Body:
A proud salute to your valor displayed, Driftmasters!
The past 30 days have flown by, and together, we've witnessed Warborne's first large-scale campaign! It was EPIC!
This War Games Festival test was our first-ever test featuring all 6 factions on the full map. It was a 'first' for us—meaning it came with immense tests and challenges. We did encounter a few hiccups along the way, but thanks to the brilliant tactics and unwavering support received from every Driftmaster, we've successfully concluded this test phase! This was all thanks to you, Driftmasters!
1. Final War Report
Now, it's time to tally the final results from this Warborne test. While you may have experienced victories and defeats on the battlefield, what follows is a milestone written in your collective blood and sweat—there are no losers here, Driftmasters.
In this test, we were honored to bring together 126,188 players from 128 countries and regions across the globe!
Furthermore, a total of 326 Warbands took part in this battle! Your iron-willed Warbands carved breathtaking sagas of slaughter, blood, and conquest across the lands of every planet!
Our strategic goal for this phase—as you all know—was our Steam Wishlist. We've hit 100,000 wishlists and are about to break into the TOP 400 on Steam's rankings! This glory belongs to all our Driftmasters! Of course, we want to keep this momentum going, so we're calling on all of you to lend us a hand (and a click) to add one more to that wishlist count!
We also want to share a milestone victory with you: We've hit NUMBER ONE on Steam's upcoming releases chart! We are incredibly grateful for your support, which is our biggest motivation to bring you an even better game.
Finally, during the test, we closely monitored various player activities in Warborne. After analyzing player data, we're thrilled to see that you enjoyed Warborne even more this time around. This gives us confidence we're on the right track. For the dev team, nothing is more encouraging than this!
2. Thank You Driftmasters!
Thank you, Driftmasters, from all corners of the world! You've ignited the flames of war in Warborne, fires that will burn across entire planets—flames destined to never be extinguished!
Please see below for the list of names!
(Placeholder for Thank-You Letter Image)
Yes, we felt that mere words weren't enough. So, to express our gratitude for your continuous support, we've prepared a more memorable gift: a thank-you letter to commemorate the help Warborne received in reaching this precious milestone.
We kindly request every Warband leader and individual on the list to fill in your shipping information via the link below! This is very important to us; we would like to express our deepest appreciation to the help and support received throughout the test.
https://wj.qoolandgames.com/p/aY4aHBWG
3. Issues and Concerns
The war is never over. After reviewing the achievements of the full-scale war test, it's time to discuss the problems that still exist. We've heard your voices, and all your issues and suggestions have been recorded. Now, let's talk about the most frequently raised concerns by Commanders:
3.1 Server/Faction Activity and Competitiveness
Regarding the decline in activity and player attrition in certain factions and servers during the test, we briefly mentioned this in previous announcements. Here, we'll explain in more detail:
We are planning to introduce more diverse frontlines and objectives—capturing 'The Heartforge' will no longer be the sole criterion for victory.
We will also limit the number of Harvester Hubs a Warband can occupy. Although factions with more players might capture more Harvester Hubs, Warbands with high-quality elite teams can still achieve victory by controlling key, high-value Harvester Hubs! You will have more opportunities and strategies to realize your ambitions and dominance on this planet!
Furthermore, we firmly believe that a relative balance of power between factions makes the global conflict more challenging and engaging. New faction-switching rules and a series of changes aimed at faction balance are already in the works. The goal is singular: to give underdog factions more room to maneuver. A temporary setback or weakness absolutely does not mean defeat for the season. The war isn't over until the very last moment!
3.2 Queueing Rules
I know many Driftmasters have been wondering: the queueing rules have been adjusted several times, so what's the current conclusion?
We have to admit, changes to queueing rules for a single scenario can lead to a multitude of knock-on effects. We need to consider an extremely large number of possibilities, which is why adjusting queueing rules is so tricky.
However, no more excuses, here are the adjustments we've made based on your feedback and our team's discussions:
● When a map reaches its player cap (200), a queue will be triggered to ensure combat experience. Players with [Lower Power] at the same priority level will be removed from the map.
● Balancing Participating Parties:
○ Queues will be balanced according to the participating parties (each faction is an independent participating party; Warbands that have declared war are also considered independent participating parties).
○ The number of players from different participating parties allowed onto the map will be calculated based on the number of party members (in the map + in queue) who meet the Power requirements (Power requirements will gradually increase as the season progresses).
