The first public pre-alpha build of Echoes of Esker is planned for July 14, 2026.
This will be the first version of the game intended for broader public feedback. It is not a finished slice, or even an alpha-quality slice. It is meant to open the door a little wider and let more players try the core direction while the project is still early enough for feedback to matter.
The current target is two rings of basic content. Depending on how much you explore, experiment with builds, and spend time with the early crafting systems, that should be somewhere around 30 minutes or more of gameplay.
This will still be a pre-alpha release. It will have rough edges, placeholder presentation, incomplete systems, and balance issues. That is expected. We are excited to share it, but this is the beginning of public development, not the end of private development.
What to expect from the first public pre-alpha
Echoes of Esker is being built around three major pillars: movement-driven combat, factory-based crafting, and autonomous NPCs. The first public pre-alpha will not represent all three equally.
Movement-driven combat
Combat is the most developed part of the current game. The public pre-alpha should give a clear sense of the combat direction: positioning, dodging, spell timing, and movement all feeding into the same moment-to-moment rhythm.
There is still a lot of work ahead. Balance will change, encounters will keep being tuned, and many spells will still use placeholder VFX and SFX. Even so, this is the pillar that should be easiest to understand from the first public build.
Factory-based crafting
Factory-based crafting is the newest major addition. The current direction is to replace traditional ARPG crafting with small automation setups: finding resources, placing machines, routing materials, and producing useful items through compact outposts.
This system will continue to be refined heavily over the next month. It should show where factory crafting is headed, but it is less mature than combat. The July build is meant to show the basic factory loop, not its final depth.
Autonomous NPCs
Autonomous NPCs will not be part of the first public pre-alpha slice.
There is a proof of concept showing the AI system interacting with the game, but it will not be expanded before July 14. The current target is to return to that pillar for the first alpha several months after the public pre-alpha, when the surrounding game has more structure for NPCs to participate in.
The next month
Between now and July 14, the focus is not to introduce another large new concept. The main goal is to make the current game feel better.
That means refining the combat loop, smoothing the early factory experience, fixing rough edges, improving clarity, and slightly expanding the content so Ring Two feels more distinct from Ring One. The public pre-alpha needs a stronger first impression more than it needs another disconnected prototype system.
We have also started setting up some of the background infrastructure needed for a public release. You can now contact us at support@echoesofesker.com, and we will keep improving the general release, support, and site infrastructure as public launch approaches.
Possible itch.io demo
We are also looking at putting a demo on itch.io to increase visibility.
If that happens, it will likely be a slightly adjusted build. Instead of opening the Ring Two gate, the demo would probably end there. NPCs may also be removed from those builds at first, since the current NPC work is still very early and is not representative of the autonomous NPC pillar yet.
That plan is still being discussed and may change. The main public pre-alpha release is the priority.
A month of progress: v0.13.0 to v0.14.2
Since the last report, the newest tagged build has moved from v0.13.0 to v0.14.2. This month was mostly about making items and crafting playable, while continuing to smooth combat, controller support, save compatibility, and small common player interactions.
From v0.13.0 to v0.14.2:
A quick visual overview of progress. For detailed changes, see the changelog.
Automation and crafting
The largest change is the first playable slice of automation. Extractors, fabricators, crucibles, chutes, belts, resource veins, and supply storage now form the beginning of a factory-based crafting loop.
That loop also became easier to approach. Recipes now cover the item catalog more broadly, the Grimoire can show the full recipe list, recipe tooltips explain inputs and outputs more clearly, and handcrafting lets you make items directly from carried ingredients without setting up automation first.
Placement also received several usability passes. Building footprints are clearer, belt previews better match their placed shape, chutes can be placed before their endpoint exists, and building mode stays active while you still have matching pieces available.
Usability and reliability
A lot of work went into making the game easier to read and control. Input glyphs now cover keyboard, mouse, Xbox, PlayStation, and generic controllers more consistently. The Grimoire, Help tab, inventory actions, transfer menus, and controller navigation all received cleanup.
Save compatibility also improved so content changes are less likely to break older saves. On Windows, the build has moved back to Vulkan to match the other platforms more closely.
Items, combat, and character presentation
The item loop has continued to fill in around combat. Salvaging now turns collected items into useful materials, consumables can be used, and minor health potions are part of the early crafting path.
Combat has more status and gear interactions now. Afflictions and blessings now exist, item drops can roll affixes, more equipment slots can be filled, and guard scaling was rebalanced to sit more naturally beside other combat stats.
Character presentation is improving as well. Equipped weapons and off-hand items now appear on the character, weapons stow out of combat, and two-handed loadouts display more clearly in the equipment UI.
Download
Current pre-alpha builds remain available through the portal for anyone comfortable with an early, unsupported build. Public access is planned for July 14, 2026.