Greetings Knight-To-Be,

We are excited to bring to your next major update: Citadel of Steel!

The development team have been working on this quite extensively since our last release, Twin Thorns.

There are quite a few updates for you to explore: the new Talisman system, updated boat movements, new small islands and of course the Flare Forge! You can find out more about the update in the notes below. Before that here are some features that we want to highlight and provide more insight.

Save Wipes

Before we dive into the update we do want to point out a major talking point regarding our updates. Save wipes. We understand that losing your save file or needing to restart your save can feel daunting and discouraging. We understand that and we feel that pain. In all scenarios, if we are able to avoid the need to exercise a save wipe, we would avoid it.

Unfortunately, as we develop new gameplay systems, update or remove existing features we are required to do so to improve the overall experience of Sands of Aura. Most instances of our need to save wipe is because these new features can cause existing save files to not load properly.

While we wish we did not need to save wipe files, we are extremely proud of the changes we have made and features we add with each and every update. We believe that throughout this early access process we will be able to provide our players with a complete and enjoyable experience at full release.

Please keep this in mind as we progress through Early Access.

Talisman System

Prior to this patch, our players would interact with our Blessing System to improve their ability to combat enemies. We have completely replaced that with our new Talisman System!

With our previous Blessings system, you, the Knight-to-be, would go out into the world and collect Scriptures. Using these scriptures, you would return to a Priestess of Leisis and unlock different blessings (or 'power-ups') in the menu. You would then be able to unlock a certain number per tier if you had the requisite number of scriptures. We felt this system could be a bit confusing, and we heard this from community feedback, as well.

We have thus revamped the old Blessings system to a new Talisman system. With our new system, you will still find scriptures out in the world, but now there are new items out there, as well. In the new system, the Scriptures will allow you to unlock slots to equip the effects of the Talismans once they are turned in at the Church Upgrade Interactable. These new Talismans are consumable/usable items similar to the Pommels and Codices you could already be familiar with. Once consumed, you will need to return to a Priestess of Leisis to activate them.

The more Scriptures you collect, the more slots you unlock, the more Talismans you can have equipped at one time, the more powerful you become!

Grainwake Improvements

Our favorite way to travel in Sands of Aura is in our own Grainwake. We want this to be one of the highlights of your experience as you hop between islands. And now, you can quite literally hop between islands!

We have implemented the feature to apply a momentary boost to your ships movement. Timing the boost just right off of a sand wave can provide you with additional speed. Another benefit? Air time. Feel the quiet of the sky above the sand seas as you leap into the air. A moment of peace in a desolate world.

Flare Forge

The uprooting of Wilgram’s progeny has sown a renewed legacy within the wreckage of Radix Stronghold. Those tangled amongst its thorns have been liberated and the darkest corners of its brutal mausoleum have been exposed to a cleansing light. Whispers move across the sands of Talamhel. They speak of burgeoning alliances, of the germination of hope.

And yet, a storm of golden flame awaits you.

With elaborate spires of steel and stone, the Flare Forge—the very heart of the venerable Ferrum—boils against the horizon. Beneath the hiss and growl of a tempest, through a haze of hammer and spark, you will cut down specters which shamble through grand halls, discover schemes that fester in the depths of shadow, and balance upon scaffolds hung before a belly of fire. Take to the sands in an enhanced Grainwake, claim new allies, abilities and armor, as you excavate more than just riches from Talamhel’s eldest race.

There are those who would see you fail. Those who would see you broken upon the anvil of the enemy. But the choice is yours to make, Knights...

Will you restore the restraints of unfettered aspiration? Or will you embrace the inferno of desire?

0.03.27 - Citadel of Steel Patch Notes

Island & Environments

General

• Added new quests for Flare Forge, Lost Laboratory, and The Coldwell.

• Reworked the main quest flow to better communicate your objectives before heading to Radix Stronghold and Flare Forge.

• Armor can now be upgraded to Level 8 by Cathexis, The Forge Master.

• Updated items that were previously dropping at the incorrect level.

• Isuthel has been renamed to Maveth, The Quietus of Totality.