■ For example: If the Ashen Faction has a total of 200 players (in the map + in queue) and the Sirius Faction has a total of 100 players (in the map + in queue), then the ratio of players from Ashen and Sirius allowed into the map will be 2:1.
○ A mininum number of slots per Participating Party will be protected to ensure their experience (the more participating parties there are, the fewer the number of protected slots per Participating Party).
● Priority Settings:
○ For Warbands level 10 and above, Warband Leaders, Vice Leaders, and Warband Commanders will have higher priority within their Warband.
○ During War Time, defending Warbands occupying the Harvester Hub on the current map and Warbands that are eligible to capture this Harvester Hub (those that have occupied neighboring Harvester Hubs) will have higher priority than other Warbands of the same faction.
● Other:
○ After map queuing is triggered, players on the map that do not participate in PvP activities for an extended period and have low activity will be removed from the map.
Ensuring the map queuing rules deliver the intended intense but balanced experience is our end goal. This will require further testing and long-term tuning. We will continue to strive tirelessly for improvement and appreciate your patience on this matter.
3.3 Combat Balance - Always a Work in Progress!
We've made further combat balance adjustments based on actual combat performance and feedback!
Our main goal and direction remain unchanged: to increase the diversity of various builds, allowing all kinds of equipment and Drifters to have their place on the battlefield! We also aim to provide everyone with a more stable and enjoyable combat experience! Please wait for our subsequent announcements for detailed changes!
3.4 Seasons
Yes, the concept of 'Seasons.' We feel that this wasn't conveyed intuitively enough to players during this full-scale war test.
From planets to star systems, from seasons to the settlements—what do these all mean in Warborne? We will be providing detailed answers very soon.
Of course, I believe everyone is most concerned about the tangible aspects: What content and progression can I carry over to the next season to get a head start?
We are happy to announce that we already have a finalized plan, and it will be announced soon along with our season plan. Please stay tuned, we are sure it won't disappoint!
4. Next Test and Open Beta Plans
Finally, yes, war. Let's return to war: Over these 30 days, some Driftmasters may not have had their fill of the thrill of battle, while others may be simmering with the anger and disappointment of temporary defeat. Rest assured, the time to unleash it all will soon come again—we will be conducting our next test in June. The test schedule is as follows:
June 7th - June 17th (Detailed times and server plans will be presented in a future announcement)
Yes, it's a somewhat unexpected test, and I believe many Driftmasters will have questions. Next, I'll select some of the issues we feel must be clarified and provide the relevant answers:
4.1 Why start a new test so soon after the Total War test?
As a new game launching this year, the Steam Next Fest in June is a unique opportunity for us to expose Warborne to PvP players worldwide. This unmissable event is both a challenge and an opportunity for us. We are working hard on adjustments and hope to attract even more players, to experience the fun of PvP in our game at the Next Fest!
This should also be our last large-scale public test before the Open Beta!
4.2 So, what's the difference between this test and the previous one?
We'll be honest, since the Total War test and this upcoming test are quite close in timing, this one will focus more on further optimizations and adjustments based on issues from the previous version. There won't be significant differences between the two versions.
Of course, if you still haven't had enough from the last test and want to dive back into battle, you are more than welcome! In fact, we've prepared a series of new goodies for our veteran Driftmasters—exclusive mounts, avatar frames, avatars, and custom Warband emblems—all await your return to the battlefield!
New Driftmasters! After seeing this call to arms, we sincerely hope that fresh blood like you will join this battlefield! This will be a very interesting feast of war. Regardless of your prior battlefield experience, as long as you bring a few comrades-in-arms, I believe you will definitely have a great PvP war experience!
4.3 So, when exactly is the Open Beta?
Yes, speaking of Open Beta! We are very happy to announce that Warborne will launch its Open Beta in the second half of 2025. Please give us a little more time to improve the game and have faith in us. We will do everything possible to perfect Warborne more quickly, so everyone can experience truly excellent warfare.
In the Open Beta version, we will have more new content and better adjustments awaiting Driftmasters. We want to ensure that when the true war horn sounds, everyone can experience the ultimate PvP combat fun! We're waiting for you and your comrades to join the endless battle!
4.4 So, do you have further follow-up plans?
Rest assured, the Open Beta is definitely not the end. Afterwards, we will gradually reveal more brand-new things to Driftmasters in the community—from better changes to updated content!
Furthermore, we are also considering more open and diverse ways to co-create Warborne with our community. Please keep an eye on our future announcements and event information!