With the previous large update (Codename: Bandage), we have introduced some changes to Scouting on the campaign map and we thought that we should give you a more detailed change log of what exactly happened. These alterations all appear on the Scouting Result UI.

• A set of colored chevrons now indicate the success or failure state of your scouting in each direction instead of text saying how things went.
• For each successful scouting, a set of icons appear that indicate what to expect there with chances for each of these outcomes next to the icons. The scroll icon indicates an Event, the axe icon means a crew combat encounter, the compass shows an exploration Task destination (but we'll implement this feature in the future), and the crossed-out circle indicates that nothing happens.
• For each critical success, you will now get more precise percentages and more detailed information in the case of Events. The blue scroll indicates a priority Event (story-related or fixed local Event), while the golden scroll means a random Event (general or region-specific).
• Scouting now also provides information about the viability of hunting and foraging on the scouted nodes. Percentages represent the expected chances of such activities on the nodes. The less successful the scouting, the less  accurate the percentages are (with critical success being perfectly accurate).

As you can see, we have been working on making Scouting more desirable for players, as we feel that in its current form it is rather under-used. This is but a first step - we have many more ideas and will hopefully be able to implement them as we go along. Thank you for all the amazing feedback and improvement suggestions you all gave us!

With the relatively recent arrival of Factions to Vagrus, you guys finally got your hands on a new way to specialize your comitatus. Up until now, this meant some obscure (albeit very welcome - I'm looking at you, road tax) boons and perks but now, with the addition of claimable rewards, Factions are going to become your best friends.

The murmillo is a heavily armored gladiator with a large scutum (shield) and a gladius (short sword). Modeled after the ancient Roman arena fighters of the same name, these enemies are among the strongest specialized encounters.

Sturdy and resilient with a high Block value, these guys can tough it out in the front lines for long unless you find a way to break their defenses. They are also great at defending their fellow fighters standing next to them due to their Defender combat trait (which provides armor to these allies). The Murmillo combat Skills are as follows:

Patch 0.5.14 - codename: Bandage

- Almost all crash bugs fixed (still chasing one in the companion combat)

- A massive number of performance improvements

Dragon Mages are spellcasters who specialize in Draconic magic, especially in manifesting their arcane powers as destructive spells. They are typically attached to Dragon Army or Dragonguard contingents, which is where you will encounter most of them in Vagrus. Dragon Mages are armored, sturdy, have amazing resistances, and regenerate Power that is used to fuel their magical attacks.

We have long been talking about improving the experience with factions in Vagrus. They are currently in the game and can be interacted with one way or the other but there is no UI to track your standing with them, nor is it possible to claim rewards for each unlocked reputation tier (although there are already a lot of implicit benefits and rewards for high reputation with almost every faction). With Tasks being implemented and so intimately intertwined with factions, we thought we'd give you a rundown of what to expect from the next large addition to the game.

Based on the ton of feedback concerning initial difficulty and learning curve, we have listened to you, our players, and implemented Trade Tasks to make the initial experience smoother in the open-world campaign. While there, and because they are deeply intertwined, we also decided to include the brand-new Factions UI and the faction tier system. We were happy to see that everyone who tried it in the preview build loved it and we are also satisfied with the result. To top it off, we also have a long list of adjustments, fixes, and tweaks (see patch notes at the end of this post).

Murmillo is a gladiator type from ancient Rome, one of the most iconic in fact, so when it came to designing gladiators for the world of Vagrus, there was no question about including one that looks and feels exactly like the real world warrior of the same name. We wanted to change it around a bit to make it compatible with the pseudo-Roman fantasy world, but these changes are subtle at best, like the absence of fish imagery, bronze used for the metal parts due to the rarity of harder metals, as well as a different loincloth and belt.

'We do not worship the Dragons like you do your false Imperial Gods. We do not sacrifice to them or beg for their fickle blessings. Our Dragonlords are our paragons; a testament to what every being can aspire to and the source of the Flame that lives in all of us. That same Flame can burn your ass to crisp if you dare slander their name again.'

Ghouls are mysterious creatures whose origins you may be able to find out by playing Vagrus. They hunt at night, preying on beast and human alike, traveling great distances in packs. Their sickly, frail humanoid form hides terrifying strength and astonishing speed, which the Ghouls utilize to corner and eviscerate their victims. It is a common misconception to consider these creatures Undead because of their looks and name, they are far from it, falling into the category of mutants rather.