In our last two Dev Talks on the
Roads of Avalon, Game Director Robin Henkys introduced this major feature, discussed
travel and transport in the Roads, and gave a brief rundown of what you'll find in the
Wilderness outside the road network. In this third and final Dev Talk on the subject, he discusses
living within the Roads of Avalon, an exciting new opportunity for guilds looking for a Hideout of their own. (For more on the Roads of Avalon, check out
Part 1 and
Part 2.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rij2UFVmwfo
No time to watch, or prefer a written summary? Then read on...
[h3]Placing and Defending Hideouts[/h3]
While most zones within the Roads of Avalon consist of the road network itself, some are almost completely Wilderness. In these special zones, you can find
energy crystals that keep the mists at bay and allow placement of
Hideouts. Guilds can place Hideouts at these crystals during the
prime time visible on the zone map. As always, unfinished Hideouts are vulnerable during the
first and the last minutes of construction.
Once established, a Hideout will be protected just like in the open world. However, since there are no territories in the Avalonian wilderness,
any guild with the required amount of Siphoned Energy can break a Hideout’s defenses at the beginning of the zone’s prime time. They can then attempt to attack the Hideout, but as usual, once a Hideout loses a defense point it will become invulnerable until the next day’s prime time.
This is significant, because
no gateway connection to the zone will remain for a whole day, meaning the attacking side must stay in the zone to continue their attack. And as each gateway only lets in a few players at once, even initial attacks are challenging. Other guilds can of course place their own Hideouts in the region, but these will have to be built and defended as usual.
In short, destroying a Hideout in Avalon is significantly more challenging than it might be in the Outlands, making it an attractive option for smaller guilds who want a Hideout of their own.
[h3]Challenges of Living in Avalon[/h3]
1. Limited resources and PvE contentPlayers will have to explore the surrounding Roads to find gateways to the open world to bring in resources and gear, or to export goods they produce with the
crafting bonuses of their Avalon Hideout. Each Avalon Wilderness region has its own unique set of crafting bonuses, and while none of them outcompete the deep Outlands, they can still be very attractive for crafters.
2. Limited capacity and shifting nature of Avalonian gatewaysIf your guild has too many members, you will be competing for the capacity of the gateways, and if your players are not careful, you may get stranded somewhere in Avalon with no easy way back to your Hideout.
3. Lack of territories for Season Point generationWhile you can of course still compete in the Crystal League, complete the Guild challenge, and raid territory mages from your Hideout, you will find it
hard to claim and hold territories.
That may be a good thing, however, as it means your Avalon Hideout is not likely to become a target of guilds competing for power in the Outlands.
[h3]In Conclusion[/h3]
There's no lack of action for guilds living in Avalon. The constantly shifting gateways bring opportunities for exploration and conflict to your front door, especially when a gateway opens to another Wilderness region with an active guild living in it, and we're very excited to see how players adapt to this unique environment
This concludes our series of videos on the Roads of Avalon. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you ingame when the Rise of Avalon update goes live on August 12!
DIVINE OWL: This month's Challenge introduces a new mount, the Divine Owl. This ghostly white flying mount has a brisk base move speed as well as a new ability, Foresight, a shield that absorbs damage and grants a temporary speed boost when broken. (Note: like all mounts, the Divine Owl can only move in navigable ground areas and cannot fly over obstacles.)
AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Divine Challenge avatar ring, which will frame your chosen avatar in a heavenly golden aura. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar border for one character, or can be traded to the Vanity Merchant for one Vanity Token.
SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month long, reach weekly goals to unlock Divine Challenge chests. In addition to valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes and Silver, you'll also have a chance to unlock mystical furniture items like the Mage Statue, Magic Rune Circle, and Glass Sphere.
