Wands News

This new update includes a feature change to all wands. We've also crafted five new arena-themed wands that have powers unique enough to match their awesome designs. We are also adding a new character and a shipload of feature improvements. This increases the range of choices and implications of loadout combinations. The update is now available on both Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2, Steam VR, the Oculus Rift Store, Viveport Infinity, and coming soon to PlayStation VR.

[h2]Wand Powers[/h2]
Now with a total of 15 wands to choose from and countless loadout combinations, players can choose whether they want an offensive wand such as The Inductor for an offensive electric playstyle, or a more mana forgiving wand such as The Classic.

“The new wand powers add an extra dimension of fun and strategy to the game. Some of the wands will offer simple bonuses, and others will provide the opportunity for innovative playstyles that have never been seen in The Beyond. All players will benefit from this update, even if they never change their currently equipped wand. The five new wands that we've added to the game are as interesting as they are beautiful since they possess some of the most unique powers on offer. We've balanced every wand so the ones you choose are a matter of preference, not an easy path to victory. With this update, we're happy to finally make the wands a bigger part of Wands!” says Elliott, QA & Community Manager at Cortopia.



[h2]Five new wands[/h2]
In addition to adding unique powers to each wand, we are also adding five new wands to the game. Wield the Aspis Claw, Ophidian’s Vigil, Celestial Spine, Ortus Armament, and Dead Master’s Staff.
Here are just some of the ones we've added, login to check out the rest.












[h2]New Playable Character: The Templar [/h2]

We are excited to introduce The Templar into The Beyond. The templar has been long awaiting her entry to The Beyond after failing to hide her gender from the members of the brotherhood, she finds herself banished from the knight’s order. Having been driven near madness with spite she relinquishes her god to make her way into the beyond where she can prove her worth in battle. In the spirit of the select few this elite warrior is only attainable by the top three players in an event that occurs approximately once a month. This means that the character can not be bought but has to be earned by attending this event.




We cant wait to meet you on the inside and duel you in our magical PVP spellcasting game.
If you have any questions DM us on Twitter at @CortopiaStudios!

If you haven't played Wands before be sure to check out the trailer from our last update where we added dual-wielding and improved controls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmpjhqnk3hw

[h2]Updates[/h2]
This is a minor bug fix patch, fixing an issue that prevented players from communicating with VoIP on multiple platforms.

With this patch, players should now be able to voice-chat in-game regardless of platform

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Watch the Magic Battling and mystery panel. Meet the devs behind the awesome games Wands and Elven Assassin!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Wands Update – Version 1.7.0[/h2]

After listening to lots of useful community feedback, we at Cortopia Studios have enhanced certain gameplay aspects of Wands, aiming to increase the game’s accessibility, pace, and depth.

(1) Player Movement

Aside from various bug fixes and spell balancing changes, we improved the inverse kinematics, which means your opponent will appear to move more naturally. We also enlarged the playable space to VR’s room scale standard. This creates a more immersive experience since you can move more freely without going out of bounds. All levels have been reworked to accommodate the larger tiles, and the tile locations have been optimized.

(2) Dual Wielding

The main feature we are introducing with Version 1.7.0, is dual wielding. This addition will allow players to wield a Wand in each hand! The community has made it clear that they want the off-hand to be more useful, and we are thrilled to finally make it happen. Being able to do different things with two hands independently from each other is a big change. It allows for new ways to mix and match spells, and it paves the way for new tactics and strategies to emerge and evolve.

(3) Controls

The new mechanics also make it easier to cast spells, and the controls have been simplified for all dual wielding controllers. We have spent the last couple months working on the patch and refining the new controls with the help of beta testers. Previously, players had to select and use their spells with different buttons, which many new players found cumbersome. The new system allows for more instantaneous gameplay. Now, you can unleash havoc at the press of a button, rather than using analogue inputs.

