[Demo] Next Fest Update

Next Fest Update

[v.396944]
ːsteamthisː ⇒ Community-inspired change

Hail, Wardens! Kev here, game director of Box Dragon and our resident game designer. You're just in time for the new patch. But first off, did you catch the new gameplay trailer where we reveal the release date?
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
I'll keep these patchnotes short and not go over every little detail. We've got plenty of other fixes, gameplay, and art improvements in various places. So, onward to major changes since the last Demo update:

Two FULL Biomes in the Demo
ːsteamthisːDouble Expedition Pacing Change
ːsteamthisːNew Scavenge System
ːsteamthisːNew Encounter Info
ːsteamthisːNew Market Event System
New Wound System
New Unit: PURIFIER
ːsteamthisːNew HUD, UI, and HUD Scaling Setting
ːsteamthisːOverhauled Favor Economy
ːsteamthisːRupture and Tar Reworks
Recoverable Technology
Over 40 new cards, 20 technologies, 5 enemies, 2 minibosses, 2 bosses
Tons more unit, perk, tech, card, and enemy adjustments
ːsteamthisːNew Meta-Progression Screen
Lots of new card art
ːsteamthisːVarious performance improvements
ːsteamthisːAnd yes, the Hold-Escape bug has been fixed

[h2] Two Biomes of Gameplay[/h2]
Designer notes: You can now play through all of the first two Biomes with the first Origin, even in the demo. Countless challenges await you here, and for the daring, you can even crank up the Descension difficulty system.

[h2] Double Expedition Pacing Change[/h2]
Designer notes: Tired of the methodical pacing? You can now deploy at rapid speed. But be warned; your forces only get time to catch their breath upon a new cycle, and there are far fewer cycles now then before.

Biome 1 Cycles decreased from 6 to 4
Biome 2 Cycles decreased from 7 to 5
You get 2 Expedition Force cards each cycle now
However, this may be quite taxing for your forces, so keep an eye on their health and fatigue

[h2] New Scavenge System[/h2]
Designer notes: After each successful expedition, you will be able to use the Scavengers you bring with you to salvage resources. A risky option you can do to make room for additional Scavengers is by sending fewer units to each Expedition.

5 Scavengers are deployed with you into expeditions
Leaving empty deployment slots will grant +2 Scavengers
Scavengers are spent to scavenge resources from ruins
Some resource deposits in ruins are extra dangerous, beware of Contamination!

[h2] New Unit: Purifier[/h2]
Designer notes: The Purifier arrives, a new rare unit that is a solo squad. It wields powerful support abilities, but can also harness the power of Afflictions using its Absolution perk to turn the tides of battle.

Absolution: Auto-action grants a stack. At 3, unleashes a powerful auto-attack that scales with the number of Affliction cards in your battle deck.
Starter cards: Purge, Penitence, Shadow Sight
Features 11 learnable cards and the unique Deliverance affliction
Various cards feature the Absolution Bonus, which spends a stack of Absolution to gain a bonus

[h2] Technology[/h2]
Designer notes: You will find many artifact fragments while out on Expeditions. Returning these to the Elder will allow you to craft powerful technology to aid your forces.

Turn in two Artifact Halves to gain a new technology
18 powerful technologies await you in the demo

Congratulations on making it to the end of the patch notes! If you've got any thoughts, please leave a comment below. Eager for more? Wishlist and Follow As We Descend to make sure you get all the announcements as well as a notification when the game launches:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769830/As_We_Descend

If you want more experimental content, you'll have to signup for closed beta access. You can also join the Discord to talk to other players and have a greater chance to earn a beta key. Thanks for following along in our development journey, looking forward to seeing you in the Demo (and hopefully the Beta too)!

Cheers,
Kev
Game Director at Box Dragon