Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms - isometric action RPG with dynamic overworld

[Axel_am]

Mr. Magniloquent Care to post a few screenshots of things that have grabbed your attention for us?

 

[Litmanen]

Is it combat oriented or there are C&C?

 

[cyborgboy95]

All the info about the latest update, which is the final one for EA!

Hello, Champions!

Alberto again after recent events and the delay of the 1.0 release with a new Sunday update. First and foremost, regarding the issues we faced for the launch, a heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who has supported us. A delay is never ideal, and it usually comes with reasonable technical timing. For us, it was a last-minute unexpected issue and tough to handle. As mentioned, we tried everything to launch by the Thursday, but there was no way around it. We are actively working on setting a new date, and we can confirm for now that we will be out 110% in November, depending on the plans we’re reworking.

That said, we’re here to dive into the highlights of Arcane Arts, the freshly released update and the final stop of Early Access. Arcane Arts is the largest and most comprehensive update we’ve done, requiring almost a year of work, running in the background while we handled other developments. This is because, simply put, the presence of magic in Alaloth was originally conceived in a specific, focused way, at a time when many aspects of the game were different.

The Magocracy of Valestrum, introduced in Chronicles, marked the first in-game iteration of magic, integrating a new kingdom in Plamen centered around spell users while maintaining consistency with the world’s lore

Every game has its own clear vision, and mine was to create a melee-focused experience with some magical elements and a few classes that fit well into the lore of Plamen, where spellcasters are not exactly common. We crafted a narrative around this vision with elements like the disappearance of Amberwalk Hall, the rare spell users, and the Red Wizard. We’ve always listened to the community, and we quickly realized that the most common request was to allow players to play as a mage. The point, then, was to transform systems initially designed for a certain kind of experience into something compatible with other systems that weren’t originally planned. And in game development, the most difficult part is often starting work in one direction only to change course along the way. This is what led to many of our design choices.

HOW MAGIC WORKS

The major design challenge was figuring out how to properly integrate spells into a game focused on physical combat, where spells were initially intended to be one of the customization options for a fighter. The goal was to maintain the concept of complete freedom in character creation, allowing players to mix skills from various professions without restriction. At first, we considered limiting the use of spells to characters who could only equip mage robes or staffs. But this seemed to contradict the original vision of total freedom, so we found a solution inspired, like several other elements, by Rolemaster, a highly complex game system I loved and played in the '90s, which also emphasized maximum freedom.

The final iteration of the Grandmasters encourages players to adopt specific playstyles to maximize their class potential. Lore-wise, they are scattered across Plamen, and shops will be refined with the 1.0 release

In Rolemaster, any character can attempt any action with any equipment, but there are steep penalties. For example, a warrior in full plate can try to cast a fireball, but the chance of success is nearly zero. Since we didn’t have a system for critical failure in Alaloth, we decided to address this through items rather than by restricting item types outright. So, a mage is encouraged to dress like a mage, as staffs increase magic damage while specialized robes reduce cooldowns. Conversely, non-mage items increase cooldowns, discouraging but not prohibiting a mix of all kinds. Casting a spell in full plate, perhaps with a shield and sword, will lead to cooldowns up to three times longer than usual, though these can still be reduced with other items or character development. Additionally, Grandmasters will now provide some class-specific gear through shops and train passive skills with certain prerequisites, encouraging different playstyles.

Naturally, Valestrum was the first lore step to introduce the various schools of magic, and with the 1.0 release, we’ll be completing the circle. Grandmasters are now spread across the map, each positioned in a plausible location. At launch, a universal shop will be set up in the magocracy [this was one of the final touches that had to be postponed due to the store issue]. Also, we’ve differentiated Quarterstaffs, both craftable and non-craftable, from Magic Staffs, which are specifically tied to spellcasting.

