Voyagers of Nera News

[h2]Voyagers, the moment is here![/h2]

[p]Our biggest and shiniest Steam Demo update yet is now live, packed with months of improvements, new features, and polish in preparation for Steam NextFest![/p]

[p]AND localized translations for Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish![/p]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]📋 Want ALL the Details?[/h2]

[p]This update represents the culmination of countless hours of development and community feedback. If you want to dive deep into every single change, improvement, and addition, we've compiled all our Discord playtest patch notes for you:[/p]

[p]Patch Notes Archive Since the Demo Went Live in December:[/p]

• Jun 2, 2025 Playtest Patch Notes
• May 21, 2025 Playtest Patch Notes
• May 7, 2025 Playtest Patch Notes
• Apr 21, 2025 Patch Notes
• Apr 5, 2025 Patch Notes
• Mar 12, 2025 Patch Notes
• Feb 26, 2025 Playtest Patch Notes
• Feb 5, 2025 Playtest Patch Notes
• Jan 22, 2025 Playtest Patch Notes

[h2]💙 Thank You, Community Heroes![/h2]

[p]To everyone who has been part of our alpha testing journey - submitting feedback, reporting bugs, sharing ideas, and helping us polish every corner of Voyagers - THANK YOU![/p]

[p]The improvements you're experiencing today exist because of your passion and care for making Voyagers the best it can be. From combat tweaks to UI improvements to whole new features - your voices shaped every update.[/p]

[p]Keep the feedback coming! We'd love to hear your thoughts on this new demo through:[/p]

• Our Discord community: discord.gg/VoyagersOfNera
• Feature Upvote board: https://voyagersofnera.featureupvote.com/
• The in-game survey link: Demo Feedback Form

[h2]🎉 Action-Packed Week Ahead![/h2]

[p]Buckle up, because this week is going to be INCREDIBLE:[/p]

[h3]Thursday, June 5th to June 12th[/h3]

[p]🌊 World Ocean Day Sale[/p]
[p]A week-long Steam Sale to celebrate World Ocean Day. Save on your favorite games AND support the Whales & Dolphin Conservation.[/p]

[h3]Friday, June 6th[/h3]

[p]📺 MIX Summer Games Showcase[/p]
[p]Voyagers of Nera is featured in the in-person showcase in Los Angeles![/p]

[h3]Saturday, June 7th[/h3]

[p]🎮 Women-Led Games[/p]
[p]Special video showcase happening at 10:00AM PT / 3PM ET / 6PM GMT / 7PM CEST.[/p]

[h3]Sunday, June 8th[/h3]

[p]🚨 PC Gaming Show 🚨[/p]
[p]NEW TRAILER + EXCLUSIVE LAUNCH DATE ANNOUNCEMENT at 12:00PM PT / 3PM ET / 8PM GMT / 9PM CEST.[/p]

[h3]Monday, June 9th[/h3]
[p]🎪 Steam NextFest Begins![/p]

• Twitch Drops go live for all Voyagers of Nera category streamers
  

• Gleam campaigns launch with chances to win copies of Voyagers of Nera + other Steam games!
  

[h2]Help Us Share Voyagers with the World![/h2]

[p]Your support means everything to our small indie team. If you want to help Voyagers reach even more adventurers:[/p]

[p]🎁 Enter our Gleam campaigns for awesome prizes: gleam.io/g0iis/voyagers-of-nera-game-of-your-choice-giveaway[/p]



[p]🎮 Play and share the demo - every download and every share helps new players discover Nera![/p]
[p]💬 Spread the word - tell your friends, post on social media, share in your favorite gaming communities![/p]

[h2]⚓ Ready to Set Sail?[/h2]

[p]The updated demo is live on Steam right now. Whether you're a returning alpha tester or a brand new Voyager, we can't wait to hear what you think of all the improvements![/p]
[p]The seas of Nera are calling, and they've never looked better.[/p]
[p]Download the demo, dive in, and let us know what you discover![/p]

[p]With love,[/p]
[p]The Treehouse Team[/p]

Hello incredible Voyagers! Michael / Spacenorth here, and I'm PUMPED as I write this. We're just days away from some MASSIVE moments for Voyagers of Nera, and I can't wait to share what's coming!

