Solasta II News

Well met adventurers!

Our new trailer is finally out, and oh how we’ve been waiting to show you this one! We hope you’re as excited (if not more!) to set foot on Neokos now that you’ve watched it - and if you haven’t already, just scroll down a bit and you’ll find it here.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The cat is out of the bag, Solasta II’s Early Access is coming early 2026! You heard that right, we’re taking a few more weeks (months?) to polish everything - we want to make sure we give you the game in a state we can be proud of.

Now, I’m sure some of you will still have questions for us. Which is why we’ll be here with our CEO Mathieu to answer any questions you have live next Tuesday Oct 28th with a special Community Stream. We’ll also be showing off the actual overworld map travel in-game, so if you’re curious about how it looks and plays, don’t miss it!

Make sure to join us on Tuesday October 28th, 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT / 6 pm CET (careful, the start time is slightly different than usual!)

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tacticaladventures
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TacticalAdventures/streams

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Follow us on:

• Discord
• Twitter / X
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Twitch

Hello there folks!

We can see many of you wondering “Is it Early Access yet?”, and my answer to you is… a little more, just a little more! I promise you we will have something to announce soon, so please bear with us a little more. Oh how we wish we could simply reveal everything right now, but some things must remain behind the DM screen. Now this doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to show - let us share with you our monthly allocation of development tidbits!

Don’t look at me like that, I told you already I can’t reveal the Early Access date yet. No, not even to you.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975950/Solasta_II/
[h2]Live Art Stream & Giveaway - Join our Art Director to chance winning Solasta II Steam Keys & hand-drawn sketches on October 9th![/h2]
After our very surface-level delve into The Temple of Elemental Evil, we’re now back to more Solasta II content! This time we’re doing something a little different by inviting our Art Director Thierry to sketch live on stream while we discuss lore and world building with our Game Director Xavier - namely to know more about the Siklas! Strange and mysterious folks native to Neokos, what secrets do they possess?

We will be holding giveaways during the livestream to give out the drawings as they are being made (we estimate there will be three in total), which we’ll then send via postal service in the following weeks. Please note that French shipping services unfortunately can’t deliver mail to Syria, Yemen and Haiti. We will also be giving away 3 Steam Keys of Solasta II over the course of the steam, which will give you access to both the Early Access and the 1.0 version of the game once it is released!

Make sure to join us on October 9th - keep in mind it’s a Thursday and not a Friday this time!

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tacticaladventures
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TacticalAdventures/streams

And with that out of the way, it’s time for some Development news!

[h2]Heading to town[/h2]
Adventuring is a hard life, full of dangers and uncomfy nights spent in the wilderness - which is why every so often you will need to head back into town to unwind… and more importantly, sell your trinkets and baubles that you looted legally acquired along the way!

Where did we get those paintings? Errrr turns out one of the bandits we took care of was an art collector, yea sure let’s go with that.

Speaking of looting, we’ve also added a grid view to the inventory following feedback from the demo, as many of you were concerned about having to scroll endlessly to find your items once you start carrying a bit more stuff in your backpacks.

More items! MORE!

[h2]Adventurers by day, adventurers by night[/h2]
Similar to Solasta I, your journey into Neokos will see you roaming through the lands in light and darkness alike! Make sure your party has at least one member with a good Perception score, you wouldn’t want to end up ambushed during your rest…

A nice clearing by day…

Can become a deadly trap by night!

Remember that Solasta II will allow you to explore its world freely, unlike our previous game where you could only travel to and from known locations. But with freedom also comes danger - take care not to go too far, lest you run into some nasty monsters you aren’t prepared for…

Say, are you sure this is the right way? I don’t believe our contact said anything about crossing the desert…

[h2]Chipping away at new features[/h2]
Now all this is nice and beautiful, but what about the nitty gritty stuff? Well we’ve got something for you today. A new feature that we didn’t have in Solasta I, which is the ability to swap damage types! Some spells such as True Strike use this, but more importantly it’s the Sorcerer’s Transmuted Spell Metamagic’s whole shtick. Take a look!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Another thing we’re currently working on is… well, what is it you see?

These footsteps don’t look human… Be on guard, we won’t be facing bandits it seems.

[h2]Might and Magic![/h2]
We’ve shown you a few spells in the last updates, it is only fair that we show you some class features in return. Let’s take a look at Solasta’s Paladins today, with two Channel Divinity powers: Purge Corruption, which removes a negative condition from an ally within 30’ - and Blinding Castigation, from the new Oath of Liberation, which blinds an enemy for up to 1 minute.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The battle is not yet over, keep fighting my friend!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
You find the battlefield a little dark? Here, let me help you.