WAYS AND PROFESSIONS REWORKED, NEW TALENTS, NEW PROFICIENCIES, DAMAGE SCALING

The other major addition in Arcane Arts is that, while expanding the magic system, we reworked all the Ways and professions. The Ways are now divided into five categories: Way of Arms, Way of Gods, Way of Nature, Way of Arcane, and Way of Elements. In principle, the Way of Arms and the Way of Gods have remained largely the same. The former Way of Nature, which included magical classes connected to the “natural energy of the world,” has been refined to focus more on nature itself. All elemental spellcasters now fall under the Way of Elements, aligning with the Orders of Valestrum, while the Way of Arcane gathers casters who wield “cosmic” powers, so to speak.

Each way now includes a new profession, and the existing ones have been revisited and adapted to the new scaling system

Nearly all professions have been adjusted, blending skills and spells (which are now distinct in gameplay terms), with new talents and specializations. The Guardian and the Elementalist have been merged into other classes, and now each Way includes an additional profession. The new professions are: Rogue and Berserker for the Way of Arms; Druid, Bonder, and Ranger for the Way of Nature; Aeromancer, Pyromancer, Geomancer, and Hydromancer for the Way of Elements; Mystic Warrior, Runemaster, and Warlock for the Way of Arcane; and Shaman for the Way of Gods. This brings the total to 20 professions, with new traits and a complete set of magical proficiencies. One of the key changes is the damage scaling for both skills and spells. Four different tiers are available, influenced by stats, now including Wisdom as well, which primarily affects the Way of the Gods.

COMING UP NEXT

In the coming days, we’ll dive deeper into each Way and profession, but in the meantime, starting next week, a new build will be available with some urgent fixes and tweaks from the original launch package. This update will address numbers and values for various items that aren’t yet final (bonuses from deities, weapons, armor, some spell values, etc.).

Returning to the initial topic: most of the issues with Steam and the store have been resolved, so we’re technically ready to launch soon. However, we’re rearranging a number of things (streams, advertising, interviews, reviews) that were originally scheduled for October 30. More updates to come shortly. In the meantime, Arcane Arts changelos is here!

Stay legendary!

CHANGELOG
Added

• Added new Ways of Power: Nature, Elements, Arcane
• Added Rogue, Berserker, Mystic Warrior, Warlock, Pyromancer, Geomancer, Hydromancer, Aeromancer, Runemaster, Bonder, Druid, Ranger professions and talents.
• Added scaling of skills and spells, with 4 different Tiers of power
• Added new NPC and more than 40 new items
• Added new Traits and Proficiencies, for magic spell users
• Added Wisdom, influencing spells scaling and resistansces
• Added new Grandmasters for each new profession. Grandmasters will now trade and craft a selection of items.
• Added 11 new Achievements
• Added new crafting recipes and reagents
• New crafting recipes and reagents.
• Added voiceover on Throwmasters
• Added hostile pawns for Obsidian and Swamp golems and Wicked Shadows in the World Map.

Changed

• Player’s abilities are now referred to as Talents: each Talent is categorized as either a Skill or a Spell in its description, which has some gameplay implications.
• Stamina is now referred to as "Focus"
• Reworked and changed some player's Talents.
• Removed Guardian and Elementalist professions.
• Now damage from most abilities and projectiles will be influenced from physic and magic buff/malus on the caster.
• Ranged weapons attacks will now trigger their cooldown upon the action start instead of shoot time, in the same way of Talents.
• Added a chance to apply Lightning condition with “Thunderbolt”.
• Removed lifetime limit of summons for Summon Undeads.
• Removed usage limit for Vampiric Touch”and reduced healing amount.
• Reduced range in which the Fire condition damages other nearby enemies from 3,8m to 1,5m.
• Changed Grandmasters cards in Codex.
• Now various mobs will have complete immunity to specific conditions; for example generally demon-types will be immune to Bleed and Undead-types will be immune to Poison. When a condition attempts to apply for a character with a matching immunity, the message IMMUNE will now appear.
• Updated tutorials texts and shots.
• Crimson Cobwebs now requires collecting 25 cobwebs instead of 50.
• Timed quests will now have an hourglass icon besides their name in notifications.
• Quest items will now have their value at 0 (except for those sold by vendors).
• Improved visual quality of various scenes.

