Dungeonborne News

Hi everyone. In yesterday's announcement, we introduced a lot of changes as well as the design philosophy for Pre-season: Before the Storm. Today, we want to share some of our thoughts so we can discuss the upcoming changes for Season 1: DB Reforged. So without further ado, let's get into it.

[h2]Part 1: Seasonal Realm and Eternal Realm[/h2]

• When S1 starts, the Eternal Realm will be available, and all your progress in Season 0 will be preserved
  
• At the same time, a seasonal realm will also be opened to give everyone a fresh start
  
• However, the vast majority of new content will only be available in the seasonal realm, and the game modes in the Eternal Realm will rotate to reduce the total amount of queues. This seasonal system is similar to common industry practices (such as Diablo and Path of Exile)
  
• We're also considering to plan some game modes in the middle and late stages of the season that allows characters from the Eternal Realm and the Seasonal Realm to play together
  

[h2]Part 2: Pet System[/h2]

• You heard it right, a pet system that all classes can try out, but it's not primarily designed for combat. Your pet will have a special inventory that can hold loot. Each game, you will have an opportunity to command your pet to carry this loot and extract early! This inventory can be upgraded and expanded through investments by playing, and eventually, your loyal pet will take on the important task of extracting the most valuable loot for you
  
• We hope that the pet system can implement the classic "safe container" design in extraction games in a way that is more in line with DB's fantasy world, to ensure that all players have a guaranteed way to extract loot every game and "win" even if they die. We also hope that everyone will be more willing to take more risks because of this guaranteed mechanism
  
• It's worth mentioning that the pet system will not be an exclusive system for paying users, and all players will be able to participate in it
  

[h2]Part 3: Heirlooms Rework[/h2]

• We're adjusting the definition of high-tier heirlooms. In Season 0, the ability to customize affixes on high-quality heirlooms proved extremely valuable in combat. For Season 1, top-tier heirlooms will be redefined as high-power equipment, becoming one of the endgame gear choices. This means they will require more resources to acquire and craft, but in return, we'll grant high-quality heirlooms even stronger capabilities than they currently possess
  
• Low-quality heirlooms will still serve as "free betting stakes" or cheap gear to help new players reduce gear fear
  
• With the introduction of new map difficulties, we've also decided to implement a popular community suggestion: the ability to craft previously unlocked heirloom qualities! Players can choose which quality of heirloom to craft based on their goals. Whether you want to create cheap, entry-level equipment or powerful endgame gear to accompany you in battle, the choice is yours
  

[h2]Part 4: Combat Balance Rework[/h2]
Throughout Season 0, we received tons of feedback on balance and engaged in thorough discussions to realign our vision. We'd like to share our insights with you.

1.Action Interactivity

• All class skills should be able to interact with weapon attacks, defense, or player movement and positioning. This ensures that melee vs. ranged combat doesn't feel disconnected, and that all skills/spells have counterplay options. The recent rework of the Cryo's Frostbite Curse is a good starting point (although Cryo's stats are a bit low after the adjustment). We'll continue making adjustments in this direction, so stay tuned
  

2.Shortening Melee TTK

• Although from a dummy DPS perspective, melee classes are not inferior to ranged classes. However, as players become more proficient in defense, counter, and movement techniques, the melee TTK is currently significantly longer than the ranged burst kill TTK and much longer than common extraction PvP games
  
• The longer melee TTK leads to fewer surprises, amplifies differences in play skill and equipment power, and makes it more difficult to win with fewer numbers or weaker power, ultimately discouraging players from taking risks. In Season 1, we plan to shorten the melee TTK by increasing the damage of melee weapons without affecting the damage efficiency of offensive skills
  

3.Clarify the "Roles" of Classes (or Specific Skill Combinations)

• We will use common "roles" from RPG and MOBA games to clarify our classes, such as tanks, fighters, assassins, mages (ranged burst damage), marksmen (ranged sustained damage), etc. This will create a clear cyclical countering relationship for different roles and playstyles, encouraging the game environment to dynamically balance itself
  
