With our October event, In The Flesh (tickets and details found here), barreling down on us like the apocalyptic plans of the Taleholders, all of us at Dystopia Rising: Colorado wanted to make some quick announcements. These will encompass the final fight with the Taleholders and, given we've told you there will be a Worker(s) on the field, the status of some of the tools we've seeded for fighting those horrible Grave monstrosities!

To be upfront: you should start preparing in-character for the fight as soon as game is on. After all, we've announced here that the fight will be in the 2 p.m. to 6 p. m. Casting Shift block. Start out the gate prepping and strategizing for the fight for the best chance to triumph in the final hours! We're looking to provide plenty of opportunities for varied playstyles and build levels in getting ready for and executing the fight itself, so don’t hesitate to get involved and see where you can help out and contribute.

But first, to get your attention we’re giving a peek at some of the new content for this final fight that was developed in-game last event! This Weapon of Mortis Destruction came from the minds and effort of the people of Barker Meadow, and it's a doozy! What have these careless hands wrought, and what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands?

With the Weapons of Mortis Destruction – the one pictured above and a terrifying Cracked Crystal Coating meant to be delivered on a blade – available to be produced for the fight, you'll still have to deal with the sticky situation of Workers being allied with the Taleholders. The last time the town fought one, they made it flee using the Inverted Cairn, and in a protracted fight like the one lined up for this month, we recognize that some mechanics need to change around fighting the Workers.

An important change is being made: We're replacing Imbued Crystal Fragments often used for anti-Worker tools with Cracked Crystal in all things going forward, as we behind the scenes made a decision that you all had enough local resources to account for already. If you see Imbued Fragment in a print, nope, you see the equivalent in (more in some cases) Cracked Crystals!

We recognize that this means potentially needing a LOT of Cracked Crystals to make All The Things to save the day, so we remind you that certain factions (namely Northheed and the Taleholders, but also other shadowy forces) have loads of the infection-eating psionic crystal, and encourage you to get creative and see what we can Yes And or No But in your efforts to gather enough to triumph.

There will be opportunities to gather Cracked Crystal in-game, and we’d like to remind you that it’s available off the Northheed Minor Favor buylist, that you can spend 50 CAPs to get a Minor Favor item like a Cracked Crystal, and oh yes, certain Masters of Criminal activity can purchase it as one of their buylist options as well. Get scheming to get those awful rocks!

So here's the details, as much as we can release currently and without spoiling too much of the surprise:

The Inverted Cairn Schematics have been updated to be simpler, less expensive and less punishing to the user.
The Inception of a Weapon Zone of Mechanics, that necrokinetic ritual to harm Workers, has been updated to use Cracked Crystal instead of Imbued Fragment, but is otherwise unchanged. Read those glyphs and channel Grave knowledge to combat the Workers!
The Bloody Poison Condenser to make Worker Bane applied poison has been updated to be less resource and time-intensive and more effective.
For our local Worker-focused prints, the Everliving Weapon and Spike Severer updates are upcoming. We're looking to make the Everliving Weapon less mind-intensive and the Spike Severer will receive minor updates.
The Blinding of the 3rd Eye Mental Endurance/Mind Killer ritual will be back in a new form, updates are incoming. Last time it was brought in by S&P and used up in the fight, what will it look like this time?

The ZoMs will be updated in-place in-play at the Library, they are all living documents subject to change up through game. For the prints, we'll announce a process for getting those swapped out on any significant change. Keep in mind that we’re always open to feedback to improve your experience and the game in general, these mechanics included, don’t hesitate to reach out with feedback on these in the lead-up to the game or after you’ve experienced them.

We look forward to seeing you in-game this weekend, and wish you the best of luck in your fight against the Taleholders and their ages-long machinations!