Devlog 2: Upcoming Major Update Preview

New Equipment System

We are replacing the current Addon system with a full Equipment system. The old Addon system had some strengths, such as collection value and flexible build options, but it also created friction. It wasn’t intuitive enough, it required a lot of management, and its purpose wasn’t always clearly communicated.

At the same time, we wanted to move certain early-game build choices out of the run and into meta progression, so players can shape their playstyle before a session starts. Equipment suits this goal very well.

The new system works more like a typical ARPG setup. Gear can have affixes, unique effects, legendary tiers and sockets. Sockets will take over the full functionality of the existing Addon system. Equipping gear will also change your character’s appearance, which adds some fun customization. Because of this, all existing class avatars are being reworked.

We still want to avoid heavy inventory micromanagement, since Coreless is not meant to lean in that direction. So there will be only three equipment slots: body, back and accessory. Even with this simplified structure, we still want to include the crafting experience expected from a fully fledged equipment system. You’ll be able to enhance, reforge, transfer and install components to shape your own set of gear.

New Run Experience: Currency, Chests and Upgrade Quality

With consumables, cypher keys and the credit system removed in the last update, we needed new ways to create the same sense of opportunity and moment-to-moment excitement those systems were originally meant to provide. Their previous implementation didn’t land well, and Coreless benefits most from a fast and fluid experience. Anything that interrupts movement or pacing tends to work against the core feel of the game.

We are therefore trying a different approach.

Each level will now contain random chests across the map. Currency dropped by monsters can be used to open these chests for items of varying quality. Some provide simple boosts, while others may shift your build in more dramatic ways.

In addition, upgrades earned on level-up will now come with different quality tiers. Rolling a Prime Upgrade will give you a much stronger power spike for your run.

Session Events and Surge Mode

We are also introducing new Session Events. Each level will have a handful of events placed randomly. Depending on your luck and your decisions, these can bring either advantages or setbacks. The intention is to add another layer of discovery to each run.

Surge Mode will replace both Buff Pickups and the Overdrive ability. Buff Pickups were strong but inconsistent and hard to plan around, which often made them ignorable. The hold-to-charge Overdrive ability also did not fit well with the pacing of Coreless.

Surge Mode combines the strengths of both systems. Monsters now drop Surge, and collecting enough will allow you to trigger your Surge Ability at any moment. Surge grants a strong temporary boost to all your stats, along with class-specific effects. It should help you recover from dangerous situations and provide a controlled moment of power release. It also makes pickups more relevant and fills the gameplay space previously held by consumables and Overdrive. In addition, each class will now receive a new Surge Ability to further enhance its identity.

Final Thoughts

That’s everything we wanted to share for now, along with some of the thinking behind these changes. Game development often feels a bit like alchemy to us. Even when the vision is clear, predicting how all the pieces will interact is never easy. The good news is that there are many proven approaches to draw from. We simply need to keep iterating, testing and refining until the right experience comes through. We enjoy this process a lot.

These changes are quite substantial, so we still need some time to finish them. Hopefully it won’t take too long. Until then, have a great holiday season, and thank you for your patience.