Gordian Quest News

Hey Heroes,

It's been a whirlwind ride since Gordian Quest hit Early Access 1 year ago! To celebrate this occasion, GQ will be on sale at 15% OFF for the week. There's not a better time to get a friend in! ;)

Here are some highlights of our first year -

• Launch on Early Access
  
• Two major overhauls to the skill and talent system
  
• Release of Act II
  
• Introduction of Realm Mode
  
• 2 New Heroes
  
• Major Progression & Balancing Updates
  
• Many new mechanics and quality of life changes... and more!
  

In summary, THANK YOU for making all these posssible. While our original vision for Gordian Quest remains intact, the game has evolved and matured through your generous feedback and support. But our adventure is far from over so let's kickoff the party with more exciting news and goodies!

[h2]Introducing our 9th Hero - Jendaya The Golemancer[/h2]

While her Sekani peers relentlessly pursued the rituals of war, Jendaya's interest lay in deconstructing the Vanai's lost technology. She commands a Golem that is both her companion and defender.

Jendaya has a very unique playstyle - while she is the most fragile of all the heroes, she is accompanied by Rocky, her companion Golem, who acts as a second controllable unit. In addition, her deck consists of Golem-tagged cards. These cards are transferred over to Rocky at the start of battle.
These are her skill schools :

Command Rocky
Control your faithful Golem companion. These cards focus on giving Rocky independent actions and will.


Geomancy
Jendaya can control and shape earth, dirt, and clay to do her bidding. These can be used offensively or to protect her team. Geomancy also involves the study of the intangible flow of luck, which she can manipulate at times to create unique effects on the battlefield.


Synthesis
By infusing her magic with the earth, Jendaya can empower herself or Rocky with special abilities, or create special Rock pillars that can be destroyed to create devastating effects.


[h2]A New Realm Boss - Queen of the Damned[/h2]

A seventh Realm Boss has been added to the pool. The Queen of the Damned has a vampire aesthetic, and can overwhelm a party with her strong combat abilities, as well as her supply of undead minions. She also possesses unique traits that capitalize on any bleeding heroes. Beware of the "Mark of the Damned" ability, which makes her invincible unless you have good positioning on the field.

[h2]Improved Map Visuals[/h2]

For a while now, our dungeon maps have been looking pretty plain compared to the overworld maps. We've wanted to better bring across the tabletop aesthetic in these areas, so you'll be noticing some visual changes in this department. Note that the full extent of these changes can only be seen in a fresh campaign.

As an additional quality-of-life change, Shrine effects has also been made more visible - you will now be able to see which nodes have been modified, even if they happen off-screen, by observing energy projectiles that fly from the shrine to these nodes.

[h2]Small Crafting Changes[/h2]
Augmenting an item no longer grants white sockets (which used to prevent sockets from being recolored again). Instead, white sockets are now a possible crafting option.

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In the coming months, we'll be working on the following:

[h3]Reworked Camping and Synergy System[/h3]
Camping will be a much more interesting affair, with a reworked Chat interaction that can influence camping outcomes, as well as affect synergies between the interacting heroes. Hitting certain thresholds will enable you to select certain special abilities to be drawn in battle. We don't aim for this to be a very complex system given the many things going on already, so we see it more as a fun bonus interaction between heroes.

[h3]Enemy Intentions and Traits[/h3]
There will be a big focus on enemies in the next patch.

We will be experimenting with simplifying enemy intentions, such that Elites will have 1 big action rather than 2. Stronger attacks will also follow a more "fixed-pattern" style, allowing us to introduce more "telegraphed big attacks". You still want to keep defensive skills around, but we hope this will address the feeling of cheap, unavoidable one-hits.

There will be super versions of elite enemies that possess Traits. Traits are random abilities that can change how you are meant to fight them, as well as modify the dynamic of the fight when other enemies are around. For example, they may possess a Trait that makes them more powerful for every enemy killed while they are still alive, or a trait that makes them restore increasingly more health for every hit they take in a round.

[h3]Items and Sockets[/h3]
Items will have a chance to roll skill sockets - this lets you insert your own skills instead of rely on an item's skill, if it better fits your planning. This also means that your own skills can be supported by up to 1 socket. We will also be giving some items unique skills that you can't obtain elsewhere, so this will introduce a new level of decision making when it comes to itemization.

[h3]Major UI Overhaul[/h3]
Clearer card designs. Being able to access heroes in the shop UI. Buyback system. WASD binding for panning the map and skill grid. More consistent button positions. We've hear all your feedback and suggestions and they are on the way.

[h3]... and more![/h3]
There's more that we aren't ready to talk about yet, and we'll save those for an update post in the future. Stay tuned!

[h2]Which look do you prefer?[/h2]

We've also been exploring a more refined style for our characters. But we'd love to hear what you think. Do you prefer the new style or the current style?

