Learn more about the latest Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy update:

Major May update: difficulty levels, plot thickening, terror birds and more…

Greetings, friends!

Today we would like to present you with a new update for the game. This time, we've spent most of our time adding new QoL features, advancing the plot, and expanding the locations you've already explored with new characters, monsters, secrets, and more.

Swordhaven has gained a few new spots, like the Gate Quarter—which will be properly populated with characters in the next updates, but already has some things to check out, including a quest.

Another area that received attention this time is what lies beneath it: Swordhaven Sewers. A sprawling underground complex beneath a large city like Swordhaven is home to dozens of monsters, including new ones like Sewer Porridge—a malicious jelly that can multiply at will.
There are traps, locked doors, and hidey-holes galore. One such secret contains a unique new weapon: a parrying blade that doesn't attack the enemy, but instead catches their weapon or claws mid-swing and retaliates.

Older locations like Smelters Row, the Outskirts, and Tomer's House got more quests and characters—those who'd teach you new weapon techniques and offer other interesting rewards, including magic crystals that let you see into the future... sort of!

Regarding QoL, this update finally lets you select the difficulty level and switch between them at any time. Easy Mode includes a host of player-suggested bonuses, while Hard Mode offers an extra challenge for those who thought our previous setting was a walk in the park. Be warned—companion death is now permanent, so tread carefully!

Many suggestions from players who aren't focused on difficulty were also taken into account—for example, stunning or paralyzing enemies now gives a much bigger accuracy boost.
Many random encounters were reworked, and slowdown zones—like swampy waters—were significantly improved, now functioning much more accurately.
Taverns and smithies now have interactive signs that make it easier to find those buildings in lived-in areas both old and new.

The first iteration of ModKit has also been added for all you modders out there. We hope to get a lot of feedback from you in order to improve the toolset more!

Plot-wise the game now holds the second encounter with the evil Bloodclaw. And even non-plot related quests now hold more story, for example Tomer's line of quests.

New monsters have also been added: Terror Birds that swoop from the skies to attack you with their razor-sharp beaks, Saber Cats with their nasty talons, and, of course, the aforementioned Sewer Porridge. Existing enemies have also been improved, gaining new perks and traits.
New types of secrets—like loose bricks in the sewer, signs, lore notes, weapons, hats, item icons, minimaps... Every aspect of the game has received some love in this update.

We really hope you'll enjoy it, and rest assured, there's much more to come this summer!

Yours,
Atom Team

Thanks Couchpotato!

Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy will get a new update in May:

Announcement: May Update

Greetings, friends!

The next content update for Swordhaven is scheduled for May, and we're not wasting any time working on it. Today, we'd like to share some information on what you can expect.

New locations

The upcoming update will feature several new locations, the most important of which are the Gate Quarter of Swordhaven and the Sewers - a sprawling dungeon filled with monsters, puzzles, treasures, and loopy loners who have found solace underground.

Several mini-bosses will also be added, not to mention a completely new monster type - a foul jelly beast that doesn't seem too strong... until you notice it can strip you of most of your armour points with its acidic spit attack!

Along with all this new content, we'll also introduce unique distinctions, new achievements, a pair of legendary weapons, fresh monster loot, and weapon techniques - one of which relies on a non-martial skill to work.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

An update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy is planned for the end of February:

Announcement: February Update

Greetings, friends!

We hate to keep you waiting for any longer, so here is a post announcing the first big update for Swordhaven, planned to release around the end of February.

In short, most of our work this month and the next revolves around the suggestions you've provided to us on Steam, Discord and other platforms.

Now, let's discuss them in detail. Please note that even if you don't see your suggestion in the list below, it doesn't mean it was ignored. To keep this post (somewhat) concise, we're only mentioning the things we are currently working on, not everything that is planned.

1. Game Balance and Weapon Techniques:

Weapons, from the initial ones you start with to craftable and higher-tier weapons found throughout the world, have received a significant overhaul.

