Gloomhaven News

“The world often turns on those with the best intents. Breaks us. I finally see my way of recognition. My first demonstration”.


Greeting mercenaries!

We received lot of submissions for our contest! It was a real pleasure for us to discover your creations and your terrifying bosses. We shuddered and were sometimes moved by your work, as did Isaac Childres. Here we are now at the end of this adventure, which celebrates the 1 year anniversary of Gloomhaven's Early Access.



First of all, congratulations to our 5 pre-selected entries! They win a free Gloomhaven’s Early Access Steam key! You convinced us with your work, and even though it was hard to decide, here are the dreadful bosses selected:

• Acadeus
• Verik the Vile
• ILcriss living blight
• King Ooze
• Snowdrift



Among these five submissions, Isaac Childres had the delicate task of selecting only one, his favorite among the panel. Now is the time to reveal his number one creation...

Congratulations to Vijay! He created a unique boss that was obsessed with recognition in the Eastern Continent as an inventor but received none. They call him Verik the Vile. The Sick, The Twisted. Atypical for a Quatryl.


He struck out alone, attempting a life in the Coin District of Gloomhaven. His gadgets were disregarded yet again by the locals, faulty or subpar. Shunned, he grew helpless. He worked, lacking sleep or sustenance. His plan was noble at first, to aid the guards with their woes of poisonous ailments; Vermlings and oozes amongst their misfortunes.

His goal was a prototype mechanical suit that matched his parameters for a demonstration. It was designed to vent away poisonous fumes through concealed compartments, protecting the wearer. Obsessed, Verik ignored his hunger and thirst for days. He grew emaciated, sickly. Desperate and reckless, he took sips of the thick sludge-like machine oil by his worktable. His thirst dissipated; his heart raced. He ravenously devoured the poisonous mushrooms gathered for his demonstration. Amidst the agony he felt, and the clawing he did to his face that night, he heard unseen whispers urging an idea. A change to his suit. An upgrade. In time, his first victim came knocking.

Verik’s face was pale and bony, scratches along his cheeks and neck; both caked with dried blood. He wore a dense mechanical suit, looking half-built attached to a face mask. There were obvious pistons, rotating gears visible. It was a dull bronze, covering most of his upper arms and chest. The power core glowed an intense eerie green. His rust-coloured gloves and the three concealed cannisters along his back hissed, connected via numerous tubes. Two built-in whirring devices along his flanks allowed spurts of propulsion. His gangly frame and wasted body mattered little.

“The world often turns on those with the best intents. Breaks us. I finally see my way of recognition. My first demonstration”, Verik remarked, holding out his glove.

A cloud of noxious gas emanated from the tubes attached to the glove, draining one of the containers in his suit. Enveloped by the poisonous gas, the choking man crumpled. The body still twitched and writhed when Verik left the city unfettered. Verik was unseen but would be heard of again in time.


As a reward, he’ll receive in the weeks to come a copy of Gloomhaven, signed by Isaac Childres himself!

We were delighted to organize such a contest and to have Isaac among the main jury in order to celebrate this anniversary with you all. We wanted to thank you for this year spent by our side. Whether you are there from the start, or whether you have joined us along the way ; whether you are introduced to the board game or an absolute beginner, your feedback and constructive criticism, as well as your daily involvement in this Early Access, have been of great help to us. Gloomhaven is a dense and complex game, and the team is thrilled to be able to work on such a project.



As always, stay tuned for more content to come!

IN THE GLOOM, YOU WILL FIND ONLY DEATH AND GREED...

“You arrive near the small village described by the innkeeper. As presented by the latter, the fields around the first houses were ravaged, the earth turned over and the plants uprooted. The work of the enemy tracked by your group of mercenaries, there is no doubt.
Once in the village, only the dull sound of the wind reached your ears. The shutters were closed, sometimes covered with wooden planks as temporary protection. After a few moments, you see a woman, with a child clutching at her apron, hiding behind her.
She recognized your company and hastened to present you a huge bag of gold coins, if you could defeat the beast that has been terrorizing the area for several months now. She gave you a brief description of your prey, before showing you with a trembling hand a forest in the hills above the small farming village.
Whatever the origin of this enemy, you have never tracked one like it.”

