Shards Online’s latest newsletter is homing in on the game’s Steam launch. The game hit always-on alpha back in January, but now it’s eyeing plans for backer head-start on Steam — everyone who’s pledged ahead of the close of crowdfunding will be guaranteed a week-long early access period before the launch. The servers will be wiped, note, but backers will get a refund of their loyalty points to spend again and keep their loyalty titles to boot.
Citadel Studios also says that it’s waiving the NDA for the game’s normal client (not for the experimental client, though). The main alpha client’s most recent hotfix included stability and lag fixes, plus improvements to the pet system, AI, and PvP balance, as well as a new sunken treasure system for fishermen.
