Steam releases
Check the status shown on each entry before testing. The v0.2.2 changes are in the public Demo; individual fixes still need documented player retests.
- A torch lights itself at night and casts warm light around you, then goes out at dawn. Interiors keep their own lighting.
- The Warrior carries it in his off hand. The Mage holds a ball of fire in her right hand, or wears a ring of flames over her head when an off-hand item is equipped.
- Press L to turn the light on or off. It returns to automatic at the next dusk or dawn, and the key can be rebound.
Controller and Steam Deck
3 changes- Steam Input button prompts match Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Steam Deck and Steam Controller layouts, including controller names in text prompts.
- Steam Deck starts on controller prompts and no longer switches to keyboard and mouse prompts without those devices connected.
- Tutorial hints close with a controller and also dismiss themselves after a while. Crouch is on R3, camera view switch is LB + RB together, and quick slot 1 is instant again.
World and weather
2 changes- Every new game begins with clear weather for its first few in-game hours so the sky, eclipse and rift are visible. Weather then varies by playthrough; loaded saves retain their weather.
- Ground fog is thinner in Novum and the swamp, making paths and enemies easier to see at night and in storms. Fog remains present beneath changing weather, and the void tear gains a soft purple halo in night storms.
Classes and combat
4 changes- The Mage uses her new body in game, class select and the main menu. New animations cover Arcane Bolt, Frost Nova, Meteor Strike, Mana Surge, Dragon's Breath, chopping and falling.
- Her off-hand Focus transforms into each spell and returns afterward, shows Arcane colours at Tiers 1–3, and her armour appears at every tier. Chest-piece sleeves follow her arms, and she has her own sprint.
- Burning enemies panic and run out of fire, while enemies path around ground fire.
- The fifth ability-bar slot now sits over right mouse button: Whirlwind for the Warrior and Lash for the Mage. Warrior War Cry again shows its red aura throughout the buff.
Graphics and performance
2 changes- AMD FSR upscaling and frame generation are available, with frame generation on by default.
- The Advanced Benchmark sweeps Novum and the swamp and shows a results sheet. Fire effects cost less frame rate.
- Inventory has a lit, live character doll, encumbrance, and clearer health and stamina feedback.
- The Journal opens faster and smoother and lists completed side quests. Press F1 or hold D-pad Up to show every step of a quest.
- Rifts and the new-game drop open and close with a fracture effect. The opening has a new prologue overture.
- Class select has a void backdrop and glass-fracture exit. Backing out returns straight to the main menu without replaying the splash screen.
- Quest turn-in conversations open with a greeting; your reply decides what happens next.
- Options > Display: the brightness slider works across its full range. 50 is the default.
- The Mage no longer T-poses while running, strafing, jumping, falling out of a portal or ending Dragon's Breath; the main-menu Mage no longer lies flat.
- Dig spots no longer play a shovel swing when you do not have a shovel.
- Steam Deck tutorial prompts no longer show keyboard and mouse controls when no keyboard or mouse is connected.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.2.2 and include your class, location, hardware and quest progress in reports.
- Please check the night torch, controller prompts, Mage animations and AMD FSR in the packaged build. Previously shipped fixes for the health bar and harvestable placement still await verification.
- Warrior: Whirlwind spins up a low dust spiral at your feet instead of gold strands, while keeping the blue and red sword trail.
- Quest journal key hints and footer notes wrap inside the page instead of running off it.
- Steam Deck and other Proton / Linux setups no longer close without an error as soon as gameplay starts. The launch-option workaround is no longer needed (KI-198).
Verification requested
- Grand confirmed the Steam Deck gameplay-start fix on October 23, 2026. Include the title-screen version and device if a new regression appears.
- Novum's sky rift now swirls with smoke, dark clouds, and stars. It flashes violet when moving the sun.
- At night, the tear sits higher and larger but dimmer. An aurora moves toward it, while faint celestial beasts swim among the stars and can be drawn into the tear.
- Rain joins Novum's clouds and fog. Ground fog is thicker around Novum and the swamp, with foggy weather closer to the ground.
Quests and progression
3 changes- Brennan's forge reopens when he returns. After reporting to Aldric, Brennan offers Raise the Forge; restore the Blacksmith at the Hearth to begin upgrading gear.
- The General Store still waits for Mira's return. Each rescued NPC now unlocks their own building.
- Tier 2 upgrades open right after the forge restoration. Tier 3 still requires Brennan's tools in Hammer and Hand.
- Novum has far fewer ore veins and trees. The swamp has about 50% more gathering nodes, including Emberbronze in the Collapsed Giant and Hollow Grove.
- Tier 1 to Tier 2 weapons and off-hands now cost 100 gold, 8 Ironfall Ore, and 3 Emberbronze. Armour costs 100 gold, 6 Bramblewood, and 5 Ashwood. These prices apply to Warrior and Mage.
- Building restorations require more gold and two kinds of materials, making each restoration a larger milestone.
Movement and interface
2 changes- Dodging into a landing resumes running as soon as your feet touch down. A running Warrior jump also lands back into the run.
- Class select has a new gold wordmark, the main menu scene behind it, and improved framing and scale.
- The health bar now empties completely at death (BUG-2026-B3C19E76).
- Harvest nodes and scattered models avoid overlapping props (KI-172).
- Return Home outside Novum's walls arrives at the town portal rather than beside the Hearth.
- Rift-split trees can be chopped with the axe and the proper animation. Brennan's restored anvil shows its textures, and his anvils have proper collision.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.2.0 and include your class, location, and quest progress with reports.
- Please retest the forge flow, economy costs, landing movement, Return Home, the health bar, and harvestable placement in the packaged build.
- Weather changes through the day in the swamp: fog, overcast skies, light rain, rain, and thunderstorms blend in over about 45 seconds. Novum has cloud, overcast, and fog, without rain.
- Lightning is void purple, and characters get wet in the rain. Weather adds to the swamp's persistent ground fog.
- The swamp now shares Novum's purple day sky, sun, and outer fog above its green ground fog. The sky, eclipse, and clouds are visible through the swamp fog.
- Every daylight game hour, a sky tear appears, swallows the sun, and moves it and its eclipse to a new point in the sky before fading. At night, the tear hangs where the last one left it.
- Enemy kills grant three times as much XP as before, with more XP from enemies above their usual level.
- Early Guild contracts pay more: Gather Potions and Salvage now grant 90 XP, Hearth Coals grants 140 XP, and Bramblekin, Brier-Leech, and Thornling slayer contracts grant 40 XP.
Enemies and fixes
3 changes- Enemies remain visible out to 200 m in the swamp and 250 m in Novum, reducing close-range pop-in.
- Enemies no longer spawn in sealed places they cannot leave.
- KI-185: enemies no longer spawn inside the swamp's giant hollow tree. Its doorway is sealed so players cannot get stuck inside.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.1.9 and include your class, quest progress, and location with reports.
- Please retest weather, the hourly sky tear, XP payouts, enemy visibility, and the hollow tree in the packaged build. KI-185 remains awaiting QA until a documented retest passes.
- The eclipsed sun now sets below the horizon. The sky, stars, and light follow the same clock, making nights dark.
- A purple tear appears in the night sky as the sun goes down and casts a faint purple light across the land.
- The black eclipse disc stays over the moving sun, with a dark centre and bright rim.
- Fog sits lower and thinner near the ground and ends around the mountain tops, leaving the sky visible above it.
- Brennan's rescue, The Broken Anvil, opens at level 8 instead of 10. Aldric sends you there at level 8.
- XP earned past level 8 before accepting The Broken Anvil is banked and paid out when you take the mission.
Combat and enemies
1 change- Hitting a swamp hive tower or its body now sends its defenders after you instead of leaving them at the hive.
- Fixed a save problem that could load you at 0 health, unable to be hurt, heal, or regain stamina. Affected saves now load at full health.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.1.8 and include class, quest progress, and location in reports.
- Please retest night lighting, the eclipse and fog, Brennan's level gate, hive defenders, and affected saves. Shipped fixes still need documented retests before verification.
Return Home and travel
3 changes- Press T to open a portal in front of you for 20 seconds. Step through to arrive at Novum's town portal, including when returning from outside its walls.