[h2]🚨 MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS INCOMING 🚨[/h2]



[h2]New Trailer + Early Access Launch Date Reveal THIS SUNDAY![/h2]
Mark your calendars and set those alarms — Sunday at 12pm PT during the PC Gaming Show, we're dropping a shiny new trailer AND revealing our official launch date!

We've been working on this reveal and demo update for months, and seeing everything come together has been absolutely magical. The trailer showcases so much of what makes Voyagers special — the vibrant world, the spirit magic, the ocean exploration — all polished to a shine.



[h2]Steam NextFest is NEXT WEEK![/h2]
Starting Monday, we'll be part of Steam NextFest with our most ambitious demo update ever. But this isn't just about the demo...

[h2]First Ever Twitch Drops! (June 9–16)[/h2]
That's right — we're doing our very first Twitch Drops campaign! Watch participating streamers play Voyagers during NextFest week and earn exclusive in-game rewards. More details coming soon!

[h2]We Need Your Help! 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️[/h2]
These next two weeks are absolutely crucial for getting Voyagers in front of new players, and YOU can make the difference:

• Invite your friends to try the demo during NextFest
  
• Share our posts on social media (Twitter, Reddit, Discord servers — anywhere!)
  
• Enter our new Gleam campaigns for chances to win free copies of the game
  
• Just talk about the game — word of mouth is incredibly powerful!
  

Every share, every recommendation, every "hey you should check this out" helps more people discover the magic of Nera. We're a small indie team, so your enthusiasm literally fuels our reach!


To celebrate the launch of our Steam Next Fest Demo, we're giving away 1 Steam Game of Your Choice (up to $100 value) to 3 lucky winners! Enter here.

[h2]The "Giant Demo Update" 🌊[/h2]
Dropping on Steam June 6th, this update is absolutely massive. We're talking about the most polished, feature-complete version of Voyagers that's ever been publicly available.

[h2]Localization Goes Global! 🌍[/h2]
We've added support for SEVEN new languages:

• Chinese (Simplified)
  
• French
  
• German
  
• Japanese
  
• Korean
  
• Portuguese
  
• Spanish
  

Huge thanks to our amazing community translators who helped make this possible (looking at our Spanish-speaking friends, Alicantina, Deywark, and Violeta)!



[h2]📷 Photo Mode Has Arrived![/h2]
Remember those stunning photo contest entries? Now EVERYONE can capture those perfect moments with our brand new Photo Mode! Adjust angles, apply filters, and share your most epic adventures across the seas of Nera.



[h2]Combat Overhaul ⚔️[/h2]
We've completely overhauled combat to feel more intentional and engaging (incorporating a lot of your feedback!):

• Slower combat feel to make dodging and striking enemies feel more impactful
  
• Enemy hit telegraphs so you can read and react to attacks
  
• Stun animations that give satisfying feedback when you land hits
  
• Improved enemy targeting so they space out their attacks while still presenting a challenge
  
• Attack responsiveness pass for snappier attacks that better follow fast movements, and hit when you expect to
  

We can’t wait to hear what you think about all the changes!

[h2]Audio & Music Explosion 🎵[/h2]
Finally! We've added layers of audio and music that bring Nera to life:

• Ambient ocean sounds that change with weather and time of day
  
• Spirit magic audio that makes casting abilities feel powerful
  
• Musical themes that shift as you explore different biomes
  
• Combat audio that makes every clash feel impactful
  

[h2]On the Performance Grind 🧈[/h2]
We've spent countless hours optimizing to make sure Voyagers runs smoooooth(er) on a wide range of hardware. Better framerates, reduced hitches, faster loading — the technical foundation is solid.

Full patch notes available here: Patch Notes

[h2]The Moment We've All Been Working Toward[/h2]
These past months of alpha testing, feedback gathering, and relentless polishing have all been building to this moment. NextFest represents our biggest opportunity yet to show the world what Voyagers of Nera is all about.

But more than that — this is OUR moment. The passionate community that's been with us through early development, providing feedback, sharing enthusiasm, creating amazing content. You've helped shape this game into something truly special.

