26 May 2026

Progress Report: 1

Welcome to the first full Cosmic Vessel progress report published through our official website.

Previous updates have primarily been shared through our Discord server, but moving forward we plan to continue posting our larger development reports here in full, alongside shorter summary versions on Discord and our other social platforms. This allows us to share more detailed insights into the project while also giving everyone a central place to follow development as the project continues to grow.

 

Development on Cosmic Vessel continues steadily behind the scenes, and we’re excited to finally say that we are closing in on the release of both our official website and our first showcase teaser.

Over the past few months the project has evolved massively, not just in terms of content, but also in how the team operates internally. Pipelines are becoming more refined, departments are working closely together, and more and more parts of the project are beginning to truly come to life.

 

As always, thank you all for your patience, support and enthusiasm. We know things have been quieter publicly than many of you expected, but a huge amount of work has been happening behind the scenes to ensure we build the strongest foundation possible for the project going forward.

 

Website & Showcase Development

 

The Cosmic Vessel website is now complete and launched! (You're already here!). Since our previous update it has undergone a full redesign to better match the tone and visual identity of both Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Cosmic Vessel project itself.

 

The website includes:

  • Project information

  • Development blogs

  • Media galleries

  • Team member showcases

  • Recruitment applications

  • A dedicated page for our Origin character

 

Over time we plan to expand the site even further with additional pages covering the class, subclasses, spells and other systems once more UI and visual elements are completed.

Alongside this, our first official showcase teaser is now nearing completion. The showcase is just over two minutes long and will feature:

  • Spell VFX

  • 2D and 3D artwork

  • Early game-ready assets

  • Narrative teasers

  • Environment shots

  • Weapon and armour concepts

  • Fully voiced narration

  • Custom composed music

 

This teaser is intended as a first look into the world of Cosmic Vessel and the atmosphere surrounding its story. There is still a huge amount we are keeping behind the scenes for future reveals, but we’re incredibly excited for everyone to finally see what the team has been building.

 

Showcase Production

 

A large portion of the team has contributed to the showcase in some way, from editing and scripting to artwork, VFX, audio and visual planning.

 

One of the most exciting parts of the teaser is its narration, which is spoken directly to the viewer as though they themselves are the Origin character. We wanted the showcase to feel less like a traditional trailer and more like a glimpse into the strange cosmic narrative we are building.

 

The showcase has become a major milestone internally for the team as well. For many contributors, this will be the first time seeing months of work come together into something cohesive and fully presentable.

 

Team Growth & Recruitment

 

The Cosmic Vessel team has now grown to roughly 34 members across multiple departments, with the art teams seeing particularly rapid growth over recent months.

 

We are still actively recruiting across a range of positions and will be increasing recruitment efforts following the release of the showcase. While we remain open to passionate newcomers, some departments now require experienced contributors as the project becomes more technically demanding.

 

Several roles remain especially important for us moving forward, including:

  • Technical Artists

  • VFX Artists

  • Animators

  • Programmers

  • UI Artists

 

As the project has grown, our internal production systems have improved significantly as well. Department leads are working closely together to coordinate long-term planning and ensure development continues smoothly across all areas of the project.

 

We are also continuing to refine our internal project management systems to help keep development organised while maintaining a healthy and stress-free environment for the team.

 

Cosmic Vessel is a volunteer passion project, and we want it to remain a place where people can learn, create and enjoy the process together.

 

Art & Visual Development

 

Visual development has expanded enormously since our last report.

Dozens of highly detailed concepts are now complete or actively in production, with a strong focus on quality and visual cohesion over raw quantity.

 

Current development includes:

  • Clothing, light armour and medium armour sets

  • Multiple weapon concepts and models

  • UI icon systems and templates

  • Environment concepts

  • Narrative locations

  • Early game-ready assets

  • Origin character concept art

 

The armour system in particular has become one of the most ambitious parts of the entire project. While we are still keeping much of it under wraps for now, it has evolved into a highly modular system with a huge amount of player customisation planned.

 

Subclass visual identities are also now locked in, with each subclass receiving its own distinct colour palette, spell identity and visual direction to help them feel unique both mechanically and aesthetically.

 

VFX work is actively underway as well, with more and more spells beginning to receive their first visual implementations in-engine.

 

Gameplay, Narrative & Class Progress

 

The Cosmic Vessel class has now reached a major milestone in development.

The class structure, subclass identities and core gameplay systems are all now fully designed and are actively being implemented into the game. From here, development will continue through testing, iteration and repeated balance passes to ensure everything feels immersive, fun and true to the spirit of Baldur’s Gate 3.

 

Our four subclasses are now finalised:

  • Chronographer — masters of time, momentum and battlefield manipulation

  • Astral Archivist — adaptive spellcraft through observation and preparation

  • Starcaller — a cosmic scimitar wielder tied to ancient constellations and forgotten legends

  • Essence — a dangerous high-risk subclass that sacrifices health for overwhelming power

 

Many core spells are already functioning in-engine, including several with custom VFX.

Narratively, development has progressed enormously. The Origin character’s story has now been fully structured and we are actively writing quest beats, dialogue and character interactions.

 

One of the largest long-term goals for the project is the Sanctum — a fully unique narrative location deeply tied to the Origin character and the wider cosmic storyline. This is one of the most technically ambitious parts of the project and something we are extremely excited to continue developing.

 

At the same time, we’ve also spent a huge amount of time refining and redesigning systems behind the scenes. Hundreds of concepts, spells, mechanics and visual ideas have been revised, reworked or completely scrapped throughout development in pursuit of creating the best experience possible.

 

Music, Audio & Voice Acting

 

Audio development is also continuing steadily.

Our original Bard Shanty track has been completed, though the direction of the bard character itself has evolved significantly as the narrative expanded. Because of this, we are currently reassessing casting and vocal direction for that role to ensure it fully matches the character’s growing importance within the story.

 

We’ve also commissioned and completed a custom music track specifically for the upcoming showcase teaser.

 

Voice acting plans continue to expand alongside narrative development, and we’ve recently collaborated with a talented voice actor for the showcase itself. We’re incredibly excited for everyone to finally hear his performance.

 

Long-term, original music and sound design remain very important to the vision of Cosmic Vessel, though integrating fully custom music into the game itself remains one of the technical challenges we are still exploring.

 

Looking Ahead

 

The release of the website and showcase marks the beginning of a very important stage for the project.

 

While there is still a long road ahead, many of the foundations are now in place and development is beginning to move from planning and experimentation into active production across multiple departments at once.

 

We know progress can sometimes appear slow from the outside, but we want everyone to know just how much work is happening behind the scenes every single week. Cosmic Vessel is being built entirely by passionate fans and volunteer developers with no funding, and every piece of progress is the result of people giving their time, creativity and energy to something they genuinely care about.

 

We truly appreciate everyone who continues to support the project, follow our progress and spread the word. The more people who discover Cosmic Vessel, the more opportunities we have to continue growing the team and pushing the project further.

 

Expect chaos.

Expect experimentation.

Expect us to keep learning as we go.

 

But above all else, expect a project built with passion, ambition and genuine love for Baldur’s Gate 3 and the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

 

The Vessel’s eyes open.

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