Hello, this is GM Cuckoo.
Today’s Developer Diary covers the 22nd character, available last August 6th!
We asked various departments about the birth and background of Wolfdog’s Triss, and gathered their responses.
Let’s dive into the behind-the-scenes stories!
Q. Can you introduce Triss’s initial concept?
Scenario Team:
Triss is the younger sister of Levia, a playable character, and like her sister, she is a dimensional monster and a Closer. Many Agents may already be familiar with her origin, as you witnessed it firsthand. In a way, Triss was born thanks to your help.
In fact, Triss treasures the outfit her sister Levia gave her (灬º‿º灬)♡
At first, she couldn’t control the aura of wrath within her, causing some trouble. But with the help of the Closers and her own determination, she overcame the aura of wrath and even fought against Gildal and the Order alongside other Closers. However, letting go of the aura of wrath came at a cost. She lost much of her power and began to drift, unsure whether she truly belonged among humans. Due to this, and for other reasons revealed later, Triss embarks on her own journey. At the start of the story, she is not yet part of the Wolfdog team, much like Ria, and only joins after completing her personal journey. The main storyline will explore in depth how Triss became a "Vagabond," wandering to grow stronger.
One key trait to highlight is that Triss is both child and adult.
She appears mature and thinks like an adult, but she also shows childlike tastes and mindset. We put great effort into balancing these contrasting qualities, and we hope players will appreciate that.
Q. Why was Triss designed as a tall character?
Scenario Team:
Initially, we imagined her as a small, cute child, which seemed natural for a newly born character. But we felt that was too predictable and dull. So we took a bold direction and made her taller than her older sister, adding an unexpected twist. This led to other traits, like her being self-conscious about her height and loving small, cute things.
Q. Any specific concept or inspiration behind Triss’s mature appearance?
Character Art Team:
We began with the contrast “Levia like a round-faced puppy, Triss like a sharp-featured cat.”
We explored many “cool beauty” archetypes and ultimately shaped Triss from there.
Q. It must’ve been challenging to reflect her various roles, such as Levia’s sister and a member of the dragon race.
A rough image reflecting the extensive consideration!
Character Art Team:
Here’s the first rough sketch.
Unlike the cute sister, Triss was planned to be an ice queen, so we aimed for a chic vibe.
We also thought a lot about how to reflect their parents’ genes.
First draft after mindful considerations.
We debated over white vs. black hair and ultimately chose black as the base.
Triss was the first character to transition from a boss to a playable character, so we put a lot of effort into finding a balance between the two roles. While she needed to be a "playable" character who would be loved and supported by Agents, we also had to blend in the qualities of a “boss” character, as she was originally introduced as the formidable enemy commander of the Dragon Legion. Combining these two seemingly opposing elements in a natural and compelling way was a key part of the design process.
When deciding who Triss's horns and outfit should resemble, we ultimately felt it made the most sense for her to take after her father in the story. As a result, we drew heavily from Hecatoncheir’s design when creating her appearance.
Unfortunately, the ribbon was dropped in the final version (☍д⁰)
This is the final version of Triss's face design.
Although we decided to choose black as the base, we added purple highlights to express individuality.
Because of her Evil Eye concept, we gave her eyes a unique look to differentiate her from other characters, while maintaining a connection to her sister Levia through matching eyeliner and eye color.
In the initial drafts, her hair was designed to be tied with a ribbon. The backstory was that Levia had tied it for her when Triss was born, but that detail was unfortunately removed during the revision process.
Which costume do you like the most?
We spent a lot of time deciding on the 1st draft.
It all started with the question: 'What kind of outfit would Triss wear when she first came into the world?'
We chose leather-based clothes to enhance her confident, sword-fighter image.
We wanted to highlight her hips and thighs, so we aimed for a design that would showcase those features as much as possible, while still keeping things simple since it’s her base outfit.
Q. Let’s talk about the illustration. What was most important in designing Triss’s illustrations?
Character Art Team:
We especially focused on the abdomen and thigh areas to emphasize her silhouette. We believe a character with a beautiful body line is always appealing.
Q. Since all of Triss’s promotions have been released at once, what were the key points you focused on for each promotion illustration? Could you also explain the differences between them?
Character Art Team:
The key points are as follows:
Regular Operative
We focused on subtly revealing skin through gaps in the outfit.
Rather than emphasizing excessive exposure, we aimed to highlight elegance by accentuating the body’s natural silhouette.
Special Operative
Since the silhouette was similar to the regular outfit, we enhanced it with more elaborate and eye-catching elements.
