Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue - Changelog v0.5.15

New/Updated Features

Leader Status and Perk Summary tabs added

User Interface and Experience improvements
- New Main Menu options added
- Font size option added (only affects Events, Codex entries, and Tooltips)
- Event Scroll Speed adjustment option added
- Music loop time setting added
- Brand new GFX setting to boost performance
- V-sync option now properly saved
- Massive number of **Performance improvements across the game
- A great number of character art assets resized to better reflect their intended height.
- The way we resize the Event UI Scroll is slightly better suited for wide screens

Scouting changes
- Scouts now report on Crew Combat, Hunting, and Foraging chances too beside events during Scouting
- Scouting into multiple directions costs less Resourcefulness
- Scouting Movement Point cost got a little cheaper too

Bug fixes
- Almost all crash bugs fixed (still chasing one in the companion combat)
- Available Mansio crew numbers now work during reentering and reloading as intended
- Fixed the issue where companion recruitment events could be repeated
- Companion loyalty losses in events and due to game mechanics reduced a bit
- The bug that caused permanent Resourcefulness loss resolved (for the future only)
- Some wide-screen problems (like chat-heads covering text, etc.) solved
- Corrected the sound balance (it was accidentally heavy on the right channel)
- A metric ton of typos and event script errors fixed
- Tooltip improvements

Vagrus - The Riven Realms (In Dev) - Changelog v0.5.15 - Codename: Flee!
Hi Folks,

Thank you for all the feedback you shared with us in the last few weeks! This was immensely useful from the smallest bug reports to the super-ambitious ideas on how to turn Vagrus into a AAA title [thanks for crediting so grand a potential to our tiny team], and we appreciate you taking the time to help us with your insights.

One of the most commonly flagged missing feature was the option to Flee from Crew Combat encounters, and so after the first bundle of quick-fixes, we shifted our focus to that. Soon after starting to design Flee, we just felt that Appeasing enemies -bribing them to let you go without even having to run for it - was so tied to the Flee mechanic that it only made sense to implement both. And so we did.
We also made a number of tweaks, including the change that Tax collectors no longer factor in cargo from Trade tasks when calculating the tax amount.

It took a little more time than we originally planned and we wanted to make it available as soon as possible, so it has not been extensively playtested. The game might have become a tad too easy with these changes - please share your views about that once you had the chance to play a couple of hours with this new build.

Okay, time to dive into the list of changes:

Patch 0.5.15 - codename: Flee!

New/Updated Features
Crew Combat Flee including the first version of Appease
- In case the Enemy is the attacker, you may choose to Flee instead of fighting
- Some Enemies are slow and easier to flee from while others are good at chasing and you may be better off fighting them
- Increase the chance of your Flee by Appeasing the enemy with leaving stuff behind
- Based on their attributes, enemies accept offerings and appreciate them on a different level
- Auto-offer does not work for goods yet
- Crew combat enemy-demands scale a bit better
- Tax collectors no longer factor in Trade Task cargo when coming up with the tax amount. At the same time, tax immunities through Factions also reduced.
- The accidentally released Perk Summary Tab properly implemented now
- 'Manual' companion heal phased out by natural healing replacing it completely - as planned
- Loads of perk related updates and fixes:
- Perks granted by gear/etc do not count towards certain requirements (other Gear, Perk prerequisites, etc)
- Gear/Deputy/Combat perk requirements only consider the companion's base perks now
- On the Leader and Companion Perk UIs, only the base perks are indicated
- Perk insight and proficiency costs consider base perk levels only (no overcharge for levels granted by other things)

UI improvements
- Companion Perk UI refreshed (still not the final version, though)
- Split to three columns now instead of the previous four and also added new tooltips

Bug fixes
- Settlement Slave/Mounts sell, also Banter misdirects to the Chart fixed
- ]Dream event script fixed
- ]Fixed disappearing proficiency points on deputy skills
- Price tooltip resets when all goods are sold
- 'Location ?' bug on the 'Load game' screen fixed
- POTW Chapter 9 autosave occasional load-back issue resolved
- A number of typos and event script errors fixed
- Tooltip improvements
- Various smaller fixes

Known issues
- Gear & Status bonuses will be added back to the Companion and Leader Perk UIs
- Scouting result crash - unable to reproduce
- One combat decal crash - unable to reproduce

'Is Vagrus properly balanced now'? - Nop.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Now that we have released Flee, we are moving on to design and implement Companion Progression, which will move the cap on companion Prowess to five from the current two and bring along new combat traits to increase companion stats. It already looks and feels awesome, we think.
We are also changing our approach to content releases and instead of very rare big drops, we plan to open up new campaign map areas in smaller chunks. The first one will most likely be the salt basins above Mines of Plenty, including Salum, the headquarters of the Scythichnis Covenant and the Auguros Work Camp of the Empire.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
The Lost Pilgrims Team

P.s.: We are still receiving a high number of messages, bug reports, and improvement ideas via the various channels so we might not able to respond to everyone but we're trying our best. ✌️

Vagrus - The Riven Realms (In Dev) - Changelog v0.5.16 - Codename: Salty!