Fixed

• Fixed “Arrowchain” occasionally skipping directly beyond a new bouncing target.
• Fixed talents enabling summons to spawn in unreachable areas from caster position.
• Fixed player summons unable to follow player when spawned in areas reachable only through environment interactions (e.g. climbing at Windcrest Heights); now summons will be periodically teleported near their master in such scenarios.
• Fixed vfx for some melee skills being retriggered by using knife/bow attacks after the skill.
• Fixed Lileah AI unable to use her healing talent in response to player's SUPPORT command when the party member most in need is herself.
• Fixed missing collisions with ground in “Lornwood”.
• Correct Achievement description for “Amberwalk's Student”, which is meant to be awarded when all four gate portals are open.
• Fixed visual issue on weapons with poison effect.
• Fixed visuals of waterfall ripples in “Sholunarr”.
• Fixed “Talons of the Beast” not properly applying its bonus damage against goblins.
• Fixed some enemies auto-poisoning themselves.
• Fixed quest item for “Frozen Goblins” dropping outside of Karak-Hohn.
• Fixed quest item objectives for “Everyday Tools” not being available for interaction as soon as the quest is granted.
• Fixed depth texture in “Stonechair” and “Gashak”.
• Fixed killcam triggering sporadically in some edge cases; now will trigger only on player kill of the last enemy if no other is Aware or Suspicious in the scene.

 

[Alberto Belli]

Wont release today probably, steam issues. Tomorrow maybe.

Hey there,
Alberto here.

We had to postpone by a few days, trying to find out the best new date to drop the 1.0, reworking a bit all the activities already scheduled for November! It should be a couple of weeks or such, trying to transform this issue in something cool, through a couple of events we were not supposed to be. The issue with Steam is still on but we are going to solve it soon, talking with Valve right now :=)

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Wont release today probably, steam issues. Tomorrow maybe.

Hey there,
Alberto here.

We had to postpone by a few days, trying to find out the best new date to drop the 1.0, reworking a bit all the activities already scheduled for November! It should be a couple of weeks or such, trying to transform this issue in something cool, through a couple of events we were not supposed to be. The issue with Steam is still on but we are going to solve it soon, talking with Valve right now :=)

What about GoG mr Alberto?

 

[ArchAngel]

Wont release today probably, steam issues. Tomorrow maybe.

Hey there,
Alberto here.

We had to postpone by a few days, trying to find out the best new date to drop the 1.0, reworking a bit all the activities already scheduled for November! It should be a couple of weeks or such, trying to transform this issue in something cool, through a couple of events we were not supposed to be. The issue with Steam is still on but we are going to solve it soon, talking with Valve right now :=)

You missed your mark, you got lucky with unexpected PoE2 delay and you didn't use it.

 

[Alberto Belli]

Wont release today probably, steam issues. Tomorrow maybe.

Hey there,
Alberto here.

We had to postpone by a few days, trying to find out the best new date to drop the 1.0, reworking a bit all the activities already scheduled for November! It should be a couple of weeks or such, trying to transform this issue in something cool, through a couple of events we were not supposed to be. The issue with Steam is still on but we are going to solve it soon, talking with Valve right now :=)

What about GoG mr Alberto?

GOG has always been updated simultaneously

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Alright. I'm getting a better feel for it. I'm confident enough to kite less and take on several opponents simultaneously. Weaving through small groups with swings, dodges, parries, blocks, and kicks is very satisfying. The difficulty is still there, so it can go south quickly---but when you're in the zone it feels great. I've leveled up a few times now. This happens by completing zones. The zones I've been going to have been above my weight-class, but I was able to complete a 4 skull zone by killing all the Cortians (frogmen) and their king. The reward is an epic class sword, but I can't find the NPC in the town it says to return it to. I took some screen captures, but they're too large to upload here. I will put them on GDrive and link later.

So blocking having spill through damage is more clear a choice now. Shields and weapons have damage soak values. So some items are more suited to blocking than others, and this soak can be improved. I've started experimenting with parry more. It allows you to block and make a token counter attack, but you take no damage. Timing is required though. I'm very glad to have it so that I'm not dodging all of the time. It's improved my game. I also got my first talent. I tried a basic lightning spell with a low cooldown. It's not much, but it helps. More powerful abilities like summons and healing have limited use per zone. I think my next talent will be something more exotic. I'm eyeing a "gravitational point" ability that will pull and damage enemies to a point.