- Return Home remains unavailable in combat, during dialogue or the opening, and while escorting someone. A crash when returning home from the swamp has been addressed.
- Enemies and resource nodes no longer appear on the tutorial road. Novum's other areas populate after you reach the gate.
The Verdant Swamp
3 changes- Each successive area adds new creatures alongside those already encountered, from Bramblekin and Thornlings to Brier-Leeches, Rot Beetles, Mudspawn, Rot Nests, and Thorn Guardians near the Heartroot Clearing.
- Packs now mix heavy enemies with smaller escorts, with fewer heavies active in each area. Hives send one heavy and a light escort instead of four beetles at once.
- Every enemy now drops materials, including herbs, wood, ore, and higher-tier materials from tougher foes. Health potions drop about twice as often. Enemies now spawn on the ground instead of atop props.
Guild board and ranks
2 changes- The board shows three contracts and a slayer contract. Each spot refills one game hour after turn-in, up to three times per game day per spot.
- A message appears when a new contract is posted. Taking your first Guild contract grants the Stranger rank. Opening a chest now shows what you found.
Combat and classes
4 changes- Warrior Ground Slam produces a fire blast, larger on a full charge. Blade attacks and Whirlwind have new trails. Shield Bash flips Rot Beetles; a beetle charging into a raised guard is stunned.
- Mage spells without a staff are half strength. Dragon's Breath damage drops from 12 to 9, ground fire from 25% to 15% of that damage, and each pulse costs 14 mana instead of 10. Burning enemies panic for up to two seconds, then fight while still burning.
- Holding Dragon's Breath no longer causes the reported frame-rate drop. Arcane Bolt bursts on ground or walls and can damage nearby enemies on a near miss.
- Mage ability slots and Whirlwind now show cooldowns on the ability bar. The Mage's Magic Shield effect appears in the released build.
- The eclipsed sun rises on a different path each day and moves light and shadows across the sky. Novum townsfolk speak some lines aloud and gesture; new water wheels have falling water.
- The Aegis Hearth cutscene returns the camera facing your previous direction. The XP bar stays anchored across screen sizes, and the main-menu Mage wears her current model and gear.
- Chests now have collision, so you can no longer walk through them.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.1.7 and include your class, quest progress, and location with reports.
- Retest portal travel, opening-road spawns, swamp enemy and loot placement, Guild board refills, and combat effects in the packaged build. Shipped changes still need documented retests before verification.
Levelling and contracts
3 changes- Total XP to reach level 10 drops from 4,992 to 4,250. Levels 6 through 10 require 2,993 XP rather than 3,822; levels beyond 10 also cost less. Enemies continue to scale with your level.
- Gather Potions and Board Salvage contracts now award 45 XP instead of 25. Hearth Coals awards 70 instead of 35. Brier-Leech slayer contracts award 15 XP per kill instead of 5, and Rot Beetle slayer contracts award 55 instead of 12.
- Raise the Forge and Open for Business now award 575 XP each instead of 20. Story quest XP, XP from kills, level gates, gold, and skill XP are unchanged.
- A short story prologue with the game's logo now plays before the road. Press any button to skip it. Your character falls from the Tearing before the camera settles behind them.
- The opening road teaches crouching at a low fallen log; the Jump tutorial card appears at the bank.
- The bandit ambush begins with a duel. Defeat the first bandit and the group rushes you before its leader's void slam ends the encounter.
Combat and classes
3 changes- Enemies set alight by Mage fire effects show flames and flee in a panic, then return after the fire goes out. The Thorn Matriarch holds her ground.
- The Mage can crouch with the Warrior's crouch key. Casting, blocking, or dodging stands her up; Jump from crouch now stands and jumps.
- The Mage walks more slowly so her feet match the ground. Sprint speed is unchanged.
- Trees and plants around Novum and the opening road stand upright on dry ground, clear of the river, lake, and steep banks.
- Swamp trees and plants stand upright on slopes. Moss follows the ground and rocks rather than hovering above hills or appearing on bushes.
Graphics and fixes
3 changes- NVIDIA DLSS, Frame Generation, and Reflex are switched off for now. Their options in Graphics settings are unavailable until a later update.
- Rot Beetles and Thornlings chase through shallow water rather than waiting at its edge until struck; they still avoid deep water. Bramblekin face their path and wade through shallows.
- Esc, or B on a controller, closes the current menu instead of opening the pause overlay above it.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.1.6. The adjusted XP pace and opening sequence still need longer packaged-build playthroughs; please report class and quest progress.
- Report any remaining enemy-water, burning, menu, and Mage crouch issues with steps and location. A shipped change is not considered verified until it passes a documented retest.
The opening road
4 changes- You drop out of the Tearing onto the lake shore. The road now plays out beat by beat from the shore to Novum's gate: lessons start when you reach them, and enemies appear when you arrive.
- After the first two Bramblekin, a lone one rises for a one-on-one heavy-attack lesson. A hidden chest waits along the road.
- The rope bridge can be crossed by players and enemies; the fallen log is solid and must be jumped. The bandit ambush waits until the straggler lessons are complete.
- Road objectives complete even when tutorials are turned off. Achievements cannot be earned while the opening lends you a high level.
Combat and enemies
3 changes- Holding Whirlwind now moves you at 75% speed instead of 35%; War Cry removes that movement penalty.
- Bramblekin, Bandits, and Thorn Guardians wade shallow water and prefer routes around it. Rot Beetles and Thornlings avoid water, Brier-Leeches can enter it, and Shadow Wraiths cross on the surface. Enemies no longer walk along lake or river beds.
- Enemies route around Novum props and cross the rope bridge rather than following the river bed.
- Contracts posted by Aldric, Torvald, Brennan, or Mira are turned in to that person. Contracts without a named poster go back to the Guild board. The tracker and Journal show the hand-in location.
- Gathering contracts take their gathered items on turn-in. Brennan and Mira begin posting contracts only after returning home to Novum.
- When a story quest requires a higher level, Aldric explains it in his own words and the requirement appears beneath his line.
Graphics and performance
2 changes- Supported NVIDIA RTX cards gain DLSS upscaling, Frame Generation, and Reflex options in Graphics. Frame Generation requires an RTX 40-series card or newer; it turns off in menus and while paused.
- The former V-Sync row is now Frame Generation. Novum's props use Nanite, and navigation around them has been rebuilt.
World and interface fixes
3 changes- About 100 kinds of Novum props now block the player and enemies correctly, including trees, posts, walls, crates, windmills, signs, and ruins. Gaps and doorways in ruined props are open instead of blocked by invisible collision.
- Tutorial cues hide over pause and other screens and no longer leave a key outline behind. The XP fill stays inside the left edge of its frame.
- Full Flasks dig spots are reachable instead of appearing in zones full of enemies far above the Demo's level. Verdant Swamp height fog was adjusted after the sky change.
Verification requested
- Confirm the title screen shows v0.1.5 before reporting. Shipped changes still need documented current-build retests.
- Please check the final lake crossing and log, Novum prop collision and frame rate, enemy water behavior, and swamp fog in the packaged build.
- Frame Generation is available only on supported NVIDIA RTX 40-series or newer cards; no frame-rate improvement is guaranteed.
- Whirlwind is now the right-mouse heavy attack from level 1. Tap for three spins; hold to keep spinning while walking slowly. It costs 25 stamina to start, about 10 per extra spin, and has a three-second cooldown after it ends.
- The former heavy attack is now Ground Slam on ability slot 3, unlocked at level 8. It hits an area without a leap. The opening lesson now teaches Whirlwind.
- Jumping and then dodging no longer sends the Warrior flying. An air dodge descends at the same rate as a ground dodge.
Progression and balance
4 changes- Each level grants 15 maximum health instead of 10. Levels 5, 10, 15, and 20 each grant one extra attribute point.
- Hammer and Hand now requires 8 Emberbronze, 14 Ironfall Ore, and 1 Arcane Dust, down from 13, 22, and 3.
- Hearth Coals, Gate Shades, Weavers, and the Hive Spawner contract award 35, 85, 190, and 235 XP respectively.
- Higher-level restoration and Hammer and Hand quests now pay gold and Arcane Dust in place of XP. Slayer contract rewards and Guild rank XP have also been retuned.
