Drakantos News

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to this devlog update! We took a short break over the holidays to recharge and gather even more exciting updates. Now, we are ready to share our progress and give you some insights into our development process. We know many of you are eagerly awaiting the game and news about the beta release date, so we will share everything that is on our mind and be transparent about the development process.

Before we dive in, we invite you to join our Discord to get news firsthand!


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In this devlog video, we featured Yuki! She is a tank, but rather than relying on bulk and blocking attacks, the little kitsune excels through agility and mobility. Many of her damage abilities also serve as evasion tools, letting her avoid harm while staying on the offensive. Her ice powers provide strong crowd control, keeping enemies at bay.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



The game has been delayed since its first announcement because its scope has expanded significantly. Our original plan was much simpler, but our passion for the project inspired us to add many new features along the way. Our goal is not only to create an exceptional game but also to set a new standard for a 2D MMORPG.

We have made several improvements to our original plan to enhance the game. Here are some of the major features that have evolved over time:

• Customization
  Initially, the game was designed to offer only skins for each hero, similar to League of Legends. Today, players can not only choose different skins but also customize every hero’s colors using in-game dyes (hair, clothes, armor, etc.). Additionally, we have added options such as various hairstyles, helmets and armor pieces, allowing each skin to have a unique look.
  
  
• Mounts and Pets
  We introduced both mounts and pets because they add an extra layer of excitement to the gameplay. Players now enjoy the thrill of hunting for rare cosmetics in the open world. Boss drops are even more rewarding with the inclusion of exclusive mounts and pets. For players who are not typically interested in such things, these still become valuable in player trading due to their rarity.
  
  
• Open World
  The original plan for the game was more of a "dungeon crawler," with cities serving as lobbies and missions or dungeons forming the core gameplay. We expanded this idea by adding a vast open world that encourages exploration, offers hidden chests, engaging quests and secret locations where players can discover things and even mounts and pets locations. Although the "dungeon crawler" aspect of the game still plays a significant role, the open world creates a richer and more immersive experience.
  
  
• Artifacts and Trophies
  Heroes were originally able to customize their build with orbs alone, but we felt this approach was somewhat limited. That is why we introduced artifacts that grant two additional active skills and trophies that provide two passive abilities. With these new options, we created around 200 active skills along with many passive skills. This gives players more freedom to shape their builds and opens up new possibilities for unique rewards and future updates!
  
  
• Mini Bosses
  Although the game originally featured many complex boss encounters in the endgame, we believe that exciting challenges should be part of early levels and regular missions as well. That is why we have introduced and continue to add a large number of mini bosses throughout the game. We feel that these encounters are essential to making the leveling experience more dynamic and engaging.

These examples represent just a few of the major enhancements we have added during development. Many smaller improvements were implemented as well, and together they have greatly improved the game. While these additions have increased development time, we are confident that the results will be well worth the wait.

[hr][/hr]


Now, let's review what we've accomplished over the past few months and what’s left to do before the beta!

• We completed the entire system and configs for all upgrades of Equipment, Artifacts, and Trophies (those were hundreds of recipes).
  
  
• All loot tables have been finalized for enemies, missions, and bosses, covering every type of reward, including equipment, artifacts, orbs, and and tons of different cosmetics.
  
  
• We finalized all the experience gains for enemies, missions, and bosses.
  
  
• As we mentioned in the previous devlog, we completed customization for 10 heroes. This time we added 7 more, making a total of 17 heroes ready to customize.
  
  
  
  
• We completed and configured the Open World enemies loots.
  
  
• The last set of pets we planned to add is finished, totaling 195 pets to collect. There will be no more additions for the release.
  
  
  
  
• We finished and balanced additional enemies, including many new mini bosses and standard monsters like demons, succubus, and reavers.
  
  Which one did you like the most? Share in the comments!
  
• We completed and polished many Adventurer Guild missions and created new maps.
  
  
• Some Open World quests were completed.
  
