Update v11.0 - The Darkest Dawn

(NOTE: A New Save IS required for Full Immersion!)

Greetings adventurers,

The winds of change blow once more, sweeping across the land and bringing new places, new dangers, and let’s be honest, a whole lot of questionable life choices. Version 11.0 is here, and with it comes long-awaited additions, expanded territories, and of course, fixes that make you wonder how the game was even functioning before.

Let’s break it down!

DarkTower’s Contributions:

1. The Desert Slum has been added to the north-eastern part desert, because nothing says “fantasy adventure” like a place that’s barely surviving.
2. Slum-dwelling NPCs now have dialogue. Expect to be judged.
3. The Inn and the northernmost house are functional, complete with more NPCs inside. The house interior has been customized to be sufficiently run-down.
4. The Crystal Mine has appeared on a little island east of the desert. Shiny.
5. The Graveyard has been added to the slums (east upon entry) because what’s a proper RPG without a place to mourn the dead?
6. A huge graveyard now looms in Castle Town. Rest in peace, generic NPCs.
7. The Crystal Mine is now less of a labyrinthine mess. You’re welcome.
8. The northwestern snow island got a size boost and now houses an abandoned castle with a mysterious interior. Spooky. (Also it's called Septim's Castle, yay for references!)
9. Custom Boss: The King of Thieves now rules over his domain.
10. New Enemy: Regular Thieves, because getting mugged is part of the RPG experience.
11. The Den of Thieves has been added to the slums. Find it, if you dare.
12. The  Kingpin Questline is added, you might just own a second home.
13. A Bar in the slums with a revamped interior for all your shady dealings.
14. DarkTower’s endgame dialogue is now in.
15. Guards now patrol Castle Town. Finally, some law and order.
16. Septim’s Castle has been tidied up. Even mortals turned gods need clean floors.
17. A somewhat secret entrance to the slums now exists, leading to the Den of Thieves. (Look for a ladder, somewhere)
18. More NPCs added to Castle Town, its shops, and the graveyards. More life (and death) in the world!

Ethyrya’s Contributions:

1. DarkTower now lurks in the secret room of the Supporter House.
2. The Supporter House is now locked until you beat the Trial of Legends. Gotta earn that VIP access.
3. The final Dark World boss section is now in! (Still working on the last two fights with Kaelthar.)
4. Boss fight: You versus your three followers. Why? That’s for future Ethyrya to explain. (Psst, It's for story! What's a game without betrayal?)
5. The ending portal now transitions to the credits. (gotta show the people love)
6. New Music: “A Very Brady Special” added to the credits, and "Bittersweet" now plays in the graveyards. Thanks, Kevin MacLeod!
7. New Bosses: Dragon Emperor now lurks in Septim’s Castle and Crystal Golem defends the Crystal Mine.
8. Cursed Cave added to the southern volcano island (empty for now—explore at your own risk).
   
9. Volcano interior is now added (the bridge quest will come later to enter it).
10. Southern Mine near the toll gate is open (also empty, future content inbound!).
11. Snow Fortress added to the far north (again, empty but enterable).
12. More Dev Fights: If you dare, you can take on more of us!
13. A proper Tutorial! For those unfamiliar with RPG Maker games, DarkTower now walks you through the basics.
14. Custom Keybinds! WASD and controllers now work. Praise be to modern input options.
15. Some Cutscene Fixes thanks to Kurosude’s suggestion (untested, but fingers crossed!).
16. Welcome to the team! Kurosude (Artist) and Zappi (Character Designer) have joined the madness.
17. More Music Updates across various areas, go listen!
18. Quick Intro Dialogue added at the start of the game to help explain things. (From new game to actually playing will take roughly 2 minutes maybe. Sorry!)
19. Customs Station added between King Altharion’s Castle and the western castle (empty but explorable).
20. New Fortress behind the volcano (also empty, but hey, go look at it).
21. Supporter Password System Expanded! If you’re a supporter, join the Discord or subreddit to get your code (since Itch has no DMs to my knowledge).
22. Desert Temple Added! Not finished, but a skeleton has a interaction at things to come. (Might be bugged, testing will eventually happen!)
23. Oasis Added! It has an inn and a merchant who is totally not a thief.
24. Game Logo Animation Shortened from 15 to 10 seconds. Because waiting is overrated. (the conversion is 1/60 sec so 60 frames every second, the original time was 900 frames or 15 seconds to 600 frames or 10 seconds. Why? cause complaints of being too long.) 
25. Ethyrya now has a custom character! No more default placeholder nonsense.

What’s Next?

1. Custom NPCs for even more interactions.
2. Overworld Ships to make trade routes feel real.
3. Overworld Enemies because the world should be dangerous.
4. Biome-Specific Encounters so you don’t fight sea monsters in the mountains.
5. More Locations! Farms, towns, and ruins to breathe life into the world.
6. A Bestiary or Encyclopedia. Because knowing is half the battle.
7. Finish the Main Story. We’re getting there!
8. Side Quest Expansion. No stone left unturned.

Final Words:

The world of Darkbound keeps growing, and it’s all thanks to your support. Whether you’re here for the exploration, the fights, or just to see how many ways you can break the game, we appreciate you! Stay tuned for more chaos, and as always—

Happy adventuring!
Love, Ethyrya~
And the rest of the dev team!