In this series of “Revisited” articles, we’re taking a look at iconic or interesting locations in the playable part of the Riven Realms and invoke their unique atmosphere. 

This time around, we’re taking a look at the Great Stairs, a location we first introduced a year ago. Many once-mighty edifices of an age long past still dot the volcanic landscape of Varnurud, the ravine-ridden, broken ridges of the northern Mountains of Fire. Among the most impressive such structures is what the savage inhabitants of the region simply call “the Great Stairs”, although it was once known as the Stairs of Baldar. In the ancient days of the Third Age, the kingdom’s Dwarves used these to ascend to the tall ranges of Norrgadar, or down to Varnurud – often with cargo. By present day, the stairs have crumbled so badly that it is difficult to believe they were ever safe to traverse. Rumor has it that many scavengers found their deaths trying to reach the highest point, if only to gaze outward and take in the magnificent view of the valleys below.

Hey everyone,

Today’s update brings some tweaks to the recently released Expedition questline’s final chapter as well as further performance improvements and fixes. Before delving into that, however, we wanted to reflect upon the big update and its reception.

The response to the final major content update has been truly overwhelming. We've received a great many kind messages over the past few days, and one thing we've seen again and again is that many of you had been waiting to experience the Expedition storyline in its entirety before diving in. Knowing that the completed journey is now in your hands means a great deal to us.

We are pleased to announce that, starting today, our Cultured Supporter Pack is available on Nintendo!

The Cultured Supporter Pack, as well as the Ruinous Supporter Pack, help the ongoing development of Vagrus and our studio, and include a cosmetic set for every Companion as a thank-you. Its theme was chosen by Vagrus players and features a diverse range of attires that reflect various cultures of Xeryn, the continent where the game is set. The contents of the supporter pack are the following cosmetics:

After discussing the Supporter Pack cosmetics of the dark knight Sedarias in a previous article, we thought balance would be best served by taking a similar look at Javek, the sorcerer with telepathic powers. Naturally, these two Companions (who you can get via the “Old Acquaintances” DLC), as well as Vorax (who everyone gets for free), have their own unique appearances when you also get one of the Supporter Packs.

The Riven Realms have a grim reputation for the many wastelands, deserts, and cursed locations inside their confines. However, even in such inhospitable environments, life has found a way to cling on. In some cases, new life has thrived, demonstrating an almost uncanny resilience and adaptability. This, however, is not a unique trait of the Riven Realms. Quite the contrary.

In the video game industry of the last decade or so, it has become increasingly common and appealing to talk about involving players in developer decision making, though what this means exactly can vary greatly between projects. In this article, we’ll discuss some elements related to eliciting, handling, and incorporating player feedback in Vagrus, so if you are interested in how you all had an effect on this game, dive right in!

If you have been following our updates, you might have noticed the mention of Exploration Encounters receiving vignettes. What are they? In this context, vignettes are small pieces of lineart (in an ink-on-paper style) that accompany bits of text to invoke a certain atmosphere. Vignette sets are assigned to Exploration Encounters based on their location, environment, and foes. For instance, the districts of Dum Garok have their own sets of these illustrations to invoke the place’s unique character. A whole other set of them appear in Exploration Encounters in the Ember Mines.

Since World Art Day is today, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on something at the very heart of Vagrus: the works of visual and audio art through which the game’s world manifests. From the first sketches to the final brushstrokes, from the quietest ambient tones to the swelling notes of discovery, the Riven Realms exist because of the people who built them—piece by piece.

Recently, we’ve shared quite a few exciting updates – our latest patch with fresh content, the new Cultured Supporter Pack, and being featured in the Steam Daily Deal, to name the highlights. The response from our community has been incredible, and we truly cannot thank you enough for the support!

Today, we bring you a shocking announcement: Dwarves absolutely love their mines! And, this week, we’re bringing you some more Vagrus art in the form of, well, a Dwarven mine. Joking aside, as some of you know, the Mines of Ukzular is a location in the upcoming second part of the update that continues the story of Kharandar’s expedition into the heart of ruin. These are free, chunky updates that add significantly to an already alluring pile of content in our At the Heart of Ruin expansion.