Brave Ones! October is coming to an end, and we all know what that means... Halloween is coming to Singoru, no one can ignore this holiday! Put on your spookiest costumes, arm yourself with the most frightening smile, and go forth to adventures! [h2]New Event – Halloween[/h2] The days are growing shorter, while the nights are getting longer and colder. The peasants, finishing this year's final harvest, have begun to find strange sweets in the fields. How did they get there, and who have scattered them around? The answer is simple — a new evil has befallen Singoru, and only the bravest will be able to face it and obtain worthy trophies! [b]New Boss – Sinister Scarecrow.[/b] Animated by childhood fears, this garden scarecrow now fashions itself a big bad villain... Funny, huh? Well, don't let your guard done just yet, since this opponent has a set of dangerous abilities that can make even the most seasoned adventurers sweat! Throughout the event, it will appear at the 11th minute on the map of your choosing — simply look for the new icon in the form of the Cursed Candy event token. [b]Event Token – Cursed Candy.[/b] This ominous candy seems to have a mind of its own... You are unlikely to be tempted to eat it, but rumor has it that there are real connoisseurs for this kind of sweets on the market. Collect Cursed Candies by defeating the Sinister Scarecrow. [b]Event Rewards: [/b] Try your luck and exchange event tokens for a random reward at the Market: [list] [*] New unique Scarecrow Set; [*] Academy Runes; [*] Prism Fragments; [*] Prisms of the Ether; [*] Prisms of Eternity; [*] Gold Coins; [*] Building materials; [*] Heroic Manga; [*] Blueprints. [/list] You can exchange event tokens for new character skins at the Tavern. Read on for more details. [h2]New Armor Set [/h2] By exchanging event tokens for prizes at the Market, you have a rare chance to get the unique Scarecrow Set. As is tradition, your efforts will be well-rewarded, because this set's stats are significantly higher, compared to all others that can be obtained outside of events. Want to know more about its properties? [h3]Scarecrow Rags[/h3] [list] [*] The Quick Metabolism skill will activate more frequently; [*] +15% damage dealt with all skills on Rare Rarity; [*] The Quick Metabolism skill will activate even more frequently while your hero is standing in place on Epic Rarity; [*] +13% evasion rate on Legendary Rarity; [*] -13% incoming damage on Mythic Rarity; [/list] [h3]Scarecrow Head[/h3] [list] [*] +15% revival healing bonus on Uncommon Rarity; [*] +15% damage dealt with all skills on Rare Rarity; [*] +5 sec. to post-revival invulnerability duration on Epic Rarity; [*] +1 revive on Legendary Rarity [*] +10% to skill AoE while your hero is standing in place on Mythic Rarity. [/list] [h3]Scarecrow Boots[/h3] [list] [*] +100% item pick-up speed on Uncommon Rarity; [*] +15% damage dealt with all skills on Rare Rarity; [*] +5% movement speed on Epic Rarity; [*] 15% chance to double-activate skills on Legendary Rarity; [*] +20% projectile speed while your hero is standing in place on Mythic Rarity. [/list] [h3]Scarecrow Gloves[/h3] [list] [*] 10% fire rate on Uncommon Rarity; [*] +15% max HP on Rare Rarity; [*] +100% knockback while your hero is standing in place on Epic Rarity; [*] 15% chance to deal double damage on Legendary Rarity; [*] +20% skill duration while your hero is standing in place on Mythic Rarity. [/list] [h3]Scarecrow Vine[/h3] [list] [*] Applies 2.5% slowdown to enemies on skill hit; [*] +15% max HP on Rare Rarity; [*] +4 skill skips during the match on Epic Rarity; [*] +4 skill bans during the match on Legendary Rarity; [*] +4 skill rerolls during the match on Mythic Rarity. [/list] The Set Bonus is an active skill: While your hero is wearing the full Scarecrow Set, pumpkins will explode and crows fly across the entire battlefield once every 30 seconds, pushing all on-screen enemies away from the explosion epicenter and causing 500% attack damage. [h2]New Portals are Opening[/h2] The Ether Ocean has turned crimson red and revealed new heroes ready to fight the monster hordes. Want to know more about them? Then behold — the Portals of the Otherworld and Cursed Items! Three new, unique heroes await you in the Portal of the Other World. Let's give three cheers for... [h3]Headless Thomas.[/h3] [b]Legendary Hero[/b]. It's always best to keep your head about you, right? Well, poor Thomas failed to follow this golden rule... Too bad for his enemies, though, since this hero, clad in sturdy armor and wielding his faithful twin blades, is going to get them even from beyond the grave! Let's take a look at his skills: [b]Legendary Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] Gravely Cold Strike. Hitting an enemy with the Whirlwind of Blades or the Bloody Harvest skill may stun them for 2 seconds. Be careful, as this skill won't stun bosses, but will slow them down instead; [*] Aura of Decomposition. After dealing damage for the first time in battle, Thomas summons clouds of flies to feast on his enemies' remains. From that moment onwards and until the end of the match, the hero will