Skygard Arena News

Patch 1.1 - Balancing Update

[p]Dear Tacticians,[/p][p][/p][p]It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm of the community for PvP matches since the launch of Skygard Arena! Both ranked games and tournament matches have provided us with lots of insights on the power level of the various Champions and team compositions. Thank you for playing the game and for providing your very valuable feedback! 😍[/p][p][/p][p]Today we are releasing a balancing update in order to maximize the number of competitive team compositions. We are reducing the difference in power level between the various Champions and nerfing some over-powered interactions. In particular, we are nerfing Daerio and Vallya while buffing Jorn, Na Jima, Aiden, Bu Shin, Champei and Seraphine👀[/p][p][/p][p]We are also fixing a couple of bugs and improving the experience when playing against the AI. Thank you to all players who reported bugs and provided suggestions![/p][p][/p][p]Enjoy the new patch, we are looking forward to seeing you experiment with new comps![/p][p][/p][p]See you in the Arena,[/p][p]Team Gemelli[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Patch Notes - Version 1.1

[hr][/hr][h2]Balancing Changes - Champions[/h2][p][/p][h3]Daerio - Duelist 🤺[/h3]

[p]Health Points: 160 → 150.[/p]
[p]Primary Action - Critical Strike: steals 2 ultimate charges → 1 ultimate charge.[/p]
[p]Galeblade (Relic): grants +2 → +1 Haste token every time an ally gains an Haste token.[/p]

[p]Daerio has been one of the most played and best performing Champions. We are nerfing the Galeblade relic, which was giving an insane mobility and tempo advantage. We are also reducing his tankiness, as he already benefits from great damage potential and excellent mobility. Finally, stealing 2 ultimate charges when dealing a critical strike was a very significant advantage, we think stealing 1 charge is good enough.[/p][p][/p][h3]Daerio - Renegade💥[/h3]

[p]Health Points: 160 → 150.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Vallya - Vanguard🛡️[/h3]

[p]Primary Action: no longer automatically deals a Critical Strike when Vallya is under the effect of a Protection.[/p]
[p]Guardian Angel (Ultimate Action): the Undying status no longer applies to Pillars.[/p]

[p]Vallya could shield herself with one of her secondary actions, then automatically deal a Critical Strike with her primary action: that was too easy and unhealthy. Her Critical Strike applies a Dazed token, which is very impactful and reduces the strength of any counter attack on her. She's still able to crit and apply this token, but it will no longer be automatic and she will have to be buffed by her allies to crit, which reinforces teamplay.[/p][p]Rounds during which Vallya would cast Guardian Angel were very frustrating for the opponent: they couldn't do anything meaningful for one whole round, as both Champions and Pillars were protected. With this new version, the opponent can at least neutralize and capture Pillars during this round.[/p][p][/p][h3]Aiden - Archbishop📘[/h3]

[p]Primary Action damage: 30 → 40.[/p]

[p]Aiden's primary action is his unique source of damage. 40 damage will make him more impactful, in particular to neutralize enemy Pillars.[/p][p][/p][h3]Champei - Earth Avatar🐼[/h3]

[p]Primary Action damage: 25 → 30.[/p]
[p]Ultimate Action's cost: 8 → 7 ultimate charges.[/p]

[p]We think Champei Earth Avatar has a very interesting kit, but some of her basic stats (primary action damage and ultimate charge cost) were too weak for her to be truly competitive, so we are buffing them.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bu Shin🐈[/h3]

[p]Health Points: 120 → 130.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Seraphine👼[/h3]

[p]Health Points: 120 → 130.[/p]

[p]We think 120 health points was insufficient given the current level of lethality in the game: Seraphine and Bu Shin could be eliminated too easily. We are giving them 10 extra health points.[/p][p][/p][h3]Jorn🐊🩸[/h3]

[p]Movement Points: 2 → 3.[/p]

[p]Jorn was the only Champion in the game with only 2 movement points instead of 3 and we think it is no longer justified. Jorn will be much more mobile and should feel better to play![/p][p][/p][h3]Jorn - Besieger🐊[/h3]

