Vagrus - The Riven Realms News

[p][/p][p]Hey everyone, [/p][p]We are closing off September with another article from our Devlog Series, this time discussing our solution to Cargo “overflow” as well as introducing a new character from the At the Heart of Ruin expansion. We are also revealing a new appearance from our upcoming Ruinous Supporter Pack and sharing some information about the Steam Autumn Sale starting today![/p][p][/p][p]Throw-out Revamp for Cargo[/p][p]If you have excess cargo, you’ll now be able to retain it so long as you stay put. It’ll be right there below your cargo hold’s contents under “overflow”, where you’ll initially be able to see six slots. If the cargo you would receive goes beyond those six slots, you can simply click the button next to “overflow”, and more slots will open up.
[/p][p][/p][p]You’ll be able to access Goods in Overflow as you see fit – selling, storing, or consuming them, at least until you stay on the same Node. An absolute game changer for settlements and loot therein. In other words, excess cargo will finally work intuitively.[/p][p]Maybe you get a quest reward in a settlement that’s far beyond your cargo capacity, or perhaps you pull a particularly large haul from hunting on a node out in the wasteland. Not a problem anymore – it stays accessible until you move on.[/p][p]Some of you might be wondering why we didn’t do this earlier. And the truth is, we always knew this would be a massive undertaking from a coding perspective. To achieve it, we had to rebuild both the user interface and the logic from the backend. It was a challenge, but now we’re there, it’s being actively tested. The new revamp will be released alongside our coming DLC, and it’ll be available to all Vagrus players immediately!
[/p][p]Dwarven Scout[/p][p][/p][p]While last week’s Dwarven Enforcer provided an introduction to a more clandestine Dwarven group present in the DLC, it’s obvious that any group of warriors worth their salt needs ambushers and scouts, especially on the terrain of shattered Dvendar Tharr. Resourceful outdoorsmen at heart, these survivalists are all armed with crossbows and clad mail armor. Their skill in finding paths and traversing the terrain of these mighty crags is nigh-unmatched.[/p][p]And all this makes one wonder: why do these Dwarves have need of such competent scouts? Are they planning a journey, perchance? Find out when you get to play the expansion.
[/p][p]Harvek’s New Look[/p][p]Due to the great interest in the Companion appearances from our upcoming Ruinous Supporter Pack, we decided to show you more, this time its Harvek’s new look.[/p][p][/p][p]The cold and calculating mercenary Harvek has never shied away from violence, often going to great lengths in hurting others if the job required it. In line with that, his new appearance from the Ruinous Supporter Pack imagines him as a member of the Crimson Skull scavenger gang, fully decked out in their signature skull-and-blood gear.[/p][p][/p][p]Steam Autumn Sale[/p][p]The Steam Autumn Sale has arrived! From today, you can get Vagrus at a discounted price. It’s the perfect chance to dive into the perilous world of the Riven Realms, lead your caravan across treacherous wastelands, and carve your own path through danger and discovery. Don’t miss out – the sale only lasts for a limited time. Check out our ongoing sales on GOG, Nintendo, and PlayStation, too![/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for now. Stay tuned for exciting announcements coming soon, and until then, stay safe, stay awesome, and conquer the wasteland![/p][p]
– The Lost Pilgrims Team[/p][p]
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[p][/p][p]With the day of At the Heart of Ruin’s release drawing closer and closer, we at Lost Pilgrims decided to focus on a series of devlogs for those of you interested in the gameplay mechanics, artwork, and setting of the expansion. This week, we’ll talk about mountaineering and show off the first Dwarf character and a new Companion appearance!
[/p][p]Traversing the Volcanic Wastelands[/p][p]The expansion will bring a number of mechanical changes that come into play in the new regions, so we’ll introduce some of these concepts here. To support these systems, we’ll add new Equipment, and new Equipment slots for them to fit into as well.[/p][p][/p][p]While the town of Scrapheap lies at the foot of the mountain, we can safely assume that daring vagri will not stop there. Instead, they will try their chances up in the mountains where riches and peril alike await on a scale rarely seen before. What’s unique about the lost kingdom of Dvendarr Tharr writ large is the terrain and climate, an impossibly perilous offering of jagged rocks, lava rivers, earthquakes, ash storms, and sulfuric gas clouds. Such terrain is not fit for any beast – they either struggle to move on such terrain at all or perish too easily due to its dangers. That’s why we’re making the entirety of the mountainous area west of Scrapheap traversable only on foot, at least initially, which will prominently shift DLC gameplay. [/p][p][/p][p]Distances and Focus[/p][p]Partly due to the rougher than usual terrain, elevation, the weather, and the walking, travelling between places will be slower but at the same time, things are actually closer inside the confines of Dvendar Tharr. It is a dense region, much denser than what players might be used to in the base campaign. Thus, we're preparing a more detailed campaign map to represent this region.[/p][p][/p][p]Party Size[/p][p]Comitatus size will also be limited while mountaineering due to how difficult it is to maintain a larger group while climbing and traversing such rough terrain. This puts more emphasis on cargo capacity upgrades and bonuses on Workers and Slaves, urging you to specialize and rethink your build when ascending the Mountains of Fire.[/p][p][/p][p]Equipped for the Job[/p][p]Along with this setup, we’ll be introducing new Equipment and slots to place them in. The first category is Mountaineering Equipment, which facilitates movement across the mountainous regions. The slots will only appear for owners of At the Heart of Ruin, as these pieces of Equipment will only be used in the high altitudes and impossibly craggy terrain of the DLC.
