The Strategies and Synergies Update Is Now Live! What's Next?
Hey Heroes,
The Strategies and Synergies Update is now live! To celebrate this update, Gordian Quest will be available at a 25% discount for the duration of the Steam Summer Sale.
Updating to this version will require starting a new campaign due to many changes to hero progression, so you'll be prompted to do so when you first load this update up.
If you prefer to finish up your current run, we've got you covered as well - you can quit when prompted and instead switch to the legacy (build 103f) branch, which contains the previous update. This branch will stay alive for another month, at which point it will be disabled.
So, what can you expect as a returning player? Let's take a dive into the major changes!
[h2]Torment Difficulty[/h2]
For players who want an even greater challenge, we've added a new difficulty mode called Torment. It ties in strongly with enemy traits, which we'll describe more in detail below. We've also allowed opened up Realm Mode to all difficulty modes (not just Normal or Nightmare).
Many of you ask about being able to change difficulty levels in game. That is now possible from the escape menu.
[h2]A Fresh Coat of Paint[/h2]
We've gone over a majority of the UI to better improve the production quality as well as consistency of various interface elements. We're not totally done with it, but you'll be able to notice the differences instantly in your playthroughs. Here are a couple of shots for comparison!
If you didn't already know, you can also use shortcuts to access the various context menus.
Inventory - I
Map - M
Journal - J
Skill Grid - P
F1-F3 to select heroes
We'll know many of you will be looking for rebindable shortcuts - it's something that's on our to-do list.
[h2]Changes to Artifacts[/h2]
Artifacts have had a slight rework in terms of their bonus, and they will also offer a bonus effect that can be unlocked with Renown. You can choose up to 6 Artifacts to bring on your run.
You will also have opportunities to find "Unstable Artifacts". These are lesser versions of artifacts that instead provide a one-off bonus when you activate them. These are rare items meant to fill in the gap for providing effects like being able to upgrade the tier of an item, forge a particular mod onto an item, grant a skill point, or revive a dead hero.
Renown can be used to obtain these artifacts on runs, and as such deadly encounters in the Acts will also grant Renown in a similiar fashion to that in Realm Mode.
[h2]You want more control? You got it.[/h2]
Gordian Quest has always explored the intersection of building a hero in an RPG and deckbuilding context. We've further refined the ideas based on feedback from the community and we're excited to reveal the following big changes.
[h3]Edit your deck[/h3]
We are introducing a new stat - minimum deck size, which starts at 12. This means that no matter what cards you learn, you can determine which 12 cards you want to bring into battle. Cards from items will always be added, but you can remove them via Void runes as before. You can reduce this value through the skill grid. We hope that this opens up the door to more fun trial-and-error combinations and strategic uses, and removes the feeling of deck bloat.
[h3]Item and skill sockets[/h3]
We are differentiating legendary items and normal items by giving normal items skill sockets. Skill sockets come in five types (Attack, Defense, Ranged, Movement, Spell), and they allow you to input a skill of your own into it and modify it with runes. You can use this new system to empower your skills with runes like Power (+1 Rank), Efficacy (-1 AP cost on first use), or try out one of the new runes being added in this patch like Gambit (skill costs SP instead of AP).
[h3]SP? What's that?[/h3]
SP (Strategy Points) is a new resource system given to heroes, much like a "Limit Break" or "EX Meter". Playing cards as per normal builds up this resource, and we've reworked various cards in game to use that instead. This system is intended to better control balance and improve card diversity across heroes, while removing the power cliff of finding "+1 AP" items. It led to many heroes feeling distinctly stronger than others simply because their cards were more cost-efficient in early game, and playing around with a fully geared 6-7 AP hero trivialized most fights.
[h2]Synergies[/h2]
A new tab called Synergies allows you to set up a new mechanic among your party members. Every hero starts off at Synergy Rank 0, and they build this up by interacting in camp by chatting, or based off the decisions you make in certain events.
As a hero gains Synergy, they unlock special Stratagem cards. Stratagem cards are drawn whenever a hero has enough SP, and provide utility effects like free movement, bonus draw, bonus AP, HP recovery, and more.
When two heroes reach a specific Synergy level, they gain access to a special Synergy ability. Such an ability requires both heroes to spend the SP cost, activating a powerful effect.
We're still working on expanding this system, and it will serve as a framework for expansion in the future.
[h2]A Deadlier Challenge[/h2]
We're reintroducing a new enemy class above Elite enemies, who will possess up to three Traits. Traits are special abilities that hinder the heroes or affect the battlefield, creating a unique scenario to fight in. Some examples of Traits include :
- Reality Warp : Randomly teleports one player to a random cell on round start.
- Ruin : Every X card played by the party will be Expended.
- Jailor : Roots a random hero on round start.
- Wealthy : Drops Gold every time it is hit.
[h2]Status changes[/h2]
We're slightly changing how damage status effects like Burn, Chill, Bleed, Shock, and Poison work. They are now charge based - when you apply up to the max stacks, that status is consumed and its special effect is triggered.
This change is intended to give to allow for quicker and more impactful "damage over time" effects if you can find ways to ramp up the status application such as by working together with various heroes, or finding combinations of talents and items, rather than waiting for round end to happen.
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Thanks for reading. 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! :)
Crafted With Love,
The Mixed Realms Team