Horizon’s Call Livestream Summary

Welcome Adventurers!

This past Saturday, Knighter, the CEO and Game Director of Ravendawn, hosted a livestream where he discussed the upcoming pre-patch, server merge, Public Test Realms (PTRs), Horizon’s Call Expansion, and the game's future in general. In response to the community's request, we have prepared a summary of the livestream. Please note that this summary was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and, although it has been reviewed, it may contain minor errors. If you have any doubts, please refer to the official stream for clarification.

We have also divided Youtube Livestream Video into Chapters, so click here to easily navigate around it!

Livestream Summary:

Dates:

Pre-Patch PTR: July 17th

PTR (Public Test Realm) opened
Players can test pre-patch features and balances.

Pre-Patch Release: July 23rd

Adventure board, world merge, and other pre-patch content will become available.
Includes a significant balance update.

Expansion PTR: July 26th

Players can test the new expansion features.

Horizon’s Call Expansion Release: August 9th

The first Ravendawn Expansion coming live

Adventurer’s Board:

New system for Ravendawn arriving in the pre-patch.
Designed for players below level 60, returning players, or new players.
Aimed to make the game appealing for returning players or newcomers during the pre-patch for the expansion.

Mechanics

Similar to WoW's pre-patch catch-up mechanics but with unique features.

Provides a variety of missions to complete:

Dynamic quests
Ranger's company tasks
Creature grinding
Profession-based tasks (gathering and crafting)

Benefits for Players Below Level 60

Large influx of experience points.
Soulbound infusions to level up gear at the same pace as player levels up.

Benefits for Players Above Level 60

Large amount of Dawn Essence.
Additional rewards.
Experience points less significant compared to pre-60 benefits.

More details available on the landing page.

New Aggro System:

Designed to make content more interesting and engaging.
Essential for the integration of Aether Echo boss additions.
Focus on enhancing boss content.
Prepares the game for potential future content like dungeons or raids.

Features:

Eliminates random target swapping.
Players can reduce their threat level.
Ability to grab instant threat.
Healers will generate threat.

A full teaser is available for more details.

Aether Rifts and Aether Echoes:

Two new systems: Aether Rifts (PvP-focused) and Aether Echoes (PvE-focused).

Aether Rifts:

Instanced rifts in another dimension.
Only from the supplybags obtained after the release to prevent hoarding.
Two teams can enter; non-cue based, allowing late entry.
Creatures around the map drop treasures, which are lost if the player dies.
Boss spawns in the middle after enough creatures are killed, rewarding a chest with potential Aether Echo scrolls and other rewards.
Option to continue to another rift, increasing risk and reward.
Special rewards for completing three rifts in a row without dying.
Titles and a 1v1 or 2v2 experience; queue solo or with a partner.
Rifts can only be spawned in town, allowing players to change builds before entering.

Balance and Mechanics

A balance patch will be included in the pre-patch, affecting many attributes and builds.
Ability to customize values for different attributes and builds in rifts, echoes, and Guild Wars.
Goal is to maintain balance and viability for different team compositions (e.g., healer DPS, double DPS).
Special mechanics in rifts to prevent drawn-out matches with tank healing builds.
Ongoing fine-tuning based on player feedback and competitive play.

Additional Information

Studio-wide playtests conducted, but player feedback will be crucial for further adjustments.

Aether Echoes:

Group-based boss encounters.
Summon bosses using specific scrolls.
Invite others to join the encounter.
Suitable for players of varying skill levels.
Four difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Very Hard.
Higher difficulties have more mechanics and higher stats.
Higher difficulties yield significantly more rewards.

Gameplay and Rewards

Starting with 10 Aether Echo bosses, with plans to add many more.
Goal to have over 50 unique boss encounters for a fresh and unique experience each time.
Bosses are known before the encounter, allowing players to adjust their builds accordingly.

Trophies

Each Aether Echo boss has its own trophy.
Trophies obtainable at all difficulties, but higher chance at Very Hard difficulty.

Augmenting Stones & New Tier 7 Items:

Augmenting Stones

Introduce a late-game gameplay loop.
Primarily obtained from Aether Echoes, with other in-game sources available.
Fully soulbound, cannot be bought or sold.
Requires silver for augmenting, similar to infusions.
Designed to add progression not solely tied to silver.
Allows gear enhancement, locked to Tier 3 gear and above.
Enables upgrades up to +10 on equipment and weapons.
Augments can be transferred to new gear, similar to infusions.

New Tier 7 Items

Includes weapons, equipment, and armor.
Provides new goals and challenges for players and crafters.
Added to professions, providing crafters with new crafting goals.
Teaser available on Discord.
Tier 7 gear can have duplicated stats and attributes.

