Hello and welcome to this devlog, were so glad you could make it!!

We started our closed Alpha almost three months ago and while everyones been busy stoking and testing, weve been quite busy going through all the feedback and figuring out how we can improve the game further. Along with lots of important, valuable feedback weve also received a large amount of suggestions regarding different game aspects. Since the exploration (overworld part of a run) didnt feel quite right yet, weve been doing quite a lot of changes, which Im excited to tell you about today! Also last time we spoke, the map was still one piece, so I think you all deserve a much needed update! Since we couldnt focus on everything right away, we had to pick a few things to focus on for now. But one thing that all of these things are aiming towards is to add more variety to the exploration and mix things up. More specifically were currently aiming to add more choices for the players as well as having more things to explore. Since statements like that are quite broad, lets look at some of the things weve changed thus far and take a quick peek at what were currently planning on adding later on.

Choose your Path

Ive already hinted at the fact that somebody took a Nicer Dicer to our maps and everything is in tiny pieces now, right? Well yeah, weve cut up the map into multiple smaller sections with each section having their own reward in terms of which NPC youll meet etc. At the end of each section, you will usually have to make a choice on where to go next. So youll need to decide if youd rather visit Lily or go shopping at the merchants. Your decision will affect how you can influence your team, so you might wanna take note on what you can expect where (or just follow your heart and choose the cutest NPC).

Retraining the NPCs

Speaking of NPCs there are also a few changes coming for them. Each one of them will now offer different events based on specific parts that make up your team. For example Sir Tiberion will no longer be able to give you a new artifact for the Aethermancer to use during battle, but instead only focus on equipments. But dont worry, we found somebody else that will take care of artifacts during your run. You might be familiar since theyre usually hanging out in Pilgrims Rest: Alioth, the Envoy. Oh and theyve brought backup, so you might also meet the Cook during your runs in the Fractured Ruins.

It's shiny - it's new - we want it!

But lets not give too much away and move to our next topic: Loot drops! Before you would usually get a loot drop once youve beat an encounter, which would drop you an equipment with affixes. While you might now find an unguarded loot drop in some areas, whats inside will also vary depending on the loot drops tier. You might get an artifact, equipment, monster mementos, gold, Aether Crystals or Skill Rerolls. Each equipment will now also have a base effect, which can be improved by upgrading the equipment to a higher tier.

More events to explore

Weve also added a few new events to the exploration. You might stumble upon a blessed pond, which will offer you cleansing of Corruption in exchange for some of those nice shiny gold coins of yours. Another new interactable is the elemental challenge, where one of your monsters of that element will try to complete a challenge. Who knows, you might get lucky and get something out of it. Oh and if youre feeling a bit pyromantic, you can also light up a memento as your ticket for entrance at some places.
Ok enough talking about actually implemented stuff, lets talk about hopes and dreams and some-more-concrete-things-we-are-planning-on-adding-to-the-exploration-at-some-point-in-the-near-future. For example weve heard rumors that if you go to one of the altar tables and offer it a memento, it might accept your trade and offer you a temporary boon in exchange. Weve also heard rumors that some of Pilgrims Rests population has gone missing in the Void, so who knows, maybe you can spot one and help them get back to Pilgrims Rest? ([strike]Dont use Sir Tiberions directions though, Im not sure if he can actually tell left from right[/strike]). Another thing were looking to add are Curses, which will make a part of your run harder but might also yield higher-tier rewards (though you need to make it out alive first). No need to make your life harder every time though, its up to you whether or not you want to take on the additional challenge. Oh and were changing some things about where were generating stuff like Void Jumps and smaller loot stuff. I think this pretty much sums up everything I can tell you guys at this point in time [strike]though I would like to tell you about some more secret stuff if I was allowed to[/strike].

Hopefully this gives you a good update on how the alpha is going so far. Thanks for reading and see you next time!