Meranthe 1.2 - Full Content Ahead
Patch notes will primarily serve to summarize the highlights of changes and additions, but everything is noted informally in the #game-changelog channel. Now we're looking to continue adding content, including some vanity coin sinks & sailboats as the next big feature with cows/barns out of the way. Our artist is also working on the spell art for upcoming additions, which you can see in #teasers! Work on the custom prop menu (including private props) is also nearly ready to go live.

SUMMONING SPELL TREE
Introducing a public Spell Tree that comes with a number of new summons depending on your affinity, as well as supporting spells! All of this is public, though adding custom summons is quite easy for us to do for events and signatures.

Quote:➤Summon HP is 50% of yours. All damage dealt counts as coming from you. On death, summons deal 1/5th of your max HP in damage to you.

➤Power Return - Deal damage to your summon, restore HP and MP. GCDE, 15 second cooldown. Gives +1500 HP, +25 mana, stuns summon for 5 seconds and deals 1500 damage to it.

➤Link Transposition - Instantly swaps places with your summon, and drop an AOE both on yourself and your summon. 

➤Intermed: Spirit Meld - 60 second CD. Invuln; Phase out, and pilot your summon for 10 seconds who takes delayed damage. Reappear where your summon is when the spell ends, summon takes damage after. Your summon's damage is DOUBLED while this is active.

Go Aquarius!

Quote:Demon Evolution: At certain Level milestones, the Demon may use the 'Evolve' spell to select their next form, able to be used whenever the threshold is reached. This will often involve a multi-choice selection. They gain increased stats in the form of passives, and may even unlock new spells.

Demons have a 10 Spell Point discount on the Occult opener. At Kaor+, they gain the ability Teach Occult.
Stat Passive: The race cannot equip gear. They instead have a passive to make up this difference.
Growth Through Adversity: Demons get triple the EXP from Dangerous+ encounters.

Additionally, at Kaor level, a Demon may Spawn a Cambion. Throughout history the Demon race has created their own accursed servants, and these red-skinned, horned acolytes are quite the same, coming equipped with their own custom spell tree. This ability may only be used by a Kaor once every ten years, though bloodlines of Cambion can develop.

Growth Through Adversity: Triple EXP from Dangerous+ encounters. -10 spendable discount on Occult Magic.
Black Claw: Several quick slashes of scorching occult.
Demonic Nature: A cast buff that trades your DR for AP for 10s (reducing the former to 0 during).
Evolve: As you evolve you gain a new form and additional stats, cannot equip gear.
Make Cambion: At kaor+ (lvl 210+) you can impart your flesh and a shard of the black soul to transform a willing subject once every 15 years, cursing their bloodline as Cambions, part-demon. Often red-skinned with horns (but varies). Gains their own demonic racials - almost like a corrupted variant of the Nephilim theme-wise, representing demons rather than the pantheon. 
Teach Occult: At kaor a demon may also spread Occultic magic to willing acolytes, binding them in service. The Occult is said to originate with demonkind, and humans learned the depraved arts from them.

Quote:Unlocked at Level 210. Passives.

Enarr - Crown of Authority
Descendants of the god-king may manifest the crown of authority to amplify their leadership. All spell casts have a chance to root the target briefly in binding, golden chains.

Gala - Veil of Stars
Purple stars shimmer around Gala's descendants when they're in combat, following them in movement, raising their Cooldown Reduction while the Nebula Stars are active.

Mortyl - Wings of Death
Descending from the union of Caius and Mortyl, the Primal of Death, the Nephilim undergo a painful transformation as they leave adolescence, where wings of jagged bone and ivory horns emerge from the flesh. Chance to deal a brief Curse to the target each spell cast.

Pylae - Wings of Hope
Of Pylae, the Primal of Hope, mature Nephilim will fly proudly on golden wings. Chance to be granted Hope on spell cast, a buff that appears in two-wings guarding the Nephilim. 

