KickStarter Vagrus: The Riven Realms - post-apocalyptic fantasy caravan master RPG - At the Heart of Ruin DLC coming early 2025

[goregasm]

This has been in my library for some time now and i keep picking up the dlc when they are released, but for some reason i can't bring myself to play it much. I can instantly recognize all of its great qualities such as the excellent writing, art design and lore, but it just lacks anything that would personally hook me.

Kind of in the same boat, bought it at release, followed it beforehand, played like 30 minutes since then. I don't think it's that anything doesn't hook me, as it feels like Malazan which is a series I enjoy.

I suppose it's more that, while I am an avid reader, I need to be in a certain mindset to read this much while playing a game.

I read at night to relax before bed, I play games to fill a different sort of escapism. Time is limited as well due to life, kids, wife etc, but somehow it still feels like, in my case I haven't given the game a fair shake, but gods do I love the concept and idea of it.

 

[Ibn Sina]

My main grip is that the MC is a phantom in this game. He should have been a character to play in the tactical battles. You can choose that the MC was a veteran fighter or mercenary, it means nothing. Despite not particpating in any fights the MC is always the first to die if any CYOA option fails or goes wrong. It does not help that most of the CYOA options that lead into combat indicates that the MC is there. I lost interest in the game because of this shit.

 

[ItsChon]

Meh. I think they ought to stop developing Vagrus already and start to work on a sequel or something. The problem with Vagrus isn't that it doesn't have enough content, but that it forces you to play the economy game throughout the entire game. I was briefly tempted to start a new playthrough when the DLC comes out, but then I remembered I would have to grind faction errands for another 30 hours before I'm allowed to experience the actually enjoyable parts of the game, and my interest just died completely. A real shame. One of the best examples of an otherwise great game ruined by the creator's desire to make the game longer.

Is it possible that you’re bad at the game? In my experience, people who complain about having to grind - in games I’ve played - are compensating for their poor skill by over leveling.

I haven’t played Vargus but I’m interested in it. Hope tedium isn’t part of the experience.

I don't know what he's talking about tbh. The "grind" is the gameplay loop of doing faction errands and trade runs around the map while you do the different quests you need to do. Some quests are locked behind being having enough renown, or money, or reputation within a faction, but I wouldn't say you need to grind things to get there, just play the game and when you are at that level you can do those quests.

The game itself doesn't really require a ton of skill. Barring one or two combat encounters in the game, most are pretty easy but are still fun to do and require some strategy. I don't know if you considering trading to be a skill, but if you do there is a good bit of fun to be had by planning an optimal route and being able to adjust on the fly as issues and new opportunities come up.

At the end of the day, trading and preforming faction errands is really fun in the game, and seeing your money slowly increase over time is quite rewarding. The setting and writing are both excellent, there is a lot of content, and the game feels super chill and cozy to play.

My main grip is that the MC is a phantom in this game. He should have been a character to play in the tactical battles. You can choose that the MC was a veteran fighter or mercenary, it means nothing. Despite not particpating in any fights the MC is always the first to die if any CYOA option fails or goes wrong. It does not help that most of the CYOA options that lead into combat indicates that the MC is there. I lost interest in the game because of this shit.

People parrot this talking point constantly and I really don't see what the big deal is. Literally a nonissue in my eyes.

This has been in my library for some time now and i keep picking up the dlc when they are released, but for some reason i can't bring myself to play it much. I can instantly recognize all of its great qualities such as the excellent writing, art design and lore, but it just lacks anything that would personally hook me.

Kind of in the same boat, bought it at release, followed it beforehand, played like 30 minutes since then. I don't think it's that anything doesn't hook me, as it feels like Malazan which is a series I enjoy.

I suppose it's more that, while I am an avid reader, I need to be in a certain mindset to read this much while playing a game.

I read at night to relax before bed, I play games to fill a different sort of escapism. Time is limited as well due to life, kids, wife etc, but somehow it still feels like, in my case I haven't given the game a fair shake, but gods do I love the concept and idea of it.

