KOTCL Developer Diaries: Demon-Vanadis, Potion-Making, and New Goblins

Knock, knock, travelers!

Come sit at our bonfire and get yourself a full tankard of ale! This work week is over, and we’ve gathered by the fire to tell you blood-curdling stories… stories of rebalancing, localizations, and time management.

It’s time that we shared the eerie rumors about Vanadis that haven’t let us sleep for many moons. An ancient curse seems to have stricken her loyal pet already, and now it’s upon her. But it’s only a small part of what we’ve learned. Far in the sands of the Crimson Steppes, a new danger is arising—and it’s more frightening than any curse…

We’ve got lots of news so get yourself comfortable. Let’s start!

Vanadis, Can This Be You?

Do you recognize her? No, this is not a harmless illusion. Vanadis’ pursuit of magic has gone too far… Her drive for power and knowledge has turned out to be a perfect lure for the demonic forces. A potent Inquiline has entered her mind, seducing her with promises of unlimited power. Her thirst for knowledge has led her into a series of dark events and brought her to the edge of an abyss…

But the demon hasn’t simply settled in Vanadis’ mind—he’s taken over her whole body, turning her into a weapon in the hands of an ancient evil.

Can Vanadis subject the Inquiline to her will, or is she doomed, like Sigismund, to turn into a pawn of the dark forces?

The decision is yours!

Welcome to Potions Class!

Let’s be honest, store-bought potions are just not the same. Even a dish made without feeling tastes different, let alone potions.

Well it’s time to practice the ancient art! The ingredients are ready, so stock up on mortars, retorts, and flasks—soon you’ll be able to brew something new.

But beware! The smallest mistake will leave you not with a healing potion, but with poison that can knock even a steppe worm off its feet (or is it a tail?). Also, keep in mind that a sudden amplification of all potions is expected in the coming months. Is this because of the Moons’ Phase or some magic anomaly? You’ll find out soon…

Explosive Goblins

Very soon, you’ll have the chance to test your alchemy skills against a new goblin! While you were busy drinking from the Frontier puddle, goblins decided to boost their intelligence to an impressive level of 1 and completed our potion courses! As they say, “Live and evolve,” whether you’re a human or a little green creature from the Steppes. But their success is still questionable: flasks keep bubbling and exploding, and clouds of acrid smoke fill the air. But hey, sweet and easy has never been the goblin way!

How About Some Chit-Chat?

Hello friends, it’s Andrew aka Innrey!

Another week has flown by, and we’re getting closer to the release of the *Nightmares of Millenis*! So far, it seems like we’re on track, but there’s still this lingering anxiety—what if we’ve missed something or haven’t given it enough in some areas? Looking at the endless list of tasks for the DLC feels like carrying a mountain on my shoulders. The release of the *Nightmares* is knocking at the door, and it’s a serious test for the whole team! Project management in game development is no walk in the park. Everything looks neat and tidy when in graphs and spreadsheets, but any task can suddenly balloon in scope, or someone might fall ill, and let’s not forget about bugs, last-minute corrections, or sudden flashes of inspiration that completely flip the original plan. Right now, we’re treading on very thin ice, trying to keep our priorities straight, stay calm, and remember why we’re making our game in the first place.

Between us: my New Year’s wish was a full rebalance of the *Knock*. When the clock struck midnight, I crossed my fingers and kept my wish a secret from everyone (well, except for you, of course). But… I can already see that my dream of a complete rebalance won’t come true by spring. Sure, the balance will shift significantly, but without a total “apocalypse”. We’ve decided to save the bulk of it for a calmer time after the DLC release. Yes, I’ve promised you a complete rebalance on many occasions, and yes, it **will** happen. But I don’t want our entire team to burn themselves out, sacrificing their health during sleepless nights just to meet target dates. That would exhaust everyone and hurt the game’s quality. So, I’ve decided to push it to the next phase and focus on the DLC release for now.

That said, we’re not leaving everything as is! We’re still making some changes that you can expect by spring:

• Improved damage, healing, and block— for both heroes and enemies

• Buffing up weaker builds and nerfing overpowered ones (can you guess which?)

We’re always open to your feedback on balance — share your thoughts in the comments:

• Who should we nerf?

• Who should we buff?

• What else should we focus on?

Your comments on these topics in the previous dev diary were fantastic—we’ve taken a lot of them into account!

Those bloody merchants often charge insane prices for gear, or the opposite happens: you have 1,000 coins, but the item you need isn’t there. Soon, these situations will happen less often. We’re preparing to roll out an “economics patch,” and a tax break for the merchants of Midian!

By the way, we’re currently working hard on the Japanese localization. Japanese culture inspired many aspects of our game (remember that overpowered evasion armor?), so I’m thrilled that we’re making progress in expanding our translations.

That’s all for now! Thank you for your feedback and suggestions—we read all of them, and many of them are discussed by us and introduced into the game. We truly couldn’t do it without you!

See you in the next dev diary!

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