Hey everyone,

and first of all, let us thank all of you who shared their views regarding our planned priorities. We took that to heart and worked tirelessly to implement Companion Progression, which includes raising the Prowess cap from two to five, introducing Companion-specific traits that increase stats, and much more.

It is important to mention that the Companion loyalty storylines that will in the final game open up Prowess 3 and 6, are not yet in the game and not planned any time soon either. Our plan is to add those once all the planned regions are added first, so those questlines can be placed to their ideal location rather than crammed into the currently available territory.

We have also made various other improvements that make Companion combat more interesting:

- Diminishing returns will help against enemies with high Block or Evade stats, and though it is applied on the player side as well, some of the Companions have access to the Resolute perk now that allows them to ignore diminishing returns, meaning they can Evade or Block without getting a debuff.

- Thanks to some AI improvements, the enemies will now be much better at using complex skills instead of spamming a unit's base attack or even just skipping turns or swapping when out of position somewhat.

- The mechanics of many combat perks, like Channeling or Life Leech, that are available through companion progression or as gear effects, have been implemented giving even more Companion upgrade options.

Beside changes on the code side, we are opening up a new subregion in this patch for the first time, the salt basins above the Mines of Plenty. The area includes Salum, the headquarters of the Scythichnis Covenant as well as the Auguros Work Camp, a prison colony of the Empire.

The Great Salt Basins teaser video

Let's dive into the detailed list of changes:

Patch 0.5.16 - codename: Salty!
===============================

# New/Updated Features

- Companion progression
- Prowess cap raised from 2 to 5
- Second level skill upgrades enabled (and can be boosted to third)
- New companion-specific Traits added that raise baseline stats such as VIT, ARM, ACC, etc.
- For an interim period, companions can be 'reset' during camping (via the 'brain' button on camp/rest screens)

- Companion Combat
- Diminishing returns on Evade and Block introduced
- New 'Resolute' combat trait available for certain companions; this trait makes the companion unaffected by diminishing returns
- AI improvements - enemies can now use complex skills and are less likely to skip their turn
- Skills involving movement or two phases now work as intended (their animation is split into two so that is still not final)
- Enemies may now seem to have gotten new skills whereas in truth, those just started to work properly
- Initiative order altered to accommodate enemies with multiple actions per round; also to properly remove/add characters losing or gaining actions (i.e: Stunned or Aided)

- New combat traits implemented
- Arcane Leech; Blood Magic; Channeling; Durable Spells; Frenzy; Life Leech; Siphon; Spell penetration

# New/Updated Content
- The salt basins region added with settlements, events, and a questline
- Gor'Goro has a new fourth combat skill

# UI improvements
- Camp UI 'X' button added (the most requested feature ever ) - goes inactive if any camp action is started, like banter, etc.
- Companion combat decal flips finally work for enemies used as allies, as well as some other decal effects fixed
- Animation and decal refinements
- Various smaller UI changes & Tooltip updates

# Bug fixes
- A bunch of Resourcefulness/Authority/Perk base/effect related bugs/potential exploits resolved
- Save/Load issues around camping resolved
- Companion combat skill effect resists against Impervious enemies now properly work (no Bleed status vs Specters, sadly)
- DOT damage kills now trigger companion combat victory when defeating the final enemy
- Wrong node-path taken bug fixed
- Various smaller fixes

# Known issues
- Scouting result crash - still unable to reproduce
- Crew combat looting does not work yet
- The visual presentation of companion combat skills with two phases are not final yet

'Is Vagrus properly balanced now'? - Nope.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

We are eager to hear how you find these new changes. With Companion Progression added, we are refocusing on the most critiqued area - well actually two areas - of the game: crew combat and companion combat. Our first priority will be to implement our planned **Crew combat looting** design and depending on how long that takes, we might take a crack at Crew combat Actions, too, soon afterward. While Companion combat has received a number of feature updates, the visual representation is still far from what we imagined. Beside the generic goal of making it 'better paced and more impactful', we are planning to improve specifically how we visualize targeting and complex skills, and also explore adding turn/round announcements and initiative order animations - the list goes on. This may take a while, so no promises on the deadline but we thought it was important to share that we are working on it. In terms of content, our eyes are set on Deven and the surrounding area already. It's coming.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
The Lost Pilgrims Team

### Hey Folks,

we are happy to share that a massive number of changes are live as of posting this! With adding a new subregion the available content grew again significantly, while on the coding side we have focused our efforts to improve the Crew Combat feature that was causing all kinds of grief to players. So, let's see what's coming.

