Solasta - Next Stop, Full Release!

Redglyph spotted a new update for Solasta: Crown of the Magister:

Dev Update #29 - Next Stop, Full Release!

Hello there folks,

I hope you're all enjoying the Spring Update very much, as we are now headed for the final release of Solasta: Crown of the Magister! "And when exactly would that be" I hear you asking - my most humble apologies, this information will have to stay secret… for a bit longer! Keep an eye on the horizon, for you will soon know the date (for you worrywarts out there, I can tell you that it will indeed be this year). Now, for something you were all waiting for… cats!

A perfect fit. On a sadder note, Linus (cat on the right, last Dev Update) passed away peacefully last week. Sleep well my friend!

Onwards, to version 1.0!

As stated in the introduction, our next big update will be the full release of Solasta: Crown of the Magister - meaning we'll be leaving Early Access once and for all! Thanks again to all of you who joined us during this journey and whose feedback help us make a better game - you guys (and gals!) are the MVPs.

Here is a reminder of what you can expect from Solasta at launch:

• The full campaign of Solasta: Crown of the Magister
• Additional side quests, including a particularly difficult one!
• Full orchestral OST - you might have already spotted a few orchestral tracks in the Spring Update
• An increase of the max level cap from 8 to 10, with level 5 spells
• An update to the Dungeon Maker Beta
• Steam Workshop implementation to make Custom Dungeon sharing easier
• Digital Kickstarter Rewards for our Backers
• Supporter Pack Digital Rewards (special dice)

But the train doesn't stop there!

• Free Post-launch Sorcerer DLC, which will unlock the Sorcerer class to everyone (not just backers)
• Physical Kickstarter Rewards, planned to be sent the months following the release of Solasta 1.0
• More info later about our post-launch plans - we've got a game to finish first!

[…]

More information.

Now that is good news. Real cool they are implementing Steam Workshop at launch. That could be a lot of new adventures to go on.

Only level 10, sigh
Still day1 buy.

Originally Posted by Telstar
Only level 10, sigh
Still day1 buy.

I don't wanna compare both games but in BG 1 the experience points were capped at 89,000 XP, which may take the chars to level 7 max (thief/bard/druid may get to 8th level with such XP cap).
Tales of the Sword Coast caps experience points at 161,000 which may take most classes to level 8, while wizards may get to 9th level and, again, only thief/bard/druid classes may reach 10th level.

(Source: https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Experience_Tables)

So, at first, level 10 max is not all that bad. I'd also prefer Solasta characters to reach 20th level, of course, but this "wet dream" can be frustrated due to budget issues and time constraining, since devs should make quests/challenges/locations more appropriate for higher level characters.

Originally Posted by Ripper

Thanks, Leo

I'm fine with a max level of 10. I've always enjoyed lower-level adventuring more in D&D.

Hopefully the game does well enough that they can develop a sequel with higher levels where we can continue with the same party.

Yeah, I'm not even expecting the game as a whole to be a home run. It's more that it's seemed a really solid project, well-run.

I suspect there will be a number of things we'd like to see, and hopefully it's enough of a success that they can build upon it.

Looking forward to the final release. A bit burnt on EA/Beta as I am doing 3 so decided to wait for final on this one.

Early buzz was that it's closer to what 5e should be than BG3, which had a more Divinity tinge. I picked it up, probably won't play til release tho.

Being low level for the first iteration sounds perfect for me. Perhaps we'll get meaty expansions to take us higher in levels, or in sequels. I've found the first to tenth level ranges to be usually the most fun.

Same.. level 10 seems like it should offer plenty of content and things to do for a game of this caliber. Congrats to the Devs for seeing such a complex task to a successful conclusion. I can't wait to play it!

Did they mention when?

Originally Posted by henriquejr
I don't wanna compare both games but in BG 1 the experience points were capped at 89,000 XP, which may take the chars to level 7 max (thief/bard/druid may get to 8th level with such XP cap).

Yes, but the effort needed for level increase in AD&D is an entirely different experience compared to level experience in later releases of D&D. It wouldn't surprise me if the level up rate were 50% faster now, so achieving 8th level in AD&D takes as much work as 12th level in modern D&D.

Originally Posted by Mosaic
Early buzz was that it's closer to what 5e should be than BG3, which had a more Divinity tinge. I picked it up, probably won't play til release tho.

It is much closer to 5E regarding the ruleset, they have very few minor deviations and expose the action composition (action, bonus action, interaction, reaction) in a much clearer way on the UI. But it's SRD, not the full D&D 5E licence, so there is no WotC lore, nor some of the archetypes, feats, …

BG3 has nothing to do with Divinity. They use the Forgotten Realms lore and the D&D 5E mechanics, but they introduced some modifications. Nothing dramatic.

Originally Posted by largh
Did they mention when?

They were hoping to release it this summer, but they'll confirm that in a later announcement.

Originally Posted by Hastar
Now that is good news. Real cool they are implementing Steam Workshop at launch. That could be a lot of new adventures to go on.

There're also quite a few mods on Nexusmod too, those are independent 3rd-party's that T.A. can't endorse but they're very promising

I think BG3 also caps at level 10-12 and it will be a pretty massive game, so it depends on how they handle it. I'm quite looking forward to Solasta's full release myself, and I wish when they made a post about the final release, they had actually given us a date. That felt a bit of a clickbaity announcement with information that was already available.

Im looking forward to low level adventuring, hopefully they also provide some suitable, lower profile plot, not another world-saving cliche.

Originally Posted by Nereida
I think BG3 also caps at level 10-12 and it will be a pretty massive game, so it depends on how they handle it. I'm quite looking forward to Solasta's full release myself, and I wish when they made a post about the final release, they had actually given us a date. That felt a bit of a clickbaity announcement with information that was already available.

Nothing like throwing a little red meat to your base.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Yes, but the effort needed for level increase in AD&D is an entirely different experience compared to level experience in later releases of D&D. It wouldn't surprise me if the level up rate were 50% faster now, so achieving 8th level in AD&D takes as much work as 12th level in modern D&D.

Yeah, agreed. That's one of the reasons why I started my reply above by saying I didn't wanna compare both BG1 and Solasta. I know they use different rulesets. What I meant was: even being capped to level 10, we can have the same fun as we did back when we played BG1 (well, we = rest of you, since I started by playing BG2 and never played BG1 and its expansion).

Solasta of the Microscopically Fonted Tooltips and texts. I hope their electron-sized fonts will be visible on a 27" monitor..

The programming job done on this one is awesome. They managed a Supermario-style gameplay at 1:39:00 with a small party. They give also a taste of "Assassin's Creed-style running on vertical surfaces" for the spiders.
Good combat sounds and nice particle effects. Definitely a Product of Love®! Worth the money.