We are excited to announce a significant change in the rhythm of Ishar's seasonal cycles. While Season 8 will be shortened to make way for this new direction, it is clear that the four-month loop has run its course. We have noticed weariness, and to keep the experience fresh, challenging, and unpredictable, we are trialing a new pattern starting with Season 9, currently slated to launch on .
Going forward, every even-numbered season will follow our familiar structure. But every odd-numbered season will be an Enigma - a time of Chaotic Convergence, where reality bends and Ishar's threads of fate weave new twists into the game you know. These Enigma seasons will allow us to experiment, try bold mechanics, and push the boundaries of what Ishar can be.
The first of these Enigmas, launching in Season 9, is called Fractured Threads.
Here's what you can expect in this inaugural Enigma:
- New Class: The Fated - Everyone will play as The Fated, a rogue-lite inspired class with no guild and no starting skills. Instead, each time you level up, you will be offered a choice of three random skills selected from a range around your current level. You are building your own path as you go.
- Hardcore Mode - Embracing the rogue-lite spirit, everyone will be in Hardcore mode this season. You have one life - if you die, your character is gone for good. "You are fated to live… and you are fated to die."
- Permanent Progression - Each time you remort, you can select one skill from your previous remort to become a permanent Fated Skill, woven into your soul. Future remorts and even future Fated characters you create will automatically learn these Fated Skills, keeping the sense of progression alive through the season.
- Death at Level 15 - Should you meet your end after reaching level 15, you will still be able to select one Fated Skill, so even in death, your legacy continues.
- Class Access and Gear - As a Fated, you will have access to all class quests and all class gear. However, no starting gear upgrades will be available, no relics will be awarded, and the Temple of Isvaelin will remain sealed off.
This season is a bold experiment, and if it goes well, we will curate a list of Enigmas for future odd-numbered seasons. Each of these Enigmas will bring unique, game-altering twists, selected at random when the time comes.
We believe this shift will reinvigorate the gameplay and add a layer of unpredictability and excitement to Ishar. Expect more updates as we approach the launch of Season 9, as normal development continues.
Prepare yourselves for the chaos ahead, and remember: you are Fated.
Note: This is currently not open for Beta. We are still deciding if it will be or not, with the desire to keep it novel.