  
• The mission victory screen is complete, including rewards and experience. The Death and Retry screens have also been done.
  
  
• We finished 4 new Orbs for each hero, for their defensive abilities.
  
  
• Our cinematic system is now in place, helping us design improved quests and cinematic sequences.
  
  
• We completed many new mounts, though some exclusive ones are still in progress. Each endgame boss will drop a rare, exclusive mount and pet. In the coming weeks, all planned mounts will be ready!
  
  
  
  
• 10 new artifacts, which were needed to balance some rewards, especially for bosses, have been added.
  
  
• The Quest Log system is fully implemented, along with its tracking feature.
  
  
• The Databook is finished, featuring the lore of locations and NPCs you interact with.
  
  
• We completed the Bestiary! It provides the lore of various monsters and tracks the number of monsters defeated.
  
  
• Some of the Story quests were completed along with their cinematics.
  
  
• The Achievements system is now complete! It tracks your progress and milestones, rewarding you for various challenges and accomplishments throughout the game.
  
  
• All the new arts for Emotes are complete. They’re now in pixel art instead of regular 2D and will follow the hero’s customized colors.
  
  
  
  
• We finished the NPC shop system.
  
  
• The Story Replay system is now fully set up, letting you replay cinematics and unlock them as you progress through the story.
  
  
• We completed the Adventurers Guild credits system. This in-game shop refreshes monthly and offers a variety of rewards in exchange for credits. Players can earn these credits only by completing Guild missions, making it an engaging way to reward regular participation.
  
  
• The new Ticket system is also ready. Tickets can be exchanged for guild credits and used during missions to activate temporary effects. These effects vary widely. For example, the Growth Ticket boosts your experience gains, while the Soulbound Ticket significantly increases drop rates but locks the dropped items to your account.
  
  
• We finalized several internal systems, including multi-instanced parties and a multi-instanced open world with different difficulties.
  
  

Our focus is now entirely on developing the Story, Open World and its Quests. In short, these are the final elements needed to complete. Although this part of the game remains in its early stages, it is the only major missing element at this point. As we mentioned in previous devlogs, nearly every gameplay aspect such as heroes and enemies has been completed and polished. However, the addition of the Open World introduced several extra tasks that we must address to ensure everything works seamlessly.

[h5]Beta[/h5]We plan on doing an alpha internally with our team in march and then a Closed Beta in July. We will share more details when the time comes, because things can go off the rails, but hopefully this will not be the case!😅
[hr][/hr]Thanks for reading all the way through! We’ll keep working hard to make the game more complete each time. If you can support us by sharing this devlog and giving it a thumbs up, it would help us a lot. ❤️

See you next time! 👋

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2454980/Drakantos/

Hi Everyone!

For the past three months, we’ve been working hard, and we are pumped to walk you through some of the cool things we have developed! But, before we dive in, we would like to extend an invitation to join our Discord. We're constantly sharing teasers and chatting with our community there. Come say hi! 👋


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In this devlog video, we featured Marly, a priest who can heal and uses holy shields to protect her allies while dealing damage. She excels in AOE attacks and defensive abilities. We also highlighted the elf Irhaal, an agile damage dealer who wields a twinblade and specializes in fast, fluid combat. Additionally, we gave a brief glimpse of the Open World features!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Now, let's cover more of the things we developed during this period:



We have big news about customization options! Many of you asked for more ways to make your hero stand out, so we developed a system where each hero skin has unlockable styles. Our goal is to ensure everyone feels unique!

These styles can include different hairstyles, hoods, helmets, armor variations, and other details. Additionally, you can use dyes to customize each part of your hero, with color palettes varying based on the material, making it highly customizable!🔥

Example: Orbryn and Byron - different styles in their "default skins"🧙🏻‍♂️



In the game, character colors will be locked by default, and players can unlock them using dyes, which are obtainable through rewards and gameplay. These dyes are tradable, making them valuable even for players who may not want to customize their looks, as they can be traded or sold to others.