The patch goes live on all supported platforms July 9th, 2020. The dual wielding feature will be available for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Cosmos, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

[h3]Full 1.7.0 patch notes:
[/h3]

• New Feature
  
  • Added Dual Wand control scheme for Quest, Rift, Vive, Index, Cosmos, and WMR. Players can now use a wand in each hand
• Improved Features
  
  • Tile size increased to room scale
    
  • Improved IK (your opponent’s character moves more naturally)
    
  • Improved AI animations
    
  • Acid Cloud now gives a clear visual warning before inflicting damage
    
  • Petrifying Prison’s base has been removed for improved visibility
    
  • Petrifying Prison now animates
    
  • 6DoF opponent’s wands point in the exact directions they’re aiming
    
• Game Balancing
  
  • Hail of Death – Fire rate increased 50%
    
  • Blood Bolt – Projectile speed increased 65%
    
  • Chilling Clutch – Projectile speed increased 35%
    
  • Magic Missile – Cost per charged missile increased from 10 to 12
    
  • Electric Fist – Projectile count reduced from 8 to 7
    
  • Pickups take an additional 1.5s to collect for dual wielding players
    
  • Mana regen for 3DoF players is now 2/s faster (17/s total)
    
• Bug Fixes
  
  • Newly unlocked relics do not lay down on the shelf
    
  • Relic icon does not pop out of relic when it’s being unlocked
    
  • Warden’s arm no longer rests on the Aspis elevator tile
    
  • The Aspis elevator tile’s hitbox is now the correct size
    
  • Hours and minutes are now correctly spaced on the events board
    
  • In-game menu is no longer tilted downward
    
  • Player’s feet no longer drag after recentering
    
  • And many more!
    

We hope you will enjoy these changes, and we are looking forward to hearing more of your feedback for future improvements!

We're excited to announce a new Wands patch!

This update is loaded with improvements based on player feedback. For example, some people thought the AI was too easy, but other people thought it was too hard ... so we built a super easy AI, a ridiculously hard AI, and added a few more options in between!

Wands now officially supports Windows Mixed Reality on Steam! If you've already tried the game on a WMR device and didn't like it, we encourage you to give it another shot, since the controllers work as intended now!

The main purpose of this update, which is full of bug fixes and improvements, is to build a solid foundation for the bigger and better updates that are coming later this year! We're very excited about the future of Wands, and we hope you are too. See you in the Beyond!

The full patch notes for 1.6.3 are listed below.

[h3]New Features[/h3]

• Added multiple AI difficulty levels that the player can choose from
  
• Added support for Windows Mixed Reality controllers
  

[h3]Improved Features[/h3]

• New tiles added to Halls, Ortus, and Sanctum
  
• Tile location tweaks on Aspis, Halls, Ortus, Vale, and Sanctum for improved LOS
  
• Reduced 6DoF recentering time from 1s to 0.5s
  
• Tile boundary is always visible on your current tile for 6DoF platforms
  
• Tutorial won't automatically restart after reinstalling the game
  
• Added additional connection messages for the Workshop portal
  
• The AI now defends itself more effectively against several spells
  
• The AI is now less proficient with Shield and Dome at low difficulty levels
  
• Improved controls for Valve Index controllers
  

[h3]Game Balancing[/h3]

• Curse of the Undead - Reduced duration from 15s to 10s
  
• Disc of Antioch - Increased cost from 35 to 40, increased cooldown to 0.5s between shots
  
• Cerberus Collars - Are now limited to 1 active at a time for each player
  

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed issue where Prison could lock a summon in place if cast on another tile in quick succession
  
• Fixed issue where casting Twins could block further spell casting
  
• Teleport beacons no longer stay active when releasing the Teleport button outside your boundary
  
• 6DoF players can no longer cast spells before the match starts by pausing/unpausing the game or by stepping out and into their play area
  
• Fixed issue where Disc could sometimes get inside Dome
  
• Fixed incorrect hints on the Monolith
  
• Mana now properly regenerates faster during the last minute of the match
  
• Fixed lighting issue behind the Workshop Portal that created weird shadows
  
• Fixed issue that prevented Teleporting to distant tiles on Sanctum
  
• 6DoF players can no longer cast spells through the floor
  
• Gamepad is no longer recognized as valid input on Quest
  
• Fixed issue where the AI could grab pickups while casting spells
  
• Fixed issue where Lightning sometimes failed to deal damage on Ortus
  
• Fixed issue where two walls were invisible from certain tiles on Temple
  
• Fixed issue where player’s position dropped when standing on Aspis elevator as match ended
  
• Fixed issue where Assassin’s picture was briefly visible when unlocking any other character