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Hello everyone!

Today we\'d like to wish you a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - and take the opportunity to talk about the state of development and what you can expect from Stoneshard in the near future. As announced earlier this year, we are continuing with our revised approach to updates, aiming to release smaller, more frequent patches whenever possible.

Therefore, the next major content block outlined in the Roadmap will be split into two parts: the first one, Blood Omens, is planned for release in early 2026 - we\'ll announce the exact date after completing internal testing.

So, what exactly should you look forward to? Let\'s take a closer look:

New Proselytes

Proselytes are arguably the most distinct and memorable enemy faction in the game, but they have long lagged behind Brigands and the Undead in terms of variety. The main reason is the development cost: Proselytes make limited use of generic and shared abilities, instead requiring unique assets to be created from scratch for almost every new enemy type.

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After the Rags to Riches update, the existing Proselyte roster proved to be woefully insufficient for the revamped enemy progression - each dungeon tier featured only 3-4 basic enemy types, making Catacomb battles feel rather repetitive. To address this, we carried out a large-scale overhaul of the entire faction, adding 17 new enemy types (not counting minor variants), 5 new mini-bosses, and about 40 new abilities spread among them.\n

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The core idea was to make Proselytes feel more structured and cohesive, with clear evolutionary paths leading from humanoid cultists to increasingly animalistic, monstrous forms.\n

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Naturally, the stats and abilities of every existing Proselyte also saw significant tweaks: the individual power of many enemy types was toned down to shift the focus toward group synergies and interactions.

Slings\n

Slings are a new weapon type for the Ranged Weapons tree - they are divided into two subcategories: hand slings and staff slings. All slings boast a high Stagger Chance and a bonus to Cooldowns Duration. Hand slings in particular also improve your attacks\' Crit Chance and boost Stagger Chance even further, while staff slings focus on Stun Chance and Bodypart Damage.

On the downside, slings have a mediocre effective Range (comparable to shortbows), limited Armor Penetration, and poor Accuracy, representing their traditional real-life shortcomings. Taken together, this makes them a good choice for characters who want to briefly skirmish with enemies before moving into melee, though with proper investment into the Ranged Weapons abilities, slings can be a devastating tool in their own right.\n

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Compared to bows and crossbows, ammunition plays a much more crucial role for slings. Stones, bullets, and lead shot significantly enhance their otherwise modest base damage. Each advanced ammo type also provides special effects: sling bullets boost your Armor Penetration and Bodypart Damage, while lead shot increases the chances to Daze, Stun, and Stagger. Furthermore, sling ammo is cheaper than arrows and breaks far less often - combined with the high durability of slings, this establishes their niche as a sustainable, enduring weapon.\n

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Additionally, slings can be used to launch certain items - such as bombs and potions - with greater force and range than simply throwing them. And finally, slings tend to be particularly deadly against poorly armored enemies, such as beasts or Proselytes. Be wary though, some enemies will have access to this weapon as well...

New Quest

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During this two-stage side quest, you will embark on a search for an ancient artifact, following a lead from a familiar acquaintance. Along the way, you\'ll encounter a pair of eccentric characters, and before long, both their fate and that of the relic itself will be in your hands...

Lighting System

Lighting will be expanded into a full-fledged gameplay mechanic: darkness during nighttime and in dungeons will begin to affect Vision Range and Accuracy - both for your character and for enemies. These penalties can be mitigated using torches, whether purchased in advance, crafted by hand, or taken directly from dungeon walls.

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As you would expect, this system will also be accompanied by a number of smaller additions and changes. These include, for example, the ability to raise visors on closed helmets, or to scare off animals using sources of open flame.

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Miscellaneous\n

With the major stuff out of the way, there are also some smaller additions deserving a special mention:

• New Equipment to fill gaps in the current armor lineup.\n

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• Combat Log Overhaul: standardized colors, formatting, and wording; added proper logging for complex attack outcomes; expanded spell-casting logs; improved the tracking of blocked damage and indirect damage sources; and more.

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• Hit Chance and Damage Calculations Rework: addressed numerous issues and edge cases involving complex outcomes (such as blocking critical hits) and mixed physical/magical damage.

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• AI Improvements: reworked the usage conditions for every skill and spell available to enemies, resulting in significantly more logical and challenging decision-making on their part.

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• Numerous Fixes and QoL Improvements: made it possible to access the backpack while another container is already open; allowed the use of stored medical items and tools through context menus without opening the backpack; improved item stacking algorithms; and much more.\n\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/28578038/695cfbf92c8de4a11e5bdff7e806723febfd66cf.png\"][/img]

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That\'s all for now. See you very soon!