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Roguelite Mode
May 12, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Initial version (2026-05-12)
Roguelite Mode is a separate dream-world challenge mode added to Alabaster Dawn at the May 2026 Early Access launch. It is a roguelite layer on top of the main combat system: each run is a procedurally arranged series of fights, the player builds a temporary loadout from in-run blessings, and persistent currency carried out of the run unlocks permanent perks back on the main save. Roguelite Mode unlocks late in the launch content, after Juno has progressed far enough into Chapter 1 to clear the prologue, reach Lyhamn, and meet the Dreamer.
Access to the dream world is gated by the NPC Somu the Dreamer. Somu appears in the playable build after Juno has unlocked the second Aspect at the Trial of Aether and returned to the Lyhamn-area hub. Talking to Somu opens the Roguelite Mode menu, which Juno can re-enter at any later checkpoint.
Currency | Source | Use |
|---|---|---|
Earned within a roguelite run | Spent during the same run to draft blessings, healing, and short-term boosts. Resets when the run ends. | |
Earned by finishing a run (win or loss) | Persistent currency. Spent at Somu's vendor menu between runs to unlock permanent perks that carry into the next run. |
This two-currency split is the heart of the roguelite loop. Dream Shards reward in-the-moment decisions about how to build a single attempt, while Sleep Tokens reward sustained play across many attempts.
Inside a run, Juno earns blessings at choice points between fights. Blessings are temporary buffs that stack within a single run: increased Divine Art damage, faster charge regeneration, stamina cost reduction, parry-window extension, and similar modifiers. The pool of available blessings widens as more permanent perks are unlocked through Sleep Tokens.
Each run is a chain of arenas inside the dream world, each populated with combinations of Nuemera tuned for roguelite pacing.
Between arenas, Juno chooses a blessing or a Dream Shard reward from a small offered set.
HP carries between arenas with limited healing options, putting pressure on parries and stamina management.
A run ends on death or on completing the run's final arena; Sleep Tokens are awarded either way, with a bonus for completion.
Somu's vendor menu spends Sleep Tokens on permanent perks. Perks unlock new blessing categories, raise the floor of starting stats inside a run, expand the inventory of healing items Juno can carry into a run, and add new offered choices between arenas. Perks persist across all future runs.
It is a more concentrated combat test than the main story, useful for practicing parries and Divine Art timing against tighter enemy pacing.
Permanent perks earned in Roguelite Mode are not story-blocking; the main campaign can be cleared without them, but they offer extra build flexibility.
It is positioned to grow over the Early Access cycle as more Aspects, Divine Arts, and enemy variants enter the dream-world pool.
