In the previous devlog we said Guardian Legion events would be left out of the first Alpha release, because the system was still being reverse engineered. That work moved forward, and the first event is already running on the test server.
In this devlog we show how that event works, what we intend to do with the system in leveling and endgame, and where it is still experimental.
Important: we're still in development. Values and mechanics may change as we test, balance, and gather feedback.
At a Glance
- First event in testing: Orcan Raiders, a medium-tier Guardian Legion, on Island of Dawn
- Two phases: first the smaller enemies, then the final boss
- Built for groups: difficulty is being tuned for at least one tank or one healer plus DPS classes
- Three tiers: small (green), medium (blue), and large (gold), each with different solo viability
- Leveling reward: the plan is for events from level 1 to 59 to hand out Valkyon Commendation
- Still experimental: we are mapping the limits of what this system supports
What a Guardian Legion Is
For anyone who has not run one, Guardian Legions are dynamic events that take place on open-world maps. Several players can join the same event, with or without a formed group, and each player’s contribution is counted individually. There is more detail on the Guardian Legion wiki page.
This is the kind of mechanism we want to use to encourage open-world content. The idea is to build several Guardian Legion events across different regions, both along the progression path and in the endgame, instead of concentrating all the relevant content in instances.
Orcan Raiders, the First Test
The event available on the Alpha is called Orcan Raiders. It is a medium-tier Guardian Legion, identified by the color blue, and it has two phases: in the first, players clear the smaller enemies in the camp, and in the second they face the boss leading them.
As an aside: parts of the map interface in that screenshot already show up in Portuguese, such as the zoom and reward buttons. We covered that in the translations devlog.
Orcan Raiders Guardian Legion test with the community:
Difficulty and Enemy Behavior
These events are meant for group play, and the difficulty is being tuned with that in mind: the expectation is that a medium-tier event calls for at least one tank or one healer plus DPS classes.
As a first test, Orcan Raiders uses ordinary map mobs, but with the AI adjusted to be more aggressive and more punishing when the player leaves too many openings during the fight. The goal was to measure how much pressure we could put on open-world combat without making it unfair.
As we move forward with this content, the intention is to raise the complexity of these fights, including mechanics that normally show up only in instanced PvE.
The Three Tiers and the Solo Player
Guardian Legion events are sorted into three tiers:
- Small (green): we intend for these to be doable solo with any class
- Medium (blue): depending on the event, a very skilled player may manage it solo, but it will be tuned for a group with at least one healer or tank
- Large (gold): should be impossible to do solo
Leveling Rewards
The initial plan is for Guardian Legion events from level 1 to 59 to reward the Valkyon Commendation, the token we introduced in the previous devlog, which is already used to reward open-world content in that level range.
The intention is for joining an open event to carry the same clear payoff that quests and the harder targets in each region already have, instead of being an activity with no reward of its own.
Balancing how many tokens each event gives is still open, and will be adjusted during the Alpha.
What’s Next
To be upfront, this content model is still experimental. There may be a limit in the system that we have not found yet, and Orcan Raiders is the first real test outside our internal environment.
In the next regions, the idea is to increase the number of events and gradually test how far this system can go. Each new event is also a measure of how much it can take.
See you next time! 🛠️