Tutorial, interface, and controls
7 changes- Tutorial cues now fit beneath the compass. Pack lessons and break-free prompts use the same corner cue, and the opening moves at a quicker pace.
- Full-screen panels, cinematics, and loading screens hold movement and combat input until play resumes.
- Journal discoveries made before receiving the Journal are stored quietly and appear once it is available.
- Ability slots show seconds remaining on cooldown. An active shout has a gold frame, and the [F] Interact prompt sits beneath the reticle.
- Inventory tooltips clear when clicking empty space or switching filters; dropping equipped gear in the inventory window unequips it. The materials tracker appears above the pack grid, and unequipping no longer shows a Received card.
- Guild board titles are gold and body text is off-white. A and D strafe in third- and first-person views; top-down S backs up while locked on and otherwise chooses dodge direction.
- The save icon is now a painted violet-and-gold sigil.
- The Verdant Swamp now has the same eclipsed sun as Novum. Please report lighting that appears too bright or too dark.
- Enemies and hive spawners no longer appear beside the swamp's entry ramp. Roaming wraiths no longer spawn on the opening road.
- A save made on the opening road no longer keeps the prologue's elevated level. Reports of missing swamp XP remain open; this change has not been confirmed as a fix for them.
Also new since v0.1.3
3 changes- Lights in the Windows was retired. Brennan's Raise the Forge and Mira's Open for Business now lead to the Journeyman Guild rank when both are complete.
- Hammer and Hand is a four-step main quest between Steel Worth Shaping and the Heartroot Run. Gear upgrades remain capped at Tier 2 until it is complete.
- Named characters post slayer contracts, and several species rotate between two versions. Quest dialogue received a writing pass.
Verification requested
- Please confirm the title screen shows v0.1.4. The current known-issues list remains open for further reports.
- The suspected cause of missing XP in the swamp has not been established. If affected, try a new game on v0.1.4 and report the outcome.
- Whirlwind stamina and cooldown values may change in a later balance pass.
- Tutorial cues now appear in a corner without freezing play. Moves remain available, and each lesson has a clear objective and road quest task.
- The opening casts you as a powerful hero with Tier 4 Bramblekin gear. Your prologue level is fixed and resets to level 1 when you wake.
- Opening thugs are easier and hit softer; their leader gives you more time. The Mage heavy-attack card now teaches Dragon's Breath.
- Each level now costs more XP than the last. Reaching level 10 takes roughly 5,000 XP, compared with roughly 1,000 before the curve change.
- Story caps lift as you progress: level 10 after The Price of Admission, 14 after The Broken Anvil, 20 after The Missing Caravan, then the Demo maximum of 25 after the Heartroot Run.
- At a cap, XP is banked at half rate up to one level's worth and paid out when you complete the story quest that lifts the cap. A dimmer second fill shows banked XP.
- The Broken Anvil requires level 10, The Missing Caravan level 14, and the Heartroot Run level 20. Quest givers explain unmet requirements.
- Recommended levels appear on the board, in the Journal, and on the quest tracker. The XP bar fills toward the next level instead of showing lifetime XP.
- Older saves keep their current level. The XP bar may look empty until saved XP catches up with the new curve.
Guild board and quests
5 changes- A Name in the Ledger introduces the board: take the Guild Hall recruitment notice, then sign Aldric's ledger to open other contracts. Existing saves carry over.
- The board shows a couple of contracts at a time near your level. Taking one leaves its slot empty; a new posting appears one in-game hour after turn-in, up to three postings per in-game day. Abandoned contracts return to the board.
- Repeatable contracts return one in-game day after completion. Slayer contracts escalate by species and tier, with one active slayer posting at a time.
- Each posting names its author. One in-game hour now lasts three real minutes.
- Root It Out now requires three Arcane Dust alongside the hive-spawner objective. Torvald no longer offers the bandit job when no bandits are available.
Combat and controls
6 changes- Warrior abilities 1–4 and attacks work with weapons stowed. War Cry and Iron Fortress cast without drawing, Shield Bash draws the shield, and attacks or Whirlwind draw the sword into the swing.
- Warrior dodge works in any stance. Hold to aim in slow motion, then release; a tap or dodge out of a light combo is immediate. The forward low leap covers more ground.
- Mage blink dodge has invulnerability frames and elemental orbs. Hold to aim; she cannot blink through walls or off ledges.
- Mage spells aim at the enemy under the reticle, Meteor Strike lands on the ground, and Dragon's Breath over water produces a short flame and steam.
- Fixed several Mage falling, channeling, and town weapon poses. The separate Dragon's Breath performance report remains open.
- Lock-on cycles to the nearest enemy in range and sight using the new control listed in-game. Strafing follows combat stance; top-down camera switching places the cursor ahead of the character; enemy health bars sit above heads.
Performance, graphics and audio
4 changes- TSR (Temporal Super Resolution) is available in Options > Graphics. Low and Medium presets render at 67% and 75% before upscaling; High and Ultra are unchanged.
- Distant enemies, hidden health bars, prop fire flicker, minimap updates, grass shadows, and logging use less processing. Enemies fade at the fog edge.
- Enemy hisses, sizzles, sparks, and burns no longer stack and loop indefinitely. Gameplay sounds now play from their locations and fade with distance.
- Campfires, braziers, and building fires crackle at volumes appropriate to their size.
World and interface fixes
3 changes- Bandits appear only in the opening. Enemies stay back from Novum's gate and no longer get stuck in the town walls.
- The HUD rescales with resolution changes, the Matriarch health bar no longer covers inventory, and quick-slot items persist through doors and portals.
- Return Home uses the gold portal effect and works in the fields outside Novum's gate. Hive spawners and towers show health bars when hit.
Verification requested
- Road to Novum, Guild board, story caps, XP banking, and lock-on cycling are new in v0.1.3. Warrior, Mage, audio, and performance changes first shipped in v0.1.2 are recapped above for context.
- Shipped fixes remain awaiting documented v0.1.3 retests; a patch note alone does not make an issue Verified & Closed.
- The Mage's remaining lock-on, top-down soft-lock, effects, Dragon's Breath frame rate, and busy-swamp performance reports remain open.
- Older saves keep their level, but may need additional XP before the next level-up.
- Fixed enemy hisses, sizzles, sparks, and burns that could loop and make an area louder over time. This includes sounds from Rot Beetles, Brier-Leeches, Thorn Guardians, Shadow Wraiths, and other enemies.
- Player, spell, projectile, trap, chest, and building sounds now come from their locations and fade with distance.
- Campfires, braziers, and building fires crackle at volumes that match their size; embers are faint and distant fires fall silent.
Performance and graphics
5 changes- Added TSR (Temporal Super Resolution) as an anti-aliasing option in Options > Graphics, with guidance on when to use it.
- Low and Medium presets render at 67% and 75% resolution and upscale with TSR. High and Ultra are unchanged.
- Distant or off-screen enemies update less often and use simpler models; hidden health bars stop updating.
- Distant prop fire flicker, minimap updates, grass shadows, and gameplay logging use less processing.
- Enemies fade out at the fog edge instead of drawing beyond it.
- Abilities 1–4 and attacks work with weapons stowed. War Cry and Iron Fortress do not draw weapons; Shield Bash draws the shield; attacks and Whirlwind draw the sword into the swing.
- Dodge works with weapons drawn or stowed, fists up, or empty hands. His upper body can continue its action while his legs dodge.
- Hold dodge to slow time and choose a direction, then release to dodge. It also fires after two seconds; a quick tap or a dodge out of a light combo remains immediate.
- The dodge is a low leap, and the forward dodge covers more ground.
- Blink dodge returns with invulnerability frames and elemental orbs. Fire is always present; unlocked ice and Arcane skills add their colors, and Tier 4 armor can add poison green. Blink cannot pass through walls or off ledges.
- Spells aim toward the enemy under the reticle. Lock-on following and top-down soft-lock still need work.
- Meteor Strike lands on the ground rather than above it. The remaining Meteor and Magic Shield presentation issues are still tracked.
- Dragon's Breath over water makes a short flame and steam instead of setting the water alight.
- Fixed T-posing while falling, sliding during Frostfire Lash or Dragon's Breath channeling, and the staff pose while weapons are put away in town. The separate Dragon's Breath release-pose report still needs a retest.
