FEATURE SPOTLIGHT – THE LIFE, WORLD AND ORIGIN OF THE WILDFOLK
The vast landscapes of Fractured Online feature three very different worlds: Syndesia, home of the humans. Tartaros, birthplace of the demonic races – and finally Arboreus, where the Wildfolk roam free. In this feature spotlight we’re going to show you what to expect in this lush jungle paradise.
WHO ARE THE WILDFOLK?
Nobody has to be explained who humans are – a deep look into the mirror tells us pretty much all we need to know about them. The demonic race, consisting of Blood Demons, Hellfire Demons and Shadow Demons, are obviously more alien to us, and will be discussed in great detail in a later feature spotlight. Right here and now we’re going to focus on the third race populating the worlds of Fractured Online: the Wildfolk.
Wildfolk are the native inhabitants of Arboreus, a jungle-like environment, home to many beautiful and proud peoples, of which we’re going to focus on two here: the Tiger-like Chadra and the Erwydra, who are closely related to Deer. These two will be released for all players of Fractured Online in September 2022, alongside Arboreus. Two additional character races will follow later on: The Bear-like Nheedra as well as the Udoadra, closely resembling Wolves, who we will feature in another spotlight.
In their first years, the Chadra and Erwydra younglings move around like your typical quadruped – but very soon they rely more and more on their hind legs, eventually using only these for walking and running, resembling humans at least in their posture. Unlike humans, however, Wildfolk are in their core a very peaceful society, living in harmony with nature and other creatures surrounding them – which in gameplay terms means that playing on Arboreus is very much focused on working cooperatively.
BORN TO BE WILD(FOLK)
Playing Wildfolk is very different to playing humans or demons. For one thing, Wildfolk are deeply connected to their mother planet. This means they draw power directly from the primal energy of their homeworld of Arboreus, which gives them a distinct advantage in combat. Secondly, most of their abilities are rooted in the arts of druidic magic – even the structure of their society is based on tribes and clans who are led by deeply respected High Druids.
Fights between Wildfolk and other races are defined by the former’s fast and agile movements, which means that Wildfolk prefer light armor and clothes over heavy equipment. In any case, Chadra, the Tiger-Kin, are formidable fighters, delivering lightning-quick and precise attacks, while Erwydra, the Hart-Kin, lean much more towards the use of nature-bound magic due to their more fragile body structure.
THE WORLD OF ARBOREUS
Arboreus is a warm, tropical world, full of forest and jungles, rivers and lakes, volcanoes and steppes. Although it is the homeworld of all the Wildfolk races, it can also be visited by the other races – at least if they know how to behave! Humans with a Good alignment are welcome too, at least for a limited time frame, surrendering some of their stats. Demons on the other hand, and players with Neutral or even Evil alignment are personae non grata on Arboreus, who will be attacked by the land and its many usually peacefully grazing inhabitants itself while suffering heavy debuffs! So you really need to become one with the mindset of the Wildfolk in order to be allowed to visit them for any longer period of time. If you’re good on Arboreus, nobody can and will attack you.
From a geographical point of view, Arboreus has a lot to offer – quite literally, as the map is about 56 km² in size (which translates into about 22 square miles). While the main environment here is the jungle and its coast, this world has a lot more to offer: Spend enough time on Arboreus, and you will encounter volcanoes, mountains, tundras, large beaches, swamps or steppes. This means that players have to actually care about their insulation in order to survive some of the harsher environments. Most of the time however you will roam freely in the lush jungles Arboreus is famous for, in which the Fractured Online Fashion Department recommends dressing in light layers as the climate can get quite hot. Not as hot as on a demon world, but it’s a jungle environment after all – they tend to be on the warmer side of things.
MEET NEW FRIENDS!
Strolling around the rich and varied landscapes of Arboreus, sooner or later you will discover a lot of creatures – new creatures that you are not going to find on any other world of Fractured Online! Most of them are fitting the theme of the world they’re living on, like Sea Turtles, Komodo Dragons, Giant Bullfrogs, Salt Water Crocodiles, Sea Crabs, Warthogs, Wooly Tapirs or Giant Rats – many of them big and mean and ready to deliver swift doom to any brash adventurer!
