Bloodgrounds News

[h3]Ave, Patronus![/h3]

Good old Galvasius the Shopkeeper has something in store for you!

[h3]The Game! It is here![/h3]

After you tried out the demo and apparently liked it very much, (thanks for an amazing demo-review score as a warm welcome, btw), you can now explore the whole Holy Empire of Provantia and finally put an end to Emperor Dammas II's reign by conquering Cathedra, the grandiose arena in the capital of Regalis.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


There will be many obstacles on your path, but you can surpass a couple of them by continuing where you left off in the demo. Here is what you can expect from the Early Access until we launch into Bloodgrounds 1.0:


[h3]Roadmap[/h3]




May fate be merciful and kind to you!
Vale, Patronus!

Exordium Games & Daedalic Entertainment

Ave Patronus,

Tomorrow is the glorious day we finally can jump right into the arena - but don't underestimate your opponents. They will come prepared - so should you!

We just freshly opened up 2 more platforms, next to our discord, where you can ask questions, get answers or just share your experience on the bloodgrounds:

• You prefer Reddit over Discord? We got you - Feel free to discuss and share to your hearts content: Bloodgrounds - Reddit
  
  
• You prefer playing with ALL the knowledge you can get? Check out our new Wiki page (some areas are still a work in progress): Bloodgrounds - Wiki

See you tomorrow!
Vale, Patronus!

[p]Ave, Patronus!

First of all, thank you for the very strong anticipation and feedback after our initial demo release - it meant a lot to us personally - especially meeting some of you directly at Gamescom in August. But without further ado - the time is almost here to let you decide your... our... - well, our all combined fate.

Bloodgrounds is releasing into Early Access November 5th on Steam!

Additionally as per the audience's request, we are releasing more Bloodgrounds content in a new demo already today, hoping to earn your favour.

After you battle through the desert arena of Zaharr, travel to the heart of the lush jungle Livia, where the Lys have established Inardia, a brutal arena born from an ancient temple and a shrine to Panacea, the goddess of life and good health. A place so mesmerizing that only the brutality and the perils of the arena can rival its beauty.

The new demo contains:

• The first 3 - 5 hours of Bloodgrounds
• Access to the entire first age and part of the second one
• 7 out of 9 gladiator classes
• Unlock up to 5 out of 7 abilities per class
• Max. level of the gladiators: 7 out of 15 in the full game
• 9 out of 13 base buildings and their first out of 4 upgrades
• Collect a variety of common, rare, and epic items (legendary items will be available in the full game!)

And as always, we hope you will share your game experience in the STEAM forum, or drop by our Discord server. Enjoy the new demo, and if you like it, don't forget to wishlist the game!

Vale, Patronus!
Exordium Games & Daedalic Entertainment[/p]

[p]Welcome, Gladiator! [/p][p]Training is key to surviving the bloody fights in the arena. Therefore, we prepared a little guide for you – don’t miss the developer overview video for BLOODGROUNDS![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Play the demo and wishlist on Steam: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]

[p]Ave, Patronus![/p][p]The sands of the arena run red once again, and with your valuable feedback, we've tinkered with our demo quite a bit. Today’s update brings a plethora of new features, balance changes, UX improvements, and crucial bug fixes to help you experience full on gladiator mayhem…[/p][p]…Let’s dive into the full update:[/p][p] [/p][h2]Balancing Updates[/h2][h3]Audience Quests[/h3]

• [p]Balanced 14 Audience Quests by reducing complexity and simplifying objectives to make them more achievable.
  [/p]
• [p]Improved quest design based on player feedback to ensure smoother progression.
  [/p]

[h3]Status Effects[/h3]

• [p]Burn and Frost statuses no longer persist between battles, reducing long-term punishment and improving flow.
  [/p]

[h2]New Features & Additions[/h2][h3]City Management[/h3]

• [p]Level-Up Stat Rerolling: You can now reroll stat choices during level-ups using gold. Manage your training more strategically!
  [/p]

[h3]Battle Pickups[/h3]

• [p]Favor of Cleansing: New pickup item that removes all stacks of a random negative status on pickup.
  
  [/p]
• [p]Favor of Protection: New pickup item that grants 1 Invincibility status on pickup.
  [/p]

[h3]Tactical Visibility Tools[/h3]

• [p]Movement Range Preview: Hold F to view hovered unit's movement range. This can be toggled to always-on in gameplay settings.
  [/p]
• [p]Path Danger Indicators: Paths now display hazard indicators (e.g., traps, status zones). Enabled by default and toggleable.
  