[p]Range of Cyclonic Jump (secondary action): 0-3 → 0-2.[/p]

[p]To compensate for the extra movement point, we are reducing the range of Jorn Besieger's jump.[/p][p][/p][h3]Na Jima - Huntress🏹[/h3]

[p]Primary Action's damage: 35 → 40.[/p]

[p]Na Jima Huntress has not performed particularly well recently. Her primary action, which only deals damage to enemies in a line, is difficult to cast: one has to invest resources to position Na Jima correctly to make the best use of the spell. We want to increase the reward (damage) for positioning Na Jima correctly and finding the best angles to cast her spell.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]User Experience - Skirmish Games vs. AI[/h2]

[p]When playing a skirmish game against the AI, your starting side (and therefore your starting order, #1 or #2) will now be chosen randomly. This way, the skirmish experience better mirrors the PvP experience and playing against the AI can help you practice both sides of a map.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

[p]Fixed a bug that would trigger an end turn when clicking right next to the end turn button.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug that would allow a player to act in the very first frames after the end of a losing round and visually capture their opponent's main pillar, even though it would not impact the actual result of the game.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug that would trigger a - purely visual - double counting of victory points if a Champion was eliminated when receiving two differences instances of damage (such as regular damage and collision damage). This will prevent the rare situation in which games would continue after a player reaches 25 points visually but 23 points in reality.[/p]

Community Tournament: compete in the Launch Cup!

[p]Dear Tacticians,[/p][p][/p][p]To celebrate the official release of Skygard Arena, we are organizing a new community tournament![/p][p][/p][p]Bring your best teams to the Arena, battle players from all over the world and outsmart your opponents to win the Cup! 🏆[/p][p][/p][p]You can register to join the Launch Cup here. The Launch Cup will take place on Sunday 5 October. All details and rules can be found below.[/p][p][/p][p]We can't wait to see you compete in the Arena![/p][p][/p][p]Team Gemelli[/p][p][/p]

Format & Rules ⚔️

[hr][/hr][p]The Launch Cup will take place through 2 phases: Swiss Round & Playoffs.[/p][p][/p][p]Swiss Round[/p]

[p]All participants will play 4 Bo1 matches in a Swiss Round format, against a different player each round.[/p]
[p]Each victory grants you 2 points and each draw grants you 1 point.[/p]
[p]At the end of the Swiss stage, the 4 players with the highest number of points will qualify for playoffs.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Playoffs[/p]

[p]The top 4 players from Swiss Round will compete in a single-elimination bracket, with Semi-Finals and Finals.[/p]
[p]All matches will be played in Best of 3 format: the first player to reach 2 victories wins.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Fearless Relic Draft During Playoffs[/p][p]To reward players who master multiple team compositions and ensure a good diversity of match-ups through the tournament, Playoffs will use the Fearless Relic Draft rule: during playoffs, each player can play a given Relic only once during a Bo3 match.[/p][p]For instance, if a player plays Venomous Heart with Jorn Predator during game 1, this player can not play Venomous Heart again during game 2 and game 3. This player is allowed to play Jorn Predator equipped with another Relic.[/p][p]Their opponent is allowed to play Venomous Heart once during the Bo3 as well.[/p][p]This player will be able to play Jorn Predator with Venomous Heart once again during the next match.[/p][p][/p]

Dates & Times 🗓️

[hr][/hr][p]The Skygard Arena Launch Cup will take place on Sunday, October 5th. [/p][p]Swiss Round matches will start at 15:00 CET. [/p][p]Semi-Finals are expected to start around 17:00 CET, with the Finals and 3rd place match taking place around 18:30 CET.[/p][p][/p]

Prizes 🏆

[hr][/hr][p] 🥇 The winner will receive 2 Steam keys for Skygard Arena to gift the game to friends, as well as the exclusive Launch Cup Champion role on the game's Discord server![/p][p]🥈 The runner-up will receive 1 Steam key as well as the exclusive Launch Cup Runner-Up role on the game's Discord server![/p][p]😀 All participants will receive the special Launch Cup Contender role on the game's Discord server![/p][p][/p]