There’s also all sorts of lizards, starting very small and Gecko-like and ending with man-sized Iguanas. An assortment of insects like the Termidians, which are, as the name suggests, closely related to our infamous termites – on Arboreus they start as larvae before becoming spitters, warriors and even witches! By the way, we have good news for all players suffering from arachnophobia: there are no spiders on Arboreus!
However, there are many forms of Ogres – which you may know from Myr, but there’s a different brood waiting for you on Arboreus. There are Behemuts, really big, really strong and really awesome creatures! There are Bandits that you will only find at the coast as they do not dare walk deeper into the lands. And at the very top of the food chain there are… Dragons! Arboreal Dragons, Mountain Dragons and Ember Dragons, just waiting patiently for any all-too inquisitive adventurer. It’s like your mom used to say: don’t play with the fire-breathing lizard if you can’t handle the melting bones!
COME FOR THE SIGHTS, STAY FOR THE DELIGHTS
Playing the Wildfolk not only lets you encounter many new creatures, but also gives you a ton of new things to find! For example, there will be 40-50 new abilities available on this continent as well as many new resources to collect that you can then use for crafting and imbuing items. Also there’s a wealth of new lore to discover, as Arboreus is the domain of Elysium, one of the Good gods in the universe of Fractured Online – the very first god, to be precise. Who turned himself in the original planet (named also Elysium, like himself) and created all the other Gods. He is the one and only source of the natural energy flowing through the lands – as well as Nelena, another Good god, and also the goddess of the wild and mother of all Wildfolk. Do you want to learn more about the society of the Wildfolk? Their clans, their tribes, their High Druids, their fighting rituals, their offerings to their gods? There’s lots of wonderful new things to learn when dealing with walking Tigers and Harts.
One question remains though: How will you ever reach this brave new world? Well, you can travel there by means of a Stargate which you may know from the end of the introductory tutorial – later on they will feature quite a bit more spectacle though. Each continent has its own Stargate which can be activated for a brief period of time by consuming raw primal energy in the form of primal crystals. These crystals are only available on Arboreus, so Humans and Demons will need to trade with Wildfolk for them, or get some themselves whenever they manage to reach Arboreus. But that is something that we will dig into deeper in a later feature spotlight.
Fractured Online - "The Sacrifice" Live Action Trailer
Turn up the music and experience "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞", developed by Grammy-winning composer Alex Geringas and the famous streamer Lara Loft!
Fractured Online will be free to play on the weekend of September 2 starting at 16:00 CEST / 10:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM PT and ending on September 5 at 16:00 CEST / 10:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM PT. The game will also launch on Steam Early Access along with a new race and new world on September 15.
🎶 Jam to The Sacrifice with official lyrics! 🎶
Oh, world once full of toil and strife Torn in three and given new life Its virgin soil is free to claim, If you fail, you’ll die in vain, in vain With the dawning of the day Old dreams may end but soon we’ll see…. The battle begins Darkness and light Fire with fire Forever you’ll fight Fight till the end By day and by night Leading with hearts bleeding The Sacrifice So rise, oh hungry, desperate souls Forged in the fractured planet’s glow The ground cries out for blood and bone Either win, or die alone, alone. The battle begins Darkness and light Fire with fire Forever you’ll fight Fight till the end By day and by night Leading with hearts bleeding The Sacrifice Sacrifice With the dawning of the day Old dreams may end but soon we’ll see…. The battle begins The battle begins War never ends The battle begins Darkness and light Fire with fire Forever they’ll fight Fight till the end By day and by night Leading with hearts bleeding The Sacrifice Sacrifice
Today it’s an exciting day to announce some big news! September 15, 2022 Fractured Online officially enters Early Access!
What does Early Access bring?
Arboreus is no longer on the horizon and is within reach, the verdant lands will become available to all adventurers on September 15, along with the peaceful Wildfolk, the guardians of nature who roam Terra, Arboreus’ first continent.
Get ready to explore the vast jungles, filled with all kinds of inhabitants, from towering lizardmen to creepy crawling slugs, or perhaps the extensive beaches and the overgrown volcano are more your cup of tea, this and much more awaits on Terra for you to unearth.
