V Rising Leaves Early Access, Player Count Surges on Steam

After nearly two years in Early Access on Steam, the Stunlock Studios action role-playing vampire survival game V Rising has launched in full, with many players praising its polish and calling it an “entirely new game.” Given the size of the patch notes, that may not be too far from the mark.

From a new zone and new bosses to new spells and power level increases, there are plenty of reasons to return to the trending title. Following the release of the 1.0 update yesterday, V Rising saw nearly 79,000 concurrent players on Steam.

“The journey to full release was rife with dangers and challenges, but your feedback and raw excitement helped us navigate the winding roads to a victorious 1.0 launch,” said Stunklock in a statement. “We’re very excited to take this last step with you because we can truly spread our wings beyond this last footfall and take to the skies!”

Check out the full 1.0 patch notes on Stunlock’s official blog. For brevity’s sake, we’ve included some of the most important updates below:

• New Area and boss mechanics:
  • Addition of new V Blood units and bosses.
  • Changes to existing bosses’ mechanics and abilities.
  • Introduction of new map locations in Farbane Woods, Dunley Farmlands, and Gloom root
  • New biome: Ruins of Mortium.
• Weapons and combat:
  • Changes to combat and gameplay mechanics (e.g., reduced damage, new abilities).
  • Introduction of new consumables and potions (e.g., Vampiric Brew).
  • Rework the shapeshift wheel for easier access to powers and forms.
  • Visual updates to combat text for improved readability.
• User interface and experience:
  • Visual updates and improvements to HUD elements, menus, and maps.
  • Addition of minimap in starting locations.
  • Updates to spellbook and death log for better user experience.
  • Inventory management improvements (e.g., bag rework, crafting station changes).

• Progression and material changes:
  • General balance changes and rewards updates.
  • Rebalancing of crafting costs, consumable effects, and materials.
  • Soul Shard rework.
  • Changes to progression settings for servers/saves.
• Quality of life additions:
  • Bug fixes, anti-exploit measures, and performance optimizations.
  • Addition of new achievements and voice lines.
  • Additional sound support (e.g., DualSense controller, new music tracks).
• Engine update:
  • Transition to Unity 2022, providing improved performance and stability across various hardware configurations.

V Rising was released for the PC in early access on May 17, 2022. Within only one month, it sold two million copies. A PlayStation 5 release is coming soon.