Thought we were going to leave you with that and nothing about spells? That’d be forgetting that our CEO’s favorite class is Wizard, and somewhere in the contract is stipulated that one must talk about spells in each and every article posted.

Look at all these spell icons, how much easier to understand they are compared to before!

[h2]An outfit for the road?[/h2]
As always let us end this news with a new outfit to share - this one being not for the players but for the sand-dwelling travelers that you will come across!



That’s it for today! Keep an eye out as we will have more… much more to share soon! And see you on Thursday at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST for those joining the Live Art stream giveaway!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975950/Solasta_II/

Follow us on:

• Discord
• Twitter / X
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Twitch

Well met adventurers!

As summer is on its last leg, we’re finally seeing cooler days ahead. Huzzah! And that also means we’re creeping ever closer to the release of the Early Access, doesn’t it? Soon my friends, soon! Let the cooks in the kitchen the time to finish preparing your meal, as we want to give you something meaty - even if it’s “just” an Early Access and not the final release! We know you want to see more, hear more, learn more about Solasta II and we can say - we want to share more about the game too. We’ll have to wait a little more for that - but know that once the floodgates open, they won’t be closing back!

A new adventurer has joined the party! Say hello to little Sanpo, level 1 kitten now part of the Marketing Team.

[h2]Community Stream #12 Friday September 5th - Temple of Elemental Evil Part 2[/h2]
After wandering around the hamlet for about an hour and a half, our party is now ready to face the wilderness! This Community Stream will mark our second (and likely last) stream of The Temple of Elemental Evil, one of the original inspirations for the Solasta franchise. Come and witness yours truly Myzzrym fumble around the 3.5 ruleset that he has forgotten most of and watch him lament his subpar decision-making skills as his party dies in horrible ways.

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tacticaladventures
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TacticalAdventures/streams

After this stream, we’ll go back to Community Streams that are 100% focused on Solasta II as we’ll be getting closer and closer to the release of the Early Access!

[h2]NOT THE BEES![/h2]
What started as a fun little homebrew spell that we made in Crown of the Magister to shore up our lack of variety and number of cantrips slowly turned into one of the more beloved spells in the entire franchise (we have JoCat to blame for that). Annoying Bees is a cantrip that deals a guaranteed 1d4 piercing damage and gives the target disadvantage on Concentration Saving Throws until the start of your next turn, making it the bane of spellcasters.

Who would win? One venerable wizened wizard, or a bunch of jacked-up magical bees? (Art by JoCat)

Now forever part of the Solasta franchise, we couldn’t simply forget this silly little cantrip on the sideline. We proudly present you, Annoying Bees, Solasta II edition.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Oh my lord they even properly follow you around for the entire round now, what a nightmare! Also, we should probably call it Annoying Bees now, seeing how many bees there are. If you’re wondering about why Joralas is charmed, he isn’t (although he wishes he were) - it was just a placeholder condition while we worked on the Concentration Saving Throw disadvantage part.

Now, wizards aren’t the only ones eating good today. Divine spellcasters behold, a new homebrew cantrip for you as well! Holy Conduit is a melee spell that deals 1d6 radiant damage on hit… and then explodes, dealing an additional 1d4 radiant damage to all enemies within 5 feet if they fail a Constitution saving throw.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Boom goes the baddy! While this cantrip may seem powerful with its AoE effect, remember that on a single target it deals at most 1d10 damage, requires you to be in melee range, and that’s if you both succeed a spell attack roll AND they miss a Constitution Saving Throw.

If you’re wondering why we’re making homebrew spells (especially as the Solasta franchise tries to remain faithful to the tabletop ruleset as much as possible), the reason is fairly simple - there are just not that many cantrips / spells available in the SRD in some cases, and we still want players to have the ability to choose between different options.

[h2]Solasta… Evo.. Malmis![/h2]
We’ve often had players asking if we would keep Verbal Components for spellcasting in Solasta II; and while we have already answered that we would, a video will probably speak (hahah, get it?) better than ever could.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
As a reminder, the way spell incantations are broken down:

• The source of the spellcaster’s magic: Divine, Arcane, etc
  
• The school of the spell: Evocation, Divination, etc
  
• The effect of the spell: Healing, Damage, Utility, etc

[h2]What do you mean, game over?[/h2]
Ahhhh, we can’t forget about good ol’ Game Over when working on a video game! So far, we didn’t have anything yet on that end - so even after losing a character you could keep running around, breaking all the quests and dialogs in the process and ruining your save file in the process. This era of the wild wild west is now over! When one of your characters dies, you will be prompted to resurrect them or reload a save file.

