Announcement of Immortal Druid Reboot

Hey everyone,

I’ve hit the hardest writing block I’ve ever faced with Immortal Druid, and I can’t push through it anymore. So I’m starting over.

Looking back, the biggest mistake was locking Wo Li into a fixed build and fighting style that felt half-hearted to me. He ended up feeling more like a wizard or sorcerer than a druid. I should have leaned harder into summons and support earlier. It also didn’t help that I was trying to make Immortal Druid a spiritual sequel to Immortal Paladin while IP still wasn’t finished. I wanted ID to stand on its own while still sharing a connection, but that balance never quite worked. The capitalist-world backstory for Wo Li also never sat right with me and felt lacking in execution.

After a lot of thorough thinking and arguing against myself, I’ve decided to treat the rebooted Immortal Druid as a new and different novel. Rewriting the old story felt too painful, like retelling something that had already been told, so this version features a different protagonist and a different story.

Stolen story; please report.

Meet Sloth, a druid built around summoning. His one clear motivation is simple: he just wants a good sleep. My original goal with ID was to write a spiritual teacher type, someone who gives grounded, practical advice the way Saitama or Reigen does (One Punch Man/Mob Psycho). Historically, druids were spiritual leaders who communed with nature. With Wo Li, I built a community around him that leaned into that role, but it shifted the story toward kingdom-building and political tension that I felt just as lacking in execution. If I’m going to write something like that again, I have to do it better. I’ll strive to write something new with this reboot. Sloth’s story will hopefully focus on adventure and his ongoing efforts to get some proper rest.

I’ll also be leaning less on the comedy bits this time (the old “Dao of Camping” was mostly a pun for the Touching Grass Sect gag).

Here’s to the re-launch of Immortal Druid.

Thank you for picking it up, whether you were here for the original or you’re joining now.

—Alfir