Dev Blog #33 - 2026 Roadmap Update
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[/p][p]Hello Voyagers! Stephiroth here. Today we want to talk about some updates to the Early Access Roadmap for Voyagers of Nera.[/p][p][/p][p]From the very beginning, our goal with Early Access has been to build this game alongside the community. Over the first four months of Early Access, we’ve received almost 2000 steam reviews, 600+ Feature Upvote posts with 12k upvotes, and thousands of survey responses! The community engagement has been amazing, and your feedback helps us make Voyagers the best version of itself.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve learned a lot through your feedback and we’re excited to share our updated Roadmap. Before we dive in, I want to share some of those learnings and how they’ve shaped what we’re planning next. (Similar to the post we shared following our Early Access launch!)[/p][p][/p][p]Let’s start with some of the good things we’ve seen.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Good ☀️[/h2][p]![]()
[/p][p]Players love our world. [/p][p]The atmosphere, the lore, the setting; it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how deeply these things have resonated. The tales of previous Echoes, the motifs of the Ancients scattered throughout the world, even the inhabitants themselves, though gnarled and corrupted may they be… all of it has landed in a really meaningful way for many of you. That is really exciting to us, and it makes us want to keep expanding and deepening the story; not just through text, but through the world itself (like stumbling upon encampments left behind by Echoes who came before you).[/p][p]Players love our art style.
From sunsets and water reflections to the way grass sways as you walk through it, we’ve heard from many players that Voyagers is a place they can relax and lose themselves in… and that means a lot to us![/p][p]Players love building.
We’ve seen so many incredible creations from the community; everything from small seaside shanties to mega-mansions and elaborate resorts, on both land and sea. The boats alone have blown us away, from tiny scouting vessels to fully mobile bases. Seeing what you all build has been truly inspiring.[/p][p]Players love Spirits.
Rescuing them, having them populate your base, following you around, and now leveling up and growing stronger alongside you; these little guys have really struck a chord. We’re excited to continue weaving them more deeply into the experience over time.[/p][p][/p][p]There’s plenty more we could highlight here, but these are some of the biggest themes we’ve seen. Now, let’s talk about what’s not going so well.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Bad ⛈️[/h2][p]![]()
[/p][p]The ocean is lacking content and activities.
This is one of the loudest and clearest pieces of feedback we’ve received. Players want more life, more things to discover (like decorations, creatures, sunken ruins, treasures) and more novel gameplay experiences. We completely agree. This is especially important to us, because we want Nera to be a vibrant ocean world with mysteries to uncover and discoveries at every turn. [/p][p]The Deep Zones between biomes are frustrating and repetitive.
While they create a strong first impression (“oh wow… what is that thing?!”), that feeling doesn’t really hold up over time. Many players find them too punishing, overly repetitive, or both. This is an area we want to revisit so that we can create something that provides a high stakes and intense moment, but with more meaningful gameplay than current day. [/p][p]The world is big and beautiful, but often feels empty.
We hear this feedback clearly. There needs to be more to discover and interact with: signs of previous life, special challenges, puzzles, hidden recipes, and moments that reward curiosity.[/p][p]Combat feels stiff, repetitive, and gets stale pretty quickly.
This has been a long-standing piece of feedback. While we’ve made some attempts to improve it, it’s clear we’re still missing the mark in responsiveness, game feel, as well as enemy variety and interaction with the enemies.[/p][p]Controller support is still lacking.
