- AotA is $9.99 FOREVER! - 3 February 2026
Hello acolytes! It’s been a while since we last updated everyone, but we come bearing good news!From now on, Acolyte of the Altar’s base price will be reduced to $9.99 PERMANENTLY.We're serious. To give context for this choice, we want to acknowledge everyone’s feedback playing AotA.Whether it was through the Steam community, on other socials, or through our Discord, it has been invaluable to receive all of your thoughts on our debut game. Initially at launch, we carefully decided on a $19.99 price point based on the time and resources spent creating the game. However, one of the most consistent criticisms of AotA over the past year has been that, for the amount of content, the price point feels steep.We took the pricing feedback seriously, and spent a lot of time discussing it amongst the team. We will definitely consider your opinions on AotA when pricing our future projects, but for…
- The Hunt Concludes - 3 February 2025
Dear acolytes, Since March 25, 2024, we have had the pleasure of designing, developing, and sharing content for Acolyte of the Altar with all of you. Thank you for your continued support and consistent feedback as we all fought our way through the Marrow Wastes, Fading Forest, and Red Shores. What started as one person's daydream became a seven-person team creating our debut game. We have learned so much from this experience. Both in creating a game for one of our favorite genres, and in growing a community that wanted to be a part of the process, this has been a journey that we will forever be grateful for. Because of your support, we spent the past year making Acolyte of the Altar bigger and better than we could've ever done on our own. Finishing our first game is bittersweet. We'd love to spend more time in the wastes together, but we're proud of our creation and how much it has deve…
- January 2025 Update - 27 January 2025
Happy New Year Acolytes! This update introduces additional visual style and bug fixes. Hope you enjoy! Patch Notes Added Charge to Awakening Bear. Added an animation that plays when entering the Time Portal. Fixed a bug that inadvertently caused a monster’s Bite ability to deal more than 2 damage at the start of an encounter. Fixed an error that prevented some cards from being improved or weakened in events. Card improvement and weakening animations now show correctly. Fixed some grammatical and spelling errors.
- December 2024 Update - 19 December 2024
We've got an eventful update for you today! That's right, we've added more Events that you can encounter in the wastelands! Thank you for playing and supporting Acolyte of the Altar. We hope you enjoy the new content and wish you and yours happy holidays and a fantastic new year! Full Patch Notes Additions Added seven (7) new Events to encounter! Vary your runs even more with new choices to make, including some Events that have unpredictable outcomes, Events that have Patron-specific choices, and more… The Rites you have enabled in a Run is now visible while in-game. Bug Fixes Loaine’s Tooth now doubles Shuddering Bundle’s Play ability correctly. Infected Nomad can’t be played on a full board if its Dominate has been reduced to zero.
- November 2024 Update - 19 November 2024
Greetings Acolytes! The latest update introduces new content in the form of additional Gifts that can be found after completing certain objectives (as listed in the full patch notes below). Additionally, we’ve addressed issues that some folks have been having that involve failing to unlock Achievements. In addition to adding two completely new Achievements, now the unlocking of Achievements should be more reliable in general, and most of them can be unlocked retroactively when you open the game. Full Patch Notes Added five all-new Gifts! One for each of the final Bosses, one that can be found after unlocking all of the Cards in the library, and one that can be found after unlocking all of the Bestiary entries. Added two new Steam Achievements and improved the reliability of unlocking all of the achievements in general. Changed Fungal Explosive to Explosive Chain, which reads “Deal 4 dam…
- Dev Live Stream! - 17 October 2024
We're Going Live at 10am PT! Today, October 17th at 10am PT, join Kennedy (SMM), Cameron (lead dev), and Lionel (game designer) for a run through the wastelands! Ask us questions about the Fabled Cards update, game dev in general, or simply wish us the best on our perilous journey. Join us on our YouTube or Twitch channels, whichever you prefer! Hope to see you there!
