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Prime Evolution is a major update for Shard Squad that introduces a brand-new progression system for every playable character in the game.
This update adds evolved forms for all 28 playable Shards, including DLC characters.
When your team's Leader reaches their maximum level during a run, that Shard unlocks an Evolution Quest.
Upon completing the quest, the Shard enters its Prime Form, gaining:
A significant power boost.
A brand-new, highly powerful exclusive ability.
An evolved visual appearance.
The evolution remains active for the rest of the run.
Players can choose how they want to use the evolution system through the game settings:
Full Evolution Enhanced ability + evolved appearance.
Gameplay Evolution Only Enhanced ability without changing the character's appearance.
Evolution Disabled Keeps the character in their original form, with no visual or gameplay changes.
To improve system stability, we have migrated the leaderboard to Steam's official servers.
Unfortunately, this change makes it impossible to transfer data from the previous leaderboard, which will be reset. Since we're introducing new mechanics that make characters significantly stronger, we've decided to treat this change as the beginning of a new season.
The previous leaderboard data is still safely stored on the old server and has not been lost. In addition, we're exploring ways to reward players who reached the Top 5 of the previous season's leaderboard.
Thank you for your understanding, and good luck in the new season! The game will be on sale during Summer Sale!
Prime Evolution is a major update for Shard Squad, introducing a brand-new progression system that has been one of the most requested features by the community.
This update adds evolved forms for all 28 playable Shards, including DLC characters.
When your team's Leader reaches their maximum level during a run, the corresponding Shard unlocks an Evolution Quest.
Upon completing the quest, the Shard enters its Prime Form, gaining:
A significant power boost.
A brand-new exclusive ability.
A new evolved visual appearance.
The evolution remains active for the rest of the run.
Players can choose how they want to experience the evolution system through the game settings:
Full Evolution
Enhanced ability + evolved appearance.
Gameplay Evolution Only
Enhanced ability without changing the character's appearance.
Evolution Disabled
Keeps the character in its original form with no visual or gameplay changes.
Prime Evolution launches on June 25!
We'll be sharing more details about the update in a future post. Stay tuned!
New Mechanic: Special Items
A new type of collectable now appears during stages!
Collect a Special Item to activate a powerful random effect!
New Upgrade: Ring of Power
Purchase a Ring of Power on the upgrade selection to boost your damage on all of your effects during a match!
Additional experience for defeating bosses
Taking down bosses now creates a circular burst of experience!
The faster you defeat a boss, the more experience is generated!
Update: Rerolls
Rerolls are now more likely to show new items whenever they are used.
New mechanics for speedrunning
Defeating bosses and completing events quickly now slightly reduces the time between enemy waves, allowing for even faster stage clears!
Update: Collectables System
Two new types of items now can be dropped from enemies: Mini-Magnet (boosts collect area and speed for a few seconds) and Lucky Dice (+3 rerolls).
All types of collectibles are now more frequent and consistent.
Update: Auto-Healing
Auto-healing base value raised from 0 to 1.
Values progression has been adjusted to better match stage difficulty scaling.
Balancing and Fixes:
Smoothed out difficulty spikes across all stages.
Adjusted the calculation for the “Crystal Shield” upgrade to improve its effectiveness.
And here’s a spoiler for the next BIG update to come! What could it be?
Wind Character Pack adds new winds to your adventure!
This pack introduces 4 new Wind Shards, each with unique abilities, playstyles, and synergies, allowing for new builds, strategies, and ways to face the game’s challenges.
Designed for players who enjoy experimenting with different mechanics and mastering agile movement, the Wind Shards focus on speed, area control, and dynamic interactions with enemies.
Included content: • 4 new elemental Wind Shards • Unique abilities for each character • New build and synergy possibilities • Fully integrated with the progression and systems of the base game
Appears 3 times per match. If you destroy it before it disappears, you get the chance to choose a buff for the run.
There are over 30 different buffs available, making runs even more strategic.
Experience Boost – level up your Shards faster.
General Damage Boost – increases overall damage dealt to enemies.
Prismatic Damage Boost – amplifies prismatic damage and unleashes colorful destruction.
Apollo – a specialist in long-range attacks.
Lance – a melee fighter who performs claw combos followed by a powerful leap finisher.
Both share the Judge synergy:
Collect clues during the run to activate giant hammers that deal area damage.
The synergy evolves the more it is used, increasing the number of hammer strikes each time it activates.
Momojima Retreat – the return of a legendary boss, now in its PRIME form.
The Coliseum of Nyr – a completely random stage:
Enemies, bosses, and events change every run
Double boss battles
Some Shards from your squad will fight against you
Defeating Shards drops Sidolfus Amulets, allowing you to choose random relics during the run (up to 5), enabling combinations never seen before.
At the end, face the Coliseum Champion to prove your worth.
We reworked and improved several traits. Some of them didn’t feel impactful enough before.