### New Content:
* The Deven region with one major settlement, Deven, and a smaller one, Sun Rock, as well as a lot of new ground to explore.
* The Church of Ahskul faction is fleshed out in all its macabre glory.
* Try your luck at tomb robbing in the Valley of Sleepers - if you dare.
* The Ratharnak Alliance's headquarters were extended and moved to the Mines of Plenty.
* Your journey with the Dread Reavers continues!
* A lot of new (shorter and longer) storylines you can follow through.
* The Dark Elf companion Renkailon can now be recruited through story progression.

### Crew Combat Improvements:
#### Looting in crew combat
* Destroy the enemy or make it flee and get all their valuables
* Gather/Harvest items, money, and goods from fallen enemy units
* Catch - with a small chance - the surviving mounts of your outriders who fell in battle
* Extract supplies from mounts that did not survive
Of course, the Riven Realms remains a dog-eat-dog place, so none of this loot is available if you lose or are forced to flee. Also, 'immersion is king' even when it comes to looting. Do not expect desperate lowlife tugs attacking your comitatus carrying heaps of valuables. Now, in case you are the aggressor and ambush their camp with all their possessions... that is another story. Provided that you are okay to prey on the weak. Will your companions approve?

#### Combat preparations
* You can mount fighters, dismount outriders right before crew combat (except if you are ambushed)

#### Goal (objective) selection changes
* Now you select a goal on the defensive side as well, so you can choose what you defend the most (crew, beast, cargo)
* The main target of the enemies is only revealed in the second round
* You can change your objective at the end of each round
* Added the option to flee or retreat even during ongoing crew combat (albeit at potentially heavy losses)

#### New 'defense' stat introduced
* It better reflects how easy or hard it is to take out certain enemies and characters (i.e.: outriders are much harder to damage)
* You can improve your crews' combat strength and/or defense stats with equipment and properties separately

#### Actions in crew combat (tactical commands)
Giving more tools to the vagrus, we are now enabling 'Actions' in crew combat. These can significantly influence the outcome of crew level combat encounters. Our ultimate goal is to enable entering Companion combat directly from Crew Combat but even until then, players can choose from a number of actions (more to come), like:
* 'Launch a mounted attack' that increases the CS of Outriders for the round
* 'Form a Shield wall' to increase the Defense of your Fighters
* 'Insult' the enemy to increase the chance of them making a mistake
* Access advanced Crew Combat Actions with the now enabled Command leadership perk

#### Impervious crew combat enemies
Specters, Haunts, Living Shadows. Horrors that are immune to mundane weapons. Improve your companions, gain the blessing of Gods, gather rare magical items to defeat them. Alternatively, do the only thing you can if you come across these deadly enemies... FLEE!
Impervious enemies are marked with purple borders and their defense stat is colored as such, too
Only your Enchanted companions and/or crew can damage Impervious enemies in crew combat. Enchanted Combat Strength is highlighted - the axe and the CS value are colored to purple.

### Miscellaneous Changes:
* With the game growing, so did loading times but finally we got around to add a loading screen that also gives tips to new players.
* Made a massive number of smaller performance improvements, which together - hopefully - have a tangible effect on how the game runs
- The above includes Event UI performance updates to ease the jittering
* Higher Authority now reduces Companion loyalty penalties
* Outriders now automatically dismount to create cargo space in case the throw-out screen is (or would be) triggered

Let's dive into the detailed list of changes:

Patch 0.5.20 - Codename: Plunder!
===============================

### New/Updated Features
#### Crew Combat changes
* Looting added
* Goals on the defender side added & option to change your goal between rounds
* Defense stat introduced
* Actions & Advanced Actions with the Command Leadership perk added
* Impervious enemies now appear
* Mount/Dismount at start of combat added
* Retreat/Disengage/Flee options mid-fight now possibel - they take a full round to execute

#### Load Screens added with tips
#### Updated mechanics
* Outriders auto-dismount to free up cargo space if needed
* Keeping an 'army-sized' comitatus got a little harder

### New/Updated Content
* Deven region added with the settlements Deven and Sun Rock and a ton of new content
* Renkailon can be now recruited normally (without Braxius' involvement)
* Ratharnak HQ moved to Mines of Plenty; Church of Ahskul more prominent in Deven (their new HQ)
* The Dread Reavers hit the road again and get into all kinds of shenanigans

