In the upcoming v0.30 patch, I've revisited some of the mechanics that have existed in the game since early in development, but weren't necessarily flesh out or refined. Feats are one such mechanic, and while the selection of Feats has been robust for a long time, there hasn't really been any meaningful distinction between what the different playable races could take aside from a single (very expensive) Feat that, in most cases, wasn't even implemented.

With this new upcoming patch, the seven playable races will be much more differentiated than in the past. The changes to the Feat system are a large part of this, and there are two parts to it:

1) Each race now has multiple unique racial Feats that only they can take, and these Feats are more accessible than the previous one Feat that cost 50 points to take.

2) Several formerly generic Feats have been made more restrictive. This means that instead of all seven races getting access to a certain Feat, instead only a few will. One example of this is Way of the Spellblade and Thaumatic Empowerment - these were formerly available to all races, but now only certain ones will get access to this.

I've also re-designed some of the original Feats to be more useful. Regeneration and Rejuvenation are essentially useless in their current incarnation, but the re-worked versions now give you passive restoration of Health and Mana, respectively. While the effect won't be enough to eliminate the need for potions, it will make a large long-term difference in the management of your resources.

And finally, a few new generic Feats have been added, while a few others have been removed (mostly the high-cost ones that weren't implemented anyways). 

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As part of this patch, I'll be adjusting the leveling curve for the different zones. Leveling up happens very quickly in the early part of the game, with characters reaching level 7 without any EXP bonuses. I'm going to adjust the curve downward a bit, but I'll offer a few other ways to get Feat Points so that you can still power up your character at a similar rate to before. My intended level curve looks something like this:

-End of Zone 1: Level 6

-End of Zone 2: Level 10

-End of Zone 3: Level 14

-End of Zone 4: Level 17

-End of Zone 5: Level 20

There are more Feats than there are available Feat Points in the game, which is by design. But with enough bonus points to get through various other means, you'll be able to take most of the Feats you want by the time you reach the end of the Story mode.

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And of course, part of the UX/UI upgrade that will also be a part of this patch includes a revamped Feat selection screen that looks nicer than before. Here's the before and after of what the screen now looks like:

Before:

After:

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The rest of the UI in the game has been similarly upgraded, and you'll get a chance to see what it all looks like once the 0.30 patch drops! As the patch draws toward release, I'll write some additional posts that will showcase some of the additional mechanics and changes made that will transform the experience and offer more ways to play the game. Stay tuned!