Welcome to Heracleion: Domed Citadel of the Zodias
The next chapter in the Arlorian mythos will take us to the briny depths of the eastern sea, to "Heracleion," the hidden citadel of the Zodias: a domed city beneath the waves.
A new continent is discovered on the far side of the eastern sea. Merchants of Arlor, led by the Wind Consortium, amass an enormous fleet of cargo ships, colony vessels, and exploration craft to take advantage of this new treasure-rich land! Unfortunately, the entire fleet is smashed to matchsticks in a sudden and terrifying event... leaving only a handful of survivors to tell the tale.
And what a tale it is! Filled with fearsome sea monsters, mermen, and mechanical horrors!
Here's your comprehensive guide to what you can expect and explore in the new Level 81 cap content! If you read Friday's teaser, this is similar, with some additions that we didn't chat about in that post.
ADVENTURE ZONES
(Above: your choice of Zodias Campaign dungeons.)
The Zodias Realm offers four (4) distinct areas for leveling and looting that are open at all times.
Earn experience, gold and loot from the major Advancement Zones and collect special loot from the three cyclical bosses. Each boss has a chance to drop unique Legendary loot items.
The Sunken Fleet
This underwater zone is filled with deadly swarms of 'shredder' fish, formidable 'giant crabs,' toxic 'sea slimes,' and dead sailors covered in seaweed that have been reanimated by Rahabkor's evil magic.
Sea slimes have congealed into a semi-sentient mass called "Taa'nyn" that guards your exit from this dreadful drowning coralscape... and this creature is rumored to drop the most rare (Level 81) Legendary 'ring' items (swallowed when the Kryzelian Jewel Ship was destroyed).
The Newland Star
At the heart of the immense shipwreck that litters the ocean floor lies the 'Newland Star,' a colony vessel once filled with hopeful settlers.
Dreadful 'starfish' mini-boss monsters infest this area, armed with corrosive chemical beams that fly from their stingers. Starfish also possess a telepathic command of 'seaweed' that can trap you, stun you, and set you up to be roasted by that awful beam!
Atop the wreckage of the Newland Star sits "Bah'Moth," the giant sea worm! His stomach is full of drowned colonists and merchant sailors, their bones now driven by Rahabkor's magic, Beware as Bah'Moth may opt to vomit these skeletal monstrosities at your party in-between area poison sprays and deadly smash attacks!
Bah'Moth is rumored to have swallowed a massive collection of necklace items. Perhaps you shall loot one for yourself?
An Abyssal Ordeal
Ages ago when the Zodian people first embraced the deep, the vast 'sunken' temple and its technology was their exclusive domain. Now, under the deadly influence of Rahabkor this area belongs to the ravenous (Zodian-eating) Mermen!
These soldiers of Rahabkor, these 'Deep Ones' were once content to simply dominate the Zodian people and consume them at leisure. Things have changed and they are now collecting an army to raze the sea floor and invade the surface!
The Sunken Temple's exit is guarded by "Aquareth," a deep sea water elemental condemned to serve the Deep Ones. Rahabkor's evil magic has driven this creature utterly insane, making his attacks wild and frantic. Command over water allows Aquareth to summon crushing waves of water, skin-peeling water vortices, and a flash flood that fills the entire temple with drowning sea water!
Aquareth is believed to possess a disturbingly vast collection of 'belt' equipment. An obsession. Likely the result of his crippling insanity.
Sanctuary of Secrets
In the nerve-center of the Sunken Temple the Deep Ones 'secret weapon' awaits deployment against the helpless Zodians: "Zaartarax" the Water Dragon. Captured by Rahabkor and consigned to the army of the Deep Ones.
Zaartarax is capable of a wide range of water-based attacks and defensive maneuvers that make him a most powerful weapon indeed!
Land-dwelling loot hunters suspect that Zaartarax possesses myriad Legendary helmet items.
SPECIAL BOSS ZONES
(Above: progress toward unlocking Ekenta, Mecharydon, and Rahabkor shown on the world map.)
The campaign also features three (3) major bosses that are available for limited times (based on community goals): Ekenta the Merman, Mecharydon the Summoner, and Rahabkor the massive tentacled 'ruler of the abyss' (known to some landlubbers as "The Kraken" of ancient myth... and most likely the reason the mighty Wind Fleet was sunk in seconds)!
OPENING MECHANISMS
Defeating Taa'nyn, Bah'Moth and monsters in the shipwreck zones (The Sunken Fleet, The Newland Star) will bring Mecharydon out of hiding. This shockingly evil Deep One has been killed and resurrected so many times that he's been forced to commit what remains of his scant living tissue to a massive metallic 'shark' body. Indeed this villain embodies 'shark,' in all the terrifying and upsetting ways (and none of the cool ways).
You'll have a chance to loot weapon items from Mecharydon.
Defeating Mermen, Aquareth and Zaartarax in the Sunken Temple zones (An Abyssal Ordeal, Sanctuary of Secrets) will compel the giant ancient merman Ekenta to avenge his fallen comrades. Ekenta, commander of the Deep Ones, is Rahabkor's most trusted lieutenant. He continuously consumes Zodian "sacrifices" that are lowered into his resting chamber in a horrid display of hunger and hatred.
With respect to loot, Ekenta favors armor items.
Rahabkor the Kraken, Ruler of the Abyss, King of the Deep Ones will only emerge after Ekenta and Mecharydon have been defeated a significant number of times. Battling Rahabkor takes teamwork, skill and careful coordination during the fight to survive, yet alone to prevail!
