Dustgrave: A Sandbox RPG News

[p]Hello Adventurers![/p][p]Welcome to another preview of Dustgrave’s Revelations Update, that we plan to release in September 2025![/p][p]Today, we’re excited to show you how we’ve completely redesigned the game’s map.[/p][p]Since Dustgrave’s release, we’ve heard your feedback regarding the map size and its impact on exploration. Originally, we envisioned a vast 3D world where players could freely roam and discover locations filled with wonder. Unfortunately, the initial map proved overly large and somewhat empty, making travel feel slow and, for the lack of better words, boring.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To address that, we have significantly reworked the map, reducing its overall size by 60%. This change dramatically cuts travel times, making exploration smoother and more engaging. We’ve also increased the density of content by introducing new settlements and locations. Additionally, several areas now feature a redesigned geography, ensuring travel and exploration remain fresh and less predictable.[/p][p]The other notable change the addition of Holdings, small economic hubs like farms, mines, ranches, fisheries, logging camps, inns, and more. Each Settlement now represents an entire region, with every region containing two Holdings, to better represent the local economy and prosperity.[/p][p][/p][p]A preview image of the new map, showing the increased density and reduced distances between landmarks.[/p][p][/p][p]These Holdings aren’t just decorative, they will be used for dynamic Quests and Events and influence the local economy, impacting each Settlement’s Prosperity level. Holdings also have strategic importance during warfare, with Factions trying to occupy and defend them, reflecting the gradual conquest or reclamation of territories. This addition is part of a broader economic overhaul that will enhance interactions between players, NPCs, and the game’s economy. We’ll explore these aspects further in an upcoming dev diary.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In the next Dev. Diary we will explain in depth how we added the concept of Prosperity Metrics to better track and simulate a Settlement’s economy, and how players will be able to actively influence them by stealing, sabotaging, or donating resources. [/p][p]Stay tuned for more!

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[p]Today we’re back with another Dev Diary, highlighting the substantial improvements we’re making to Classes and character progression in the upcoming Revelations Update.[/p][p]Your feedback on Dustgrave’s combat system has been overwhelmingly positive, yet many of you have asked for deeper progression options and more varied character builds. We heard you, and have completely reimagined our approach to Classes and character’s progression.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve expanded Talents dramatically, introducing more than 150 new options for you to explore as your characters level up. Previously, Talents mostly offered simple Attribute boosts or Class-related bonuses. Now, you’ll find a wide array of choices ranging from powerful equipment-based bonuses to unique Class-specific selections that can complement your build.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The centerpiece of the Revelations Update is the introduction of Class Specializations. Each of our four main Classes now offers several unique Specializations, each bringing distinct gameplay mechanics and influencing your character’s role in combat.[/p][h2]Soldier[/h2][p]Soldiers remain straightforward and powerful, excelling at frontline combat and battlefield control. Choose between four Specializations, each providing a unique tactical identity and specialized combat bonuses: Duelist, Warrior, Veteran, and Skirmisher[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Rogue[/h2][p]Rogues specialize in indirect approaches and tactical versatility, with dedicated Talents offering gameplay-altering effects. They have three distinct Specializations: Assassin, Poisoner, and Bounty Hunter.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Sorcerer[/h2][p]Sorcerers wield destructive arcane power, and can choose from a selection of potent spells unique to their Class. They can further specialize into one of three paths: Magus, Spellblade, or Blood Mage.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Theurgist[/h2][p]Theurgists remain our beloved sacred casters, now benefiting from improved Patron Saint Talents alongside four specialized paths: Warden, Thaumaturge, Guardian, and Inquisitor. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The last crucial change is the introduction of Legendary Talents, which can be unlocked after reaching level 24. Are you tired of only having two meagre Action Points per turn? You desire nothing else than slashing through hordes of enemies? Legendary Talents are here for you![/p][p][/p][p]While a few of them only offer extremely powerful bonuses, most Legendary Talents will let your characters gain more Action Points during their turn, effectively becoming much more powerful and capable of dealing with the enemy’s superior numbers. To support some of these new mechanics, we’ve introduced a dedicated Status Effect called Valor.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here’s a sneak peek at just a few of the Legendary Talents you’ll discover in the Revelations Update.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]With these additions and improvements, you’ll have the freedom to create dozens of new builds or enhance your existing favorites. Some Specializations provide straightforward improvements to existing playstyles, while others introduce entirely new gameplay mechanics, giving you fresh and exciting ways to experience Dustgrave’s tactical combat.[/p][p]We’re eager to see the creative and powerful builds you’ll develop once the Revelations Update goes live. We’re less eager to balance all the overpowered and game-breaking combination we know you will find![/p]

[p]Hello adventurers![/p][p]Ever since we released version 0.6, we’ve been focused on Dustgrave’s next big milestone: the Revelations Update. Today, we’d like to share some key highlights of what we are working on:[/p]

• [p]World Map Rework: a more compact, richer, and detailed map designed to make exploration more engaging and rewarding.[/p]
• [p]Settlement Simulation Overhaul: new simulation mechanics to better represent settlement prosperity and better simulate their development.[/p]
• [p]Expanded Dynamic Narrative: new dynamic quest structures to ensure greater variety and deeper storytelling.[/p]
• [p]Character Progression Revamp: New class specializations and hundreds of additional talents, providing more depth and build diversity for your heroes.[/p]
• [p]Determination: we are removing Morale and turning it into Determination, to make fights more varied and interesting.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Today’s dev diary will focus on the last element on this list. After extensive internal testing and valuable player feedback, we have decided to change how Morale works and remove cooldowns from skills. Let’s dive into why we made these decisions and what we’ve implemented instead.[/p][p][/p][h3]Why remove Morale?[/h3][p]Morale was initially designed to add tactical dept, causing characters to flee. However, in practice, it brought unintended gameplay issues:[/p]

