Community Update - June 2026

[Bini Inibitor]

Greetings Skylords!

A new month; a new Community Update! It's time to bring you up to speed with everything going on in Skylords Reborn!

A variety of things to go over, so don't miss it!

Whispers of the Void is still running, and all challenges have been unlocked, so no new challenges this time. With an additional break between seasons, this should give you plenty of time to complete all the challenges you wish to do! Additionally, after brooding for a long time, we have updated our stance regarding affinities on cards. Next, we will go through the history of creating The Shifting Temple and how it came to be. Random Wall Defense will also see some fresh wind; literally! And finally, we have a goodie for our fellow Stonekin enjoyers to show.

 

• A break between seasons

The fourth and final month of our current season, Whispers of the Void, has started, so you can complete all of the challenges without having to worry about new ones.

After discussing it internally and considering your feedback, we have decided not to start the next season right after this one and introduce another month-long pause for July. What does this mean for you, the players?
This means we will open up progression for previous seasons again, so you can progress and unlock the seasonal track for all three seasons (Primordial Fire, Natural Selection and Whispers of the Void) however you like.

You can complete all non-repeatable challenges (any challenge that isn't 1.x) during the month of July. Even if you don't manage to unlock all rewards from a previous season, fear not, because all progress you make influences the costs of items you can buy from the season shop later by applying a discount.

The next season is slated for release on August 1st.

 

• Our stance on affinities of existing cards

Ever since the inception of the project, we have been hands-off when it comes to adding or removing content from previous editions. The most we did as a team was altering it, like changes to campaign maps or reworking cards. This has also been the case for card affinities, and we've only considered affinities for new cards where we saw the potential of them adding gameplay value. Unfortunately, over time, we came across the challenge of changing existing cards with affinities to the degree where both versions have satisfactory and fitting use cases within their respective factions. As such, we are considering potentially adding or removing affinities from previously released cards where we see it necessary.

Find out about everything you need to know and join the discussion regarding this topic here.

 

• Development retrospective - The Shifting Temple

 

The Shifting Temple was released only a month ago, but as it is with all newly released maps, it took us quite a while to get it to the state we deemed satisfactory for release. Follow us on a trip of how the map came to be.

Originally, the map was created by Hrdina Impéria, who came up with the concept and created an incredibly solid base. R4bitF00t later took over and shaped the map to the version we can all now play today.
 

Concept phase:

 

"At the end of April 2023, I was invited to join the Mapmaking Team for Skylords Reborn, which I gladly accepted. I was given the basic information, some design directions and was left to my own musings as to what to create. I offered the idea of “The Shifting Temple”, which would continue the Rifle Cult storyline.

Originally, the whole design was based on the name, which I found very dope and am very proud of. I imagined it as an old pyramid-style temple, located deep inside a great jungle. This is the reason why it always had a diamond-shaped base - in my mind, the temple is a pyramid-like structure.

Mechanics-wise, I found two things lacking in the old BattleForge/Skylords Reborn game - a lack of maps presenting built-up environments (the closest thing is Defending Hope), as well as the lack of complex/varied structures for the maps, which could change each playthrough. So I created the basic concept of many rooms stitched together at random. The temple “Shifts”, hence the name, creating endless possibilities of paths to get to the center. Obviously, actual mechanical possibilities are much more limited in-game, but the core idea was set. Every time you would play the map, a random path would be chosen through the temple, with some rooms accessible and some not (indicated as yellow in my old MS Paint sketches)."
- Hrdina Impéria

"The first thing that had to be tackled was the actual layout of the temple, to allow multiple balanced roads to the main goal, while also being interesting and varied. Within the diamond shape, a lot of simpler or more complex shapes could be created, but I quickly found out that due to some mechanical limitations, a much more viable route would be creating fewer rooms, but with a bigger size The central octagonal room became the “goal”, from which I created a symmetric set of rooms, some different than others, but providing enough ground for fighting, or solving puzzles. ."
- Hrdina Impéria

"Now, it was time to create the rest of the map, as well as to solve some main design points: how many players ought the map accommodate? How big of a role should the actual “Shifting Temple” play? In the next picture is another MS mockup I delivered to the Project lead, showing off what I had in mind. 