I'm definitely getting the hang of it and understanding its virtues better. This game is heavy on the action side of ARPG. I imagine in earlier versions is was almost arcade like. I'm going to use this character mostly to experiment until the 1.0 release, at which point I'll start clean and proper. I am still disliking most things that isn't combat. This game steps on its own toes.

 

[Martyr]

Is it combat oriented or there are C&C?

this is a pure combat game. the landmarks (cities, shrines etc.) are tiny and exist solely to fetch more combat quests from static, lifeless NPCs.
if you're not into "inspired by Dark Souls" combat then this game isn't for you.

 

[Litmanen]

Is it combat oriented or there are C&C?

this is a pure combat game. the landmarks (cities, shrines etc.) are tiny and exist solely to fetch more combat quests from static, lifeless NPCs.
if you're not into "inspired by Dark Souls" combat then this game isn't for you.

Thank you!

 

[sebas]

I bought this a long time ago because I really liked the feel of the combat. Will have to play it at some point now.

Congratulations on getting it released!

 

[Inec0rn]

ffs does every game have to have dark souls mentioned in it, this blatantly inspired by moonstone (even used in the marketing) which was an action combat game on Amiga in the early 90's. You find the combat hard = iT's DaRKsOUlS!!! ! ! ! game has stamina iTs DarkSpouils!!! game has respawning enemies iTss DarkDsouylsadfasdf...

 

[Martyr]

ffs does every game have to have dark souls mentioned in it, this blatantly inspired by moonstone (even used in the marketing) which was an action combat game on Amiga in the early 90's. You find the combat hard = iT's DaRKsOUlS!!! ! ! ! game has stamina iTs DarkSpouils!!! game has respawning enemies iTss DarkDsouylsadfasdf...

I think this kind of marketing is really useful - you immediately know which games to ignore!

 

[Alberto Belli]

ffs does every game have to have dark souls mentioned in it, this blatantly inspired by moonstone (even used in the marketing) which was an action combat game on Amiga in the early 90's. You find the combat hard = iT's DaRKsOUlS!!! ! ! ! game has stamina iTs DarkSpouils!!! game has respawning enemies iTss DarkDsouylsadfasdf...

Dark Souls for us is "hard to master" and we are saying this since ever as "inspired by Baldur's Gate" means iso-view, pre-rendered background and huge lore. Moonstone is where everything started, yes

 

[Alberto Belli]

Is it combat oriented or there are C&C?

this is a pure combat game. the landmarks (cities, shrines etc.) are tiny and exist solely to fetch more combat quests from static, lifeless NPCs.
if you're not into "inspired by Dark Souls" combat then this game isn't for you.

We have nearly 300 environments and yes, we have some tiny env, but we have a ton of big places to explore. Unless Baldur's Gate 1 or 2 where tiny. Also. there is nothing static in the world. NPC changes with entire sets of quests depending on what you do. Then we have action combat, yes

Cheers!

 

[Harthwain]

There is hope for a full release on 21st of November (it is not set in stone as Steam has yet to confirm the date, mind you. But it gives you a good idea when to expect it to happen).

 

[Alberto Belli]

There is hope for a full release on 21st of November (it is not set in stone as Steam has yet to confirm the date, mind you. But it gives you a good idea when to expect it to happen).

Yep, confirmed. Making this official tomorrow

 

[Lhynn]

There is hope for a full release on 21st of November (it is not set in stone as Steam has yet to confirm the date, mind you. But it gives you a good idea when to expect it to happen).

Yep, confirmed. Making this official tomorrow

You cunt, Ive been waiting for this release forever. I set aside last weekend for it. Suppose Ill have to wait.

Been wanting to play a game like this for so long.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I've played this game a bit more. My tester character Lemmiwinks has found 2 or 3 of the MacGuffins and is level 17/20. I'm only one more ability away from being maxed out so my character is nearly complete. I've been focusing on arcane and elemental skills. I am able to rely on my spells 95% of the time now, but my build is still forcing a square peg into a round hole. While I have respectible offense, my situation is never safe. I'm encountering beefier enemies and much larger groups of monsters. This game does allow you to hire mercs and there are a few companions. I'm not sure how many you can have active. It appears to be 4 but I only have 1. If I weren't leaning hard into magic, I think the game would be exceptionally difficult without them.