World and interface fixes
7 changes- Bandits appear only in the opening ambush. Torvald no longer offers a bandit job when there are no open-world Bandits.
- Enemies stay back from Novum's gate and no longer attack during Torvald's dialogue or get stuck in the town walls.
- The XP bar resets for each level instead of showing lifetime XP, and the HUD rescales with resolution changes.
- The smaller Matriarch health bar no longer draws over inventory or other screens.
- Quick-slot items persist through doors and portals.
- Return Home uses a gold homecoming effect and takes players in the fields outside Novum's gate into town.
- Hive spawners and towers show a health bar when hit.
- The level requirement now rises with each level (13 × level²) instead of increasing by a flat amount. Reaching level 10 takes roughly 5,000 XP rather than about 1,000.
- Existing saves keep their level. The next level-up can take longer while their XP catches up to the new curve.
Verification requested
- Retest the nine fixes listed on the Known Issues page under Fixes awaiting QA before marking any Verified & Closed.
- Meteor and Shield effects, Mage lock-on and top-down soft-lock, Mage stowing, Dragon's Breath frame rate, and busy-swamp performance remain open.
- After updating an older save, the XP bar may appear nearly empty while progress catches up to the new curve; the saved level remains intact.
- Hive nests and towers can grow again. A v0.1.0 issue prevented them from appearing.
- Dragon's Breath ground fire now deals one tick at a time per enemy rather than stacking many burning patches into excessive damage. Broader Mage balance is still under review.
- Damage numbers no longer merge separate hits into a single rising total.
- A normal Warrior jump no longer plays the heavy-landing animation, dodge can cancel a light combo at any point, and controller heavy attack works.
- The Mage puts her weapons away while harvesting and hides her off-hand focus in town. Weapons are put away on entering the shop or Guild Hall.
- NPC nameplates now sit above heads instead of covering faces.
- The Journal's long Completed list scrolls. Pop-up notifications no longer become stuck or vanish after cutscenes.
- Portal arrivals face outward. Roaming Wraiths no longer spawn atop ruin walls near Novum's portal.
- Fixed a controller soft-lock in the tutorial and the Guild board quest marker.
- Damage numbers distinguish normal hits (white), critical hits (gold), direct fire (orange), burning (red), poison (green), bleeding (crimson), and other damage over time (violet).
- Jumping shakes off a Brier-Leech. Warrior Shield Bash removes all attached leeches, while Whirlwind throws them off one by one.
- Tier 4 Bramblekin armor now shows rot slime.
- Five new music tracks, smoother music across travel, softer indoor music, and a pause-menu theme.
- Brennan and Mira have their own lines during their escort sequences. NPC jaws move with dialogue.
- The Codex has illustrations redrawn from in-game models, corrected lore, a Breach entry, and Wraith entries recorded on sight.
- Darkwood trees grow in Hollow Grove, Collapsed Giant, and the Wilds. The Hearth burns Darkwood at double strength and also accepts Forest Bark.
- Novum resource nodes can appear in the wilds, and dig-spot counts vary between runs.
- Tutorial pacing has been adjusted, with an arrow pointing to potions. Torvald's voice lines are quieter.
- Journal pages turn between sections; the right stick scrolls the right-hand page, and controller section navigation is easier.
- Trees visibly shrink as they are chopped.
- Benchmark auto-tune keeps its settings only when the run finishes. Reticle and interact prompts stay hidden during the run, and benchmark text wraps.
- The new splash-screen artwork is restored.
Verification requested
- Retest hive growth and nest placement in the swamp. Break effects and the Matriarch's reinforcement feedback are still incomplete.
- Retest Mage Dragon's Breath damage stacking separately from its remaining performance, animation, and balance reports.
- A shipped fix means it is ready for a current-build retest; it is not Verified & Closed without recorded evidence.
What's in the v0.1.0 Demo
5 changes- Play as the Warrior or Mage, each with distinct combat, skills, and gear tiers.
- Rescue Novum's blacksmith Brennan and merchant Mira, then restore their services in town.
- Fight through the Verdant Swamp by either of two routes, climbing toward the level 20 Thorn Matriarch.
- The Matriarch's hive grows nests and sends reinforcements as pressure rises from your actions. Break nests and towers to calm it.
- Gather resources, forge and upgrade gear, and infuse pieces toward Tier 4 Bramblekin sets.
October 8 final Demo package: fixes
5 changes- Enemies no longer spawn inside swamp tree trunks. Twisted trees, wooden platforms, bridge ramps, glowing plants, spore bells, egg sacs, stumps, logs, carts, and other props now block movement as intended.
- Hive towers should no longer appear floating above trees and rocks, and roaming ghosts in Novum should no longer stand on ruin walls. These placement changes need a packaged-playthrough check.
- The Warrior's bare-handed punches now connect with short enemies such as Shadow Wraiths. The weaker unarmed Wraith can be defeated in roughly a dozen punches.
- Saved graphics settings now apply at game startup. This change does not confirm the separate Windowed-mode report; please retest that exact case.
- Dig spots no longer appear inside Novum.
October 8 final Demo package: combat and enemies
5 changes- Rot Beetles give up a chase after sufficient distance or lost sight and return to their starting area.
- Brier Leeches cannot latch on again immediately after letting go, and their drain no longer heals them.
- A Warrior light swing that reaches its hit now finishes, rather than restarting the wind-up under pressure.
- Thornling hatching is capped in the Matriarch arena, preventing her vine-armor break from flooding the fight. The separately reported Thorn Guardian grab chain still needs a retest.
- Early Hive-Touched Rot Beetles, the Root Choke Frenzied Alpha, Wraiths just outside Novum, and roaming Bandits received balance adjustments. Bandits now scale with your level.
October 8 final Demo package: routes and progression
4 changes- Two routes reach the Heartroot: the gentler right path runs through Sunken Huts, Vine Chokeway, and Spore Fountain Fields; the harder left path runs through Collapsed Giant, Hollow Grove, and Root Choke. Both hold more enemies.
- Gear upgrades require level 4 for Tier 2, level 8 for Tier 3, and level 12 for Tier 4 infusion. Gear you already own can still be equipped. Confirm these gates in the packaged Demo.
- Health, stamina, and mana potions now cost 30 gold instead of 80; the Elixir costs 75 instead of 150. Confirm prices in game.
- Kills raise Hive Pressure about half as quickly as in the preceding tuning pass.
October 8 final Demo package: hive, tutorials, and options
3 changes- A picture tutorial appears the first time a hive spawner grows. Destroying spawners and towers now counts toward quests, and the Quest Board has a new contract for clearing them.
- The autosave tutorial card shows the live save sigil.
- Options now includes a Benchmark under Accessibility. It runs a short performance test, shows progress, offers an Exit control (Escape or B), and restores your settings when it finishes.
October 8 demo launch: the swamp fights back
5 changes- The Matriarch's hive reacts to harvesting, digging, killing, clearing areas, Brier Leech drains, and time spent in the swamp. Hive Pressure climbs through Quiet, Stirring, Roused, and Enraged, then eases if you stop feeding it.
- Above Quiet, reinforcements enter the current area out of sight, more often and in larger groups as pressure rises. At Enraged, enemies can arrive from farther up the path.
- After an area is cleared or the hive becomes Enraged, a spawner nest can grow with three surrounding towers. Attack the nest and it calls defenders. Strike a tower and it calls a small pack; destroy towers one by one to slow and scatter the nest's reinforcements. Break the nest first and its towers sink with it. Destroying either calms the hive. Towers flare when they raise an alarm, and the nest flares when the call brings enemies.
- In Heartroot Clearing, the Matriarch's calls draw from her own nest. Destroy it to stop those calls until it regrows after roughly 45 seconds. Her calls grow faster and larger as Hive Pressure rises.
- The path from the swamp portal to the Guild Field Kit has no spawns or ambushes, and wandering enemies stay out. An enemy already chasing you can follow you into the safe zone.
October 8 demo launch: difficulty and rewards
4 changes- The swamp's area levels climb from 1–4 at the Rotting Entry to 15–20 at Heartroot Clearing. The open Wilds are a 10–18 danger zone. Enemies far above your level deal more damage and take less; their level appears red on the health bar when the gap applies.
