Dev Diary: Introducing Mounts and Taming

[p][/p][p][/p][p]by Chris “Joppa” Perkins, Creative Director[/p][p][/p][p]When you crest a hill in Avendyr’s Pass or break through the mists in Wild’s End, there is a feeling we aim to evoke in you: the desire to roam. In Pantheon, our goal has always been to make the journeys as memorable as the destinations. Today we’re excited to share a look at one of the systems designed to deepen that sense of exploration and personal progression: Mounts and Taming.[/p][p]This update will introduce a new dynamic to the world of Terminus: tamable mounts that are not purchased from vendors, but found living in the ecosystems of the surrounding world. Our vision is to provide a non-combat, skill-based branch of gameplay that allows players to tame and manage rideable creatures, emphasizing progression, collection, trade and meaningful stat-based mount variety.[/p][p]Key Highlights:[/p][p]Skill-Based Taming
Taming is a real progression path. As your Taming skill grows, your ability to handle wilder, more powerful creatures grows with it.[/p][p]Creatures with Meaningful Stat Profiles
Every mount will roll a unique spread of stats; not just speed, but endurance, stability and more.[/p][p]Rarity and Collectability Baked In
Common tamable creatures exist, but rare, epic, mythical and even anomalous creatures exist as well if you are skilled (and lucky) enough to find and tame them.[/p][p]With that said, let’s dive into the details![/p][p][/p][h3]What Can I Tame?[/h3][p]Once a player reaches level 20, they will gain access to a quest that will grant them the Tame Mount ability as well as the Taming skill. We intend this quest to act as a light tutorial on the system. Once acquired, your career of seeking out potential mounts across Terminus can begin. However, not all taming attempts will be successful, or even possible.[/p][p]When you see a creature that you want to tame, the first step is to determine two things:[/p]

[p]Is it tamable?[/p]
[p]Am I skilled enough to tame it?[/p]

[p]Both of these questions are answered by using /consider, or hitting the “C” key with the creature targeted. A Taming Difficulty line has been added to the Consider output for tamable creatures to represent the likelihood of a successful taming attempt.[/p][p]Taming Difficulty is based on your Taming Skill vs. the creature’s Will stat (we’ll talk more about mount stats shortly):[/p]

[p]Easy: “This creature looks as if it can be tamed.”[/p]
[p]Challenging: “This creature would be challenging to tame.”[/p]
[p]Impossible: “This creature is beyond your ability to tame.”[/p]

[p]If a creature is not marked as tamable, the /consider messaging will not include a line related to it.[/p][p]When Mounts and Taming releases, wild horses will be the only tamable animals in Terminus. As a mount category, horses are versatile, reliable travel companions with a wide range of possible strengths based on their individual rolls. Even within a single rarity tier, two horses can feel very different. In time we plan to introduce additional mount types, each with their own identities. For now, horses will set the foundation of the system.[/p][p][/p][h3]How Taming Works[/h3][p]Once you’ve identified the creature you want to tame, you will need to get close enough to use your Tame Mount ability.[/p][p]What to know about the taming process:[/p]

[p]Tame Mount is a 10-second channeled ability that is not interrupted by damage.[/p]
[p]You will begin burning your Endurance while trying to tame the creature at a rate of 8/s. However, each point of Will the creature has above 8 will drain an additional 1 Endurance/s. This means if you want to tame higher rarity (which means higher Will) mounts, you will need to invest in increasing your Endurance pool![/p]
[p]The creature will become hostile and attack you while you are channeling Tame Mount.[/p]
[p]Only one player can be actively taming the same creature at a time.[/p]
[p]If successful, you must mount the newly tamed creature within 30 seconds or it will flee the area and despawn. Only the player that successfully tamed the creature will be able to mount it during this time.[/p]
[p]If the taming attempt fails, the creature will flee and despawn.[/p]

[p]To aid you in your attempts at taming, you will be able to use items that can improve your chances. For example, you can offer a horse a juicy apple before taming it. Different types of mounts will have different “bait” items that can be used with them. It’s important to note here that taming baits can make a significant difference in a creature’s resistance to being tamed. These items will range from simple fruit (such as that juicy apple) to more specialized meals and reagents that can be obtained through crafting and exploration.[/p][p]Bait will be especially useful when:[/p]

[p]Your taming skill is low[/p]
[p]You’re targeting mounts known to have a strong Will[/p]
[p]You’re attempting to secure an Epic or Mythic quality mount[/p]

[p]Using bait items will give determined tamers a bit more agency when attempting something outside their usual skill range.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]The Role of Stables[/h3][p]Once you’ve successfully tamed and mounted the creature, it’s important to know that this bond is not permanent until you register the mount at a Stable. Unregistered mounts will stay with you when zoning into an adjacent zone but will be permanently lost if you teleport or are forcibly dismounted by trying to ride indoors or taking too much damage before reaching a stable. This maintains a strong sense of tension when capturing valuable mounts.[/p][p]To register your new mount:[/p]

[p]Ride the mount to a Stable Master in a nearby town or village.[/p]
[p]Interact with the Stable Master to register the mount into an empty Stable slot. The first Stable slot is free; subsequent Stable slots can be purchased at an increasing cost.[/p]
[p]Once registered, the mount is permanently yours unless you choose to permanently release it from the Stable.[/p]