Fire Trait: damage now increases per level and its effect can stack multiple times on the same target.
Water Trait: now summons a rain cloud that deals area damage over time.
Electric Trait: now deals more damage and triggers more consistently.
Crystal Trait: damage increased and the vortex now follows targets.
Beaked Trait: effect changed to increase damage against Bosses.
Hunter Trait: now deals more damage and triggers more consistently.
Stage adjustments to improve the difficulty curve
Increased overall money gain
Buffs to several Shards, recipes, and upgrades
Improvements to multiple relics
You can now earn extra bixies when playing with selected Shards
Next week, carried by distant winds, our first DLC arrives bringing the long-awaited Wind Shards!
The achievement for collecting the maximum number of bixies has been removed.
We’re preparing a major update, and here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming!
Experience Boost – level up your Shards faster.
General Damage Boost – increase attack power in all situations.
Prismatic Damage Boost – amplify prismatic damage and unleash colorful destruction.
Appears randomly during stages.
If you manage to destroy it before it disappears, you get a chance to choose a buff for the match.
There are over 30 different buffs available, making each run even more strategic.
Apollo – specializes in long-range attacks.
Lance – a melee fighter that performs claw combos followed by a final jump.
Both share the Judgemental trait:
Collect clues during the match.
Once enough clues are gathered, a giant hammer appears to deal area damage.
The trait persists throughout the match, increasing the number of hammer strikes with each activation.
Momojima Retreat – a legendary boss returns, now in its PRIME form.
Coliseum of Nyr – a fully randomized stage:
Enemies, bosses, and events change every match.
Double boss battles.
Some Shards from your squad will fight against you.
Defeating Shards drops Relic Anvils, allowing you to choose up to 5 random relics during the match, creating never-before-seen combinations.
At the end, face the Coliseum Champion to prove your worth.
We’ve revamped and improved several Traits. Some previously didn’t feel impactful enough. Here’s one example:
Water Trait
Now summons a cloud that rains, dealing damage over time in an area.
Easier to see and understand when active.
More powerful and useful during matches.
Adjustments to stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 to improve the difficulty curve.
Increased bixies gains.
Strengthened multiple Shards, recipes, and upgrades.
We’ve removed the achievement for collecting the maximum number of Bixies.
PATCH NOTES:
Gameplay updates:
Start of Drip’s game improved:
Our beloved nature capybara is doing very well, but we felt he needed a little boost in the early levels! Boost delivered!
New skill for the Nature synergy!
We felt the Nature synergy was falling behind the other elemental synergies, so we rebuilt its skill! Now, instead of summoning a plant that shoots projectiles, you will summon a plant that deals area damage with a chance to poison!
Ally transparency:
From now on, you will also be able to adjust the transparency level of support shards and helpers summoned by relics or synergies!
Attribute value display scale:
For better clarity regarding Movement Speed and Collection Range upgrades, we’ve changed the scale used to display their values.
New visual when activating or evolving squad synergies:
Whenever you activate or evolve one of your squad’s synergies, a visual effect will highlight the transition!
New recipe on Chef Jokan’s menu:
Dash Cooldown Reduction (Açaí): a highly anticipated recipe! Now you’ll be able to make the interval between your dashes shorter and shorter!
Improvements to several recipes on Chef Jokan’s menu:
We’ve enhanced the efficiency of several of our recipes. Now you can become even stronger!
Kashmyr Archipelago and Nimbus Forest balanced:
We slightly eased the difficulty of the first two stages to provide a better early-game experience!
Menu Updates:
Greater clarity in some information on the stage selection menu:
We added a marker for unique events completed per stage and a field to make it easier to identify the difficulty level.
New rules for accessing Hard Mode (Hero):
Hard mode will no longer be available at the start of the game (unless you’ve already completed a stage in it). It will now only be unlocked after finishing the main story.
We’ve added a new tab (System) to the menu options, featuring new functionalities:
Skip event freeze: allows you to automatically skip the tutorial pause for events you’ve already completed (we recommend enabling this option if you’re already familiar with the game’s events);
Change mouse cursor: we’ve added several cursor options! You can choose whichever works best to keep it from getting lost on the screen;
Return to title screen: you can now go back to the title screen before the menu!
In the Sound tab of the menu, you will also be able to change the sound effect played when collecting experience!
Playing with a controller hides the mouse cursor after a short time.
We’ve added a new resolution: 4K!
PATCH NOTES 1.0.01:
Value information when upgrading shards or items during a match:
From now on, whenever you upgrade your leader during a match, you’ll be able to see exactly which attributes each improvement will affect in your stats or abilities!
Statistics when pausing the game during a match:
For those who enjoy numbers and analyzing their upgrade stats, we’ve added a table with all the numerical information that influences your match! You can view this table by pausing the game during the match.
