Dawn of Defiance News

If you don’t have enough to experience on your first day in Dawn of Defiance, then allow me to provide you some extra trials.

For each of these tasks, submit your participatory image or video to our Discord channel. We would also love it if you would add it to our Steam community screenshots :)

The goal would be to share the previous day's best submissions at the end of each new daily post. Day to day, there will be no defined winner, but rather a celebration of our community’s coolest game experiences and creations.

At the end of the week, I will review and select the top performers for each challenge!

Let's start:

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A great Greek hero knows how to build with their own two hands. Even your broody guide Aeacus has been known to build a temple or two. So for each day this coming week, I’ll ask you to build me something worthy of a Gods' judgement.


[h2]BUILD CHALLENGE:[/h2]
TEMPLE TO AN OLYMPIAN

What is more Defiant, than opposing the very hands that brought you to the Crossroads? Aeacus would ask you to befoul the altars of the Gods, but perhaps you should build a temple to one instead?

Per community favorite vote, create a structure to honor one of the Greek Gods. Consider using the different biomes, your paint tools, natural flora, horizons, structural shapes, and anything else at your disposal to visually reference your God of choice. I think I know three Gods you might gravitate towards…

Participate in the #player-builds channel in Discord.

___

While we hope you learn to appreciate the build tools in Dawn of Defiance, everyone has different gifts. For those of you less building-inclined, try your hand at this:


[h2]GAMEPLAY CHALLENGE: [/h2]
THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Do you know when the Olympic Games first began? I do not... so who’s to say it did not start here, on the Forgotten Crossroads between the realm of the mortals and the Gods. For this challenge, I ask you to compete against your friends (or yourself) in a sport of your choosing (Archery, Running, Swimming, etc..).

I leave at your discretion how to set dress your Olympic Games, but I would ask for you to submit a screen-capture of your Dawn of Defiance gameplay demonstrating your competitive, physical prowess. For instance, this may look like:

• Archery - Record you and your friends achieving an impressive, long distance headshot.
  
• Running - Record you and your friends sprinting, perhaps over obstacles, with or without enhanced movement abilities.
  
• Swimming - Record you and/or your friends attempting to cross a waterway.
  

Bonus points if you include a torch ceremony.

Participate in the #gameplay channel in Discord.

I hope to see what you all bring. Please have fun!
- Traega Monday

Today, our Greek myth inspired survival craft Dawn of Defiance launches into Early Access!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Now before I list all the important links you should have at this time, let me start by saying: MASSIVE thank you to all of those who have been supporting us since we announced just four months ago. This pre-launch window has been a whirlwind that is hard to describe, but we’re so excited to be finally sharing our game with you after developing it for the past two years, and we’re looking forward to working with the community to expand this game and make it the best Greek myth inspired survival craft it can be in the months to come.





Now, as you join us on the Forgotten Crossroads, there’s a few new things that will be valuable to you (and to us):‍

[h3]If you are experiencing a bug:[/h3]

Please use the bug reporter in the pause menu.
Please also refer to the Feature Up-Vote page to mark which issues you are experiencing.
If you would like to trouble-shoot issues, you may also use the Discord channel #isle-of-invocation to share your situation.
You may also email us at [email protected].


[h3]If you have a question:[/h3]

Check first on one of our FAQ pages, which will be updated periodically, one on Steam Discussions and the other in Discord.
If you’re still unanswered, visit the Discord channel #inquiries or post to Steam Discussions.
You may also email us at [email protected].


[h3]If you are looking for tips:[/h3]

Visit the Community Discord to ask the devs & other players for help!
Visit the Fandom Wiki for archived community notes.

[h3]If you have a suggestion:[/h3]

Submit an idea to the Feature Up-Vote page to be ranked with other community ideas for official consideration.
Talk it out in the Discord channel #isle-of-ideation, but remember all official suggestions must go to Feature Up-Vote.

[h3]If you are a content creator: [/h3]

You may request a key from sbx.gg/dawnofdefiance.
We also have a Lurkit page that is processing requests if you prefer this.
If you have other non-key related inquiries or interests in collaboration, please email [email protected]. ‍

Beyond this, we hope you enjoy playing with us, and stay tuned in for more updates as we now continue development in early access with you, our players! Please refer to Discord for launch week challenges where we hope you all participate!‍

Thank you so much!
And welcome to Dawn of Defiance!

Today officially begins our 10 day countdown until early access! Are you ready to join us on the Crossroads, Defiers?

As we’ve mentioned on the store and in our FAQ pages, we wanted to give you a better idea of our priorities for early access before our launch next week! To respect the possibility that our internal priorities may need to be adjusted after we’ve weighed community feedback after launch, we want to keep this initial “pre” roadmap high-level, so there’s flexibility to modify without false promises at this stage. To add more detail to the attached graphic, here is the simple outline:

[h3]Immediate Goals:[/h3]
Quality of Life Improvements – Please expect our first 2-3 months after launch to be focused on improving the immediate needs of players to make the game the best it can be for long-term growth!
Roadmap Assessments – We will compare the feedback/suggestions/requests from players at launch with our internal planned feature list and the time we will be able to sustain early access to then dictate our priorities.
Improved Shrine Labors – Part of your trials on the Crossroads is to visit the shrines of the Olympians and complete their associated Labors. We aim to upgrade this existing experience with more thoughtful and challenging quests before adding the remaining shrines.

