Arkheron News

[p]This build will be playable at the Steam Nextfest Demo from February 20th - March 2nd. Find more information about this \[here]. These patch notes capture the changes from updates 0.12.0 through 0.16.0 which reflect several months of development work. During this time, balance and other gameplay features went through several iterations. [/p][p]We’ve done our best to capture these changes fully but a few small things may not be represented. On our road to launch, we’re working on improving our patch notes process to make sure they are detailed and comprehensive in the future. [/p][p][/p][h3]ETERNAL ROTATION[/h3][p]Two new Eternal Item Sets have been added to the loot pool. (To be announced) Leodin and Ravah’s Item Sets will be temporarily leaving the loot pool. [/p][p][/p][h3] NOTABLE CHANGES[/h3]

• [p]Added a tutorial for new players to make it easier to get familiar with basic game mechanics. [/p]
• [p]Added a ‘Recent Teammates’ list that lets you add players from past matches to your friends list to play again later or report them if you never want to play with them again. [/p]
• [p]Updated the Second Floor layout and environment art to make it easier to navigate the vast floor area. [/p]
• [p]Updated player perspective so the line of sight reaches 14 meters, the distance where you can range attack, ping, and interact with enemy players. Now if you see it, you can ping it, and you can shoot it.[/p]
• [p]When playing a "Bots" match, players can play solo, in a party of two, or in a party of three. Enemy bot teams will be added to game and match the size of the player team. There will not be any friendly bots added to a player's team.[/p]
• [p]Added a Regional Server Selector so that you can choose which region to queue into.[/p]
• [p]Your settings and custom rebindings have been reset to new defaults if you have played before. Please update them to your preferred settings before jumping into a match. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]COMBAT CLARITY[/h3]

• [p]Hit effects have been updated and show a short hit flash on damage to make it clearer when your hits are landing. [/p]
• [p]Improved audio cues for hits and other forms of damage to make it clearer when you’re dealing and taking damage. [/p]
• [p]Added audio cues that make it clearer when you’re being damaged while in low health. [/p]
• [p]When crowd control immunity is active it now shows a brief glow around your feet to show this status.  [/p]
• [p]Made some tweaks to long-range projectiles so they visibly reach that 14 meter line of sight limit.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]ETERNAL ITEMS[/h3][p][/p][p]DAHLA[/p]

• [p]Dahla’s Dancing Blade Twisting Thorn hit no longer grants damage immunity on the receiver. [/p]
• [p]Dahla’s Petal Dance Amulet Level 3 healing increased to 7.4 per 0.5s (up from 5 per 0.5s)[/p]

[p][/p][p]EDANI[/p]

• [p]Edani’s Suffering Amulet’s range has been increased to 5 and now matches the max range of her hook.[/p]
• [p]Edani’s Pulling Claws Scratch and Shred damage increased to 8 / 8 / 16 / 16 / 18 (up from 6 / 6 / 14 / 14 / 18).[/p]
• [p]Edani’s Lunging Hook Startling Lunge damage increased to 25 (up from 20)[/p]
• [p]Edani’s Lunging Hook Thin Skinned Thrash damage increased to 10 / 10 / 12 / 12 (up from 8 / 8 / 12 / 12)[/p]
• [p]Edani’s Outburst Crown knockback now occurs earlier in the attack [/p]
• [p]Edani’s Outburst Crown AoE range reduced to 7m (down from 9m)[/p]

[p][/p][p]GRIMWOLD[/p]

• [p]Grimwold’s Strange Device Shock now overheats after 3 seconds and then cools down for 1 second (3s up / 1s down).[/p]
• [p]Grimwold’s Charged Rings Chain Reaction damage has been reduced to 15 (down from 16).[/p]
• [p]Grimwold’s Charged Rings Chain Reaction slow duration reduced to 0.25s (down from 0.3s).[/p]
• [p]Grimwold’s Charged Rings Chain Reaction Upgrade III bounces reduced to 8 (down from 10).[/p]

[p][/p][p]HOLLOW[/p]

• [p]Hollow’s Sneklan Ground Shark max distance increased to 8.5m (up from 6m).[/p]
• [p]Hollow’s Darkling Staff Dav’s Darts damage adjusted to 9 / 9 / 9 (down from 10).[/p]

[p][/p][p]IRENNA[/p]

• [p]Irenna’s Sword “Caretaker” Krurian Handshake damage is now 50 (up from 45).[/p]
• [p]Irenna’s Icebreaker Mace Callous Swipes damage increased to 26 / 26 (up from 25 / 25)[/p]
• [p]Irenna’s Icebreaker Mace Icebreaker damage increased to 28 (up from 25)[/p]