The Wildfolk have a strong connection with nature, living their peaceful way and fighting any disturbances that threaten the balance of their lands, this bond grants them natural affinity towards druid magic, directly tapping power from the planet and are capable of morphing into their animal counterpart, making the Wildfolk the undisputed Guardians of Nature.
This and much more coming to Fractured Online!
Server Wipe
The Fractured Online servers will undergo a wipe before the start of Early Access and all progress you have obtained so far will be removed. We have taken this decision to give all adventurers, new and old an equal start.
➼ What exactly will be wiped? Anything that is characters, items, towns and knowledge points will be lost.
➼ Will there be more wipes? There will be one more wipe at Fractured Online’s official launch.
Early Access is just another step of our adventure and we’re excited for every other step of the way along the development of Fractured Online and we hope you’ll keep supporting us along the way with all of your feedback! _
Are you a Content Creator and looking forward to streaming on Early Access? Then get all the materials you may need with the Fractured Online Official Fan Kit!
Seasons come, seasons go, they bring sunshine, they bring snow - and they also bring a wealth of exciting new features into Fractured Online!
The world of Fractured Online is filled with fun and adventure as it is. Here and now we’re going to tell you about a feature that will make visiting the worlds of Syndesia, Arboreus and Tartaros an even bigger pleasure - we’re talking about seasons!
WHAT ARE SEASONS?
Simply put, they offer you and your guild a competitive environment to deeply dive into. Complete in-game actions to receive points, claim the top spot on the continuously updated leaderboard and - if you and your fellow adventurers are tenacious and brave enough - reap the rewards that await at the end.
As soon as a season starts, many in-game actions that you master will grant you points that count towards a common result of the guild you’re a part of. And this is important: Only guilds are allowed to participate! Of course, you are more than welcome to find fame and fortune as a maverick in our worlds - but seasons are meant to be a group activity.
When you are a member of a guild, playing Fractured Online within a season means that you are automatically participating. Your actions will help your guild climb the leaderboard ladder, regardless of whether you started playing at the beginning of the season or two days before its scheduled ending.
When a season is over, the winners will be announced and showered in precious rewards - then a new season will start, with new leaderboards, new challenges, new opportunities and, of course, new incentives to give it your all!
HOW DO I EARN POINTS?
Life in Fractured Online can be as exciting or as laid back as you want it to be. Do you prefer the daring life of a hunter, stalking your prey, spear at the ready?
Are you a highly focused martial artist, wandering the lands, seeking one challenge after the other, always on the lookout for an even mightier opponent? Maybe you are a friend of the quiet life, peacefully gathering plants and raw materials to become a great crafter, building nice things, and taking care of the community? All of these goals are equally valuable and useful - but you should really consider joining a guild, as having a community becomes highly important during a season!
If your guild owns cities, then it will gain a certain number of season points per day for each city owned, the value depending on the rank of the city - the higher the rank, the more points will come in. And if a city is part of a nation, it will accumulate even more points. If your guild feels adventurous, you may try and attack a neighboring city: A successful raid of a city controlled by a different guild gives additional points. Just as well as slaying a Legend does - mythical creatures, about which you can learn more here.
All of these points count toward a common goal: the sum total of your guild. You can always check out the current standing of your guild on the in-game leaderboards, on which the development of the competition is tracked at all times. And whichever guild has the most points at the end of the season, those are the winners. For the future we are also planning to make individual actions count towards season points – things like crafting special equipment or killing particularly challenging monsters. More on that will follow in a later spotlight.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
We’ve mentioned several times now that there will be winners – but what is it exactly that you can get by being part of a season in Fractured Online? Well, for one thing, there are bragging rights, of course. Being an important member of the guild that managed to out rival its competition, that found itself at the very top of the leaderboard at the end of the season – that is quite a feat, and most certainly not something that can be achieved by just anyone. It requires a strong sense of comradery and teamwork to pull off, as well as a will to overcome unexpected challenges in order to stand out amongst other guilds in the end.