We’re launching with at least six styles per hero. We’ve already completed this system for 10 heroes, including a skin for Mohazus (and remember, if a hero has a skin, it can also have several different styles for that skin).

On the left, Mohazus' "default skin" with a different style. On the right, Mohazus' skin, which will also have different styles.



The development team is fully focused on the Open World and Story, which are the least developed areas. That's because we first prioritized core gameplay mechanics, enemies, bosses, and Adventurers Guild missions. Those are now almost done and shifted down in priority.

• We're working on the world map, adding progression, and connecting cities with their surroundings to encourage exploration and player engagement. We’re also introducing various exploration mechanics such as chests and puzzles, and numerous unlockables like the grappling hook, city teleporters, or tools for gathering resources like ores and wood.
  
  
• We have revised all the World Lore and each hero/npcs backgrounds. We've also revamped our cinematic system to display cutscenes as you progress in the story.

• Lots of improvements were made to the NPC system. We added some small touches to the dialogue system like new visual interactions, icons, shops, a forge for upgrades and even crafting.
  

• We’ve also completed hundreds of items that will drop from enemies and missions. Soon, we’ll begin distributing these rewards in loot and missions, as well as artifact upgrade recipes and other refinements.
  
  
• We’ve created new artifacts that let you temporarily switch to another hero on your account, allowing you to create powerful combos and synergy with your current hero. This enables strong burst damage and provides the flexibility to enhance your strategy during challenging encounters.
  Note: For those who might not know, artifacts add 2 new skills that are unlocked in your account and can be used by almost any hero. (We have over 200+ artifacts already, so you can pursue them and create different builds accordingly to the content you're facing!)
  
  
• Some of the Coliseum events are now complete. These solo survival challenges can appear randomly from time to time. You’ll face waves of enemies, and at the end, you must defeat a champion to prove your worth. Do you have what it takes to emerge victorious?

• We have finished two major bosses. Each of these major bosses has at least 3-4 stages and a variety of unique mechanics and attacks. We don't want to spoil them too much yet, so we will leave them to your imagination.
  
  
• Speaking of bosses, we finished tons of minibosses that will appear as bounties in the Adventurers Guild missions. Basically, every mission will have its own set of bounty bosses. We showed some of them before, but these are the new ones we did recently!

Which one did you like the most? Share in the comments!

• Adorable new companions are now complete! Some of them were winners from our “Create a Pet” contest. With 150 pets ready for launch, we’re done adding new ones for now, though we may introduce more as special rewards in the future.

• We’ll also introduce some special pets that you'll nurture from their very first steps. Take a sneak peek:

• We’ve finalized how you can get pets in the wild: you need to get or cook a treat and simply give it to them. If they like it, they’ll become yours. It’s a simple but cool feature! 🥩

That’s all for now, folks! Thank you all for reading this far. We’ll keep working hard to make the game more complete each time. If you can support us by sharing this devlog and giving it a thumbs up, it would help us a lot.

See you next time! 👋

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2454980/Drakantos/

Hey everyone!

This Devlog will be a bit different from the others. This time we'd like to explain a bit more about how the game is going to work. Let's get started with some informations:

[h3]Future Devlogs[/h3]

Originally posted by notes

To keep you updated on our progress, we've been posting monthly Devlogs and several teasers on our Discord. However, to make the Devlogs more interesting and complete, we will now post them every three months. This way, we can bring you more exciting updates and content without disrupting our development pace.

During this period, you won't be left without updates. We will continue posting teasers and content regularly on our Discord and other social media platforms, so you can stay closely updated!

[h3]Dates[/h3]

Originally posted by notes

🕕 We know many of you are eager to know an ETA on when the game will be released. However, this is not an easy task for any game developer company (not even for AAA). We have a lot of content ready, but there is still much work to be done.

We want to release a game filled with content, especially since it's an MMORPG designed for long-term play. We don't want to launch the game as quickly as possible, we want to release it with plenty of features for the players. We are working hard and aiming for a release around mid-2025.

