The Sadirar people are native to the ever scorching and arid deserts of the Searing Plains where their villages are located. Some of these settlements are out among the endless dunes of Arenas Vorax while others are nestled on the precarious slopes of the Mountains of Fire in the west. Built of stone mostly, these villages are protected fiercely by tribesmen and shamans of the four Great Tribes dedicated to the elements. Will you aid the Sadirar or attack their villages as a mercenary?

Another crucial game mechanic that is being added to Vagrus as we are writing this is a system of Rumors. Rumors are short entries in your Journal that are meant to guide players to content and unlock locations on their Chart in order to help them plan journeys and find places. We have come to the conclusion during playtesting that not only do we need to differentiate these Rumor entries from your Objectives in the Journal but we also need to separate them entirely and move them to a different pane. As evident from this, Rumors have undergone quite a lot of change since their original conception.

The images above are from one of the starting regions of the main game, shedding some light on parts of the huge campaign map the player can traverse in Vagrus.

We can already hear you ask: 'But guys... why don't you show off the whole map?'

This time we would like to introduce a brand new game mechanic to you that you will see quite a lot in Vagrus: the acquiring and delivering of news across vast tracts of wasteland. Carrying news between settlements not only makes sense from a gameplay perspective but has its foundations in-world, too, that is, comitati are known to have a vital role in distributing news and taking messages all over the continent of Xeryn.

Interested in what's new? 
You can find it on GameJolt or Itchio, or below.

Another location from the main game, Arken is a frequented hub and a town of great import as it sits on the Empire's largest marble reserve as well as close to other treasures of the earth. The settlement borders the Arkoros Forest, where instead of trees large standing stones cover the terrain. With low walls of stone and several districts (including a set of villas and temples), Arken would be a lovely place if not for the constant dust and the wind that whips it. Thus, only people who work here live in the town along with some merchants and a handful of dedicated craftsmen. Stones are gathered in warehouses to be sold and shipped off all over the Empire. A strong garrison of undead soldiers - maintained by necromancers - guards the town as no living beings would stand on the walls constantly plagued by the terrible dust. But how loyal are those who run Arken to the Empire with such a force at their fingertip?

Markets and bazaars are the throbbing heart of the rebuilt cities of the Riven Realms. Due to the isolation of many settlements and regions thanks to the Calamity, trade - propagated mostly by comitati - is key to the survival of these regions and thus to the survival of the Empire.

Time to talk about the Journal. Even though I don't think most gamers are super-excited about the details of in-game journals or quest logs, it is still extremely important to get them right in a game as complex and as full of storylines, tasks, quests, and objectives as Vagrus, and gamers do appreciate quest logs that work well and aid them when they need information.

The Empire in the Riven Realms is based on the Roman Empire of our history, so it's no surprise that the gladiators of these cultures are also very similar.

This character artwork is that of the gladiator enemy that you can come across in arena battles. These arena or pit fights will feature in larger settlements, as the Empire of the Riven Realms is very fond of such bloody games.

Most fantasy adventures have an inn or two but in our case - in a game where you lead a caravan and its crew on all kinds of journeys - taverns and inns are vital and appear in almost every sizeable settlement.

The artwork you can see, the versions of which will serve as a backdrop for such watering holes in Vagrus, was painted by the amazing Péter Kovács. The image perfectly captures the alien feel of the world, the dark and hard fantasy elements, as well as the relatively peaceful atmosphere of an inn.