be surrounded by an Aura of Decomposition, causing damage to all nearby opponents and reducing their attack power; [*] Curse of the Headless. When dealing damage, Thomas has a chance to briefly curse everyone in an area around himself. Affected enemies will take damage, and their attack speed will be reduced; [*] Cover of the Damned. Upon receiving damage, Thomas has a chance to become invulnerable for a short period of time. This skill can activate once every 30 seconds; [*] +30% max HP; [*] -10% movement speed. [/list] [b]Mythic Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] -30% to Whirlwind of Blades and its evolutions' cooldown time. [*] +1 level of Unprecedented Health at the start of the match. [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/317d8ba975b76a40f410b6c350eea59789d473ef.png[/img] [h3]Mother Bridget.[/h3] [b]Legendary Heroine.[/b] Who will comfort those who are beyond the realm of the living? Who will sing them a lullaby and calm the souls trembling with horror and loneliness? The dead are like lost children to Mother Bridget, and as she's always ready to protect them, so do they, in turn, come to her aid. What can this heroine do on the battlefield? [b]Legendary Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] Grief of the Ancestors. Upon dealing damage to an enemy, Mother Bridget has a chance to summon souls of the dead that will scatter around, inflicting wounds and leaving a poisonous cloud behind that will slowly drain the life of any foe in its range; [*] Wrath of the Ancestors. When taking damage, Mother Bridget has a chance to appeal to her ancestors. This will summon ghostly skulls flying in all directions from the heroine, dealing damage and repelling nearby enemies; [*] Knowledge of the Ancestors. Mother Bridget is guaranteed to receive a skill book for defeating mini-bosses; [*] Proper Nutrition. Mother Bridget appreciates delicious food and drinks. Healing from all pick-up items is boosted 20%; [*] Fragile Chests. Bombs picked up by Mother Bridget will destroy all revealed chests on the map. This skill doesn't apply to points of interest and event chests; [*] Gifts for Mother. Magnets picked up by Mother Bridget attract all items on the map and not just experience. This skill doesn't apply to points of interest. [/list] [b]Mythic Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] +4 skill skips during the match; [*] +4 skill bans during the match; [*] +4 skill rerolls during the match. [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/32e2489fbe00cb0889a2e30ad84559cfe90e26aa.png[/img] [h3]Bloody Mary.[/h3] [b]Epic Heroine.[/b] Don't be afraid of mirrors. No one is going to steal your soul or sneak in through them to turn your house into a horror movie set. There's no need to be afraid of mirrors anyway, because their mistress has joined the forces of good... Sound intriguing? Well, of course — Bloody Mary arrives straight from your nightmares and brings painful death to your enemies! Let's take a closer look at what this heroine is capable of on the battlefield: [b]Epic Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] Wave of Blood. Fires a large blood sphere in the direction of the cursor (or your gamepad's right stick) once every 10 seconds. The projectile explodes upon colliding with an enemy, causing damage and leaving behind a blood puddle. Enemies caught in the puddle will take damage, and their movement speed will decrease; [*] Bloodsplosion. Upon successfully dodging an enemy attack, Bloody Mary has a chance to explode, causing damage to everyone on the battlefield; [*] Deadly Speed. When taking damage, Bloody Mary only grows more excited for the battle at hand. The lower her health is, the higher the projectile speed of all her active skills; [*] +15% evasion rate; [*] +60% projectile speed for Spirit skills; [*] Picky Eater. Mary's difficult to please, especially when it comes to food. Healing from all pick-up items is reduced by 50%; [*] Poor Metabolism. The Quick Metabolism skill activates less often. The noble pallor of the skin is a product of hard work. [/list] [b]Legendary Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] Dark Healing. Bloody Mary knows how to keep her beauty and youth with a little help from the dark arts. Every time she deals damage with Unholy Barrier and its evolutions, she has a chance to restore a portion of her health.. [/list] [b]Mythic Rarity:[/b] [list] [*] Curved Mirrors. Mary knows how to trick her enemies using mirrors. The effectiveness of the Nimble passive skill is boosted 25%. For example, that skill usually grants +33% evasion rate at level 5, but with Curved Mirrors, this bonus is boosted to +41%. The best way to stay alive is to never take damage at all! [*] +1 Nimble skill level at the start of the match. [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/83ab8d472cb487aca377656a3c03e9173ffd8025.png[/img] [b]Three new, unique weapons await you in the Portal of Cursed Items, so meet the...[/b] [h3]Twins of Eternity. Legendary Twin Blades.[/h3] [b]Grants the Whirlwind of Blades skill when equipped.