Hey, Slayers!
Welcome to the seventh installment of our Shattered Isles dev blog. Today, we share more details on our vision for Slayers’ Identity and how Loadouts, the Slayer’s Path, and other Progression Systems will support that. Let’s dive in!
Looking within
In the Dauntless community, it is frequent to see Slayers self-identifying by the weapon category they favor (Eg. Axe main). That is not unexpected, as each weapon category drastically changes the playstyle, providing one of the core characteristics that defines how Slayers enjoy hunting Behemoths.
With the introduction of Weapon Swap and the New Weapon progression, we want to expand this paradigm.
Unique gameplay styles will be intrinsic to each Weapon (eg. Skies of Ostia) instead of the Weapon Categories (eg. Hammer), making two weapons in the same category feel very different in playstyle.
We envision Slayers choosing one weapon as their favorite and prioritizing synergy and broader elemental coverage when choosing their secondary weapon.
Your personalized arsenal
Considering two weapons on their Loadout, Slayers will have at their disposal:
- Two Active abilities;
- Two Special abilities;
- Up to 30 active Talents (15 per Weapon) of 50 Talent options;
- Up to Two elemental coverages; -Twice the fun with Elemental Status, including Radiant and Umbral status, debuting as part of The Shattered Isles update.
With a wide range of strategies available, we expect Slayers to often self-identify with their favorite Loadout instead of a Weapon Category. Less “Sword main” Slayers and more “The Hunger/Oathkeepers main’’ Slayers.
One Slayer or Many Slayers?
We want Loadouts to enhance Slayers’ self-expression capabilities, strengthening the fantasy that each Loadout can drastically change a Slayer’s Identity, not only on their gear.
As part of The Shattered Isles update, all options in the Personality screen will be stored on Loadouts, enabling even more customization.
Loadouts are going to be a lightning-fast way to have a completely different combat strategy and tailored Character appearance, title, banner, and other self-expression options. Gotta work on that drip now, Slayer.
A journey of Self-Improvement
As discussed in the New Weapon progression dev blog, we want progression to be meaningful and permanent, and this does not apply only to gear progression.
To further support our Slayers’ Identity, we are reworking some aspects of the Slayer’s Path, Quest system, and Mastery system, so they know exactly where they are on their journey.
All in one
The Slayer’s Path is currently the primary progression system in Dauntless. Slayers can unlock New game modes, Islands, New mechanics (eg. Gliding), Loadout slots, and more.
While a centralized place for progression is excellent, it also poses a complicated challenge to Slayers. The best choice for what they should focus on is ambiguous and often confusing.
What should they do first, get a Glider or unlock a new Island? Choices like that are very present in the Slayer’s Path, and rarely Slayers are sure they choose right, potentially leaving a sour taste after they commit resources to an upgrade.
It’s time to clear the path forward!
Main Quest
We are reworking our Main Quest line to be a guiding star for Slayers to sail through their career, giving clear directions of where they should be hunting, what they should be hunting, and why they should be doing that.
Slayers can expect NPCs, Game Modes, Islands, and Mechanics (Eg. Weapon Swap, Gliders, and Omnicell crafting) to be introduced as they progress through the Main Quest.
New Behemoths, Game Modes, and future Mechanics will be introduced at the end of the Main Quest, moving the story of The Shattered Islands forward. Returning Slayer will have their progression waiting exactly where they paused and ready to guide them through all that is new in Dauntless since they left.
Slayer’s Path
While the Main Quest will introduce Mechanics, the Slayer’s Path is where Slayers will upgrade them.
Slayers can expect the Slayer’s Path to enhance their offensive and defensive capabilities, make their Tonics more effective, Gliders more maneuverable, Weapon Swap more efficient, and so on.
Progression in the Slayer’s Path makes a Slayer stronger, no matter if they are exploring a brand-new gear combination or using their proven end-game strategy Loadout.
Mastery
The Mastery system presents several objectives for Slayers to complete while sharpening their Behemoth-hunting proficiency, but their rewards do not always provide that sense of Mastery and Completion.
We envision the Mastery system as complementary to the Slayer’s Path, with some of the last upgrade nodes in a branch (eg. the final “Blaze Elemental Resistance” node) as rewards for thematically associated Mastery objectives.
Slayers can expect Mastery completion to award Head Accessories (also known as Crowns), additional Loadout Slots nodes, self-expression items (eg. Titles), or other possibilities.
Your Feedback
Join our Dauntless Discord to share your feedback and engage with our community!
See you in Ramsgate for another Double EXP weekend and the return of The Silver Sword event in April!
Clear skies, Slayers!