• Added animation hitstops to successful player attacks for some extra visual feedback.

• Fixed crash that could occur while learning multiple recipes at once.

• Fixed issue that could cause Human NPCs to duplicate their weapons under certain conditions.

• Getting too close to the Pillar of Entropy will kill the player.

• The player will no longer take damage or be attacked while in dialogue, preventing instances where some enemies decided they wanted to interrupt your conversation.

• The player will now face characters they are interacting with in dialogue.

• Adjustments to camera to prevent harsh snaps that would occur if quickly advancing through dialogue.

• Cleaned up some unclear or inconsistent dialogue options.

• The player will now lean on the bar while talking to Yilda in Indigo's Call.

• Updated several items’ descriptions, lore, and how-to-use text.

• Fixed inconsistent capitalization of "Ferrum".

Radix Stronghold

• Fixed issue where Corrupted Moro would not properly respawn if the player died during the fight.

• The sigil key has been renamed to "Embrasarian's Fractured Sigil".

• Fixed camera and state issues that could occur during Aura's pond-side conversation in Radix Stronghold.

• Fixed issue causing a Level 12 Haste Rune in Radix Stronghold to disappear when approaching it.

• Adjusted Ferrum walls in Radix Stronghold to not be destroyable by enemies, preventing accidental or out-of-sequence quest progression.

• "A Fruitful Experience" can now be completed.

Dune of Creation

• Fixed an instance of the UI flashing on screen after leaving the Dune of Creation.

Starspire Refuge

• The "Use the Forge" quest has been replaced with a new forge tutorial quest, "Tending Flames", which will be started after speaking to Danaya, The Forgestoke at Starspire's lower terrace.

• Lawrence and Galina will now await the player at whichever Starspire Dock the player arrives at after completing “Well Run Dry”.

• Felker will also wait by the nearest dock to the Grainwake in Starspire.

The Cinderhold

• Fixed issue causing a specific Feral Ferrum to despawn early.

• Adjustments to Cinder Key placement and the nearby Soldier Ferrum.

Paragon's Rest

• Adjusted the "Emerald Flame, Ember Heart" quest trigger to reduce the chance of Tannen's flare firing while out of view.

• Fixed issue where Mott and Rory would repeat certain dialogue lines.

• Tannen, The Panic-Stricken will now disengage the player if he's cornered, rather than just standing still or getting stuck.

• Adjusted the camera during the fight with Tannen, The Panic-Stricken to increase visibility.

Malek's Menagerie

• Updated lighting on Creature and Squab to increase their visibility in dark environments.

Sunken Tower

• Added additional collision to ladders in Sunken Tower.

Tupi's Grotto

• Fixed issues where "Sand Soaked" could be started after Ubaani had been killed.

• Minor adjustments to some enemy spawns to keep them from bouncing after resting at a bell.

Starspire Cavern

• Added additional boundaries to prevent the Feral Ferrum from falling off the map during combat.

Gameplay

Player

• Infinite Inventory: There is no longer a cap on the number of items you can hold!

• Storage Inventory: The player can now store items they want to keep but don't want cluttering up their inventory. Storage chests can be found near docks and merchants.

• Temporal Spellblade: Manipulate the fabric of spacetime to augment your abilities with this new spellblade type.

• Fixed bug causing some vfx to spawn in the incorrect location on the player.

• Fixed bug allowing some damage mitigation effects to work on fall damage.

• Added sound effect for weapon swapping.

• Added sound effect when taking fall damage.

• Fixed bug that could cause spellblade attacks to trigger multiple times if they were activated in the middle of an attack sequence.

Boat

• Stability: Improved boat interactions with the sand ocean to improve flow of driving and reduce inconsistencies due to variable frame rate.

• Downhill Speed Boost: Added speed boost when going down dunes allowing skillful drivers to take advantage of the sand sea and get where they're going faster.

• Activatable Speed Boost: The player can now activate a temporary speed boost every few seconds while sailing. Get to where you're going faster or take to the skies with a boost of that sand dune!

• Visual Enhancements: Sound and visual effects now give more feedback when boosting your boat as well as fancy new wings on the boat which enable active boosting and sharper turning.