Difficulty Selection:
Now, when starting Shard Squad for the first time, you’ll be able to choose between Apprentice and Explorer difficulties! We also added one more card to the initial tutorial to better explain how difficulty selection works before starting a match. If you prefer a more relaxing experience with Shard Squad, we recommend starting in Apprentice mode. If you’re looking for the game’s intended challenge, face the Explorer mode! Regardless of your choice, it can be changed at any time afterward.
Flying enemy dashes:
We fixed an issue with the dash interactions of some flying enemies and the stage boundaries.
Changes to the descriptions of Hourglass, Lucky Clover, and Scale Catalyst:
We updated the descriptions of the Hourglass, Lucky Clover, and Scale Catalyst items to make it clear that choosing any of them during a match applies the improvement to your entire squad!
Bug when changing difficulty after pressing the “Play” button:
We noticed that after pressing “Play” to start a match, it was still possible to change the difficulty during the brief transition from the menu to the gameplay. Bug fixed!
Bixie multiplier update:
We adjusted the Bixie multipliers for the Apprentice and Hero difficulties!
Liu Kong’s riddle updated in English:
There were some inaccuracies in the riddles for the mission to unlock the prismatic shard Liu Kong in English. We updated the descriptions and hope more players will be able to find him and enjoy the second prismatic shard!
Dash bug while defeated:
We fixed the bug that allowed players to use dash after being defeated.
We’re immensely grateful to everyone who ventured into this first week of Shard Squad! We’re paying close attention to the feedback, and we truly appreciate all the love from the community! And to give you a little taste of what’s coming in the future, here’s a spoiler of an upcoming update we’re working on for you:
See you in the next update, and enjoy your adventures!
Two indie games packed with action, style, and humor, now together in one single bundle! Get Machick 2, the explosive sequel to the crazy magical chicken game, and Shard Squad, the fast-paced survivor full of energy, challenges, and monsters, all at a special limited-time discount! If you enjoy addictive gameplay, charming characters, and constant updates, this bundle is for you. Don’t miss out, expand your indie collection now!
You can play now Shard Squad with a 15% launch discount! Check out our brand-new launch trailer below, along with a full list of everything we’ve prepared for this special day:
We read EVERY review on Steam. If you play Shard Squad and want to share your experience, now is the perfect time. Your feedback doesn’t need to be long or detailed; just a few words about what you liked, what felt rough, or what stood out can make a huge difference. Every comment helps us shape future updates!
◈ A 20-hour campaign packed with animated cutscenes and full voice acting in English, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese! ◈ 20 playable Shards, divided among the elements Fire, Electric, Water, Nature, and Crystal, plus 2 secret characters waiting to be discovered! ◈ 8 unique stages, each with multiple difficulty levels and challenges that will test your skill and strategy! ◈ Face over 170 enemies, including 59 unique bosses, each with their own mechanics and memorable personalities! ◈ Meet 19 NPCs, all with distinct roles and personal stories that enrich the game’s world and narrative! ◈ Collect and experiment with 99 relics featuring unique effects that can alter stats, abilities, and even summon companions to fight by your side! ◈ Discover 19 different synergies between Shards, combining powers and relationships to create devastating tactics! ◈ Experience over 20 special events that occur throughout the stages, making every run dynamic and unpredictable! ◈ Play with friends in local co-op mode and join forces to take on the toughest challenges! ◈ Enjoy fully voiced opening and ending cutscenes, adding even more emotion to the story! ◈ Unlock a complete bestiary with detailed information about all enemies and NPCs! ◈ Uncover 32 unlockable tales that expand the lore and reveal the connections and secrets between the characters! ◈ Progress through a meta-progression system, with NPCs offering upgrades, new recipes, and gameplay diversity, making every playthrough unique! ◈ And best of all: an instant replay factor, ensuring each session feels fresh and full of discoveries!
We’re beyond excited to see you dive into Shard Squad. Enjoy the game and have fun! And if you’d like to connect directly with the dev team, feel free to join us on Discord. With love, The Root Studios Team
It’s always amazing to see games in our favorite genre come to life!
Machick 2 is now available, bringing lots of action and fun for fans of this style.
For us developing Shard Squad, it’s truly inspiring to witness this moment — two different projects, but driven by the same passion. Check out our partner’s game!
Get ready for big news! Shard Squad will be featured in the Monster Taming Direct on September 7, 2025 at 10 AM EDT, hosted on the Gym Leader Ed channel. During the event, you’ll see the brand-new official trailer, the long-awaited release date announcement, and several exclusive content reveals never shown before.
If you’ve been following the game’s development, this is your chance to catch a first look at what’s coming next.
About
This page aggregates Steam news feeds, patch notes, and developer announcements for Shard Squad, sourced from official Steam community posts.
Major updates, balance changes, and seasonal events often correlate with player-count spikes — cross-reference announcements here with the live charts on the main Shard Squad statistics page.
Articles link back to Steam for full changelogs. SteamScope refreshes news entries as new posts are published to the game's Steam hub.