In the end, I settled on a 2-player scenario, with the original plan quickly fading in favour of a more simplified story - Twilight are trying to reach the Temple, we fight them off and delve into the temple ourselves, dealing with its Shadow inhabitants. The temple became the main focus, with its “shifting” paths, which used to provide 6 to 8 different paths throughout the structure."
- Hrdina Impèria

 

Creating a playable version:

 

"Over time, I created a playable version, which is in many ways already similar to what we have currently: Lord Cyrian was the central boss from the start, there were 4 puzzle rooms (albeit most changed over time) and random paths through the temple. What got changed though was some extra paths/shortcuts into the southern part of the Temple, or a big T4 defense section, that would play out after beating the main boss in the center."
- Hrdina Impéria

As it can be extracted from the shots provided, Hrdina's first playable prototype of the map already delivered such a strong foundation for the map that the general layout and design stayed almost the exact same from start to finish.

 

What the map didn't come with originally was the defense section near T2 and a final encounter you had to complete. The map finished after defeating Lord Cyrian. Additionally, it featured 6 different paths, which were considerably longer.

 

Experimenting with map features:

 

Throughout the iterations the southern part of the map near T2 had its defense section added, which was kept throughout map development. Initially it didn't feature the third avenue the Twilight would use to attack later on.

A secondary path through the Twilight was added, allowing the player to access the temple with smaller units without having to breach the fortified positions first.

A final encounter after Lord Cyrian in the form of a bigger defense section at the T4 location was introduced, featuring two angles from which the Twilight will attack from.

 

R4bitf00t takes over:

 

"At this point, the map became the target of actual testing by our maptesters, which over time showed a few things - mainly, that the end defense section was redundant and prolonged the map too much. As well as it being quite hard (to provide challenge) meant that it could easily wipe out 20-25 minutes of progress, and that was rarely fun."
- Hrdina Impéria

Hrdina's work on The Shifting Temple was done at this point and the project was transferred over to R4bitf00t to apply our core map principles and address the issues of the features the map was supposed to come with.

One major thing that was apparent and couldn't be fixed during extensive testing sessions was the final defense part at the north.
It introduced a sudden failure point for players at the very end of the match by introducing a large difficulty spike with a set time limit, which didn't correspond with the rest of the map's difficulty and could quickly negate 25 minutes of playtime at the very end, feeling unfair. It was subsequently removed.

This change made the map end with the defeat of Lord Cyrian again. While maps do not necessarily need a big climax to end on, this felt very abrupt and unsatisfying in the case of The Shifting Temple.

Also, the southern defense part felt underdeveloped, because the waves did not scale and the player never had to invest more resources into defending the area, leaving it as a forgettable aspect of the map.
Scaling the waves up over time and introducing the third path the Twilight would attack from later on meant we could put much more emphasis on this defense section and use it as a map climax, because the player would naturally reinforce the perimeter over time and not be met with a final encounter coming out of nowhere.

The alternative path into the temple was removed, too. Its intended purpose was too niche, led the player into enemy territory they had to clear first, didn't add meaningful alternative gameplay possibilities and left them in a worse position overall.

Two of the potential paths were removed as well. The paths would overlap a lot, causing them to feel very similar with too little to make them uniquely stand out.

We were aware of the feedback players had with our previously released campaign having time limits or fixed timeframes a player could lose a match. During development, The Shifting Temple also had a loose time limit that was changed to the current capacity-based system, which offered the possibility to affect the remaining time left by placing a Juice Tank or Resource Booster. 

A big point of frustration map makers regularly face is carefully crafting situations only for players to actively seek ways to cheese them in a large capacity and not interacting with them in the intended way, rendering the work of the map maker useless. So, entity placement inside the temple was changed to the way it is now, only teleporting in when the previous room was completed. This also helped us minimize the issue while also work around the issue of pre-placed wells and monuments for potential path changes.
 

Artistic challenges:

"The biggest hurdle after figuring out the map design was the visuals. While we wanted to use shadow enemies, we had virtually 0 assets to work with. So with the help of our great artist Titan, we went to work and created a whole set of new shadow-themed assets. A lot of the assets used are simple reskins, but the map also features several unique assets created specifically for the map to decorate the inside of the temple, the most prominent one being the new walls and towers."
- R4bitf00t

While we were hard at work testing the map, we were also very curious how the map and shadow-themed architecture was supposed to look like eventually, considering that up until the final stretch all testers were looking at the usual Amii tiles without any detail and generic sunny weather.

