Hello folks! The Baron here with the latest U8 news and if all goes well, I am hoping this will be the last news for U8. ːsteamhappyː Fingers crossed the next time you hear from me will be about the U8 Trailer launching and then soon after that the release. Things are going well and KospY and team are still on track for an [b]end of May release of U8[/b]. I've got a smorgasbord of fun clips today, so let's get into it! And please be aware everything from effects to audio to map colors / backgrounds, etc are all WIP and not final! First up, I think you have all spotted it by now, so I can happily confirm U8 will have a new map, The Citadel! All clips were recorded in this new map but of course we wanna keep the most of it for a surprise so we will limit the view for now. ːsteammockingː The bow and arrow has gotten some much needed TLC in U8, and alongside a new model for the bow, arrows and quiver, I am glad to report the aim bug will finally be fixed! But also, a nice surprise feature for you that has been on players' will it happen / won't it happen list for the longest time - Arrow imbues! The player can easily imbue arrows will the bow is drawn to infuse that arrow with the intended effect. Here is how it looks using the third person camera for a better view, and then again first person: [previewyoutube=oRmAMOK0C10;full][/previewyoutube] Next up, let's talk armor penetration! Armour is now fully working and the team are adding extra bits each day. To reiterate how it works: There are three tiers of armour, cloth, leather and plate - but armour is modular. So that means AI or player could be wearing a plate chestpiece with leather gauntlets for example. Different tiers of armour have different penetration resistance against normal weapons, so for example a slash with a blade across some leather might do nothing, while a rapier thrust may penetrate the same leather. Hopefully this will add a new and interesting tactical challenge. And this brings us to magic, the great equalizer. A blade that is imbued with fire will be able to sear through metal like a hot knife through butter; and we know that in the real world this would not happen but it's fantasy, guys! ːsteamhappyː And finally, armour also means blunt weaponry finally get their moment in the sun. Imbue your blunt weaponry for twice the smashing fun. In the video below you can see the dagger cannot penetrate the plate armour, although that can be remedied with a good old fashioned dagger to the eye. And following that, you can see how the fire-imbued blades can easily sear through metal. (please disregard the untextured blood btw!) [previewyoutube=3VBbaSfzLVM;full][/previewyoutube] The last little bit I will leave you with today is with lightning. Many folks have asked what lightning will be like in U8 and as I mentioned before, lightning has gotten a coat of paint in graphics but functionality-wise it will be much the same with the exception that it now has a little wind up in the form of a sphere. The idea here is that you could merge the spheres to create a bigger effect or with other spells to create a new effect - Although be aware, lightning merge may not be available on U8 launch; it's just setting up for down the line. [previewyoutube=QAe0XuhwSSU;full][/previewyoutube] So that's it for this news, folks! A little fun little factoid for you regarding the clips you just saw - With exception of some bits in the background, nothing in these clips are crossed over from the first version of B&S. The enemy, armour, map, textures, weapon models are all new and custom, making it essentially a different game from the original EA launch. Fun to think about! Take care and stay tuned for the U8 trailer! [previewyoutube=bpoLYA_rbLo;full][/previewyoutube]