[p]Stables are universally accessible across the world – the mount collection in your Stable at Demith is the same collection of mounts you will have access to in your Stable at Sorhiryth.[/p][p]From the Stable window you will be able to see your entire mount collection and choose which mount you want as your Active Mount. You can only have one Active Mount at a time and choosing a different Active Mount will require a trip to a Stable. You are free to dismount from your Active Mount at any time via a button in the Mount window (added to your inventory window when you are mounted). Dismounting will cause your mount to wander in a small area until you mount it again, or it despawns after 30 seconds. If an Active Mount despawns while un-mounted, it can be summoned again via the Summon Mount button in the Mount window.[/p][p]Lastly, let’s say you are riding around Terminus on your registered, Active Mount. You suddenly spot a mythical steed in the distance. Since you can only have one Active Mount at a time, what would you do in this situation? It’s as simple as opening the Mount window and clicking the ‘Return Mount to Stable’ button. For a fee, a stable hand will return your Active Mount to the Stable safely, allowing you to attempt taming the mythical stallion that stands before you.[/p][p]More Than Speed[/p][p]Once tamed, every mount is identified by a creature type (horses only for now…) and a rarity tier ranging from Common to Mythic. Each creature type will have a different stat personality, and each tier will have different roll ranges and ceilings.[/p][p]Each mount has six stats that define how it behaves and performs:[/p][p]Speed: Governs the top movement speed of the mount while galloping. The higher the Speed, the faster the mount.[/p][p]Endurance: Determines the mount’s maximum Endurance pool, which controls how long the mount can gallop at full pace before tiring. The mount’s Endurance pool is separate from the player’s pool.[/p][p]Recovery: Governs how quickly a mount regenerates Endurance after exertion. Endurance will regenerate the fastest when the mount is standing still. Endurance will regenerate at a reduced rate while the mount is trotting. Higher Recovery improves both of these rates of Endurance regeneration.[/p][p]Stability: Represents how likely the rider is to stay mounted when taking significant damage. Regarding mounts in combat:[/p]

[p]While mounted, players cannot attack or use abilities.[/p]
[p]Players can be attacked, take damage and afflicted with status effects.[/p]
[p]Mounts cannot be targeted, damaged or healed.[/p]

[p]Brawn: Determines how much weight the horse can carry. The player’s weight, plus the weight of the mount’s saddlebag and any items within it, will be included in the mount’s carry weight. When a mount’s weight limit is exceeded:[/p]

[p]The mount will move more slowly[/p]
[p]Galloping will drain Endurance more quickly[/p]
[p]Endurance regeneration will take longer[/p]

[p]Will: Represents the mount’s independence and difficulty to tame.[/p]

[p]The unique Taming Difficulty of a specific tamable creature is determined by the player’s Taming skill vs. that tamable creature’s Will stat.[/p]

[p]Tamable Mounts spawn naturally throughout the world with a rarity tier that influences their potential stat ranges:[/p]

[p]Common[/p]
[p]Uncommon[/p]
[p]Rare[/p]
[p]Epic[/p]
[p]Mythic (Both Epic and Mythic mounts are extremely rare and will typically appear under very specific circumstances. They will come with unique stats and bespoke appearances).[/p]

[p]Higher rarity increases the odds of strong stat rolls and higher stat ranges, but individual rolls ensure no rarity is guaranteed to be “perfect,” and even Common-grade mounts can surprise you with the right combination. There is even a chance that a tamable creature will spawn with stat anomalies, such as unexpected strengths or inversions of their usual tendencies.[/p][p][/p][h3]Why Mounts Now?[/h3][p]A fair and understandable question![/p][p]Mounts and Taming isn’t something we’re bolting on for novelty’s sake. It’s a core system. It’s a system of progression and a system of traversal. And as a system, it will touch nearly every overland area in the game. It is so foundational in fact, it would actually be more costly and disruptive to postpone.[/p][p]As we build new zones, as we develop new creatures, as we design new travel routes, tamable creatures need to be part of those foundational worldbuilding considerations. If we were to wait until later, we’d be forced to go back through finished zones and retrofit encounters, re-work spawn tables, adjust travel pacing and potentially rebalance entire regions around this new layer of gameplay. This kind of backtracking ultimately slows development down and creates the exact problem we’re trying to avoid: a system that feels tacked on instead of native.[/p][p]In short, by releasing Mounts and Taming now, we secure:[/p]

[p]A cohesive, world-first experience where mounts feel naturally integrated.[/p]
[p]Consistent zone development where tamable creatures and rare spawns are built with this system in mind.[/p]
[p]Reliable travel tuning, so we can shape the pace of exploration as the world grows rather than patching it together after the fact.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Final Word[/h3][p]This Mounts and Taming update is designed to be more than a movement speed upgrade. Every tamable creature is unique, with its own strengths and weaknesses expressed through its rarity, stats and aesthetic. Taming, evaluating and building a stable of mounts will become a progression path in its own right.[/p][p]As development continues, we will use horses to establish the foundation for the system. We will set standards for customization, rarity, stat variety and the risk/reward loop for taming.[/p][p]Future updates will expand on the system with:[/p]

[p]The addition of new tamable creature types.[/p]
[p]The ability to find and craft mount gear.[/p]
[p]Advanced features (why do mounts come in male and female variants?!).[/p]
[p]The ability to name your mounts.[/p]
[p]Support for trading mounts to other players.[/p]
[p]The ability to change your mount’s appearance through special cosmetic items.[/p]
[p]Special Epic and Mythical mounts with unique stats and bespoke appearances.[/p]

[p]But even at this initial release point, we want the experience of taming and riding the mounts you’ve collected to feel meaningful and distinctly Pantheon.[/p][p]More exciting updates to come. Onward and upward, everyone… we’ll see you and your mounts in Terminus![/p]