[/p][p]You’ll also have another separate slot for Protective Gear, which is needed to weather the many environmental hazards that constantly beset travelers. The good news is that this’ll be available to every player: you can use Calerus Protection Gear in this slot, so it’s not only for new equipment related to the DLC.
[/p][p]For both categories, various pieces of Equipment will be available through questing, Faction reputation, markets, or by simply stumbling upon them in random encounters.[/p][p][/p][p]Difficulty and Challenge[/p][p]In terms of difficulty, starting the DLC will have the same requirement as Sunfire and Moonshadow did, which generally means a mid-tier comitatus. That does not necessarily mean that such a comitatus will be able to tackle all of At the Heart of Ruin. Your level of preparedness will be of utmost importance; testing oneself against the mountains can be a grueling affair that cannot be bypassed by sheer numbers of crew, as stated above. Powerful Companions, good Gear and Equipment, an assortment of bonuses and enduring effects, and ideally, some already existing resources are all very much recommended to tackle the expansion. [/p][p]Which leads us to wonder: will you be prepared? It’ll take some time to familiarize yourself with the new region as a /vagrus/, that’s true, but it’s also important to note that you won’t spend all of your time west of Scrapheap. The northern part of Tahrar Barak and the southern Penumbral Plains, lands around the trash-pile town, will be included in the expansion, too, and who knows what they hold for explorers, however bleak they may seem?[/p][p][/p][p]For one, they might have some… Dwarves![/p][p][/p][p]Dwarves in the Mountains[/p][p]While it’s true that most denizens of the Riven Realms know the realm of Dvendarr Tharr to be largely uninhabitable, this is not the case for everyone. Some are braver and bolder than the rest; namely, a cadre of Dwarves that has appeared within the old kingdom’s confines recently.
[/p][p]Among them are stalwart warriors whose charge it is to protect the others of their surreptitious group. Travelers and locals are noticing them and wonder why they are here and what they seek.[/p][p][/p][p]To answer your inevitable question: yes, it is very strange for Grey Dwarves to come together for anything, let alone in the dozens, which apparently this group’s members amount to. Whatever they’re doing, it’s unlikely it’ll be kept a secret for much longer.[/p][p]
And perhaps more importantly, will you find out?[/p][p][/p][p]We certainly hope so as we’re drawing ever closer to the day when At the Heart of Ruin releases. More on that in the near future.[/p][p][/p][p]Eylani, Raptor Champion[/p][p]And since we’re talking about character artwork, we should mention the latest reveal in that regard, too. We have recently announced our upcoming Ruinous Supporter Pack, sharing the new look of Criftaa, Skornar, and Vorax. Following that, we asked you in polls on our social media platforms which new Companion appearance you would like to see revealed next, and the overall victory was Eylani, so here she is![/p][p][/p][p]She has always felt a close kinship with all manner of beasts, but with her new cosmetic option, Eylani will become positively bestial herself. Clad in an attire akin to the most prominent members of the scavenger gang called "the Raptors", she is ready to hunt down the most dangerous prey of the Riven Realms. We hope you like this look as much as we do![/p][p][/p][p]Fall Discount[/p][p]Last but not least: to celebrate the beginning of fall – the perfect time to lose yourself in a harsh world of perilous journeys – we are running a Steam Sale. For a limited time only, you can get Vagrus for up to 45% off![/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for now! We’ll hopefully see you in our next weekly devlog, but until then, as always, stay tuned, stay awesome, and conquer the wasteland!
[/p][p]– The Lost Pilgrims Team[/p][p]
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[p][/p][p]Today we’d like to introduce one of our upcoming additions to Vagrus, the Ruinous Supporter Pack DLC, a small cosmetic package that gives you Companion skins for supporting Lost Pilgrims. Our art team has been hard at work on it for some time now, and we’re excited to share the cosmetics in more detail soon. You can find its store page here, where all the cosmetics in the pack will appear soon, and you can wishlist the pack for the time being. [/p][p][/p][p]This pack is primarily a way to support our small team, helping us to continue creating stories and games set in the Riven Realms. If you enjoy our content and want to see it expand, this is a great way to endorse the effort.[/p][p]
[/p][p]As a token of our gratitude for the support, this pack unlocks a single alternative appearance for all Companions in the game (unique to each Companion). These cosmetics are purely visual, do not alter gameplay in any way, and do not represent “canon” looks for the characters. Instead, they are cool alternatives themed around the At the Heart of Ruin DLC’s content and factions.[/p][p][/p][h3]The contents of the supporter pack are:[/h3]