How to register for the Launch Cup? ✅

[hr][/hr][p]Register easily on the official Toornament page of the Launch Cup: click here.[/p][p][/p][p]There are only 12 participant spots so make sure to register early![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Patch 1.0.4 - Easier Difficulty Mode & Bug Fixes

[p]Hi Tacticians,[/p][p][/p][p]It's been 6 days since the 1.0 launch of Skygard Arena! A huge thank you to everyone who jumped into the game, whether you’re a new player or a returning veteran. Seeing so many of you diving into Skygard Arena and loving it means the world to us.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve read every piece of your feedback, and today we’re rolling out a small update to address some of the issues you’ve shared:[/p]

[p]To make the single-player experience more accessible, we are adding the possibility to play every campaign mission on an easier difficulty: in Story mode, all enemies will deal reduced damage.[/p]
[p]We are fixing a few bugs.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Join our Discord server to share thoughts, hang out with the community, or just geek out over tactics. And if you’ve got a moment, a Steam review would mean a ton, it helps us grow and improve![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your support and see you in the Arena![/p][p][/p][p]Team Gemelli[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr]

Full Patch Notes - Patch 1.0.4

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]Campaign - Addition of Story Difficulty[/h2][hr][/hr]

[p]When playing the campaign, players can change the difficulty setting at anytime in the Settings menu.[/p]
[p]In Story mode, damage dealt by all enemies is reduced by 25%.[/p]
[p]The difficulty in Regular mode is unchanged.[/p]
[p]Players can switch between both difficulties at anytime, it will not affect their progression nor their achievements.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bug Fixes[/h2][hr][/hr]

[p]Fixed a bug that could cause three Relics (Elvish Boots, Ultimate Dynamo and Angelic Convertor) not to work properly if both players were playing them in PvP mode.[/p]
[p]When playing Champei Wind Avatar with Dissonant Armlet, the Critical token is now given instantly when an ally walks on a Gust Trap.[/p]
[p]When Bu Shin recovers his movement action by using Smoke Bomb, this consequence is now properly written in the combat log.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug with the preview of an elimination, that would happen if the target had just respawned and Vallya had cast Guardian Angel while the target was dead.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug that could cause a black screen to appear while loading some scenes.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p]

Skygard Arena's tactical skirmishes feel like a fantasy twist on Into The Breach

With the dream of XCOM 3 still very much just that, I'll leap on any chance to get a bit of turn-based tactical combat into my life. Skygard Arena is the latest newcomer to step up to the plate, and it immediately caught my eye with its fantasy designs and a battle system that's giving Into The Breach vibes. Developer Gemelli Games has just launched it out of early access on Steam after almost a year, with a new champion and full Steam Deck support among the inclusions, and it's well worth a look if you're craving a little strategy.

Read the rest of the story...

SKYGARD ARENA 1.0 - OUT NOW!

[p]Dear Tacticians,[/p][p][/p][p]The day is finally here: the 1.0 launch of Skygard Arena! Craft your strategy, dive into the Arena and lead your squad of Champions to victory in turn-based tactical skirmishes.[/p][p][/p][p]What's new in the 1.0 update:[/p]

[p]The new Champion Seraphine, Angelic Queen of the Silver Kingdom;[/p]
[p]8 new relics with lots of synergies to discover;[/p]
[p]A new Arena: Seraphine's Throne Room;[/p]
[p]Major performance improvements;[/p]
[p]A lot of new AI teams to beat;[/p]
[p]The game is now playable on Steam Deck with dedicated default controls.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Earlier during Early Access, we added Steam Achievements, a new opening cinematic, additional localization support (now available in Chinese, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and English), the final campaign missions and 26 challenging secondary quests.[/p][p][/p][p]If you’re a returning player: Welcome back! Thank you so much for your support and for helping us shape the Early Access version into the game you are opening today. Your help has been invaluable.[/p][p][/p][p]If you're a new player: welcome and enjoy the best version of Skygard Arena yet! [/p][p]See you in the Arena,[/p][p]Team Gemelli[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Full Patch Notes - 1.0 Update

