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V Rising update brings pretty castles and even prettier enemies

Stunlock Studios reveals more of the upcoming V Rising 1.0 update, with new castle-building custmozation options and enemies underway.

V Rising update: A black-eyed woman with elf-like ears and red and black clothing stands, bat wings portruding from her sides

V Rising sucks me into its blood-thirsty world almost instantly without fail every time I play. When I first sank my fangs into its expansive open world, I knew Stunlock Studios’ survival game would drain hundreds of hours from me. With the massive V Rising 1.0 update, I’m set to lose even more time in-game as the full release brings new castle-building customization options, stunning succubus enemies that are out to steal my heart, and the story’s long-awaited crescendo.

One of my all-time favorite survival games is V Rising, and it’s not only because of my long-time love of all things related to vampires. Stunlock Studios combines many of my most beloved features found all across multiple genres like its creative castle-building and decorating elements reminiscent of those found in sandbox games or its fast-paced and often challenging combat.

With the V Rising full release on the way, even more exciting content is in the works. We recently learned that 1.0 pulls the game’s story together with its final boss fight and an expanded map. Stunlock Studio has now given us another peek at the launch patch, confirming a few long-awaited changes. Much to my delight, the developer explains in its new reveal that it does “intend to add more castle options in the update outside of DLCs.”

One of V Rising's 1.0 enemies that was scrapped by Stunlock Studios for being too alien.

 

Castle stans, rise up. This means that we’re finally getting some much-needed aesthetically pleasing castle content to accompany 1.0’s stylish wardrobe upgrade, and it’s entirely free with the full-release update. I’m about to employ all of my Sims-accrued building skills in V Rising, y’all. The non-DLC castle options aren’t the only new feature we know about, though. Stunlock Studios also delves deeper into 1.0 enemies.

In its Steam update, the developer introduces some of the new threats we may come across while exploring the map. Rather than using more unsettling designs for the 1.0 enemies, Stunlock opts to position us against the familiar. The dev explains that the monsters are “jagged and unfriendly” in design, rather than appearing to us as “more alien and incomprehensible.”

That’s why the team chose to scrap the multi-eyed monstrosity shown in the image above in favor of the winged succubus shown below that, while “familiar,” is still obviously “bad.” Stunlock explains “these new enemies have their own unique new challenges for you to overcome,” showing a clip of the new succubus enemy in action as she charms and entrances a player character.

V Rising's new succubus enemy, a bat-winged woman with red and black clothing

The dev notes that V Rising’s new enemies are “war-like” with a striking “violent nature,” so we shouldn’t get too close to them unless we’re properly geared up to fight. Stunlock says that when we come across the monsters, we’ll be able to “immediately feel an air of hostility.” I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to step into the succubus’ malice-ridden gaze myself and take the risk.

All I need now is an in-game cosmetic that can make me look as wickedly glamorous as the succubus. For now, I’m content to know that the game is bringing in more base-building features to help me beautify my gothic castle. Maybe we’ll even gain access to V Rising basements and find new space for our prison cells underground.

If you’re looking to improve upon your current castle in-game, be sure to check out our in-depth guide on the best V Rising base locations as your lavish home’s spot on the map can have a large effect on more than just its aesthetic appearance. Alternatively, you can browse through our more general V Rising tips and tricks for a better understanding of the game overall.