• For example, we want the Death Knight to be a frontline initiator, but we haven't given them enough tank capabilities. On the other hand, the pre-nerf Cryomancer, through Ice Barrier healing, Frostbite Curse healing, life-on-hit healing, and the Faery of the Lake shield, had the abilities of two class roles simultaneously (ranged sustained damage + tank), causing its power to overperform and making it impossible to counter
  

The balance content discussed above is still under active development and internal testing. When Season 1 launches, expect a comprehensive round of adjustments and refinements based on our findings. Stay tuned for more updates!

[h2]Part 5: Monsters Rework[/h2]

• Currently, regular monsters in the game provide a fairly basic and one-dimensional combat experience. Players essentially trade time or health to acquire resources. In Season 1, we aim to introduce more engaging and varied mechanics that go beyond simple combat
  

• To enhance the core combat experience, we plan to allow certain monsters to use character class skills and even boss abilities. This will give new players a chance to gradually learn and adapt to skill-based counterplay during PvE, preparing them for the challenges of PvP combat and boss fights
  
• Elite monsters and bosses currently present a high-risk, high-learning curve challenge, but once mastered, they can feel repetitive and lack compelling reasons to re-engage. Moreover, their design often fails to properly account for ranged DPS characters, leading to significant disparity in clear times and difficulty between melee and ranged classes. This, in turn, results in a more conservative, drawn-out, and boring bossing experience
  
• Drawing inspiration from games like Monster Hunter, we intend to address these shortcomings through better stage design and mechanics that equalize the damage windows for melee and ranged characters. Players will be able to capitalize on these damage windows and potentially extend them by employing skillful and action-oriented counterplay. The goal is to create a more dynamic, comfortable TTK and an overall more engaging, progressive combat experience that encourages mastery and replayability
  
• These adjustments and refinements will be an ongoing process throughout Season 1 as we gather data and player feedback
  

[h2]Part 6: Thoughts on Solo and Team Play[/h2]

●First and foremost, we want to assure our players that DB will not abandon solo play. We have carefully considered the relationship between solo and team play from various angles, and we'd like to share our insights with you in a transparent manner:

• If we were to completely separate solo and team play environments, it would require entirely different designs for both sides, including class balance, combat design, map structure and routes, map mechanics, boss mechanics, and economy. Our class balance adjustments based on solo balance would inevitably fail to ensure a satisfying team play experience, and the introduction of collaborative map mechanisms would not translate well to solo play
  
• Take class design as an example. DB's class skills are largely inspired by League and WoW, where combat balance has always been designed around team play. Neither of these games offer solo play as their official or main game mode
  
• However, when we look at successful extraction games in the industry, they usually allow solo and trio players to share the same stage, and solo players can still find enjoyment. DB experimented with mixed-team matchmaking during the early playtests, but the experience was not good at all. So, what exactly is DB missing, or where did we go wrong, that caused our mixed-team matchmaking to be unfriendly to solo players?
  

1.PvP TTK and Combat Range

• DB's TTK (especially for melee) is significantly longer than in shooter games, making it extremely difficult to fight against multiple opponents. Melee characters also have short range and are in danger once engaged in combat
  

2.PvE TTK, Number of Mobs, and Mob Positioning

• In Hunt: Showdown, for example, there are fewer mobs, and the kill time is within 2 seconds. Players spend more time scouting, planning routes, and avoiding environmental creatures like crows that could expose their position. Compared to DB's current state, this significantly reduces the difference in advancement speed between solo and trio teams
  

3.Environmental Complexity and Ease of Information Gathering

• The core resource areas in shooter extraction games are often designed as buildings with more complex terrain, making it harder to gather information. However, DB's level design makes it easier to obtain information, and the abundance of monster corpses can expose a player's previous route
  

4.Poison Circle and Random Portal Extraction

• The poison circle forces solo and trio players to confront each other directly, rather than allowing solo players to choose whether to challenge teams with more players
  

