Good news: Work on Elders has picked up its pace over the last week or so (translation: work is actually getting done), and I've made some good progress, most notably: I've gotten the first dungeon of Act III to the point where I can test it properly (for continuity, difficulty, balancing, etc.). Unfortunately, I didn't balance the dungeon very well, and a quasi-boss battle ended in disaster. The balancing part still has quite a bit of work left in it, apparently...

I've also gotten some more work done on the Stelt section of Act III, mostly mapping the area before the dungeon and doing some cutscene work. Speaking of which, here's a screenshot of one such cutscene:

You may look at that and have some questions, but rest assured: I won't answer any of them until I'm good and ready, y'hear?

Anyway... I'll be working more on that second dungeon in the near future, as well as making sure the crafting system is properly implemented. Speaking of which, does everyone remember that one building on the Na-koro docks you couldn't enter, the one that just sat there without so much as a sign to tell you what you weren't seeing? Well, that's the new Crafting center for Na-koro, though you won't be able to enter until Act III, since there will be some new weapons that can be crafted there. Also check back with the merchants in Na-koro, since at least one will have some new items for sale by then.

EDIT: One last thing: As part of Act III, I'm severely nerfing the Stunned condition - it now goes away much quicker and easier, and is more of a nuisance than a crippling ailment.