### UI Improvements
* Progress Counter shown on certain Quality journals
* Animation and decal refinements
* Various smaller UI changes & Tooltip updates

### Bug Fixes
* Sorcerer's Apprentice background is back
* Shedload of smaller fixes

### Known Issues
* We will explore options to reduce the initial loading time
* Scouting result crash - still unable to reproduce
* The visual presentation of companion combat skills with two phases are not final yet

**'Is Vagrus properly balanced now'?** - Nope.
**'Was it a step in the right direction?'** - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
The Lost Pilgrims Team

**Hey everyone,**

our last patch with the Deven subregion and Crew Combat improvements was our biggest release since entering Early Access. Unfortunately, it also brought more bugs/setup issues that slipped through the cracks. Sorry about that. But now we are happy to share with you this 0.521 build that is, though, mostly a hotfix patch for 'Codename:Plunder', also has some new Quality of Live features we have been planning for some time.

### Let's start with those QoL additions:
* Objective area markers added on the Chart for a number of questlines - typically for those where you need to scout within a given area, so you would know at least the approximate location. Note that this is the first version of this feature and will change over time when we add Mercenary and Exploration tasks as they will use the same system. Also, we might add an option in the main menu to turn these off so hardcore explorers can hunt for these locations solely based on rumors and other clues.
* Exploit Leadership perk is enabled, which now allows players to use Resourcefulness to reroll available Trade faction contracts in settlements once per seven days.
* Goods category filters added on the Market to help finding the exact things you are looking for.
* Specify quantity button added for those playing via Steam Remote Play using their iPads (or somethin').


Okay, so what got fixed? Here go the patch notes.

### Patch 0.5.21 - Codename: HighLife!

#### New/Updated Features
* **Objective area markers**
* **Exploit Leadership perk** to reroll available Trade Tasks
* Goods category filters on the Market
* Specify quantity button on the Market (mostly for remote play on tablets)
* Goods pilfered by the enemy can be taken back if you destroy them in Crew Combat
* Entering major settlements with a larger armed force now requires a license
* Vagrus now runs in the background


#### Bug Fixes
* Heritage of Hatred questline location is now actually on the map
* Blessing of Unbiding works on companions - time to hunt some specters
* Eliminated over 300 nodes and 2000 lines from the overpopulated areas of the campaign map
* The Wyrm's Teeth shows up on the Chart as intended
* The event connected to the Wyrm's Teeth now properly pops up (if all dependencies are met)
* Initiating banter during the rest before the Gor'Goro Arena match no longer breaks the game
* Chapter I. save in the PotW story fixed
* Applied a great many changes to Crew Combat calculations
* Approximately 300 Crew Combat templates rebalanced (probably needs 3-4 more passes before release :P)
* Crew Combat Action with 'Not against Beast/Undead' requirement fixed
* Crew Combat casualties now properly show up on the conclusion screen and at the time of camping


#### Known Issues
* We will explore options to reduce the initial loading time.
* Scouting result crash - still unable to reproduce.
* The visual presentation of Companion Combat skills with two phases is not final yet.


**'Is Vagrus properly balanced now'?** - Nope.
**'Was it a step in the right direction?'** - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
The Lost Pilgrims Team

P.s.: If you like the game and/or the direction it's heading, posting a review is a great way to help the development. Much appreciated. Cheers!

A New Build is OUT - Patch 0.5.27. - Codename: Luminous

Hey Folks,
this patch is our biggest to date in terms of complexity including a new region and a number of big features, so the tendency of taking on a lot seems to become a tradition for Lost Pilgrims by now.

Important note: considering the extent of these improvements, there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process of adding stuff and failed to notice despite extensive testing. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuild reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.

New Content
Larnak is huge, although somewhat smaller than Deven and Tor'Zag's Shelter. The city has several unique districts, shops, temples, adventure hooks, and more. Larnak is the headquarters of House Venari, as well as home to the embassy of an insectoid people that arrived to negotiate with the Empire. A dark threat is also appearing on the horizon, as the long-disappeared Sand Wyrms are returning in great numbers to prey upon travelers of the scorching deserts that surround the city.

Ash is a small town in the middle of a grey silt desert west of Sun Rock. Run by House Darius, it has become the largest slave market near and far. Unique opportunities await vagri with no scruples about forced labor.

The Forsaken Colony to the southwest of Larnak is a mysterious place. Abandoned along with the mines and an odd Yrg hive nearby, it has been largely avoided for decades. However, something stirs there at the far end of the desert and a new presence might have set up shop in the old colony.

We have also added a proper Oquo headquarters in the Drusian Quarry as well and the Dread Reavers continue their journey. Find these and more hidden stuff in the new build!