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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 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

Hey Heroes,

Hope you have a wonderful Lunar New Year! We're fresh off our latest Realms Mode release, but we're still working hard to keep the content, fixes, and balance changes coming in. In bleeding-edge today, you'll be able to give our next hero a spin. Please note that like all previously introduced heroes, she is currently a draft version and her translations, card art, and balancing will be rapidly iterated on in the coming weeks, with your feedback.

Additionally, Gordian Quest will be discounted at 25% for a limited period, so be sure to tell your friends all about it!


While her Sekani peers relentlessly pursued the rituals of war, Jendaya's interest lay in deconstructing the Vanai's lost technology. She commands a Golem that is both her companion and defender.

Jendaya has a very unique playstyle - while she is the most fragile of all the heroes, she is accompanied by Rocky, her companion Golem, who acts as a second controllable unit. In addition, her deck consists of Golem-tagged cards. These cards are transferred over to Rocky at the start of battle.
These are her skill schools :

Command Rocky
Control your faithful Golem companion. These cards focus on giving Rocky independent actions and will.

Geomancy
Jendaya can control and shape earth, dirt, and clay to do her bidding. These can be used offensively or to protect her team. Geomancy also involves the study of the intangible flow of luck, which she can manipulate at times to create unique effects on the battlefield.

Synthesis
By infusing her magic with the earth, Jendaya can empower herself or Rocky with special abilities, or create special Rock pillars that can be destroyed to create devastating effects.

----------



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 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

Hey Heroes,

The Big Progression Update is now live! Updating to this version will require starting a new campaign due to many changes internally to the structure of the Acts, heroes, and Renown, 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 97i) 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!


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We are pleased to unveil a brand new game mode called the Realm Mode (previously code-named Gauntlet Mode). Here, your heroes enter the Maelstrom Gate to challenge an endless chain of procedurally-generated Realms where conquering each one yields precious rewards.

A Shorter Mode that Packs a Deadlier Challenge
Existing fans of Gordian Quest will know that the Campaign Mode is a monster adventure packing dozens of hours of gaming time. Some of you have been requesting for a shorter version and the Realm Mode is our answer to that. Using the same party hero concept and card battle system, Realm runs do away with quests and stories, hence offering a much faster paced yet progressively more intense challenge than the Campaign runs.


The Spoils of Successfully Challenging the Realms
As you progress through the realms, you will be rewarded with Renowns that can be used to unlock artifacts to make your party more powerful. Squeeze out every last benefit you can get from artifacts to be able to progress further! As an added incentive, the artifacts you unlock in Realm Mode will appear too in the Campaign Mode.


Renown is no longer obtained as a hero-specific currency. Instead, any runs you complete (or partially complete) accord you Renown, which can be used to unlock Artifacts. Artifacts are items that grant global bonuses or effects to your party, and they are persistent once unlocked. You can think of Artifacts as a measure of how much more your party can grow, and in turn, your ability to go further on future runs.




Meet Kudo. His kind also call them Blood Mages or Wild Mages, from tribes that splinter off from the main settlements. In a land where water is scarce and death is one unforeseen disaster away, one must learn to wield one's very lifeblood as a weapon and for nourishment. A man of few words, he seems to have unfinished business with the Cult you've been tracking down.

His ability schools are as follows :

Blood Magic - Involves using his own blood or that of others to defend himself.


Malediction - Powerful curses and voodoo magic to debilitate enemies.


Reaping - Manipulate a blood pool, a cell effect that can be used to control and devastate the battlefield.




There are a plethora of changes - here are the most significant ones!

• Reworked progression system to have a max level of 60.
  
• You can reach Lv 60 in Quick Play. Acts can now be played through in order, with Act 1 bringing you to Lv 20, and Act 2 bringing you to Lv 36. Acts 3 and 4 will be released next year, progressively covering up to 60.
  
• Skill cards can now be ranked up multiple times. Common cards have a max rank of 2. Rare cards have a max rank of 3. Epic cards have a max rank of 4.
  
• When at max rank, a card is eligible to be mastered. This resets the card's rank to 1, but lets you pick from 1 of 3 upgrade paths for it. Each card can only be mastered once.
  
• Talents are now integrated into the skill tree in the form of special sockets. You can swap these out to whatever talent you like, as long as you have the required statistics to use them.
  
• Resistances have been reworked. Enemies now also have weaknesses and resistances to certain elements. Damage cards now indicate their damage type. A variety of abilities will be needed to ensure you can handle different enemy compositions.
  
• Introduced Augmentation as a way to make items even more powerful at a cost. This lets you acquire special effects like +1 AP, or even granting you the benefit of certain Talents.
  

[h2]Moving Forward[/h2]
For our dedicated bleeding-edge players, we know you're excited to see what's coming up next. While we don't have the details nor specific dates yet, we want you to know that the forges are still burning hot and we are running several experiments in the background.