[h3]Short Term Goals: [/h3]
Expand the Crossroads and advance the narrative – You’ll notice when you join our game on the 15th that part of our map is locked! We will be working to open this up to players which will include unlocking the remaining 4 Olympian shrines. With all 12 shrines on the map to complete, we will be able to progress the player on to the final arc of our narrative.
More buildables – We have a backlog of art assets nearly finished, namely buildables, that we can see being wrapped up in the short-term to expand players' options!

[h3]On the Table:[/h3]
Character Creator (ultimately to include a female protagonist), more mythical enemies, and mod support– These are things the Dev team would like to see in our 1.0. Where they fall in our priority list remains to be decided!


Hopefully this information helps understand how our team will be approaching early access, and we look forward to working with the community to finalize a more comprehensive roadmap post-launch. Given part of this plan involves you and your feedback, you’re probably wondering how you will communicate with us!

At launch, we will unlock our feature up-vote board as the official method to measure player interest/need in specific changes/suggestions. We’ll promote the link at that time. In addition, if players would like a more informal discussion about game suggestions and features, we will have Discord channels available.

Now allow me to toss in some extra visuals for you to start off the week, the last couple are a cool player build we got to see thanks to friends and family who joined us in our recent playtest! We got some great feedback and loved seeing new players trying Dawn of Defiance for the first time. Check these out:










And to round out today’s update, the FAQ page should now have more details on server settings for those of you who have been waiting for that information, and lastly, we will be throwing down ideas for the community launch week activities in Discord this week, including themed build challenges, so if you enjoy that sort of thing, definitely swing on in and join the conversation! We hope you participate with us on August 15th!

JOIN THE DEFIANCE DISCORD

Thanks everyone for tuning in for these announcements. Remember to share our game with your friends, and we'll see you next week ;)

- Traega Monday

Yesterday, our newsletter and Discord members received the latest of our development updates which means it's time to share with you all! We’re one month away from our early access launch, so we’ve locked in content and now we’re focusing on optimization, testing, and polish. To tide you over until our final, pre-launch August update, here’s a few highlights of recent additions to Dawn of Defiance and some general community notes.

[h2]DEV UPDATES[/h2]

[h3]Map Changes[/h3]

The Golden Path(s)
We know many gamers are terrible at making decisions and awful at directions (something something we never leave the house kekw), so paths have been carved into the landscape in select locations to assist those who find themselves forever stuck in the same mountain range for hours at a time. Whether you trailblaze or follow the paths, they lend character to the world and features to incorporate in your player builds!



Cave Systems
Personally, the main thing I look for in an open world game is the ability to roleplay as Smeagol, so great news, everyone! In our last full dev update, we told you caves were up next in the development pipeline, and we’re happy to confirm they’ve made good progress and will offer you new areas to explore in the Crossroads at launch and grounds for cave-dweller theatrics if you’re so inclined. As briefly shown in our first compendium entry, Ambrosia will be found in caves alongside enemies. And for those curious, yes! You can build underground!


[h3]Audio Pass[/h3]

Cave Depths
Nothing curtails my incredible Smeagol RP more than being in an cave with no sound effects. That really inhibits my immersion. I would know; I’ve been in the situation frequently. But if you’re anything like me (a translucent little freak), you’ll be happy to know our cave overhaul included a new and improved audio soundscape! Take a sneak auditory peak at a moment underground. Watch your heads, please.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Mediterranean Music
So you’ve heard about sound effects, but what about music? As we’ve shared before, there are multiple biomes across the islands, and to give them each a unique flavor, so to speak— please, don’t lick the sand, gamers—we’ve collaborated with a composer to create different music mixes, such as the one below. Yeah, it’s getting kind of cinematic in here. I’m lore-walking everywhere. What do you think?

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Game Art[/h3]

New Facilities
What is a hero without good equipment? Dead, probably. Defiers will need to continue to expand their base with player facilities from spits to smelters. Creating and revising these crafting workbenches has been an important ongoing part of development, so we’re excited to see some of the final art for the stations come in, including the butchery table and hunters bench which allow you to scrap animal parts and convert pelts into gear, respectively.



Your Just Guide
You didn’t arrive in the Crossroads by chance. There’s a presence waiting for you across the water. He’ll need your assistance—and you’ll need his. With his guidance, Defiers will improve their skills and seek out shrines across the map. This mysterious figure is currently undergoing another art pass before we’ll introduce him in the launch trailer next month. For now, enjoy his brooding silhouette. I’m sure his front side is significantly less broody and intimidating, right?


[h3]Player Progression‍[/h3]

Fast Travel
These islands aren’t small, and even with your glide ability, it would take awhile to cross from one side to another. A god would never walk, so why should you? By proving yourself on the Isle of Arrival, you open up the pathways between portals, allowing you to step through to different regions of the unlocked map. Needless to say, they’ve made the world feel much more accessible and long trial treks more convenient!