[/b] [list] [*] +30% Whirlwind of Blades damage on Uncommon Rarity; [*] +5% damage dealt with all skills on Rare Rarity; [*] +1 Whirlwind of Blades level at the start of the match on Epic Rarity; [*] +1 Whirlwind of Blades projectile on Legendary Rarity; [*] +1 Bloody Harvest skill evolution level on Mythic Rarity. [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/7b6a5adbe696a8e5a9ee88e2c1c2649017a15305.png[/img] [h3]Ancestral Skull. Legendary Soul Shooter.[/h3] [b]Grants the Cursed Souls skill when equipped. [/b] [list] [*] +30% Cursed Souls damage on Uncommon Rarity; [*] +5% damage dealt with all skills on Rare Rarity; [*] +1 Cursed Souls level at the start of the match on Epic Rarity; [*] 50% chance to double-activate the Cursed Souls skill and its evolutions on Legendary Rarity; [*] +1 Chain Reaction skill evolution level on Mythic Rarity. [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/fdbc2aedd1c66db5b5e58bff73a9374a88d9211c.png[/img] [h3]Oblivion Shard. Legendary Cursed Sickle.[/h3] [b]Grants the Unholy Barrier skill when equipped.[/b] [list] [*] +30% Unholy Barrier damage on Uncommon Rarity; [*] +5% damage dealt with all skills on Rare Rarity; [*] +1 Unholy Barrier level at the start of the match on Epic Rarity; [*] +12% Unholy Barrier damage for every 10 levels gained during the match on Legendary Rarity; [*] +1 You Shall Not Pass! skill evolution level on Mythic Rarity; [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/e8b0f394a04cfd4c3eb8c2e0f043dfc0da87999b.png[/img] [h2]Hero Skins[/h2] Halloween is coming to town, and everyone knows that it's customary to dress up in scary costumes for this holiday. That's why we thought it appropriate to grant you the option to change your heroes' looks! A new tab has been added to the Hero menu at the Tavern: "Appearance." There, you will be able to see all the skins available for the selected hero, as well as any bonuses they provide. It was decided to divide skins into the Event and Common categories. [list] [*] Event Skins. Skins that you can purchase with Gems or event tokens go here. Once an event ends, related skins can still be bought with Gems, plus the new currency — Masks of Transformation, which can be collected from bosses once the Halloween event ends. [*] Common Skins. These will always be available for Gems and Masks of Transformation. [/list] To start things off, we've prepared a few Event Skins for you to dress up your favorite hero for the current holiday. Applying skins will affect how your character looks in matches, as well as in all of the menus. Oh, and don't forget about the pleasant stat bonus that every skin provides! Okay, that covers the skins, but what about Masks of Transformation? What are those, and where can you find them? Simple: the masks are a new resource that you can get for killing bosses after the Halloween event ends. The higher the difficulty level, the more Masks of Transformation you will get! Oh, and the Masks don't affect any other rewards received from bosses, but only complement them, so don't worry about them replacing any of the previously existing boss trophies. We'll try to add new skins for your favorite heroes as often as possible, so you can look forward to more of them in the coming updates! [h2]Gameplay Enhancement — Lab[/h2] We continue to improve your gaming experience in certain locations. Today it's the Lab's turn! Local enemies will now gain difficulty level-dependent special properties. How will this affect your experience? Simple: [list] [*] The Lab will be easier to clear on lower difficulties. [*] As the difficulty grows, enemies will begin to sport new mechanics and properties, contributing to a more engaging and tactical match. [/list] We hope that these changes, will make your runs on the Lab location more varied and thrilling! [h2]Player Profile [/h2] As many new online features are looming on the horizon (such as in-game chats, clans, and competitions), we're now adding player profiles! Let's take a look at why do you need a profile, and what can you do with it! Player profile reflects their in-game progress and overall strength. In the future, you will be able to customize your profile's appearance and show off important achievements for other players to see. It also automatically displays your time spent in-game, the server and, of course, level. [b]Anticipating the questions about how you can raise your profile level, here is the answer: [/b] [list] [*] by upgrading your buildings; [*] by leveling up heroes at the Tavern; [*] by improving hero skills at the Academy. [/list] There will be other ways to level up your profile in the future, so stay tuned! [b]Profile Appearance.