Make sure you stock up on scrolls of Revivify if your party members have a tendency of not being too careful!

[h2]Making a pit stop in the countryside…[/h2]
As you walk the peaceful coast of Neokos, your sixth sense starts to tingle. When was the last time you saw any animal? Should the seaside be this quiet? You look around you, your companion taking note of your sudden realization. Everything seems as peaceful as could be, yet you feel like you should be on guard… What’s your passive perception again?



Here is a first glance at one of the many random encounter maps that will be in Solasta II - for they will be sorely needed, considering the amount of travel you will be doing on the world map! Whether it is fighting monsters or encountering traveling NPCs, you will soon get to see more of them on your own.

And in bonus, steal a glance at another upcoming level that will be included in the Early Access! All the grass!

[h2]Let’s wrap it up with some more fashion[/h2]
“More armour!” the people clamored. Then more armour we shall deliver! Take a gander at this magical half plate armor, a 3D version of the studded leather armor we showed last month and some priestly garbs worn by religious figures.



Oh and, lest we forget - we’ve also got a 2D draft of the shields we are going to start producing!



And that’s it for today! Come back next time for more news about the game, and see you on Friday at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST for those joining us on our September Community Stream.

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975950/Solasta_II/

Follow us on:

• Discord
• Twitter / X
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Twitch

Good day to you, adventurers!

How is summer treating you so far? Are you accruing levels of exhaustion through failing the onslaught of heat-induced Constitution saving throws, or did you manage to find a place safe and hidden from the almighty Sun (CR Unknown)? We at Tactical Adventures are pursuing the development of Solasta II through what we colloquially call the “Summer Cheese” (hon hon so French) - with a schedule full of holes due to people taking a long rest with some well deserved vacations. But worry not, yours truly remains here to share new project advancements!

New project advancements AND cute animal pictures, I know some of you come for that sweet dose of serotonin.

[h2]Community Stream #11 Friday August 8th[/h2]
A new month means a new Community Stream. Join us this Friday to discuss everything Tactical Adventures and Solasta II… with a little something more! We’ll be diving back into some of Solasta’s original inspirations - starting with revisiting The Temple of Elemental Evil!

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tacticaladventures
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TacticalAdventures/streams

For those who may not know this game, The Temple of Elemental Evil (or ToEE) is a D&D 3.5 game released in 2003 by Troika Games, who also made both classics Arcanum (2001) and Vampire Bloodlines (2004). It is a Turn-Based Tactical RPG with full party creation which was arguably the most faithful representation of the 3.5 ruleset at the time. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Turns out I still had the game box in French lying somewhere in my house. Perception check, success!

[h2]More traps, more boom boom![/h2]
Last month we showed you scalding hot geysers, this month we’ll show you a bit more of the traps we’re currently adding to the game - starting with magical runes that will lay in wait for greedy pillagers venturing into long forgotten ruins

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
If you’re thinking “well obviously let’s not walk onto the glowing sigils”, first of all congratulations you’re probably smarter than the average adventurer who likes to touch everything that glows and eat anything that grows, but just know these magic symbols will NOT be visible to you unless you succeed on a Perception Check.

[h2]Fashion is mandatory[/h2]
Many of you let us know that you enjoyed seeing the various armors we’re working on, so we’ll be sharing a few more today! Here are researches we’re doing on magical versions of the Studded Leather Armor and the Hide Armor.


We’ve also had a few questions regarding Wondrous Items and if they would appear on your characters when equipped. We are happy to say that some items such as gloves, bracers and boots will be visible on your character! Smaller items such as rings, bracelets and necklaces won’t be as they are a little too tiny to be visible most of the time so we prefer spending time working on other things instead. Headgears are also a little complex so they are not planned at the moment (as always, a smaller team means choices must be made…)



[h2]Let us see more of that brand new world…[/h2]
As we’ve said in the past, Neokos is vast and varied in biomes and environments - all of which will need to be visible on the world map. We’re continuing our research on how to make your exploratory journey through the continent an interesting and visually pleasant one!


But the world map alone isn’t enough to make for an exciting adventure, so we’ve started creating smaller levels for random encounters! Did you ever wonder how they look very early on before we start adding all the visual fluff? Let me draw back the curtain for once.

Oh boy there isn’t much to see here! Are those spherical green blobs native to these lands?