[p][/p][p]KARRIV[/p]

• [p]Karriv’s Flaming Lantern Ember Toss range increased to reach the edge of the screen. [/p]
• [p]Karriv’s Flamepath Amulet damage is now 12 per 0.5s + 6 DoT (was 12 + 6 DoT).[/p]
• [p]Karriv’s Searing Shovel Searing Blast damage increased to 25 + 6 DoT (up from 20 + 6 DoT).[/p]
• [p]Karriv’s Searing Shovel Searing Blast Level 2 cooldown value changed to 12s (was 10s).[/p]

[p][/p][p]RYNSHI[/p]

• [p]Rynshi’s Vortex Amulet cast range increased to 9 (from 8)[/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s Wrath Cleaver Savage Leap damage increased to 45 (up from 40); now applies a 0.5s stun by default (previously stun was Level 3 only).[/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s Wrath Cleaver Savage Leap skill-shot damage is now 45 (up from 40).[/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s Fury Bracers Sadistic Throw hold hit reaction still provides damage immunity.[/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s Fury Bracers Sadistic Throw now fully pierces targets. [/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s Fury Bracers Sadistic Throw damage increased to 10 / 35 (up from 10 / 25).[/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s set bonus is now applied as a buff instead of a damage processor so that it correctly stacks with other mitigation sources. [/p]

[p][/p][p]VATON[/p]

• [p]Vaton’s Audacity Amulet was renamed from Imbalanced Scales to Audacity. [/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Audacity Amulet Level 1 now causes you to take 35% damage and grant 50% damage (from 50% taken / 75% granted).[/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Audacity Amulet Level 2 cooldown is now 12s (from 10s).[/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Audacity Amulet Level 3 now causes you to take 20% damage and grant 50% damage (from 25% taken / 75% granted).[/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Audacity Amulet cooldown increased to 14s (up from 12s); damage increase reduced to 50% (down from 75%); vulnerability reduced to 35% (down from 50%).[/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Disquieting Metamorphosis damage was reduced to 45 (down from 50) and now displays a self lifesteal percentage.[/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Seeing Eye Level 3 no longer increases Shattering Sphere travel speed.[/p]
• [p]Vaton’s Serpent Staff Pillars stun duration was reduced to 0.45s (down from 0.5s).[/p]

[p][/p][h3]ECHO ITEMS[/h3]

• [p]Elusive Crown now also grants a 40% movement increase for 3 seconds [/p]
• [p]Bashing Shield’s Block & Bash cooldown has been increased to 10 seconds (from 8)[/p]
• [p]Great Sword’s Charging Stun cooldown has increased to 13 seconds (from 12)[/p]
• [p]Dual Axes’ Bull Rush cooldown increased to 13 seconds (from 12)[/p]
• [p]Shuriken’s Snare Toss cooldown increased to 12 seconds (from 10)[/p]
• [p]Bow’s Wave Shot cooldown increased to 12 seconds (from 10)[/p]
• [p]Scimitar’s ability cooldown decreased to 10 seconds (from 12)[/p]

[p][/p][h3]GAMEPLAY MISC[/h3]

• [p]The global damage mitigation cap has been reduced to 80% (down from 90%). For example, If two or more items in a build would seemingly bring your damage mitigation above 80%, they will be artificially capped at that global max. [/p]
• [p]The visual effect of the Abyssal Storm’s damage has been updated. More dangerous Abyss states look and feel more violent to better signal risk. [/p]
• [p]Replaced the default execute animation. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]CONSUMABLES[/h3]

• [p]Health Potions are now now carried in stacks of 3 and heal for 150 (up from 100)[/p]
• [p]Healing Wards are now carried in stacks of 3 (down from 4)[/p]
• [p]Fortitude Shards are now carried in stacks of 4 (up from 3). Each Fortitude now heals for 50 (down from 100)[/p]
• [p]Breaking individual Fortitude armor bars now trigger a 5 frame immunity before damage can begin on the next bar. Damage from items with Crushing will ignore this pause.  [/p]

[p][/p][h3]ANCHOR ABILITIES[/h3]

• [p]Mending Hands buff time is now 2 seconds (down from 3 seconds) [/p]
• [p]Rescue can now revive teammates after they have been fully executed. Fair warning, they’re coming back without gear. [/p]
• [p]Anchor Ability icons have been updated for clarity. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]BEACONS [/h3]

• [p]The speed of collapse per team is now greater than before. This means that Beacons with multiple teams now shrink faster. [/p]
• [p]Updated the art on multiple Floor 2 Beacons.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]MONSTERS[/h3]

