Enshrouded developer Keen Games GmbH is aware of the frustration caused by server-wide progression and says it's working on features for a player-based system.
Enshrouded recently launched in Early Access, and so far, it's had a warm reception from fans. The survival RPG managed to hit 1 million players in its first four days on Steam and currently has a 'Very Positive' rating on the platform, suggesting players are thoroughly enjoying exploring, building, and fighting alongside friends.
That being said, one aspect has proven irksome for players: server-wide quest progression. Essentially, this means that if one person completes a quest objective, it completes it for everyone on that server, even if you're not online, which is far from ideal.
In a post shared on the Enshrouded subreddit, Keen Games GmbH has explained its reasons for implementing this rather controversial system. "We designed Enshrouded as a co-op game," it says. "While working on it, we envisioned one group of friends experiencing the world together—sharing bases, resources, crafting recipes, and loot." Additionally, the team felt that players shouldn't feel "forced" to participate in quests: "If some players in a group want to focus on building or farming, while others are going on adventures, both making meaningful progress for the group, that should be fine."
While the logic is sound, the developer does acknowledge that this can lead to frustration and disappointment for fans who have missed out on quests. "We know that having quests completed while one player is offline might feel bad for those who feel they are missing parts of the gameplay experience," it says. To combat this, it says it's currently working on implementing various options for player-based quest progression.
Chief among those is an option to enable players to personally complete every quest. On top of that, it's looking to improve the Quest Log to "better communicate the state of each quest in terms of server vs personal progression." It also wants to reduce respawn timers, allowing players to "easily replay any quests."
Crucially, though, this won't entirely take over from the server-based method. "The system as it is now will not be replaced, as many players like it as it is," Keen Games says. "Our goal with these changes is to offer players additional options to enjoy Enshrouded and its quests."
Currently, there is no timeframe for when the new features will be implemented, but it appears they will arrive sooner rather than later, as work on them has already begun.
The developer wraps things up by thanking players for their support so far and sharing its enthusiasm for the game's future. "Enshrouded has already grown so much bigger than our team could have possibly dreamed of," it says "and we are beyond excited to continue to shape and grow the world of Embervale into the best game it can be."
Check out our guide to the best survival games for more great titles that will test your will.
