Our next impactful content update is dropping right here on Steam on April 1st, bringing you a ton of new features, enemy AI refinements, and highly requested improvements to combat, enemy behavior, and the game’s core combat and stealth systems—all based directly on your feedback!

🧠 Smarter, Deadlier Enemies

• Improved stealth and enemy perception make sneaking even more satisfying.
  
• New detection bar: Enemies now have three states—Detect, Investigate, and Alert.
  
• If you stay out of sight long enough, enemies will “forget” about you and return to their idle state.
  
• Hidden enemies (Spiders, Zombies, Lizards, Fungal variants) now have an Ambush Mode, programmed to strike as soon as they spawn (bypassing the Detect and Investigate states).
  
• More ranged enemies are entering the game, with enemies shifting between melee and ranged combat depending on player distance.
  
• No more enemies leaping into the abyss! If foes can’t reach you, they’ll either attack at range or patrol, waiting for an opening to strike.

⚔️ Better Group Combat & Enemy AI

• Enemies will no longer attack all at once—they’ll surround and take turns attacking based on an "aggression meter."
  
• Tougher enemies (Ravager, Assassin) will be more aggressive, attacking more frequently than weaker enemies (Defenders, Gunners).

🔥 Weapon & Spell Improvements

• Refined special attack VFX for a more polished feel.
  
• More powerful weapon abilities—but with increased mana costs.
  
• Rebalanced spells to make each choice more meaningful.

👑 Two New Bosses + Major Boss Refinements

• Her royal majesty, Rhylotha, descends into Kristala! Face her terrifying, eight-legged challenge in the dark forests and caves of Dalamase.
  
• The Myrtunan Shard Guardian (wielding a crystal-encrusted Greatsword) awaits those brave enough to test their mastery of Ailur's necromantic spirit magic.
  
• All existing bosses have been rebalanced and polished, with improved animations and mechanics.

💀 New Enemy Spawn Animations

• Watch out! Enemies like the Masarusa, Undead, Spiders, and Gilsanka now emerge straight from the ground—ambushing unsuspecting players.

📜 New Menus & UI Enhancements

• Spell selection added to the Character Creation menu.
  
• Equipment Menu overhaul for a smoother experience.
  
• If time allows between now and Tuesday, we'll also launch the new Spell Tree and Inventory menus. Def stay tuned!

This update signals another impactful step forward for Kristala’s Early Access journey, and we can’t wait for you to experience all the polishes and refinements firsthand!

Mark your calendars—April 1st is coming! 😼⚔️

What are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!

As we head into the final days of this month's discount—and look towards unleashing Chapter III in a few weeks—we’re celebrating with an exciting week full of fun events and giveaways, starting with a Live Developer Q&A with Julien Solomita tonight on Twitch!

Join us on Julien’s Twitch channel[www.twitch.tv] at 8pm EST / 5pm PST as Kristala Producer, Alexis Brutman, and our Lead Narrative Designer, Willow Jay Bryar, drop by to chat with Julien about his first foray into voice-acting and the process for bringing Hemani NPC Gustav Gondasa to life.

We’ll also break down everything we've lovingly packed into Kristala’s recent big content update and share some details on what’s in store for Kristala’s third installment, including when you can expect to meet some of Julien’s beloved puppers in game.

Come hang with us in chat as we answer all the important questions. We'll also be giving away tons of goodies LIVE on stream too, so you definitely don’t wanna miss out!


In our last community update, we unveiled our brand-new Gustav Gondasa merch collection[kristala.shop], a series of curated items inspired by your favorite new adventurous rodent ally.

And this week, we’re rampin’ up the hype even further with a special merch discount in honor of the new collection. Save 10% on all Kristala merch[kristala.shop] right meow using code GUSTAV10 at check-out to add a little Ailuran magic to your daily life.

The best part? A portion of profits from all merch and game sales will go directly to the Pasadena Humane Society over the next few months in an effort to support animals displaced by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.

As a developer creating a game inspired by animals who are near and dear to our hearts, we’ve always dreamed of being able to give back to the real-world creatures that have so deeply inspired Kristala’s characters and lore. It’s an honor to make that dream a reality.

A HUGE thanks to everyone who’s purchased so far—you truly are the cat's meow. 😉


In the spirit of giving back, we’re also super hype to kick off another fun community contest in the Kristala Discord[discord.gg]. Today through Sunday, March 2nd, submit your best shot of NPC Gustav Gondasa using the game’s Photo Mode feature.

One lucky winner will receive an item of their choice from the new Gustav Gondasa merch collection[kristala.shop]—just one more small way for us to thank our amazing players for all the love and support you’ve given us over the years.

Stay tuned for the official contest launch announcement later this afternoon.

We truly can’t express just how much we appreciate every single person who's followed our journey, played our demo, purchased Early Access, or shown us love on our digital communities. It means more to us than we could ever properly convey.

THANK YOU for supporting small creators like us. We see you, we appreciate you, and we can’t wait to show you what else we’ve got in store. It's definitely gonna be fierce 😼⚔️