• [p]The Fury Destroyer’s Fissure damage is now 50 (down from 100).[/p]
• [p]The Fury Destroyer’s Stone Gaze damage is now 25 (up from 10). The Scorcher’s Lob range increased to 12 (from 10) to better match camera distance. [/p]
• [p]Quest mobs now have a subtle glow and 300HP so that they are distinct from Tormentors who have 200HP. [/p]
• [p]Quest rewards now offer two Legendary chests and one Mythic. (Previously 2 legendary  + 1 common)[/p]

[p][/p][h3]UI / HUD[/h3]

• [p]Updated layout to support “Rejuvenate.”[/p]
• [p]Redesigned Anchor ability icons for improved clarity.[/p]
• [p]Challenge Rifts are now opt-out rather than opt in.[/p]
• [p]Added a new background for the customization screen.[/p]
• [p]You can now see a destroyer’s location on the map by its icon.[/p]
• [p]You can now ping items in the store for your teammates. Middle mouse button over an item for Mouse and Keyboard or R3 over an item on controller. This will show the Shrine on the map and outlines the item for your teammate when they open the store. [/p]
• [p]The front end loading bar now updates when returning after a match. [/p]
• [p]Added a new environment to the front end menu. [/p]
• [p]Added more information to the UI for the item store in Training.[/p]
• [p]Added new post-match statistics.[/p]
• [p]Made the set bonus icons visible on nameplates as well as in the HUD to make set bonuses easier to see at a glance. [/p]
• [p]The Victory and Defeat screens are now more impactful with new visuals and sound effects. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]ENVIRONMENT[/h3]

• [p]Updated Bloom flowers visuals. [/p]
• [p]Challenge Rifts take place in a new setting. Previously they were in the Throne Room and now take place in an arena.[/p]
• [p]The Throne Room layout on the top floor has been updated. Each team now spawns into a holding room on opposite sides of the arena. Once both teams are present and ready, the diving walls drop to initiate the final fight. [/p]
• [p]Added a new visual for all doors and locks.  [/p]
• [p]Visual update to the Store Crystal asset.[/p]
• [p]Added ambient audio to environmental features.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]AUDIO[/h3]

• [p]Builder voice overs can now play concurrently with player voice lines so that there are no interruptions.  [/p]

[p][/p][h3]CONTROLS & SETTINGS[/h3]

• [p]On Mouse and Keyboard, the comms wheel is now on the middle mouse button. [/p]
• [p]You can now swap weapons while sneaking. [/p]

[p][/p][p]The default scheme for controllers has changed. [/p]

• [p]RB / R1 - Weapon Attack[/p]
• [p]LB / L1 - Weapon Ability[/p]
• [p]RT / R2 - Amulet Ability[/p]
• [p]LT / L2 - Crown Ability[/p]
• [p]Eternal Abilities can be triggered by hold Weapon Attack + Weapon Ability.[/p]
• [p]Emote has been moved onto the comms wheel. [/p]
• [p]When you pick a location in your settings, it will apply the correct localization to both your voice over and text in game.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]SPECTATING[/h3]

• [p]Spectate now focuses on your killer after elimination instead of cycling through teams. [/p]
• [p]Added an option in settings so that you can adjust how sensitive the spectate camera is when following the aim of the player you’re watching. [/p]
• [p]UI overlays during spectating have been updated. [/p]
• [p]The ‘Spectate’ button changed location on the HUD. [/p]

[h3]PERFORMANCE[/h3]

• [p]Multiple server-side performance improvements.[/p]
• [p]Reduced instability during first startup and material warmup.[/p]
• [p]Improved victory and defeat screen performance and stability.[/p]
• [p]Improved performance on low-core-count machines.[/p]
• [p]Added additional telemetry to improve crash and performance diagnostics.[/p]
• [p]Environmental VFX reverted to a more stable baseline for improved performance in this build.[/p]
• [p]When returning to the game from alt-tab, sometimes textures can briefly appear blurry. This process is intentional and happens as part of performance management. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]MISC[/h3][p]Added a new end-of-match survey to help us improve matchmaking algorithms over time. [/p][p][/p][h3]BOTS[/h3][p]Bots are still early in development, but some improvements have been made since our last version.[/p]

