What Was That...? The Great Browkening!

On April 1st, you may have noticed your Natural pets sporting a strange new look...

No one is quite sure what caused it. Some blame a rogue spell from the Arcane Conclave. Others say it was a prank gone wrong at the Celestial Ascendants' styling salon. But overnight, the Natural pets of Santae woke up with fierce, dramatic, eyebrows of power!

Some say it was a form of protest against undercooked berry pies. Others believe the deities themselves were having a fashion showdown. But regardless, it sparked mass confusion, unnecessary staring contests, and an unusual number of pets demanding to speak to the manager.

The phenomenon lasted exactly 24 hours, after which the eyebrows mysteriously vanished. But with the origins of the phenomenon still unknown, Santae's mystics wonder if it could someday return...

Runestone Rush Is Almost Ready To Rock And Roll

Get ready, Adventurers!

Our newest HTML5 games, the match-3 game Runestone Rush, will release this week!

Are you ready to rock? Create matched sets of runestones to release their magic and increase your point total. This interactive adventure is a whole new way for you to test your skills, earn high scores, and win sanPoints!

We'd like to extend a huge thank you to our BMaC supporters, who contributed their time to help test Runestone Rush and ensure it's ready for release! If you'd like to join the Santae BMaC, you will also get a glimpse behind the scenes at upcoming features -- and the gratitude of the entire team for the support that helps make creating the world of Santae possible!

The creation of Runestone Rush was made possible by our generous Kickstarter backers, who helped us reach the stretch goal for even more HTML5 games to be added to the world of Santae. 

And it's thanks to that same incredible support that we are already able to reveal the next HTML5 game, coming soon: Berryblade Blitz!

The Gift Cannon

Tucked in the heart of Santae’s Sanctuary stands the legendary Gift Cannon. It's a delightfully over-engineered device designed to launch gifts sky-high and rain down goodies on all online Adventurers -- but no one’s quite sure who built it.

It’s a full-team effort: CJ insists on lighting the fuse with flair, Ember makes sure the gifts are perfectly packed (and labeled), Whixy may or may not have added a few surprise sparkles, and Vespera is only here because someone has to keep things semi-responsible.

The cannon activates at scheduled times throughout the day, sending wrapped presents to everyone currently online. It’s chaotic, sparkly, and occasionally slightly smoky!

Watch out -- the cannon's first gifts will be launching soon!

Silvershade's Adventure

"I've got something I'd like to share with you, Adventurers! Y'see, I've just gotten back from a trek into some of the deepest, wildest wilderness Santae has to offer."

"You'll hardly believe what I've found! The towering trees, the shady groves -- plants and water and sunshine most everywhere you look. It's a downright natural wonder! A place I reckon nearly any wild critter would find to be a natural paradise."

"I'm calling it the Wilderlands, and there's so much I'd like to tell you about it..."

"Get ready, Adventurers! I'll be ready to share soon!"

TL;DR

★ The outbreak of angry eyebrows on Natural pets seems to have subsided, for now... Happy April Fool's day!
★ Runestone Rush, the HTML5 match-3 game, will release this week!
★ Upcoming HTML5 game announced: Berryblade Blitz!
★ New feature coming soon: The Gift Cannon launches wrapped presents to online Adventurers at regular intervals.
★ Silvershade has discovered a mysterious new wilderness: The Wilderlands! They'll share more info about their adventure soon.

Welcome To Santae's Open Beta!

The gates to Santae are officially open, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome new adventurers into the world we’ve been building together!

To all our Alpha and Closed Beta testers: thank you. Your feedback, bug reports, creative energy, and endless support have helped shape Santae into something truly magical. This journey wouldn’t have been possible without you, and we’re incredibly grateful for the time, care, and passion you’ve poured into every step of development so far.

As we enter this new phase, we look forward to growing alongside you. There’s still so much ahead: New features, storylines, pets, quests, events, and surprises - and we can’t wait to explore them all together with you all!

Whether you’re just joining us or have been here since the very beginning, thank you for being part of Santae’s story. The future is bright, and this is only the beginning.

Reminder; If you haven't already, make sure to redeem this special gift from the Santae Team!

Redeem Code: NEXTCHAPTER
Rewards:

2x Pet Adoption Papers
1x Pet Rename Paper

Welcome to Open Beta! We can't wait to see where this adventure takes us.