Mestra - Wings of Song
Shimmering, multi-colored wings of creativity bloom under Mestra. Chance to be granted Song on spells, a colorful, music-like AoE following their movements.

Chireus - Wings of Travel
Soft white wings accented by strikes of color, silver like the winds they flow on. Chance for a speed up every spell cast that has the player shift colors randomly.

Some of the Nephilim passive aesthetic!

  

As we exit the winter into warmer months, a new expansion to enjoy! If you like what you see, pitching in with development costs is always appreciated as it enables us to go big and bold! Thank you for your continued support.

➤ ADDITION: Arcana makes its return with a fully supported UI! You can find 'Toggle Card Zone' in the options menu, and choose north or south facing. The 'Games' chat was also updated in that it'll post card descriptions when they're played, to make the game more free flowing.

➤ ADDITION: The Options menu has been increased in size to include various /cmd commands, making them more visible to players. The / shortcuts still exist, and can be viewed in the blue crystal chat tab.

➤ ADDITION: Adds Goblin and Batkin as Level 200 Wilderness rebirths, and Fairy as a Level 210 Wilderness rebirth.

➤ ADDITION: Sets up a web server so the face icon script doesn't need to be triggered when there's a hard reboot or outage.

➤ ADDITION: Notice boards! Letters can be placed and viewed by the public, and the board itself is managed by settlement leaders. Can only be placed within settlements.

➤ CHANGE: Increases the warning on Days Paid for property maintenance from 3 to 5 days.

➤ CHANGE: Dungeon keys now note the dungeon's specific map coordinates.

➤ CHANGE: Guard Gauge HP increased from 25% of max HP to 33% (a third).

➤ CHANGE: Crafting now uses your disguise name for the Made By, if wearing a disguise.

➤ CHANGE: Tilled soil was taking roughly a month to expire if unwatered. Reduces this to around five days.

➤ CHANGE: Minimum layer for custom props changed from 3 to 1.2.

➤ FIX: Various Preview Spell fixes.

➤ FIX: Private props weren't being added to the prop_cache after recent refactoring, so the visuals on new uploads were failing to upload.

Quote:➤Medic - 5 Spell Points (Opener): The target's temporary injury is reduced by 50% of its duration.
➤Expert Medic - 25 EXP: The target's temporary injury is reduced by 75% of its duration.
➤Acupuncture - 10 EXP: The target's Energy regeneration is increased by 25% for 1 year.
➤Accelerated Healing - 25 EXP: Passive. Your self-heals are increased by 10%.
➤Party Healer - 10 EXP: Passive. Your party heals are increased by 25%.

Quote: Wrote:➤Shapeshift: You declare a new identity, customizing your profile, quote color, age, name, etc. Then, whenever you use this spell, you switch between your shapeshifted form and your alter ego. This has a decade long cooldown.

➤True Face: When used, select an Intermediate type spell from your target and gain it for a duration of 24 hours, then apply a temporary injury to them for 1 year. This can only be used once per year, meaning the window to use your 'free' stolen spell is limited!

➤Produce Magibane: A unique, poisonous concoction derived directly from the blood of a Faceless. Discreetly spawns it in your inventory at the cost of 750 energy.

Quote: Wrote:SUMMON MINION - RITUAL: Spawns a Level 100 ally creature after 30s of the ritual being active. The ritual circle has a set amount of HP and can be destroyed. 
FLASH - Quarter: A 1/4 of the arena flashes red repeatedly for 3s, then 20d to any in that area, followed by the next 1/4, to make a full circle (starts in a random place and moves either clockwise or counter clockwise, also random)
FLASH - Half: Same as the above except half of the arena.
FLASH - AoE: Same as the above except a 11x11 AoE around the caster.
FLASH - WallSide: Starts at one side of the arena, covers the entire height, rapidly moves to the other side (leaving explosions as it does so) going back and forth a randomized number of times (between 3 to 6).
FLASH - WallTop: Starts at the bottom side of the arena, covers the entire width, rapidly moves to the top (leaving explosions as it does so) going back and forth a randomized number of times (between 3 to 6).
ORB OF DESTRUCTION: Spawns an object that has HP (displays HP bar beneath) that gradually gets larger over the course of 30s. Explodes and spawns a 21x21 AoE that deals 10 tile damage if not destroyed beforehand.
PILLARS OF DEFENSE: An object spawns in each corner of the arena (HP displays beneath). Each one increases the boss's damage reduction by 15% (total of 60%, reduces as they are destroyed).

