Since its launch, the Early Access game V Rising has attracted aspiring bloodsuckers eager to build majestic castles and strike down holy ones. Earlier this year, developer Stunlock Studios first announced that it would improve what it calls the game's castle fantasy: the inability to build vertically, which has forced vampires to build on top of hills to create a looming gothic atmosphere, Soon it will be possible (opens in new tab).

Stunlock now details the game's first major (and free) expansion, but this does not mean that it is leaving early access. Several major changes are planned, including an overhaul of the game's spell and magic system, the heart of the game's combat, which will be released in May and will allow players to "build bigger and better lairs with more control than ever, master new weapons and magic, explore new areas and encounter new bosses and factions."

Spells will be changed to give a clearer focus to each build type and to increase the number of potential combinations between different techniques; V Rising already has many spells and five specialties, so this is not a trivial change, but fairly basic to the feel of the game.

According to the developers, "We have increased the cohesiveness of the specialized schools by adding debuffs that benefit from stacking. This encourages a commitment to individual magic archetypes, but should not be so beneficial as to discourage smart vampires from mixing techniques for other strategies." In case players find a way to stack debuffs that are too strong on the go, it appears that an increasing harvest system will be incorporated by the end of the update. A sixth school of spells is also likely to be added, although details are not yet available.

As part of the changes, a new item type, Jewels, will be added to enhance and modify individual spells (these attributes will be randomized, with higher level Jewels having up to three modifiers). Each spell can be assigned one jewel, which, if equipped, is not lost upon death; one of the fascinating things about the studio Stunock is that it not only gives you a list of changes, but also allows you to indulge in a little fantasy about them: "Turn your surroundings into a frozen hell, but don't be afraid to try. "Whether it's turning your surroundings into a frozen inferno, stripping the life force from those who challenge you, or moving through the battlefield like a phantom assassin wrapped in illusion, I want you to be the Dark Warlock of your dreams.

Sounds exciting. There are changes to the core abilities of vampire blood as well, with the best class of them all, the necromancer, getting more ways to summon an army of undead and its own custom-made jewels: like exploding skeletal minions and skeletal mages that aim and attack.

Illusions are changing to be more like illusions than ever before. The tribe is like a hybrid of defense and support, their spells buff the player and debuff the enemy; Stunlock cites the 'Phantasm' buff as an example, which stacks each time it is cast, bypassing the spell's cooldown each time it stacks and allowing the ' free' abilities to be cast. The illusionist compensates for his defensive style by unleashing more spells more often, and also getting new spells like the crowd control fear effect, as well as borrowing some abilities from other specialties: Unholy's Mosquito and Blood's Crimson Aegis are now allies of the illusionists.

The studio is also considering adding legendary weapons. Like gems, they have random abilities, but they are not confirmed for this update. The last major addition is also in the same place; V Rising is considering adding the ability for vampires to claim parcels of land, rather than the current system of placing castle hearts and expanding them tile by tile.

This idea of territories is to fit more players into the world and reduce friction. It should also address the problem of clans building extra castles just to buffer their "main" castle.

"This might also set the stage for many interesting systems to be built more easily," says Stanlock. 'We considered using this to implement a mechanism for moving one's castle between two fiefdoms. This opens up possibilities for servant interaction and missions such as infiltration, invasions, spy missions, etc... Like a PvE territory owner, there is a mechanic that must be defeated to occupy the area, preventing players from raiding the best spots on the new server It may be possible to.

The studio is not yet certain that the trade-off will be worth it. Therefore, it may not happen, but Stunlock is seeking feedback from players on this proposal.

The expansion does not mean a full release of V Rising, which was first released in May 2022; according to Stunlock, the game is currently scheduled for a full release in 2024. The update concludes with the simple truth that "2023 is a glorious year for vampires."