New Fields of Mistria update opens up its world

Fields of Mistria’s second major update went live on Monday, and it doesn’t disappoint. Developer NPC Studio continues to build out its fantasy world, adding new cave biomes, a new wooded area, and plenty more. But the highlight for lots of Fields of Mistria players is that the game’s dragon, Caldarus, takes a human form. Yes, you can date him. The Priestess, who you meet in the mines, is also available for romance if she’s more your type.

Otherwise, the Fields of Mistria update also adds pets to the game — a dog or cat will show up at your home’s door and move right in. With it, NPC Studio added the Animal Festival, a winter event where you can win prizes for your farm animals. There’s just something so lovely about seeing these cute animals wandering my farm each day. But one of my favorite updates is on the quality-of-life side: Two statues were added, the Water Sprite Statue and the Animal Sprite Statue, which can be used to water crops and play music for your animals. The music has the same effect as petting (which a statue presumably can’t do), automatically maintaining your relationship with your animals. The statues do these actions automatically when powered up by an Essence Stone.

Fields of Mistria already feels so well-thought out and thorough — like absolute magic. These big updates are the cherry on top of something already lovely. Here are the highlights of the patch, straight from NPC Studio:

• Caldarus appears!
• The Lava Caves biome is now available. 
• The New Deep Woods area has been added.
• The Animal Festival arrives on Winter 10th. Enter one large and one small animal for a chance to win animal cosmetics and decor.
• Pets are here! Complete the Pet Dream cutscene to create your pet. Pets can be assigned jobs to collect resources (wood, stone, forageables).

Note: For new games, the Pet Dream cutscene first appears on Spring 7th Yr 1.

• The Farm Expansion can now be purchased at the Carpenter’s Shop.
• New Elsie gossip (gift hint) mechanic. 

Note: Complete the “Seeking Gossip” questline to unlock it. Quest appears on Summer 1 Yr 1 for new games and will be available immediately for games past that point.

• Water Sprite Statues have been added, which water your crops in a 2-tile radius each day as long as they’re powered by an Essence Stone.
• Animal Sprite Statues have been added, which play music each day for your animals, eliminating the need to pet them individually. Needs to be powered by an Essence Stone.
• The Stone Refinery Town Repair questline has been added. (See [New Features] for more details).
• 9 new Tier 4 Skill Perks have been added.

Looking forward to the future of Fields of Mistria, NPC Studio has its roadmap up on its site. It includes an expansion of the romance storylines, allowing eventually for marriage and children. More Saturday Market vendors are expected at some point, too, as well as more mine biomes, festivals, and quests. There’s no timeline for these updates, however.