Hello everyone!

We’ve been busy working on Isles of Arcana, and this update is a big one. Over the past few patches, we’ve added new content, improved controller and Steam Deck support, expanded localisation, polished progression, improved multiplayer systems, and fixed a wide range of bugs.

We’re also excited to confirm that Isles of Arcana will be taking part in Steam Next Fest, where you’ll be able to try the demo for yourself.

Isles of Arcana is coming to Steam Next Fest

The Isles of Arcana demo will be available during Steam Next Fest!

This will be an early look at the game, and we’re really excited to let more players explore Arcana, gather resources, craft, complete quests, test out controller support, and experience the world we’ve been building.

The demo is still an early build, so lots of things will continue to change and improve before release, but your feedback during this stage will be incredibly helpful.

If you’re interested in the game, please consider wishlisting Isles of Arcana on Steam. It genuinely helps support development and lets Steam know that people are excited to play.

Here is some early gameplay footage –

Full Steam Deck compatibility

We’re also happy to share that Isles of Arcana has been designed and tested with full Steam Deck compatibility in mind.

A lot of recent work has focused on making the game feel comfortable on handheld and controller, including gamepad UI targeting, minimap controls, menu navigation, build mode targeting, lobby creation, chat input, and Steam Deck-specific display fixes.

Whether you’re exploring, crafting, managing pets, fishing, fighting enemies, building, or playing multiplayer, the demo is being prepared to play smoothly on Steam Deck from day one.

Patch highlights

Across versions 0.3.1 to 0.3.45, we’ve focused on several major areas:

• New quests and desert content

• Completed Great Pyramid questline

• New Pet Management tab

• New Fishing Rod

• Translation support for around 95% of the game

• Major gamepad and Steam Deck improvements

• Multiplayer banning, kicking, unbanning, and cartography table support

• Performance improvements for caves and object loading

• Bug fixes across UI, respawning, build mode, localisation, minimap markers, multiplayer visuals, and more

Below are the full patch notes.

Patch Notes

Version 0.3.1

New Content

• Added new Pet Management tab in Logs

• Added new desert Potion Shop

• Added new quest: Dwarven Revenge!

• Added new quest: Blackwater Pitch

• Added new quest: Hope in Dry Soil

• Added new Gladiator NPC: Maximus to the Arena

• Added new placeable Ice Block

• Added new Fishing Rod

Quest & World Progression

• Finished The Great Pyramid questline

Localisation

• Added translation framework to the core game

• The game now contains translations for roughly 95% of content in:

  • English

  • German

  • Italian

  • Spanish

  • Portuguese

  • Simplified Chinese

  • French

  • Russian

Improvements

• Completed crafting recipe and level audit

• Improved light caster culling performance in caves

• Out-of-bounds pets now teleport back to the player location instead of the map safe zone

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Entangling Roots not affecting certain NPC types

• Fixed Fishfolk huts floor teleportation bug

Version 0.3.2

Bug Fixes & Improvements

• Fixed anvil unlock issue

• Fixed Chinese characters not respecting line overflow

• Fixed player respawn glitch when bed is destroyed

• Fixed gamepad crafting menu not automatically selecting the first option

• Fixed incorrect default zoom on Steam Deck

• Fixed inaccurate destroy targeting in build mode when using a gamepad

• Fixed reputation pie chart not rendering correctly

• Fixed language switching causing button text issues

Version 0.3.3

Improvements

• Improved offscreen and out-of-chunk object loading with deferred instance creation

• Improved tutorial markers

• Reworked Elven Stronghold map design

• Added several new minimap markers

• Added gamepad joystick navigation outside of menus

• Increased language flag sizes slightly

• Added attack, hurt, and death animations for Myles and Giles

Bug Fixes

• Boss health bars no longer appear above the quest menu or skill tree

• Fixed rare hotbar dragging bug

Version 0.3.4

Improvements

• Reduced D.A.V.E.’s movement speed during the opening cinematic

• Improved gamepad UI targeting

• Improved hunger and thirst hover information

• Multiplayer player positions now automatically resync when changing maps

• Multiplayer cartography table functionality has been fully implemented

Gamepad & Controls

• Added menu option to type chat messages when using a gamepad

• Fixed back button functionality

• Fixed teleportation node selection not always working correctly on gamepad

• Fixed gamepad lobby creation targeting for name and password fields

• Fixed issue where pressing a button while the hotbar was highlighted would play an incorrect sound

Multiplayer

• Added player banning, kicking, and unbanning UI to multiplayer game settings

• Fixed paperdoll helmets not rendering correctly in multiplayer

Bug Fixes

• Fixed minimap markers drawing in the wrong position on Steam Deck

• Fixed teleportation node selection not always working correctly with a gamepad

• Fixed lobby creation name and password field targeting when using a gamepad

Version 0.3.45

Multiplayer

• Added user lobby banning, kicking, and unbanning UI in game settings

Gamepad & Controls

• Added variable zoom and scroll minimap speeds on gamepad

• Added gamepad interaction for pet and fishing log entries

Thank you

Thank you to everyone following the development of Isles of Arcana.

This has been a huge period of progress for the game, especially with Steam Next Fest preparation, Steam Deck compatibility, controller support, localisation, multiplayer improvements, and new content.

If you haven’t already, please consider wishlisting Isles of Arcana on Steam. It really helps the game reach more players.

We can’t wait for you to try the demo during Steam Next Fest!