It has been a while since my first Aether Lock development update, and a lot has changed since then. Back in June, I shared the foundations: multiplayer, procedural levels, loot, equipment, and the basic extraction loop.
Since then, I’ve been working on how those systems connect. What makes a piece of loot worth bringing home? What can you do with it once you get there? And when your build starts coming together, what gives you a reason to push it further?
Aether Lock is still in development, but the current build has more answers to those questions. Here are some of the biggest additions and improvements.
An Arena to Put Your Build to Work
One of the biggest additions is the arena: a separate, ticketed endless mode accessed from the hub. It gives your squad somewhere to take a build and see how long it holds up against increasingly difficult waves.
The arena now has a modular layout with connected combat spaces, a shared control console, and a wave preview. Between waves, you can see the next challenge and reward information, get everyone ready, or choose to extract.
The waves mix regular enemies, elites, and boss encounters, with a boss arriving every fifth wave in the current setup. Arena gear rewards focus on Epic and Legendary items, and each boss has a guaranteed shared gear pickup. That reward belongs to the squad to collect; it isn’t a separate item for every player.
There’s also a squad score tied to enemy defeats, bosses, and cleared waves. It gives a strong run another result to chase alongside the loot you manage to bring home.
Overcharge: How Far Do You Push It?
The arena also introduces Overcharge. Before the next wave, your party can choose a tougher version with more enemy health in exchange for increased Aether rewards, better loot odds, and a higher score multiplier.
Successfully chaining Overcharged waves raises that bonus through three tiers. Choosing a normal wave and completing it resets the chain. The party has to agree on the same wave choice before the countdown begins.
This is the kind of decision I want more of in Aether Lock. You might have a build that feels strong right now, but do you push for a better payout, take a normal wave, or extract with what you’ve already earned? The numbers are still being tuned.
More to Do Back at the Hub
The hub has been getting more attention too. The vendor now has shared rotating stock, limited quantities, and a refresh countdown. Buying and selling connect to your inventory and Aether, with work going into preserving the shop’s state between sessions.
The workbench brings together crafting, equipment upgrades, attachments, and salvage. I’ve also been improving the item comparisons, recipe information, and menu presentation so it’s easier to understand what you’re spending and what changes you’ll get.
A lot of this supports the same goal: returning from a run should give you useful decisions to make before heading out again.
The Forge Begins with Legendary Rerolls
There’s now a separate Aether Forge in the hub. Its first active feature is stat rerolling for eligible Legendary equipment and attachments, using Aether Cores. Equipped items are supported too, so you can work on a piece that’s already part of your build.
The arena boss reward setup now includes Aether Cores, connecting that mode to the forge’s material economy. This is a new addition, and the complete pickup, reroll, and save/reload loop still needs more gameplay testing.
The larger Aether-Forged plan includes special Aspects and learning them through dismantling. The underlying item and transaction systems are in place, but the actual production Aspect effects are still to come. For now, Legendary stat rerolls are the part to highlight.
Enemies That Ask You to Move Differently
Enemy work has included locomotion, pathfinding, melee timing, and boss attacks with visible wind-ups and phases. I want players to be able to read a threat and react to it, even when there’s a lot happening on screen.
The newest addition is the Aether Gunner, a ranged enemy prototype. It approaches, plants its feet, charges an energy orb, fires, and recovers before chasing again. Its aim locks when the charge starts, giving you a chance to move out of the shot’s path.
The pursuit, charge, projectile, and damage sequence has been tested in a local host/client setup. It’s still using placeholder enemy art, and the new animation source work hasn’t been connected in-game yet. The behavior is further along than its final appearance.
On the player side, grenade targeting has also had a pass. Holding the ability charges throw distance, and the ground marker shows the intended range and blast area. The grenade uses a lobbed arc, while actual walls and ceilings can still stop it short. The marker helps you judge the throw; it doesn’t promise a clear path.
Progress You Can Follow Per Character
The latest progression work adds persistent XP and levels for individual characters. Character selection now shows level and XP progress, while the career screen can switch between overall totals and a specific character’s record.
That makes it easier to see who you’ve been playing and follow their history across runs, including kills, revives, and deepest floor reached. This sits alongside the progression and build choices you make during each run.
Character levels currently track progress only; they don’t grant stat bonuses or specializations yet. The saved screens and underlying progression have passed focused checks, with live co-op settlement and travel testing still ahead for this latest addition.
Making the Whole Loop Easier to Use
There have also been lots of smaller changes across character selection, inventory, looting, crafting, and extraction. Menus are getting a more consistent AETHERLOCK style, with clearer item stats, rarity presentation, and weapon information.
Inventory sorting, backpack capacity updates, pickup details, and rarity-themed notifications have all had attention. These changes matter when you’re trying to compare a drop, clear space, and get back into the fight.
Behind those screens, a substantial amount of work has gone into co-op readiness, extraction, vendor recovery, and keeping saved rewards consistent. The supported two-player loop has been playtested, while newer additions still have their own checks to finish.
Still Building, Still Testing
I’m still building Aether Lock as a solo developer, and there’s plenty left to do. The arena needs continued balancing, the Gunner needs its finished visual treatment, and the forge’s Aspect effects still need to become real build options. The newest progression and forge work also need more testing through complete play sessions.
What I’m happy to see is more of the original idea taking shape: put together a build, take it into a run with friends, decide how much to risk, and come home with something worth working on.
Thanks for following along. I’ll keep sharing the progress as Aether Lock grows.