Play the tutorial first. It's labeled as a tutorial but its like a standalone mini campaign, and it helps give you a sense of direction. Will make it easier to jump into the main game. I usually hate tutorials, especially long ones with there own mini stories, but it is actually quite good in Vagrus and something everyone should do, even if they can figure out the game on their own.

 

[goregasm]

Meh. I think they ought to stop developing Vagrus already and start to work on a sequel or something. The problem with Vagrus isn't that it doesn't have enough content, but that it forces you to play the economy game throughout the entire game. I was briefly tempted to start a new playthrough when the DLC comes out, but then I remembered I would have to grind faction errands for another 30 hours before I'm allowed to experience the actually enjoyable parts of the game, and my interest just died completely. A real shame. One of the best examples of an otherwise great game ruined by the creator's desire to make the game longer.

Is it possible that you’re bad at the game? In my experience, people who complain about having to grind - in games I’ve played - are compensating for their poor skill by over leveling.

I haven’t played Vargus but I’m interested in it. Hope tedium isn’t part of the experience.

I don't know what he's talking about tbh. The "grind" is the gameplay loop of doing faction errands and trade runs around the map while you do the different quests you need to do. Some quests are locked behind being having enough renown, or money, or reputation within a faction, but I wouldn't say you need to grind things to get there, just play the game and when you are at that level you can do those quests.

The game itself doesn't really require a ton of skill. Barring one or two combat encounters in the game, most are pretty easy but are still fun to do and require some strategy. I don't know if you considering trading to be a skill, but if you do there is a good bit of fun to be had by planning an optimal route and being able to adjust on the fly as issues and new opportunities come up.

At the end of the day, trading and preforming faction errands is really fun in the game, and seeing your money slowly increase over time is quite rewarding. The setting and writing are both excellent, there is a lot of content, and the game feels super chill and cozy to play.

My main grip is that the MC is a phantom in this game. He should have been a character to play in the tactical battles. You can choose that the MC was a veteran fighter or mercenary, it means nothing. Despite not particpating in any fights the MC is always the first to die if any CYOA option fails or goes wrong. It does not help that most of the CYOA options that lead into combat indicates that the MC is there. I lost interest in the game because of this shit.

People parrot this talking point constantly and I really don't see what the big deal is. Literally a nonissue in my eyes.

This has been in my library for some time now and i keep picking up the dlc when they are released, but for some reason i can't bring myself to play it much. I can instantly recognize all of its great qualities such as the excellent writing, art design and lore, but it just lacks anything that would personally hook me.

Kind of in the same boat, bought it at release, followed it beforehand, played like 30 minutes since then. I don't think it's that anything doesn't hook me, as it feels like Malazan which is a series I enjoy.

I suppose it's more that, while I am an avid reader, I need to be in a certain mindset to read this much while playing a game.

I read at night to relax before bed, I play games to fill a different sort of escapism. Time is limited as well due to life, kids, wife etc, but somehow it still feels like, in my case I haven't given the game a fair shake, but gods do I love the concept and idea of it.

Play the tutorial first. It's labeled as a tutorial but its like a standalone mini campaign, and it helps give you a sense of direction. Will make it easier to jump into the main game. I usually hate tutorials, especially long ones with there own mini stories, but it is actually quite good in Vagrus and something everyone should do, even if they can figure out the game on their own.

Aye, got through-I'm assuming half of the tutorial when I gave another restart awhile back. Something came up in life, probably a demand from one of my half humans. Toddlers. I think I got to the undead fight in the tutorial with the oversized zombie.

My 30 minutes comment was a bit of an exaggeration, Steam says 6 hours. I certainly didn't dislike it, and think of getting into another playthrough often, but backlog and priorities are taking precedent right now.


I'm still going to purchase the DLC because, disposable income, and I like the concept of the game, the devs are good folks (lurked on their discord forever) with good ideas for a game with what I feel is an excellent setting, story telling, etc.

It's just my priorities in life have sort of shifted for now I suppose, and the sort of time I "feel" I need to give the game are perhaps a bit misconstrued by the style of game.

It's stupid, I spent 2 hours on a friday last night searching for mods to put into some FNV shit, but couldn't bring myself to play vagrus.

The 7 beers probably had something to do with that as well.