New Companion
Nedir the sorceress joins the companion roaster! Without spoiling too much, we can say that she is a spellweaver who specializes in fiery displays of destructive power as well as magic involving... well... Demons. She is completely in control of course! At least if you want to believe her.

Hirelings
To top it off, we have also added Venari Hireling characters who can be hired for a period of time to help out with the toughest of challenges, albeit for a small fortune.

Factions, Factions, and Factions!
Dynamic pricing was the first step to our final economy design. The second: Faction Offers is now added with this patch.
As the Factions own sole rights to trading in bigger quantities, finding enough goods to trade from the market can be quite challenging (and expensive with the prices shooting upwards with each bought stack). For the affiliates of the big Trading Houses though, the flow of goods opens up right away. Gain good standing with them and you will find their buy and sell Offers on the now enabled Faction Offers tab [Only in the open-world section]. Use a portion of your accumulated goodwill (reputation) and the deal becomes even sweeter.

Faction Rewards open up with each tier of Faction standing. Some of them you can reclaim at each of their headquarters, others are awarded simply by reaching new tiers (and lost when falling below a tier's threshold). These new rewards include:
- One-time obtainable rewards (like equipment and gear) can be reclaimed for most unlocked faction tiers. Some of these are not attainable anywhere else in the game.
- Constant effects, like increased worker efficiency, ambush chance, or Odd Jobs bonus. These are unique for each faction per tier and they have several levels you can unlock on higher tiers.
- New vagrus and comitatus customizations in the form of banners. Most factions give you their banner upon reaching a high tier of standing. You will be able to change banners on the leader UI.

Mounted Fun
Did we mention the third beast type becoming available for high-end comitati?
How about the option to mount up your whole crew (provided you do not have any beasts and have enough mounts for all your crew including companions, passengers, and yourself)?

Well, it would take too long to describe every fix and improvement in detail, so let's just switch to our traditional Patch notes format. Here goes:

--------------------------------------------------

Patch 0.5.27 - Codename: Luminous

New/Updated Features
Faction Offers / Access to Faction reserves
Faction Rewards (gained for each tier of standing)
Buy Market info via your Faction connections
The third beast type enabled (attainable via quests)
Mount-Up (though not quite feasible yet, more enablers to come)
Companion Combat formations (save and deploy your fav positionings)
Hero Select autofill and remove (filling order based on health rate)
Venari hireling characters (expensive professionals to hire)

New/Updated Content
The Larnak-Ash region
Venari HQ in Larnak
Oquo HQ in Drusian Quarry
New Companion: Nedir
Dread Reavers on the road again (though technically this time you are on the road for them)
Three new music tracks [Deven, Larnak, and an alternate Jaggest Waste]
Brand new enemies, as well as new versions to existing ones

Updated Game Mechanics
A great number of changes to the effects of existing and new equipment/gear/statuses
In many cases, changes to the availability of equipment and gear (now often available as Factions Rewards only as opposed to the market)
Stronger versions of equipment added - sometimes the original ones nerfed a bit to make the upgrade noticeable without breaking the balance completely

User Interface Improvements
Indicators added on both the Crew Combat and the Companion Combat side to better indicate which unit participates in them, and also if they were Elite or Leader units
Market prices and quantities now shown in stacks when the 'mass trade button' is pressed
Tooltip improvements all across the board

Bug Fixes
The trickling reputation rates were in reverse for Opponents and Adversaries, now corrected which will make it a great deal easier to remain on good terms with opponents
A great number of insight and reputation exploits closed off [sorry, not sorry :P]
Event decisions impacting Faction presence in settlements were not working property - fixed and reconstructed for prior saves as well based on journal entries
All known crash root-causes resolved
Various other smaller fixes

Known Issues
We will explore options to reduce the initial loading time.
The visual presentation of Companion Combat skills with two phases is not final yet.

'Is Vagrus properly balanced now'? - Nope.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
- The Lost Pilgrims Team

Coming up next... Mercenary Tasks and a return to Avernum. Yes, you read it right! Stay tuned.

Hey Folks,
this next patch is a bit lean on content but that is because we are gearing up to the next one that has a huge new region with tons of adventures awaiting - and it is coming sooner than you think! That said, this current update contains a pile of new features and Quality of Life improvements that will hopefully make you happy - like a completely reworked Event UI, Test boosting that allows you to use Resourcefulness to improve chances in Events, additions to Chart markers that makes it easier to find things in the wasteland (but still keeps it a challenge most of the time), new Hirelings, combat Skill tweaks, and a lot more!

Important Note: Considering the extent of these improvements there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuild reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.

