Update on Quest Calendar 2026: The Souls of Saraku
Posted on March 25, 2026 by Aywren
Back in January, I wrote about playing the solo, DM-less RPG quest calendar for 2026. The theme for this year was an iffy one for me, but after taking a break from the quest calendar in 2025, I decided to back the Kickstarter for this one anyhow. What do I think about it so far?
I noted that I wasn’t as keen on the 2024 quest calendar despite having been very excited for the theme. I didn’t like the systems that were implemented, mostly around pets and followers, and largely chose to go back to playing it the way I played in the years before. I also felt like my character was severely undertuned when it came to combat – and this was a pre-made character provided by the developers.
After having played the newest calendar for nearly three months consistently, my outlook on this calendar is much more positive. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the feeling of playing the evil side of the story – and there are some choices I have to make that do make me wince a little. However, there’s something a bit liberating in playing the darker side.
For example, pickpocketing has always been an option in previous quest calendars, but I would have never dreamt of doing that with one of my “good” characters. Being an evil character, I don’t feel as bad about indulging in less savory activities, and I find myself scouring every page for the backpack or pickpocket icon, which was something I forgot to do for the most part in the previous calendars.
Another reason why I’m on the look out for backpack icons is the new crafting system. Instead of outright giving you potions and the like, the game provides resources that you use to craft the potions that you want to craft. This means when you do find a potion, it’s far more treasured. But it also means you’re keeping a closer eye out for opportunities to gather while on the road. I really like the concept of a crafting system – though I do feel like the health potions are very expensive in terms of resources compared to the others – especially given how little they heal you.
This time around, I feel like they struck a good balance when it comes to pets and followers. They completely scrapped the annoying card game they introduced in 2024 (which I ignored anyhow), and added an energy system. This helps to limit the number of times you can use a bonus per rest, which does make it more balanced in the long run. I understand why they want to limit how much of a bonus you get from followers and pets, and I have been playing by their system, which is mostly fair. I do wish my pets had a bit more than 2 energy per rest, but for all I know, we could be getting more rests in this calendar.
In terms of the story, I wasn’t sure if I’d be very interested in it, but it has turned out to be better than expected. You are a minion of the ex-Dark Lord, who was destroyed by the fellowship of good guys who came together to take him down. For some reason, they divided up the Dark Lord’s artifacts and have taken them to different parts of the world.
It’s up to you to find these artifacts and take the throne of darkness for yourself. To do that, you must gather minions and notoriety, as well as grow your own power. Being on the dark side of things has freed me up to make choices I wouldn’t normally make as a good-aligned character. I’ve noticed that what might seem like a setback in your choices doesn’t always play out that way as you move forward. I like that and it makes it feel like the overall story has been well-considered.
I also question if there might not be a corruption of the good forces in the future. Like, some of them start to be swayed by the very power they sought to defeat? I don’t know that for sure, but it would be an interesting turn!
Anyhow, life as a budding bad guy has been more fun than I expected. I hope this quest calendar throws a few twists into the story! I’m liking the adventure I’m on so far and my character feels well-balanced enough – though I need to give him more strength or charisma, because it feels like so many of the options I get require either persuasion or intimidation – and those are my weakest points.
I’ll update again as the year rolls on!