Dear Aspirants!
With the recent Spectacles Update having been a massive success, we are excited to already start showing off the next version of We Who Are About To Die! Introducing the next major update: Champion's Journey!
This update contains a few major character-oriented features that change the game completely, yet again. We are adding a good deal of QoL, bugfixes and - of course - content, but the most prominent features are oriented around the player character, the mainliner being Character Traits!
Character Traits
Traits are randomly added to your character, and impact your character in all kinds of creative and interesting ways.
Character Traits are positive, neutral or negative, and there are minor and major types indicating the impact on your run. It could be something as simple as a stat increase, to as run-altering as missing an arm.
Backstories already have inherent traits that are always the same, so with these new random character traits on top, the game is about a million times more replayable.
Take a look at current roster of traits above (most likely still to be expanded). I've even numbered them to fuel some speculation on what these trait icons might represent! We will reveal traits post by post.
Preview #1 Trait Reveals!
In today's preview, we'll reveal these 3 traits! All three are major traits, one positive, one neutral and one negative.
Born Leader
Your taunt/cheer now becomes a buff that temporarily increases effectiveness and aggression of all your allies in combat. Born Leader is a trait that will guide your run to large group battles with allies.
Owakhan Heritage
A neutral trait: an Owakhan Mask Spirit follows you. You gain a unique Owakhan Mask that you cannot unequip - it haunts you!
One-Handed
How it happened, we'll leave up to you - but you are missing a left arm. You cannot equip left-arm armor, 2-handed weapons or a shield, but are more effective with 1H weapons. Good luck!
You can imagine the deep impact this has on a run, we also imagine character traits will be deeply connected to challenge runs the community invents (especially once Sandbox is added).
A new arena!
In the gang-owned back-alleys near the Inner City you may find a seedy fight or two from time to time. Even if they may be hosted by those dwelling in the underbelly of Terantia - coin is coin...
Did you spot it?!
Over the last few months I've actually been teasing traits here and there in creative subtle ways. What was not so subtle however, was the shop in Inner City that has traits on the wall as a little easter egg! Did anyone notice?
We're at Gamescom!
Pictured:Developer Lino thinking about Rome in Köln. (Linolians - get it?)
The entire team is at Gamescom 2024! If you're in the industry and want to chat, search for a We Who Are About To Die shirt!
That's it for todays preview! We have been working hard even while in the last stages of The Spectacles Update, so that means Champion's Journey is well on its way.
We'll talk more on how traits are generated and embedded in the game in the next posts, as well as revealing some more features and traits in the Champion's Journey update!
Want to stay up to date on the game and studio's development?
- Join our Discord: http://discord.gg/8PEutcdwf5
- Sign up to our long-term newsletter: https://subscribe.jordylakiere.net/Newsletter
- Subscribe on Youtube (video previews coming later): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWNMvD_XLJ3unATX8O7aWJg
As always,
We who are about to die salute you!
Jordy Lakiere