Stoneshard, one of my most anticipated traditional Roguelike will get its next major update, Blood Omens, on March 26, and it looks like a serious pass over the game’s combat texture, dungeon flow, and encounter logic.
Ink Stains Games says the update will add a full lighting system, new Proselyte variants, slings as a new weapon type, a large side quest, an AI overhaul, a rework of the log system, and a spread of smaller mechanical changes on top.
The headline addition is the lighting system, which gives darkness real tactical weight. Twilight will clip vision range, while full darkness in caves, dungeons, and nighttime expeditions hits even harder, cutting visibility, making traps and secret rooms harder to spot, and gradually wearing down situational morale.
Light sources now shape tempo, line of sight, and threat assessment. A torch throws a wider pool of light and can even be tossed to illuminate space at range, but it also broadcasts position. Lanterns are less dramatic, though easier to fold into a build because they leave both hands free.
That same design philosophy runs through the Proselyte rework. Blood Omens gives the faction a nastier roster and much sharper combat roles. Supplicants can snowball into heavier threats if left unchecked, Chainbound enemies become more dangerous once their armor is stripped away, and Templars bring a support toolkit built around damage redirection and buffing allies under pressure.
There is also an Apostle mini-boss that leans into reinforcement play and battlefield clutter by calling in additional units.
The update also adds a new side quest with multiple outcomes, unlocked through Rotten Willow reputation, and folds in an AI pass meant to make enemy behavior less rigid. According to the devlog, abilities across the game have been reviewed so enemies can make better use of charges, stances, buffs, and defensive tools based on spacing and context.
For anyone who has not checked in for a while, Stoneshard is still one of the more exacting turn-based RPGs in Early Access. Developed by Ink Stains Games and published by HypeTrain Digital, it mixes open-world travel, contract work, survival pressure, and unforgiving tactical combat inside a medieval sandbox that cares about injuries, resources, positioning, and long-term decision-making.
It has been on Steam in Early Access since February 6, 2020, and the developers still frame the full version around finishing the sandbox systems first before pushing toward a complete story mode.