Let's make these two weeks count!

– Michael and the Treehouse Team

P.S. – Sunday can't come fast enough. The launch date reveal is going to be SICK. 😉

Hello wonderful Voyagers! Michael / Spacenorth here with exciting news about upcoming streams, Steam NextFest preparations, and a boatload of new content our alpha testers are diving into!

[h2]Dev Stream This Week![/h2]
Mark your calendars! Our next dev stream is happening this Thursday at 12pm PT at twitch.tv/voyagersofnera, and it's packed with fun:

• We'll be announcing the winners of our MS Paint Fan Art contest (your entries have had us in stitches!)
  
• We're announcing the winners of our $30 Steam Giftcard giveaway. You can still enter here! Two lucky winners will win a $30 Steam Gift Card.
  
• Steam Gift Card Giveaway! We'll be giving away a $30 Steam Gift Card during the stream, so make sure you're there for a chance to win!
  
• And of course, plenty of gameplay and behind-the-scenes chats with the team
  

[h2]Steam NextFest on June 9th[/h2]
We're polishing, testing, and polishing some more as we prepare for Steam NextFest! This will be our most refined demo experience yet, and we can't wait to get it into more players' hands. All of the updates we're sharing today will be featured in that demo, so let's dive into what our alpha testers are already exploring...

[h2]What's New in Alpha Testing[/h2]
Here are just a few of the changes going into Alpha testing right now, on top of combat improvements, in-game tutorial and quest overhaul, save improvements, and a ton more!



[h3]Gathering Feedback (Literally!)[/h3]
Gathering resources is a cornerstone of survival games, so we've made it more satisfying:

• Added impactful hit effects when chopping trees and mining stone, including Trees now falling down when chopped! (It's the little things that count, right?)
  
• New gathering particles like leaves fluttering down from shrubs
  
• Magical sparkles when collecting mana
  

[h3]Building Improvements[/h3]
For all you base-builders out there, we've made some major improvements to the building system to be more intuitive:

• Buildings now start with an empty frame that allows you to fill in pieces like walls and roofs
  
• Overhauled how we connect floor pieces, annexes and second stories for greater ease
  
• Updated UI and clearer icons make finding the right piece easier
  
• New visuals for early-game building kit so that it better fits with the progression and resources available at the start of the game! (Don’t worry, the old kit still exists, it’s just later on)
  
• There are also some long-requested new pieces coming in like: Railings with Stairs, 2nd story annex support, half-wall variations, and more!
  

[h3]Adding More Visual Love[/h3]

• Spirits feel much more present and part of the Sanctuary you’re building in Nera. (They appear at Amenities that you build and gather around the Anchor as you progress).
  
• Spirits also cower and look threatened when they need rescue during encounters
  
• In-game craftable flares to create fireworks in the sky, signaling where you are to others (and they look stunning!)
  
• Player head turning now replicates in multiplayer, so you can see what your friends are looking at (Perfect for creating meme-worthy content! We've already seen some hilarious screenshots from the alpha...)
  

[h2]Calling All Multilingual Voyagers![/h2]
We're working hard to make Voyagers accessible to players around the world, and we need your help! Our first pass of translations is now in for:

• Spanish
  
• French
  
• Chinese (Simplified)
  

If you speak any of these languages, we'd love your feedback on:

• Translation bugs
  
• Inconsistencies
  
• Better wording suggestions
  

Want to help? Sign up for playtesting now and join our Discord to share your feedback!


[h2]Calling all Creators![/h2]
Are you interested in earlier access to our demo build before it hits NextFest Please sign up via the form here

We are spreading the word about Voyagers at the PC Gaming Show and we need your support to make a big splash at Steam's June NextFest on June 9th!

We are looking for creators who want exclusive, early access to the Demo and are excited to create content and streams:

• Wednesday, June 4th: Early access to the Demo Build to make content
  
• Monday, June 9th: Embargo released, upload your content or stream!
  
• Monday, June 9th: Participate in our Twitch Drops program!
  

[h2]Thank You![/h2]
As always, your feedback continues to shape Voyagers of Nera in incredible ways. The improvements we're making wouldn't be possible without our passionate community pointing us in the right direction.