A new hero, the Golemancer.
Eagled-eye gamers may have already spotted her on the new main screen! She is a spellcaster who specializes in earth magic, shaping and manipulating the earth to her bidding. She also has a unique mechanic - she will always be accompanied by her Golem companion, who acts as another hero on the battlefield.

Relationship System among Heroes
We hope to add more text dialogue to give heroes more personality, and this is meant to complement a system where heroes can bond with each other, obtaining special moves in battle.

More Impactful Random Events
We are not happy with the current state of the blue ? Event nodes, and we feel the choices they present can be more interesting and impactful. We will be exploring more variations soon.

UI Improvements
We want to improve the consistency and flow of the UI. As the game evolves with new features and functions, certain UI functions may be difficult to access or not well represented, and we'll be taking steps to change this.

The World Expands with Act 3
In the long term, we will roll out Act 3 of the game. At this point, we will be collating the contents of Act 3 and 4 into one act due to how the game progression has changed. It does not necessarily mean less content, but a more streamlined story to introduce Realm Mode, which we are rolling out earlier than originally planned to address replayability. Beyond Act 3, we think that the format of GQ is ripe for even more adventures and content if it has a successful full launch.

Overall Improvements
New mechanics and improvements to current contents will make its way back into Realm Mode in some form or another.

PvP Mode
The big goal for the year: we are building up a PVP mode with the basis of you and your opponent spending an equal amount of points to build a party, pitting them against each other. This one is still very early in development, but we will announce invites when the time comes. This mode is targeted to be released at the end of the year, and we expect there will be rigorous playtesting needed.

----------



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

Take a look at the latest updates in store for Gordian Quest.
Feel free to ask the developer anything!

Hey Heroes,

The festive season is right around the corner, and we've got an exciting present for you to unwrap! This will be available to all players who opt into our bleeding-edge branch (right click Gordian Quest > Properties > Betas), and it will let you testdrive several fundamental changes to the game.

We intend to observe how the changes are received over the month, before we make this patch public. As always, we welcome your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions.

Now, let's take a dive into the major changes!


Renown is no longer obtained as a hero-specific currency. Instead, any runs you complete (or partially complete) accord you Renown, which can be used to unlock Artifacts. Artifacts are items that grant global bonuses or effects to your party, and they are persistent once unlocked. You can think of Artifacts as a measure of how much more your party can grow, and in turn, your ability to go further on future runs.



We are pleased to unveil a brand new game mode called the Realm Mode (previously code-named Gauntlet Mode). Here, your heroes enter the Maelstrom Gate to challenge an endless chain of procedurally-generated Realms where conquering each one yields precious rewards.

A Shorter Mode that Packs a Deadlier Challenge
Existing fans of Gordian Quest will know that the Campaign Mode is a monster adventure packing dozens of hours of gaming time. Some of you have been requesting for a shorter version and the Realm Mode is our answer to that. Using the same party hero concept and card battle system, Realm runs do away with quests and stories, hence offering a much faster paced yet progressively more intense challenge than the Campaign runs.
The Spoils of Successfully Challenging the Realms
As you progress through the realms, you will be rewarded with Renowns that can be used to unlock artifacts to make your party more powerful. Squeeze out every last benefit you can get from artifacts to be able to progress further! As an added incentive, the artifacts you unlock in Realm Mode will appear too in the Campaign Mode.






Meet Kudo. His kind also call them Blood Mages or Wild Mages, from tribes that splinter off from the main settlements. In a land where water is scarce and death is one unforeseen disaster away, one must learn to wield one's very lifeblood as a weapon and for nourishment. A man of few words, he seems to have unfinished business with the Cult you've been tracking down.

His ability schools are as follows :

Blood Magic - Involves using his own blood or that of others to defend himself.


Malediction - Powerful curses and voodoo magic to debilitate enemies.


Reaping - Manipulate a blood pool, a cell effect that can be used to control and devastate the battlefield.




There are a plethora of changes - here are the most significant ones!

• Reworked progression system to have a max level of 60.
  
• You can reach 60 in Quick Play. Acts can now be played through in order, with Act 1 bringing you to Lv 20, and Act 2 bringing you to 36. Acts 3 and 4 will be released next year, progressively covering up to 60.
  
• Skill cards can now be ranked up multiple times. Common cards have a max rank of 2. Rare cards have a max rank of 3. Epic cards have a max rank of 4.
  
• When at max rank, a card is eligible to be mastered. This resets the card's rank to 1, but lets you pick from 1 of 3 upgrade paths for it. Each card can only be mastered once.
  
• Talents are now integrated into the skill tree in the form of special sockets. You can swap these out to whatever talent you like, as long as you have the required statistics to use them.
  
• Resistances have been reworked. Enemies now also have weaknesses and resistances to certain elements. Damage cards now indicate their damage type. A variety of abilities will be needed to ensure you can handle different enemy compositions.
  
• Introduced Augmentation, as a way to make items even more powerful at a cost. This lets you acquire special effects like +1 AP, or even granting you the benefit of certain Talents.
  

----------



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