Dear Mercenaries,

This July 17th, we are delighted to celebrate with you the 1 year anniversary of Gloomhaven’s Early Access! Many things have happened this year, and more is to come for the future. We have come a long way with you this year, and we wanted to thank you for your unfailing support.

As regular updates and the addition of content continue, we are happy to announce today the launch of a unique contest in honor of this event!





We challenge you to fully design a boss from the Gloomhaven universe. To do this, you must go through a written file, limited to 2500 characters, on which the following information must appear, with as much detail as possible:

• The boss’s race
  
• Its name
  
• Its look
  
• Its motivations and history
  
• The environment where you can find it
  

The contest will start on July 17 and you'll have until July 31 to submit your work.



Now let's take a closer look at how the winners will be selected!

The Gloomhaven team at Asmodee Digital will make the first selection among the different submissions received, in order to send 5 entries to Isaac Childres. The creator of the original Gloomhaven board game will be in charge of choosing his favorite boss from the pre-selected top 5.



First of all, the 5 entries selected and presented to Isaac Childres will win a digital key for Gloomhaven's Early Access. For the winning entry, designated by Isaac Childres, the participant will receive a copy of Gloomhaven board game, signed by the creator of the board game himself. The winning creation will also be shared on social media!



Once your creation is finished, you can submit your application and your file here.
We’ll contact the winners through emails so make sure to provide us with your right email address!
You'll find the official rules here and in French here.



We can't wait to find out what kind of extraordinary enemy is lurking in the dark corner of your imagination!

“You carefully take out the pendant and hand it to the merchant. His gaze becomes more attentive as he looks at the relic. He swiftly takes his eyeglass out of his pocket and brings it to his eye. Carefully, he takes infinite time examining the jewel from every angle.
"By the gods! Do you have any idea about the value of this item?!"
His gaze then falls almost by reflex on the Mindthief behind you, the last mercenary to have joined your guild. Clearly, the Vermling made a culprit of choice in the theft of such an object. You quickly take the object from the merchant's hand and put it back in your satchel.
"The relic comes from an abandoned temple in the mountains, I did not steal it.
- Damn lucky guy! adds the merchant, you could get a good price if you sold it!"
It is an option to consider ... But you could feel the magic emanating from the medallion. Keep it, for now, it may be useful for your future missions.”



Greetings!

We are delighted to announce that the new update for Gloomhaven is available! This is the biggest update ever offered since the start of Early Access.
Will you prove yourself worthy of the role of Guildmaster?



Thanks to your support, your multiple constructive feedback on the various platforms, we are excited to be able to offer you a brand new game mode, officially replacing the Adventure mode. With the arrival of the Guildmaster update, discover a whole new experience of Gloomhaven’s Early Access, more engaging and more immersive.

Here are few of many changes implemented in the Guildmaster update:

• Manage freely your roster of mercenaries at any point of your adventure.
  
• Revamped the out-of-dungeon experience with new missions/objectives/stories.
  
• Reworked the tutorial and introduction to gameplay mechanics.
  
• Cave biome and its monsters added.
  
• Co-op multiplayer in closed beta.
  

Check this blog post if you wish to learn more about the Guildmaster update.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



As a guildmaster, you have decided to take advantage of the current conflict climate to fill your pockets with gold coins. While the world is torn apart following the massive appearance of bandits and monsters of all kinds, your tactical skills will surely prove to be effective for the inhabitants. Make trade routes safe again by ridding the region of these annoyers!
Recruit, discover, and train your teams of mercenaries, and immerse yourself in the world of Gloomhaven.



Summer is coming and with it a chance to test the latest update with a 25% discount! Take advantage of the summer sale, from June 25 to July 9, on Steam.
Add a breath of fresh air to your Steam library this season by becoming a Guild Master!