5.Lack of Guaranteed Profit Measures

• In DB, not only is it difficult to fight against multiple opponents as a solo player, but losing means a complete loss. Even if you acquire valuable items, you may not be able to escape in the end
  

6.Additional Solo Play Compensation

• In Hunt: Showdown, some talents are significantly enhanced when playing solo. For example, a certain talent allows solo players to revive once
  

●As you might have noticed, many of the changes we introduced in Pre-season or confirmed for S1 align with the above summary, such as map structure and route changes, monster placement changes, and the pet system (safe container). We want to fundamentally make solo and team experiences compatible from the ground up, eliminating the difficulty of solo-trio balance and pre-teaming issues, and ensuring that new mechanics or gameplay can serve all players
●Based on numerous successful extraction games, we believe this is an achievable goal. In addition to the announced content, more bold, fundamental changes are being designed and developed as we speak. Once they pass internal testing, we will share them with you as soon as possible
●We appreciate the patience of our persistent players, and we sincerely invite all solo users to continue providing feedback until you can truly achieve 1v3 and wipe out a team

[h2]Part 7: Closing Words[/h2]

Lastly, we want to take a moment to thank all our players who have supported us and believed in our vision for DB. Your feedback, both positive and negative, has been invaluable to shaping the game's direction. We're committed to creating a unique and thrilling experience that stays true to the core of extraction gameplay. DB is more than just a game to us; it's a passion project that we're pouring our hearts into.

As we move forward with Pre-season, Season 1, and beyond, we're excited to bring you new content, features, overhauls, and improvements. We firmly believe in the potential of DB and the community that has formed around it. Your support means a lot to us, and we will continue to push boundaries and deliver a game that captivates and challenges you.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. We can't wait to see you in the dungeons tomorrow!

Hey everyone! Today's post will be a long and juicy one, we're going to break down the main content and changes coming in the Pre-season update on September 29th. But first, let's talk about what the Pre-season is about:

• The Pre-season is all about testing the changes we've got lined up for Season 1, aimed at DB's core players. We're hoping you'll dive in, test things out, and give us your honest feedback. We appreciate your patience, dedication, and support as we continue on this journey
  
• With that goal in mind, the Pre-season update won't involve any wipes, new servers/realms, or progression resets
  

[h2]Part 1: No More BS Matchmaking![/h2]

• Since launch, we've received tons of feedback about matchmaking quality and its issues. After lengthy discussions, we've made a decision: no more "matchmaking"! In the Pre-season update, we want to eliminate the uncertainty caused by the current "matchmaking" system and instead allow players to choose their own identities - whether it's starting with low-tier gear to stealthily loot as a rat, or gearing up to the max to wreak havoc as a chad
  
• All map difficulties will have gear quality restrictions that are clearly visible to all players. You will know exactly what the entry-level and top-tier gear is for each mode, and you can make your own decisions!
  
• If we compare extraction games to a casino, we should offer slot machines (low risk, low reward), roulette (medium risk, medium reward), and poker (high risk, high reward) - something for everyone, we hope every type of player can find their own playing field
  
• Furthermore, having clear gear quality brackets will ensure that high-gear-level players will never appear in beginner lobbies, protecting their experience
  

[h2]Part 2: Fortune Favors the Bold[/h2]
After the update, the differences between each difficulty will be more significant:

• Removed the warding (poison circle) for Casual mode
  
• In Classic and Hard modes, early portals will be replaced by "Broken Portals" (green portals), which require a "Resonance Stone" to activate. Triple Broken Portals require the one-time consumption of 3 Resonance Stones. Moreover, their energy forms are unstable and will be destroyed by the poison circle
  
• Removed fixed extraction points for Classic and Hard modes
  
• Slightly increased the power of monsters in Classic and Hard modes
  
• Overhauled the placement and distribution of monsters, elites, and bosses for all difficulties
  

Since there are greater risks, there need to be more dazzling treasures to reward the brave adventurers who venture into Classic and Hard modes! Fortune favors the bold. We want to make sure that the risks you take are properly rewarded:

• First, we can now officially inform everyone that the global drop cooldown for items has been removed!
  
