D&D adventure Solasta 2 makes an "unplanned" stop to overhaul its custom characters

The Solasta 2 character creator has been redesigned and expanded in update 0.5, responding to requests for more variety in the D&D game.

Every good Dungeons and Dragons adventure has a few deviations from the plan. The new Solasta 2 update is exactly that for developer Tactical Adventures, which has altered course temporarily from its original roadmap with an "unplanned" update responding to one of the biggest community requests: improved character creation. Customizing your look is fundamental to the spirit of D&D, after all, and one of my biggest gripes with Solasta 2's early access launch was that my characters felt too one-note. That's all about to change.

I'm a firm believer that Solasta 2 has got the sauce; I really liked what I played of its initial launch, and am now patiently waiting for Tactical Adventures to flesh out the rest of the meal. It'll be a gradual road to release, with the current plan for multiplayer co-op and a new class to arrive some time between July and September, alongside more customization and world events. Then, later this year, we'll be getting yet another class, two more ancestries, an increase to the level cap, and the beginning of its second act. Before that, however, is update 0.5.

"While some of you enjoyed the level of customization compared to Solasta: Crown of the Magister, it was clear that many of you wanted more tools, more flexibility, and more ways to make your group of characters truly feel like your own." I liked the little crew I ended up with for my first outing in the RPG, but couldn't help but feel like I'd been a little bit railroaded into one of a small handful of possible varieties of character. Finding your identity is everything in D&D, so I appreciate Tactical Adventures prioritizing these improvements ahead of the introduction of co-op.

With the new-look system comes more than 20 sliders to adjust various elements of your character's face. "While not in the original plan, you've been clear in letting us know that making your characters look precisely the way you wanted was too complex, which is why we went back to the drawing board and adjusted our system to accommodate sliders," Tactical Adventures explains.

Importantly, the developer has also implemented a triangular body shape tool that'll be familiar from many other similar creation tools, allowing you to find the ideal proportions for the rest of you. "We heard you clearly," it notes, "a character's identity does not stop at their face. You want your Paladin to be able to show those grueling years of training - after all, who wouldn't?" Combine this with body type options and upper/lower scale sliders, and your cast should look much more recognizable even from a distance.

Due to Solasta 2 being fully voice acted, Tactical Adventures says its budget "prevents us from recording new hero voices." It does have a workaround to offer more variety, however. Each of the different voice options can now be adjusted between five possible pitch levels, giving a much wider range of sounds. The team promises plenty more options for the future as well, including the likes of additional haircuts and new tattoos.

If you're not sure where to begin, you'll notice that the range of preset designs now has twice as many options as before, and they've all been collated into an initial screen at the start of the creation process to get you off on the right foot. Additionally, should you make someone you really like but perhaps don't want to use quite yet, you can save your custom looks to a personal collection that you can reuse later. Want to make your co-op character before the multiplayer update lands? Now you can.

Solasta 2 update 0.5 is out now. Tactical Adventures has also deployed a rather long list of bug fixes, which include proper scaling when upcasting Healing Word, and the ability to hit your allies with Acid Splash as nature (or at least the Player's Handbook) intended. The developer notes that there are still a few issues with Elven eyes, and with beards and hair on certain body shapes. It'll be deploying "an emergency optometrist and barber" to solve these in a hotfix, hopefully in the coming week.