Controller players have been incredibly patient. While our initial controller update helped a lot, there are still painful gaps, like D-pad navigation and missing functionality, that we know make the experience frustrating.[/p][p][/p][p]And lastly, some of the things the community really wants to see in the future![/p][p][/p][h2]The “Wants” 🙏[/h2][p]![]()
[/p][p]Beyond feedback on what exists today, there’s also been a lot of excitement around features and systems players want to see added:[/p]![]()
[/p][p]We’re excited to add features you’ve requested, like bringing the world to life with Weather, adding mystery through Fog of War and map discovery, new ways to explore with the hookshot, and new things to discover like hidden recipe blueprints in the world. The roadmap isn’t everything; we have surprises ahead and can’t wait to see your reactions![/p][p][/p][p]There’s one change in particular I want to call out directly and be super transparent on.[/p][p][/p][p]We previously mentioned targeting five biomes for 1.0. After a lot of discussion and reflection, we’ve decided to change course here.[/p][p][/p][p]The truth is, a fifth biome no longer feels like the right fit for where the game needs to go, at least not as originally planned. Rather than spreading ourselves thinner, we feel that this time would be better spent elevating the underwater space to be a more full-fledged biome gameplay space with new enemies, resources, places to explore, encounters, special equipment and more! We believe this will make the game a better experience and be a more direct answer to the feedback we’re hearing.[/p][p][/p][p]Because of that, the Sandsea will be the final elemental biome for 1.0.[/p][p][/p][p]This is a different plan from the original Roadmap we shared near the beginning of Early Access, and may feel surprising to some of our early players, but we feel strongly that this will lead to a better game based on the feedback we’re hearing.[/p][p][/p][h2]1.0 and Beyond[/h2][p]This roadmap outlines the journey to 1.0, but our voyage continues beyond that. We are not ready to reveal post-1.0 plans yet, but we look forward to getting even more feedback and ideas from players, and the updates that those inspire![/p][p][/p][p]We are excited about Nera's future and hope you are too.[/p][p][/p][p]As always, let us know your thoughts about the updated roadmap in the comments. We’re listening![/p][p][/p][p]Sincerely,
TH Stephiroth and the Treehouse Dev Team[/p]
From sunsets and water reflections to the way grass sways as you walk through it, we’ve heard from many players that Voyagers is a place they can relax and lose themselves in… and that means a lot to us![/p][p]Players love building.
We’ve seen so many incredible creations from the community; everything from small seaside shanties to mega-mansions and elaborate resorts, on both land and sea. The boats alone have blown us away, from tiny scouting vessels to fully mobile bases. Seeing what you all build has been truly inspiring.[/p][p]Players love Spirits.
Rescuing them, having them populate your base, following you around, and now leveling up and growing stronger alongside you; these little guys have really struck a chord. We’re excited to continue weaving them more deeply into the experience over time.[/p][p][/p][p]There’s plenty more we could highlight here, but these are some of the biggest themes we’ve seen. Now, let’s talk about what’s not going so well.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Bad ⛈️[/h2][p]
This is one of the loudest and clearest pieces of feedback we’ve received. Players want more life, more things to discover (like decorations, creatures, sunken ruins, treasures) and more novel gameplay experiences. We completely agree. This is especially important to us, because we want Nera to be a vibrant ocean world with mysteries to uncover and discoveries at every turn. [/p][p]The Deep Zones between biomes are frustrating and repetitive.
While they create a strong first impression (“oh wow… what is that thing?!”), that feeling doesn’t really hold up over time. Many players find them too punishing, overly repetitive, or both. This is an area we want to revisit so that we can create something that provides a high stakes and intense moment, but with more meaningful gameplay than current day. [/p][p]The world is big and beautiful, but often feels empty.
We hear this feedback clearly. There needs to be more to discover and interact with: signs of previous life, special challenges, puzzles, hidden recipes, and moments that reward curiosity.[/p][p]Combat feels stiff, repetitive, and gets stale pretty quickly.
This has been a long-standing piece of feedback. While we’ve made some attempts to improve it, it’s clear we’re still missing the mark in responsiveness, game feel, as well as enemy variety and interaction with the enemies.[/p][p]Controller support is still lacking.
Controller players have been incredibly patient. While our initial controller update helped a lot, there are still painful gaps, like D-pad navigation and missing functionality, that we know make the experience frustrating.[/p][p][/p][p]And lastly, some of the things the community really wants to see in the future![/p][p][/p][h2]The “Wants” 🙏[/h2][p]
- [p]Farming and base management activities – building is fun for a lot of players, but there aren’t enough reasons to build or things to do once you’re there.[/p]
- [p]More underwater content – more enemies, discoveries, and activities beneath the waves.[/p]
- [p]Fog of War / map revealing – to restore mystery, discovery, and better track exploration.[/p]
- [p]Recipe discovery and world findables – leaning more into exploration as a way to unlock knowledge.[/p]
- [p]A Lore / World Codex – a place to collect and revisit the rich lore of Nera.[/p]
- [p]Achievements – players wanted this even at the start of Early Access, and its something we absolutely want by 1.0.[/p]
- [p]An expanded quest line – more guidance, more story, and more context delivered through quests.[/p]
- [p]Climbing (or vertical traversal tools) – while full climbing is a big design shift, we’re actively exploring alternatives like hookshots, improved jumps, and other mobility options.[/p]
- [p]A new biome – of course![/p][p][/p]
TH Stephiroth and the Treehouse Dev Team[/p]