2.4.5 Progression and Balance Updates

🌿 Version 2.4.5

This update contains the majority of the gameplay, progression, balance, and quality-of-life improvements planned for Version 3.0.0, our full release launching on July 22.

This update will not impact the current Steam Playtest. Existing playtest participants can continue playing without interruption.

Note: Older saves will continue to function correctly. However, because progression has been significantly reworked, older saves will miss several important progression buffs introduced in this update. For the intended experience, we recommend starting a new save or at least re-visiting Chapter A.

🌱 Progression Overhaul

Progression has been significantly reworked to create a smoother early-to-mid game experience. Many Relics, tutorials, and Plant rewards have been repositioned throughout the campaign.

• The Nutrients & Uproot Mobility tutorial has moved from A2 → A5.

• Crystal Cycle now refunds a Crystal Flower every 5 Crystal uses and activates from any Crystal usage, including feeding Plants.

• Crystal Cycle no longer forces Consumables to be lost and is now part of the early-game progression.

• Salvager is now awarded in A2 as a 1 Cost Relic.

• Salvager now also enables Consumables to appear when Dirt Tiles are destroyed.

• Proliferation is now awarded in D2.

• Ladder Flowers are no longer rewarded in Chapter D.

• Weight Flowers are now rewarded in D4.

• Chapter F no longer rewards Weight Flowers.

• High Yield has been removed as a Relic and is now applied automatically in every chapter except the Prologue.

• All Plants now begin with 10 Max Capacity.

• Large Reserves is granted after Chapter A (+10 Max Capacity).

• Vast Reserves is granted after Chapter E (+10 Max Capacity).

⚖️ Balance

General

• Rebalanced all Boss health.

  • Early phases generally have increased health.

  • Later phases generally have reduced health.

• Defeated enemies now grant a temporary Island Speed bonus (30 enemies = 1× Island Speed).

• Spirit Jelly damage cooldown increased 0.2s → 1.0s.

• Consumable reward appearances are now capped at 50.

• Relic costs have been reduced across the board to encourage experimenting with more builds.

• Reduce Meteorite Spawns in E3

Gameplay

• Crystallized Tiles are now cleared when an item is placed on them.

• Nutrients can now be fed directly to Plants. Nutrients now increase production progress depending what mode the player is in. Upgrades can change these effects.

  • Travel Phase: 100%

  • Exploration Phase: 15–20%

• Disabled changing the Dryad's root while rooting or when no destination exists.

• Reduced Meteor spawns in E3.

• Fixed Self Defense and companion Traits occasionally deactivating.

• Fixed Grassball layering.

• Fixed Divine Orb Boss layering.

• Removed the final boss movement jitter.

• Fixed Chapter H Firebally enemies not taking damage correctly.

• Fixed Hulking Abode not granting Max Weight.

• Duelist Oath now only activates from player defeats.

• Totem Flower now:

  • Converts Bonus Max Capacity into Charge Regeneration.

  • Receives 50% fewer Charges from Crystals by default.

  • Watchful Guardian negates these penalties.

Plants & Relics

• Farming now allows the Wisp to instantly destroy Enriched Dirt Tiles.

• Companion Grassballs now always Enrich adjacent Tiles.

• Removed Earth Vacuum.

• Windmill once again removes Charge usage from Weight Flowers, can no longer be Overcharged, and has moved to D5.

• Immortal Harvest no longer affects Expansion Flowers.

• Step Expansion and Wildbloom now affect Expansion Flowers.

• Virulence has been replaced by Heartwise.

• Heart Flowers are now Consumables and can appear as random rewards.

• Crystal Bomb now enables Crystal Flowers to appear as random rewards.

• Uproot Mobility now enables Nutrients to appear as random rewards.

• Love Unbounded now fires Nutrients at all Production Plants whenever Hearts are received.

• Added Giant's Palace (+50 Max Weight) in H3.

• Terra Hearthkeeper

  • Root Mend Range 1 → 3

  • Plant Count 1 → 2

  • Moved to F3

• Imbued Crystals moved to H5.

• Woodland Refuge Plant Count 3 → 5.

• Crystalcore Vessels now receive 50% fewer Charges from Crystals and moved to G6.

• Crystalline Affinity now automatically consumes adjacent Crystals when Plants reach 0 Charges. Moved to C4.

• Mansion moved to C5.

• Glass Cannon now instantly destroys Crystal Tiles with Wisp Bash. Moved to C3.

• Overflow now spreads excess Crystals to nearby Plants. Moved to C5.

• Terra Reaction moved to C3.

• Added Raw Crystals (+5 Plant Charges) in C2.

• Drop Slam moved to D3.

• Earth Tribute moved to D2.

• Step Expansion moved to D3.

• Terra Mastery now causes Complex Expanders to generate Crystal Tiles. Moved to D5.

• Removed Terraforming.

• Renewing Loam now fully restores Production Plants during the Travel Phase.

• Fertile Core now doubles maximum production when Nutrients are fed.

• Fixed Volcanic Flora activating from enemy Plants.

• Removed Volatile Harvest.

• Cozy Enclosure moved to E5.

• Fallen Blossom moved to E2.

• Earth Armor moved to F4.

✨ Cinematics & Quality of Life

Visuals & Audio

• Updated the main menu artwork and title screen.

• Added water movement while the island travels during the Prologue.

• Restored animated clouds in Chapter Select.

• Updated Chapter F and G transition clouds.

• Updated ambience for Old Valhalla (Chapter B).

• Added lower-pitched cavern ambience for Chapter H.

• Added a sound effect when Crystal Cycle activates.

• Updated Dryad reaction icons.

• Updated Wisp cinematic animations.

• Improved Wrapping Growth to wrap around the island more accurately.

• Tweaked chapter backgrounds to reduce pixel stretching.

Tutorials & UI

• Prevented the Wisp ally from damaging Prologue Tiles.

• Moved the Relic tutorial closer to the player's first Relic.

• Added conditional Feed Sunflower Task tutorials in A1 and A2.

• Updated Inventory Item Description positioning.

• Display Overcharge duration on Seeds while the buff is active.

• Added Island Stat alerts when:

  • the Dryad needs to merge with the Wisp.

  • the Dryad needs to root.

Cinematics

• Removed the opening Prologue attack cinematic.

• Delayed F2 enemy spawns to give the Archer Introduction cinematic more time.

• Added a Solar Flower introduction sequence after completing A2.

• Added a new Chapter E Rest Area Cinematic Sequence.

• Updated Chapter H cinematics and Shadow Friend timings.

• Added a visual pop effect when Shadow Friend escapes.

• Added an end-of-game Thank You message.

• Fixed Salvager activating during cinematics.