Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem Gets New Passive Skill Tree and Redesigned Progression

With a new Kickstarter update that serves as a dev diary, the folks at Wolcen Studio have announced that Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem, the Early Access action-RPG formerly known as Umbra, is getting a new passive skill tree to compliment the other abilities present in the game. Here’s the dev video:

And a snippet from the update:

The design phase of the new Passive Skill Tree started soon after the launch of Early Access, and went through many iterations before we decided on the actual rotating version. We knew from the beginning that we needed a system that allowed a considerable amount of freedom when it comes to builds and gameplay variety, as there is no class system in the game.

We sat down and spent time planning each section of the rings, making sure every one of them adds a layer of fun and fantasy to the gameplay and offer interesting skill combinations with other skills.
We even made a real world rotating tree made of cardboard !
We want players to be able to craft their gameplay experience by finding their path through a series of templates inspired by various archetypes. Sections that are closer to the center of the Tree represent broader and well known fantasy archetypes, while sections situated farther away from the center are more specialized and advanced.

Designing the PST also was the catalyst of many other changes in the game’s systems. We remade and refactored most of the formulas in the game from scratch, added countless new magical effects, changed how loot and loot drops work. Because some passives depend on them, we added features like dashing, combat stances and weapon enchantment spells.