Quote:Demonstep duration reduced from 1s to 0.75s, cooldown increased from 20s to 35s (Unarmed)
Tornado range increased from 60 to 70 (Air)
Galeburst is now GCDE (Tempest)
Dour Javelin range increased from 11 to 14 (Water)
Despairing Tendrils damage increased from 9 to 10 (Water)
Ring of Malice damage increased from 2.5 to 3 (Water)
Steam Burst damage increased from 5.5 to 6 (Mist)
Sanctuary spell power increased from 11 to 13 (Wellspring)
Rolling Vines damage increased from 10 to 12.5 (Nature)
Binding Chains range increased from 10 to 12 (Metal)
Silver Javelin damage increased from 10 to 13 (Metal)
Tesla changed from Basic to Intermediate, damage increased from 15 to 21 (Plasma)

Quote:Commend - Political Support
This does not cost 500 influence to cast, unlike the others.

All characters begin with Commend. Transfers selected amount of influence to the target. If they're not in the same faction: at a reduction of 50%.

This spell can only be cast once per year.

'You lend your support to target, granting them X influence!
If 1000+ influence, guild announce (can choose public or private): name has lent their support to target name! +[custom msg]'

The other commands cost 500 Influence to cast. They are purposely strong and impactful: coordination is key to success!

Commander: Grant the target +50% EXP for 1 year
Master of Coin: Grant the target +50% coin for 1 year
Head of Research: Improved anvil rolls (doubled!) on target for 1 year
Faith Leader: Exchange 200 influence for 1 faith (can be used in multitudes ofc). Exchange 1 faith for 50 influence. Something like exists for other classes (witchcraft/necromancy) but not advertised so openly.

After much time, and much work, the 2.0 update is finally upon us. I apologize it took as long as it did, as we went somewhat overboard with the features, but it felt good to do so with such a landmark number. It's exciting as ever to watch the world of Meranthe grow and the histories be written, so let's hope for many more years to come! Thank you to all subscribers/patrons for supporting the project, and to anyone that's invested in the stories being written!!!

The release date is the 15th of February, Thursday, a belated Valentines present from us to you!

➤  MAGICAL BEASTS: Following the Invocation of Aemir, heralded by Enarr and Gala, the region was briefly bathed in divinity. Goldbloom grew freely and nearby demons were transformed in the abundance of magic as the Aether of the Ten converged. This new race lacks the occultic nature but are just and wild and dangerous as their distant cousins.

For information on the many Magical Beast races....(in progress)

Quote:

They do not gain EXP within settlements, but Dangerous+ battles grant 10x the usual EXP. This is a PUBLIC, non-rebirth race.

MAGIC CORE: A customizable magic core, the name, description, and sprite is set. This is on a SHIELD slot and can only be equipped by its Magic Beast. As you gain EXP as a Magic Beast, the core strengthens and progresses, +1 ele pow/def (caps at 5) & +1 power (caps at 10) every 10k EXP.

On death, the Magic Core can be harvested and used as a special resource, for the creation of a soulblade: A living weapon that can change and grow with its wielder over the years, in similar respects to the infamous kaorblade.

FRAGMENTS: In defeat (on a Danger 1+) a Magic Beast might also drop a fragment. This is a lesser core that can also be used as a special resource on weapons.