• [p]Boring builds: characters focusing on Morale have never bun as fun and engaging as standard characters.[/p]
• [p]Quest and scripting complications: fleeing characters disrupted quest flow, dialogue sequences, and sometimes led to game-breaking bugs.[/p]

[p]After considering multiple fixes, we concluded the best way forward was to redesign this system entirely.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Skill Cooldowns: limitations and changes[/h3][p]The second area of concern is how Active Skills worked with cooldowns. This encouraged repetitive, predictable gameplay patterns: use your strongest skills as early and often as possible. [/p][p]We wanted players to consider when to use powerful skills, instead of using them automatically the moment they became available.[/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing Determination[/h3][p]We’ve now removed all cooldowns from Skills, and replaced Morale with a new mechanic: Determination.[/p][p][/p][p]Determination Points (DP) work as follows:[/p]

• [p]Skills consume Determination: powerful skills cost more DP, basic ones cost less.[/p]
• [p]Determination regenerates each turn: every character gradually recovers DP at the start of their turn.[/p]
• [p]Shouts still matter: Shouts still replenish DP for allies or reduce it from enemies, allowing allies to use spend more Determination on Skills or preventing enemies from using theirs.[/p]

[p]This approach gives you full strategic freedom: you decide exactly when to unleash your most powerful skills. No more waiting out arbitrary timers! This also means we can create much more powerful Skills, since using them in place of a less powerful Skill will require spending more Determination.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]What happens to existing moral items and skills?[/h3][p]All existing gear, Talents, and Skills previously linked to Morale will now work with Determination instead. We already started testing this new system and the early impressions are excellent. In particular, high-level characters now feel truly powerful, having a high Determination and therefore being capable to take down hordes of enemies with their Skills![/p][p]You have questions? Feel free to join the conversation on our Steam Forum or in our Discord server. You will find us there! [/p]

A new patch is now available with all the fixes we made in the last weeks! Thank you again to all the people that sent us bug reports!

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Moved the Tutorials Codex inside the Journal Panel.
  
• Fixed a few UI scaling and anchoring issues when playing with non 16:9 screen ratios.
  
• While in combat, enemies now have a see-through effect when hidden by obstacles like trees, making them easier to spot.
  
• Fixed an empty dialogue node when being confronted for a crime.
  
• Fixed an issue with statuses in tooltips not being refreshed correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue with NPCs not attacking the player after finding evidence of assault.
  
• Moved the Tutorials Codex inside the Journal, so that they're easier to access
  
• Fixed a minor issue with the Talent's buttons needing two clicks to work.
  
• Fixed some minor UI issues with tooltips or other areas showing placeholder content before being updated by the player's input.
  
• Upgrade and Crafting panels now better show how many ingredients are available and how many are needed.
  
• Fixed a few issues with parties moving on the map that could lead to instability.
  
• Fixed a missing string on the save menu.
  
• Fixed an issue with morale-healing actions that could send a character's morale to zero.
  
• Fixed an issue with a dialogue variable that broke content related to the Straw Hats and their quests.
  
• Fixed several quest-related issues that prevented proper cleanup of NPCs and other entities, leading to strange occurrences like prisoners spawning randomly during quests.
  
• Fixed an issue with Dashes not preventing Opportunity Attacks.
  
• Fixed an issue in combat with Charges that could get the game stuck.
  
• Fixed an issue in combat with Riposte that could get the game stuck.
  
• Fixed an issue with NPC parties that could corrupt data while travelling.
  
• Fixed several issues with the Join Faction quests.
  
• Undead creature can't no longer be knocked out.
  
• Fixed an issue with Settlements being flagged as destroyed without any destruction actually taking place.
  
• Fixed the Dismiss Companion button.
  
• When dismantling items in the inventory, the item that's currently showing a tooltip will now be dismantled, instead of the one selected with a click.
  
• Stacks of items will now yield the correct amount of materials when dismantled.
  
• When respecializing characters, Influence points will now be assigned correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue with a perk making heals overpowered.
  
• Improved the Inventory's usability. It is now easier to dismantle items, there are more sounds to give a proper feedback about what's happening, and it's clearer when an item can't be used because the level requirements are not met.
  
• Crafting Recipes info are now properly displayed.
  
• Fixed some Shields that stacked in the inventory.
  
• "Read The Battlefield" level 3 skill now scales properly.
  
• "Invigorate" level 3 skill now scales properly.
  
• Cultist male armors no longer cause clipping issues with the character's head.
  
• Fixed an issue with two handed weapons not being handled properly by the equipment system.
  
• Fixed an issue with weapon sets now swapping properly.
  
• The Crafting panel will now scroll correctly and show more than a few recipes.
  
• Fixed several minor issues related to the Inventory screen.
  
• Added new sounds in some UIs.
  

Have fun!

We just uploaded a small hotfix which solves an issue with the combat getting completely stuck when using certain status effects! Unfortunately, when we released version 0.6.01, some WIP code was included in the release, but we now solved the issue!

Thank you for the many reports!