One of the topics you’re most waiting for! As announced in a previous blog post, the co-op multiplayer is now available in closed-beta for a short period. In the following weeks, this very awaited feature will be released into open beta, where everyone will be able to try it on a dedicated steam branch!
That decision was taken in order to provide you with a stable version of the multiplayer co-op mode. We refuse to deliver a rushed adaptation of it, and the closed-beta is a way to gather feedback from our most dedicated players and resolve the last issues remaining before launching it in open beta.

As usual, we count on your feedback, bug reports and suggestions to improve it and deliver at the end the best adaptation of the initial board game. You have an impact on the way we intend to deliver the final version of the game and we’re grateful to have a community so involved in this project.



Thank you so much for your continued support and be on the lookout for the next updates!

Good luck on the formation of your Guild, mercenaries and stay safe out there!

“The sun was strong this afternoon. Your steps were heavy on the stiff earth and the stones of the imperial road. To this must be added the endless political speeches of the wealthy nobleman who paid you a favorable sum to be escorted to the neighboring city ... The undead and other monstrosities that prowled the lowlands made every excursion outside the cities perilous. This contract was an opportunity to pocket a tidy sum, given the status of your employer. That said, your group of mercenaries does not go unnoticed and you feared an ambush at each crossing. And rightly so…”


Greetings mercenaries!

Let us introduce you to another aspect of the upcoming Guildmaster update scheduled for the 25th June! This content release will bring you a whole new look at the game, with a greater immersion, especially thanks to the management of your Guild and its members and the variety of missions that will present themselves to you. The story lines and the way they have been exploited is all new! Therefore, to all the board gamers out there, you’ll be able to rediscover the lore of Gloomhaven from a new perspective! We hope this new content will delight you, as well as the neophytes.



Since the bandits and monsters made their way through the lands, people are afraid to leave their homes, making impossible trades and connections between towns. As a guild master, your mission will be to make the roads safer, not without filling your pockets in the process … Let’s see further what this journey has in store for you!


[h2]NEW TYPES OF QUESTS ARE WAITING FOR YOU![/h2]

Journey missions
These missions are taken to unlock new locations. Once your group of mercenaries is recruited, you’ll be able to explore the map and different towns and places thanks to the journey missions. The more you’ll explore, the more the map will be revealed to you. Liberating the region will also provide you with new missions to do and a handful of goods stocking your Merchant’s inventory!




Story missions
Once certain locations are unlocked, you’ll be able to try your luck in recruiting a mercenary! Each one of them will also bring a unique story line to the table. Learn more about their past and motivations thanks to these new immersive quests!

Relic missions
These quests are unlocked by the Trainer and give you access to secret, powerful artefacts scattered throughout the lands of Gloomhaven.

Job missions
As a guild master, your priority is to make gold, by exploiting the current context in which the region is struggling with. The Job quests are the recurring missions that will allow you to earn, among other things, money, experience and other generic rewards.


[h2]MISSIONS OBJECTIVES AND DUNGEON MODIFIERS ARE HERE!
[/h2]
In addition to all this, each quest you carry out will be punctuated by very specific mission objectives, such as defeating a specific enemy, killing as many enemies as possible or protecting a character... Adapt your strategy and the management of your cards in order to fulfill the mission objectives!
We are also adding modifiers! These will also deeply affect the way you play in a dungeon: a mission that appears to be a milk run would sound different if all your mercenaries started it wounded, right ?



More missions are to come! As new content and new mercenaries are added, you’ll be able to discover their unique stories through dedicated quests! We will also bring new modifiers and objectives for the dungeons to get closer to the huge content of the board game.


[h2]SAVE THE DATE: LIVE Q&A WITH FLAMING FOWL STUDIOS!
[/h2]
We are sure you still have plenty of questions about the upcoming Guildmaster update. Join us for a Q&A live session, on Discord, on June 24, 16:00 CET!



Here is the link to join our official Discord server. Ask your questions about the update in #qa_questions chat channel.
The Flaming Fowl Studios team, which develops the game, will answer as many questions as they can, in order to explain the new upcoming content to you in detail. Make sure to be there, mercenaries!

