Melvor Idle Getting Official Early Access Sequel

Among the greats of the idle industry, it's hard to deny the fact that Games by Malcs' Melvor Idle is somewhere near the top. Inspired by RuneScape and published by Jagex Ltd, this idler title has you playing through an interface in a fantasy world where you max out your skills.

It's not too dissimilar from its inspiration, having you farming numerous skills to acquire that prestigious 99 and constant dopamine fuel with unlocks and new additions. Yet, its simplistic art style makes it accessible, all the while skipping the overly RPG elements, giving players a great opportunity to use it as a pick-up-and-play title whenever they find a modicum of free time.

It would make sense, then, for the team to enjoy this success and the well-established community to forge onward into an expansion of the franchise, after having launched three successful DLC for its original. The newly announced sequel is just the next step in the growth of the IP, bringing loyal players who have played thousands of hours new content to sink their time into.

Melvor Idle 2 arrives at the seemingly perfect time, where the boom of desktop idlers has seen all-time highs with Rusty's Retirement's success and lower-focus titles like Vampire Survivors amass popularity. As a perfect addition to your everyday launches, it'll bring all of the good things that the original had but better (as any good sequel should).

Its imminent Early Access launch promises numerous core features building upon the original, expanding upon the criticism that the first had while also building upon its foundation. The list of new and improved features is gargantuan, which isall too welcome for fans who have been grinding it out since the original's launch all the way back on the 18th of November 2021.

So, what's new in Melvor Idle 2?

• New look and feel, bringing improved graphics for those who weren't a fan of the overly minimalistic approach of the original
• Five new skills to train up and max
• Quest-focused content, bringing in a narrative and guiding you through the experience as you help save Melvor from devastation
• Day and night cycle, bringing in more atmosphere to the adventure
• Weather that'll help increase the immersion of the day and night cycle, also adding visual finesse to the title
• New game modes bringing in fresh ways to replay the title once you've finished your first authentic run
• In-game codex so you can learn about everything you need in-client without the need to head out into the Internet
• Current-action tracking to give you an idea of how much you'll get hourly per the rates of your current action, including giving you information about skill, items used, items gained, and combat stats per hour
• An event log to see what you've attained, grown, mastered, and any notable event either during your session or during offline progression
• Social features letting you keep up with everyone via a Friends List

There's a lot that's being changed, but that's not everything that Games by Malcs is taking a look at, and the very foundation of the original title is being re-evaluated and changed, bringing in features expanded from the first. There are a fair few differences from the first and a sizable list of its own merits, too.

Here is every core mechanic being built upon in Melvor Idle 2:

• Maximum skill level has been pushed from the previous 99 to 120
• The bank and equipment management has been improved, bringing in item tagging, Bank Tab names, Equipment set names, keyboard shortcuts, and a whole slew of additions to streamline the process
• 29 total skills (from the previous 25) for a total of 3,480 levels to acquire (from the previous 2,475)
• A fully moddable experience with an in-game mod manager to help cater the experience to you
• Improved combat mechanics, adding a bit more level to strategic decision-making
• A revamped Mastery system for all of the skills in the game

And while this is what is being built upon, that doesn't mean that what is already there isn't being brought back. From cloud-saving between PC and mobile (when available) and features like pets and achievements, many things are coming back to Melvor Idle 2.

It's already been confirmed that the title will be supported with regular content updates (which makes sense for an Early Access title), but Games by Malcs has also confirmed new DLC that will raise the level cap even more at a later date. While we don't have much information on many of the very far-future items (like DLC and mobile), it's great to know that it'll be a long-term experience for fans who enjoy it for extended periods.

Melvor Idle 2 is releasing "soon" on Steam Early Access for $14.99 (an understandable price hike from Melvor Idle's $9.99), with plans for iOS and Android on the horizon. Other store fronts, like the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Itch will come at a later date when and if there is demand, while a web version of the game will be added when Godot with C# supports it.