You Spoke and I Listened

Thank you everyone who's played the new demo or been part of the beta! The feedback you've all given me is invaluable, and I'm so happy to see so many people having so much fun with the game. A new version of the Beta is available, which you can grab from

But, a few of you who have gotten all the way to the end of the Beta have given some great suggestions where I can improve. It feels like a little more could be done with the boss encounters, right? Especially as we near the endgame. Well, I've head you, and I have a solution.

Trailblazer Battle System Upgrade

Trailblazer uses a Standard Turn Battle (STB) system, allowing each battler to act once per turn, but also getting to act as soon as you choose an action. After much deliberation, Trailblazer will be moving to an Order Turn Battle (OTB) system. The interface for this new system looks like this:

But don't worry, switching to OTB won't change how the game is played. Battlers will still act in order based on their Quickness attribute, and you'll get to act as soon as you choose an action. In other words: your everyday encounters are still going to feel the same.  Where OTB shines over STB is in:

• Being able to see the order for both the current and next turn
• More versatility in manipulating combat order
• Battlers can have multiple actions per turn

So let's look at each of these, and see how this will work to improve the depth of Trailblazer's Boss Fights in the next version of the demo.

Current and Next Turn Visibility

Being able to see both this and next turn means that not only can you better plan out your moves better, but it means that some of the more underutilized skills like Trick Shot and Coursing River (which push enemies' back in Combat Order) are more apparent in how they function. You'll actually get to see the enemy's position move backward as a result of your actions. In fact, Trick Shot even has a hidden property. Use it with a single gun and you'll knock the enemy back 2 Spaces; but equip two guns and it'll knock them back 4! And if they've already acted this turn? Well, they get moved back in their next turn.

More Versatility in Manipulating Combat  Order

Turns are even more versatile now. One way is to allow you to delay your action until the end of the turn. For example, Aim to Misbehave used to be an instant buff to Accuracy and Crit Rate. But now, aiming will take you the rest of the turn, meaning you need to use it more strategically. Don't worry, Aim to Misbehave offers a much bigger punch, as the Accuracy and Crit Rate are now higher than they used to be, and it gives a bonus to damage as well - and not just to ranged Feats, but to all skills - even things like Don's Tools and Virgil's Brews! But be careful, because enemy Sharpshooters can do the same thing. If you ever see one use Aim to Misbehave, it means he's going to end the round with a powerful attack, best to take care of him before that happens!

Battlers Can Have Multiple Actions

While this won't be affecting player-characters, it will affect bosses. Just like in Octopath Traveler  and recent entries of the Dragon Quest and series, many bosses will be able act more than one time per turn. While crowd control like Stunning or Tripping is still very helpful, they will no longer trivialize boss encounters. Get ready to get your combat wits tested, as these multi-action bosses have have had their AI and skill selections changed to provide a more dynamic combat experience!

Take for example, the Younger Brothers. One is a Tank, another is a DPSer, and the third is a Caster. Together, they make a well-balanced boss fight. But beware, each time you kill one, the surviving brothers each gain an additional action. Do you take them down one-at-a-time and risk the final brother getting 3 actions per turn? Or do you carefully set up your attacks so you wipe them all out at once? You'll have to strategize and  adjust your plan on the fly during this interesting new encounter!

Other Game Changes

New Glow Effects by Rythane!

Streamlined the Enforcer and Marksman Skill Trees for earlier access to a more versatile set of skills

 New Treasures, including Haberdashery that grant the wearer new skills:

If you'd like to try these new changes, they are currently live in the Beta version, and are backwards-compatible with your previous saves. Just re-download from the link I provided you, or message me again for a new link.

And don't forget! There's still 2 open positions for anyone who can find the Pocketwatch to get a cameo in Trailblazer!

Patch Notes

Version 0.14.1

• Updated from Standard Turn Battle system to Octopath Turn Battle System
  • Many Skills and Feats now have more notable effect on Turn Order, opening new strategies
  • Swapped-in Posse members now can't act until the end of turn
  • Many bosses now get multiple actions per round
  • Boss AI has been adjusted to account for multiple actions
• A new accessory can be found in the catacombs
• New Glow effects added to combat states
• Enforcer Tree updated for earlier access to different Shell types
• Marksman Tree updated for earlier access to Line-based AoEs
• Aim to Misbehave is now compatible with all weapon and skill types
• Want Not Passive now increases damage of all Shotgun skills scaling with Resilience and Heat Rating for better in-tree synergy.
• Increased AoE on Hypnowhip, now deals Shadow damage
• Swapped how Touch of Samedi and Friends on the Other Side are learned
• Fixed icon display bug when actor affected by more than 4 states
• Fixed a bug where sometimes weapons in inventory would be lost upon recruiting a new posse member
• Fixed a bug with enemy line-based attacks targeting heroes incorrectly