SELF-HEAL: Costs 1000 Energy to use. May heal temporary injuries and regenerate from permanent injuries.

EVOLUTION: At Level 180, a gremlin can transform. Owldrakes.. Ogres and Werewolves.. Cetus and Ursen and Vulpinari, and creatures that Meranthe has never seen. Each comes with a unique spell.

➤ RUSH DUNGEONS : Across the world there are now thirteen 'rush' styled PvE events, where on entry (for a coin cost), waves of monsters bombard the party. These are marked on the mini-map depending on their difficulty, green (easy), blue (standard), and red (extreme). They also feature new enemies. On victory, surviving party members gain token items that scale with the challenge, and can be spent in the token store.

➤ RUSH STORE: Found outside the dungeons. Many new items can be found here, all purchased with tokens. You can trade your coin for tokens, or even your influence via the faction NPC (the latter has a better exchange rate!). Otherwise they're gained by participating in the dungeons!

➤ RETAINERS: Purchase a retainer contract in the token store. This grants you your very own NPC: You name them, can set up their outfit by dragging clothing onto them, and even pilot/puppeteer them as you would a PC. 

Retainers have various commands and mechanics, such as:

Quote:

Happiness = Their wellbeing. Increase this by paying them coin; declines by 10 each year, or if they're assaulted.

If assaulted and defeated, blood splatters will be left where the NPC is stationed and name the preparator via nearby witnesses. The retainer takes three hours to respawn.

Pay Coin - Gives them money. 1000 coin = +10 happiness

Follow - They will follow directly behind you!

Farm - looks for nearby unwatered crops and waters them, looks for nearby unfed animals and pets/feeds them within a 30x30 range.

Defend - Follows you as a summon would, becoming an ally in battle. A max of two retainers may do so.

Train - For 10k coin, the retainer will learn a basic spell of your choice once the year passes over, and gain 20 power. This command may be issued a maximum of five times, and once per year. 

Control - Pilots the retainer for up to a range of 100 tiles from your position.

Update Description - Update the descriptive text that appears when someone inspects your retainer.

Set Spawnpoint - Your retainer will respawn at the chosen location. 

Set Faction - Updates their current faction to yours. Retainers will not aggro and cannot damage faction members.

➤ FAMILIARS: Familiars are a type of pet that can overcap lifeskills. You can train it in a particular lifeskill and it gains EXP in that skill whenever you do, but also via 'rare candy' style items purchased in the token store. Much like retainers, you can take over and pilot familars as desired.  

So if a familiar has Level 5 farming, and yours is 100, then it'll be 105! You can change what lifeskill a familiar is focused on too.

These are purchased on the token store and are high-end investments!

➤ INFO BOX REMAKE: The information UI that appears when you right-click a character has been remade and improved. It now includes space for a small image, as well as various commands. It will display your faction if you're wearing faction gear.

➤ EXAMINE: You can now view the descriptions of gear that a character has equipped via the examine profile command. It also includes a status display that'll be expanded on in the future. Be sure to stock up on Glamor potions to spruce up your flavor text!

➤ SEASONS: Each passing year, the current season will change and be announced to the server. Piles of snow appear in the appropiate region in the winter, and season decorations (such as the leaf whoosh below!) change palette depending on the season, like bundles of leaves etc. Enemies and resources that only appear during specific seasons! We plan to expand this more with farming as well.

A breezy summer's day.

➤ AUTOMATED FACTION SPELLS: The faction spells (Commander, Head of Research, Master of Coin) are now unlocked automatically. Each has a requirement: Commander requires 20+ Dangerous battles, Head of Research requires an Artificing EXP of 100k+, and Master of Coin requires 500k+ made from a stall. They can be used if you're Rank 3 or higher in your associated faction.

Their effects now also last for 4 years rather than 1 (roughly an OOC month), and cost 10k influence to cast. This is to make usage more impactful/long-term rather than overly game-y.