• Moreover, we are introducing some serious "treasures" into the game!
  

• You can obtain these treasure items by engaging with the brand new map mechanics (which we'll dive into below)
  
• Simultaneously, we've rebalanced the loot distribution by reducing the overall drop rates from regular monsters and significantly increasing the drop rates from elite monsters. Now, you'll have a better chance of finding those treasures and even legendary equipment when taking down elites! This change ensures that the risks and rewards of PvE are more closely aligned
  
• Tired of the low drop rate of legendaries and not being able to afford them in auctions? We've heard your feedback, and we believe the above changes will address those issues head-on, making top-tier equipment more accessible to a wider range of players
  

[h2]Part 3: A Richer Adventure Experience[/h2]
We're introducing a brand new feature: high, medium, and low-resource zones. You can find treasures through the following methods:

• Consume Leyline Seals at the Leyline Altar for random rewards. There's a 25% chance to get a treasure item, but the altar will drop a guaranteed treasure item after being opened four times
  
• Leyline Seals are usually found in high-resource zones, which have tougher monsters and greater risks. You can also find seal fragments everywhere and combine 10 of them into 1 seal
  
• New chest types that can be opened only after you complete specific objectives (such as killing 10 monsters in the current area)
  
• You can also directly find treasure drops from elites, bosses, and other rare chests
  

[h3]Please make sure check out the graphic below for more information on dynamic zones, zone levels, portals, and example routes:[/h3]

• Some of the locations of these zones will be randomized each game, so every run will be different. Based on the value of your gear and your goals (playing it safe or going all-in), you'll need to adapt your strategy and route each time you play
  
• Here's two examples of vastly different strategies and routes in the same Hard mode game, for your reference only:
  

• In addition, to prevent unexpected early PvP encounters and spawn rushing, player spawn rooms are no longer right next to each other. Instead, they're spread out around the edge of the map. We hope to regularize the spawn points to a certain extent to help players plan their routes more strategically, whether it's to find treasures or avoid other players
  

[h2]Part 4: Map Structures with Better Replayability[/h2]

In the Pre-season patch, we've taken a hard look at the map terrain and made some much-needed improvements, fixing some areas that didn't quite make sense.

For instance, we've added another ramp to the Cyclops on Clouseau Castle and created new pathways to provide alternative routes and reduce the frustration of getting stuck at chokepoints. We also completely redesigned some zones to improve their overall flow and functionality. However, we don't want to spoil all the surprises – we'd rather let you discover these changes for yourself when you jump into the game on the 29th.



[h2]Part 5: More Rewarding PvP Encounters[/h2]

• We're saying goodbye to Mithril Dice and hello to insurance. You can insure one gear slot of your choice, but it'll cost you more than Mithril Dice did. If another player takes you out, they can loot your insurance fee, check the graphic below to see how it works:
  
  
  
  
• So now, in PvP battles, you can expect to loot: Resonance Stones, valuable gear sets, insurance fees, and even the Treasure items they just got from killing elites!
  

[h2]Part 6: Our Vision[/h2]

In the new DB, every decision you make should feel like a calculated risk. Sure, getting those high-level rewards will be more challenging, but we want to make sure that the rewards are worth the risk you're taking. The new insurance system will ensure that you get what you've earned after a tough battle. And with new high-resource zones and elite monsters dropping way better loot, the meta will no longer be mindlessly farming monsters and chests as fast as you can.