[hr][/hr][h2]New Champion: Seraphine👼[/h2][p]The Angelic Queen of the Silver Kingdom joins the Arena![/p][p]Will you play her Celestial Persona, a long-range mage with many tools to support her team?[/p][p]Or would you rather go to battle with her Avenger Persona, a melee character who becomes more threatening as she loses health?![/p][p]Check out the full preview of both personas in our latest dev blogs: Seraphine Celestial and Seraphine Avenger.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Arena: Seraphine's Throne Room👑[/h2][p]Battle other players or the AI on a new map in Arena mode: Seraphine's Throne Room![/p][p][/p][h2]Performance Optimization 📈[/h2]

[p]Reduced load times, both at game launch and at the start of each battle.[/p]
[p]The game is now 57% smaller on disk (from 12.9 GB to 5.4 GB).[/p]
[p]Improved overall performance in battle by reducing RAM and VRAM usage through asset compression and by prewarming shaders.[/p]
[p]Improved overall performance in battle when showing previews and movement areas thanks to object pooling.[/p]
[p]Improved performance in Arena lobby by reducing texture size.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Steam Deck🎮[/h2]

[p]The game is playable on Steam Deck now! We've set up default controls that fit with the Steam Deck.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Arena Mode - vs. AI 🤖[/h2]

[p]Players can now face both of Seraphine's Personas when playing against all types of AI.[/p]
[p]When playing against Classic AI, the enemy team will be able to play 39 different relics (previously: 12).[/p]
[p]We've significantly increased the number of different teams that players can face when playing against the Experimental AI level 1 & 2. The AI can now play all 20 Personas (previously: only 12) and 39 relics (previously: 12).[/p]
[p]Players can now face 20 different teams when playing against the Experimental AI Level 3 (previously: 12). These teams have been created by us and include powerful synergies between Champions. We have updated all of them to reflect the latest gameplay and balancing changes, to include teams with Seraphine and to ensure they're highly competitive.[/p]
[p]Improved the decision tree of Bu Shin Thunder Warrior and Jorn Predator.[/p]
[p]Improved the overall behavior of the Experimental AI, which should focus a bit less on trying to take your Major Pillar and more on scoring points through taking kills and controlling minor pillars.[/p][p][/p]

[h2]Arena Mode - PvP ⚔️[/h2]

[p]The leaderboard has been reset! Will you be able to climb to the top?[/p]
[p]Your current rank (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond or Master) is now displayed on your player banner, once you have completed 5 placement games.[/p]

[p]Visual improvements to the matchmaking screen.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Campaign Mode🗺️[/h2]

[p]You can reset your campign progression now! Just go to the Save section in the Settings menu.[/p]
[p]Added a dark background to improve readability of the subtitles in the opening cinematic.[/p]
[p]Removed some tutorial dialogues related to camera controls from mission #1.[/p]
[p]Reduced difficulty:[/p]
- [p]Removed one starting unit from mission #7.[/p]
- [p]Removed two starting units from mission #10.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Champions - Balancing⚖️[/h2][p]Bu Shin Thunder Warrior⚡[/p]

[p]Rending Bolt (Relic): when equipped with this Relic, Bu Shin now deals 30 base damage to Pillars and applies Bleed tokens to units.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]User Experience Improvements👀[/h2]

[p]Players are now able to rebind controls in the settings menu.[/p]
[p]The game can be played on ultrawide screen.[/p]
[p]Improved the visual treatment of Pillars in the line of sight tool (press TAB to access it).[/p]
[p]Reduced the delay before tooltips appear on screen when hovering on an action or a relic.[/p]
[p]Added a visual effect on Pillars protected by the Undying status from Vallya Vanguard's ultimate action.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Bug Fixes🔧[/h2]

[p]Fixed a bug preventing the Alerted status from triggering in certain instances.[/p]
[p]When an ally walks on an ally glyph (Sentry, Relay Beacon or Shadow Trap), it is now destroyed as intended.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug that would prevent players from loading a mission if they had lost internet connection during the previous mission.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug with the Back button in Arena mode.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug causing inaccurate campaign progression when completing a mission, using the quick start button and completing the same mission again.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug that could cause the game to crash when exiting the game in certain scenes.[/p]