• [p]Bot navigation has been improved to path around dynamic obstacles.[/p]
• [p]Bot behavior has been improved to reduce times where they stand still.[/p]
• [p]Bot combat behavior when facing an enemy with a shield has been improved.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]BUG FIXES[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where consumables and emotes could be animation-cancelled using macros.[/p]
• [p]Fixed animation cancel macros for consumables and emotes. [/p]
• [p]Fixed some interaction edge cases between the Rescue Anchor Ability, executes and standard revives. [/p]
• [p]Fixed missing voice participant banners and party flags.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where voice session state could break when leaving a voice room.[/p]
• [p]Fixed cases where players could be incorrectly muted or volume sliders would not apply correctly.[/p]
• [p]Voice indicators now appear correctly while finding a server.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple visibility and lighting issues in Mahara.[/p]
• [p]Fixed cases of missing collision on environmental pillars.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where water caustic decals could pop in unexpectedly.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple skin and customization preview issues.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where match summaries could incorrectly cover player names.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could cause excessive controller rumble on Xbox controllers.[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple tutorial VO issues and improved overall VO clarity.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash that could occur when exiting the tutorial.[/p]
• [p]Fixed several visual issues in the tutorial environment, including fog and floating assets.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where controller input could fail when joining a party or starting a match.[/p]
• [p]Fixed cases where bots would fail to follow teammates into combat.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where teams could get stuck on ‘Waiting to be revived’ if a third teammate quit after a wipe.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the last player on a team with Self-Revive could be eliminated while they still had time left on their downed timer.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an interaction where casting Rescue just before a teammate triggered Self-Revive could leave them stuck in a downed state.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where your Echo on the front end would not appear when a player joined your team for a second time after being invited.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where pinging a key quest objective door could hide the key icon on the HUD.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a case where quest keys could spawn embedded in walls and could not be picked up.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where players could still dash while Exhaust was active by mashing the dash input.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some modal-aim abilities being incorrectly blocked by Shrines.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused certain VO lines not to play as intended.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where custom keybinds for Comms Wheel options were not functioning[/p]
• [p]Bug Fix: Loading bar when logging into the game would get stuck and appear slow[/p]
• [p]Rynshi’s Rampage cooldown reduction is labelled as 50% (it previously said 50s).[/p]

[p]Next week, Arkheron will be playable during Steam Next Fest. On February 20th, we’re launching our latest demo which will be available 24/7 through to March 2nd. Anyone can join - no key required!
[/p][p]In the lead up to Next Fest, we’ll reveal two new Eternal Item Sets that are joining the loot pool. We’re also deploying Patch 0.16.0 which includes various changes and quality of life features. Check out the patch notes here.
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]After Next Fest, we’ll announce our upcoming Closed Beta. More information about this will be available in the coming weeks.
[/p][p]HOW TO JOIN THE NEXT FEST DEMO[/p][p]If you’ve played Arkheron before, it’s important to note that the Next Fest Demo is a separate game client to the one you already have.

Anyone can join from any region - no key required!

Download time: February 20th at 9am Pacific Time.
Game time: February 20th at 10am Pacific Time. [/p][p][/p][p]HOW TO JOIN THE CLOSED BETA[/p][p]When we enter Closed Beta, we will return to our main game client \[here]. If you already have a key, you’re good to go! Otherwise click ‘Request Access’ to be put on the Waitlist. Invites will go out in waves, so keep an eye on your inbox. 
[/p][p]We’ll have more information about what to expect from Closed Beta soon! 
[/p][p]UPDATE 0.16.0[/p][p]We’re introducing two new Eternal Item sets which means we’ll rotate two existing sets out. Check out the patch notes for update 0.16.0 here. These notes include updates 0.12.0 through update 0.16.0. 
[/p][p]ARKHERON FAQ[/p][p]What kind of game is Arkheron? [/p][p]Arkheron is a team-based pvp game where 45 players enter a match and compete to ascend a mysterious tower and be the last team standing. Teams of three gather items and work to make powerful combinations of abilities. Check out our Official Announcement Trailer and Gameplay Explainer for more information. 
[/p][p]When will Arkheron launch? [/p][p]We’re not ready to confirm a date yet but we will officially launch Arkheron later this year. 
[/p][p]What platforms will be available?[/p][p]At launch, we’re planning to make Arkheron available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. 
[/p][p]Will Arkheron be free-to-play? [/p][p]We aren’t quite ready to share the details of our plan but we can confirm that we won’t be free to play. [/p][p][/p][p]Will there be Ranked mode? [/p][p]During our Closed Beta, we’re planning to test a partial version of our Ranked mode. We do anticipate their being a ranked progression system available at launch. 
[/p][p]Will there be solo mode? [/p][p]We have no plans for solo mode just yet but we’re aware that it’s a popular request. As we get to launch, we want to have our best chance at high quality matchmaking. Because of this, we are unlikely to split the queues further than necessary. When Arkheron has a higher player population, we can look at various possible modes!