But of course, you can expect more than just the metaphoric rose handed to you and a pat on the back for all your hard work – there are also precious in-game rewards awaiting you and your guild mates! Once the victors of a season are established, the winners will receive their prizes. There will be several rewards eventually, but here and now, we will pick one very special prize to talk about: the City Relics!
City Relics are very rare and precious items, they award unique buffs when placed within the confines of a city, and will surely make your guild’s city stand out! For example, if your hometown in Fractured Online happens to be really good for crafting, it could receive a blacksmithing buff – something that will increase the worth of the city immensely, attract new citizens, and is also something that no other city will have. Which makes it not only extremely useful but also very prestigious. More season rewards will be announced at a later point – but be sure that they will be just as amazing as City Relics as well as a great recognition to the winners for their impressive accomplishment.
START THE SEASON WITH A BANG!
Now, we’re still working very hard on the seasons as everything is still being balanced and polished to perfection. Which means that right now, we can not tell you exactly how long a single season will eventually be. It can be a month, it can be two months, maybe even four months – as soon as everything is set in stone, we will let you know (and try out for yourself) immediately. But one thing is for sure already: A season in Fractured Online will give you more than just entertainment!
If you happen to be a TV series fan, then you know that a new season usually starts with a big reveal, a drama, a twist – something that surprises, excites and moves you!
We have taken that to our hearts, which is why for each and every new season, we have something truly special for you in place.
After playing Fractured Online for some time, you will become very familiar with the concept of cities. Any guild can establish a city – all it needs is an unclaimed piece of land, 20 players, and some money. OK – lots of money. Once a city is established, it can become something truly big and shiny: Players can place roads and buildings, allowing them to start living a life within the walls of their guild’s hometown. And we all know how it is: Once a city begins to prosper, it can and will attract the attention of others – some peaceful… others less so.
Now, in standard play, one city can lay siege to another one – but only following certain rules, the most important of which being that only neighboring cities can start battling for ruling rights, as they need to be connected at the borders to do so.
But that particular rule does not apply at the start of a season! In the first two weeks of a new season, each and every city becomes vulnerable, regardless of their position – which means that you and your guild can attack any city, anywhere, and try to conquer it! What makes this big bang so special is that this is a very unique and rare opportunity when looking for a prime city spot – a chance to increase your area of influence that will not present itself again until the next season! So if you and your guild happen to have ambitious expansion plans, the two-week window at the start of a season gives you this one chance to conquer a city that you’ve maybe laid your eyes on for some time now but which was just out of your reach under normal circumstances. Maybe your settlers want to challenge a city that occupies a good location. Maybe you want to flex your siege muscles a bit. Or maybe you just want to get a better foothold in the world. Regardless of your reason, each season’s beginning fortnight is a prime time for expansion.
THE SEASON RESET
Once a season has concluded, the winners have been found, all prizes rewarded and the dust has settled, it is time for a new beginning: Seasons in Fractured Online will happen back to back – so the end of one season heralds the dawn of a new one. Every few months, depending on the eventual runtime of a season, the next chapter in the worlds of Fractured Online will greet you with new adventures, fresh challenges, and exciting battles. The first season will start in the summer of 2022.
We will make it known to all players when a season will end and when the next one is going to start, so that you don’t miss your chance for fame, glory, bragging rights – and of course, awesome loot. After all, what is the life of an adventurer without new and fresh challenges coming their way on a regular basis?
It was a bright Syndesian day and adventurers from all over were gathering up to come and show off their noble steeds, from simple to gilt mares, everyone had something to display. The competition is fierce and the prize is clear in everyone’s eyes. Who will win the contest?
WHAT IS THE #FRACTUREDONLINECREATIONS CONTEST?
Fractured Online Creations is a community contest where you will be tasked to re-design a unique horse mount for Fractured Online for a chance to have your item implemented in-game and earn a prize!
After the winner of the design contest is chosen, the horse will be implemented in August 2022 with an update.
The contest starts on May 27, 2022, and ends on June 30, 2022.
You could simply give new colors to the horse but be creative with new designs. The model can’t be edited too much, but simple things are allowed for example small changes in the saddle or armor. Huge changes in the model are not possible to implement (changing the body like adding wings or three tails).
You can edit the 3D Model with a program like Photoshop or/and adjust colors with pen & paper.