Deity Trials
On that note, our designers have made massive headway implementing the deity shrines of the Crossroads and their corresponding trials. At early access launch, you’ll be able to visit 8 of the final, planned 12 to complete the challenge, defile the altar, and earn rewards inspired by the Gods. Not only do the trials empower you, but they advance your cause on the isles, bringing you ever closer to ridding the Gods' presence from the Crossroads.


[h3]Enemies‍[/h3]

Bad Guy Polish
We’ve been making small tweaks to existing enemies to make combat more seamless and enjoyable, such as wolves flinching and improved aim stance for Lost Archers. Perhaps the biggest improvements I’ve personally noted have been made to the Soldiers, previously unseen in our last two trailers due to an armor glitch! But they’ve finally put their clothes on— thank the Gods— and you’ll encounter them around most ruins, defending the ancient powers. Prepare to be confronted if you come too close!



Wisps!!
These funny little guys can now be found on the map. They seem to have beaten you to all the objectives and flitter over places of power, shrines, and braziers. You can smack them around, you can follow them. They drop dust. But most importantly, they make little jingly noises. They actually have more functionality than that, but we’ll wait to tell you a bit more about them another time (compendium, anyone?)



[h2]COMMUNITY NOTES[/h2]

[h3]Up Next:[/h3] Final Art, Optimization, & Polish

We’re now in that pre-launch window where we need to test the game extensively, so you don’t somehow trek where none have yet trekked and find yourself recreating the Icarus myth against your will, as you’re hurled inexplicably into the stratosphere. We’re working with additional outsourced QA while continuing to swap out final art assets and refine animations, progression, and economy for the gameplay loop available at early access launch, but no new overhauls to mechanics, quests, or direction at this time before early access.‍

[h3]Minor News & Corrections[/h3]

Achievements on Hold
Our last community monthly mentioned polling some in-game achievements, but based on current priorities, we’re decided to hold back on implementing achievements until after our early access launch, so we can focus on refining and testing the gameplay loop.

The 12 Trials
In the last month, we’ve decided to block off a part of the Crossroads to allow us more flexible map-space to add more content during early access (without physically affecting the landscape players will be actively using by that time). This adjustment would lock 4 of the 12 trials out of players' reach at launch. Because of this, I’ll be adding a note to the FAQ that 8 trials will be immediately playable, with the intention to expand in early access.

Launch Trailer Coming Soon!
You’ll get at least one more gameplay preview before our launch next month. We’ll be starting that asset this week! Stay tuned and share our socials with your friends!‍

[h3]Community Build:[/h3] Fawn Coliseum

Last but not least, the June community monthly invited Defiers into the Discord to help me poll two creative builds. The second of the two builds will be attached to the brief July Community Monthly next week, but for the first poll, you all selected the “Bunny Coliseum.” At long last, I have edited together that process to hopefully expound on the potentials of our build kits, though you’ll have to forgive the lack of bunnies. I didn’t realize it was fawn season. Enjoy the full edit here or in the Discord: The Defiance Discord

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Thanks for supporting Dawn of Defiance! More updates coming your way before August 15th, but until then keeping getting hype for early access next month!

- Traega Monday

Hello Defiers!

We’re over halfway through June, and I wanted to get you all a brief update ahead of our development newsletter later in the month! Introducing the Community Monthly! Going forward, I’ll aim to share with you a few bullet points on our development and any activities you can participate in!



Discord Activities:

Last week we started up some build polls. Today is the LAST day to vote on the second of two build options I’ll be recording this week and next. Join us now in Discord and drop whatever idea you’d like to see tested against our build kits! See the Discord for more details on the recording/build.

Tomorrow is the official Summer Solstice, marking the longest day of the year. The solstice was an important time for Ancient Greece, and we’ll have a couple minor Summer-themed community requests this weekend to celebrate (in addition for some myth-factoids)!

Beyond that, we’ll also run a couple voting polls, starting next week, about in-game achievements. If you’re a completionist, now would be your best chance to ask questions and have a say in those initial early access achievements. We might have another set of polls for a possible art asset as well, but that remains TBD.

Dev Notes:

We’ll save more in-depth highlights for the Deliverance newsletter in a couple weeks, but here's a few quick notes:

We’re progressing on population of our “main” island, the Forgotten Crossroads, with enemies, new flora, and important landmarks. Most of our gameplay footage has been taken on the starter island, so we're excited for players to adventure into the lesser-known, but significantly bigger Forgotten Crossroads in August.


UI Art will see a large overhaul this month. You'll know we've shown very little of the UI up to this point. Here's a sneak peak of the arrow selection widget to tide you over a little longer.


Among the updates coming to the UI, we're working on a full-screen map tab. While we work to make it prettier and stylized, here's a blurry and unhelpful glimpse of the Crossroads. You're VERY welcome.


Multiple dedicated team members continue focusing on multiplayer testing and optimization, and we’re excited to see the quest systems in action as well this month! For more information about current development, please stay tuned for our second dev update, coming in a couple weeks. It will include more bullet points and more images, and probably be a little funnier.

Cheers for now,
-- Traega Monday