- The Thorn Matriarch is now level 20 with more health and harder hits. Guardians follow their area's level. Most areas have more enemies, Bramblekin appear in packs, and later areas include more Rot Beetle Alphas and Thorn Guardian Saplings.
- Leveling is approximately 2.5 times faster. Higher-level enemies award more XP, and seventeen story quests that previously paid nothing now award gold and XP. Balance may be tuned further in response to feedback.
- Root Choke and the Wilds have Arcane Dust and Bramblewood to gather. Ironfall Ore dig spots award two ore. Four item sell values that fell below the prior tier were corrected.
October 8 demo launch: Novum, combat, and Mage
4 changes- Novum's outskirts are dangerous for a new character, and the far deadlands lie beyond the demo. After collecting the Guild Field Kit, a low-level patch of rogue Bramblekin appears near town for an early fight. Novum also has new rift portals.
- Torvald at the gate now speaks with voice lines and mouth movement. Damage numbers float over enemies, with critical hits identified.
- Frostfire Lash has been rebuilt as a fire-and-ice energy whip with a purple lightning core. It sweeps through a full arc, hits on contact, and follows its path back. The Mage uses it for her light combo and a quick right-click Lash with a six-second cooldown. Her off-hand Focus stays visible during the combo.
- Tutorial water, HUD, and menu issues received fixes. The later-swing and lock-on report (KI-111) needs a packaged retest before it can be marked verified.
October 7 finalized package: Mage balance and movement
4 changes- The Mage's first balance pass lowers her damage to better match the Warrior's pace. She starts with 80 Health, 80 Stamina, and 148 Mana, compared with the Warrior's 100, 100, and 124. Further balance work remains planned.
- Mage staffs follow the same Attack ladder as Warrior swords across Tiers 1–4. The hood adds Mana, chest Health, skirt Stamina, gloves Attack Speed, and boots Dodge; off-hands add Mana and shield absorption. She walks at a natural pace by default and can still sprint.
- Tap dodge to blink a short distance. Hold it to slow time and choose a direction, then release to blink there. Lightning and elemental sparks mark departure and arrival.
- Frost Nova freezes enemies; Dragon's Breath and Meteor Strike cause burning. A Tier 2 off-hand adds a fire strand to the whip, Tier 3 adds fire and ice, and infused staffs and off-hands apply their element.
October 7 finalized package: Mage attacks and Novum
3 changes- Dragon's Breath can be turned while channeling. The Mage stays in place during the channel and no longer T-poses afterward. Jumping no longer freezes on landing.
- The October 7 whip pass added physical motion and a shorter trail, and stopped missed swings from sparking, flashing, or shaking the camera. The Demo package's later Frostfire Lash rebuild supersedes the later-swing and lock-on work from this pass; KI-111 awaits release and a packaged retest.
- Dig spots around Novum appear in more natural, varied places. A new chest opens with a hinged lid, and ore veins have new models. Ironfall Ore is Common and Bramblewood is Uncommon.
October 7 final Steam package: Mage combat and gear
5 changes- The Mage carries a staff and an off-hand, both supplied by the Field Kit. Her whip now forms as a magical construct from her off-hand or bare hand, leaving the staff available for spellcasting.
- Light attacks cost stamina and restore 12 Mana for every whip strike that lands. Heavy attacks and spells spend Mana. Hold right click for up to five seconds to channel Dragon's Breath.
- Staff Attack contributes to spell damage; a Tier 3 staff casts for about twice the damage of a Tier 1. In over-the-shoulder view, spells target the reticle; in top-down view, they follow the mouse pointer.
- Mage off-hands cover Tiers 1–3. Three Tier 4 off-hands, three Tier 4 staffs, and Tier 4 Cinder and Void armor sets have been added. Mage potions, quick-use items, and the stats key now work.
- Mage swings and whip strikes no longer hit through walls. Bramblekin chest sleeves bend with the arms and use their own icons; the staff orb aligns with the staff and a see-through body band has been removed.
October 7 final Steam package: interface and world
4 changes- The Warrior class card now displays Mana. Maximum Mana derives from Willpower for both classes; the Warrior's starting Mana is unchanged. Mage Intelligence improves spell and hit power and critical hits, while Willpower increases Mana and reduces cooldowns.
- The Journal can be closed from any tab. This change addresses KI-95, but the original Side Quests and Completed paths still need a packaged-build retest.
- Ability slots have socket frames and white keybind labels, with a flash when an ability is unavailable. XP bars have labels and the compass needle stays fixed. The map orientation portion of KI-104 remains under review.
- Inventory controller focus is clearer with a gold rim on the selected slot. The opening wake-up walk uses a scripted third-person camera, dialogue types out with a soft click, and Novum's night crickets are quieter.
October 7 final patches, part 2: Mage gear and camera
4 changes- The Guild Field Kit in the swamp now provides Mage Tier 1 gear. Previously it handed out only Warrior gear, leaving the Mage without her starting equipment there.
- Mage Tier 1–3 armor uses new models. The Tier 4 Bramblekin set adds a hood, wraps, skirt, gloves, and boots. Infuse each Tier 3 piece at Brennan's anvil with one Bramblewood, one Matriarch Heart, and 100 gold. Tier 4 provides 18% more defense than Tier 3.
- The Mage's height has been corrected so she stands a little shorter than the Warrior. Her top-down and over-the-shoulder cameras and minimap zoom now align with his for more consistent aiming.
- Developer placeholder text was removed from Mage item descriptions.
October 7 final patches, part 2: swamp and portals
3 changes- Shadow Wraiths now respond to the player's equipment. An unarmed encounter starts with a weaker green-teal Wraith worth 10 XP; drawing a weapon brings it to full strength. Enraged Wraiths attack more often and hit harder while retaining their wind-up.
- Thornlings appear in groups of two or three in the Seedbed. The first ramp into the swamp has a more even spread of trees and ore across Rotting Entry.
- Each portal has its own travel effect, and the exit flash lines up with the arrival shot.
October 7 final patches: Warrior combat
5 changes- Whirlwind now hits on each blade contact, deals more damage, drags and staggers enemies caught in the spin, and is only interrupted by a poise-breaking hit.
- Warrior attacks push enemies in the direction the weapon moves. The uppercut launches enemies; more attacks knock enemies back. Light hits now cause a brief flinch rather than interrupting the player.
- War Cry's damage boost is 40% instead of 20%. Iron Fortress's barrier appears when casting finishes and remains active reliably. All four ability slots show cooldown sweeps.
- Gloves grant 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% attack speed at Tiers 1–4. Strength adds armor, poise, and critical damage; Intelligence adds critical chance; Willpower reduces cooldowns; Vigor adds health regeneration.
- Gear starts at Tier 1 rather than Base and has four rebalanced tiers. Existing Base-tier gear converts to Tier 1 on old saves; some stats may change with the rebalance.
October 7 final patches: Mage Focus
3 changes- The Focus adds a three-hit whip combo. The final package treats the whip as a magical construct so the staff remains available for spellcasting; holding right mouse channels Dragon's Breath for up to five seconds.
- Blocking forms a ward of four arcane circles that stops damage and pushes enemies back. It lasts up to four seconds, then shatters and recharges for six seconds, or two seconds if released early.
- Meteor Strike now shows a small meteor from the Focus before a stronger impact that throws enemies. Spell previews appear above the Focus; the staff glows with the active spell and power runs up its vine.
October 7 final patches: Novum and presentation
5 changes- The Blacksmith, Guild Hall, and General Store have rebuilt exteriors and full-size doors. The Guild Hall double doors swing open and the Blacksmith oven burns. Aldric has a new model and Torvald stands at the town gate. The Guild Hall's size was restored in the final Steam package.
- Mira cowers while waiting for rescue, then walks or runs during the escort, back to her wrecked caravan and into the store.
- An autosave sigil appears when the game saves, with a first-time card explaining it. Inventory adds a Less Info view alongside More Info. The main menu and class select have refreshed character poses.
- New and retuned sounds cover quests, rank and level gains, the Hearth, forge, doors, tools, dialogue, items, portals, and swamp ambience. Digging now shows a Pick up prompt.
- Fixed a crash while a tutorial card remained on screen, Tier 4 Bramblekin sword poison failing on frozen enemies, and a main-menu music issue.