Now let's jump into the details:

--------------------------------------------------
Patch 0.5.29 - Codename: Perky

New Content
1 new Venari and 3 new Oquo Hirelings became available at their respective headquarters
New Deputy Perk options now available on most companions (most of these you have to unlock via Prowess progression)
New SFX for a few enemies

User interface improvements
Event UI revamp including buy-sell icons, hover effect, the whole choice box clickable, dependency icon improvements, and tooltip improvements,
Test chance boosting is now available (normal & advanced with the 'Enhance' Perk)
Revamped Mini-comitatus UI (campaign view top left) with more information
Revamped Node & Marker cards on the Chart
Chart markers are differentiated by colors and icons from now on
Added the use of preview markers: this allows you to check the destinations of Tasks before picking them up
Enemy banners added in Crew combat for flavor and categorization
'Ready' sub-header added under Journal Tasks

New/Updated Features
'Enhance' Perk and functionality enabled (allows you to raise Test chances further in Events).
'Traverse' Perk and functionality enabled (allows you to convert MMP to MP every few days).
A shedload of balancing changes to Companion Skills.
Tasks no longer automatically grant the settlement destination on the chart. Instead, they spawn a marker similar to quest markers that can be used to locate the settlement.
Passengers also get a marker. Their destinations also is now clickable in the mansios (so you could preview the direction they are heading to).
Several tweaks to market prices aiming to make cheaper goods a bit more profitable while curbing the effortless riches on expensive goods (let us know how you find these).
Trade task commissions got a ~8% increase to make them more worthwhile

Bug fixes
Faction offers no longer accumulate the available offer quantity infinitely (hopefully that puts an end to the 1k bross rounds)
Sand Wyrm burrow got an interim fix - a proper fix will come at a later time
A number of smaller bugs squashed
Can no longer poach Yrgs from Crew Combat
Crew Combat offerings no longer disappear when clicking 'Back'
Event occurrence tweaks regarding the frequency of wind and dream events
Another round of infinite insight exploits closed off

Known issues
The initial Loading time might have gotten even higher as we had added the new nodes for the upcoming content patch (hidden from players for now)

'Is Vagrus properly balanced now?' - Nope.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Coming up next
Meanwhile, we keep working on two major patches simultaneously. On the content side, the Smolderbone region has been coming along nicely, while the development of our single largest outstanding feature, Mercenary Tasks, is progressing well, too. We are not sure at this time which one will be ready for release first. Let us know in the comment section which of them you are waiting for the most.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
- The Lost Pilgrims Team

Hey Folks,

it's been a long time coming but finally, Mercenary Tasks are live in today's build. These not only add a ton of variation and replayability but also go a long way in softening up story content and allow the running of a combat oriented comitatus for players. Fair warning, though: just like none of the other income sources work by themselves, Mercenary Tasks do not either. Combine them with Trade Tasks, passengers, and stories, with an emphasis on whichever you prefer over the others.

Mercenary Tasks are received from factions. Each faction is unique when it comes to the ratio of Trade and Mercenary Tasks you can get from them as well as the type of mercenary contracts they hand out. Enemies in these missions can be almost any kind, from beasts to outlaws and Undead - even the mercenaries of other factions.

It's perhaps good to clarify here that major changes to Point of Interests on the campaign map (like razing a settlement) are always the result of an active choice by players in story-lines and not Mercenary Tasks. Mercenary tasks are similar to Trade Tasks: both are repeatable, procedurally generated options that influence Faction relations and serve as a way to earn money. Accordingly, they always involve locations out in the wasteland on unnamed nodes.

Perhaps the easiest way to learn more is to [watch a video about this feature](https://youtu.be/tISB1slrDKs)

You can read more about Mercenary Tasks in our design posts: [Part I.](https://vagrus.com/news/project-update-mercenary-task-design-part-i) and [Part II.](https://vagrus.com/news/project-update-mercenary-task-design-part-ii)

### Dissonance Mode
Another big change that comes with this build is Dissonance Mode, which you can select when starting a new game from now on. While based on our statistics (thanks to everyone for ticking the box!), the vast majority of players gets the hang of the game after a few botched trials, there are others who are looking for a more relaxed experience. Dissonance Mode is still not 'easy', so we try to avoid calling it an Easy Mode, nor is it a Story Mode since it is the cruel story itself that is left unsupported by the more lenient gameplay, but still, it's something along those lines, easing up on the management and combat mechanics so that you are less likely to be wiped out during a playthrough. Note that Achievements will be disabled in Dissonance Mode.

### Combat Improvements
Just like for Mercenary Tasks and the Dissonance Mode, we will have a detailed design post about all the combat changes that are rolled out in this release but in short: skills involving movement or push-pull mechanics now switch around enemies making the tactical aspect of the companion combat more challenging and - hopefully - more exciting. You can find additional information on the exact improvements below.

