Hello everyone! This is the first post in the series of devlogs dedicated to the new features of the upcoming update, Rags to Riches, the release date of which will be revealed in the final entry. Todays topic is the updates most important addition and the last major system to be introduced to the game: the much-anticipated Caravan. Wed like to begin by explaining our reasoning behind the system and what we plan to achieve with it. One of the most frequent player suggestions is to add some sort of permanent dwelling, a purchasable and customizable house in a village or city. However, Stoneshard is a game about a mercenary, a character whos always on the move in search of contracts and glory, so anchoring them to a single location would go against the main theme. At the same time, we arent averse to the concept of home in a broader sense - and thats where the Caravan System comes into play by adding a customizable mobile camp.
The Caravans main purpose is to allow for easier exploration, making it possible to travel large distances across the global map - with a few limitations.

• Firstly, the Caravan can travel only to empty map tiles. You wont be able to set up a camp right next to villages, dungeons, hunting grounds, or Point of Interest. Your destination must also not be shrouded in the fog of war - at the very least, youll need a rough outline of the terrain, obtainable through the use of paper maps.
• Secondly, moving the Caravan will require a special resource, Fodder, the spending rate of which will scale with the distance and difficulty of your chosen route.
• Thirdly, each journey will be followed by a cooldown, as both Verren and the horses will need some time to rest.

In general, the optimal strategy is to park the Caravan in a spot between multiple locations you want to visit (settlements, dungeons, Points of Interest, etc), conclude your business there, then return to the Caravan, which by that time should be ready for another journey. At the moment, were still experimenting with the cooldown duration - currently the base value is a day and a half, which can be shortened to half a day through a series of upgrades. This topic will be further expanded upon in a separate devlog about the Caravan travels and all the mechanics that come with them.
Now lets talk about customization - this part of the Caravan System is represented by a dedicated upgrade tree. In total, there are 24 possible upgrades, not including the basic ones - all of them can be unlocked within a single playthrough. As for their effects, theres quite a lot of variation: some upgrades will change your Caravans stats, others - introduce new options or modify pre-existing ones. Each upgrade will also change your camps appearance by adding new furniture and gear or altering some elements that are already there. Upgrades can be accessed by interacting with Verrens Ledger at the Caravan camp. Before you can go through with them, youll first need to have all the prerequisites in either your Inventory or the Caravan Storage: this includes unique items (purchasable from corresponding traders) and additional materials.
All upgrades can be thematically split into four categories: Provision, Restoration, Traveling, and Communication. This devlog only covers the first one, which revolves around introducing additional utility to your camp:

Provision

Firepit

Requirements: basic upgrade (available from the start). Effect: adds a firepit to the camp that can be used to roast food and salt meat.

Cooking Spot

Requirements: Huge Cauldron, Coal Chunk (4), Ladle (1) Effect: installs a cauldron on top of the camps firepit, allowing you to cook complex dishes. Cooking at the camp replenishes a certain amount of Morale depending on the recipes rarity.

Special Spices

Requirements: Spice Box, Spearmint (2), Rhubarb (2), Ginger (2), Leek (2), Garlic (2) Effect: food spoils 75% slower while inside the Caravan Storage. Cooking at the camp replenishes a certain amount of Sanity depending on the recipes rarity.

Workbench

Requirements: Toolbox, Nails (2) Effect: adds a Workbench to the camp that can be interacted with to craft moderately complex consumables.

Alchemy Station

Requirements: Alchemical Apparatus, Hourglass (1), Coal Chunk (1), Flask (3) Effect: adds an alchemical apparatus to the camp that can be used to brew potions (after Alchemy is fully implemented) and create some medical consumables (in Rags to Riches).

Foraging Supplies

Requirements: Foraging Supplies, Shovel (1), Sickle (1) Effect: adds a foraging table to the camp, allowing Verren and Followers to capitalize on natures bounty while youre busy adventuring. Once per day, it will generate a certain amount of herbs, berries, and mushrooms, their type depending on the currently occupied biome. Some of the gathered herbs can then be turned into Fodder to fuel your future travels, while mushrooms and berries can be used for cooking.

Mobile Coop

Requirements: Cage with Chickens, Bucket (1), Sack of Grain (1) Effect: adds a few chickens to the camp. Once per day, theyll lay eggs that can be used for cooking. Theres also an option to slaughter chickens for meat, but itll take some time for them to respawn - in the meantime, youll have to do without a steady supply of fresh eggs.
============================ As you might have already noticed, some of the upgrades are closely linked to Cooking and Crafting - the former will be the focus of our next devlog. And while you wait, heres a small teaser of things to come:
Until next time!