- The Broken Anvil begins with an ambush outside Novum. Find Brennan, speak with him, and escort him back to the gate. He fights beside you with his hammer. His forge then opens through restoration, an initial upgrade, and a materials task.
- The Missing Caravan starts at the Quest Board. Find Mira in the Sunken Huts, defeat the Thorn Guardian, and escort her back to the portal so she can reopen the General Store.
- Escorted characters can follow, wait, and acknowledge arrival. Brennan and Mira's shops now open through their rescue quests.
- The General Store supports buy, sell, buyback, and quick-sell, including controller navigation and a first-visit tutorial. Potions have prices, effects, and descriptions. Buying no longer grants character XP.
- Meteor Strike drops a molten rock at the reticle, with a landing glow, impact fire, and scorch marks. Mana Surge is a lightning-wreathed purple orb with knockback.
- Dragon's Breath leaves fire on the ground, Frost Nova covers frozen enemies in ice, and Arcane Bolt lands with a violet burst and small knockback.
- New staff combat animation, a spell-colored hand orb, an improved staff grip and rest pose, and a natural arm swing during movement.
- Press R to cycle staff, whip, and bare hands. Bare hands punch; spells require the staff. Mage armor displays its equipped tier from 1 to 4.
- Fixed the Mage getting stuck holding block.
Progression and inventory
3 changes- Skills now unlock automatically at their required character level without spending a separate Skill XP pool. The earlier 250 Skill XP cost note has been superseded by the final v0.1.0 patch. (KI-87; retest needed)
- Materials appear in the main inventory grid. The selected item has a More Info panel, and stack counts are larger.
- Fixed a Materials-page reopening soft-lock, inventory tooltips and inspection, and controller navigation getting stuck on the Materials tab.
World and interface
3 changes- The compass has a fixed needle; the map orientation still needs a separate check. The Guild Hall and General Store have new interior lighting.
- The main menu, Load Game screen, Hearth stoke prompt, and inventory tabs have been refreshed.
- This demo edition does not include some enemies seen in earlier Playtest builds. Shadow Wraiths outside Novum respond to the player's equipment; Bandits appear in the opening ambush. The absent enemies' later availability has not been announced.
Verification requested
- Retest the Mage's walk and run animation for foot sliding, and the blink landing position. These earlier observations were targeted or unconfirmed and have not been added as resolved issues.
- Retest the rebuilt Frostfire Lash's later combo swings and locked-on contact (KI-111). Mage placeholder animations remain open (KI-113).
- Retest the Journal close control on Side Quests and Completed (KI-95); this fix was based on an inferred cause. Confirm the Warrior's Mana display (KI-101).
- Confirm the equipped Bramblekin chest sleeves (KI-97), staff model and Tier 4 selection (KI-99), and Bramblekin icons. Off-hand names and other Tier 4 icons remain under KI-98.
- Check the Mage's block animation (KI-112) and whether the map stays correctly oriented after the compass-needle change (KI-104).
- Check the Guild Field Kit with a Mage, her Tier 1–4 armor models, her height and both camera views, and the minimap zoom. Gear access and camera issues were reported before this update and need a packaged-build retest.
- Retest KI-87 at the required skill level with both new and existing saves. Skills should unlock automatically without a Skill XP purchase. A shipped fix is not verified closed until the original steps pass.
- Check Thorn Guardian vine-grab chains in the Matriarch fight after the arena nest, Guardian level changes, and capped Thornling hatching. The grab chain itself was not directly fixed (KI-96 remains open).
- Historical correction: a v0.1.0 defect stopped hive nests and towers from growing, so their placement could not be verified in that release. Growth was restored in v0.1.1; retest KI-116 there.
- Retest Windowed mode (BUG-2026-5E63E095). Applying saved graphics settings at startup may not cover the original mode-switch failure.
- Continue reporting the Options flicker, Mage early-use, Windowed mode, voice-chat device, and text-wrapping issues if they occur in v0.1.0.
- Check both rescue quest chains, escort behavior, shop unlocks, and General Store controller navigation; include save history in reports about returning characters.
Version milestone
This is the October 8 public Demo release history. The hive growth described here did not appear in v0.1.0 because of a defect; v0.1.1 restores it. Shipped fixes still need documented retests before they are verified closed.
October 3 update: opening & presentation
5 changes- The demo end card has a Share Feedback button that opens the in-game survey.
- Opening-fight tutorial lessons pause the fight until the requested action is completed, giving players time to read. The first wave cannot kill the player; if health runs low, bandits arrive early and the story continues.
- Novum's town gate has been rebuilt to open inward, and building exit doors have been resized.
- The liquid health, stamina, and mana bars now use slower, more evenly spaced bubbles near the surface or in an empty bar.
- The main-menu scene and the Warrior's right-hand texture received visual touch-ups.
October 2 evening update: demo finale & progression
4 changes- The demo now has a complete ending. After defeating the Thorn Matriarch, return with what you recovered and follow the story to its final scene and end card.
- Heartroot Clearing can be challenged again for additional Matriarch Hearts. Brennan can use them to infuse gear one piece at a time, up to Tier 4 Bramblekin Poison.
- Some conversations now offer reply choices and optional lore. Two achievements can be earned for forging the full Tier 4 set and finishing the demo.
- The Mage now starts with a Tier 1 staff and armor after the opening. Her armor can be upgraded to Tier 2 and Tier 3 at the forge.
October 2 evening update: inventory & presentation
4 changes- Inventory now uses a larger nine-column grid, separate tabs including quest items, sorting, and slots for an amulet and a ring.
- Health, stamina, and mana bars have a liquid appearance that ripples at rest and sloshes when filling or draining.
- The quest tracker uses less screen space and wraps long titles. Armor and props have a more natural, less glossy finish.
- Warrior is selected by default on the class screen. Ranger and Rogue are labeled Coming Soon. The Cleansing Tincture has a new icon.
October 2 evening update: fixes
4 changes- Portal travel keeps its own loading screen visible until arrival, without cutting to the standard loading screen mid-transition.
- Fixed enemy aggro sounds that could loop and enemy breathing that continued after death.
- The main menu no longer plays two copies of its music, and menu music stops when continuing or loading a game.
- The Mage no longer appears in a T-pose on the class selection screen.
October 2 update: enemy levels & health bars
6 changes- Enemy health bars have been redesigned. Each shows its enemy's level; mini-bosses have spiked bars, and a pale trail shows the damage dealt by the last hit. Boss names and levels appear on the bar at the top of the screen.
- Common enemies in the Verdant Swamp scale near the player's level within each area's range. Higher-level enemies have more health, hit harder, and award more XP. Mini-bosses and bosses keep their set levels.
- Health bars follow the enemy's head as it moves.
- Brier Leeches have new snake-like bodies and movement. Briar Siphoners, Mudspawn, and Rot-Nest Feeders rear up before lunging or spitting. This presentation is still being tuned.
- The Mage now ragdolls on death. She uses a two-handed shovel grip for digging and holds the pickaxe and axe while mining and chopping.
- Frostfire Lash, Dragon's Breath, and the Mage's staff have new placeholder sound effects.
- Fixed a crash when opening Options. The Continue-then-Options community report remains open pending an exact v0.0.9.9 retest.
- Game sounds now follow their volume sliders. Audio levels were balanced, music fades between states, and first-launch volume defaults were adjusted.
- The main menu has a new theme, and audio crackling was fixed. The community report about sound with every slider at zero remains open pending a retest.
New gameplay & presentation
5 changes- The feedback survey now opens inside the game and submits directly without leaving it.
- Thorn Guardians' Rooted Advance wraps the player in thorned vines and slows them while dragging them in. Dodge free or burn the vines with fire.
- Brier Leeches gather around players wading into swamp water.
- New painted icons appear for materials, axe, pickaxe, and higher-tier shields. Health, stamina, and elixir potions have new models.
- A gold aura lights the level diamond and XP bars when the player levels up.
World, controls & HUD
3 changes- The restoration board lists every building and strikes through those already restored. At the forge, Brennan works on the actual item; one strike completes it, and materials owned are shown alongside.
- Tap R3 to cycle the camera; hold R3 to lock on. The chosen camera view is preserved through travel. This changes the v0.0.9.8 R3 behavior.