Important Note: Considering the extent of these improvements there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuild reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.

Now let's jump into the details:

--------------------------------------------------
## Patch 0.6.00- Codename: Conquers and Dissonance

#### New/Updated Features
* Mercenary Tasks were added to the game
* Wasteland and Dissonance Modes are now selectible upon New Game
* 'One More Day' option to continue your playthrough after the 10 year mark added (alas with Achievements disabled)

##### Companion and Crew Combat
* Push/Pull now switches the characters behind each other. Both roll Resist & immunities apply (Stunned, Immobilized, and Downed combatants can also switch place this way)
* Move +Action Skills no longer need an empty space but auto-switch with the other party member occupying the target position
* Downed Companions can now be dragged away to switch places with an active Companion using a full Move action
* Combat Skills with multiple phases are presented in the same camera zoom
* Garrik's 'Salvaged Rune' Skill now works as intended: it randombly draws a rune from several possible ones - each affects the enemy in different ways
* 'Acrobatic' Perk now available (you can select where to Evade!)
* Decide the fate of the foe if they surrender in Crew Combat or if you capture them as they flee or retreat - they can be let go, enslaved, and more!

#### User Interface Improvements
* Passengers and Trade Tasks now have chart markers by default
* We have also added a selector that allows you to filter which markers you want to see
* Inside a settlement, you can see the destinations of all available tasks and passengers with the filter turned on
* Factions - Active tab filter buttons added
* Equipment filter buttons on the Market added
* Event choice hover SFX added

#### Bug Fixes
* Boosting Chain Lightning now works as intended
* Some end of the day exploits prevented
* Various smaller fixes and Event script tweaks

#### Known Issues:
* Load times are getting higher and higher. We plan to address the issue closer to the final release.


'Is Vagrus properly balanced now?' - Nope.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

#### Coming Up Next
So we said that the Smolderbone region was the last one... but yeah, let's go for one more! Then that's it, promise. :)

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
The Lost Pilgrims Team

Missing changelog from June

Changelog 0.6.20 - Codename: Target Acquired

Hey Folks,

it was amazing to see how our latest patch was received. So many great new reviews and quite a few previously negative ones flipped to positive. We appreciate you all immensely for your vote of confidence! Especially as apparently we left a huge bug in the game that made the late-game easier, instead of the early game, as we originally intended. So that's getting fixed but what else comes in this new patch, you might ask? Let's dive in!

Crew Combat Appease Improvements
Appease is a feature that is still not used by many players, though it often holds the key to avoid major losses. With better Appease conversions, the option to offer items going forward, and the improved Auto Offer function, hopefully, more players will benefit from this feature. Have we mentioned adding Beast Lures and Ahskulite Charms to distract beasts and Undead from your fleeing forces? Yep. Those. too, are now in the game.

Companion Combat Targeting
Changes to targeting include making a number of new options to configure how you preferred to target your foes and friendlies:

- Using ony the keyboard? Beside picking the Skill with keys 1-4 (and 5 for Move), now you can use 'Tab' to shuffle through available targets, and 'Space' to confirm.
- Okay with mousing over things but want to rest your index finger? You can now hover over the target and trigger the Skill from the keyboard without ever having to click with the mouse.
- Want to do away with having to confirm? Sure, attack like a pro without having to click twice.
There are also visual upgrades, like Area Targeting boxes instead of the previous visual effects on the metal bases of the characters. While these changes are not final and there are further improvements planned, we hope you like this already and find the best combination fitting your play style.


Important Note: Considering the extent of these improvements there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuild reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.

Now let's jump into the details:

Patch 0.6.20 - Codename: Target Acquired
New/Updated Features
General
- Tweaks to the starting comitatus crew composition and beast type stats to enable an easier start
- New open-world starting tutorial added about the game being hard, and also Wasteland vs Dissonance Modes
- Dissonance Mode Heal (camp & event) boost
- Increased the workforce offered on a number of low-income passengers

Companion Combat
- Area targeting as an option (instead of having to click on the character bases)
- Area targeting visual update
- Previously targeting steps only worked in this order: Skill > Target > Confirm; now you can also do Target > Skill > Confirm
- You can switch Skills without having to select the target again
- Character selection refreshes the Skill bar to show which Skills can be used on the given target
- Change between targets using 'Tab'
- Confirm Skills with 'Space'
- Option to 'Target First Available' - after selecting a Skill, the first available target gets automatically selected
- 'Hover as Selected' option added
- UI, logic, and performance improvements to the new targeting features
- Unfocused enemies will fade to have a better focus on the target(s)
- Added SFX for a number of enemies