Balancing:

Balancing involves both numerical adjustments and logical considerations.
Balancing is not solely based on stats; it also requires understanding gameplay mechanics.
Stats have a vote in decision-making but are not the sole determining factor.
Balancing decisions must take into account both the theoretical and practical aspects of the game.

Guild Wars:

Core feature along with Aether Rifts and Aether Echoes.
Fully instanced battlefield supporting up to 100 Guild Wars simultaneously.
Inspired by World of Warcraft's Eye of the Storm battleground.
Four towers around the map with shrines and a flag in the middle.
Holding towers grants points periodically.
Capturing the flag and bringing it to a tower gives a large influx of points.
Points are also awarded for killing players.

Gameplay Mechanics:

Focuses on a more structured battleground feel rather than open-world PvP.
15 vs 15 matches.
Guild membership currently required to participate, with future plans for pickup groups.

Guild Membership and Pickup Groups:

Encouragement to join guilds for participation.
Future system planned for non-guild players to join through conscripting or temporary guild membership.
Addressing potential issues with alt abuse and guild hopping.

Guild Houses and Strongholds:

Two sizes: Strongholds and Forts.
Strongholds: Smaller, auctioned monthly, larger than large estates.
Forts: Larger, glamorous, won through Guild Wars.
Both provide guild-wide buffs, with forts offering stronger buffs.

Future Plans and Features:

MMR system or rating for Aether Rifts considered for future updates.
Inspiration from arena-style PvP, aiming for a unique competitive environment.
Additional features and expansions planned to enhance the Guild Wars experience.

Additional Notes:

New rooms for estates, strongholds, and forts with tiered buffs.
Guild-wide buffs from rooms in strongholds and forts, though slightly reduced.
Rooms available in Horizon's Call for further customization.

Changes to Alternate Characters (Alts):

Current Issues:

The creation and use of alts have become a meta strategy for farming and other activities. This practice is not aligned with the intended design of the game.

Reasons for Changes:

The game was not designed to encourage or require multiple alts for competitive play.
The use of alts is seen as a loophole that undermines the game's design and balance.
The changes aim to relieve players from feeling obligated to maintain and use alts to stay competitive.

Client Optimization:

Significant reduction in RAM usage by approximately 40%.
Enhanced performance for devices with lower RAM, such as those with 4 gigabytes of RAM or less.

Impact:

Players using low RAM devices, like laptops or older PCs, will experience a substantial performance boost.
The optimization aims to make the game more accessible and enjoyable for players with less powerful hardware.

The optimization will be implemented sometime before the upcoming expansion.

Duel System:

Types of Duels: Players can engage in 1v1 or 2v2 duels.
Safe Environment: Duels take place in a completely safe environment where participants won't suffer death or any permanent consequences.
Party Duels: A unique feature allows for party duels, enabling players to practice and strategize with friends.
Purpose: Designed not only as a traditional PvP experience but also as a training ground for activities like Aether Rifts.

Fishing Updates:

In Horizon's Call, fishing is undergoing significant updates to enhance gameplay and rewards:

Targeted Fishing with Baits: Players will now have the ability to target specific types of fish using specialized baits, which is especially useful with the introduction of new fishing materials crucial for alchemy.
Redesigned Skill Damage: Skill mechanics for higher-level fishing have been revamped to make catching high-level fish more rewarding and engaging.
Silver Value Increase: There's a substantial increase planned in the silver value obtained from fishing:

- Shoreline fish will see a 100% increase in value.

- Sea fish will see a substantial 280% increase in value.

Dynamic Legendary Fish Pricing: Pricing adjustments are being made to ensure that legendary fish remain valuable and desirable in the game economy.

Changes to Grinding in Horizon's Call:

In Horizon's Call, several adjustments are being made to the grinding experience to ensure it remains rewarding and engaging without feeling mandatory or overwhelming:

Meta Adjustments:The goal is to maintain rewarding gameplay while reducing the necessity to focus solely on high-difficulty mobs.
Encouraging Engagement: The team aims to encourage engagement with grinding by making it more rewarding and less time-intensive. This includes adjustments to mob difficulty targeting and incentives designed to make grinding a fulfilling aspect of gameplay.

Herbalism & Alchemy:

In the upcoming expansion, Ravendawn introduces two new professions that promise unique gameplay experiences:

Herbalism:

Herbalism functions similarly to other gathering professions in Ravendawn, such as mining.
Players can engage in herbalism both on their own land and in the open world.

