Stunlock Studios has done pretty well for themselves with V Rising. Now the fun begins again with new plans for 2023, as well as a new free DLC that’s available now.

In their latest blog post, Stunlock details the big upgrades to the magic system of V Rising, allowing for more spell variety and introducing Jewels that modify and enhance spells. In addition, the post also announces V Rising’s first major content update in the form of a free expansion that’s arriving in May.

“This update will primarily be about strengthening our foundations with new ways to live out the Vampire fantasy,” reads the post. “To us, this means enhancing the way you already play by giving you more of what you already love, but it also means adding more layers of depth and complexity to the world to masterfully tie things together. We’re taking this time to build the game out and prepare it for a satisfying endgame, where we can build up to an apex moment that lets you fully realize your potential.”

As for the revamped magic system, the team has refocused each of the five divisions of magic in the game to have a stronger identity. “We’ve created better cohesion within specialized schools by adding debuffs that benefit from stacking. This will encourage leaning into the individual magical archetypes but shouldn’t be so beneficial that they discourage a smart Vampire from mixing techniques for other strategies. To act as an adjustable counterweight to balance out any overpowered debuff spamming, we’ll also be experimenting with diminishing returns on stacking debuffs to give us a tool to even them out if it’s too much.”

As for the Jewels, players will be able to acquire them from drops, V Bloods, and chests. Their purpose is to strengthen and modify spell powers individually. “We want to give players the ability to specialize how they like but also get the opportunity to experiment and try out many different kit combinations.”

V Rising is currently in Early Access on Steam.