Hey Breakers, 

Like I mentioned in the Spellbreak Day 8 post on Reddit, it’s time to discuss our roadmap for Spellbreak! Roadmaps lay out plans for the future of the game and what we’re going to be doing over the next months and potentially years in some cases. We’ll try to make these posts regularly, but by design, that will likely be around once a quarter.

Two small notes before we dive in: 

• Roadmaps don’t generally include things like bugfixes or other smaller features. We’ve got plenty more in the pipeline that won’t be mentioned below, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

• Roadmaps can change—sometimes a lot! This represents our plans as of today, but there are all sorts of reasons something could get moved on or off the roadmap. A feature might be more technically or artistically challenging than originally thought, it might “fail” in playtesting and need a massive rework, a new opportunity could come up, or we could receive some really insightful feedback that we want to react to. By sharing this very early in the process, we’re trusting that you’ll take it in the spirit with which it’s given. If and when things do change (and they will), we’ll strive to keep you updated as well. 

Short-term

In the short-term (think <1 month), we’re primarily focused on Patch 1 (aka 1.1). This includes a ton of bug fixes that showed up post-launch. While its focus is on fixing bugs, it also includes a number of small quality of life features, some rebalancing to aim-assist, and updates to sound effects. 

In addition to 1.1, we’re also going to be rolling out the Shadowstep and Chronomaster runes. Shadowstep allows you to do a short-range dash AND become invisible for a brief amount of time. In the right hands, it’s incredibly powerful and enables some amazing plays. Chronomaster gives you control over time itself. A few seconds after use, it “rewinds” your health, armor, and position to the time at which you activated it, letting you “heal” back damage or juke out your opponents in a big way. 

Mid-term

Let’s use a timeframe of 1-3 months for “mid-term” here. A good portion of the team has been working on the two patches following 1.1 since before launch and I’m going to refer to these two patches as “Prologue” and “Chapter 1.”

And now for a quick diversion here to talk about Spellbreak’s Chapter system at a high level! You’ve seen it on the main menu, greyed out and taunting you, but what is it?

We want to tell you a story in Spellbreak and we want to do it over the course of weeks, months, and years. It’s not just about adding a new gameplay mechanic every other week, but about exploring WHY that gameplay exists in the world. We want you to explore new content and an expanding world with us and your fellow players. At the most basic level, the Chapter system provides you with weekly quest-based story content and rewards. On top of that, as you make your way through the Chapter as a whole, you’ll unlock new gameplay and cosmetic rewards. 

In the coming weeks, we’ll have a much more in-depth look at the Chapter system, but I wanted to provide some basic context for the first parts of it described below. 

“Prologue” 

In our first major patch, we’re going to be setting up the story for the coming Chapters and will be introducing the following features: 

• The beginnings of the Chapter system will reunite you with Avira Emberdane, who will help further hone your skills as a battlemage, and earn some tasty cosmetics along the way.

• Clash, our 9v9 team deathmatch mode, will kick-off during the Prologue. Clash is an excellent way to blow off steam and get into some non-stop Spellbreak combat as you battle another team in a race to a predetermined number of exiles. (It’s also great for completing some of the harder quests!)

• It’s time for a spooky Holloween (not canon!). Some tricks and treats will be coming to the store. 

• Three new 3-point Talents. Your builds are about to get a lot harder to plan!

• New (and some reworked) Consumables, including a brand new gameplay-affecting one. 

“Chapter 1”

The second major patch is going to kick the story off in earnest. You’ll be introduced to the Order of the Vowbreakers and given your first assignment: researching the Spellstorm and trying to put a stop to it! As for the rest of Chapter 1, we’ll have more info for you soon!

Long-term

Long-term is where things that are very large or in very early stages of development live. These things are likely three months or more out, but have been deemed a priority and discussions are happening internally. There’s not going to be a lot here in terms of specifics to share, but we wanted to let you know that this is stuff we’re actively discussing, designing, and nailing down. For all of these, they’re far enough out that there’s plenty of time for feedback and discussion with y’all and that’s what we hope to do over the coming months. 

More gauntlets, classes, elements, runes, etc.

Yup! We’ve got a lot of exploration we’ve been doing here into art styles for elements, concepts and prototypes for gauntlets and runes, and more. We’ve even opened up a few jobs specifically to work on these in the past few weeks!

Ranked / Competitive Modes

Spellbreak’s combat, skill expression, and team dynamics make this an incredibly exciting place to explore. We’ve heard a lot of feedback here and have a number of ideas that we’re kicking around, but what are YOU looking for? Small-scale team vs team arena-style skirmishes? Ranked league style play? Large-scale esports matches? Private lobbies? Something else? 

Limited-time Modes

At the other end of the spectrum, we want to introduce a variety of limited-time modes that utilize the crazier mechanics in Spellbreak. Frozen Alacrity or Flight races? Featherfall + Frost gauntlet-only matches? Loot pinatas? Low-stress modes that highlight mechanics in new and hilarious ways. (Or, if I’m being honest, as a test ground for the more permanent introduction of more experimental features!)

Guilds

Finally, we want to introduce ways for you to play together with your friends that last longer than a single match or session. We want to reinforce social bonds amongst players, give you shared goals that you can work together towards, and proudly show off your group’s accomplishments. 

Very short-term

As of this posting, the store schedule should be rolling over tonight into the “normal” schedule. We’ve completed our tests and starting tonight, you’ll find new stuff much more frequently. Enjoy! 

We also have our Reddit AMA in /r/games on Friday, September 18, at 5pm EDT. So stop by and ask us anything!

Thanks

This was longer than I expected it to be when I started writing, but I hope it was useful for you and that it gave you more understanding into where we’re headed. Thanks again for reading and for playing Spellbreak. We’ve got a lot ahead of us and we’re so happy you’re coming along for the journey!

Jesse, Design Director

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