V Rising's two years of early access development are almost at an end; Stunlock Studios has announced its acclaimed vampire survival game will get its 1.0 release for PC on 17th May, with a PlayStation 5 release to follow later this year.
V Rising, if you're unfamiliar, launched into early access back in May 2022, delivering an isometric survival adventure in which players and their friends explore a gloomy open-world attempting to establish their vampiric superiority.
It's got some neat twists on the survival formula, including a day/night cycle that forces players to stick to the shadows while the sun is high (for obvious reasons), a blood-sucking mechanic granting specific abilities depending on the creatures drained, and – perhaps best of all – the ability to build your own imposing castle. All of which helped V Rising become an almost immediate hit, amassing over 1m players in just over a week following its early access launch.
V Rising – Early Access Launch Trailer
Since then, Stunlock Studios has continued to expand the early access experience, and May's 1.0 release will – as the studio has detailed previously – bring some significant changes and additions, primarily focusing on V Rising's end-game. These include a new tier of armor and weapons, with rebalancing across existing sets for smoother progression. Additionally, every other tier of existing armor has been expanded in Version 1.0, with new sets featuring unique stats and appearances associated with the game's combat archetypes – brute, warrior, rogue, and scholar – allowing for greater specialization.
Elsewhere, there are 1.0 adjustments designed to improve endgame PvP on PvP servers. Shards, for instance, have been changed from buildings to unique necklaces that must be replenished by taking them out into the world – a move Stunlock hopes will encourage “a more active and exciting experience for everyone while also providing interesting perks and innovative gameplay for Vampires who like to play it a bit more friendly.”
Other additions and changes, including new color customization options and an overhauled lighting system, are detailed in the developer's 1.0 blog from earlier this year.
All this will be included in V Rising's 1.0 update which launches for Steam on 17th May. A PS5 version, confirmed to be in development back in February, is due to arrive sometime “later this year.” If you're curious to know more about V Rising, you can read some early access impressions from Eurogamer's Robert Purchese elsewhere on the site.
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