Big news for Brighter Shores players! Earlier today, Andrew Gower shared a rather exciting plan to completely change how combat progression works in the game. The idea behind it is to merge all combat professions into a single system across all episodes. Here is everything we know so far about this major rework:
Andrew and the team aim to streamline the combat system in a way that makes it more approachable, especially for new players. By combining all combat professions into one, players will no longer face barriers between episodes. Instead, the game will introduce a unified combat upgrade tree, keeping progression seamless and rewarding across all episodes.
You can have a look at the announcement Tweet / X below:
This overhaul is not just about simplicity, though, but rather about fixing some pain points in the current system. Separate combat classes for each episode were creating some confusion for a lot of players. The goal of the new system is to address these issues while keeping the episodic structure intact, without ending in “dead” content.
What’s Changing?
Here is a quick breakdown of what’s planned, though it is worth mentioning that these changes may evolve as they are tested:
- Unified Combat Profession
- One single combat profession will now span all episodes.
- Monster levels will scale with each episode:
- Episode 1: Levels 0–30
- Episode 2: Levels 30–60
- Episode 3: Levels 60–100
- Episode 4: Levels 100–140
- Each additional episode will add another 40 levels.
- Already beyond level 140? No need to worry, because your progress will not be reset or lowered.
- New Endgame Obelisk Mechanic
- Excess combat levels will now fuel the Obelisk system in each episode.
- Obelisks boost your combat power within their episode and offer some carry-over benefits for the next one.
- Obelisks can gain levels:
- Episodes 1 and 2: Up to 470 levels each.
- Episode 3 and beyond: Up to 460 levels per Obelisk.
- Leveling up an Obelisk can also increase monster tiers in that episode, boosting XP rates and item drops.
Weapons, Armor, and Crafting
Weapons and Armor:
- Gear now has base level requirements. You will need to match the item’s level to equip it.
- Monsters drop gear based on their episode:
- Episode 1: Level 0–30
- Episode 2: Level 30–60
- And so on.
Crafting:
- Crafting difficulty scales with the episodes:
- Easier for Episodes 1 and 2 (you can craft Level 60 gear right away).
- About the same for Episode 3.
- Harder for Episodes 4 and 5, requiring crafting skill upgrades.
Tuning Levels:
Using the Obelisk system allows monsters to drop weapons with additional tuning levels, making them stronger when matched to the corresponding Obelisk.
Combat Upgrade Trees
The new combat upgrade tree will give everyone more control over builds:
- Choose upgrades as you level up.
- Each Obelisk comes with its own unique upgrade tree for even more customization.
All these updates and changes are just the beginning of what is planned for Brighter Shores’ combat rework. And while the system is not finalized yet, these updates could very well be a game-changer for how we experience progression across all episodes!
For the full breakdown, check out the official Brighter Shores Steam News post.
