After over a year of development, Lost Pilgrims Studio, creators of Vagrus – the Riven Realms, have announced the release date of their most ambitious DLC yet: At the Heart of Ruin. The expansion will drop on the 22nd of October on all platforms except Nintendo, due to a longer approval process. Alongside it, they will be releasing their Ruinous Supporter Pack, which gives those who wish to support the studio an opportunity to do so while receiving a new cosmetics outfit for each of the game’s companion characters.
The studio describes At the Heart of Ruin as an ambitious undertaking that significantly expands the base game’s dark fantasy, heavily narrative foundation. Set in the Mountains of Fire, where the crumbling remnants of the old Dwarven kingdom of a lost age endure, it will take players on perilous adventures. Traversing these new territories will have players working with smaller parties than usual, navigating rugged, mountainous terrain, and facing some of the most fearsome foes Vagrus has ever showcased. Lost Pilgrims’ recent trailer also hints at these obstacles – and many more to run afoul of:
The expansion is said to have many facets with a lot on offer – stories, locations, and features the studio has lovingly crafted. Here are some highlights players can expect:
- A savage, imperiled new region free of Imperial dominance and brimming with danger
- A slew of new locations and enemies in the usual art style and quality of Vagrus – more than in any single DLC before
- Exploration Encounters, a brand new game feature that offers procedurally generated challenges, obstacles, and chances to get loot outside the narrative-heavy sections
- Three scavenger factions that are nemeses of each other, with their own quests and rewards
- A large cast of NPCs, most of them new, while others are recognizable faces from old stories
- Unique quests available through committing to one of two new minor factions
- Our most ambitious narrative undertaking since the release of the base game, both in complexity and narrative impact
- Expansive, branching, dark adventures that build on the rich lore of the Riven Realms
- Replayability due to the sheer volume of divergent outcomes, stories, rewards, and opportunities
The Ruinous Support Pack adds a new appearance to every companion character in game, each themed after the factions and characters of At the Heart of Ruin. These have no gameplay impact, and are entirely cosmetic in nature – fun and cool alternative looks for the player’s closest allies.
Lost Pilgrims Studio also pledges to expand the content of At the Heart of Ruin after its release, continuing a major storyline from the expansion through free updates as they feel it deserves a more fleshed-out follow-up.
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