• [p]“Crimson Reaper” skin for Harvek[/p]
• [p]“Stalker Supreme” skin for Criftaa[/p]
• [p]“Sardakron Retainer” & “Sardakron Upstart” skins for Renkailon[/p]
• [p]“Expedition Sapper” skin for Garrik[/p]
• [p]“Venomous Fang Brave” & “Arachnid Warlord” skins for Gor’Goro[/p]
• [p]“Waterseeker” skin for Finndurarth[/p]
• [p]“Reeve of Varnurud” skin for Skornar[/p]
• [p]“Conflagrator” skin for Nedir[/p]
• [p]“Raptor Champion” skin for Eylani[/p]
• [p]“Hollow Exile” skin for Vorax[/p]
• [p]“Faergal Psion” skin for Javek[/p]
• [p]“Ironclad” skin for Sedarias
  [/p]

[p]NOTE: Renkailon and Gor’Goro receive two skins due to their unique, storyline-related changes in their appearance. For Javek and Sedarias, only owners of the Old Acquaintances DLC can access their respective cosmetics. To be able to access Vorax’s cosmetics, you need to download the free Vorax DLC.
[/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this week, folks! Stay safe out there; stay vigilant as well as awesome and, of course, conquer the wasteland![/p][p][/p][p]- The Lost Pilgrims Team [/p]

[p][/p][h3]Hey everyone,[/h3][p]
We’re dropping a patch to fix some semi-serious issues while our main focus continues to be At the Heart of Ruin, our upcoming expansion. Here are some teasers before we tackle the patch notes.
[/p][p]First off, we’re revealing something that we hope you’ll never have to visit in game: the village the Cleansing Conflagration – the gang of pyromaniacal, murderous scavengers – call home. Though it may not look much, it is a place of terror, sacrifice, and depravity, where there are artifacts and effigies aplenty to remind you of what goes on here.[/p][p][/p][p]And what, you might ask, does go on here? Sacrificial burnings as part of religious sermons of a particularly delirious nature, of course. And while the Cleansing Conflagration can be found throughout Varnurud, most keep their depraved acts to this village, where various members are said to willingly sacrifice themselves, all in service to a vision of Xeryn’s future that contains only lava, fire, and ash.[/p][p]But what kind of gang – or cult – wishes to see the very world they occupy wreathed in flame and utterly destroyed? That will perhaps become clearer in due time. We do, however, still recommend that you do not go anywhere near this village, for there is little save a fiery death for those who approach. Defy this advice at your own peril.[/p][p]Besides these pyromaniacs, here’s another teaser for you in the form of character art - this one is hardly ostentatious; it does not aim to dazzle or inspire fear, but simply to show you one of the various factions of authority that exist in Scrapheap, the focal point of many coming adventures.[/p][p]All of this is to say that we’d like to introduce you to the Iron Guard, the assortment of veteran warriors, both competent and well-equipped, who are responsible for defending the Iron Tower, the seat of power for Scrapheap’s ruler and steward, the Heap King.[/p][p][/p][p]The tales of how the Iron Guard came to be are many, but most understand that it formed as a result of a loyal company of mercenaries and their leader’s desire to settle somewhere. Even hardened warriors and trained killers grow old and need to settle down eventually. And in this instance, that place happened to be Scrapheap, as dilapidated and choked by ash as it has always been. Needless to say, to find out more about the Iron Guard, the Iron Tower, and what has become of its so-called Heap King since the Prologue, one will need to explore these lands and the town of Scrapheap itself.[/p][p]One of the best things about our upcoming expansion is the sheer number of fearsome foes one will be able to bump into, and this time, we’re going to show you one of our favourites: the Basilisk.[/p][p]The fearsome Basilisk is a creature of legend that exists across countless worlds and mythologies, evoking dread in even the staunchest of warriors and adventurers. In the Riven Realms, these reptiles began to make their appearance in Xeryn’s Fourth Age, some time after the Calamity tore the realms asunder. Found only in the Mountains of Fire, some say that they are sluggish lizards, yet the truth is that they can be both cunning and lightning-fast when under threat.[/p][p][/p][p]Aside from those sharp claws, it will come as no surprise to any familiar with such creatures that their most dangerous weapon lies in their stare, or gaze. Few concretely documented accounts exist in the Empire as to the death stare’s effects, yet rumors run rife – outright death, petrification, or even disintegration are said to be caused by merely looking into the Basilisk’s eyes.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]All are gruesome fates, but which one is the truth? Could they all be true?[/p][p]
If any of this has piqued your interest, you will be able to find out about them when our At the Heart of Ruin expansion releases later this year. For now, onto the patch notes!