I do feel I will get around to giving it a proper playthrough, but it will most likely end up in the future, once it's quite "finished" I'm awful at that. I buy tons of shit and half play it, or play it religiously for weeks then move on without finishing it, so while Vagrus has it's own hurdles for me personally, this isn't something that only Vagrus suffers from in my catalog

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Meh. I think they ought to stop developing Vagrus already and start to work on a sequel or something. The problem with Vagrus isn't that it doesn't have enough content, but that it forces you to play the economy game throughout the entire game. I was briefly tempted to start a new playthrough when the DLC comes out, but then I remembered I would have to grind faction errands for another 30 hours before I'm allowed to experience the actually enjoyable parts of the game, and my interest just died completely. A real shame. One of the best examples of an otherwise great game ruined by the creator's desire to make the game longer.

Is it possible that you’re bad at the game? In my experience, people who complain about having to grind - in games I’ve played - are compensating for their poor skill by over leveling.

I haven’t played Vargus but I’m interested in it. Hope tedium isn’t part of the experience.

You don't grind for levels, you grind for faction reputation and money. The former because faction standing not only gives you various passive boni but also is require to unlock some of the quests. The latter because your caravan's daily expense is actually pretty huge, and unlike a lot of similiar games money never becomes a nonissue even in the late game (if anything it gets worse because you need a larger caravan and higher-leveled companions to deal with the challenges later on).

To be clear, it's pretty easy to stay afloat when you're focused on making money. Problem is, the moment you start actually exploring the world and doing quests, you're in the red because the vast majority of quests are not monetarily worthwhile. The result is that the game is effectively split into two halves: the text-heavy, C&C-driven RPG and the "making money" minigame. The "making money" minigame is fun for maybe the first 10 hours, after that you're just forced suffer through it because you want to play the RPG part.

The game does offer dozens of hours of quality content. I would still recommend it, but I'd say tedium is definitely part of the experience. This is one of the few games I'd seriously consider using a save editor if I ever did another playthrough.

 

[agris]

The game does offer dozens of hours of quality content. I would still recommend it, but I'd say tedium is definitely part of the experience. This is one of the few games I'd seriously consider using a save editor if I ever did another playthrough.

Thanks for elaborating. From your post and the others, it sounds like it comes down to: is the core loop of making money/faction rep gussied up enough to be entertaining in its own right, or does it settle into a grind.

Any reasonably intelligent person can abstract a game's loops into simple sets of actions, but the act itself of being able to describing that abstraction doesn't mean it is or isn't enjoyable. The details of those loops, the nuance of how they play out and can be changed, are often what separates something that is enjoyable - if functionally rote - from the truly tedious.

I'll have to give it a shot. Will probably wait for the DLC tho.

 

[Infinitum]

Meh. I think they ought to stop developing Vagrus already and start to work on a sequel or something. The problem with Vagrus isn't that it doesn't have enough content, but that it forces you to play the economy game throughout the entire game. I was briefly tempted to start a new playthrough when the DLC comes out, but then I remembered I would have to grind faction errands for another 30 hours before I'm allowed to experience the actually enjoyable parts of the game, and my interest just died completely. A real shame. One of the best examples of an otherwise great game ruined by the creator's desire to make the game longer.

Funnily enough, I'm the other way around. Loved the trading, caravan simulation and exploring the general world and setting, found the rpg/combat parts and companion storylines mundane. I'd play the shit out of sequel if they revamped the trade system to something that required active planning of what goods to ship instead of endless ferrying quests and shuffling goods from the same primary producers to cities.

Also thought the high fantasy parts of the setting didn't mesh well. There's already demon-worshipping postapoc romans running off a slave and undead economy eking out an existence amidst dragons and body horrors in several kinds of wastelands; each more cursed and wretched than the last. Does it also need orcs, elves and the main character solving their employees personal issues with the power of friendship?

That said, for anyone thinking of getting this don't choose the economic personal goal. Only real quest I have remaining apart from the DLC dungeon, and reading through the steps required to finish of either just made me drop the game instead of suffering through them.