[/b] [list] [*] Think of your profile as a personal hall of fame that showcases your favorite heroes and rare achievements, which you're especially proud of! [*] Choose an avatar from among the portraits of your unlocked heroes and their skins. Your avatar can then be decorated with one of the many frames that will become available as you progress through the game, gain achievements, etc. [*] Select your country's flag from the list, or just the flag of a place you really like. You can even opt to fly the colors of Singoru... The choice is entirely yours! [/list] In the near future and as the game develops, we plan to add new features to the profile menu, so feel free to send us your ideas and suggestions! [h2]Hero Sounds[/h2] We've begun to bestow our heroes with the gift of speech that reflects their archetypes. Funny, serious, sullen, apathetic… Each hero will now delight you with their exclamations when interacting both in the city and on the battlefield! In the future, we will expand the range of available archetypes, so who knows... If you like the idea, then every character might even get their own unique voice lines! Everything's in your hands! [h2]Hero Rebalancing[/h2] As you may have noticed, different heroes had varying attack and health growth rates. As they levelled up, the characters' stats could grow slowly at first, but then suddenly accelerate. This led to a situation where, at low levels, the stats of one hero would be lower than those of another, but then they would suddenly switch places at higher levels. This could potentially mislead players, so we decided to adjust the stat growth rates going forward. Now, if you see that one hero initially has higher attack than another, then you can be sure things will remain that way at higher levels, too. How will this change affect gameplay? At lower levels (up to level 10), you may notice lower stat growth for certain heroes than they used to have until now. That said, this earlier stage of battle usually doesn't take long to complete and, at higher levels, the stat growth will become a lot more noticeable. It's important to note that max level stats remain unchanged! We hope that this innovation will help you better navigate character progression and give you more opportunities for strategic planning! Additionally, as part of this rebalancing act, the stats and skills of the [b]Slippery Dave hero[/b] were slightly altered: [list] [*] Slippery Dave's Mythic specialization that reduces the regeneration period from the Quick Metabolism passive skill for each equipped Water Skill was adjusted from -1 sec. to -0.75 sec. [*] His attack and HP reserve has also been increased. [/list] [h2]Sorting Heroes by Class[/h2] You can now sort your heroes by their class at the Tavern and the Academy for faster and more convenient character management! [h2]Increased Combo Skill Drop Rates[/h2] Does it sometimes happen that all the rerolls and skips have been spent, but the necessary skill for that sweet, sweet evolution just didn't show up? What's bad luck, and how should you deal with it? Don't worry — we've got you covered! We've increased the chance of evolution element skills showing up if you already have its partner. For example, if you possess the Powerful Swing skill, your chance to get the Destructive Strike 1 will be much higher. Please note that this change will only affect 1st-level skills that you don't yet have! We hope that this will make your play sessions even more enjoyable and comfortable. [h2]Monsters will Use Active Skills Better[/h2] We've fed our monsters some brain-stimulating vitamins, so they shall now behave more intelligently on the battlefield. The enemies will now use their active skills more adequately and when appropriate. If, for example, the boss is following you around and for whatever reason can't apply a skill on you, then after a few seconds they will re-think their behavior and use another ability instead. This will make your fights more dynamic and interesting, adding even more challenge and adrenaline to every match! [h2]Some Plans for the Near Future[/h2] We have so many plans… Firstly, we're going to resume our developer diaries so that you can gradually receive all the necessary information about upcoming updates. Attentive readers may have already noticed that we're preparing an in-game chat that will be available from the City, as well as a system of in-game clans, ratings, and other leaderboards for you to place in and compete for valuable prizes! A new location is already being actively developed, as well as — and this is largely thanks to our loyal players — a new skill and a number of novel in-game mechanics. The details are currently hidden under a veil of secrecy, but that's bound to change in the fullness of time! Finally, another major announcement: we're preparing to launch on new platforms, so get ready to play The Braves on consoles and mobile devices! [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/2ba1c05deadce4858cbd98c54f59a8afe0599298.png[/img] We have also prepared a Mysterious code for you in honor of the update: [u][b]spookyhalloween[/b][/u] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/5101f48e75b9fb0a5d5532d682130083878a07e4.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44309290/2ba1c05deadce4858cbd98c54f59a8afe0599298.png[/img] That's all for now, Brave Ones. The "creepy" month of October is drawing to a close, but the celebration of All Saints' Eve is in full swing! Stay tuned and share your impressions of the game in its present state — we're always happy to read your feedback, as it helps us make our title even better!