Yes, every single location you’ll be walking through in the final game has started looking somewhat like this! But with just a few strokes of our talent level builders (alright I lied, more like a few days to a few weeks), all these barren levels soon become like… this!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Pretty stuff aside, what about the gameplay?[/h2]
While we obviously can’t show you TOO much, we’re of course also working on adding new features on the gameplay side! For example, some of you noticed that in the Solasta II demo items wouldn’t stack properly - this is no longer a problem.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
That aside, we’re also slowly adding new class features and spells to get ready for Early Access. Today we’re sharing with you the new Innate Sorcery power of the Sorcerer! Starting at level 1, they can use a Bonus Action to enter a heightened state during which their Sorcerer spell DC increases by 1 and they gain advantage on their Sorcerer spell attack rolls.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Oh and before we close this article, here are some fun facts from the survey!

• Although no longer officially in the 2024 edition, the Half-Elf ranked amongst the most popular ancestry! The Half-Orc, not so much. Also, most of you would prefer us to keep their gameplay bonuses as close as possible to the 2014 version.
  
• Among the classes that won’t be implemented at the start of Early Access, they were all surprisingly close in ranking, although the Warlock does eke out a win here.
  
• The Ready Action is your top choice among the combat features you’re looking forward to.
  
• Unsurprisingly, one of the things you look the most forward to in future post 1.0 launch content is a higher level cap (it’s also the hardest to do because of the implications, but hey never say never!)

And that’s it for today! Come back next time for more news about the game, and see you on Friday at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST for those joining us on August’s Community Stream.

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975950/Solasta_II/

Follow us on:

• Discord
• Twitter / X
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Twitch

Praise the sun, adventurers!

Actually scratch that, it’s been getting a little TOO hot for comfort lately. Summer do be hitting hard, and we poor developers have not yet developed resistance to fire damage (oh how we wish we did). On a more serious note, today we’re returning to the roots of our Dev Updates - just like we did on Crown of the Magister, it’s time to take a look at what we’re working on!

Strategically positioned between the keyboard and the screen in order to stay close to the fan, 3 INT my left buttcheek.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975950/Solasta_II/
[h2]Community Stream #10 Friday July 11th[/h2]
For those of you who want to chat directly with us, July’s Community Stream is right around the corner! Join us this Friday to discuss everything Solasta II. We’ll notably be tackling the worries some shared about using the 2024 Ruleset before moving back to talking about the development of the game itself, so don’t hesitate to come talk to us if you still have questions about that topic! And as promised, we’ll be live both on YouTube and Twitch from now on.

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tacticaladventures
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TacticalAdventures/streams

[h2]It’s a trap![/h2]
While we all love a good round of fisticuffs whacking monsters without a care in the world, the battlefield may feel a little bland without environmental hazards. So… we’ve been working on implementing a few!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
He hates those indeed.

Those hot, scalding water spurt will ruin your day if you stay close to them as they explode upward. And they also work in combat of course, not just during exploration - with their very own turn at the start of each round where they will show signs of pending activity. If you don’t pay attention, you might find yourself missing a fair chunk of HP when the next round comes around!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Marvel the beautiful bicolor tiles of our battle test map.

Of course, geysers are not the only traps you will run into during your travels. Good old spikes and dangerous magic runes are already making their way into our Early Access build, with of course more to come as we get there!

Beware your feetsies, kobolds very smart make bestest hidden traps, yes yes!

[h2]You stand before the Gates of Caer Mar…[/h2]
And boy do they look good. We often forget about the little things, but there’s always someone behind everything you see in-game. Let’s take a closer look at some WIP environments!



[h2]Look ma! Actual playable levels![/h2]
We’ve shared some beauty shots in the past on our socials, but you might be more interested in knowing about how it would look to someone playing the game. Here’s a sneak peek of a location which you will be able to visit when Solasta II goes live!

Ahhh, the great outdoors! With a very recognizable “gather your party” behind the tree.

Exploring the caves, please ignore the minimap being all borked for now.

And even deeper inside with the Light spell coming handy!

[h2]Dressed to kill… and to look good while doing it![/h2]
We’ve also been working on adding new armors to the game so you can look dapper while roaming the countryside searching for monsters to slay and loot to… well, loot. Adventuring would be pretty bland if you didn’t find any gold, items and other doodads to play around with, wouldn’t it?

And for those wondering if they look the same in-game, we've included that on the right!

And that’s it for today! Come back next time for more news about the game, and see you on Friday at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST for those joining us on July’s Community Stream.

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2975950/Solasta_II/

Follow us on:

• Discord
• Twitter / X
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Twitch