[h3]Beasts are at the heart of [i][b]Acolyte of the Altar[/b][/i].[/h3] Serving as the game’s enemies, the Beasts are what the player will spend most of their time slaying throughout their journey. These giants vary in appearance and design, with a wide range of abilities and backstories that give them a great degree of depth. But despite opposing the player, these Beasts aren’t inherently evil. They’re living, breathing creatures with deep backgrounds and traits that bring them to life. To give you a better understanding of how some of these creatures function, we’ve highlighted five of the game’s many Beasts: Hydrozoan Hivemind, The King of Beggars, The Shambling City, The Yearning Woods, and The Unheeded Messenger. Here, we’ll go through their backstories, offering a closer look at their motivations and traits. [h2]The Soul of Nature[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43754306/81b6082f9cd54e26882fd26f664b6d304dc2e00d.png[/img] The [b]Hydrozoan Hivemind[/b] was created to explore the concept of spawning additional enemies, just like a classic raid boss would! It's a strange entity that used to haunt the ruddy waters off the coasts of the Red Shores, but it grew sick from the oils released into the ocean by the Ravagers’ industrialization. In an effort to escape pollution, it changed its inner biology and grew lungs, among other mutations. It floated up, by mechanisms unknown, out of the sea, and towards healthier realms, restoring life where its limp tendrils were able. No one has spoken to it, but the Sylvans whisper that pain inflicted on the spawn of the Hive will cause it to flinch, as if they share a single mind. [h2]The Soul of Humility[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43754306/82a56f0ddd3ce7269f553ffa2cef866e86fcf310.png[/img] The [b]King of Beggars[/b] was one of the first Beasts we made and one that contains a mystery for players plainly before him: a small bowl of coins, mostly empty. What could have brought such a holy creature to such humble circumstances? In the game, you’ll have to fight against these coins imbued with divine magic as well as a mysterious stranger who occasionally adds a coin when passing by… A long time ago, the King of Beggars was showered with riches by those giving up the material in hope of immaterial gain. Into the cliff-side giant golden vaults were carved, inscribed with his long form winding around their locks. Now the silks that once robed his body are long ruined, and his large form now struggles to find sustenance. [h2]The Soul of Community[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43754306/c2ab7bb7221387b5638296b90e63749e996fd254.png[/img] The [b]Shambling City[/b] is a lost capital which helped facilitate trade across the entirety of the wastes by being a mobile hub of commerce. This Beast is one of the few with surviving followers. They will pelt you with rocks from the rooftops and even help convert your creatures to join their ranks! The walking behemoth was built up with Houses worshiping the Forgotten Warrior, the King of Beggars and the City itself. Their true names can still be found inscribed on the cracked and cobwebbed temple walls. [h2]The Soul of Nourishment[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43754306/2a9da613f7fbeda3ff855402723a94e45a4ac78b.png[/img] The [b]Yearning Woods[/b] is an ancient being that now resides in Sylvan territory. It feeds the forest through its fruit and on the forest through its maw. It doesn’t matter to the Beast what you are exactly, only where you are in the cycle of life. The Yearning Woods desires both to nourish the hungry and consume what is ripe! Within the game, it has the unique ability to swallow your creatures whole and can be killed by either overfeeding it to bursting or starving it by only summoning creatures that are too big to digest! [h2]The Soul of Knowledge[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43754306/3e940ab9dd181578a8df91932d1f616b4b044992.png[/img] Lover of the Prophet of Ruin, the [b]Unheeded Messenger[/b] is a gentle and caring creature who seeks above all to reduce suffering. She is widely resented for her lofty appearance and is distrusted due to her unfamiliar knowledge. The Unheeded Messenger's great dream was to stop the world from crossing the event horizon of the wasted state it is in today. In game, she sends the player Letters, which warn of different disasters that can impact the encounter. This brings us to another pillar of Acolyte of the Altar’s story: these references of a super-ancient civilization that led the world to becoming the wastelands. Perhaps that civilization distrusted the Messenger as much as the Acolytes today and likewise fell into the hands of Ruin? [b]That's all for now, acolytes. We will share even more with you all soon! - Cameron and the BKG Team[/b]