Greetings Wielders!
As the days grow shorter and darker, our work on the new Vanir faction continues. We promised behind-the-scenes updates, and we’re happy to deliver! This is the first of our monthly devlogs about Vanir, where we’ll keep you updated on our progress. Now is also the perfect time to ask for your support by wishlisting the Vanir DLC. Wishlists are crucial for smaller studios like ours, making us more visible to Valve and helping us along the way. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3260210/Songs_of_Conquest__Vanir/?beta=0The pixel Vikings want you to wishlist! Creating a new faction is no small task. It’s not just about slapping new pixels onto existing units—it takes a long time to produce for our small team, and that is if we focus entirely on it, but we are really enjoying it! Vanir will feature 9 new Wielders, each with unique full-body sketches, pixel art for the adventure map, and detailed portraits that convey their individual stories.
Which one is your favorite?
Ensuring that Vanir feels fresh and distinct from our existing factions is important for us. So for the Vanir faction, one key element is the dynamic between the Vanir and the Vildra. The Vanir are the human raiders and traders of the Bleak East, descended from Indebted Baryans and Arleon peasants who fled the oppressive rule of barons.
Some say that the Vildra were created by the Roots and some that they sprung from the land itself, but what everyone knows is that they are dangerous and often wicked beings of the land. They are the dark folk-lore creatures, the trolls that live under the bridges, the witches of the bogs, and the evil spirits that lure children into the icy lakes of the Bleak East. They are sometimes cruel, sometimes wicked, and every one of them in their own way magical.
Our new faction is all of this and more, so that has to be seen and felt in their design, on all levels. Take the Huscarl, for instance. As an un-upgraded human unit, they’re a capable warrior with a shield, sword, and a single ranged attack with their spear. But when upgraded and transformed with Vildra magic, they become something completely different.
See what happens when you let evil spirits in?
When upgraded the Huscarl turns into Korphan, a raven-like creature armed with double daggers. Not only do they look visually distinct from the Huscarl, but they also channel chaos instead of destruction essence and have a "leap" ability. We want the upgrades to feel different with Vanir, sometimes offering something else than “just” stronger versions of base troops.
Another big part of creating a unique faction is their biome, both on the battlefield and on what we call the adventure map. We want our map-makers to have new tools to work with when they create their maps. This means both internal and external work from our art department (if you can call two people a department). We are creating new map assets, new blockers, and of course the biome itself, with a variety of mud, misery, and snow. All things that come naturally for us Swedes!
Ferns, dark forests, mud, and the occasional runestone, it's like hiking in our local woods!
There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes, but we’ll save some details for next time. In our next update, we’ll delve into buildings, settlements, and the magic of the Vildra, along with more insights into the Wielders themselves.
Creating this faction, so heavily inspired by Nordic folklore, is an exciting journey, and we can’t wait to share more with you. Internal playtesting has already started, and I have to admit, throwing stones with the trolls is a personal highlight!
Stay tuned—there’s plenty more to come.
/Anders and everyone at Lavapotion
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