Rahabkor has a chance to drop any category of Legendary equipment (rings, necklaces, belts, armor, weapons and helmets) as well as special vanity items.
STRATEGY
These special bosses have some more complex mechanics than your average Arlorian finale. Keep an eye out for special interactive items that will give you some clues to how to take each one down. As mentioned above, raw power won't be enough! Be prepared to craft your perfect party and strategy before heading in.
NAVIGATION AND GATES
(Above: a cargo net 'gate' blocks the path to an undersea boss.)
You'll note immediately that the dungeons in our Zodias expansion wee designed in an old school fashion with specific layouts built to emphasize fun, exploration and cool combat. You'll also note that paths are randomly 'gated' when you start each map. These gates drop in random order as you explore and defeat monsters.
To prevent you from wasting time pursuing the 'wrong' direction and hitting a gate, we've added environmental effects that point the way. A subtle current flow in the undersea dungeons moves in the direction of the most recently opened gate. The current flow will change as each new random gate is opened. Similarly, in the Sunken Temple zones there are 'guide lights' on the floor like an airplane runway that indicate where to go.
LOOT
(Above: OP Zodias loot... that'll come out some time after the expansion)
Rare, Epic and Legendary equipment items will be available for loot when the expansion releases. Mythic, Arcane, Set and Spirit gear will be released later. We are doing this to maintain the value of current gear and prevent large-scale economic disruption with the sudden appearance of "OP Level 81" stuff.
Spirit of the Deep gear was originally planned to release with the expansion but I've had a change of heart - largely due to the inflow of messages from concerned players who feel that their epic struggle to level-up their existing Spirit gear will be obliterated by a replacement set. There is merit to this concern. Therefore we'll keep all the new 'Spirit' stuff under wraps 'til other power-related impacts of the expansion have settled.
SETS
When the expansion releases there will be a three (3) piece Legendary Level 81 set and a six (6) piece Legendary Level 81 set. Both of these sets will provide significant bonuses. There will still be a power gap between Level 76 Arcane gears and the Level 81 Legendary gears (that favors the Arcanes) but these 3 and 6 piece sets will make that gap a bit more narrow.
Here's a look at the bonuses by class:
Rogue:
Warrior:
Sorcerer:
FACTIONS
(Above: Sagira, the Zodias Champion Faction NPC)
Your presence in Heracleion won't initially be welcomed by everyone. You'll need to prove your worth by defeating world bosses and showing your dedication to the people of the deep. As you defeat bosses throughout the new dungeons, you'll earn points to climb through three levels of factions: Advocate, Guardian and Champion. (And Outsider, starting out, but that doesn't earn you any privilege.)
As you earn favor with the Zodias Champions, you can visit Sagira in the Zodias Capital to purchase things like crafting recipes, vanities, fish oil elixirs, and crafting components using the new tokens: Fathoms.
For example, you can collect the recipe for the Sunken Ritual Robes at the Guardian rank (25,000 points).
And the class-specific Aquatic Legend set recipes at the Champion rank (150,000 points).
Make sure to check in with her as your earn points to see what she has available.
Like previous expansion releases this one comes with a special Fast Cap reward and recognition for the first few Legends to reach this new height.
Reaching Level 81 during the Fast Cap event will unlock a special Zodias Guardian three-piece vanity set (vanity armor, vanity helmet, vanity banner)!
(Above: Level 81 Fast Cap Vanity Armor, Helmet, Banner)The Level 81 Fast Cap Event period lasts for five (5) days.
The first Ten (10) Legends to reach 81 will unlock a special "81" Badge.
(Above: the Level 81 'First to Cap' Badge for the first 10 Legends to reach 81)
A permanent reward for reaching Level 81 is the "Level 81 Mastery Banner," featuring a unique Zodias-themed design:
(Above: the Level 81 Mastery Banner)
This vanity banner item will be awarded to any who reach Level 81 (during or after the Level 81 Fast Cap Event period has ended).
WEEKEND SALE
In celebration of the new expansion, and to get your characters looking the part to visit Heracleion we'll be running a weekend sale from 9/18-9/19 for the Zodian Combat Dive Suit vanity! Check out the store to pick one up for yourself.
Yeah any of this can (and might) change "at a whim," but lemme say...
The undersea world of the Zodias, from the murky sunken depths of the merchant fleet wreck to the pristine beauty of Heracleion to the terrifying techno mazes of the mermen, give us lots of interesting places to go thematically for Guild Halls, Housing, Furniture and Vanity items. The inspiration to 'go under the sea' came from the forums and it has been a very satisfying creative endeavor for the entire team... so kudos, Legends all!
Beyond this, even more interesting are the procs and performance of upcoming Mythic and Arcane weapons that derive their unique visuals and powers from this 'undersea' theme! I know you want to hear more about that... but you'll have to wait ;-)
In the category of "Loving like we've never been hurt before," we will be adding a new mode to PvP. The "Poseidon's Ring" Domination Arena will bring a whole new style of competition to Arlor! Teams claim 'control points' in this game type, collecting points over time for each point they own... unelss, of course the enemy team wants to do something about that!
Last, but definitely not least, the New Player Experience has been a big topic here over the past couple of years and we've put quite a lot of effort into a broad rebalance of Arcane Legends. A much more accessible experience curve is one thing we've been working on alongside a statistics and ability update for monsters to make low-level soloing and small group play much more viable. This specific change is currently scheduled to release at the start of next season.
Salutations from under the sea!
Level 81 Expansion Guide - Adventure to the deadly underwater realm of the Zodias!
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