Welcome back to another devlog! With the recent completion of our In-Game UI overhaul, we've embarked on the exciting task of introducing new menus, like the Crafting Menu we showcased earlier. And today, we're thrilled to unveil our fully-fledged Skill Tree! Previously, the Skill Menu primarily served as a level-up display. However, this new addition unlocks a world of perks for your character customization.

Our vision for the Skill Tree is to empower players with unprecedented freedom in shaping their Tenril heroes. We've envisioned three distinct paths: Biomancy for the Lunaeguns, a forest-dwelling people imbued with lunar powers; Pyromancy for the Xipilians, desert dwellers blessed with solar energies; and lastly, a non-focused Martial path that refines your mastery of various weapons.

The Skill Tree offers a diverse array of perks, divided into two distinct categories: Abilities and Passives. As their names suggest, Abilities are actively cast and often require a resource expenditure, while Passives silently enhance your character's capabilities without additional effort.

With each character level up, you're awarded a Skill Point, a valuable currency that grants you the power to unlock the next perk of your choosing. Whether you're seeking to unleash devastating Abilities or fortify your character with Passive enhancements, the Skill Tree provides the tools to tailor your Tenril hero to your playstyle. Below you can view the different styles of abilities and passives.

Ability and passive perks in the biomancy skill tree.

Abilities:

The foundation for Abilities was laid early in development, allowing us to easily integrate them into the skill tree. This is our primary method for introducing new Abilities, but we're exploring alternative methods, such as learning them from renowned masters or acquiring them from ancient dungeons guarded by powerful foes.

Passives:

Unlike Abilities, which are limited to eight active slots, Passives have no limitations, enhancing your character's capabilities without direct input. To bring Passives to life, we created a robust system from scratch. For instance, the Healer perk amplifies all healing effects by 50%, while the Initiate Caster perk reduces the cost of low-rank Abilities by 25%, offering significant long-term benefits. Below showcases how the healer passive improves the healing of a low-rank spell:

Healing without the passive vs healing with the passive.

We've created a visual representation of the skill tree's mechanics. While these are placeholder skills for testing purposes, they serve to demonstrate the concept of unlocking Abilities and Passives to enhance your character.

Biomancy skills being unlocked.

As we conclude this instalment of our Skill Tree development journey, we're excited to unveil the next phase of its implementation. With the ability to swap in unlocked Abilities and the creation of one additional skill tree, Tenril's character customization will reach new heights.

Stay tuned for our next devlog in two weeks, where we delve into other exciting features and unveil their impact on the game's depth and enjoyment. Until then, we encourage you to share your thoughts on the Skill Tree's potential and what you'd like to see in future iterations.