"We had some other model prototypes we wanted for the map, but in the end we made do with less new things, as our artist capacity is very limited. While we were generally happy with the shape of the walls, we quickly ran into the issue of texturing them so they would fit into the rest of BF assets. Most of the work on the walls actually went to adjusting the texturing to fit (hopefully) seamlessly into the game."
- R4bitf00t

"After the visuals were finished I also wanted to experiment a bit with the lighting capabilities. I created several light presets that I tested with the map visuals, and in the end we settled on the foggy weather, which lend the map a unique and mysterious feel."
- R4bitf00t

 

 

As you can see, from the very first playable version to the release candidate, very little has changed. Actually, most of the features we experimented with were scrapped at the end and only minor geometry work happened. The biggest change was balancing.

A huge thanks to Hrdina Impéria and R4bitf00t for the impeccable work they put into this map to turn it into the piece we can all now play today.
And of course, we share our gratitude to the map testers, who poured a lot of their time into the map.

 

• Card reveal: Aftershock

Season 4 is now a bit further away, but we have something prepared for you to look forward to. Another new addition to the roster of our rocky Stonekin friends. Behold: Aftershock!

Please note: The card is still in development and subject to change. The information shown here can change until its release.

 

 

Fault Zone: Activate to pull in up to 3 small, medium, and large enemies in a 20m radius and begin charging up. After 5 seconds, the unit releases the built-up force dealing 500 damage to enemy units in a 15m radius, up to 33% per target. For every 750 enemy life points within a 15m radius, the force is strengthened, increasing its damage by 250, up to 2000 damage in total when surrounded by 4500 enemy life points. Reusable every 30 seconds.

 

Adamant Skin: The unit takes 15% less damage.

 

Siege: Deals 50% more damage against structures.

 

Aftershock is a T2 M-sized melee unit with an active ability. It comfortably nests itself within the lower cost spectrum - something Stonekin isn't particularly known for. Being a melee unit, it can't attack flying units normally, but Fault Zone is capable of targeting them, granting Aftershock means of disposing them.

 

Design notes:

 

"Stonekin has 6 existing units in T2, but the only one that sees significant play in PvE is Crystal Fiend, which is often just used with leftover T1 units such as Windweavers. We wanted to design a PvE-oriented unit which is easy to pilot and fitting for the faction's needs. With the invention of the new pull-in mechanic, we thought a pull-in plus charge-up damage effect fit Stonekin. The more life points that surround Aftershock, the more damage that the ability will do, functioning similarly to Grinder's healing ability. We hope this will add some dynamism to Stonekin's T2 arsenal and prove a fun to play addition to the faction's arsenal."

- WindHunter

 

• Random Wall Defense - a new preset approaches!

Our initial attempt at defensive rPvE turned out to be quite popular among you players. We've been patching it up here and there since its release in the Community Map section. While you've been able to fight Fire, Nature, as well as Shadow enemies, one primary faction has been absent for you to put through the meatgrinder: Frost!

We are happy to announce that the map has been updated and now contains Frost as a potential enemy for you to fight against! Beware of those pesky War Eagles knocking your units off walls!

Aside from future bug fixes, this concludes our support for this community map. We hope you enjoy the map for many games to come.

Of course, we are still working hard to bring you an official version of defensive rPvE, but it will take time. Your feedback is very important to us, so please share your thoughts about Random Wall Defense; what you like and dislike. Your input can influence the outcome of the version we are working on!

 

• Team changes

After joining us for a while as a map tester and demonstrating his map-making capabilities for Random Wall Defense as well as a few other map touches, our team, which is a zoo at this point, received a frog also known as Krapper as a new specimen within the Map Making department.
We are eager to work with him and are thankful for the time he dedicates to the team!

After the Sunbridge has been cleansed of the Twilight taint, its shrine shines again in a new light. Its rays appear to have brought down a new companion from the sun to us. A warm welcome to Solarin, who is now among us as a client and server developer.

Speaking of rays, the shrine is not the only entity emitting such. As rays tend to paint light into the dark, so does Ray Dezoir, who joined our art department within the team as a 2D and 3D artist. Perhaps his rays may shine light onto something very fitting soon. 

 

• Contribute to Skylords Reborn

Skylords Reborn is a community-driven project fueled by the passion and dedication of over 50 volunteers. We are always on the lookout for like-minded individuals. If you have a passion for gaming, programming, design, or marketing, we invite you to have a look at our open positions!
 

