Patch notes — Smoother roads

Release status

This is the current development patch. It has not been activated on the public server. Character progress is preserved; there is no reset. ASCEND remains pre-launch, and this patch does not enable token rewards, transfers or purchases.

Smoother movement

• Click-walking can keep up to three movement requests in flight, instead of waiting for every tile reply. Keyboard and click controls share the same pacing and pending-request limit.
• Repeated position updates no longer restart walking animations. New destinations replace the previous position animation, and player steps use the normal walking interval.
• The connection indicator shows recent movement round-trip time in milliseconds. This measures network delay plus server handling; it is not a frame-rate counter.
• Walking into a wall no longer plays repeated footsteps. The server remains responsible for positions, collision, travel holds and walking speed.

Fair-play safeguards

• Replayed or out-of-order movement commands are rejected before they change position or interrupt other actions.
• The server still blocks excessive steps immediately. Cheat scoring now distinguishes a short burst of delayed packets from sustained excessive input.
• Movement receipts also return for blocked steps, paused controls and pending trade settlement, so those replies cannot leave the client movement queue stuck.
• These changes strengthen the existing server checks; they do not make the game cheat-proof. Human multiplayer tests and ongoing moderation remain part of release readiness.

New: a gate-light companion

• Begin A light without a home with Luma in Firstlight Square. Reach level 3 and record five Glitch Slime defeats to adopt Cinderseed for free.
• Three original pixel forms: Cinderseed, Lanternling and Waylight. Your visible companion floats beside your character and is visible to nearby players.
• Earn bond through credited, level-appropriate combat. Tending with one Dew Herb adds up to five bond once per UTC day. No hunger, offline decay or required daily login.
• Awaken Lanternling with 20 bond, three visited places, three Wisp Dust and 10 game gold. Awaken Waylight with 80 bond, five places, a Broken Gate clear, five Memory Fragments, one Gate Relic and 35 gold. Both awakenings happen beside Luma.
• Use Luma's Companion tab or More → Companion to read the journey, see materials, tend or hide your companion. Hiding it does not stop bond growth.
• Companions are cosmetic. They do not attack, collect loot, alter drops or increase ASCEND eligibility.

New: the field journal

• Original field notes for all 44 creatures, searchable by name and filterable by recorded creatures or current area.
• Encountered, Studied and Chronicled tiers at 1, 10 and 50 credited defeats; four collection honors use existing saved discoveries.
• Habitat routes respect locked Gates. Expedition entries show their entrance area, minimum level and stage. Loot entries show catalogue quantities and chances.

New: deeds & titles

• 29 original deeds, each unlocking a title shown above your name.
• Past progress is recognised automatically; you will see one summary notice.
• Y opens Deeds & titles. Bronze titles are free; silver and gold titles are engraved once for gold. Titles never affect rewards.

New: the Morning Bell

• From level 5, ring Firstlight's dawn bell once per UTC day after ten minutes of hunting, gathering or crafting. You get experience every day, Dew Herbs on even tolls and a sealed piece on the seventh.
• Seven tolls make a peal, and a missed day never resets it. Ringing is a button, never automatic, and grants no gold or token contribution.

New: inns and Return Scrolls

• Bind a home inn with any town recovery host; Return Scrolls bring you back after a three-second stand-still read.
• Game-gold sink only: binding and scrolls never create token entitlement.

New: Twinlight vows

• Two saved level-10 friends can swear a Twinlight vow before Maelis in Firstlight Square for 1,000 game gold each: a keepsake ring, a shared ∞ title and a small daily-capped XP bonus on hunts you truly share.
• Ending a vow is free from Social → Friends. Vows move no items or gold between partners and never create token entitlement.

New: the Mirecrown Colossus

• A scheduled world boss rises in Mirewood Path every three hours on the UTC hour (00:00, 03:00 … 21:00) for 15 minutes; follow the World boss banner. It is switched on per server after load testing.
• Deal 150 damage to share the experience; reach the banner's threshold for the full share. No final-blow or party priority.
• Saved characters of level 6+ receive up to two item packages per UTC day (Temper Stones, sealed pieces, and Champion Sigils for the top three); three packages per connection per rising.
• Game spoils only: no gold, Echo, Arc Goal progress or token contribution.

New: Glimmerdeep Mine

• A public level 9–12 dungeon beneath Copperfall Quarry with five quests from Elow and Wren, three glimmer veins and four new mine creatures that path around water and reform at their post when dragged too far.
• The Lodestone Overseer marks its two-tile reach with a static violet ring before every swing. Up to four real contributors share each victory, with personal spoils capped at three per character per UTC day; bench fees for glimmer crafts are game gold only.

Fixes and safeguards

• Daily Hunting Contract offers lock on first acceptance, preventing level-ups from generating another paid board before UTC midnight.
• Duplicate awakening confirmations cannot advance another form or charge its different cost. Care records and companion progress survive save/restore.
• Companion actions respect active trade settlement, cancel unconfirmed trades, are unavailable during arena practice and use command pacing.
• Reduced motion disables companion bobbing. Hiding or evolving removes the previous sprite and its animation.
• The handbook directory now exposes training, smithing, field research, companions and these patch notes; those new chapters were previously missing from its groups.

Still under development

Human balance sessions, desktop/mobile visual playtesting, fuller animation coverage and multiplayer soak testing remain necessary. These features expand the game; they do not certify the full release or the funded P2E launch.