New Looks For The Toymaker And Traveler

The Terrible Toymaker and Klaven are the two latest characters to receive beautifully re-imagined official portrait art. Take a look!

The Toymaker's workshop can be found in the Shadow Veil Pass. This whimsical Pixie has a passion for creation, crafting and repairing toys to bring fun and joy to the Adventurers of Santae -- but she needs your help collecting the references and materials she needs for her task. Pay her a visit and complete her Quests for exclusive rewards in return!  Her brand-new artwork showcases the toys and tools of her craft. 

Little is known about the mysterious Klaven, but he has also been known to frequent Shadow Veil Pass in his travels across Santae. He once shared an unusual fossil with Vespera, providing invaluable assistance in the discovery of the Obsidian Depths and the mysteries deeper within. This Elf has both magic and wisdom at his disposal -- I wonder where he will next appear?

Tenkasaurus Stampede! Celebrating 10k Users

What an incredible milestone! More than 10,000 Adventurers have now begun their journeys across Santae. 

To celebrate the community's amazing growth, a new Minimal has come out to play! Six adorable varieties of Tenkasaurus are now appearing around Santae.

The Tenkasaurus herd will remain for the next 30 days before moving on until the next celebration. Have fun playing and exploring Santae as they are scattered all over, to collect them all! 

Redeem Code: 10KCELEBRATION
Rewards:

1x Chocolate Tenkasaurus

More NPC Art Refreshed!

Vespera and Silvershade have had both of their looks refreshed!

TL;DR

★ Open Beta has begun! Redeem code NEXTCHAPTER for a gift from the Santae Team.
★ Character portraits for the Toymaker and Klaven have been updated
★ The celebratory Minimal Tenkasaurus is appearing for the next 30 days to celebrate 10k Santae users. Collect all 6!
★ Vespera and Silvershade have had their NPC art refreshed!

Open Beta Begins March 31!

Get ready, Adventurers! It's almost time for a whole new chapter of our journey to begin.

Thank you so much for participating in the start of our Beta Test by playing and exploring in the world of Santae. Your invaluable contributions have helped us craft new content and improve the way Santae works and feels with Quality of Life updates. 

With all the progress we've made, it's time to invite a whole new group of Adventurers to join us. Starting on March 31, registration will open as we transition to Open Beta!

Let's prepare to give a warm welcome to the new friends that will join us when registration opens to the public on Monday, March 31!

Quality Of Life Update

The cooldown timer when making purchases from usershops and NPC shops has been reduced from 5 seconds down to 2 seconds.

This improvement should help make purchases around Santae more streamlined, while still securing shops against exploits and buying things with an accidental click. Happy shopping!

Our efforts to continue to improve Santae's QoL are always ongoing. If you have ideas as to how we can make your adventuring experience even better, please always feel free to drop them in the Suggestions forum!

A Treasure At The End Of The Rainbow

You're in luck, Adventurers! As a thanks for your diligence in completing her quests, Coralyn has a fantastic new discovery to share.

According to legend, the Celesticorn Skytrove Chest is said to appear only at the end of the brightest rainbows -- but Coralyn knows that the true secret to getting one's hands on this rare treasure is actually just a bit of luck. She's amassed a collection of these special chests to share. In collaboration with Vespera, the Celesticorn Skytrove Chest will be available in the Cash Shop and Dust Shop in celebration of the upcoming Sproutspire Festival!

The Celesticorn Skytrove Chest is brimming with light and magic, containing 14 special items for you to enjoy.

The treasures within include colorful new clothing for your HA -- with animated flair! A collectible book, consumables, and even a new background are among the items you'll discover inside this gilded trove.

Hold Your Horses: New Minimals Are Here

Vespera took a deep breath, relishing the cool, clear air of the skies high above the earth. Flying with River and Ripple was one of her favorite parts of adventuring!

It was always such a pleasure to watch the landscape unfurl like a map beneath her -- both the recognizable contours of the land around cities and towns she had already explored, and the exciting depths of places her adventure hadn't taken her yet. Perhaps someday she and her companions would have set their eyes on all of Santae!

For the moment, they were soaring high over a grassy meadow. The plant life below, green and gold with fresh growth, moved in ever-shifting patterns sculpted by the wind. 