Crew Combat
- Item offering option added to Appease/Bribe
- Auto Offer functionality extended to offer Cargo and Items as well
- Beast lures and Undead Charms added in Events (mostly shops in settlements)

Bug Fixes
- Supply price limit period (Late vs Early game) corrected
- The disappearing character UI during successful Evade with the Acrobatic perk fixed
- Maxed out Cargo hold vs Stash anomalies solved
- Vitality mod anomalies in Dissonance mode after combat & camping fixed
- The bug where market and events did not refresh after 'One more day' fixed
- Journal scroll bar no longer cuts into text/assets
- Exquisite Banner Renown modifier counts towards Event dependencies now
- Various Task/Passenger related validations and auto-repair jobs added
- Rare Discipline/Liberate crash bug fix
- Fixed when some Trade Tasks were not visible on the Chart
- Failed Escort Tasks and stuck Passengers are fixed

Known Issues
- There is a rare bug where the skill selection with keyboard misfires. Planning to apply a hotfix once we are able to reproduce and resolve the issue
- The Companion Perk UI is buggy (lags). Planing to rebuild it.
- Long initial loading time - we will see if we have time to do something about it before 1.0

'Is Vagrus properly balanced now?' - Nope.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Coming Up Next
As we work on rounding out the content for the 1.0 release, we are also continuing our final UI upgrades: Crew and Settlement panes will come next.

Stay tuned, stay alive, conquer the wasteland!
The Lost Pilgrims Team

Vagrus - The Riven Realms

Change notes 0.7.00 - Codename: The Famous and the Furtive
Hey Folks,

with so many of you well over the hundred hours mark in the game, it was high time for us to add the opportunity to actually win it. The first winning condition we have implemented is the Renown victory. The other two, Wealth and Knowledge will become available in the 1.0 release later this year.

No worries, though, meeting the winning condition and actually retiring with your vagrus are two separate things. Even after you are able to win the game, you can decide to continue playing and trigger the victory screen later in the associated in-game Event, essentially postponing the victory (and the game's end).

The Movement (Warning: mild SPOILERS in this paragraph!)

The Abolitionist faction is a secretive one that only engages a vagrus when they see a like-minded individual, so many players have never met them. Still, even the vagri who did may have felt that their reach was rather limited in the previous builds. With this release, they receive a new mechanic that allows players to unlock interactions with them in many other locations over time as they gain the trust of the faction. This spreading mechanic also serves as the means to get faction Tasks from them in those unlocked locations and even have the chance to increase their faction presence in the settlement of your choosing.
//End of Spoilers

There are a number of other improvements as well, detailed in the patch notes below.

Important Note: Considering the extent of these improvements there is little to no chance that we broke nothing in the process. Assume that we did not want to make anyone's life harder. If you see something amiss, please flag it to us using the usual channels, like the inbuild reporting tool (F1 button), forums, and our Discord server.

Now let's jump into the details:

--------------------------------------------------
Patch 0.7.00 - Codename: The Famous and the Furtive

New/Updated Features
- Renown Ambition can be selected during vagrus creation
- Renown win condition implemented (triggered by the player from an Event)
- The option to change from Freeplay to Renown Ambition added (at the same location as the Renown victory Event chain)
- Callings now grant a temporary commission boost on the applicable Tasks (Trade or Mercenary)
- A great number of market, task, and equipment related tweaks
- Shorter initial loading time

New Content
- Option to unlock Abolitionist faction locations in numerous settlements via contacting cells
- A new NPC and quest line added that leads up to Renown victory (but part of the Event chain is playable by any vagri)
- New types of Wyrm enemies added
- New Jhakra and Legionnaire visual variations added

User Interface Improvements
- Companion combat area targeting perspective added
- Leader UI rearranged a bit so the vagrus's details would not overlap
- Companion Perk UI runs a bit smoother (but still needs further improvement)

Bug Fixes
- Various trade and Task generation related fixes and tweaks
- Very rare Kindly Sister VIT to POW convert crash fixed
- Occasional Oghre Tantrum crash fixed
- Encourage now works during +1 Days in Events
- Liberating slaves now yields the correct amount of reputation with the Abolitionists
- Several animation sizes have been fixed
- Applied a great number of combat decal refinements
- Various other UI and/or bug fixes

Known Issues
Companion Perk UI is bugged and lags - this will be fixed in a later build

'Is Vagrus properly balanced now?' - Nope.
'Was it a step in the right direction?' - We think so. Please let us know how you find it.

Coming Up Next
Crew and Settlement User Interface update and the first set of Companion loyalty questlines are inbound.