The game is still all over the place. There is a lot of good here but a lot of bad. I'm going to reserve my judgement until after the 1.0 release.

 

[Harthwain]

This game does allow you to hire mercs and there are a few companions. I'm not sure how many you can have active. It appears to be 4 but I only have 1. If I weren't leaning hard into magic, I think the game would be exceptionally difficult without them.

From what I saw you can play as Templar/Cleric that boosts/heals allies, so having more companions could be one of the playstyles.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

This game does allow you to hire mercs and there are a few companions. I'm not sure how many you can have active. It appears to be 4 but I only have 1. If I weren't leaning hard into magic, I think the game would be exceptionally difficult without them.

From what I saw you can play as Templar/Cleric that boosts/heals allies, so having more companions could be one of the playstyles.

It seems that way, I just haven't messed with it yet. Given everything I've seen about the game, that's probably the most optimal build. Companions when fallen in a dungeon can be revived to about 70% health at no cost. I don't know if this can be done more than once per map, but I have no indication of it. Companions and summons are quite strong in this game.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Alaloth 1.0 launches tomorrow!

Hello Champions!

Let’s cut straight to the chase. You probably saw that emotional post already, so I won’t repeat myself here. But let’s be honest, nothing’s changed in terms of feelings. If anything, these last three extra weeks have cranked things up even more.

You see, we thought we’d be wrapping things up, basking in the glow of a job well done. Instead, we were hit with a curveball, a problem we couldn’t even fix ourselves. Classic, right? So, once again, we had to pivot, rework, and improvise a whole bunch of plans that we had poured sweat and tears into. But, hey, silver linings. These three weeks gave us the clarity we needed to refine everything and get ready for a launch that is now, drumroll, literally one click away. Seriously, I just have to push a button.

Can't wait!

Of course, because the universe loves a bit of drama, I got hit with a fever from hell over the last couple of days. But, guess what? Here we are, as always, ready to roll. And like the big fancy studios, I've even made a worldwide launch times graphic! Plamen is ready to welcome all RPG lovers, with a little extra love for the veterans (you know who you are!) while giving a nod to the younger crowd who live for DPS stats, builds, and kill counts! As soon as 1.0 drops, we’ll be sharing more details about our post-launch plans for 2025. We’re excited to give you a glimpse into what’s coming next, including more updates, content drops, and everything else we’ve got planned for the future! Keep an eye out!

See you tomorrow!

Alberto

 

[Infinitron]

https://af.gog.com/game/alaloth_champions_of_the_four_kingdoms?as=1649904300

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/4688899473259772720

The wait is over! The biggest Indie RPG awaits you!

Hello Champions!

We’re excited to announce that
Alaloth 1.0 is out now on Steam
! It’s been an incredible journey, and we couldn’t have done it without your support. While we’re crazy busy with the launch, we’ll be available nonstop over the next 48 hours to check in on the game and see how everyone is experiencing it.

Stay tuned for a detailed post-launch roadmap for 2025
, where we’ll reveal details of what's coming up next! We’ll also introduce a plethora of free content, including localization support for multiple languages arriving with update 1.1.

We did it!


As always, we’re committed to supporting the game fully with regular updates, fixing any issues at lightning speed and listening to your feedback for future improvements.
Expect new modes, mobs, quests, NPCs, and so much more!
For now, let’s focus on the release and celebrate this milestone together! Your support, feedback, and passion have shaped the game into what it is today. Whether you’ve been with us since day one or just joined the adventure,
we are endlessly grateful
. Thank you for believing in us, in Alaloth, for sharing your thoughts, and for championing our vision.

The world of Plamen still holds many stories to tell, and we’re excited to continue expanding and improving the game with your input.


Now, it’s your turn to rise, Champions!

Stay legendary!

Alberto

 

[Brancaleone]

Anybody has any info on the recommended system requirements (potato laptop owner here)?