The wind...and something else! A tell-tale gleam of light in dawn-bright colors showed that something was galloping across the plains, drawing a wake behind them in the grassland.

River tilted her wings into a dive, swooping closer. From up close, Vespera could see them clearly: It was a trio of magical horse-like Minimals!

Even the speed from River's dive was barely enough to keep up with the magnificent Minimals as they galloped effortlessly. Vespera whooped in delight, grinning into the wind as she, River, and Ripple joined in the herd's joyful race.

This was the truly amazing thing about soaring over Santae, Vespera thought as she watched the horses pull ahead and gallop out of sight. New delightful discoveries awaited just over the horizon every day!

Blazara, Solistra, and Elarune are now available in the Cash Shop and Dust Shop!

Silvershade Is Tracking New Trails...

"Big news, Adventurers! I think I'm on the trail of something big...

"I'm finding elemental signs here and there. Frozen puddles, charred pawprints, shifted earth. I'm sure the cause is no ordinary Minimals!

"Do you trust me to lead the way? I'll show you where to find them. We can follow the cold winds to discover Auroven, the guardian of the frozen north. Or maybe track a trail of flame toward Volkaros -- a Minimal that was formed in the heart of a volcano. If we're lucky, we may even be able to dig up Thornok!

"Together, I think we can do it! Come to the Ranch to get started. I know you have what it takes to tame Auroven, Volkaros, and Thornok!"

TL;DR

★ Open Beta will begin on March 31!
★ NPC shop and usershop purchase cooldown has been reduced to 2 seconds.
★ The Celesticorn Skytrove Chest is now available in the Cash Shop and Dust Shop. Discover 14 lucky new items inside!
★ Three new promotional Minimals -- Blazara, Solistra, and Elarune -- are available in the Cash Shop and Dust Shop.
★ Three new Exalted Minimals are now appearing in Herding: Auroven, Volkaros, and Thornok.

Mystic Adventure Monday

Development of Santae's Mystic Adventure, an exciting upcoming game mode, is underway! Each Monday, we'll share development progress and sneak peeks at how the Mystic Adventure is progressing.

This week, some exciting updates to the environmental artwork -- and the programming that will make gameplay possible!

The tile art that forms the environment of Santae's Mystic Adventure has been revised by the art team for a less "boxy" look. We've also swapped out the placeholder character sprites with a replacement temporary sprite. Farewell stick figures, and hello Pipsqueak Wispyr!

We have also prepared the project for scenery and depth objects. This will allow the tokens to go in front of and behind scenery once it is added to the game!

Meanwhile, under the hood, work has begun on some of the base networking code so that we can develop the frontend and backend simultaneously.

We have also started programming interactivity to prepare for users to "roll a die" and then allow their player character to move around the board by the specified number of tiles. 

The pieces are slowly but surely coming together for the basic elements that will make the gameplay and world of Santae's Mystic Adventure possible. Look forward to even more exciting news next Mystic Adventure Monday!

Coloring Contest Underway - Submit Your Entry

Don't miss your chance to let your creativity shine, Adventurers! Entries for the Coloring Contest are being accepted until April 3.

To enter the contest, create an awesome new color using the provided Direfang, Xyren, Phasmic, and/or Velarie line art or PSDs. Copies of the pet line art
with transparent backgrounds are provided below, and you can also use these
links (Direfang, Phasmic, Velarie, Xyren) to download the .psd files!

 > Submit your entry at the Official Contest Page! <

Newsletter Delivery With A Gift For You

The latest Santae Newsletter has been delivered. Thank you for your patience as the Newsletter rolled out -- it should have now reached the inbox of every Adventurer who was signed up to receive it.

Make sure to check your spam or promotions folder if it doesn't show up in your primary inbox!

We hope you enjoy this trip through the memories of our Beta Test adventure so far -- and the redeemable prize inside! Check your Newsletter to redeem the Sacred Moonwhisper Willow!

To ensure you receive future Newsletters - and any gifts inside - visit your User Preferences page and activate the "Send Me Newsletters" toggle.

TL;DR

★ Mystic Adventure Monday: Tile art updated, programming for interactivity has begun, and more!
★ Submit your Coloring Contest entry by the deadline on April 3!
★ Newsletters have finished delivering. Check the email associated with your Santae account for a redeemable prize!