HHi, everyone! Today, were thrilled to share the second of three Dev Diaries, diving into another key piece of this pirate-themed adventure. Last time out, we took you to the Sahti Islands, the tropical setting for the new set of DLCs. We also introduced you to Sigrun, a powerful Valkyrie. Now, our attention turns to another new playable hero, Bernard, a friendly turtle-man alchemist. Bernard is also a multiclass hero, combining a scout's skills with the curative abilities of a healer. Our next dev diary will explore the expansions setting and lore, along with many of the new items and enemies that it introduces. For now, say hello to Bernard.

Bernards lore

Bernard is an elderly turtle-man who has lived alone in his shell as a hermit at the bottom of the Sahti Islands sea for many years. Hes also an alchemist who travelled the world when he was younger. During his travels, he found and then mastered a wide variety of exotic ingredients, developing powerful abilities along the way. Fast forward to the present, and we find Bernard as an old turtle-man with his best days behind him. Sorry, Bernard! But while hes far from young, he still has the spirit of a hardened adventurer. So, when hes woken by a group of adventurers searching for a cure to a plague afflicting a Sahti village, Bernard summons up the energy for one last journey. Our hermit friends motivations arent entirely selfless, though. He dreams of finding the philosophers stone, a powerful artefact that could help prolong his life. As you take Bernard on an adventure through a seabed transformed by the obelisk, youll encounter mysterious creatures and uncover ancient secrets.

Bernards abilities

Weve given you Bernards backstory, but how does he play in-game? With the introduction of these heroes, we wanted to explore new class combinations you havent seen in AtO before. Bernard is a multiclass hero, healer and scout, a new combination in the game. Our hope is that this healer-scout combo will give you the flexibility to come up with new and exciting party compositions. We cant wait to see how you use him! Bernard heavily uses Flask, a new card tag introduced in an update coming alongside this latest expansion. Youll see the Flask tag added onto several existing Scout and Healer cards, so its going to be something you run into even if you decide not to download the Bernard hero pack. As well as Flask, next weeks update introduces a new effect called Rust. Rust unlocks new and powerful ways to hurt your enemies, and its the secret to getting the best out of Bernard. Finally, our shell-dwelling hermit will be accompanied by a new pet: Inky, his loyal octopus friend.

Bernards origins

The concept for Bernard came from our interest in alchemists, an archetype seen throughout culture and one that we find fascinating. We loved the idea of an older hero with a rich and adventurous history. Making him a turtle fitted this idea since they generally lead long lives. Of course, it also fits with the strong nautical vibe of this expansion. Bernards powers come from the different algae he found on his adventures. As any of you who are foragers will know, what you find out in the wild isnt always safe, meaning that Bernard would have developed the ability to tell safe ingredients from dangerous ones. Using these algae recipes to deal damage and heal it naturally led us to create the scout-healer combo.

Next time

That brings us to the end of this diary. In our third and final instalment, well go into further detail on the Sahti Island map, the new combat theme and some of the new items In the meantime, wed love to hear your thoughts on Bernard. Let us know how you plan to use our new healer-scout and his octopus friend in the comments section or the Discord channel. Until next time! - The AtO team

[ 2025-01-10 15:10:57 CET ] [ Original post ]