Now let's jump into the patch details:

Important Note: Considering the extent of the improvements, there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuilt reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.

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[/p][h2]Patch 1.2100717/21 - Codename: Dead Weight(less)[/h2][p]
[/p][h3]Performance[/h3]

• [p]We optimized the sizes of several art assets, resulting in smaller install size and a bit quicker load times.[/p]
• [p]Slight Companion Combat performance improvement against certain enemies. [/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a rare issue that caused summoned/spawned Companion Combat entities to remain permanently in your comitatus (no more parasitic Deadweight!).[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused Equipment drag&drop to drag the wrong piece of Equipment.[/p]
• [p] Fixed an issue that misaligned Gear icons with names in their list on the Character Sheet.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that prevented loading save files in Dissonance mode.[/p]
• [p]General controller-related improvements based on your Discord feedback.[/p]

[p]

Stay tuned and conquer the wasteland!
- The Lost Pilgrims Team
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Website | Youtube | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Patreon | Discord[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hey everyone,[/p][p]As you may have noticed, this last month was exceptionally busy for us on the virtual storefronts, especially on Steam, where Vagrus was featured in the Daily Deal program on May 30 (at a staggering 50% discount, the lowest price as of yet), then took part in the annual TurnBasedThursdayFest between June 2 and 9 (with a similarly attractive discount). The festival received a “featured” spot on the platform, which was a fantastic milestone for everyone involved.[/p][p]Now, with these fantastic opportunities behind us, Steam Summer Sale is just around the corner (between June 26 and July 10) with new discounts on Vagrus. We will also keep the game discounted for an additional 3 day period after the Summer Sale.[/p][p]Somewhat related to this, we have some news about pricing and the new DLC. Firstly, as we’ve been making great progress with At the Heart of Ruin, we are now confident to call it an expansion based on quantity of new text, intriguing locations, brutal foes, breathtaking art, branching stories, meaningful choices, and new features (even if technically it is not going to be a huge addition to the world map). Due to this growth in the quantity and quality of content – as well as the constant pressure of inflation – our pricing of the expansion will be $19.99 at release (with regional pricing applicable the same way as with our other products). Our goal has always been to keep the Season Pass at a package with a 20% price cut, so now, with the new DLCs price set, the Pass will receive a new $39.99 price (and Old Acquaintances a $9.99) after the extended Summer Sale.[/p][p][/p][p]Although we understand that price increases are never good news, we also have to face that producing content for Vagrus isn’t exactly cheap or quick, and demand for such a niche game is fairly limited (as a side note, none of our DLCs have turned a profit as of yet). However, we can’t raise these prices any higher, so in order to aid development, we might release a new supporter pack (with zero impact on gameplay) alongside At the Heart of Ruin in order to allow those who want to support us further an avenue to do so without penalizing players who do not or cannot do so.[/p][p]Naturally, we owe great thanks to our supportive player base, without whom none of this would be even remotely possible – despite the odds, we can continue expanding the Riven Realms thanks to you! And so, until further news and updates, stay safe and conquer the wasteland![/p][p]– The Lost Pilgrims Team[/p][p][/p]