We placed particular emphasis on textures like decorative accents and transparent materials.
Fatal Crew
We moved away from the usual front-facing composition and opted for a pose that combines her side and back view.
The key highlights are the sharp side profile of her face and the flowing body line from hips to thighs.
We gave particular attention to emphasizing hips and thighs. ^^d
Q. Let’s move on to her weapon. Why was a greatsword chosen for Triss?
Planning Team:
The initial concept began with contrasting Triss against her sister, Levia.
Levia uses a staff to channel energy attacks in the form of orbs and projectiles, so for Triss, we aimed for a completely different combat style.
Given her "cool beauty" visual concept, we explored weapon types that would complement that. Favoring something simple, heavy, and metallic over something flashy or lightweight.
To contrast with Levia’s blunt staff, we decided on a bladed weapon, one that would focus on slashing and piercing physical attacks.
We also wanted to reflect the overwhelming presence of her father, Hecatoncheir, a massive and intimidating being, comparable in size to a skyscraper. To carry that symbolism forward, we gave Triss a similarly imposing weapon, which led to the decision to equip her with a greatsword.
Cold, Massive Greatsword.
The overwhelming destructive power of the massive weapon was ultimately defined as the core of Triss’s combat style and identity.
Scenario Team:
There’s narrative meaning behind choosing a sword.
In the dragon clan, many dimensional monsters use swords, like the Vagabond, Astaroth, and Mamba after their transformations. We envisioned Triss as a young dragon following her clan’s tradition and growing by training in swordsmanship. Her class name “VAGABOND” reflects both her connection to the original Vagabond and her growth through wandering and self-training.
Q. What were some key visual effects and animations for Triss?
VFX Team:
Triss’s greatsword led us to focus on the impact and weight of each skill.
We emphasized the flow from charging, slashing, and the lingering shock after impact.
While Levia’s effects involve curves and explosions, Triss’s are direct and cutting across the battlefield.
While the overall color scheme remains subdued, we adjusted it to evoke a sense of intimidation. We also simplified the visual elements boldly to increase density and ensure powerful immersion, even in short bursts of action.
Animation Team:
When creating the animations, we prioritized the tempo of a high-speed action game and the defining characteristics of the greatsword. Our goal was to allow for fast attacks without making them feel too light or unnatural, so we focused heavily on balancing weight and speed.
During production, we experimented with long, heavy objects to explore how such a weapon should move to feel natural, powerful, and satisfying.
Since the greatsword is nearly as tall as the character herself, we designed the motion with a lowered center of gravity, allowing the character's lower body movements to emphasize the weight and arc of each swing.
We made great effort to let players feel both the weight of the greatsword and the speed of Closers.
Q. How is Triss set apart from other characters?
VFX Team:
Although Levia and Triss belong to the same lineage, their personalities and combat styles are completely different. That’s why we felt it was important to express them visually in distinct ways.
We adjusted the colors and tones of the effects and also developed new visual techniques such as distortion, grayscale, and inversion to better match the mood and identity of Triss's skills.
(Left - original / Right - Slo-mo)
We believe these attempts helped elevate the overall tone of the effects, making them more refined, and significantly enhanced the sense of immersion during combat.
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Scenario Team:
In the scenario, the most important focus was bringing to life the concept of Triss transitioning from a boss to a playable character. After receiving the planning request, the biggest challenge was making her appealing even as an enemy, while ensuring that her shift to a playable character wouldn’t feel awkward or unnatural. After all, we couldn’t make a simple villain, or a character who left a deeply negative impression on players, into someone they would actively want to play. This was one of the key considerations in the scenario. We worked hard to portray her as an enemy, yet still compelling and guided by a strong sense of justice.
Another point we paid special attention to in terms of her background was giving Triss a narrative that aligns with the vibe of the Wolfdog team. After much discussion, we concluded that the most essential trait of a Wolfdog member is the yearning for freedom and the willingness to fight for it. Based on that, we shaped her character and story accordingly. We also revisited the past narrative of the Wolfdog team and made a conscious effort to build on it and evolve it in a meaningful way. We hope players will look forward to what we've prepared.
Q. Finally, what kind of players would enjoy Triss?
Planning Team:
We recommend Triss to players who are familiar with rhythmical skill inputs based on different combat situations. She’s especially suited for those who enjoy refining their mastery by minimizing downtime between skills and discovering faster attack tempos.
That wraps up the origin story of the 22nd new character, Triss!
We hope you’ll show lots of love and support for this new character joining our journey. Thank you!