Now that you know your way around the new capital of Níwenborh, it is time to shift focus over to Artifacts and how they can be used to facilitate your exploration of the peninsula and improve your combat prowess.
Artifacts are sources of immense power which you’ll discover and collect as you venture out on quests. The Commander can equip up to three different artifacts at any one time. With The Dragoness: Command of the Flame we really wanted to emphasise replay-ability with roguelite elements such as the Commander’s Revival Spells and the Quest Challenges. To compliment these mechanics, you’ll also have the opportunity to forge your own randomly generated artifacts as you rebuild the capital of Níwenborh!
"They Belong in a Museum"
During a quest, you’ll often come across treasure troves scattered around the map. While a chest will contain resources, piles of loot and adventuring gear will always contain an artifact.
When collected, an artifact will immediately be added to the Commander’s inventory. To make use of an artifact’s unique abilities, players will need to equip them into one of the Commander’s three artifact slots. Be advised however that you cannot equip identical artifacts, thus preventing you from stacking duplicate bonuses.
You’ll take your entire artifact collection with you on a quest, and you can be freely swap out and equip as you see fit to help you overcome challenges as they arise.
Because of the diversity of artifacts available, some may suit certain situations better than others. For example, Radiant Light increases the commander’s view range to aid in exploration and planning, while Shield of Might increases the shield value of all beasts in the army to give you a defensive edge in battle.
All artifacts discovered during a quest will be brought back with you to the capital and can be used again on subsequent quests, or taken to the Ancient Forge.
Fire up the Forge!
In our last post we showcased the Ancient Forge capital building and touched on its various uses including Artifact Forging and Shard Smelting.
Throughout your travels, you’ll come across Green Shards which can be smelted down at the Ancient Forge to create a random artifact. By purchasing Magic Dust upgrades you can gradually increase the % chance of a higher level artifact being produced.
The Smelting Efficiency upgrade can be used to lower the cost of Green Shards required to smelt new artifacts. With a fully upgraded Forge you’ll find that you’ll be churning out exotic and valuable assets in no time at all!
The Enchanted Anvil upgrade will unlock Artifact Forging. This useful ability enables the merging of two identical artifacts to create a higher-level version. Merging two basic artifacts will yield a level 2 result, and merging level 2 artifacts will yield a powerful level 3!
It’s always worth keeping hold of a few duplicate artifacts of various levels to use in Forging later into your campaign as your quests and objectives change, and require a more specialised approach. Remember that any unwanted artifacts can be exchanged on the Black Market, so keep smelting!
Check back soon as in our next post we’ll be looking at Part 1 of the Bestiary and highlighting some of the beast units that you’ll be recruiting into your army as you travel across the Drairthir Peninsula.
The Dragoness: Command of the Flame launches on 1st September 2022!
See you again soon,
- Crazy Goat Games & PQube
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Release date announcement + new Story Trailer!
Greeting Commanders!
Firstly, we’d like to thank you all again for the feedback and support you’ve shown so far on this journey, it has truly been appreciated and we can't wait for you to get stuck in with the full game!
On the subject of release, we have some exciting news to share with you! The Dragoness: Command of the Flame will be launching on September 1st 2022!
To coincide with this announcement, we’d like to share with you our new Story Trailer which introduces the history of the world of The Dragoness as well as some of the major challenges that you'll be facing in the campaign!
The Drairthir Peninsula has been plunged into chaos following the devastating civil war between the majestic Regal Dragons and the cruel Shai-Va. It is up to you, a veteran Elven Commander from across the seas, to help the Dragoness bring peace back to the land.
In the coming weeks we'll continue to share regular updates with you as we gear up for launch, so stay tuned!
- Crazy Goat Games & PQube
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Restoring the Capital - Part 2
Exploring more of Níwenborh!
In our last post, we took our first look at Níwenborh, the kingdom’s new capital that you’ll be working to restore throughout your campaign. We touched on the utility of essential buildings such as the Magic Amplifier, recruitment Camps, Training Grounds, Oracle, and Marketplace, and how they can be used to bolster the strength of your forces, improve the Commander’s abilities, and trade precious resources!
This time around we’ll be examining some of the more specialised buildings that you’ll be constructing and utilising in the later stages of your adventure.
Monster Mash
Mercenary Camp - One of the strongest buildings you can erect in the Capital, this tall tower allows you to begin recruiting unique and dangerous units that would not otherwise be available through camps.
While these creatures hold no loyalty to the Dragoness, they can be bought for a price. Commanders can use the rare resource, Mercenary Sigils, to hire these Units for their next quest. Players can hire multiple mercenaries at the same time and mix them into their army with regular units, provided they have enough space of course!
Shrine of Souls – An essential upgrade for those with an affinity for battle. The Shrine of Souls maintains a record of all the beast units that you have defeated while undertaking quests. If you defeat enough of a specific creature, you will unlock extra resources which in turn can be used to build more capital structures.
The more powerful or rarer the slain unit, the better the rewards!
Forge Ahead
Ancient Forge – As you explore the Drairthir Peninsula you’ll discover and collect various exotic artifacts and rare shards.
Artifacts are powerful items that the Commander can equip to provide offensive and defensive buffs to her army and improve her spells and abilities. Shards on the other hand are artifact fragments which can be smelted down at the Ancient Forge to craft entirely new items.
By upgrading the Ancient Forge you’ll eventually be able to combine two of the same artifacts to craft an even more powerful version. Just remember that an artefact can reach a maximum of two-star levels, at which point it can no longer be improved.
Black Market – Unlike the regular Marketplace which trades in resources, the Black Market deals exclusively with artifacts. As you explore and through the use of the Ancient Forge you’ll gradually start gathering multiples of the same artifact. Fortunately, any unwanted or spare artifacts can be traded on the Black Market for random artifacts of the same star level.
Upgrades, People, Upgrades
Almost all the buildings that you construct in the Capital can be upgraded in some way. These upgrades vary depending on the structure but all will aid you in your quest to overcome the Shai-Va and the mysterious affliction that has blighted the peninsula.
For example, upgrading the Ancient Forge unlocks the ability to create more powerful artifacts by merging duplicates. Further upgrades will then increase your percentage chance of creating more powerful artifacts when smelting shards, or reduce the cost of shards needed when creating a new artifact!
Níwenborh will gradually become more vibrant and grander as you continue to work on its restoration. You’ll notice this when you upgrade an existing structure, with new visual elements appearing as you purchase each upgrade.
And that is everything you need to know about the capital of Níwenborh! We hope you’ll enjoy creating a mighty city to act as a bulwark against the chaos spreading throughout the kingdom.
In our next update, we’ll be elaborating more on the use of Artifacts as well as their importance during battles.
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