Keep an eye out for more details about the upcoming stream and NextFest demo. The waters of Nera are calling!

- Michael and the Treehouse Team

Hello incredible Voyagers! Michael / Spacenorth here with some community highlights, development insights, and upcoming events!

[h2]📸 Photo Contest Winners! 📸[/h2]
First off, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in our in-game photo contest! The talent and creativity on display were absolutely amazing. After much deliberation, we're thrilled to announce our three winners:

🏆 Grace: “Never Succumb to The Deep”


🏆 Kanis - “Beauty and Denizens of Nera”



🏆 Violeta - “Waiting for the Sunrise With The Girls”

Congratulations to our winners! And to everyone who wants to see more amazing captures, check out the full gallery of entries – there were so many incredible submissions that choosing just three was nearly impossible!

[h2]Standing Out in the Survival Crafting Space[/h2]
In our most recent dev stream, our cofounders Ryan and Michael dove into a topic that's central to our development philosophy: how we're creating something unique in the beloved survival crafting genre.

[h2]Embracing the Challenge[/h2]
Let's face it – there are some incredible survival crafting games out there! As players ourselves, we love so many of them. The challenge for us has always been finding the right balance between familiar elements that honor the best parts of the genre and new ideas that make Voyagers stand on its own.

[h2]Early Bets on Uniqueness[/h2]
Early in development, we had to place some big bets on what would make Voyagers special. These weren't just random guesses – they were deliberate choices that would shape everything from art direction to gameplay mechanics:

[h2]🌊 Seafaring[/h2]
We wanted the ocean to be central to the feeling of exploration in our game! This bet shaped:

• Sailing mechanics that feel meaningful and fun
  
• Underwater exploration with unique resources and dangers
  
• Skimming across the waves with surfboards and spirit magic
  

[h2]✨ Spirits and Magic[/h2]
The world is filled with spirits in need of help. In return, they will teach you new recipes and give you magical powers:

• Rescuing threatened spirits scattered throughout Nera
  
• Spirit companions that accompany you everywhere you go
  
• Elder spirits that bestow powerful magical abilities
  
• Fighting the corruption that threatens this magical world
  

[h2]🎨 Vibrant Art Style[/h2]
This wasn't an initial bet, but emerged as a strong differentiator:

• The colorful, vibrant world of Nera stands in contrast to many darker survival games
  
• The beauty of the environment has become one of our most consistently praised elements
  
• A world that invites exploration through its visual wonder
  

[h2]Building a Feedback Loop[/h2]
After placing these bets, the most crucial part of our process has been building a strong playtest process so that we can always hear from YOU, our fantastic community of REAL players. For over 12 months now, we’ve been playtesting with you regularly and you’ve been contributing invaluable feedback to help us make the game better and better.

We put a lot of work into collecting that feedback and turning them into themes and trends that we can act on. Then we organize our development objectives around improving the player experience in targeted areas before bringing it out to playtest. That creates fresh feedback and we start this development process all over again! Here’s what it looks like:

• Gather feedback from everywhere
  
• Regular playtests (every two weeks!)
  
• Surveys after each playtest
  
• Discord conversations
  
• FeatureUpvote board
  
• Responses to marketing like what gets players excited on social media?
  
• Find the patterns
  
• Categorize feedback into themes
  
• Identify both positive and negative trends
  
• Convert these into clear problem statements
  
• Turn feedback into action
  
• Connect feedback directly to new features or changes
  
• Create development milestones with specific player experience goals
  
• Iterate, test, and repeat!
  

Building and growing this feedback loop has been core of how we work. When you tell us something isn't quite right or that you love a particular feature, that directly shapes our priorities and development decisions.

We’re only a few months from launching into Early Access on Steam, and your feedback (plus excitement!) is the fuel for our development. Keep sharing your thoughts – they're invaluable to making Voyagers of Nera the magical experience we all want it to be!

[h2]Upcoming Events[/h2]
Before we depart, we have a couple exciting events coming up very soon!

🎮 Next Playtest: This Wednesday!
Look out for patch notes dropping soon in our Discord server. We've got some exciting updates we can't wait for you to try and share your thoughts on!


