Eslabong’s Early Access 0.40.8 update reduces the cost of the Rookie Development Cup from 3,000 to 2,000 Gold and grants 600 XP to every registered fighter, including reserves. The official Steam note was published on September 7, 2026, at 15:15:04 UTC; it also covers unranked matchmaking, interface information, relic sorting, Draft Mode and several AI behaviors. Read the official update note on Steam.
full Steam noteUnranked matchmaking uses average power correctly
In unranked matches, the game now uses average power correctly when no team with a similar average level is available. The adjustment concerns the fallback situation in which the preferred level match cannot be found, giving the matchmaking system a defined value to use in that case.
A cheaper tournament with clearer progression
The Newbie Tournament is now called the Rookie Development Cup. Its entry cost falls to 2,000 Gold, while the tournament continues to offer a distinct progression benefit: every registered fighter receives 600 XP, reserves included, in addition to experience earned during battles. The event does not cause injuries.
The tournament interface now shows the relevant costs, XP rewards, level-ups and unlocks. That information gives players a clearer view of the progression attached to the event before they start it, particularly when reserve fighters are part of the registration.
Fighter details are also presented consistently in Market, Watchlist, Team Details and Codex. These screens now show personality, growth, injury risk and tendencies in the same way, which makes the information easier to compare while recruiting, monitoring or preparing a team.
Relic sorting and Alpha’s Collar
Relic sorting now groups items first by rarity and relic type, then by roll quality. The change gives inventory searches a more defined order instead of treating every relic as part of one undifferentiated list.
The summoning relic Alpha’s Collar has also been significantly improved. The update note identifies the change, but does not detail the revised values in the information available here.
Eslabong dedicated pageDraft Mode keeps more of its setup
Draft Mode now preserves positions, orders, durations and formation presets between sets and opponents. Closing the editor with Escape also saves the changes, so that input now records the edited setup as well.
The practical effect is narrower than a redesign of Draft Mode: the update concerns the persistence of existing configuration and the way the editor saves it between matchups.
AI adjustments target specific combat situations
After Vanish, the AI searches around the last known position of an invisible enemy and can attempt blind projectile attacks. This changes how the AI responds to temporary loss of visibility without making the enemy’s exact position known.
The movement of Angelitus and Hierophant has been improved, along with their defensive combos. Their healing priority and use of Chain Heal across multiple targets have also been adjusted.
One separate autobattle issue is addressed in one-on-one fights: Crossbowmen no longer stop just outside firing range. The fix targets a specific positioning behavior rather than changing the rules of 1v1 autobattle as a whole.
Eslabong 0.40.8 combines a lower-cost development tournament with more visible progression information and targeted fixes across matchmaking, setup management and combat AI. The Steam note confirms the update’s scope and publication date, but does not provide a separate deployment time in the information available here.