 

[ItsChon]

I was able to participate in both the trading/caravan simulation, and exploration parts of the game simultaneously with the RPG parts of the game. You just need to do some careful route planning which is honestly a big part of the fun. I also unlocked the best movement mechanic in the game, so I was absolutely zooming around the map.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

to me the deal breaker wasn't even the grind. it was the UNGODLY amount of grind required just to stay afloat. having enough to feel free to run around questing was out of question.

 

[ItsChon]

to me the deal breaker wasn't even the grind. it was the UNGODLY amount of grind required just to stay afloat. having enough to feel free to run around questing was out of question.

No clue what you're talking about. In the beginning it definitely felt tough, but I ended up restarting the game after putting in around 40-50 hours because I had missed a companion due to fucking up a C&C event. I was worried that it would take me a while to recoup all the wealth that I had accumulated over my playtime. I ended up getting back to where I was in half the time and continued to rake in tons of cash.

Really wasn't a grind at all for me, and once of my complaints might honestly be that I thought the faction missions were a little too rewarding, and I would liked the game to be even a little harder in terms of accumulating wealth with an even deeper emphasis being placed on your ability to spot market trends and plan profitable trade routes. As it is, you don't even really need to participate in trading to gain large amounts of wealth, and you can almost excusively rely on faction missions and/or caravan combat.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

"40-50 hours"
"back to where I was in half the time"
"Really wasn't a grind at all"

No clue what you're talking about.

indeed.

 

[agris]

ItsChon Infinitum and any others that enjoy the meticulous route planning and balancing of resources:

I highly recommend you give Highfleet a try if you also enjoy arcade combat. The satisfaction I got from the overworld strategy of planning routes and balancing the resources of my post apoc fleet of ships reminds me somewhat of how you’re describing Vargus.

We have a thread for it here

Edit: you do need some reflexes through, combat is somewhat twitch / arcade. I quite like the juxtaposition of contemplative strategizing on the world map mixed with the physical twitch of flight combat, but ymmv.

 

[thesecret1]

Finally got around to giving it a try and it's great. For those who haven't gotten too far, the game loop is essentially the same as in Sunless Sea - you establish a trade circuit, venture further and further from it as you get richer and stronger (money is basically your fuel) and fulfill quests and events at each location.

The most painful part of the game is probably the fucking tutorial, as well as the likely reason why so many "don't get into it" and leave it sitting in their library. It is long as fuck, railroaded, and even difficult (if you don't already know what you're doing). It does a good job at teaching you how to play, but is a fucking roadblock to enjoyment. The actual main game is very different and so much better.

As for grind, the amount of grind required directly depends on how good your trading circuit is. Make use of the money bonanza in Fort Viridium (easy to access even in early game), haul brightkelp from Larnak to Deven later on, hauling marble from Arken is a modestly profitable but extremely easy and stable money source, and much more. Most locations cannot be resolved in one go anyway, so there's usually some quests waiting for me along the route too.

 

[A-Minish]

On the matter of tediousness I would add that thanks to the reworked hunting mechanic you can ease food management and survival. Getting a bountiful hunt saved me more than once while exploring or when I was many days away from the nearest settlement. Even better in situation in which foods is not sparce as having more food to give to your crew helps its stability a lot. Just remember the places where foods cannot be gathered(the central and southern Bronze Desert for exemple) and where isles of food can be found(Larnak has roughtly 20 huntable nods around it).
Now I no longer have troubles hunting mutants Bugs Bunny for dinner. Even better I also can make some profit out of it, for exemple hunting for chitin around Ash can be a good way of making money during the 1st third part of the game.

About the Knowledge Victory, it is a bit grindy and a little frustrating at the end but also satisfying from an exploration standpoint. For example, coming back to Larnak to buy new books or to get those I previously ordered after a long journey through the wastes was nice.

I did not finished it as after doing 95% of it. If I remember well I only needed 3 more memory crystals and missed 4 or 5 lore entries to complet it(missing lore for the quest are noted in a list in the quest tab). I stopped for 3 reasons :
1. I had enough of the game.
2. Some of the last codex entries might have been locked behind a bug or a decision I made either by accident or consciously hours before(Criftea's bounty hunting quests did not triggered for me or something).
3. The memory crystals are bothersome to collect after a while, though I heard the devs more or less fixed it a few months ago.