“Once you’ve purchased a few potions and your equipment was ready, you faced your group. The Scoundrel finished sharpening her knives, while the Tinkerer tightened the last bolts of its latest wacky invention. Who knows what kind of damage that little thing could do thanks to the enchantress...
On the good advice of the trainer, you are about to go to the neighboring town to inquire about bandits who are demanding a tax from the surrounding farmers.
The merchant gave you a broad smile and wished you well, knowing full well that the sponsor had called in professionals. After a short visit to the temple, to ensure the good will of the gods, you head towards the exit of the capital, ready to start hunting…”


Greetings mercenaries!

Following our last announcement about the upcoming Guildmaster mode, we wanted to share with you more details about it! As you may know, the current Adventure mode will be replaced by the Guildmaster mode on June 25, in which you’ll discover a more immersive and progressive gameplay. It is indeed a new way of looking at the game, while adding as you go along, essential bricks of content for us to build the final campaign.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

This time, we’ll talk about the Guild itself, and which improvements it brings. As the continent faces the arrival of bandits and monsters, the roads are not safe anymore. As a guildmaster, this is an opportunity for you and your mercenaries to make a few gold coins out of this mess.


[h2]UNLOCK YOUR FAVORITE MERCENARIES AND SWITCH ROSTERS[/h2]

The first step will be unlocking your mercenaries scattered across the map. Here, you will have to recruit them yourself through dedicated missions! The game starts with Brute from the tutorial and you will then proceed to unlock the other five starting characters.



Once your team is assembled, the new Guild interface will allow you to change your roster. Between each dungeon and quest, you will be able to customize your company as you see fit and create your own hired blades raiding party. You are free to create parties of two, three or four mercenaries and change rosters between each dungeon! The choice is yours. Note that the enemy levels will still adapt according to the team you have chosen and the levels of the characters in it. Manage your roster and groups of mercenaries, from the most aggressive to the most cunning, by adapting your strategy to each new dungeon! Each character has its strengths and weaknesses, so make sure to balance your team before you embark on your adventure!

Being able to switch your party members between scenarios is one of the several necessary steps for us to take on our way to the campaign from the board game. The long-term goal always remains a complete and faithful release of the original board game campaign. The Guildmaster mode and the board game campaign will be two seperate game modes, allowing you to experience two completely different adventures in Gloomhaven Digital.


[h2]BIND YOUR ITEMS[/h2]

In the all-new Guildmaster mode, you’ll be able to bind items to a specific character.
This prevents you from constantly switching the items between each of your characters, these guys are protective of their gear! Each item will be “bound” when equipped to a mercenary, which is another step towards the campaign mechanics. Please note that to retain flexibility in Guildmaster, you can unbind items for money.


[h2]WELCOME YOUR NEW ADVISERS![/h2]

Rest assured that you will not be alone as a guild master, you can count on your new advisers to support you in all the new tasks you will be responsible for, such as organizing your guild members and assigning them different perks and items.
4 new NPCs have been added in this new mode, allowing you to benefit from their advice throughout your adventure.



The Trainer: You can count on the help of the Trainer during an entirely reworked tutorial. He’ll stay by your side during the game, sharing with you the best strategies and more! Moreover, he brings with him all the back end achievement systems, allowing you to unlock specific new missions and rewards by completing set requirements.

The Merchant: The merchant always has the business acumen! You’re always welcome in his shop. Furthermore, he has traveled a lot and surely knows his way around the region. Now, is he tagging along for money? Probably, yes.

The Enchantress: Inspired by your desire to rid the region of its ills, this mysterious woman will offer you her services by enhancing your abilities.

The Keeper of the Oak: She runs the Temple which allows you to be blessed in the next scenario. It is always good to be in the good grace of the gods…


We are planning other more detailed posts on the new Guildmaster mode and its many improvements; stay tuned for it! We sincerely hope that these changes delight you!
Don't forget: see you on June 25 for the arrival of the Guildmaster mode, the Gloomhaven adventure goes on!