“Only twelve Tomes from that library survived the Collapse. That we know of…” –A Mage Conveniently Wandering By As You Contemplate The Ruins

There are tomes galore in Exiles, and it’s time we used one to kick off an Update packed with knowledge, lore and RPG-ishness (oh– and a record 20+ images/gifs for your work-in-progress perusal).

Last update, we focused on the Narrative System in action, working tutorials, our visit with TouchArcade at GDC, the way we’re organizing visual tiers of gear and a whole mess of NPCs. This time, it’s Inventory management, how to navigate the world map and what to interact with, stat changes, vicious bears and serpents and how DUNGEONS will run. Read on…



CHARACTER INVENTORY

As we’ve worked through the game loops and understood more about what keeps players in the game, we’ve redesigned how your gear inventory is going to look and behave.

(For you screenshot-investigators out there: the exclamation points mean something is new here and the green chevrons tell you there are effects on the item greater than what you have equipped. Also, the purple “+SPC” tells you the item does a special, non-stat effect.)

Previously, we had your stash over in the Forge, and each item was available by clicking various Slots on your character’s body. This caused too many interactions to get stuff done, so we consolidated into a readily-available Inventory system that makes all gear easily sortable as well as offers a side-by-side comparison for each item to whatever you is equipped equipped.

You’ll also notice that quick salvage now takes place here in addition to Transmute, which we’ll cover in an upcoming Update.

LORE OBJECTS



If you don’t love fantasy lore, we’re gonna have to fight (or you’re banished, not sure which yet). We’ve been working for a while on a base of fiction that you will take and run with through your actions in the game, hopefully to some unexpected conclusions.

Last update, I gave you a look at the Narrative System and what it will do. Now we’re populating that system with imagery that will direct you on your way. Books, signposts, even tombstones are rolling off the assembly and will not only spice up the story experience, there will also be hidden tidbits in some of them (rest easy and don’t look at these here, though– there are no secretz baked in yet!).

NAVIGATING ACTIVITY ON THE WORLD MAP



Fight something, search for treasure, make a narrative choice, fish for who-knows-what. All are accounted for in the visuals we’re putting on the map. This milestone, we’ll get a feel for how the map is actually working in terms of pushing players along on their journey (that means Levels 1-10 in this case). We’ll be looking to you early testers to help suss out the easiest and most intuitive way to progress in PVE and part of that is whether we’re building the right visual language for our PVE activities.

PLAYER ABILITY VFX PREVIEW

As threatened, VFX are coming together on the player abilities. Soon, we’ll be able to show all the VFX that testers of the early game experience will see, but here’s how we’re applying and tweaking them piece by piece:

Eviscerate, a Warrior ability, features a blade glint and impact sparks:

Shoulder Rush, another Warrior ability, features both movement and impact effects as the player moves in for a blunt attack:

Here, we’re experimenting with how far we want to go on weapon trails as well as camera shake with an Ability called Rend:

THERE’S AN EXILES WEBSITE!

This Dev Update Tumblr has served Gunslinger well as the development of Exiles continues, but we definitely needed something to show off the basics of the game as well as an easier way to sign up for consideration in early access programs. And now we do!

If you haven’t already, check out exilesofembermark.com for tons of images, basic info on the game and the early access sign-up form!

WHAR’S THE BAR? OVER THAR



The concepts on this fellow have been coming along (as you’ve seen here), and the Bear NPC is not only ready for animations, he’ll also serve as the baseline model for some of our bulkier 4-legged enemies:

THE SERPENT ENEMY

You saw his sketch last time. Thus “Ssssss…”

‘Nuff said.



THE WISP ETHEREAL

You’ll see the later life stage of the race we call Ethereals in another image or two, but these fearsome enemies start out as mere Wisps, with little form and little power, though they’re wily and mischievous. They traveled across the Breaches from another world, and quickly weaved their way into the fabric of Embermark life, tricking travelers, stealing belongings and sometimes, ending lives.

FIREBALLS AND DEATH

Now that you’ve seen where the powerful Ethereal starts in life, here’s the latest on how that power eventually manifests…

…and when, after a pitched battle, he dissolves into his trip to the afterlife (or does everyone “faint” in this game?).

VISUAL LOOT TIERS

Last month, we shared a rough guide on loot and the visual tiers we’re developing to give you a sense of how powerful (or rickety) the stuff you’re equipping is. To give that more context on the player model, here’s a 3-tier rundown of some basic Warrior gear:

Low Level - wooden shield, rough axe, lighter plate coverage

Mid Level - bulkier armor, metal weapons, finer craftsmanship

High Level - full coverage, BA weapons, intimidation everwhere

THE BOG OF BOGGINESS



More battle environments are rolling out to give players a sense of where they are on the continent, and the Bog is the latest. We’ve made much of bogs and murky swamps and the enemies players might find there, but you also know we put wolves in there as placeholders to amuse ourselves.

DUNGEONS

It’s an RPG. So thar be dungeons. And while PVE in Exiles is pretty straightforward, dungeons will have their own special challenges. You’ll fight enemies, find treasure and seek the boss/mini-boss/evil overlord/etc, but you also won’t regenerate HP. And they won’t be the same every time. And you will only sort of know where you’re going, traveling from below and seeking the endpoints somewhere near the top.

“Hideaway” sounds almost inviting, doesn’t it…?



DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER…



We’ll keep sharing details as we head toward testing (go here to sign up for testing and be among The First), and you can count on early impressions from the testers throughout our various channels.

If you haven’t already, follow along with Exiles development on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven’t, I’ll find you. And SMITE you.

CONNECT WITH OTHER EXILES

If you want to hear about the game, ask questions or connect with others who are helping the development team think about features, design and narrative, hop into the Discord Channel for live chat and say hi– it’s a friendly crew with plenty of daily/weekly/sometimes-planned shenanigans.

BONUS - EW, WHAT’S THAT

No, this is not an enemy. It’s you. Or, rather, it’s the player Warrior doing a Shoulder Rush animation sans body (the same animation as seen above with body). This is simply presented as a bonus to haunt your dreams– I was frightened of it, so I want company…

BONUS 2 - MY FATHER’S SKULL!

You thought it was a throw-away caption in last month’s Update, but suddenly, an eerie light emerges from Julius Neomeirus’ father’s skull. Given it was ravaged by some ember-mutated cur, perhaps some knowledge or power remains in that skull, waiting for something (or someone) to unlock it?