🎨 MS Paint Fan Art Contest
Our deliberately low-tech art contest is in full swing! Show us your best (or worst) MS Paint creations inspired by Voyagers. Enter here on our Discord channel before next Monday!


Thanks everyone, and we’ll see you on the waves!

Michael and the Treehouse Team

Hello amazing Voyagers! Michael / Spacenorth here with some truly magical news about our latest update to Nera!

[h2]Spirits Reimagined[/h2]

We've been listening closely to your feedback and we’ve heard repeatedly that players want spirits to feel more integral to your adventure in Nera. We couldn't agree more! Spirits are one of the most unique aspects of our world, and we've completely reimagined how they work to make them more meaningful, rewarding, and central to your journey.

[h2]Building a Sanctuary for Spirits[/h2]

We’ve taken the Spirit Anchor even farther toward being the magical heart of your base! When awakened, your base becomes a true sanctuary for the spirits of Nera, offering them protection from the dangers of The Deep.

[h2]Spirit Anchor Awakening[/h2]

The Spirit Anchor starts dormant and must be empowered to level 1 to begin its magic. Once activated, you'll unlock the ability to rescue spirits you find throughout the world – but that's just the beginning! Every time you level up your Spirit Anchor, you'll gain new benefits from providing passive healing, cleansing corruption, and powering magical stations in a radius around it. And, once you can build more Spirit Anchors, allowing fast travel between bases!
(note: this isn’t part of the playtest build yet!)

[h2]Creating a Spirit Haven[/h2]

What's a sanctuary without some lush amenities? You can now craft special structures to attract more spirits to your base, including spots for them to lounge, little pavilions for them to relax, or hot springs for them to sit in!

Each amenity you place contributes to your overall Sanctuary Power, which infuses the more advanced, magical crafting stations in your base - check out the details below!

[h2]Finding Spirits in the Wild[/h2]

We've completely changed how you discover spirits in Nera. No more dormant spirit eggs – spirits are now found throughout the world, some hiding, others in active danger from enemies.

Saving spirits isn't just about feeling good (though that's part of it!) – they'll reward you with incredible powers and knowledge.

[h2]Spirit Abilities[/h2]

We've added a wealth of new magical abilities that you can unlock by rescuing spirits. Echoes can now equip four abilities (2 major, 2 minor) with effects like:

• Seal of Restoration: Place a healing circle that restores allies
  
• Flame Mantle: Surround yourself with fire that damages enemies
  
• Lightning Bolt: Strike foes from afar
  
• Stone Form: Turn to stone when near death, saving your life
  
• Spirit Light: Your companion glows at night, illuminating your path
  

And many more! Some abilities even help with traversal, like Fleet Foot for faster sprinting or Webbed Foot for improved swimming.


[h2]Knowledge Spirits[/h2]

Other spirits will unlock special knowledge, granting access to unique recipes like:

• Looking Pool to change your character appearance
  
• Glowstone Arrows - arrows that glow and light up any enemy you hit
  
• Bracelet of Breath - increased oxygen capacity
  
• Decorative Rugs - pretty rugs!
  

And more!

[h2]Powered by Magic[/h2]

Your sanctuary doesn't just look pretty – it's functional too! Stations within your sanctuary radius can now be powered by magic:

• Repair Bench
  
• Looking Pool
  
• Mana Forge
  
• Imbuing Bench
  
• Smithing Station
  
• Imbued Storage
  

The higher your Sanctuary Power, the more advanced stations you can use!

[h2]A Living World[/h2]

All these changes are designed to make Nera feel more alive and magical. We want you to feel motivated to rescue spirits not just for gameplay benefits, but because you're restoring magic to a world that desperately needs it.

This is just the beginning – we'll be expanding the spirit system with more content, visual enhancements, lots of clarity work, and additional spirits in future updates.

[h2]Coming Soon![/h2]



These features are in our latest playtest build right now! While the UI is still a work in progress and some abilities might need balancing, we couldn't wait to get your feedback on this fundamental aspect of Voyagers.

Remember that these systems are very much in development, so please share your thoughts with us in Discord or through our feedback forms. Your input directly shapes how we refine these features!

- Michael and the Treehouse Team