• Impacts: First iteration of effects when running into things with your boat. Sound and visual effects play when you hit things hard enough. Don't worry the sand skiff is tough!(For now). Also improved collision precision.

• Fixed bug causing controls to lock up if the boat was capsized while the menu was open.

NPCs

• Fall Damage: Enemies have been getting by too easy not taking any fall damage. Now when falling they take damage just like you. If a fall will kill you, it will kill them. Gravity for all!

• Added Ferrum Sentinel enemy type. Big tough enemies that use an array of magical and melee abilities on intruders of the Flare Forge.

• Added Ferrum Flame Spirit enemy type. They may not be as tough when not using armor but they can still be lethal!

• Added Ferrum Spearman enemy type. They are known to throw their spears with deadly precision.

• Added Ferrum Mage enemy type. Evasive magic users that will teleport to safety and bombard you with magical projectiles. There are rumors they are capable of resurrecting lesser Ferrum as well.

• Added Flare Feral Ferrum enemy variation that introduces chaotic magical abilities.

• Added mini boss Coldwell Barbarian. He wields the powers of frost to chilling effect but keep your eye on his big axe too. Some say he holds the knowledge to learn frost spellblade abilities.

• Added Vozryx Elite Ferrum enemy variation with new combat abilities.

• Enhanced mini boss Alchemect with new abilities and effects. Don't breathe in that purple smoke!

• Made adjustments to human type enemy NPCs to make their attacks more readable and attack ranges more closely match visuals.

• Fixed bug causing some npcs to play unintentionally large effects when dissolving away on death.

• Improved health bar location for NPCs of varying sizes.

• Fixed bugs related to damage and status effects during phase 1 of the boss fight with Ubaani.

• Added ability to stagger Screamer Husks. Now you'll have a better chance of stopping them before they alert their allies.

Items

• Buy/Sell Ratio: The merchants of Talamhel are getting clever, they won't sell items back to you for the same price they purchased them for. They gotta make a living too!

• Vigorous Vermouth: This effect has been changed now causing you to take less poise damage at the cost of healing effectiveness.

• Talismans: The priest blessing system has been replaced by talismans. Scour the world for these rare artifacts that imbue your character with powerful effects.

• New Armor Sets: Several new armor sets have been added (Elite Ferrum, Ferrum Steel, Cyrans, and Berins).

• New Weapon Head Codex: The Ferrum weapon head codex has been added.

• New Pommel Casts: New pommel casts have been added (Replenishing Guard, Overflow) - Runes: Rebalanced some rune values so they feel more impactful.

• Fixed bug not allowing weapons to be craftable under certain inventory circumstances.

• Fixed bug not allowing runes to not be removable under certain inventory circumstances.

• Items whose only purpose is to be sold will not remain in npc inventories after being sold to them.

• Reworked Amplified armor effect to trigger from healing bells rather than when resting at a resonance bell.

• Added a cooldown to the Spellswords armor effect.

UI

• Talisman Window has replaced the blessing menu from members of the church

• Player menus added the new talisman window so you can see the equipped talismans

• Fixed visual errors to the spell menu when upgrading the different spells

• Added a new interactable by Navae that unlocks more slots to allow the player to equip more talisman

• Added more Error messages giving the players more info on what failed, and gave them more time on screen so the player has a chance to see them

• Status effects that show in the center of the screen now show multiple bars if they are a stacking effect with different cooldowns These effects also have new display text that match the effect. The dune of creation debuf is still in runic

• New Storage Menu

• Armor Icons have been updated with new artwork

• There is now a countdown of your glint when you gain or lose any

• Updated item descriptions to have a how to use and a general description

• Added a shield effect for the player health when a certain armor is worn

Performance

• Made improvements in performance for lower end systems running low and medium quality settings.

• Improved the auto detection for graphics settings

We hope you enjoy this update as much as we did! Please feel free to leave us feedback in our discord or in the steam discussions. We are quite active in those areas to answer questions and take in comments to improve Sands of Aura.

As always, Thank you for playing!

• Chashu Entertainment