 

[thesecret1]

On the matter of tediousness I would add that thanks to the reworked hunting mechanic you can ease food management and survival. Getting a bountiful hunt saved me more than once while exploring or when I was many days away from the nearest settlement. Even better in situation in which foods is not sparce as having more food to give to your crew helps its stability a lot. Just remember the places where foods cannot be gathered(the central and southern Bronze Desert for exemple) and where isles of food can be found(Larnak has roughtly 20 huntable nods around it).
Now I no longer have troubles hunting mutants Bugs Bunny for dinner. Even better I also can make some profit out of it, for exemple hunting for chitin around Ash can be a good way of making money during the 1st third part of the game.

I like that you get different options on how to handle the game. I don't hunt at all, for example. Instead I run with fuckload of slaves and fighters (no workers or scouts), as much food upkeep lowering equipment as possible, and slave cages + that one leadership ability that converts march points to move points, and I can march almost constantly (hence no time to stop and hunt). If I wasn't too much of a cheapskate to hand out extra rations, I could probably march constantly, as the only real limiter is vigor (lmao at obedience. I run such a terror racket the slaves don't dare disobey)

 

[MrMarbles]

Gave it a shot thinking it would be a 2-hour trip like other posters had. Ended up sinking over 100 hours into it. No handholding, excellent writing and solid sense of exploration

 

[MrMarbles]

Meh. I think they ought to stop developing Vagrus already and start to work on a sequel or something. The problem with Vagrus isn't that it doesn't have enough content, but that it forces you to play the economy game throughout the entire game. I was briefly tempted to start a new playthrough when the DLC comes out, but then I remembered I would have to grind faction errands for another 30 hours before I'm allowed to experience the actually enjoyable parts of the game, and my interest just died completely. A real shame. One of the best examples of an otherwise great game ruined by the creator's desire to make the game longer.

Is it possible that you’re bad at the game? In my experience, people who complain about having to grind - in games I’ve played - are compensating for their poor skill by over leveling.

I haven’t played Vargus but I’m interested in it. Hope tedium isn’t part of the experience.

Do it. The sense of exploration is top notch, probably because of the quality of writing, layered secrets and beautiful set-pieces.

I can see why some would see it as a grind, but that is only if you want to do every faction quest in the game. That's unnecessary. The faction stuff is mostly filler and there is more than enough content from just traveling around doing quests and befriending factions organically.

 

[Jinn]

Really wish the game had done better for Lost Pilgrims. Definitely want to see more games from these guys and the setting explored more. I'll be day one purchasing this DLC to throw some more support their way. I hope it generates enough funds to keep them rolling into their next project.

 

[MrMarbles]

Really wish the game had done better for Lost Pilgrims. Definitely want to see more games from these guys and the setting explored more. I'll be day one purchasing this DLC to throw some more support their way. I hope it generates enough funds to keep them rolling into their next project.

Yeah, I was crazy impressed and bummed out when I saw how little attention this game was getting. Only time I got the patronage pack just to support the devs.

 

[processdaemon]

The new DLC will definitely be a buy for me too. I felt like it got a little tedious in the late game but I got a solid 80 or so hours of enjoyment out of it and will hopefully get more out of the DLC. Kind of wish they had more stuff like the introductory story though, the more open world part that made up the rest of the game was fun but the start was definitely the highlight for me.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Expansion Devlog 2 - Factions of the Bronze Desert

Hey everyone,

In this next installment of our little devlog series focused on the upcoming expansion Sunfire and Moonshadow, we are taking a look at the three new factions that your vagri will be able to ingratiate themselves with, earning their respect and a slew of rewards, of course.

Note that this post contains mild spoilers, so if you wish to wade into the expansion completely blind, perhaps postpone reading this until you have done so.

Before we talk about each of the three, we have to make a distinction between the regular factions – the type the ones already in the game belong to – and the new type, the nemesis factions.

Nemesis Factions

Nemesis factions come in pairs and they relate to each other exactly how it sounds like: they hate each others’ guts and will not be reconciled nor tolerate anyone allying themselves with their foe. For this reason, befriending a nemesis faction will ultimately lock you out of befriending their opponent in the given playthrough. Sure, you can play both sides for a while when you begin exploring the new regions but it will come to a decision soon enough.

