Today I’m excited to dive into the balance and QoL changes we’ve been cooking up.

Let’s start with the topic you’ve asked about all year.

• The entire balance sheet has been rebuilt.

• The 80 % difficulty tier is gone.

• The gaps between 100 %, 150 %, and 200 % are now much sharper—you’ll feel every step.

We rewired nearly every system that controls enemy spawns.

Early-run behaviour:

100% - Only specific enemy types and a limited set of Elites can appear at the start. The mix heats up with each loop.

200% - Almost the full Elite roster and enemy pool are available from the very first second.

• Loop 1 is mostly unchanged.

• Deeper runs raise the chance that Sirens spawn in packs of 2-3 (some may be Elite). Higher difficulty brings this forward.

• From Loop 2 onward, Rampants spawn alongside Sirens, scaling with difficulty and run length.

Two new global events enter the rota:

1. Shield Generators – every enemy spawns with a shield that must be broken before you can damage health.

2. Immortal Pursuit – each player is hunted by their own Immortal. Immortals die only under specific conditions or with certain artefacts; if they hit you, it’s a one-shot. Ouch.

These join the existing pool, so up to 3-4 events can now trigger simultaneously in late-game normal runs. Mind-blowing chaos.

Some artefacts were rebuilt from scratch, others tweaked. Individually small, collectively run-shaping.

For example:

• Fractal now saves you from death once, then shatters. A spent Fractal can be smelted at the forge for 10 Scrap.

• Enter the Triad of Fractal: assemble it and Fractal gains unlimited uses.

Result: artefacts matter more, smart planning matters most.

• Unlocking an achievement now instantly unlocks the artefacts linked to it.

• To preserve drop-pool control, ban slots jump from 4 → 10.

• Hosts no longer disconnect from their own runs (ancient bug, finally gone).

• Gatekeeper skill descriptions and evolutions rewritten: unified format, key stats up front, readability way up.

• Quiet Bay remade—smaller, flatter, faster.

  • Added Merchant’s Altar: trade Omni-Stones for Prisms when you’re just short of an artefact.

• You can shove small enemies by walking into them (push strength scales with enemy size).

• UI overhauled: cleaner visuals, far better controller navigation.

• Optional crosshair backdrop for bright arenas and dense fights.

Plus a pile of other tweaks we’ll keep secret for launch.

That’s all for today—thanks for the continuous feedback and ideas.

Playtest details land in the next few days.

Until then…

See you in the Throne Room.— Gravity Lagoon

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We’re kicking off a brand new devblog series about the upcoming update for Gatekeeper,
titled “The Nowhere Throne” — aka version 1.0.

There’s a lot to talk about (and we do mean a lot), but as tradition demands, we’re starting with what matters most — the new Gatekeeper.

Aegis commanded the Order of the Delta Guardians — a force that covered the retreat of allied troops. On the day the Void Empire broke through the defenses, Lord Crustad cast him into a crystal well — the heart of an arcana mine.

Arcana did not let the body disappear. Shards grew through his armor, preserved the flesh, and dragged his mind into the Nowhere. There, the Creators offered him a place among the Gatekeepers. He accepted.

Fires a crystal shard from one hand that pierces up to 3 enemies.

• Evo 1: Each enemy pierced increases the shard's damage.

• Evo 2: The shard explodes on destruction, dealing AoE damage.

• Evo 3: Two extra shards spawn at the first hit location.

A simple but brutally effective skill — especially against groups.

Places a stationary Glyphon at a targeted location.
Only one can be active at a time — placing a new one replaces the old.

• Evo 1: Max active Glyphons +1

• Evo 2: Max active Glyphons +1

• Evo 3: Glyphons gain access to Aegis’s artifacts.

Yes — Aegis can summon up to three Glyphons, and each one can use your artifacts. How cool is that?

Leaves behind a Spectra and enters a phase state.
The state ends if you take any action other than movement, or when the timer runs out.
The Spectra vanishes once Aegis reappears.

• Evo 1: Creates a pulling pulse at the activation point.

• Evo 2: Explodes when the Spectra is destroyed.

• Evo 3: Creates a weakening cloud on death.

Low on HP? Drop a decoy, phase through enemies, and flank from the side.
Profit.

Activates Ascension for Aegis and all active Glyphons.

While Ascended, Aegis fires from both hands with enhanced Splinters.
Consumes all available charges — increasing fire rate and shard size, but slowing Aegis down.

• Evo 1: Kills replenish the Ascension meter.

• Evo 2: Shards pierce unlimited enemies.

• Evo 3: Each hand fires two shards at once.

This is, without exaggeration, our most over-the-top ability yet.
Press one button — turn the battlefield into a crater.

Nice and simple — while Aegis stands near a Glyphon, it absorbs part of the damage he takes.

I’ve played a lot with Aegis, and as of now — he’s my favorite Gatekeeper. His kit feels really fresh for Gatekeeper, and I think many of you will love the playstyle.

Charging into a horde with 4 Ascension charges active, Glyphons blasting, shards flying —
yeah, it’s definitely a “wow” moment.

That’s all for today — but the next devblog is already cooking.
We’ll be diving into tons of QoL improvements and balance changes, so if brutal tweaks and spicy balance changes are your thing… stay tuned.

Next post drops in two weeks.

Until then...

See you in the Throne Room

— Gravity Lagoon

Join our Discord[discord.gg]

Join our Subreddit

Follow on X[x.com]