The Pre-season patch brings several fundamental changes:

• Directly finding legendary and unique gear is no longer the sole endgame goal. With the introduction of treasure items and random high-resource zones, you've got new pathways to find good equipment. Each game will feel more strategic, and the competition with other players will be more intense and thrilling than ever
  
• Overall, you'll be getting more gold (sellables) and fewer equipment drops. This should make each piece of equipment feel more meaningful and exciting to find, and it'll encourage more trading too
  
• We believe these changes are going to take DB's replayability and fun to the next level. You'll be able to actively choose the role you want to play and create completely different flows and experiences for yourself. Once the update is live, we can't wait for you to jump in and let us know what you think. Your feedback will be invaluable as we refine these designs for Season 1
  

[h2]Part 7: Final Thoughts[/h2]

We believe the Pre-season patch and the changes in the future will put DB back on the right path, it just needs a little time. Many great games go through ups and downs during Early Access, but they come out on top after a few years of polish. Baldur's Gate 3 and Hunt: Showdown are excellent examples - they had their low points during Early Access, but after 1-2 years of continuous development and support from the community, they became the successes they are today. We believe DB is in a similar place right now, and we're grateful for your continued feedback and thoughts. It's helping DB grow into the game we all know it can be.

Throughout the Pre-season, we pledge to be more open and receptive to your opinions. We want to make sure that when Season 1 officially launches,
it will be a game that's worth coming back to.

We hope you're as pumped about these changes as we are. There's even more to come that we haven't touched on yet, so keep an eye out for another announcement tomorrow about the content update direction for Season 1. Stay tuned.

Hey Adventurers,

We owe you an apology for our recent silence. After the Early Access launch, we needed some time for internal discussions to realign our plans, and ensure we're heading in the right direction for DB's future. It took us a while, but we're ready now. Moving forward, we'll improve communication and share more about our our upcoming changes.



[h3]With that, we're excited to announce Pre-season: Before the Storm and Season 1: DB Reforged!
[/h3]

[h3]The core idea for Season 1 is simple:[/h3]

●Rather than focusing on developing new classes and maps, we need to redesign the game's foundation to make the game loop more exciting, engaging, and replayable, we must lay a solid groundwork for Dungeonborne's future.

[h3]You can think of the Pre-season as a testing phase for Season 1. During this time, we'll be experimenting with several features, including:[/h3]

●Revamped map difficulties with clear gear brackets
●Map structure changes (such as adding more pathways on Clouseau Castle, redesigning some rooms on Sinner's End)
●Reworked adventure experience and a new dynamic zone level system
●Economy overhaul
●Fresh content like treasure items, leyline seals and altars, and an insurance system to replace the Mithril Dice
●And more!

We'll release a new announcement tomorrow detailing the above changes and our design philosophy behind them. Stay tuned.

Please be aware that server maintenance is scheduled from September 13, 2024 8 AM to 10:00 AM UTC.

Matchmaking queues will be closed starting at 7:20 AM, 40 minutes prior to maintenance. Ongoing matches will not be affected.
Dev Comment: We are hard at work on the pre-season patch, which will introduce significant changes to the game, starting with a complete rework of Classic Mode. The patch is set to release in a few weeks, and we'll be sharing a series of announcements to provide more details on the upcoming changes.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transitional period. Stay tuned!

[h2]Class Balance[/h2]

[h3]Cryomancer[/h3]
- Frostbite Curse reworked: Charge up to 2 stages. Stage 1: Shoots a frost arrow at the target, dealing active damage, applying a slow effect and "Frostbite Curse" on hit, Frostbite Curse deals passive damage to the target every second for a duration, healing the Cryomancer; Stage 2: Directly applies Frostbite Curse to the target, dealing additional active damage and applying a slow effect. After a short delay, spreads Frostbite Curse to other nearby targets. Frostbite Curse can only have 1 stack on the same target at a time

[h3]Druid[/h3]
- Force of Nature: Increased attack range of Treants, reduced their base health, and slightly decreased the maximum cast distance
- Seed Pods passive: Increased the cast interval between two stored Force of Natures to 5 seconds (this does not affect the cast interval of Rejuvenation)

