V Rising: Secrets of Gloomrot Impressions

mmorpg.com:

It has been a year since Early Access began for V Rising, and developer Stunlock Studios is releasing the first major content update for the game on May 17th, V Rising: Secrets of Gloomrot. My initial opinion of V Rising has not changed. Stunlock Studios has made a great game, and V Rising: Secrets of Gloomrot only improves it further. While I knew the update was on the way, I didn't realize how much it would revamp different systems and environments. Once I started exploring the different biomes in the closed beta, the differences were noticeable and welcome. This update includes castle improvements, a world revamp, limited environmental hazards, trading markets, a spell system revamp, jewel crafting, two new weapons, 13 new bosses, 30 new monsters, and the new biome of Gloomrot. I am happy to say the changes add wonderfully to the game's atmosphere and only serve to improve the depth of gameplay.

So far, I have had about 35 hours to play V Rising: Secrets of Gloomrot on an advanced start closed beta server. I am farming South Gloomrot, but I have barely started working my way into North Gloomrot. It took me about an hour or two to warm up to the V Rising combat again. Building up my castle was when I really started to notice the update changes.

When placing your castle heart, it now claims the entire area it is placed within. I found this much more enjoyable compared to gradually expanding your area of influence one tile at a time. Players will also find new stations to support Jewel crafting and the new Fabricator for refining Gloomrot resources. The new weapons have been added to the Smithy, and the inventory bags for specific resources are on the Leatherworking Station. Castles have two main improvements, multi-level