- Level-up and rank-up notices wait for a clear screen. The ability bar greys out in the town peace zone. New painted rank plates appear on the HUD.
Fixes awaiting confirmation
3 changes- Portal travel no longer resets level and XP. (KI-94)
- The restoration board now displays the correct count of banked materials.
- An item duplication path was fixed.
Verification requested
- Retest the Continue-then-Options crash and the report that audio still plays with every volume slider at zero. Neither community report is verified closed yet.
- Travel through the portal using a character with earned levels and XP, then verify that progression is preserved. (KI-94)
- Check Swamp difficulty against enemy levels and health bars, including mini-bosses and bosses.
- Confirm the in-game survey submits and provides a receipt; include your build and platform if it does not.
- Check that portal transitions retain their own loading screen and that enemy aggro and death audio end at the right time.
- Test the demo finale, repeatable Heartroot Clearing rewards, and Tier 4 gear infusion; keep story spoilers out of public reports.
- Check the end card's Share Feedback button and the opening-fight tutorial pacing, including the low-health transition to the bandit ambush.
Public playtest closed
The public playtest is closed. Existing testers can continue to report issues and send feedback. A shipped fix remains awaiting QA until a documented retest passes in a specified build.
Controller & Steam Deck
6 changes- Every action now has a gamepad binding. Button prompts automatically switch between keyboard and controller icons based on the device in use.
- Every menu can be navigated with a controller. In Options, LB and RB switch tabs, B goes back, and the Controls tab opens on the gamepad list when a controller is in use.
- The right stick can switch lock-on targets, and camera view can be cycled from the controller.
- Steam Deck support adds a graphics preset, 16:10 resolutions, and the Steam on-screen keyboard when renaming a save.
- Display settings now include a Frame Limit choice: Unlimited, 30, 40, 60, 90, or 120 FPS. This replaces the Refresh Rate option, which saved a selection without applying it.
- Tutorial cards now show gamepad-specific instructions when a controller is active.
- Bats and Giant Bats now roost in Novum and the Verdant Swamp. They perch on treetops, rest, and take off.
- The Mage's first three spells now fire at the center-screen reticle. Shots without a hit fade after 35 m or 5 seconds.
- Brier Leeches now live only in water, where they hunt and strike. They stop at shore and latch on only while the player is in water.
Menus, tutorials & HUD
4 changes- New interface sounds play throughout the menus.
- Options > Gameplay > Tutorials now disables tutorial cards completely. With it off, the opening plays through without the cards.
- Dialogue text uses colors to distinguish its type, and speaker names are centered. Inner thoughts appear at the top of the screen, apart from spoken lines.
- The XP bar is green and guild XP is blue, toned to match health, stamina, and mana. The displayed level stays current and unspent attribute points stand out more clearly.
- Harvesting no longer stops working after Retry from Game Over.
- Looking up and down with a controller has been corrected.
- The nonfunctional Refresh Rate setting has been replaced with the working Frame Limit setting.
- The Warrior heavy-attack tutorial now describes the attack accurately; the Mage has a Frostfire Lash heavy-spell card.
Verification requested
- Try both keyboard and controller in play and menus, including Options tab switching, gamepad key lists, lock-on target switching, and camera cycling.
- On Steam Deck, check 16:10 resolutions, graphics preset, frame limits, and the on-screen keyboard when renaming a save.
- Retest harvesting after Game Over Retry and check vertical camera look on a controller.
- Continue reporting the open community issues, including Windowed mode, Options behavior, Mage unlock gating, and the 16 HP defeat report; this update does not claim to fix them.
Current testing focus
The public playtest has closed, but existing players can still send bug reports and feedback. Controller and Steam Deck support still need testing on actual devices. Previously reported issues remain in the tracker until a documented retest supports closing them.
- The HUD has been redesigned with new plates, vitals bars, rank display, ability sockets, minimap frame, quest tracking, and a reworked XP and level indicator.
- The minimap is 140% of its previous size, and its incorrect clamping behavior has been fixed.
- Health loss is easier to read. Stamina now occupies the middle vitals bar and mana the lower bar.
- Resources have been removed from the HUD and remain available through the Hearth and inventory.
- Basic and heavy attack icons now reflect the equipped class ability, use a weapon fallback when needed, and remain stable when a weapon is unequipped.
- Quest text, journal alignment, ability-bar alignment, and vitals-panel centering have been corrected.
- The Load Game screen has been rebuilt around journeys. Save bookmarks can be renamed, guild rank names display correctly, and location presentation has been updated.
- The HUD shows unspent attribute points as +N beside your level. XP bars are brighter and pulse on level-up.
- The reticle moves more smoothly and has a new reduced-motion option.
Enemies & bosses
9 changes- Thornlings join the Verdant Swamp in Swarmer, Noduled, and Ravager variants. They are spawned from Seedbeds and tied to the Thorn Matriarch, whose vine armor now has a shatter effect.
- Thorn Guardians join in Sapling Guard, Briar Warden, and Ancient variants. These armored brawlers expose a weak core after their burst attack and are weak to fire.
- Additional swamp enemy variants were introduced in this earlier Playtest build. The current Demo roster differs.
- Brier Leeches join in base, Mudspawn, and Rot Nest variants. They burrow, ambush, latch on, and drain their target.
- Rot Beetles now use their rot-spray attack, while buried beetles sense and tunnel toward nearby players.
- The Hollow Knight is now a two-phase boss with Heavy Swing, Charge, Void Burst, armor shattering, a berserk state below 20% health, a boss health bar, and updated death and reward sequences.
- Bandits in the new opening flank, circle between attacks, and mix slashes with a telegraphed overhead strike.
- Roaming bandit bands travel the Novum wilds and Verdant Swamp after the opening once you have a weapon. They wander, engage as a group, disengage if you get far enough away, and award XP when defeated.
- Bandits vary in height, pace, and aggression, with six armor color schemes, a black-iron leader, and matching swords.
Combat & controls
10 changes- Warrior lock-on targeting is available on Middle Mouse or R3. Z and X, or D-pad left and right, switch targets. Lock releases when a target dies, leaves range, or stays out of sight.
- Auto Lock-On in Options > Gameplay turns an unlocked attack toward the best enemy in front of the player and is enabled by default.
- Over-the-shoulder aiming has been reworked so the camera, reticle, and actual attack direction agree at different distances.
- Damage-over-time effects continue to deal damage without repeatedly flinching the player or cancelling attacks.
- The full sword blade can connect, including its tip, and swings now reach small enemies positioned under the arc.
- The Warrior now reacts physically to death and drops his sword and shield. Sprinting consumes stamina only while moving.
- Warrior ability presentation now includes a swept blade trail, camera shakes, ghost shields, a War Cry sword ring, and a fading gold Whirlwind effect.
- Quick Slot 1 now uses Q instead of 9. Check your controls and saved remaps before playing.
- Opening your pack now pauses the game; pressing the inventory key again closes it. Pressing the pause key again closes the pause menu.
- Health potions no longer have a cooldown.
World, quests & opening
12 changes- A new game offers to walk the Act 0 opening road or skip it. Contextual tutorial cards pause the game until you press Continue, and first-time hints appear near the quest board, restoration board, and anvil. The opening includes a lesson on spending attribute points; restarting it enables prompts again.
- Materials can be handed in directly at quest boards, side quests are visually distinguished from main quests, and a new waypoint marks a curse-related objective.
- New side activities include kill contracts on the quest board and jobs from Torvald.
- Health potions can be found as drops and in Novum dig spots.
- Quest text now names the person you need to return to instead of saying 'return to the quest giver.'
- Shadow Wraiths can rise from dug spots, harvested nodes, and opened chests around Novum's wilds. They do not spawn inside town.
- Loot chests with individual loot have been added, and Novum's town now acts as a safe zone that enemies cannot enter.
- Players can wade into lakes and rivers up to roughly waist height. Swimming is not included.
- Footsteps now vary across stone, wood, mud, sand, snow, water, and earth, with matching visual effects and quieter indoor steps.
- Aldric moves into the Guild Hall after the player meets him, and Brennan has an updated model and hammer.
- You no longer take damage while in dialogue or a cutscene.
- Loading screens now use a curtain transition.
Mage & character updates
6 changes- The Mage now dodges, flinches, reacts to hits, and uses class-specific pickup, digging, and mining animations.