The featured hero this time is Liam. Since he has appeared several times before, we decided to showcase his gameplay along with a game teaser. In the video, you can catch a glimpse of a city in the open world and a mission from the Adventurers' Guild.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
👉 Leave a comment below with your thoughts on the interfaces, gameplay, etc. Your feedback is essential for us to keep improving.

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
We've seen many people asking whether the game is an MMORPG or a co-op ARPG. In short, yes, it's an MMORPG, but it's definitely different from the conventional ones. We didn't follow the traditional formula and created something more unique. We're trying to combine the best aspects of an open world with the best of dungeon crawlers. Below, we'll explain in more detail how this will work.

[hr][/hr][h2]Open World
[/h2]
In the game's open world, you'll be able to meet all the other players on your server, just like in any MMORPG. This part will focus more on:

• World exploration;
  
• Facing enemies;
  
• Finding chests and secrets;
  
• Solving puzzles;
  
• Collecting resources;
  
• Searching for pets;
  
• Story progression;
  
• Side quests;
  
• And more!
  

Additionally, we have the classic market where you can buy and sell items to other players as well as many minigames and activities to do in the cities and areas you explore and unlock.

[h3]Beginning:[/h3]
Starting in the game, each character will have a different prologue, showcasing a bit about their story, personality and how they become involved in the main plot (villains will have a separate part, but we'll explain that at another time). This means the beginning of your journey will be unique depending on the character you choose. Eventually, players will arrive in Fairdale, the 'starting' village in the open world. We designed it this way to make it easier for friends to connect and avoid the issue of starting in different regions.


[h3]Quests:[/h3]
After playing other MMORPGs, we've concluded that we no longer like doing linear 'talk here and there' quests, often mandatory for leveling up. That's why, in Drakantos, quests will have a real purpose and the rewards will not be only gold and experience, they will include unlocking systems, shops, artifacts, exploration tools (like a climbing hook to access new locations), and so on.

We will also have many side quests and specific stories for certain characters. For example, a certain quest might require knowledge of Magic, so only mage characters will be able to complete it.

It's important to note that these quests offer horizontal progression, meaning that completing a mission with one character will count for your entire account.

[h3]Experience:[/h3]
Of course, you will also earn XP by facing enemies in the open world, but as we mentioned, this part will be much more focused on exploration and quests, rather than 'farming' or 'leveling.' For this, we will have the Adventurers' Guild.

[hr][/hr][h2]Adventurers' Guild[/h2]
We briefly mentioned the Adventurers' Guild in our last Devlog. This system will be the more 'Dungeon Crawler' part of the game that we talked about.

All the major cities and villages will have an Adventurers' Guild. In these locations, you will be able to access the game's world map, with various missions available to choose from. These missions change periodically, altering both the maps and their main objective.


Currently, we have 120 different maps, with various biomes, and they function like dungeons. All of them were handcrafted, without procedural generation, because we believe it can make maps feel generic, and we want them to have a unique touch.

The main objectives range from simple tasks like killing all the enemies in the mission, collecting specific items, finding something unique, escorting merchants, rescuing kidnapped villagers, finding a wanted boss, to defending villages from invaders or stopping conflicts between other factions. For example, you might have a mission to kill an Orc Leader in an elf map because they are in an ongoing conflict, and you end up getting involved in a battle between the two factions to find your target. This means that even if a familiar map is selected, the objective will vary a lot, making it different each time.



Sneak peek at some sub-bosses

[h3]Secondary objectives and Rare Special Events:[/h3]
In addition to the main objectives for each mission, there can also be various random secondary objectives. Some examples:

• You are escorting a merchant at night when suddenly, you are ambushed by undead monsters.
  
• You enter a cave and come across a cultist ritual.
  
• You are collecting an item in the forest and find wild animals being devoured by a Griffin, which then starts to attack you.
  

And there can also be rare special events. Examples:

• Nil’Varix, the demonic clown, appears and proposes a challenge. Imagine you have already completed the mission, but can you finish it with a giant hand trying to crush you? Or by swapping places with other players? Or with a giant magnifying glass where you can't move while being watched.
  
