Curious. Cells enhancements resulting in elemental power - blaze, frost, shock — even umbral and radiant. Augmented. More power. More speed. Resilience. Additional cells cumulative. No disruption. Fluctuations don’t seem to be interfering along
any wavelengthsNone of the wavelengths I can measure. Stable — no decay. Tests not exhaustive, but no signs of upper limit yet.Cells bond to armour and weapons readily. Complementary waves in stable patterns. Bonding to weapons, armour makes cells “activate”. Singing with power — harmony. Cells interact with biology when integrated with forged items. Indistinguishable from other archonite-forged items.
More testing required. Not sure if stable, but won’t stop the Slayers.
— From the notebook of Arkan Drew
Creating your character is just the beginning of your legend in the Shattered Isles. Discovering your favourite weapons, forging armour, building bonds with other Slayers, dyeing your gear, and even finding the perfect emote to round it out — it’s all part of forging your legend.
We’re always looking for new tools you can use to be the Slayer that you are proud of. The cell system gives you the power to go beyond changing your appearance and will change the way you play.
There is still so much about aether that we don’t understand. Even Arkan Drew, Ramsgate’s aethersmith and oldest resident, doesn’t know the full extent of its potential. But that hasn’t stopped him (at the expense of a few sleepless months) from experimenting with a new tool to give Slayers the edge on the frontier.
The Cells Game
Each weapon and piece of armour has a number of cells that you can socket, and some cells are exclusive to certain weapon and armour types. Augmenting your weapons, armour, and lanterns will allow you to become even more like the Behemoths that you slay.
Cells empower you to go beyond cosmetic customization so you can personalize the way you slay. Want to focus on damage and go hard? Want to turn your weapon into an elemental powerhouse? Want to shape the way that you support other Slayers? There are cells for that, and every blend in-between. These customizations make subtle changes to the way that you hunt and the way that you interact with your hunting party.
Custom Tailored
With the implementation of blunt and piercing damage types (read more here), weapons are now even more varied in their capabilities. Whether you’re committing to one weapon or changing it up to complement your team, specialization and variety are critical considerations for every Slayer. Cells augment weapons to your specifications, ensuring that no two weapons need be the same.
Some cells offer straightforward enhancements. Additional movement speed, a larger health pool, enhanced elemental resistance, faster stamina regeneration, and more are available. There are even more specialized cells to enhance the characteristics of specific weapons. Socket an Impact Hammer reload cell and you’ll recoup ammo when using blast dodges.
If you’re a Slayer who takes pride in their performance, cells also provide an opportunity to capitalize on mastery. Some cells might give you a quick bonus for executing perfect dodges, while others might reward long combos or other Slayer feats of strength. You can also tweak your gear to support playing in a specific style. Double down on your stagger build, stack bonuses to your movement speed following a dodge, or even build a set of armour that gives you a shield every time you revive a fallen Slayer.
ARKAN’S PROMISE
We know that Slayers are excited to start augmenting their gear with cells. Expect to discover these powerful pieces of archonite when you break open aether cores. We’re changing the role that cores play and how you’ll open them (as laid out in the Sharpen Your Skills Progression blog) so be sure to read up!
You’ll gain access to more powerful and versatile cells as you progress through Dauntless. This means that you’ll be unlocking both more powerful gear and better ways to customize it as well. Cells allow Slayers to breathe new life into old favorites and that means more variety and more rewards for taking Behemoths down.
This is only the beginning of cells. We will continue to evolve and add to this system into Open Beta and beyond. We’re excited to see the builds and strategies that you will develop using these powerful augmentations!
From all of us at Phoenix Labs, thank you for your continuing support and dedication. We can’t wait to see what you think of the Sharpen Your Skills update!