- The Mage can talk to NPCs and pick up items with F. Her walk and idle animations no longer interrupt these interactions.
- The Mage puts away her whip and staff while inside town.
- Mage blocking now counts against enemy attacks, and an off-hand focus contributes to Magic Shield.
- A new level-up effect uses a rising gold flame aura with yellow lightning.
- Hits now produce a small directional blood spray, while the low-health effect uses subtle edge darkening instead of a full-screen red tint.
Steam, menus & presentation
8 changes- Steam integration is active. The in-game overlay works, 20 achievements are available, the profile plate opens Steam Friends, and the trophy button opens the Steam overlay.
- The main menu, pause menu, Load Game, HUD, Hearth, and anvil now share a unified forged-iron visual direction.
- The main menu uses a centered circular logo and includes new Social and Achievements tooltips.
- The splash sequence now shows all five studio logos.
- Credits now play as a cinematic flight over the live town with forged-gold lettering. Carlos Eli Rivera Lemus is credited for the capsule artwork, and the frame no longer overlaps the letterbox bars.
- The Blacksmith visit now includes Brennan working at the anvil, approaching the player, and returning to work. Forged items now lie flat on the anvil.
- The Pause and Game Over screens use the original painted title plate and frame. Game Over also displays live run statistics, including time survived.
- New icons identify the Warrior's light and heavy attacks and the Mage's Dragon's Breath and Frostfire Lash abilities.
- Keybinds can be reassigned in Options > Controls, and saved remaps are applied when the game starts. (BUG-2026-B7F50036)
- The Profile and Achievements buttons now open Steam destinations when the game is running through Steam. (BUG-2026-D610D3DE)
- Pausing during a fight and resuming no longer leaves the game ignoring input after the fight ends.
- Reloading a level while an enemy health bar is visible no longer crashes the game.
- Every printed gear stat now works, including Max Health, Max Stamina, Attack Speed, Dodge Rate, and Speed. Changing gear preserves the player's current health proportion.
- Game Over Retry and Return to Town now recover correctly without a checkpoint, keeping your inventory when the game returns to Novum. Main Menu and Quit also work from the Game Over screen.
- If you lose your shovel, Torvald will give you a replacement.
- Doors now respond more reliably at close range because the interaction reach check no longer counts vertical height differences.
- Meeting Aldric without immediately accepting his quest no longer leaves the Guild Hall empty.
- Quest waypoints no longer point toward a quest-giver who is not visible.
- The ability bar no longer lights abilities above the player's allowed level and refreshes correctly after New Game and Load Game.
Verification requested
- Retest the Options crash after continuing a saved game. (BUG-2026-7081F01A)
- Confirm Mage abilities cannot be used before they are unlocked. (BUG-2026-72DC4F53)
- Verify remapped controls persist after restarting the game. (BUG-2026-B7F50036)
- Launch through Steam and verify the Profile, Achievements, overlay, and all 20 achievements paths. (BUG-2026-D610D3DE)
- Test pause and resume during combat, level reloads with an enemy health bar visible, Game Over recovery, and each newly functional gear stat.
- Exercise both classes through Act 0, the Hollow Knight encounter, Novum, and the Verdant Swamp enemy families.
Current testing focus
This is a large active-development update. Warrior and Mage are both available, but balance, polish, compatibility, and progression still need broad testing. Existing reports that received code fixes remain awaiting packaged-build confirmation until a tester reproduces the original steps in v0.0.9.7.
- The Blacksmith anvil screen no longer renders as a black, unusable box in packaged builds. Its video background is now included in the package so the Gear and Weapon options can be seen and selected.
- The Guild Hall and General Store interiors are now explicitly included in packaged builds, correcting doors that could silently do nothing when interacted with outside the editor.
- The splash-screen boot flow now always opens the current main menu instead of occasionally loading an old, retired title screen.
- Pausing during a cutscene no longer creates a deadlock that can lock up the game.
- Enemy-owned timers are cleared when their enemy is destroyed, preventing those timers from firing after death.
- Aegis Hearth refueling, resource drain, and banked-versus-carried resource handling were reworked. Older saves are migrated automatically.
- Mage hair no longer clips through equipped helmets.
- Gameplay logs now write to ShadowOfBeginnings-Gameplay.log in Shipping builds and can be attached to bug reports.
- The Mage is now playable for early testing. Its whip and three-tier staff line are functional, and a three-tier Mage armor set is available across all equipment slots.
- Class-specific cinematic clips now play at their intended points, supported by a new cinematic trigger system and a new Forge-related cutscene.
- The Quest Journal now uses complete, failed, and currently tracked status icons alongside revised book, objective, and quest-list layouts.
- Load Game slots now show location previews for the Verdant Swamp, Novum, and Guild Hall instead of generic placeholder images.
- The main menu has been rebuilt with a new scene and art, the current build version, and working links for Feedback Survey, Discord, Bug Report, and Known Issues.
- Gameplay cameras now support motion blur.
Verification requested
- Confirm Steam and the title screen both show v0.0.9.6 before reporting current-build results.
- Open the Blacksmith anvil and confirm the video background, Gear option, and Weapon option are visible and usable.
- Enter both the Guild Hall and General Store from Novum and confirm each door opens and returns the player correctly.
- Test the Mage with both the whip and staff, including equipment, VFX, audio, and helmet appearance.
- Pause during cinematics and confirm the game can resume without locking up.
- Load an older save and verify Aegis Hearth resources migrate and behave correctly.
- Check each Load Game location preview and all four main-menu links.
Public Playtest and diagnostics
Public Steam Playtest access is now open. Mage is available for early testing but has not completed the same verification pass as Warrior. Gameplay logs are now available in Shipping builds; engine-side logs remain unavailable, and crash reporting is still unverified.
- The pause-menu Quit button is now bound directly in code, closing the path where it could silently fail to exit the game.
- Mashing the interact or tool key mid-harvest no longer restarts the swing animation from the beginning, preventing it from being chain-interrupted indefinitely.
- Loading screens are now paced to actual load time. The progress bar tracks measured load progress instead of using a flat estimate.
- The title screen now shows the current build version and four link buttons: Feedback Survey, Discord, Report a Bug, and Known Issues. Each button uses the studio's current URL.
Verification requested
- Start a New Game and confirm the loading bar advances believably on both fast and slow loads.
- Confirm the title screen reads v0.0.9.5 and that Feedback Survey, Discord, Report a Bug, and Known Issues open the correct destinations.
- Open the pause menu, select Quit, and confirm the game exits.
- Repeatedly press the interact or tool key while harvesting and confirm the swing can still complete.
Diagnostics remain limited
Gameplay logs are not currently written to disk in the packaged Shipping build, and crash reporting remains unverified. If the Logs folder is empty, submit the report without a log and include clear reproduction steps, timing, screenshots, or video where possible. The unrelated unexplained gameplay freeze remains under investigation.
- Entering the General Store no longer drops the player through the floor into an endless fall. Both the way in and the return to Novum were corrected.
- Players can no longer walk or jump off the edge of the map in Novum or the Verdant Swamp. If a player does end up below the world, they are returned to the last solid ground they were standing on.
- Doors and portals now place players at corrected arrival points. All six routes between Novum, the General Store, the Guild Hall, and the Verdant Swamp were reviewed and corrected.
- The Verdant Swamp now shows a marker pointing back to Novum when the player has no active objective there.
Shipping-build log limitation
Gameplay logging is not currently written to disk in the packaged Shipping build. If the Logs folder is empty, submit the report without a log and include clear reproduction steps, timing, screenshots, or video where possible. This remains tracked as KI-90.
- Fire and light effects across Novum were mostly invisible for players (only a handful ever showed up) — they now render reliably everywhere they are placed.
- Fire effects that appeared oversized or engulfing certain buildings have been corrected.
- The Save Game button in the pause menu is now functional.
- Fixed a collision issue affecting town building props.
- A jump action has been added to player movement.
- Fire, ember and light effects added to town buildings across every restoration tier (Blacksmith, General Store, Church, Inn, Mansion, Guild Hall, Stables, Infirmary, Apothecary and housing) — in both ruined and restored states.
- Minor animation adjustments for the Warrior.
- Minor material touch-ups on the Ranger’s bow and arrow.