This is fundamentally different from regular factions where you can essentially tank your reputation by working against them or for their enemies but you will almost never reach a point of no return even if you lower your reputation to the absolute minimum (in theory, that is, because crawling out of such a pit is extremely time-consuming). Not so with nemesis factions. Once a certain threshold is reached with one, their foe will forever be closed off from interactions and they will become your dedicated enemy, too.

Also, due to their nature, nemesis factions are more local and will only have effects, tasks, and interactions in their own areas of interest, not in all regions of Vagrus. They are still powerful, with their own forces, bases, bonuses, boons, and rewards, but they will not have a faction presence or interest outside of their zones.

The Ahari and the Chimera Legion

The first pair of nemesis factions ever to appear in Vagrus are the Chimera Legion of the Bronze Desert’s Legate and the Ahari, Bandul insurrectionists opposing the Imperial occupation.

The Ahari are a faction of Bandul who follow the guidance of Ahar, the Great Sun, whom they worship as their one and only god. The Suncallers, spiritual guides who originally looked after holy oases and can channel Ahar’s devastating magic, have taken up leadership of the secretive group recently. Ever since then, the Ahari have been growing and becoming bolder, not content with resisting Imperial harassment but waging a guerilla war against the Empire, and to hell with collateral damage. When allying yourself with the Ahari, you will have to find them first, as they are a clandestine and elusive organization, hiding in the deep desert, where their kind are masters of misdirection and survival. Rumors are circulated about a new leader emerging recently and taking the Ahari into an even more violent direction but nobody has managed to substantiate those claims yet.

The Chimera Legion, on the other hand, are not at home in the Bronze Desert at all. Having completed their previous assignment by the Imperial Senate, they were stationed in the arid wasteland when their commanding officer was appointed as the Legate of the region. This task might seem like unimportant guard duty but because of the war against the Green Continent beyond the Bronze Desert, Imperial forces making their way across the wasteland require constant supervision. As for the Legate, a decorated career military officer, keeping the locals in check and securing the Path of Glory has been a challenge, but some say that it has also moved her into position to carve out her own fortune in this remote, chaotic region.

One thing is certain: no quarter will be given by either side of this escalating conflict. When pressed and having to take sides, who will you choose the expansion drops?

The Handjari

Handjari are a new faction that we’re adding to the roster of currently existing ones. And, yes, this means that if you own the expansion, their faction presence will show up in the main game areas, too. Competitors to Imperial Trading Houses (but on fairly good terms with them), the Handjari are the alliance of a loosely connected Tarkian trade princes and their substantial commercial empires. Specifically, Prince Faisal al-Turhen, the Coiner, Patriarch of Akena, Victor of the Battle of Garesh, is the leader of the Bronze Desert’s Handjari and he oversees most of the region’s trade – in the name of the Empire, their allies, of course.

The Handjari of the Bronze Desert have their own interest in the conflict between the Ahari and the Chimera Legion but they are rarely directly involved. On paper, they support the Imperials but you might find that their agenda is more complicated than that. In general, staying on their good side unlocks a great number of opportunities for enterprising vagri.

That concludes our second devlog on the expansion Sunfire and Moonshadow. In the upcoming weeks, we’ll have more of these posts on certain aspects of what we’ve been brewing up. Until then, stay tuned, stay vigilant, and conquer the wasteland!

 

[MrMarbles]

The nemesis mechanic is a solid response to the complaint that endgame is grindy. If the grind stems from players trying to max their faction status across the board, then maybe it's better to code in an early fork in the road. Worse for player agency, better for replayability. I do agree that the penalties to faction influences are punishing if you are dead set on doing absolutely everything in one playthrough.

Locking out certain content also takes the game one step further from Battle Brothers and one closer to AoD, which is a plus in my book.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Holy crap the intro is oozing AoD juice

 

[Jinn]

Holy crap the intro is oozing AoD juice

I actually almost prefer this setting to AoD's in a lot of ways.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

AoD did the whole veiled history mystery very, very well. Hard to top that imo.