- October 15, 2024 Hotfix - 15 October 2024
Hello Acolytes! We hope you are enjoying the full suite of Fabled cards available with the release of Wave III last week! Today we're releasing a hotfix that addresses some bugs that have been reported in our Discord server (thanks PyroTheReaper!), and adjusting the balance for some of the cards that have been underperforming. Bug Fixes Fixed a bug that caused a softlock when a player ended their turn after dying. Fixed a bug that caused your Borrowed Life and Shuddering Bundle’s health to be inconsistent. Beast Torturer now activates its ability reliably. Balance Changes Fish Eye Strike now deals 8 damage (up from 7). Artillery Fodder now gains either Fearless or +1/+1 and Charge (instead of Fearless, +1/+1, or Charge) Savory Medicine was changed from “Halve all damage you would receive until your next turn.” to “Reduce all damage you and your creatures would receive by 1 until your ne…
- Fabled Card Update Wave III - 7 October 2024
We have added 25 all-new Fabled variants for cards, rounding out the Card Library with Wave III of the Fabled Update! Here's a list of the cards that have new variants: Full Patch Notes: Additions Added tooltips to the Gift Selection screen. Added new Filter options to the Card Library. Changes Reduced Monarch Pupa from a 4/4 to a 3/3. Bound Fury now keeps its -5/-5 debuff until the beginning of your NEXT turn instead of until the end of the current turn. The Doppelgangers ability now gives a copy of the first spell card that you play that costs 1 or more each turn instead of the first spell card you play each turn. Updated the Sylvan starting deck by replacing a Hibernate with a Charging Bear. (Thanks to Discord user Wusuo for the suggestion!) Splice was changed from “Add five base copies of that card to your hand” to “Add two copies of that card to your hand and shuffle three copies o…
- Hotfix for September 13, 2024 - 13 September 2024
This small patch fixes an issue that prevented players from being able to unlock the new variant for Chanting Cultist. We hope you are enjoying the cards in Fabled Wave II!
- Fabled Cards Wave II - 6 September 2024
Hello Acolytes! We are excited to release the second wave of Fabled card variants. Additionally, this update comes with a bevy of improvements and changes intended to make your journey through the wasteland better! Massive shout-out and thanks to the Acolytes who report bugs in our Discord server! Full Change Log Additions Added 24 additional Fabled cards that can be unlocked by completing runs with them in your deck. Added all-new flavor text to all Fabled cards! Show an “Are You Sure?” panel before deleting progression data. Added a Keyword Glossary to browse the mechanics on cards in the game, accessible from the main menu. Updated the notification icon that appears when a card variant is unlockable. Added a visual indicator of your spiritual burden when in events so as to make decision-making easier. See a list of your gifts when in events and when looting cards in order to view pot…
- Patch Notes for Hotfix - August 13, 2024 - 13 August 2024
This patch fixes a softlock that was plaguing some Acolytes related to the unlocking of Fabled cards and maintenance of progression files. Additionally, Cards that have Fabled variants available now show a notification above them in loot screens. There's a new Screen Shake toggle in the settings menu. After completing a run, you can now skip the Outro sequence by holding any key. The music volume level is saved and loaded correctly now.
- Fabled Card Update - 6 August 2024
Dear Acolytes, This update introduces the first wave of Fabled cards, powerful card variants that are unlocked by completing runs. Fabled cards will be released in waves with each monthly release from now until November. For now, here is a list of cards that currently have Fabled variants: May your wasteland journeys be fruitful! Full Patch Notes Additions • Added Fabled cards, powerful variants that are unlocked after completing a run! • Added a drop-down filter to the Card Library for viewing Fabled cards. • After completing a run, you now view the cards in your deck as a summary of your achievement. • The loadout screen now shows your current Rite level when you exit out of the Bones screen. Changes • Increased Tiny Hoof’s burden cost from 3 to 4. Bug Fixes • Creatures that can’t attack no longer automatically damage the Hydrozoan Hivemind’s jellyfish friends at the end of the turn.…
- Roadmap Update & Beta Testing - 29 July 2024
Ready for something new, acolytes? In the months since launch, the entire Black Kite Games team has been working hard to bring you even more in the world of Acolyte of the Altar. Today, we're excited to share an updated road map, detailing the major game updates to come, starting in August! We can't wait to see what you all think of the new content! Make sure you follow us on our socials to keep up with when the updates go live and see what the community is up to in the meantime. Want early access to the Fabled Card Update? Join our discord, download AotA from the beta branch on Steam, and bug hunt with the community! More details will be posted there. Also, if you want to learn about some of the Fabled cards before they launch, our discord will be doing card reveals every Monster Monday! That's all for now! Back to the Fading Forest we go. - The BKG Team
- Last Day of Sale: First Look at MAJOR Content Update! - 10 July 2024