Now weapons in each tier are more in line with one another, hopefully fixing the issue of one weapon choice being more viable than the other, as happened with Martial Arts in the current version.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted the Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy patch 0.3.3. Splattercatgaming and Wizard Worm checked it out:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! + Patch 0.3.3

Hey, everyone! We wanna wish everyone a happy festive season!
You guys are legendary, thank you so much for being with us, livening our chats, bringing us awesome feedback and helping us stomp out all those pesky bugs. Hope that next year we'll all enjoy an amazing finished game! 

We also present the festive patch 0.3.3, and here are its changes:

[...]

Swordhaven - A Great New Low Medieval CRPG From The Creators of ATOM RPG!

Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy Review - A Game You Can’t Miss! (Party-Based CRPG)

Learn more about patch 0.3.2 of Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

Patch 0.3.2 + Our Next Steps

Greetings, dear friends!

Thank you for the positive reception of the Early Access launch of Swordhaven. We greatly appreciate your trust in our team, and we are committed to bringing you more content to enjoy. Additionally, we are focused on addressing the issues you've uncovered and reported while playing.

The most glaring issues were addressed on day one thanks to your swift response, and many more substantial fixes are on the way. These include a wide range of problems, from mouse click delays and pointer offset on 4K resolution screens to rowdy chickens provoking aggressive fauna to assault villagers, as well as players being unable to reach a chest due to a pathing error, unfair crafting tool self-destruction rates, ammo shortages, etc.

As an example of this, here's an explanation of what your feedback influence crafting-wise:

The tool component used in crafting will have a definite use count. When you buy a brand new tool, it will come with a limited number of uses. Each crafting attempt with this tool will deplete one use point and will either produce the item you were crafting (if your skill check is successful) or not (if it fails). This system makes crafting more controllable, reduces reliance on randomness, and increases overall openness.
Of course, your feedback will be the defining factor in this.

Balance will take a bit longer to completely level out, but we're getting there.

First of all, we will enhance the default Normal difficulty, as we plan to add Easy and Hard modes with their own unique features soon. To achieve this, the Normal mode should be as close to ideal as possible. We understand that this is an ongoing process, so please feel free to share your thoughts.

More content is planned for Balance—and ultimately, fun—including ability-teaching masters, secret ability scrolls, and peaceful abilities that some of you asked us to incorporate. Hit, miss, and dodge rates, weapon technique values, and much more will evolve sooner, thanks to your feedback!

NOTE: Viltyb is not a bug. Trust us on this one :-)

A lot of work is being done to optimize the game for various hardware configurations. As a small team, we don't have access to many machines for playtesting our games, but the data that you provided has greatly compensated for that.

The low FPS bug present on certain machines, crashes on Linux, and other issues have mostly been resolved by now. As is the case with all our projects, the game will become more efficient on hardware with every update. That FPS count won't stay in single digits for long—trust us!

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Swordhaven begins the Early Access stage of development

Greetings, friends!

We have finally reached a major milestone for our game: Swordhaven has been released into Early Access.

Of course, the game is not yet fully developed content-wise, and some mechanics that are already in place may require further refinement. But thanks to Early Access, we can communicate with you directly and consider your ideas and suggestions as we progress, truly designing Swordhaven in the way our players envision it.

This, however, is only possible if we receive feedback. Please feel free to contact us in any way you see fit to share your opinions. We will evaluate your feedback and implement it into the game before our full release.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Mortismal Gaming checked out Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

Check Out | Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy

Thanks Couchpotato!

Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy will be released into Early Access today:

Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy

Swordhaven is a fantasy cRPG inspired by Infinity Engine titles - Baldur's Gate 1, Icewind Dale, etc. - as well as other classics.

You take up the mantle of a lonely adventurer on their way to the barely explored land of Nova Drakonia.

