Patrols 2.0 - A preview

Alpha Update 2.1 will be out in the next couple of days, and comes with a complete rework to Patrols, Hunting, and Gathering. This is part of the Winter updates which will all have a focus on combat, monsters, and exploration. The new patrol system also serves to set up the upcoming guild management mechanics which will feature in the Spring updates.

Now, when choosing to patrol, hunt, or gather reagents you will be presented with a map of the forest surrounding the inn. The map is divided into 7 areas - the inn, the meadows, the gnoll hills, the ruins, the wispwood, the lake, and the deepwood. Each has its own events, points of interest, and intended level range.

When you start a new game, you will only have access to the road around the inn. Once you've cleared the first quest - reducing the danger on the road to safe levels - you'll unlock the next two areas. The meadows and the gnoll hills present a higher challenge than the roads, but also come with increased rewards.

Hunting for food and gathering for reagents have been rolled into a single action with this update. You will be able to collect both resources at the same time going forward. There are, however, unique events that allow you to get a collect larger harvest of one or the other - setting snare traps or going fishing can yield you a much larger amount of food than you'd otherwise gain in a single trip. These events require a dice roll and so have a chance for reduced payout as well.

Furthermore, events aren't nearly so random as they were before. There are many events which have become points of interest which are freely available on the map once you've sufficiently explored the region around them. The elusive dryad is now much easier to find when you're ready to progress her quest.

Each region will have its own point of interest in the 2.1 update, with more to come. Each of these are events can be visited multiple times and have unfolding stories and progression.

You will need to stay vigilant with your patrols, however. If you fail to patrol a region for too long, the danger in the area will steadily rise. Once it reaches over 50%, the points of interest in the area will remain unavailable until you clear out the danger again.

When you do encounter an enemy, there are some newly added quality of life features that have been implemented. A dice roll is immediately made matching your agility against the monster's initiative - if you roll higher, you will be given the opportunity to flee the fight before it begins. Additionally, if you are sufficiently powerful, you will have the option to instantly win any fight against weaker opponents.

The 2.1 update is just the start to this system. More points of interest and events are on the way, with more stories and monsters to join them. Scout's night patrols are also using the new system - and Scout is unique in her ability to explore quickly at the cost of increasing the amount of danger in a region rather than lowering it.

Update 2.1 also includes a variety of bug fixes, adjustments, and a new weapon: the Warhammer. We hope you enjoy what we've cooked up!