Demeo: Mods improve one of the best VR games
I never spent as much time in any VR game as I did in Demeo. Thanks to mods, it will stay that way.
In the turn-based tabletop role-playing game Demeo, you choose one of six character classes. Then, explore dungeons full of treasures and enemies alone or with up to three friends.
The VR game is one of the most successful quest titles. It is challenging in terms of gameplay, and a prime example of a live service title. Since its release in May 2021, developer Resolution Games has added three new free adventures. A fifth adventure and a PVP mode will follow by the end of 2022.
If you don't own VR headset, you can also play Demeo on the PC and share it with other PC and VR players thanks to crossplay support. You can learn more about the virtual reality game in my Demeo review.
Demeo: Long-term motivation is lacking
If you know all the adventures, classes, and abilities, have defeated all the bosses and reached the maximum level, there is nothing left to discover or do in Demeo. A level editor or rule modifier could provide long-term motivation. But, nothing like that has been announced so far.
All the greater was the joy when I discovered last week that there are mods for Demeo. A group of Demeo enthusiasts have written code that allows modifying the game rules. The modding scene is supported by Resolution Games.
The mods available so far allow you to skip the intro, select specific public game rooms, and set your own room code. The most interesting mod is House Rules, because it allows players to change the rules of the game.
Game variation through new rule sets
House Rules can be used to turn off enemy respawns and adjust their damage and health, increase the maximum number of game cards and action points, influence the number of treasure chests and healing wells, and much, much more. The custom rulebook is saved in a file that the game reads at startup. You can then select the rulebook in the main menu.
Want more cards? No problem with House Rules. | Image: Demeo Modding Group
The modding community has created dozens of rulebooks that you can use as-is or edit and adapt to your own needs. House Rules and rulebooks only need to be installed on the PC of the room creator, all other players don't need to do anything, even on Meta Quest.
Hope for official modding tools
I experimented with House Rules over the weekend and I'm thrilled.
Some aspects of the game that have always annoyed me (enemies reappearing out of nowhere and attacking from behind, the card restriction that forces constant sorting out of abilities) I was able to just turn off.
Because the enemies deal and endure more, the game forces me to develop new strategies. Cards that I long disdained are suddenly valuable. Demeo feels fresh and challenging again.
Resolution Games has programmed the game in such a way that it is relatively easy to modify Demeo. I hope that one day an official game modifier or even level editor will be released. Currently, the handling of mods still needs some training.
The aforementioned features would take the game to the next level and provide an endless supply of unofficial content. The demo community is big enough for that.
Below you'll find the most important resources if you want to try out Demeo mods yourself.
- DemeoMods on Github with instructions
- House Rules - detailed installation instructions
- Mods collection on Curse Forge
- Discord of the Demeo Modding Group
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