It's the last day of the Summer Sale! Welcome, new acolytes! We're so glad you're here. Immediately after the launch of Acolyte of the Altar, we shared a Road Map of planned updates and new content. We are still hard at work with implementing these additions and changes, but we can finally share a first look of what's to come: Fabled Cards Update Rumors circulate among Acolytes of fables almost too improbable to believe - those that involve ancient, near-forgotten variants of creatures... Fabled cards are shiny, alternate versions of cards that have unique effects. They can be obtained by Deciphering cards in your deck after completing a run, which adds the Fabled card as a potential reward for future runs! The Fabled cards will be yours soon, along with many other features. Be on the lookout for an updated roadmap in the next couple weeks! Thanks again for being along for the ride, aco…
- July 5, 2024 Update - 6 July 2024
Hello Acolytes! We hope that you are enjoying the Steam Summer Sale! It's been a month since our last update and we have been hard at work improving the quality of the game to make it the best that it can be. We are proud to announce another patch, including the addition of saving progression data using Steam's Cloud service. Below is a list of the most important changes that we've added to the latest version. Additions - Cloud Saves are now enabled! Feel free to start a run on one PC and finish it on another. - Added buttons that filter cards by Patron to the Card Library. - Added final bosses Loaine, Knest, and Haru to the Bestiary. Changes - Shuddering Bundle now gains 2 Borrowed Life on Play in addition to at End of Turn. - Earthcarver’s Chains now costs 1 burden instead of 2. - Increased Uncovered Goldcap’s starting life total to 36. Bug Fixes - Fixed a bug that would sometimes rep…
- Steam Summer Sale - 27 June 2024
Now is the time, Acolytes! Begin your journey through the wastelands today with 15% off Acolyte of the Altar for the Steam Summer Sale! Since launch, we are proud to have worked a lot on the polish and balance of the player experience. All your feedback has been incredibly valuable to us, so we are very excited to hear what you think! Also, join our marketing and social media dev, Kennedy, for an AotA livestream here tomorrow, June 28 at 10am PT! Hang out and see what the Patrons have in store... As always, happy hunting! - BKG Team
- June 3 Balance Update Patch Notes - 4 June 2024
Greetings Acolytes! We are proud to announce a balance patch including changes that we have been working on as part of our roadmap towards more robust improvements to the card pool and the general quality of life of the game experience. The most substantial improvements are geared toward increasing the playability of some things we felt were unfairly neglected, including Pass Down The Crown, Brain Drinker, and Tiny Hoof. Additionally, encounters against Beasts such as Hydrozoan Hivemind and The Crumbling City have been revamped in order to increase the strategic options available at the player's disposal and to achieve more equitable chances of success for a wider variety of deck archetypes. Here are some of the more noticeable changes included in the patch, although there are more minor bug fixes and general improvements not mentioned below. Buffs • Afflicted Nomad’s triggered ability…
- 1 Month Later - 15 May 2024
Hey, Acolytes! It's been a minute since we've updated you all, but we can finally share what we've been working on! The feedback we've received since the 1.0 launch has been incredibly valuable to us, and we've taken your thoughts and ideas to heart as we work on what's coming next. Now, what IS coming next? If you want a refresher, here's another look at our official Road Map for 1.1: Of course, as a five-person studio, this is a lot of work to take on. Which is why, in order to bring you the best possible quality and efficiency in these future game updates, we've welcomed an additional game designer to the team: Lionel! He is already working on some incredible content for the game that will bring more variety and creativity to each run through the wastelands of AotA. A new patch will be pushed in the next few days to fix some bugs and QoL elements, but keep an eye out for our first ma…
- April 1st Patch - 2 April 2024
Ravagers have been struggling to rip and tear across the wastelands compared to their feathered Empiricist rivals, who have been hiding behind Borrowed Life in relative safety. This patch reduces the simplicity of forming such protective nests, as well as provides some early survivability to key Ravager units, including the pivotal Vent Crawler passive. You'll also find some clarity and function updates to Infest which are an intended buff to the Sylvans, to make that archetype more self-sufficient. Keeper's Rite's have been increased in difficulty, as some players found the hardest challenges available still not a match for their card-flinging prowess. There are some bonus changes too, so read the full notes below if you'd like to be spoiled! Reworks: Infest clarity rework. All cards with Infest can now give a +2 cost Metamorphose. Card Buffs: Impling: 3/1 => 3/2 Vein Drainer: Life cos…
- 24 Hours Later: AotA Road Map - 26 March 2024
Acolyte of the Altar has officially been out for 24 hours, and we can't thank you all enough for your support! Every review, every piece of feedback, every new discord member has been so cool to see. We want to make sure Acolyte of the Altar is shaped heavily by the hands of our players and community members, so here are the first steps on the road ahead: Excited to follow this road map as we continue to welcome in new acolytes! Also, thanks to all of you, we are at the top of Steam's "New and Trending" games! Feels a bit surreal, and this gives us a huge push of momentum as we go through the rest of Deck Builders Fest. That's all the news for now, acolytes. Stay tuned for future updates! - The BKG Team (P.S. If you haven't joined the discord yet, click here)
