Some Exciting Updates!
Hey Heroes,
Although we've had plenty of patch notes updates, it's been sometime since we updated you on the 'bigger stuff'. We have been working really hard on new features and the upcoming Act 2, and we are so excited to tell you about them. So here goes.
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[h2]Try Out bleeding-edge and Our New Features[/h2]
Starting tomorrow, we are opening up access to our bleeding-edge branch. This branch lets you experience a whole slew of changes we have in store for the future of Gordian Quest. If you don't mind a slightly more unpolished experience for now, we invite you to give it a try and share your thoughts on the changes.
Due to the extensive differences between the two versions, the save file used in the bleeding-edge is separate from the main branch, so you'll be able to dive in and test the changes without worrying about messing up your current progress. Eventually, these changes will make its way to the main branch after a period of testing. We hope to set up our future update cycles this way, so that the bulk of our players can enjoy a more stable experience while the more intrepid ones get to test drive the latest changes.
You can view the full changelog over in our Patch Notes subforum. It’s a pretty long list, but we want to highlight the TOP 3 -
Socketing Items - To make itemization more interesting and to make more build choices viable, we are introducing a socketing system. Equippable items may roll with these sockets, which accepts a Rune of the corresponding color. You can mix and match various Runes to grant bonus effects on your hero, or to the cards attached to items. Barnaby the Jeweller now also offers his crafting services to add or change these sockets.
Talent System Rework - The current system was found to be lacklustre and unimpactful by players. We’ve overhauled it to make it a much more engaging way to build and customize your heroes. Heroes now have access to their own unique Talents which give each of them a better identity. In addition, heroes gain Talent Points every few levels, and are able to master (upgrade) them for bonus effects.
A New Battle View - We’ve reworked the battle scene in various ways to improve the readability and accessibility of battles. You should be able to select cells more easily when units are overlapping, as well as get a more comprehensive view of each unit’s health and statuses.Please note that the bleeding-edge branch is considered a beta and these features are on it for the reason that they may not be totally stable yet. So if you do opt into bleeding-edge be warned that the game may hang or crash and we are counting on you not to freak out if it does, and to kindly inform us of any bugs you find (F8 is your friend!). Once we consider these features stable and bug free, we would move them into the official version of the game.
Thank you for understanding!
To Opt-in
To opt-in to bleeding-edge, go to Gordian Quest on your Steam launcher and click on the following - Manage > Properties > Betas > Opt-in to bleeding-edge
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[h2]Act II Progress Updates[/h2]
As you would probably know, we are releasing Act II officially on 31 July 2020. Although it's still 2 months away, we are ready to unveil some WIP for your viewing pleasure.
Remember the rough concepts which we showed during our first Act II preview? Here they are now -
New Enemies: Warrior and Flamebringer from the Sekani Tribe
New Enemies: Mystic and Blade from the Noyakin Tribe 
New Enemies or Allies? Meet the leaders of the warring tribes of the Azul Desert. 
New Hero: The Bard will join the roster of heroes when Act II officially launches in end July. Act II Bleeding Edge
We will be releasing an early preview of the first half of Act II sometime in late June. Watch out for it if you want to be one of the first to try it out!
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Over the past months, we’ve gotten a fair number of requests to bring forward Gauntlet Mode.
Gauntlet Mode is basically a version of the game that puts aside the storyline, and lets you delve through a series of levels, each growing more difficult than the previous, until you eventually meet your end. It is a shorter but more challenging experience, and you will be able to challenge others through a leaderboard system.
While we had originally planned to finish all 4 Acts before starting on this game mode, it is clear to us that a good number of players desire something with more replayability to feel more engaged with the game while waiting for the Acts to roll out. As such, we would like to let you know that we plan to work on Gauntlet Mode as our next feature (after Act II is done), and this will roll out sometime in October.
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Thanks for reading and we hope you stay safe. We will continue to work hard in bringing you more exciting features and improvements in the game. We thank you for your support and patience as we continue to build this game with you.
As always, we hope to hear your thoughts below on what we’ve put forth so far. Feel free to join us on Discord https://discordapp.com/invite/tce6YMW to chat with us.
And last but not least, if you haven't already, please consider giving us a positive review on Steam if you like how we are doing so far. It would really mean a lot to us. Thanks! :)