During your voyage, you are met by a dying man who trusts you with a peculiar artefact that will involve you in an adventure of a lifetime, and a plot that threatens everything you’ve ever known and loved.
Some of Swordhaven’s core features include:

• A flexible combat engine. Experience battle as a tactician in turn-based combat, or hasten the pace with the real-time with pause (RTwP) mode;
• A classless roleplaying system: each stat combination provides a unique gaming experience, distinctive dialogues, and novel ways to solve quests;
• A classics-inspired yet modern User Interface with large customization possibilities;
• A vast, nonlinear world filled with unique NPCs and multi-solution quests that reward exploration, always offering alternative approaches to satisfy any character build;
• Dozens of hours of exploration, from quiet village hamlets to hidden temples of the ancients, horrid crypts, bizarre dungeons, and otherworldly locales…

The party-based RPG Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy will be released on December 12:

Early Access 12/12/2024

Greetings and salutations, friends!

Today, we are very excited to share our final update before Swordhaven is released into Early Access.

This long-awaited milestone is scheduled for December 12, 2024, when the game will finally arrive on both Steam and GOG.

There is still a lot of work to be done before we achieve the desired build quality, and everything is continually being tweaked, updated, and bug-fixed to provide the best experience possible. Here are some of the features we are currently working on.

First of all, let's discuss the stealth mechanics. As you know from the demo, we aimed to make stealth a more active and influential system than in our previous games. Now, stealth includes the ability to see enemies' detection zones and features a covert strike mechanic that allows you to land the first blow in combat for double damage.

We've added many more diverse special encounters to the world map, including additional battles, hunting and foraging options, and text-based adventures. They not only serve as a distraction from your main goals in the game but also provide special items, experience, and loot.

New locations are also in the works. We have added an extra layer of polish to the background-specific dungeons and improved those that every player will encounter.

We have also introduced new mini-bosses and enhanced the existing enemies with new skill sets and animations to provide a better overall combat experience.

Ironing out kinks is as important as introducing new content, so we've improved several features of character creation. We also added new combat and mundane animations, weapons, armour, crafting recipes, and much more.

See you on the 12th of December 2024!
Yours truly,
Atom Team

Thanks Couchpotato!

Luethar spotted that Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy will released into Early Access in December 2024.

Couchpotato spotted the October update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy on Steam:

October Update

Hello, friends!

Today, we decided to conduct a little experiment by making a short video about what we’ve been up to over the past month. What do you think of this format? Would you prefer us to make the next update in a similar fashion, or do you think a text format would be better? Let us know in the comments!

Stay as awesome as always,
Yours faithfully,
Atom Team

Couchpotato sptted the September update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy on Steam:

September Update

Hello, friends! Autumn has arrived, and so has our monthly update on development progress. So, without further ado, let's get started!

Quests are a driving factor in many RPGs, and we are working on quite a few of them. Some are common to everyone, while others are exclusive to a specific background. Here, we are showcasing two screenshots from background quests. Please note that both characters will sport their own portrait in the future.
It goes without saying that each quest introduces new NPCs, items, monsters, and much more!

Of course, new quests require new locations. Here is one of them—note the verticality. And what would locations be without secrets, hidden loot, and monsters to hunt down? Well, they would probably still be locations... but boring ones!

Talking of monsters, look at this bad boy: the demonic Red Bog Rooster—token animal of the dark god Velns, champion of wicked violence, adultery, and selfishness. You can find this beast (or rather, it can find *you*) in the swamps of Nova Drakonia.

Now, it's all fine and dandy, but what's the point of confronting enemies if you don't look your best? Speaking of 'dandy'—here is one of the new outfits. As a rule, your starting clothes will depend on your background, but you can change them freely in the Appearance tab.

Segueing onto backgrounds: at the start of Early Access we will introduce a new background (though it won't be the last one) in addition to the Noble and Bandit options. We won't go into details about it in this update, but here is the background picture that will accompany it during character creation.

Oh, and in keeping with the spirit of secrecy, here is a short video from the game. Where is it used? Why are we showing it without sound? These are questions we will leave for you to discover ;)

Work on new animations is also ongoing. Like these two specimens for one-handed swords and halberds.

Another problem we've tackled at this time is the lighting issue in several of the dungeons we're currently working on. The solution? A torch, of course! Craft a few, stick one into your shield slot, and take the plunge into the darkness without fear.

To wrap up this update, here is one of the new tracks for the game. Give it a listen and let us know what you think!

