Hi, everyone! It’s an exciting time for us as we get closer to the release of Sahti Islands.
We have three dev diaries for you over the next few days. Each of them will cover a different aspect of the new expansion. But before we dive into the details, let’s set the scene.
Today, we’re unveiling the first of three Dev Diaries, each spotlighting an exciting element of this high-seas expansion.
To kick things off, let’s meet a powerful new ally who’s ready to join the party and turn the tides of battle: Sigrun, the Valkyrie!
The Sahti Islands
Your adventure begins on the beautiful Sahti Islands, which have been thrown into chaos by the awakening of an ancient and powerful obelisk.
This spells trouble for the indigenous Sahti people, a peaceful and spiritual sea folk. Their lives are now under threat, with various groups looking to capitalise on the turmoil.
As they vie for dominance, each working to establish control of the island’s precious resources, the Sahti natives are caught in the middle. Will you defend the islanders or throw your weight behind one of the factions? That’s up to you!
We’ll have more on the history and lore of the Sahti Islands, its native people and the warring factions in a future diary. Today, we’re focusing on the first of two new playable heroes coming to the game—Sigrun, the Valkyrie.
Sigrun’s background
Let’s start by looking at Sigrun’s lore: who she is, where she comes from and how her background has shaped her abilities on the battlefield.
We’ve deliberately shrouded Sigrun’s origins in mystery. The story goes that fishermen stumbled upon her on a desert island as they investigated the appearance of a large crater.
Although she was alive, she had lost part of her memory and had no recollection of how she had arrived there.
The fishermen, believing she was an angel from a legendary civilisation in the clouds, took her to a local village where she was worshipped as a god. As thanks for their help, Sigrun vowed to protect the Sahti people.
The conflict caused by the awakening of the obelisk now threatens her new friends, and she decides to go on a journey to cleanse the Sahti coasts of their enemies.
Although she is highly competent on the battlefield, Sigrun is still affected by her memory loss. As you set off on your adventure with Sigrun, these missing pieces of her mind await discovery.
Progressing through the expansion will reveal the hidden secrets of Sigrun’s past. What will you find? That would be telling!
Sigrun’s origins and abilities
We’ve given you a decent understanding of Sigrun and how she came to be on the Sahti Islands. Let’s now talk a little bit about her abilities and why we made some of these design choices.
With this expansion and introduction of these new heroes, we wanted to explore class combinations not currently in the game. Sigrun is both a scout and a mage, a brand-new combo for AtO.
Sigrun’s introduction opens up a bunch of new options for you to try out as you build your parties. We’re really excited to see how you make use of her unique capabilities.
The fusion of scout and mage is explained in Sigrun’s lore. She is both a Valkyrie and a Skald, a poet who can combine her masterful use of songs with the ability to summon powerful storms.
This fusion of abilities matches her mystical role and her eagerness to discover who she really is.
In Norse mythology, Valkyries are seen as all-powerful goddesses. Of course, if we brought that level of power into the game, her skills would significantly exceed the other heroes, unbalancing things in the process.
By giving Sigrun amnesia, we can balance her powers with the other characters while allowing you to discover more about her hidden past.
We’re really leaning into the pirate and seafaring theme with the Sahti Islands expansion. The Norse were exceptional sailors, and by making Sigrun a Valkyrie, we aim to honour that fine naval tradition.
Norse culture also depicts Valkyries as spirits, bringing worthy warriors to Valhalla following their deaths. We wanted to play with the idea of reversing this trope. What if, rather than bringing heroes to the heavens, our Valkyrie found herself outside the halls of Asgard?
As you can probably tell, we’ve had a lot of fun building Sigrun’s character!
Finally, as with any new AtO hero, Sigrun will be accompanied by a pet. Jelly is a jellyfish and one of Sigrun's first friends in her new life among the Sahti.
Looking ahead
That’s a wrap for this dev diary. We’ll have info on another new multiclass hero in our next diary, which will be coming your way soon.
Keep your eyes peeled for that, and while you wait, why not give us your thoughts on Sigrun and how you might use her unique mage-scout combination?
See you soon!
- The AtO team