[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/b169bcb79ad80b47b79c522a14ab49cf02890526.png[/img] Greetings Cerim, we appreciate your patience as it’s been a while since our last official communication. We’ve been heads down on Wicked, but that means we’re even more excited today to talk to you about development so far and what’s new with our first content update! When we released Wicked into Early Access, the entire team prioritized bug fixing and other hotfixes for the first month; standard stuff for newly released games. Taking stock of how that first month of hotfixes and patches went, we feel we accomplished quite a bit — Controller Remapping, DLSS/FSR Upscaling, 32:9 support, improvements to game systems like Durability and Inventory, localization fixes/improvements and much more. Since that initial rapid-fire deployment, we’ve been entering a new phase of development internally. So in that time, we felt it was the right time to switch from focusing on important, but smaller-scale updates to a style of development where we focus on larger, more game-changing content updates. This has manifested itself in our first content update for Wicked called “The Crucible.”
 [previewyoutube=6klemEUe_vo;full][/previewyoutube] The Crucible update features a revamped and expanded Cerim Crucible, a new enemy faction known as The Gloam, a new vendor NPC, a new upgrade system, and much more. So, let's jump in! [hr][/hr] [h1]All New Cerim Crucible[/h1] At the start of our Early Access, the Cerim Crucible was just a glimmer of what we envisioned for it in the long run. Just one of our visions for the Crucible is one that condenses the core gameplay experience of No Rest for the Wicked into a repeatable roguelite dungeon - but with a Moon Studios twist, of course! So with this update, we’ve more than tripled the number of randomized chambers within the Crucible, introduced a whole new art theme, added a brand new vendor, and introduced an entirely new gameplay system called Echoes. One of the biggest features that we always envisioned for the Cerim Crucible but weren’t able to ship at launch is this Echoes. Echoes allow you to customize every run with a huge variety of buffs and effects, creating a staggering amount of possibilities as it allows you to create a build on top of your build. Thanks to Echoes and the randomization of them, no two runs in the Crucible will ever be alike. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/0bf14a49d3faa1a466f18724edd6b066054c997b.png[/img] All enemies inside the Crucible now drop glowing orbs called Traces, which can be used to activate Echoes at any time. The more enemies you kill, the more you can bolster your run with unique effects and conditions. [h2]New Cerim Crucible Vendor | The Seneschal[/h2] The Crucible is a dark and dangerous place - but deep underground, there is someone who can help us. An ancient being, called The Seneschal. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/ff12c96bb52c2b39d3b93f9c1373389917667242.jpg[/img] What we mean to it, and who it once was, is a mystery. But it feeds on Gloamseed, which gets dropped throughout the Crucible. The more we progress through the Crucible, the more Gloamseed we can feed to the Seneschal - who will do things for us like sell Fallen Embers, refined resources, Exalt our weapons, and unlock new features within the Crucible in the future. [h2]New Enemy Faction | The Gloam[/h2] The Gloam are a brand new group of enemies that can be found inside the Crucible - and in later Updates they will also appear in the overworld as well. The Gloam are lost souls who became infected by the Pestilence within the deep, dank caves throughout Sacra. Some got lost, trapped underground, or buried alive – but all of them ended up glowing with a kind of corrupt bioluminescence, similar to the algae and fungi that bloom within those same caves. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/d3d69774252f7f02d9409551007666290b92dd6b.jpg[/img] We're excited for you to discover the behaviors of this new unique enemy faction! In addition, the Cerim Crucible now opens much sooner in your adventure; it can be entered by activating the “Spoken & Unspoken” quest with Elsa, as soon as the player has arrived in Sacrament and completed the first campaign quest. Because of this, some of you may find that your quest progression for “Spoken & Unspoken” has reset with this Update - never fear, this is intentional! We want everyone to be able to experience the new flow of the Crucible organically, including important tutorials; and the easiest way to do this was to start the quest over from the beginning. But don’t worry; your gear, character, and other quest progression should all remain unchanged. Even with all of this new content, we’re still not finished with the Cerim Crucible! In subsequent updates, we plan to make new statues available to unlock in the Atrium, which will lead to more unique challenges, and even some brand new bosses. We’re actively working on this additional content even as we release this first Crucible update. [h1]New Features and Content[/h1] [h2]Exalted Gear[/h2] Outside the dark adventures of the Crucible, we added several new features and content to the Isle of Sacra. The Seneschal allows Cerim to boost their items in an entirely new way - by upgrading them to the status of Exalted. This is a permanent change that raises stats and improves Enchantments. Therefore, Cerim who challenge themselves in the trials of the Crucible will earn the chance to gain these rewards that can carry over into the rest of the game - making their items more powerful than ever before. [h2]Extended Regions[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/3874924a50b12fe4f7c5de2463610bc74f8f536a.jpg[/img] Although most of this Update is focused on the Cerim Crucible, there were a few places where we just couldn’t help ourselves. So we’ve also extended some regions of the overworld, like the Black Trench and the Nameless Pass, so there’s even more secrets and surprises for players to seek out and explore in those areas. [h2]New Combat Enhancements | Freeze & Shatter, Rip & Tear[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/000eb91c939c14594baeb5d5065f67a2c3712de9.jpg[/img] Combat has also been enhanced with punchier kill effects. Watch enemies explode from fireballs, shatter from an attack after being frozen in ice and smashed to pieces with heavy weapons! [h2]Stray Animals[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/1cf19d7bb1215c083710aa404dd644b4660bc5c3.jpg[/img] We’ve also added stray animals. You can pet them when the opportunity arises! It makes us happy and we think you will like it too! [h1]Major Performance Updates[/h1] There’s even more improvements that we just don’t have time to get into! So here’s a small lightning round of what to expect: [list] [*] CPU performance improvements [*] Smoother area transitions [*] Cinematics polish [*] Memory optimization [*] Hundreds of fixes and improvements! [/list] [h2]Steam Deck Verification[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44781340/f6b4d35eb7d17e4839c64ac308432051bb86a5d1.jpg[/img] Last, but certainly not least…No Rest for the Wicked is now Steam Deck Verified! [hr][/hr] [h1]More To Come![/h1] As always, our team is hard at work on awesome new content and features. We’re eager to share more details on our Early Access Road Map soon so stay tuned for that! We can't wait to hear back from you. We are always listening and working meticulously on shaping Wicked to be the best it can be. – Moon Studios