Balance Changes & Item Design

Hello Everyone

The game is growing at a steady pace, and it constantly impacts how we see things; it challenges our initial systems and established foundations. This post will explore one of the problems we faced as the playtime increased. Other than that, one of our designers wanted to share their thought process when designing the items for our game. Enjoy!

Balance Changes

We were initially super happy with how our characters required players to build up combos over a few redraws. Constantly thinking five moves ahead to maximise the effect of some cards was fun in the demo because it was short. When you have to fight 10 or 15 battles against minor enemies to reach a new area, the process becomes very tedious and tiring. The most irritating thing was how complicated some of the cards were.

That’s why we decided to adjust our approach. We made some of the cards easier to understand, as their effects are simpler yet still effective. We reduced the number of requirements on cards. Situations in which a player could not play a chosen card because they didn’t have a certain status or didn’t have enough cards in hand are now much rarer. With that said, the game's difficulty stayed the same, as each battle was rebalanced. It’s just easier to see how to execute a satisfying combo. At the end of the day, we want to deliver a challenging experience, while making it as satisfying and enjoyable to the player as possible.

Here are a few examples of the changes we made:

In this card, we removed the requirement for the upgraded effect. While the previous version motivated players to synergize with other cards, it turned out to be unnecessary, as almost none of the playtesters wanted to use that card.

On the other hand, here we changed the card much more drastically, but at the same time, the result for the player is very similar. On top of that, the card uses the Soldier mechanic much more efficiently. The first card was overcomplicated and simply not fun to use.

There are also some examples of completely new cards coming as a result of these changes:

Steam post image

Item Design

From the very beginning, we wanted our game to be a true RPG experience. That's why we decided items need to feel essential to combat itself.

Items are divided into three categories:

• Weapons – defining each character’s offensive playstyle

• Armors – providing mostly defensive, passive effects

• Memories – universal items that can be equipped by any hero, offering more general passive bonuses

Early in development, we considered an approach you may know from ARPG games: a huge number of items, frequent replacements, and a constant hunt for something with slightly better numbers. We quickly abandoned that idea, and instead we chose to give items real weight. There are fewer of them, but every single item has a clear purpose and meaning. Each one can significantly change how the game is played — and to truly unlock their potential, players are encouraged to adapt their decks around the items they use.

The most game-changing items are weapons. If you’ve played the demo, you already know how different the experience is when using the Rusted Greatsword compared to the Crimson Greatsword. But let’s take a look at another example - blades of our new character, The Reaver. With his starting blades, The Weaver can choose between two stances: Short Stance, granting 12 Shields, and Long Stance, granting 6 Strength. This allows the player to constantly decide when it’s better to defend and when to go on the offensive.

However, equipping Lifesteal Blades changes this dynamic completely. In Short Stance, The Weaver heals himself based on the damage dealt. In Long Stance, that healing is transferred to his allies instead. With this weapon, healing cards may no longer be necessary in the deck at all. While it doesn’t allow for damage as serious as the starting blades, it enables a completely different playstyle, supporting, but at the same time, being offensive.

This is exactly what we aim for with our item system — fewer items, but each one opening up new strategies and meaningful choices. True power will depend on how well players synergize their equipment with not only cards, but also other items equipped on other characters.

To wrap this up, we have a little sneak peek. From our earlier post, you may remember the General of the Black Wing Legion and his epic green sword. Imagine how cool it will be to take it from him ;)

Wrap up

Hope you enjoyed this little read, and maybe even learned something. As we mentioned, the balance changes are pretty drastic, but we think this is a step in the right direction. Tell us what you think about it. This is a bold step, and we’re in dire need of feedback.

We’re super hyped about how well you all received our last lore dive post. It was super fun to make, and more will definitely be coming, so stay tuned for that.

We wish you a fantastic weekend and, as always…

Stay safe! Fardust team

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