We also have other plans that we’ll reveal later this year which may help the solo player experience. We also keep our eye on how high-skill premade teams affect the gameplay experience of others. [/p][p][/p][p]_____
[/p][p]We look forward to seeing you next week! [/p]

[p]Happy New Year! We hope you’ve had a wonderful New Years with your loved ones. We’re now returning to our desks and getting back to work on Arkheron. [/p][p][/p][p]This is a big year for our team as we bring Arkheron to full launch! In early February, we’ll be sharing our next official announcement that lets you know what to expect and when you can play. We’re really looking forward to sharing more updates and playtime with you soon![/p][p]
In the next couple of weeks, we’re spinning up some underground playtests that focus on testing the changes we’ve made to Arkheron since you saw it last. We’re initially only inviting testers from North America so that we’re working on local time zones and servers but everyone is encouraged to apply as we may expand the testing regions later on.
[/p][p]If you want to get your hands on content early and have some free time to help us create a better experience for the broader Arkheron Community, we’d love for you to sign up! [/p][p]
We can’t wait to see you again soon![/p]

[p]Thanks so much for all of your support for Arkheron this year! It was a huge moment for our team to reveal Arkheron and we’re super excited for our plans for next year. Our team is about to go on our winter break and will return in early January.

Shortly after this, we’re spinning up a private playtest which is dedicated to helping test early builds before they are shared with the broader player base. This is a closed testing environment focused on stability, build strengthening and sharing early feedback on work that’s fresh out of our studio week by week. If you’re invited to join, we’ll share more detailed information about what we’re hoping to do.

We’re looking for players who love Arkheron, have some free time to playtest, are able to provide insightful feedback and are willing to keep things secret!

If this sounds like you, please sign up here!

Initially, we’re only recruiting players from North America so that the time zone and server locations are all close to our team to allow us to monitor the playtests. However, we encourage players from any region to sign up in case we expand the testing regions in the future. 
[/p][p]We’ll have more information about the next time you can play soon. So if you’re not part of the private playtest, don’t worry! More game time is coming. 
[/p][p]Thanks again for all of your support for Arkheron! We can’t wait to kick things off with you again next year. See you soon![/p]

[p]It’s been awesome to watch Arkheron players worldwide come together to run games over the last several weeks! However, all cycles must come to an end… and so, on December 7 at 11:59 PM PST, we will be spinning down our Community-Run Playtest servers. 
[/p][p]After that, our team will take some time off over the holidays, then come back in the new year well-rested and ready to share the exciting next steps for Arkheron.
[/p][p]If you’re looking to get a few final Community Playtest games in, check out the servers listed below to see when they’re queueing up! Each Discord has its game servers hosted in one location. Right now, there are four Discords that have Community-Run playtests enabled:
[/p]

• [p]Mobalytics hosted on North American servers.[/p]
• [p]Arkheron Competitive hosted on European servers. [/p]
• [p]BalorMage hosted on OCE servers.[/p]
• [p]Rakin hosted on South American servers.
  [/p]

[p]You’re welcome to join all of the Discords! Just keep in mind that if the game servers are far away from you, you may not have the best ping.[/p][p][/p][h3]HOW TO JOIN: 
[/h3][p][/p]

• [p]Get a game key. If you have one already, you’re set. Otherwise, each Discord has a sign up link that will grant you access. [/p]
• [p]Link your Discord account to the Arkheron Client.[/p]
• [p]Join the Mobalytics Discord, the Arkheron Competitive Discord, BalorMage’s Discord, or Rakin’s Discord, depending on which server location or community you prefer. (You can join as many as you want!) [/p]
• [p]Get the ‘ArkheronPlaytest’ role in that Discord.[/p]
• [p]Check the Discord server(s) you joined their Discord for their designated playtest window or rally friends to come online to start a match at any time. Games need a minimum of 24 players in order to start.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]DON’T HAVE A FULL LOBBY?[/h3][p][/p][p]That’s OK! Normally, a game of Arkheron has 45 players in the lobby; however, for Community Playtests, we’ve lowered the threshold to 15 players in order for a game to start. [/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, Training Mode will be available 24/7 for anyone who has a key. There are no additional steps required to join as long as you have downloaded the client. In Training, you can experiment with Arkheron’s item systems. The sparring room also is a great option for small groups of friends to self-organise mini-matches (1v1, 2v2, 3v3).[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for playing, and stay tuned for more Arkheron news soon!
[/p]