets you decide which services you want to upgrade along the way.[/p][p]With this approach, we aim to solve the problem of ‘wrong’ investments by providing more guidance, while still allowing players to unlock all services and maintain flexibility in how they develop their city.[/p][p]We’ll soon show how it works in detail, with visuals, in a future DevBlog, so keep an eye on our news.[/p][p][/p][p]A new upgrade is on its way!
[/p][p]On a side note, we add a requested Quality of Life feature suggested by our community[/p]

[p]Auto-pick up gold and crafting materials[/p]

[p]We’re adding a City upgrade that will allow you to unlock a pet : The Divine Familiar [/p][p]Once unlocked, an ally sent by the Eternal will assist you in gathering gold and resources around you. Also, for our players that prefer picking up resources themselves, no worries, you can either skip the upgrade or disable it anytime![/p][p]⚠️ Note: Expect the full rework of the City for the multiplayer update.[/p][p][/p][h3]Endgame hunts are too long[/h3][p][/p][p]Many players are reporting that Endgame hunts are too long and repetitive.[/p][p]Normally when this is the case, the main reason is due to other concerns such as excessive travel between objectives or insufficient challenges and rewards which link to the lack of entertaining content in the area.[/p][p]We understand that spending 40 minutes in a single hunt chaining quests can feel drawn-out. That’s why we’re working on shorter hunts (about half the current length if not less) by reducing unnecessary backtracking to make the experience feel more dynamic and adding champions and semi-bosses to each hunts.[/p][p]These improvements will apply to ALL hunts that exist in the Hunting Board that will also receive a visual overhaul.[/p][p]⚠️ Note: Endgames hunts changes are planned for the full release.[/p][p][/p][h3]Endless post-endgame progression[/h3][p][/p][p]In some ARPGs, an endless progression mechanic is part of the endgame experience. Systems like Paragon Boards in Diablo allow players to endlessly enhance their characters, providing meaningful stat boosts, unique perks that help tackle the high-level content.[/p][p]With Dragonkin full release, we aim to implement a similar system that keeps the endgame engaging and rewarding.[/p][p]As we are still in the early stages of developing our post-50 progression system, we don’t have anything to reveal just yet. Rest assured, though, we’ll get back to this topic and share more details as soon as we have something to show.[/p][p]⚠️ Note: Post-endgame progression is scheduled to be part of the full release.[/p][p][/p][h3]A word on Multiplayer[/h3][p][/p][p]Our progress on multiplayer is moving at a steady pace. We’re still working out the details of the system, but we’re mostly there in terms of how it will work.[/p][p]We know many players are waiting for it and will have questions, so we want to make sure everything is clear before sharing more.[/p][p]⚠️ Note: Expect a dedicated DevBlog next month!
[/p][h3]Transparency and Moving Forward[/h3][p][/p][p]We remain committed to being as transparent with our player base as possible and felt this behind the scenes was necessary. We want our players to know what our team is working on and what to expect so they can provide feedback or simply share their thoughts.[/p][p]As we continue to work on the multiplayer update, we're committed to ensure that Dragonkin: The Banished delivers the best possible experience for our dedicated community.[/p][p]We truly appreciate the passion and feedback we’ve received and will continue to consider the community’s voice to find the best path forward! As always, expect more news on your progress, so make sure you stay tuned to our Steam page and Discord for updates.[/p][p][/p][p]See you soon![/p][p][/p][p]Discord: https://discord.gg/WrCT2E5kG9[/p]