Weve got two exciting new features to tell you about, Explorers. Weve been working on Backgrounds and Talents for a little while now, and were thrilled to be able to share them with you today. Of course, if youre a part of our official Discord community, youll recognise these features from the preview screenshots we shared in the #dev-updates channel yesterday. Theres still plenty to learn, however, so lets jump right in!

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are a brand-new addition to our character-creation menu that gives players the opportunity to choose from a handful of different perks to start the game with. From extra items in your inventory to bonuses in skills, each Background is designed to give you an edge when it comes to a certain in-game feature. Of course, youll still have plenty of opportunities to hone your expertise in other areas and become a Jack of all trades, but it never hurts to get a head start in one. We know players really enjoy playing the game with their friends, and we wanted to incorporate a feature that worked extra well when playing together as a team, so we added Backgrounds as a way for players to feel like they can fill a role in within their group and bring something to the party at the start of the journey.
Right now, there are six unique Backgrounds to choose from, and we cant wait to see how you use them in multiplayer. Will you lead the expedition as an Explorer, or watch your teammates backs as a Fighter? Perhaps youll grow all sorts of crops as a Gardener then hand them over to the Chef to turn into delicious meals! Read on for details on each of our current Backgrounds. Explorer: An experienced traveller who always brings a few torches. Perfect for those who want to start looking around the underground right away. With +3 to the Running skill, some Food Rations, and a Small Lantern to light the way, who knows what youll uncover on your adventures? Miner: A veteran miner, knowledgeable about breaking down walls effectively. With a couple of Food Rations to keep you going, youll be finding ore and other valuables twice as fast thanks to a +3 bonus to the Mining skill and your trusty Copper Pickaxe. Fighter: A fighter with great self-defence, and the power to defend their allies. Start the game ready to throw hands with a Copper Sword and +3 in the Melee skill. Not to mention +3 Food Rations to fuel your rage. Monsters, beware! Chef: A culinary expert, preparing food for anyone in need. Make your way into your teammates hearts (through their stomachs) or keep all the delicious snacks for yourself with +3 to the Cooking Skill, 8 Mushrooms, and a Cooking Pot in your inventory. Gardener: A seasoned gardener with green fingers, ready to turn some soil. With your Copper Hoe, Watering Can, and a +3 bonus to the Gardening Skill, all youll need is a handful of seeds to start your very own farm. Fisherman: A patient fisherman with a fishing rod at hand and an eye on the lure. Youll never be short on food with a Wood Fishing Rod and +3 to the Fishing skill, but we thought wed throw in an extra 3 Food Rations to get you started.

Talents

Weve had skills in Core Keeper for some time now, and were sure youve been curious as to how the points you were earning in each area would be used in game. Well, were pleased to report that these points can now be spent to progress along Skill Trees and unlock Talents! At the moment, you can gain points in the Mining, Running, Melee Combat, Vitality, Crafting, Ranged Combat, Gardening, Fishing, and Cooking skills. Each Skill Tree currently has eight Talents with five levels to progress in. You must reach level five in a Talent on your current branch before you can move on to the next branch of the tree. Using points to improve your rankings will unlock exciting bonuses, buffs, and benefits within each Talent, making you a force to be reckoned with.
Were not going to take you through each individual Talent, as we think itll be much more fun for you to experience them all first-hand. However, we will tell you that its worth exploring lots of different skills, as levelling up a seemingly innocuous skill can unlock a Talent with the potential to help you later in the game. For example, levelling up in Fishing might just unlock a Talent that could give you an edge in combat! Skill Trees were never in the plan for Early Access, but this was something the community expressed a lot of interest in, so we were keen to add them. Incorporating this new feature into the game so that it would be ready when we hit Early Access presented a bit of a challenge in terms of design and functionality, especially when coupled with everything else we had planned. The idea was to keep Skill Trees small and simple, with maybe only 3 Talents for each skill. Of course, after we started the design process, we knew we needed more to really add value and the sense of progression we wanted. So, after many extra weekends and evenings of work, we ended up with 72 individual Talents instead. Perhaps we got a little carried away! We hope youll love these new features as much as we do and that they will give you a lot more freedom of choice when it comes to carving out a path for your characters in game. Wed love to hear your thoughts on Backgrounds and Talents, so let us know what you think in the comments or in the #game-discussion channel over on our Discord.