The style (colors & model) should fit into the world of Fractured Online and goes in the direction of fantasy & medieval.
Submit your entry using the DeviantArt group and/or Twitter by using the Hashtags #FracturedOnlineCreations #fantasy #MMO.
RULES:
Entry must be appropriate for all ages.
Your entry must be original, entries that are not yours are forbidden.
Your entry must adhere to the contest’s theme.
Your submission is only valid with the combination of the following hashtags: #fantasy #MMO and #FracturedOnlineCreations.
Creation should have a coloring & fit into the world of Fractured Online.
Larger adjustments in the 3 Model are not possible.
PRIZES:
1st place: One (1) winner will get 1.000 € and your design implemented in-game. 2nd place: One (1) winner will receive 500 €. 3rd place: One (1) winner will receive 250 €. 4th – 20th place: Winners will receive 1.000 Credits.
All entries will be entered in a raffle, two (2) lucky winners will receive a Fractured Online T-Shirt.
HOW IS THE WINNER CHOSEN?
The winners will be chosen by Dynamight Studios & the Fractured Online Team and will be announced on July 5th, 2022 in a news & as a direct message on Twitter or DeviantArt.
The two (2) winners of the Fractured Online T-Shirts will be drawn at random and will be announced on July 5th, 2022 in a news & as a direct message on Twitter or DeviantArt.
Sweater? Check. Sandals? Um… check? Umbrella?! Where are we going that we will need all these items? Now that the temperature and weather system has been released, players will need to adapt to the game’s ever-changing landscape at a moment’s notice.
In Fractured Online the temperature is based on three factors:
World Biome
Time of day
Weather
The Fractured Online world is vast and diverse. Different biomes come with many unique features, including different temperature ranges. A biome’s temperature range is defined by a temperature/time curve that dictates the temperature variation of a biome during the day/night cycle.
The combination of biome and time of day defines its base temperature at any given time, which can then be altered further by different weather events, either in a positive or negative direction, depending on the event.
Temperatures aren’t implemented just to add a bit of spice to Fractured Online, but instead, they can influence the gameplay. More or less extreme temperatures may force the player to prepare differently before venturing into the world.
Generally speaking, venturing unprepared in a very cold climate may trigger the “Chilled” status effect on the player. Alternatively, venturing in a very hot climate may trigger the “Warm” effect. The “Frozen” and “Burning” effects, which usually occur respectively at 100 Chilled and Warm stacks, are never triggered by the temperature alone.
Different character races have different tolerance thresholds to temperatures, which can be further modified by worn equipment, abilities, and potions (potions will be added once alchemy is introduced in a future update).
To briefly explain the system, we will consider what happens when the temperature gets too cold and how it can be prevented.
The system is symmetrical for hot temperatures.
Each player has a minimum temperature tolerance, which solely depends on its race.
Whenever the temperature goes below the minimum temperature tolerance, the player is out of its comfort zone, and starts getting Chilled. Stacks are added at a rate of 1 stack every 10 seconds (the Chilled effect can have up to 100 stacks).
Stacks gained this way don’t decay over time (as they usually do).
The maximum number of stacks depends on how cold it is: for each 1°C below the minimum threshold, the maximum number of stacks increases by 10.
Let’s give an example:
Your minimum temperature tolerance is 5°C. The temperature is 0°. You currently have 0 Chilled stacks.
You start gaining Chilled stacks at a rate of 1 stack every 10 seconds, until you reach 50 stacks, since the temperature if 5°C lower than your tolerance (5×10 = 50).
If you travel to a slightly warmer area, let’s say 3°C, your 50 Chilled stacks will start decaying normally, until you reach 20 stacks, since you are still 2°C lower than your tolerance.
Finally, Chilled and Warm status effects are not exclusive to the temperature system. They can also be triggered by other outside influences, like player spells, and are countered by each other (chilled counters warm and vice-versa). Variations in the amount of Chilled and Warm stacks caused by external factors happen normally and are not influenced by the world temperature.
Returning to the example above:
You are now at 0°C and with 50 Chilled stacks. In these conditions, your stacks won’t decay nor increase.