• A golden gnome appears, and you need to defeat it before it escapes.
  
• A mercenary might offer you a proposal to attack other players during a mission, leading your group to raid other players' missions with the goal of eliminating them, and vice versa.
  

If you choose to complete these side missions, your reward at the end will include a bonus specific to each special or secondary event.

All these situations will make the player experience much more fun and varied, reducing the repetitiveness of grinding and making the game more dynamic.

[h3]Ranks and Difficulty[/h3]
These missions will appear based on your Rank in the Guild. This Rank is linked to your “Power,” which is essentially your strength with equipment (an overall “item level”). As you increase your power, you can rise your Rank. Each difficulty has the power of the enemies and minimum and maximum requirements for completion.


This means you can adjust the difficulty according to your preference. If you enjoy challenges and want to test yourself, you can advance in rank with the minimum requirements and attempt more difficult missions, accelerating your growth. However, if you prefer an easier difficulty, you can remain at your current rank for longer or even do missions from lower ranks. So, you can proceed at your own pace or even help friends who are at different ranks.

The best part is that this setup facilitates the introduction of new content in the future. For example, if a rank has a limited variety of enemies or missions, we can introduce more content, and this will multiply the possibilities once integrated into the system, enriching the entire experience.

[h3]Matchmaking [/h3]
To avoid queues and long wait times in the future, when you choose a mission, it automatically starts after a few seconds. If other players are also trying to do the same mission, you will join them. Otherwise, you will go alone or with however many people were also trying.



The standard queue is for 3 players, but the mission will start regardless of whether or not other players are found. In this case, other players can join you up to a few minutes after the mission has started, joining as reinforcements (or you can join someone else's mission that has already started).

Enemy difficulty scales with the number of players to maintain consistent challenge levels. This scaling also adjusts if players quit or disconnect during the mission.

In a premade group, you can play with up to four friends. We've set the player cap at 1 to 4 because we find that this number offers the most enjoyable experience. The game's top-down 2D perspective doesn't provide the expansive view you'd get in a 3D MMORPG. Furthermore, given it is a more paced and punishing action RPG, too many players on screen can make the gameplay chaotic. However, this limitation only applies to the regular Adventurers' Guild missions, we have other content designed for larger groups, including PvP and PvE modes.

[h3]Conclusion[/h3]
In summary, the game is an MMORPG at its core, sharing the same world with thousands of players. There will be a wide variety of challenges during both the level-up phase and the endgame, offering difficulties for all tastes and allowing you to play with your friends from the beginning.

Once again, we thank you for all your support. We hope you enjoyed this Devlog! Let us know in the comments what you found most interesting! ❤️

See you next time! 👋

♫ Greetings, adventurers, from lands near and far. I'm Thomas, the bard cat, this month's star. ♫

This time, I have the honor to present the devlog, sharing some of the latests news about what the devs have been working on. But first, allow me a moment to extend an invite, not to my show—though that'd delight! To Drakantos' Discord, gather around, where followers of this vibrant land abound.


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It's my pleasure to introduce myself—I'm Thomas, The Bard cat! A charming adventurer at your service, specializing in support and crowd control.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]See all the other hero teasers here.

Originally posted by notes

🧙‍♂️Dev Note: Playing with Thomas is like playing an instrument, you need to match the colors of the notes when using 'Resonance' to increase the effectiveness of the spell.