[h3]Base Resistance Changes[/h3]
- Rogue (including Mithril Shadow) and Swordmaster: Increased base Elemental Resistance from 10% to 15%
- Druid: Reduced base Physical Resistance from 10% to 5%
- Fighter (including Mithril Zealot): Reduced base Elemental Resistance from 10% to 5%
- Pyromancer and Cryomancer: Reduced base Physical Resistance from 10% to 5%, increased base Elemental Resistance from 10% to 15%

[h2]Weapon Balance[/h2]

[h3]Lightning Staff[/h3]
- Increased the interval between each lightning strike in Storm Call by 10%, reduced damage by 10%, and significantly reduced the charge interruption effect it deals
- Increased the minimum cast interval between two consecutive Storm Call casts by 0.3s
Flaming Staff
- Increased overall damage by 12%

[h2]Gameplay Balance[/h2]

- Dragon Scale: Damage reduction effect now only triggers upon taking active damage

[h2]Others[/h2]

- Rogues will no longer hear their own footsteps in first-person view while stealthed
- Optimized the visual effects of Rupture

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

- Fixed an issue where the health of Treants summoned by Druids was abnormal in certain situations
- Fixed errors with the visual and sound effects of Frostbite Curse in certain situations
- Fixed an issue with the refresh mechanism of the Merchant's free Cloudy Life Essence
- Fixed several localization errors

Please be aware that server maintenance is scheduled from September 6, 2024 8 AM to 10:00 AM UTC.

Matchmaking queues will be closed starting at 7:20 AM, 40 minutes prior to maintenance. Ongoing matches will not be affected.

[h2]New Content[/h2]

- Added the "Conqueror Constellation" event. Participate in the event to claim rich rewards, including exclusive cosmetics

[h2]Class Balance[/h2]

[h3]Fighter[/h3]
- Added a new Q Skill - Rupture: Activates Rupturing Power for 15 seconds. The next weapon attack that deals unblocked active damage will lacerate the target, causing initial damage based on the target's current health. The target will also be Ruptured, taking damage based on the distance they move during the duration. Rupture lasts 6 seconds on players and 10 seconds on monsters. Applies a 30% Grievous Wound effect to the target during Rupture.

[h2]Gameplay Balance[/h2]

- Optimized the damage logic of the poison circle in Classic Mode, the damage taken from the poison circle will increase if you spend more time in it
- To ensure a better matchmaking experience, US West, US East, and South America has been merged to "Americas"

[h2]Others[/h2]

- To combat RMT (Real Money Trading), fixed the Mithril Dice logic for automatically equipping and protecting looted items when a dice slot is empty during a match
- Optimized the sound effects and UI for the Adventurer Tier system
- Optimized the art effects in the main menu and stash UI
- Optimized the Clotho's Trials UI

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

- Fixed an issue that could cause inability to equip or unequip items under certain conditions when using dice to lock the offhand weapon slot
- Fixed an issue that could cause incorrect spawning of the red two-handed sword skeleton
- Fixed an issue that could cause skin clipping
- Fixed an issue that could cause Mana to be affected by Mana Regeneration Rate in the Attributes panel
- Fixed an issue that could cause abnormal display of Heirloom effects under certain conditions
- Fixed an issue that could cause throwable items to go on cooldown when interrupted at the start of the throw
- Fixed an issue that could cause kill effects to have no sound
- Fixed an issue that could cause abnormal display of the "Searching for Teammates" countdown under certain conditions when pressing the "Tab" key
- Fixed an issue that could prevent the "Mutual Lifesavers" achievement from unlocking when players revive each other in an Adventure
- Fixed an issue that could cause chests to float
- Fixed an issue that could cause incorrect display of Adventurer Tier names
- Fixed an issue that could cause the Fighter's Q skill to cancel the aiming state when using a Crossbow
- Fixed an issue that could cause abnormal projectile trajectories
- Fixed an issue that could cause abnormal critical hits on the last hit of the Endor's Scorchwood
- Fixed an issue that could cause stuttering and frame drops
- Fixed issues with collision errors and getting stuck in certain areas