XRON Software have announced Ars Notoria, an upcoming open-world survival RPG.

Ars Notoria enters Early Access in 2023 for Windows PC via Steam. Players start out as a penniless beggar that has just been drafted by the kingdom’s military in the ongoing war against the Enthralled, corrupted monsters being controlled by shards of mysterious magical energy.

As you pursue the origins of the Enthralled, you will gradually be drawn into a world of warring factions and political intrigue. Explore a vast open fantasy world as you complete quests, gather resources, craft useful items, forge enchanted weapons, and build your own settlements.

Use the power of Soul Binding to recruit allies, swapping between them on the fly as needed during battle. Build your own faction and expand its influence by drawing NPCs into your ranks, then assign them to tasks like forging weapons or gathering supplies. Here’s a trailer for Ars Notoria:

You can find a rundown on Ars Notoria:

Ars Notoria is a fantasy, survival-action RPG set inside an open world sandbox where you can hunt possessed creatures, solo or cooperatively with friends, and defeat them with mastery of unique schools of magic to create mighty enchanted artifacts. As your legend grows, you will recruit additional adventurers to assemble a powerful, sprawling faction and bring it under your control.

You begin the game as a lowly beggar, newly drafted into the kingdom’s army to fight the growing scourge of Enthralled; magic-infused creatures formed by corrupted shards of spiritual energy. You soon find yourself thrust into an epic struggle with the god-like High Spirits and the warring factions that worship them. Using your powerful ability to Soul Bind, you can absorb and swap between four unique adventurers on the fly, each with special skills, weapons, and combat styles. You will need every trick and magical ability you can muster to guide your faction in uncovering the origins of the Enthralled blight and ultimately decide the fate of the kingdom.

A Stunning, Vast Open World Sandbox

• Explore a huge and diverse map teeming with forests, farmlands, dungeons, and a vast capital city, all affected by multiple weather conditions and seasons. Witness stunning panoramic views and intense environmental effects created by magic abilities.
• Investigate and join one of the factions, each with its own unique agenda and philosophy, including non-lethal combat/quest resolution.
• Journey through the world of Ars Notoria with your friends in online multiplayer PVE. Not only can you experience the epic tale together, but team up to raid loot-filled dungeons, craft legendary weapons, and build impressive settlements.

A Unique Experience On Every Playthrough

• Experience a sprawling main story with plentiful side quests that can be played through multiple times to experience the tale from different viewpoints. Will you carve a path of destruction and fear, or restore unity and hope? Player choices result in multiple game endings.
• Procedurally generated dungeons ensure each playthrough is unique. Traverse the depths of dark, icy caves, wander ancient ruins of old spirit magic, and navigate fiery lairs of powerful Enthralled.

Master Elaborate Fighting Combos

• Swap at will with three other Soul Bound characters in your squad during combat, creating lethal, powerful combos with magical, spirit-infused weaponry.
• Fight a large variety of deadly creatures, each possessed by unique spirits, that offer a multitude of combat challenges.
• After defeating foes, capture a variety of spirits from different magical origins, each with a multitude of powers and elemental bonuses, allowing you to place additional enchantments on weapons, armor, and equipment.
• Engage in epic boss fights against huge corrupted creatures capable of environmental destruction.

Customize and Craft Your World

• Create a custom main character from the ground up and alter dozens of additional, recruitable characters that you can rotate in and out of your active, four-person squad by Soul Binding.
• Craft a variety of buildings, creating custom, decor-filled living spaces with a detailed flourish, combat defenses, and places of commerce.
• Recruit non-combat NPCs to grow your faction ranks, making it stronger and increasing its influence throughout the kingdom.
• While you venture forth in the world with your squad, command your faction members to perform a variety of tasks in parallel, such as forging enchanted weapons and armor, researching crafting recipes, defending outposts, or gathering resources.