Hey everyone! Disclaimer up front: This preview post is going to be a short one :) At least compared to the others... I'm still in the middle of content creation and can't show you all the things in detail. However, I figured it's about time to give you all a little insight on what I have planned for the next update 0.16!

Equipment Modifications

Even though Update 0.16 will be focused on adding new content, there will be also a new mechanic introduced: Modification of your equipment!
This means you'll be able to extract stats from equipment items and put them on another item. Here's an example: Let's say you're playing a Quarterstaff/Crossbow/Athletics build. You just defeated this creepy insect boss in that dungeon and the loot contains a heavy armor helmet, that has +Dexterity. Well, +Dexterity is great, but heavy armor is not what you're looking for! Thankfully, most crafting NPCs are now able to modify the stats on your equipment. So you take the heavy armor nonetheless and give it to the local blacksmith. They can extract the +Dexterity bonus, which will destroy the heavy armor, but you'll receive the +Dexterity modification as a new material in your inventory. So you decide to do just that and then pick your beloved crossbow, which already has great stats, but you very much prefer an extra dexterity bonus instead of the +Combat Exp bonus that is on the crossbow right now. The blacksmith will gladly use your extracted +Dexterity material and replaces the +Combat Exp bonus with it. This replacement will cost you a small fee to the blacksmith, but your crossbow will be much more awesome now! TL;DR: Here's a 1 min video that shows the new modification process :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz14XHK5rrk There are also some restrictions: - You can't modify Legendary items. They are somewhat unique and their stats are fixed. - You can't add more stats to an item. You can only replace existing stats. The number of item stats is defined by the item's quality. I'm really looking forward to this addition because it will hopefully make some unfortunate loot drops, much less unfortunate and gives you more freedom to tweak your build :)

Levendell and the Autumn Forests

The Home of the Deer Tribe and the surrounding areas will be the next stop on our Road through Early Access Valley. It will feature a colorful, autumn-inspired biome and new music tracks!
It's also in extreme contrast to the dark and eerie Haunted Forest, so squint your eyes if you leave it heading north in the future! ;)

The village Levendell is almost ready, but there's still much work to be done when it comes to filling the new region with meaningful content.
So that's why I will just share these few impressions with you but can't dive deeper into any more details right now.

What else to expect?

What you can expect is of course more of the things that you'll probably already love about the game: - New enemies with different traits - New puzzle mechanics - New secrets - New locations - New legendary items - New side quests The storyline quest will most likely not continue with this update. I would like to wait until all the world content is set up and in a good shape, before making the next steps here. That was the original strategy anyway, so I hope you're okay with that. It just makes more sense for me to put it together once all the mechanics are in the game.

Official Wiki

You may be interested to know that our Discord community has already started working on an Of Blades & Tails Wiki! It already includes a list of all legendary items and their locations, how to solve certain secrets and quests, and a few more things! Wiki: https://of-blades-and-tails.fandom.com/wiki/ Everyone is welcome to jump in and add content! There are many things still missing, but I believe it's a very good starting point and can help players who want to experience 100% of the game or struggle with that one thing :)

Update 0.16 when?

Right now I'm expecting to release it mid May. Plus I can already assure you that current savegames will be 100% compatible (as always so far ;)). I hope you're happy with the things I introduced in this preview post, even though it was a short one. Would love to read your thoughts in the comments! Until next time, take care everyone! Felix

[ 2023-04-18 12:20:51 CET ] [ Original post ]