  [/p]

[h2]
UX & UI Improvements[/h2][h3]Battle UX[/h3]

• [p]Added new notifications for key events: Evade, Luck – Death, Luck – Status, and Critical Hits.
  [/p]
• [p]Evade Luck now displays when hovering over units.
  [/p]
• [p]Default pathing uses safe paths, with a toggle to revert to "fastest path."
  [/p]
• [p]Unit tooltips show clearer level, tier, and class icon tooltips.
  [/p]
• [p]Improved readability for stack counts and ability damage numbers.
  [/p]
• [p]Enhanced unit rotation targeting, especially for directional abilities like Vindicta.
  
  [/p]

[h3]City UX[/h3]

• [p]Auto-close delay added to stat level-up screens for smoother progression.
  [/p]
• [p]Added Graveyard “(!)” Indicator for unseen fallen Gladiators (reminder: equipment is preserved until graves are dug up in the full release).
  
  [/p]
• [p]Improved tutorial flow during first academy ability unlock.
  [/p]
• [p]Added consistent “(!)” indicators across Quarters, Map, and Academy.
  [/p]
• [p]New tooltip explaining grave-digging mechanics.
  [/p]
• [p]Better sorting and highlighting for gladiator selection and challenge assignment. For Example, a new sort option, differentiating between “in team” and “not in team” Gladiators.
  [/p]
• [p]Added Inn “(!)” notification when free Gladiators are available to recruit.
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed New Gladiator “(!)” indicator when gaining units via mercy.
  
  [/p]

[h3]Dialog & Cinematics[/h3]

• [p]Skip button repositioned to bottom right for better visibility.
  [/p]
• [p]Clicking during dialog now skips speaker fade-ins for faster progression.
  [/p]

[h3]Other UX Tweaks[/h3]

• [p]Sliders, for example in Gladiator previews, vertical lists or pre/post battle panels, now display exact values (except XP).
  [/p]
• [p]Improved item tooltip positioning (no more tooltips off-screen).
  [/p]
• [p]Added simple font option for accessibility (Bree-aligned duplicate of Liberation).
  [/p]
• [p]Added a location in each arena to show your chosen banner for improved visual flair.
  
  [/p]

[h2]Fixes & Stability[/h2][h3]General Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Journal now returns to the previously selected option after dialog or custscene replays.
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed issue with dialog recap after saving post-first battle.
  [/p]
• [p]Dismiss Gladiator feature now available from game start. You still won’t be able to dismiss your last Gladiator.
  
  [/p]

[h3]

Combat Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Arena Modifier Fixes:
  [/p]
  • [p]“Spiked Arena” Modifier’s spikes no longer spawn on spaces occupied by a unit.
    [/p]
  • [p]“Opportunism” Modifier now correctly counts filled consumable slots, not unique items.
    [/p]
• [p]Prevented attacks through indestructible objects with melee spear/hammer abilities.
  [/p]
• [p]Updated Taunt to only expire on turn start (not on damage).
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed missing attack of opportunity animation for enemy Invicta.
  [/p]
• [p]Vindicta and other directional abilities now correctly rotate based on target alignment.
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed tooltips displaying out of screen bounds during battle and pickups.
  
  [/p]

[h3]City Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed outermost gladiator class icon clipping in full party layouts.
  [/p]
• [p]Updated Novice Challenge behavior to prevent quest exploit.
  [/p]
• [p]Fixed map node visibility after resetting challenges.
  
  [/p]

[h3]Ability Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Clarified Headbutt tooltip: Stun applies only on collision.
  [/p]
• [p]Disabled initiative tooltip preview in invalid states.
  
  [/p]

[h3]AI Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Enemies now consider attack of opportunity risks and their own HP when moving or attacking.
  [/p]
• [p]Age 1 Boss AI updated to use a more diverse set of abilities instead of repeating the most efficient one.
  
  [/p]

[p]This update is just the beginning of refining the demo and the development of Bloodgrounds in general. Your feedback is a vital part of its' evolution, and we’re honored to fight beside such an already passionate community. Keep the reports, ideas, and feedback coming - we’re listening.[/p][p]Now go... train your champions and claim your glory!
[/p][p]Vale Patronus!
Exordium Games & Daedalic Entertainment[/p][p]

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