Greetings Defenders,
In our previous report, we introduced the new powers you’ll discover when Trials: The Endgame Update arrives. We also weren’t 100% crystal clear that the update is not out yet. So let’s be clear: It’s not out yet! As we speak, we’re implementing the final features of the update, and we’ve begun our testing and bugfixing phase. This update is loaded with new features, new balance changes and so much more, so it’s going to require a lot of TLC. We should have a release date to share in the coming weeks. Please don’t hate us, Reddit. We love you.
In this report, our Etherian scouts reveal the new challenges obstructing your path to glory:
Chaos: New Difficulties, New Threats
The Old Ones are cunning in their diabolical quest to destroy the Eternia crystals. Though their Nightmare campaign failed to achieve its ultimate goal, the Old Ones now have a firm grasp on your strengths and -- more importantly -- your weaknesses. With these painful lessons filling the hole where their hearts should be, they’re reassembling and re-training their forces for their new Chaos offensive.
We scrambled at the sound of encroaching war drums, but here’s what we discovered. It appears the Chaos offensive is organized into multiple tiers. Each tier adds a new enemy to their army, and these enemies are specifically designed to test your strategies. Once you’ve altered your strategy to conquer the new threat, BAM, the next enemy throws a wrench into the whole plan. Simply wicked! But we’ve also learned the rewards for victory are even sweeter than before, so with greater risk comes greater...good things.
Summary of Chaos Difficulty
- Nightmare difficulty is evolving into Chaos difficulty!
- This update contains Chaos I, II, III, IV and V; more Chaos tiers to come in future updates
- Each Chaos tier introduces a new enemy designed to test your strategies
- As you move up through Chaos, you’ll need to fight more of these enemy types at the same time
- Tackling harder Chaos tiers will reward you with higher iPWR gear, extra Ascension XP, extra gold and new Shards.
- Chaos V will give you up to iPWR 1500 gear!
Five Fearsome New Foes
“I have seen the gathering Chaos… the thundering footsteps… the spine-chilling roar… oh woe, oh terror, the green sea that descendeth upon us! Wait… what was that? Do you hear that, Billy? By Grabthar’s hammer, run Billy! Get out of here! Our insurance won’t cover thi… urk”
- Last words of Prime Scout Andrelian, as recounted by Billy, his second-in-command
Well, that was... grim? His loss was not in vain, however, for along with that… err… pleasant anecdote came detailed descriptions of one of the newest additions to the Old Ones’ garrison:
Cyborks
“Later phases of Chaos appear to contain these enormous brutes. They appear to be powered by the evil sky magic called electricity. I can only speculate on the exact impact of their hammers, but I’m sure whatever they do will be positively shocking!
Even in the face of death, I can’t ignore a good pun.”
Summary of New Enemies:
- Five new enemies with more to come!
- Enemies have both tower defense and hero solutions
- We’re waiting on our other scouts to return for more information on the other enemies...
- One new enemy will be introduced per Chaos tier; each Chaos tier contains the previous enemies plus a new foe unless otherwise stated in the difficulty description
Enter the Trials
Ever in search of a way to challenge us, our dear Commander devised a game of sorts. He’s calling it the Trials. Enter the Trials, and he’ll assign you to a random defense. Succeed and you’ll earn lavish rewards and the begrudging admiration of your peers! Fail and it’s latrine duty for a month!
The Trials are different in every Chaos tier. As you go higher through Chaos, the Commander will select more difficult maps for you to defend. We probably shouldn’t say this in an official scouting report he’s sure to read, but he’s kind of a jerk. But we mean that in a totally good way!
Summary of the Trials:
- The Knight Commander created a challenge for you called the Trials
- You’ll be sent to a random location to defend, and if you win, you’ll earn extra Ascension XP, extra gold and unique Shards
- At the end of a match, the Commander will immediately ship you off to another location
- Each Chaos Trial has different locations to defend; the maps in Chaos Trials II will be different from the maps in Chaos Trials V
In a future report, we’ll discuss how you can prepare for the Trials update!
Frequently Anticipated Questions, Round Two
You haven’t asked them yet, but we know you’re going to.
Q: Are you still looking for volunteers to give feedback on this update?
A: Yes, we are! The most useful feedback would be your hands-on impressions, and if you want to do that, you can join our Remote Playtesting Group. Email dani.moore[at]trendyent[dot]com if you’re interested! Other than that, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Q: Have you guys thought about infinitely scaling difficulty?
A: We have! We love the idea, and we’ve discussed several different ways we could do it. It’s something we’d like to look into after we leave Early Access.
Q: This is cool and all, but what are you doing about the Siege Roller?!
A: We hear you! Right now, we’re reducing the number of Siege Rollers that can spawn when playing solo, and we’re adjusting the hitbox on the weak spot so that it’s easier to hit. Thanks for all of the feedback so far!