- The Devs revealed a short gameplay video with a first look inside the cultist tower. This grand and terrifying location might send a shiver down your spine just at the sight of its entrance. It's a place where only the bravest adventurers will dare to enter.🔥
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube] 🎻I wrote a short song about this adventure: ♫ In the cultist tower, so tall it sways. Devoted to demons in wicked ways. The devs dared enter, bold and brave. But alas, it was their early grave! ♫

Originally posted by notes

🧙‍♂️Dev Note: In this gameplay teaser, you can see the appearance of a mini-boss while we were in the elevator. As we mentioned before, many different things can happen in a dungeon. For example, in the elevator, a mini-boss might appear, other enemies might show up, or nothing might happen at all. We want to include many special events and twists to add variety so that the experience will be diverse and fresh each time. -- It would be great to hear what you think about the gameplay in the comments. We appreciate your feedback! ❤️

- Ophis boss was completed, and the crafters of our world, the developers, have now set their sights on a creature of legends—a GIANT Hydra! Below is a glimpse of the progress made on the arena for the boss battle against the Hydra. This grand stage is being sculpted with care, preparing to bear witness to a battle of mythical proportions.



- The Devs are working to add different types of quests in the Adventurers Guild. This time, they have added missions that involve escorting NPCs to perform specific tasks, all while enduring survival waves. Tons of NPCs and varied tasks have been created for this mode. Now, they will work on another mode: Elite Hunt! In this new mode, you are entrusted with the task of locating and hunting elite enemies. 🗡️

Originally posted by Story

📖Story: For those who might not know, the Adventurers Guild was founded many years ago by a group of adventurers who recognized the need for a reliable organization to handle the various challenges faced by the people of the Empire. The Guild provides services to various lands and villages of Derid. They are known for their skilled fighters, heroes, and mercenaries, who are hired to handle problems that the local authorities may not be able to solve on their own.

- It's always good to see new companions, this month some charming new pets, including cats and dogs, have been completed.

Even though I am a cat, I must admit, these dogs are quite adorable.

- Some special mobs that can rarely appear, were also finished and added to the world.

Mimic: Picture yourself strolling along, joy in your heart at the sight of a chest ahead. But then, BOOM—a crafty mimic lies in wait instead! 😂



Gnome: A Gold Gnome that runs around dropping gold, which you need to kill before it runs away, inspired by the Diablo gold goblin!



So, that concludes our gathering today, dear friends! If you've enjoyed our time together, please press the like button and share this with your friends!

I look forward seeing you in Derid! 👋

Hi there!

Welcome to our April Devlog! Are you eager to chat with the developers and get the latest updates on the game? Join our vibrant community on Discord. We're excited to see you there!


[hr][/hr]
This month, meet Reya, the Lightning Queen! This battlemage is the fastest hero in the game. Though she is squishy, her exceptional mobility lets skilled players dodge attacks with ease.⚡️
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]👉 We also invite you to watch all the other hero teasers that we have already revealed here.

- As promissed on our last devlog we worked on Ophis boss fight. It was pretty hard because the battle has many stages, we had to create several new sprites for the boss and an entire new environment. We won't reveal the boss to keep it as a surprise (sorry, guys). But, we can show you a glimpse of the elevator inside the HUGE Demonic Cult Tower. 🔥
Check out the full version of this teaser on our Discord.

- For the Adventurers Guild missions, we finished new variations of missions, that you need to search for specific items. Along with the revisions of the missions, we are adding a lot of variations now to keep the experience diverse and fresh each time. All of them are handcrafted, not procedurally generated (which often feels generic). The HUD for this system is almost finished, and we will probably show it to you next month!

- We started doing some items as well! We've finished the art and configurations for about 400 piece of equipment.



- The Relic system was started and finished this month. Those relics will grant powerful passives for your heroes, and some can change a lot their gameplay. Like artificats, this system will offer another kind of horizontal progression of your account, once unlocked, you can use it in any hero.



- Some other small things we did in April: we finished a Parallax system to use in high places (example in the GIF below), added a tiger as both a new enemy and mount, included some cats as pets, and created other misc decorations. We also worked on several internal aspects to improve and optimize the game. 😉



What did you like more about this devlog? Share your toughts in the comments!

As always, thank you for all your support, it really keeps us going! Don't forget to like and share with friends, it will help us a lot. ❤️

See you in the next month! 👋

[hr][/hr]Extra: We also want to show you the 1/4 scale statue we made of Reya!