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Dinghai: The Ocean Pillar Demo Takes on Xingtian
Justdan International has rolled out a substantial update for the Dinghai: The Ocean Pillar demo ahead of Steam Next Fest, adding a new region, weapon, abilities and a showdown with Xingtian, the headless war god who famously refused to stop fighting.
The action RPG roguelike will participate in Steam Next Fest when the event begins on October 20, but its expanded Steam demo is already available to play. Better still, progress earned in the updated demo will carry across into the full release.
A new gameplay trailer accompanies the update, focusing almost entirely on combat, weapon combinations, different builds and encounters with gods and monsters drawn from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Xingtian Awaits in the New Heyang Region
The biggest addition is Heyang, a new area where almost constant lightning becomes both a threat and a weapon. Players can strike traps scattered across its battlefields to redirect lightning toward enemies, adding another environmental consideration to each encounter.
Deeper within Heyang waits Xingtian, drawn from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. After challenging the Yellow Emperor, losing his head, and continuing to fight regardless, he makes a fairly natural boss choice for a game filled with stubborn gods and supernatural creatures.
It further expands the Chinese mythological foundation we saw when Dinghai: The Ocean Pillar was first revealed, where repeated roguelike runs are built around figures and creatures from ancient literature. Another encounter awaits those willing to explore, as Zouwu joins the demo as both a hidden boss and an unlockable Spirit Beast.
Aquasunder Dual Blades Bring Freeze Damage
The update also introduces the Aquasunder Dual Blades, a speed-focused weapon built around Water damage and freezing enemies. Building combo counts through Weapon Arts can create ice pillars that deal area damage and knock nearby opponents backwards, giving the weapon more crowd-control utility than simply attacking faster. New Divine Skills and Talents provide additional build options between runs.
Justdan has also addressed some of the less glamorous but equally useful parts of the demo. 4K resolution support, full key rebinding and additional map guidance settings are now included, alongside other handling and visual adjustments.
The update is already reflected in the game’s latest Steam patch notes, which also confirm mid-stage saving and the expanded guidance system.
Dinghai: The Ocean Pillar Is Still Coming This Year
The full game remains a single-player PC release, with Justdan continuing to list a 2026 launch window in its latest materials. Steam itself currently gives the less specific “Coming soon”, so an exact date has yet to be locked in publicly.
For now, the expanded demo offers a much broader test of its dual-weapon combat and roguelike progression, with the bonus that anything you earn no longer has to disappear once the full journey begins.