Whew! That's all for today! We will be heading back to the developers' cave until the next update. In the meantime, feel free to visit us on Steam or join our Discord server.

Keep on truckin', cool cats,
Yours truly,
Atom Team

Couchpotato spotted the August update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy on Kickstarter:

August Update

Hello, friends! Another month, another update. Today, we have some hopefully interesting news to share with you. So, enough with the introductions - let's dive in!

We are adding new animations to the game, primarily focused on different fighting techniques. But that's just the beginning :)

In any event, with these animations, the battles - both real-time and turn-based—will be much more visually interesting; the hits will feel meatier, and the heaves will feel heavier!

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

What We Were Up To

Greetings, friends!

It's the middle of the summer, and we believe it's high time we update you on Swordhaven's progress towards Early Access.

Many things are made, added, tweaked and changed on the daily, but the main features we feel comfortable telling you about are:

New locations and Random Encounter maps are a high priority, as they bring the world map to life. We have created multiple maps for every biome where you might encounter something, such as swamps, farmland, mountains, forests, and more.

Additionally, we are working on Grainhold village, which will allow you to continue quests from the first village, as well as discover new ones.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

Work In Progress + Patch 0.1.5

Hello, friends!

The work on Swordhaven continues. And as we mentioned during our Kickstarter campaign, we are currently developing a new pathfinding system.

Work is in full swing.

When it's finished, it should make managing your party, traversing through locations, stealth, and exploration *feel* much better!

At the same time we're tackling the World Map and all of the different encounters on it. There is still a lot of work to be done on map balance, visuals, and UI, but what we have at the moment is a good start.

[...]

For the new quality of life features, many of you asked us to add gamepad support, and that's exactly what we are doing. While the UI features are not yet 100% finished, the controls themselves should be ready pretty soon!

We have also made another patch for the demo. Here are the changes:

• Fixed bugs with death in battle;
• Fixed bugs with shadow settings;
• Improved visual in Isometric Mode;
• Added starting tutorial;
• Fixed bugs with UI disappearing;
• Dead enemies now clamp together for more convenient looting;
• Added equip button for arrows/bolts;
• Fixed bugs with loading saves;
• Fixed a tone of minor (and not so minor) bugs.

The work continues and more news is to come... so stay tuned!

Yours forever,
Atom Team

The demo of Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy got a new patch:

DEMO PATCH 0.1.4

Greetings and salutations!

We are pleased to announce the release of a new patch/update for the demo. Most of the work we are currently focused on will NOT be included in this update, but it does contain a lot of fixes and some additional visuals. Which is always nice :)

• Fixed game freezing when trying to rest;
• Automatic arrow and bolts 'reloading';
• Fixed issues with UI disappearing;
• Fixed descriptions of some effects in battle;
• Added burning effect in combat;
• Fixed issue with getting knocked;
• Better performance;
• Fixed bug with NPCs disappearing;
• Fixed a cutscene bug;
• Changed duration of tonics in battle;
• Fixed movement issues after loading;
• Fixed portraits display during battles;
• Fixed hit chance for throwing bottles;
• Fixed cursor bugs;
• Added technical description for some potions;
• Paused enemies idle sounds when in menu;
• Fixed some movement bugs;
• Fixed bugs with language switching;
• Fixed price positions when trading;
• Added new item visuals;
• Fixed a bug with open doors and house titles;
• Improved combat balance with certain enemies;
• Tweaked Sole Survivor and Level Headed Leader distinctions;
• Finished Japanese translation.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

The Kickstarter campaign ended, with it being funded as well as reaching its 3 stretch goals:

Done and done! 

The campaign for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy is at an end, with results that surprised and humbled us all. 

The game we had planned initially will become even bigger and better thanks to your contributions, suggestions and overall support. 

We are extremely thankful! 

What comes next? To receive news about development please follow our socials and Steam page; To get us started working on interactive rewards such as the player portrait, please contact us via Kickstarter sending us the photo you wish our artist to paint; And of course, expect the Early Access release on PC, Mac and Linux as soon as Q4 2024. 

Thanks MaHAK!

