A massive Stormgate update has just dropped! The Frost Giant team revealed a developer update, highlighting their progress since the last beta phase, including a date for the next beta, new maps, the creep camp rework, and more.
Stormgate “Frigate” Beta Phase to Kick Off on April 30
We have to kick things off with the biggest news – we have a date! The next phase of the Stormgate beta kicks off on April 30!
Unfortunately for those not in the playtest, it will be under NDA. However, the latest dev update revealed a ton of information about what’s coming. And we are, of course, still awaiting the third faction reveal.
Stormgate Creep Camp Rework Visuals
Moving on from the release date, the first thing revealed in this update was more information about the creep camp rework. We already heard what was planned, but now we actually get to see it!
We got a first look at capture points in action, which activate after defeating a creep camp. It seems that capturing points offers multiple bonuses, including passive income and bonus energy regeneration.
Matchmaking and Map Updates
Competitive players will be happy to hear that there are matchmaking and map updates! First off, matchmaking now features a random map pool – no more playing the same map over and over.
In addition, two new maps have been added to the pool – Lost Hope, a map with four starting positions, and Isle of Dread, which features water mechanics. We don’t know much about water in Stormgate, other than that it comes in ‘shallow’ and ‘deep’ forms, both of which affect pathing.
Tim Campbell also confirmed that there will not be any naval units directly in Stormgate, although it’s something that will have a place in the editor.
Last but not least, there’s also a new co-op map, Abyssal Gates, in which the team must destroy the Abyssal Gates to stop the summoning of the Lord of the Abyss – the map name is pretty on the nose!
New Infernal Host Unit Added: Hexen
Infernal Host players will be happy to hear that there’s a new unit to play around with – the Hexen!
This is a tier 1 caster with a ranged attack and four abilities! Infernals start the game with one Hexen, which aims to be the new Infest unit and offers a way to scout with its first ability, Skull of Shedda. This ability summons a fast-moving flying magical skull, which can scout the map and apply infest to a single unit.
The next ability is Venom Trap, which summons a concealed mine that applies area-of-effect damage and Infest when stepped on by enemy units. Its third ability is Miasma, which is a channeled AoE that does damage and boosts Infest damage.
Unfortunately, the fourth ability wasn’t talked about in the video, but the icon looks similar to the Doombringer’s recall.
Audio and Visual Updates
Lastly, we got a quick look at some new and upcoming audio and visual changes. The biggest of these was the Exo, which is getting reimagined to match its firepower – this means a bigger mech suit, bigger gun, and new sound effects.
Along with this, we also got a sneak peek at some new voiceovers and sound effects, which include changes to most units! Make sure to check it out.