Let’s say that a Fireball spell, among other effects, adds 50 Warm stacks to anyone hit by it. You are hit by a Fireball. Since you already had 50 Chilled stacks and each Warm stack removes 2 Chilled stacks, 25 of the 50 Warm stacks are consumed to remove all 50 Chilled stacks. The remaining 25 Warm stacks are added to you, so you end up with 0 Chilled stacks and 25 Warm stacks after being hit by that Fireball.
Now you are still at 0°C, which means you gain a Chilled stack for each second, up to 50. Similarly, to the effect of the Warm stacks on the Chilled stacks, whenever you would have gained a Chilled stack while under the Warm effect, you end up losing 2 Warm stacks instead.
It’s worth noting that Chilled and Warm stacks gained due to the temperature are added on a much slower pace than stacks gained from spells (1 stack every 10 seconds, as stated above). Spells always add 10+ stacks of either effect per hit and each stack decays in 0.1 seconds. This means that in extreme situations, a player may decide to hit himself with Fire or Ice based spells periodically to counter extreme temperatures.
A more orthodox way to counter extreme temperatures would be to wear adequate equipment. Most pieces of equipment come with a couple of special properties called “Heat Insulation” and “Cold Insulation.” Each property increases the player’s tolerance towards extremely hot and cold environments additively (NOTE: properties may also decrease tolerance if they are negative).
The table below shows an example of the effects of different pieces of armour to the base temperature tolerances of a player:
Some crafting materials also come with Heat and Cold Insulation properties, which are directly added to the final piece of equipment base values crafted with them.
Some spells like “Protection from Fire” and “Protection from Cold” grant you immunity to the Chilled and Warm status effects, which in turn may provide immunity to extreme temperature effects, at the cost of one ability slot and some mana/second to keep them active.
Potions that alter your temperature tolerances will also be added in the future.
Some spells like “Protection from Fire” and “Protection from Cold” grant you immunity to the Chilled and Warm status effects, which in turn may provide immunity to extreme temperature effects, at the cost of one ability slot and some mana/second to keep them active.
Potions that alter your temperature tolerances will also be added in the future.
In Fractured Online, the weather is determined by a dynamic system of circular clouds that can spawn in different zones within a continent.
Each cloud has its own life cycle: first it grows, gradually darkening the sun, then if it has a precipitation event assigned, it starts precipitating (rain, hail, snow, etc..) and gradually shrinking in size, and finally, as it reaches a smaller pre-determined size, it stops precipitating and starts dissipating completely.
Each cloud determines a specific weather event, and during its lifetime it determines the precipitation particle type, the wind intensity and turbulence, other special effects like lightning, and the temperature variation.
Each cloud, as stated above, is circular, and affects anyone within its range, which means that it’s possible for a player to enter a cloud while venturing in the world. Weather events in Fractured are not continent-based, but location-based!
All the effects of a cloud are interpolated depending on the distance from the center of the cloud. That means everything will be more intense in the middle and less intense at the borders of the cloud so that players will experience a gradual variation of the weather while entering a cloud zone.
Although quite rare, two or more clouds could potentially overlap, in which case the player will experience a mix of the effects from both clouds, weighted depending on the intensity of each cloud in that specific position and normalized between the two.
Each continent has different pre-determined weather zones with each zone offering a different setup. This determines the chance of a cloud to spawn within is range, the maximum number of clouds existing at once, the size of the clouds, and the type of clouds.
So far, we have 4 types of weather clouds, each one with a low intensity event and a high intensity event:
Note that not every cloud reaches its highest intensity. For example: a small Storm cloud may only result in a Rain event during its entire life cycle.
Right now, all the cloud types we have deliver a negative effect on the temperature. In the future, things may change as we add special events like firestorms, meteor strikes, acid rain, and other special events!
Please note: only the temperature system is available in the patch released on April 27, while the weather system is set to go live the following week.
IT WAS THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT
As you can see, our temperature & weather system can and will influence each player’s adventure through Fractured Online. Whether it works in their favor or against completely relies on how prepared they are when met with a rainy day.
Bug Fixes
Today’s patch doesn’t only bring a new system to life, but plenty of bug fixes as well.
