Stoneshard - Trollslayer Progress Update

A progress update for Stoneshard dubbed Trollslayer promises to be available April 14th.

Devlog: Progress Update

Hello everyone!

In today's devlog we'll share more details about some of the new additions which will be included in the "Trollslayer" update.

Grave Robbery

Now you'll be able to grab a shovel and head to the nearest cemetery. If you spend some time digging around, you might find something valuable or interesting. Just remember that this isn't the most pleasant of activities, so your character's sanity and morale can take a noticeable hit if you rob graves too frequently.

If you don't have a shovel with you, you can also try digging with your bare hands. Though the process will take much more time in this case plus there's a risk of hand injury.

Roadside Altars

It's now possible to randomly encounter roadside altars which were set up to honor the Host, the deity worshipped in Aldor. You can pray to the Host by these altars to gain a blessing for a few hundred turns. Blessings grant resistance to unholy damage, gradually restore psyche, and slightly increase received experience.

With the addition of a fully-fledged worship system, the altars mechanics will be substantially expanded, but for now their purpose is to add more variety to the world and encourage traveling by roads.

Save Slots

There were lots of requests to add character slots, so by popular demand it was decided to add them with this update. You'll no longer need to bother with backing up game files. It'll now be possible to create multiple characters and switch between them without any busywork.

Changes to Dungeon Generation

We continue experimenting with our dungeon generator by adding various changes. The updated version will be able to create more complex and engaging structures.

We also continue to fill the world with more details. The "Trollslayer" update will have three new points of interests. One of them we've already shown. Here's the second one:

Update Release Date

We've decided to add a number of initially unplanned and unannounced features (such as save slots and changes to dungeon generation), so we'll need a bit more time to finish their implementation and polish the build. "Trollslayer" will be available in three weeks - exactly on April 14th.

Until next time!

More information.

If you play the warrior or archer class, this is an acceptably fun game. I tried as a mage and found it brutally difficult. The lack of save anywhere absolutely killed it for me eventually, but I got about 40 hours out of it trying to create a mage character that could survive the 3rd contract. I came close but never succeeded. I can't recommend it, but I wouldn't be surprised if melee/archer combat enthusiasts would enjoy the game. Those classes both start with massive bonuses to damage that a mage just doesn't get.

Originally Posted by crpgnut
If you play the warrior or archer class, this is an acceptably fun game. I tried as a mage and found it brutally difficult. The lack of save anywhere absolutely killed it for me eventually, but I got about 40 hours out of it trying to create a mage character that could survive the 3rd contract. I came close but never succeeded. I can't recommend it, but I wouldn't be surprised if melee/archer combat enthusiasts would enjoy the game. Those classes both start with massive bonuses to damage that a mage just doesn't get.

I'm sure this is going to get better as this is early access….you know that right?

Originally Posted by rune_74
I'm sure this is going to get better as this is early access….you know that right?

I do have hopes of that. I was opining on what exists in reality, not what may exist tomorrow. If it stays rogue-like I think it'll stay extremely niche, but he may make a full-fledged rpg out of it eventually. Rogue-likes are for people who can't tell a story. Hmmm, maybe Bethesda could try their hand at it

Wow! Somebody posted fast enough that I hadn't moved on yet. Congrats! You win a follow-up post. Not sure it's really a prize though…

I like three dot sentences…

for real…

With my mage I could never beat the Prologue Boss. Nice game, tho. Needs balancing, as any other EA product. Especially will be fun with the character generator. Nice to see Geomancy, Pyromancy and that eyecandy pixel graphics!!

I got this on the day of "release" and had some decent fun with it, but it's still barely something you can call a game. Can only play 4 preset characters with no customization options (name, gender, class etc can't be chosen) and a lot of the talent trees that seem like fun are locked.

Still, what I played looked good, so I'll likely give it another go when it can actually call itself a game.

I'm reading these and wonder why this is surprising to some of you, early access does not mean completed.

I also take issue with rogue likes are for people who can't tell a story. Sure they aren't as deep usually as a static rpg with set encounters etc, but I would say they are as good as a lot of the open world games out there.

Remember , this isn't the finished product, mentioning "release" like it wasn't ready seems a bit off.

What exists in reality is a work in progress sheesh.

I put in a few dozen hours. Great game in the making.

I just can't stop reading the name as stones-hard.

If your game is generated on the fly, it is really hard to tell a cohesive story. This is just common sense. I don't think Stoneshard is bad. Currently it is too tough on mages and other classes are much, much easier. It is early access true, but then again only 25% of games that hit early access reach release…well that is old data. I couldn't find newer data to still back that up. It may have gone up a bit.

I wouldn't recommend it today for people who like to play mages, but I hope to recommend it by the time it releases. The tutorial, which isn't proc-gen is pretty decent, so there's hope that the end game will tell an acceptable story.

Bottom line: I've played it 40 hours so have a more informed opinion than someone who doesn't own the game. I've also supported the developer whereas other people have not.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
I put in a few dozen hours. Great game in the making.

I don't agree yet, but I DO see the potential. There is a lot of good in there already, quite a bit of "meh", and a little bit of "please change this shite now"!

Well I like the charm of the pixel art and indie aspect of the game and the risk / reward of extending your runs. It held my interest for quite a while. I’ll probably wait for the caravan implementation before giving it another go

I like what I see so far, but I'll wait til it's done cooking

Yep, I have played for a bit but don't like to put much time into any early access games until complete so as to not ruin it for me. Bottom line the game was always marketed as a roguelite, don't go in expecting something it isn't.