➤ SPAWN FACTION NPC: A faction recruiter NPC can now be spawned by interacting with the town board as the settlement leader. You can also edit/set it up without staff assistance! Your settlement must be village+ size to do so.

➤ SPELL ADDITIONS: 

Quote:

Sparkbomb - Rework (PLASMA - INTERMEIDATE): This now spawns many erratic sparkbombs that each individually deal damage and a burn effect!

Chronos Aura - Rework (TIME - MASTER): Chronos now has a passive that converts any damage over 6000 into a 5s DoT, replacing its active. So 10k damage would be converted into 5s of 2k damage instead. It also has some +spell dodge.

Lightspeed - Rework (LIGHT - INTERMEDIATE): Lightspeed now has a brief 1s period where you shimmer silver, then teleport, giving more of a warning. It also deals 5d on teleport. It's no longer a Master.

Fortuna  Death - Rework (FORTUNA): The wave code has been improved so that the damage is more reliable.

Scald - Rework (MIST): When you use Scald, the associated Fogbanks now gently flash silver. Numbers have been adjusted accordingly.

Rock Wall - Fortress (EARTH - MASTER)

Shadow Stich (SHADOW - INTERMEDIATE)

Prism Scattershot (LIGHT - MASTER)

Various spell balance changes as well.

➤ TUTORIAL EXPANSION: The Tutorial has the following quests added- Reach Level 100, Craft a Rowboat, Enter a Dungeon, Join a Faction! 

➤ ARTIFICER - MEMENTO: This Artificer recipe lets you create a 'memento' item, a prop that you can customize the name/description/sprite of. This is good for general roleplay purposes!

➤ ITEM MODIFIERS: Some new Item Modifiers have been added!

Quote:Champion: +1 Faith on dangerous/deadly win
Witchblade: +1 Essence on dangerous/deadly win
Soul Eater: Duration of temp injuries on target * 3
Soulbound: Weapon gains +1 power every 20k exp you gain
Indomitable: While your HP is 15% or less less than your opponent's, gain 20% power
Sprint /Invisibility fixed

➤ RUMORS: Players can now submit rumors for staff viewing, describing the rumor and the duration (how many years it'll persist) via the /rumor command. Staff can approve, amend, and remove rumors as desired. An approved rumor has a chance of appearing every so often, randomized!

➤ COMMEND: Salute your felllow player and detail a scene(s) you enjoyed with them; you write out a message the staff see, and a note the player will be able to view in their /commendations command. You can only use this once a year. The 'commend' spell has been renamed to 'support' to avoid confusion.

➤ REPRIMAND: While players commend, staff reprimand! This deals a warning to the target, often given for low effort RP, breaking the fourth wall, or poor OOC conduct. It wipes EXP, docks gains, and hits influence!

➤ DESCRIPTOR ADDITONS: Descriptors can be customized even further, now! You can assign a custom sprite to the descriptor, and even set its duration to 'permanent'. Others can interact/set it to temporary, however, but the name of the person that did so is displayed for viewing if so.

➤ PRIVATE BATTLE IMPROVEMENTS: There is now a leave option that appears while in or spectating a private battle. Additionally there are NPCs that you can use to exit the battle.

➤ SLOT MACHINE: You can purchase a slot machine kit from the Rush NPC! This prop can only be placed indoors, and others can interact for the slots mini-game.

➤ COOKING CRAFT TAB: Cooking now has a dedicated crafting tab rather than being lumped in with general.

➤ IN-GAME PATCH NOTES: There are now in-game patch notes that appears on character load whenever it's updated.

 

MISC/SMALL CHANGES:

➤Guild Command: Assign Rank

➤Farm Animal Command: Follow

➤When a settlement is upgraded, it now announces this to the world.
➤Improves to the slay command. No more black screen!

➤Summons killing NPCs no longer leave them bugged.

➤Improves Compost Bin.

➤More clothing sprites!!

➤You can change your sprite's direction via left-click.