 

Don't have time to formally join the staff, but still would like to help out? Please check out this guide on how to support Skylords Reborn as a community member.
 

• Events

In between our monthly Community Updates, we host various events and tournaments, so be sure to keep a close eye on the in-game event tab and the forum calendar to stay informed and not miss out on any exciting events!

• Replay Old Events!
Our event organiser Ultralord made it possible to replay old events. You can upload your replays and see how you fared against other participants. While this gives no rewards, it can be a cool little task to challenge yourself with while waiting for other events to start.
Read the details on how to replay old events here.
 

Recent events:

• FINISHED Skylords Reborn Spring Cup 2026
New year, new Spring, new 1v1 PvP Spring Cup!
Won by MrDanilov. You can watch the stream recording here.

Upcoming events:
 

• Battle of Tactics #11: Perfect Timing
Finish a classic map with a twist in card play and coordination!
Find out more, when the event goes live! 

 

• TOME #5 - Look At My Fire PvP Tournament
A new Tome tournament approaches to test your deck building abilities!
Read the details here. Contact Ultralord to join.

 

• Host your own tournament/ event
Want to host a tournament or event? Please reach out to our Event Organizers @Metagross31 or @Ultralord. We can help you out with various topics and are glad to discuss potential ideas. We can also sponsor the prize pool for your event. If you have a cool idea for a PvE event, or want to host a PvP tournament, please don't hesitate to reach out to us; we will gladly assist you.

 

• In conclusion

That's all for this Community Update! We appreciate you taking the time to read through it.

As is tradition, we're including a scratch code as a small token of our appreciation for your support.
The code will reward you with a General booster: AFTE-RSHO-CKAN-DRWD

This code is valid until July 1st, when we will bring you another Community Update.

We're always looking for ways to improve and value your feedback. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to share them with us.
We'll be back next month with more updates on our ongoing projects and upcoming features.

You can also sign-up to our e-mail newsletter here.

Archive
• Skylords Reborn Documents (Deep Dives, Behind the Scenes, PvP Guide)  
• Overview Community Updates
• Community Update May 2026

[Metagross31]

Sweet! I wonder how Aftershock will fare in PvP. Finally a cheaper siege option than Mountaineer and maybe an interesting alternative to Burrower.

[Draconnor]

Shit... Aftershock sounds... well... wierd skill and obvious spikeroot reskin... 
While something new to t2 stonekin sounds nice... maybe spell working same as his skill? 😛

[DrPsy]

the thing i wonder is about the defense map... why are the next wells defended not just spawns after defending the waves? it's a defense not offense map, so why the need of attack units taking deckslots/ressources?

and why a new melee t2 unit for stonekin, that as you mentioned, lack t2 that can attack air (or maybe buff agressor dmg/reduce price so it can act as not just expensive CC)... XD

except for that thanks for not making things harder 🙂

[WindHunter]

We fixed up and released Random Wall Defense in about 3 weeks. As such we could not make any real structural changes. At the same time, later walls have more health than earlier walls, and we did not want players to be able to just sprint to the better walls and build them right away, so we put fairly weak enemies there to discourage that. These enemies should all be killable by units you would bring for defending anyway. 

[DrPsy]

it's okay, surely not a bad decision. just wondered if activating the wells after a succesful wave defense would be a bit better so you can't rush/exploid it before the first wave in any way. that it's possible to lock and make access possible to wells you've shown (and i was positiv suprised that it's possible) on maps like into the jungle and the shifting temple in two different ways (even though it's a monument at temple but surely works on wells too). Just thought it would be cooler for a defense map 🙂

[desigtrier]

It would be nice, if u can start previous season quest earlier then july, perhaps next week, 🥳

 

 

[WindHunter]

On 6/3/2026 at 1:57 PM, DrPsy said:

it's okay, surely not a bad decision. just wondered if activating the wells after a succesful wave defense would be a bit better so you can't rush/exploid it before the first wave in any way. that it's possible to lock and make access possible to wells you've shown (and i was positiv suprised that it's possible) on maps like into the jungle and the shifting temple in two different ways (even though it's a monument at temple but surely works on wells too). Just thought it would be cooler for a defense map 🙂

Keep your eye out in the future as we are getting fairly close to doing an official release for dPvE.