The Atom Team has reached their Kickstarter funding goal for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy - Congratulations!

Splattercatgaming checked out Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy which is currently on Kickstarter:

A New Dark Roleplaying Experience From the Creators of ATOM RPG! - Swordhaven

Mortismal Gaming checked out Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

Check Out - Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy

Thanks Couchpotato!

RPG Jeuxvideo interviewed Alexander Chernyavskiy about Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

Alexander Chernyavskiy talks about Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy

To go with the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for their new title, Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy, the ATOM Team development team has been kind enough to answer some of our questions regarding their latest game. If you are into Swordhaven, don’t hesitate in checking its Kickstarter page! We also have a French-translated version of the interview right here.

Hello, and thank you! Could you introduce yourself?
I’m Alexander Chernyavskiy, one of the writers and game developers for Atom Team, a small indie crew of 10 guys spread across Europe, making video games. Our previous projects were the two post-apocalyptic titles: ATOM RPG and its stand-alone sequel/expansion - Trudograd. Right now we’re working on our third game— Swordhaven : Iron Conspiracy.

How did you get the idea for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy?
Almost every developer has a backlog of projects they want to work on. Talking about ATOM, the idea of creating a Fallout-inspired RPG has been with us since 2008, simply because we’re fans of the series :)
The idea for Swordhaven came from different sources that I’ll avoid naming so as not to spoil some parts of the game, but mainly we wanted to try and develop something new and fantastical.

What are your influences for the development of the game?
I’d say our main role models are Baldur’s Gate 1 (as well as other Infinity Engine titles), Neverwinter Nights, and a mostly forgotten Black Isle project called Lionheart. That’s not all, of course. But to list every game that possibly influenced us in creating Swordhaven seems like a futile undertaking.

Since when have you been working on Swordhaven?
We discussed its concepts and mechanics on and off for a year and a half now, but the really intense part during which we created most of what’s going to become the Kickstarter demo took us less than a year.

What are your plans for Swordhaven?
If we get the Kickstarter support we require, late 2025 will be the time we’ll introduce our biggest and most complex game yet to the world :) Before then there will be a period of early access, when we’ll collaborate with our players to improve the game before launch.

[...]

(French version here)

The Atom Team will start a Kickstarter campaign for their RPG Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy soon:

Kickstarter for Swordhaven in late March

Greetings,

The time has finally come, and we're proud to announce a Kickstarter campaign for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy. The campaign is planned to start at the end of March and will feature a playable demo that we are working very hard on at the moment. This will allow every one of you to check out what our game promises before deciding whether to support it as a backer.

Here is where you can check it out.

While still rough around the edges, the demo will feature dozens of attack techniques, several enemy types, the first locations of the game including a village with many quests and dialogues, several monster-infested locales, and even a pretty well-hidden secret area for the completionists out there.

More news on the developments coming soon!

Yours truly,
Atom Team

Couchpotato spotted some gameplay of Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

Swordhaven Alpha - Gameplay

The fantasy RPG Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy has been announced by Atom Team:

Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy

Swordhaven is a fantasy cRPG inspired by Infinity Engine titles - Baldur's Gate 1, Icewind Dale, etc. - as well as other classics.

You take up the mantle of a lonely adventurer on their way to the barely explored land of Nova Drakonia.

During your voyage, you are met by a dying man who trusts you with a peculiar artefact that will involve you in an adventure of a lifetime, and a plot that threatens everything you’ve ever known and loved.
Some of Swordhaven’s core features include:

• A flexible combat engine. Experience battle as a tactician in turn-based combat, or hasten the pace with the real-time with pause (RTwP) mode;
• A classless roleplaying system: each stat combination provides a unique gaming experience, distinctive dialogues, and novel ways to solve quests;
• A classics-inspired yet modern User Interface with large customization possibilities;
• A vast, nonlinear world filled with unique NPCs and multi-solution quests that reward exploration, always offering alternative approaches to satisfy any character build;
• Dozens of hours of exploration, from quiet village hamlets to hidden temples of the ancients, horrid crypts, bizarre dungeons, and otherworldly locales…

Thanks Yemeth!