Dev Log #4. House, Domain, and Region Liberation

In the last Dev Log, we introduced the Companion who walks alongside you on your perilous journey.

Today, we'd like to introduce the House and Domain you'll govern as lord — and the Region Liberation that lets you expand them.

First Steps as a Lord

After Leopold Harborwell's succession ceremony is brought to a bloody end by Bella's assault, you and Eslyn barely escape Goldenhaven. You and Eslyn head for Amber Coast — Eslyn's hometown, and a land House Ambertail failed to protect long ago.

After years of neglect, Amber Coast lies in near ruin. Its people plagued by monsters. Its land barren. Its buildings in ruin.

We wanted to convey the experience of building something from nothing in this desolate place — and the sense of becoming a true lord along the way. Alongside Eslyn, sworn to take her revenge against the elves, your first task is to claim this place as the new settlement of House Harborwell.

Steam post image (House Harborwell - Development Image)

Steam post image (The port of Goldenhaven)

Steam post image (Goldenhaven in flames, a way out from Elven assault)

House and Settlement — A Foundation for Growth

In Embers of the Uncrowned, each of you will own a Settlement. More than a place to rest, it is a living base where you raise your own buildings, gather people, and manage resources. You can restore buildings across your domain and assign Followers to carry out a wide range of production tasks.

From the Headquarters, which serves as the hub of the entire House; the Trading Post, where you can buy and sell items or trade with other domains; the Forge for enhancing Gear; the Magic Laboratory for researching potions and crafting elixirs; the Workshop for crafting various items; and the Resource Station for gathering and storing resources such as Lumber, Ore, and Herbs.

Each building unlocks more powerful functions as it grows — and the settlement as a whole begins to flourish.

Building Functions

• AddedHouse HeadquartersThe main building of the House. Upgrade it to unlock new buildings and expand its functions.

• Trading Post: A building where you can buy and sell a variety of items. Upgrade it to obtain resources and items through trading with factions in other domains.

• Forge: A building where you can enhance your Gear using other pieces of Gear and enhancement materials. Upgrade it to unlock higher enhancement levels.

• Magic Laboratory: A building where you can research potions to enhance their effects and craft elixirs. Upgrade it to make more potent potions and elixirs.

• Workshop: A building where you can craft various items. Upgrade it to expand the range of items you can craft.

• Resource Station: A building where you can gather and store resources such as Ore, Herbs, Lumber, and Stone. Upgrade it to gather and store more resources.

In addition, the settlement comes equipped with essential facilities — the Phoenix Statue, symbol of the House, where you can awaken the dormant power of your bloodline;

the Monument of Life, which instantly replenishes your recovery potions; and the Liberation Request Box, where you can accept requests from your people.

Facility Functions

• House Level-Up: An altar in the form of a phoenix, the symbol of your House. Raise the reputation of your House to awaken the dormant power of your bloodline.

• Monument of Life: Fully replenishes your recovery potions.

• Liberation Request Box: A request office where the people of your domain can easily report their hardships.

• Stable: A building where you can store and summon your Mounts.

• Warp: Lets you teleport to portals across other regions.

Steam post image (House Settlement - Development Images)

(House Settlement - Renders & Original Art)

(House Settlement - Render & Levels)

Followers: Those Who Drive the Domain

As you resolve the hardships your people face and earn their trust as their lord, capable individuals will gather to your side one by one. Each of them has specialized abilities of their own, and assigning them to the right buildings greatly boosts those buildings' efficiency. Recruiting Followers and deploying them where they are needed most is one of your key duties as a lord.

During this Steam Next Fest, you can try recruiting and deploying Followers to boost the efficiency of your buildings.

Going forward, we plan to develop these Followers so that they become more than just systems for boosting production efficiency. We will continue developing the game so that you can watch your domain gradually come alive as a place that truly breathes, as you watch your Followers, each with their own roles, moving busily through every corner of the domain.

We also plan to strengthen bonds through Follower narratives and add Followers with diverse abilities to enhance gameplay depth.

(Followers that you'll meet in-game)

Region Liberation and Prosperity

To restore the ruined Amber Coast and grow it into something greater, you must drive out the monsters that have seized the surrounding lands. Through Region Liberation, you will work alongside your Companion Eslyn — listening to the stories of the suffering people, resolving their hardships one by one, and purifying the corrupted lands in turn. It is both the duty you bear as a lord, and the very heart of the journey we hold most dear in Embers of the Uncrowned.

(Concept Art - Corrupted Lands)

During this Steam Next Fest, you can experience this firsthand by governing two domains and liberating regions. The more regions you liberate, the greater the variety and quantity of resources you can obtain, which will serve as the foundation for developing your settlement more quickly. In addition, helping to liberate other domains will open up trade and allow you to obtain rare items.

Our dream is for every one of you to experience becoming a true lord who builds a living, thriving domain. We hope you'll walk this journey with us — from empty ruins to a mighty House with the power to shape the fate of the continent.

(Ambercoast - Before & After Liberation)

(Towerstead- Before & After Liberation)

Our dream is for every one of you to experience becoming a true lord who builds a living, thriving domain. We hope you'll walk this journey with us — from empty ruins to a mighty House with the power to shape the fate of the continent.

We'll be back in the next Dev Log with another story to share.

Sincerely,

Embers of the Uncrowned Development Team