Alchemy:

Alchemy enables players to craft various potions, concoctions, and poisons.
The potions and items crafted through alchemy provide short-term buffs and other beneficial effects for characters.
Alchemy is structured to provide higher rewards in terms of immediate benefits to characters, making it a valuable addition for players seeking strategic advantages in gameplay.

Inventory & Bank:

Upcoming features for inventory and bank management to enhance player convenience and organization:

Backpacks (Inventory Tabs):

These are additional tabs within your inventory.
Customizable: Players can name these tabs and set preferences for specific categories of items to automatically sort into them.
Example categories include creature products, profession materials, and more.
This functionality resembles the Stash tabs seen in games like Path of Exile (POE), offering both expanded storage and organizational flexibility.

Vaults (Bank Tabs):

Similar to inventory tabs, vaults are additional tabs within your bank.
Customization: Players can name vaults and set automatic sorting rules for different types of items.
This includes tabs for crafting materials, creature products, cosmetics, and more.

Legendary Rings

These rings are designed for late-game players and will require involvement in various activities.

Participation in Aether Rifts and obtaining Aether Echoes will be necessary.
There will be involvement with activities related to the Rangers Company.
Certain components or materials will be needed from creatures.

Unique Attributes and Effects:

Each of these 10 new rings will offer high attributes tailored for endgame power.
In addition to their high attributes, each ring will feature unique added effects, enhancing their desirability and utility.
The rings are intentionally designed to be challenging to acquire, aiming to be prestigious endgame items.

Usage:

Players will be able to equip two of these Legendary Rings, though there may be restrictions requiring them to be different to maximize their benefits.

Marketing:

Despite initially launching with a modest marketing budget, Ravendawn gained significant attention and popularity through community platforms like Reddit and various gaming news sites.
The success and growth experienced since launch have now provided the opportunity to invest more heavily in marketing.
Ravendawn plans to execute a robust marketing campaign for Horizon's Call, surpassing the efforts made during the initial game launch.
Ravendawn is working on a significant upcoming collaboration, although details cannot be disclosed at this moment.

Merge Date and Details:

The server merge is scheduled for July 23rd, with the Serafine server merging into Angerhorn.
All inactive land on Angerhorn will be wiped as part of this process.

Refunds and Compensation:

All Serafine land and estate upgrades will receive a full 100% refund.
This includes refunds for both the land itself and any upgrades made to estates or rooms.

Options for Players:

Players from Serafine will have the option to choose between taking community land or claiming new land in Angarhorn.
This decision allows flexibility based on individual preferences, whether it's proximity to the city or a desire for specific locations in Angerhorn.

Community Feedback and Preparations:

The team has gathered feedback and prepared for the merge, ensuring that the transition is as smooth as possible for all players involved.
Discussions and simulations have helped in anticipating player choices and optimizing the merge process.

Mobile Client:

In the future, Ravendawn will support a mobile client, allowing players to connect to the game from their mobile devices. This is not a separate game but rather an extension of the PC version, similar to how Albion Online offers mobile support.

Functionality:

Initially planned as mobile lite support for marketplace activities and farm management, there's a possibility that the entire game may be accessible from mobile.
Players will be able to manage their farms, interact with guild activities, chat with others, perform crafting, and engage in marketplace activities.

Game Design Considerations:

Ravendawn was originally designed as a PC game, not a mobile-first game like Albion Online.
While basic activities like farming, crafting, and marketplace interactions will be feasible on mobile, high-paced PvP and intense content may be challenging due to mobile device limitations.

User Experience Focus:

The mobile client aims to facilitate casual gameplay sessions such as checking in on the game during breaks, managing non-intensive tasks, and engaging with the community.
It provides flexibility for players to stay connected and perform various game-related activities without being tethered to a PC.

Fully Rebuilt Chat System:

Despite being a complex task, the new chat system is set to be implemented with the upcoming expansion.
Aims to enhance user-friendliness and improve functionality significantly.
The new chat system will behave differently compared to the current one, focusing on making it much easier and more intuitive to use.

Upcoming New Outfits:

Ravendawn will introduce several new outfits alongside the upcoming content.
Players can expect to see a variety of new outfits, including a notable hammer outfit featured in the trailer.
Players will have more options to express their individual style and preferences through these new outfits.
While specific release dates weren't detailed, the new outfits are expected to be available concurrently with the upcoming expansion or shortly thereafter.

New Spawns, Creatures and Quests:

Ravendawn will introduce a variety of new spawns, quests, dynamic events, and story quests. These additions are specifically focused on late-game content, offering challenging and engaging experiences for high-level players. They are intricately tied to the acquisition and progression of new legendary rings, adding depth to end-game activities.

Late-Game Focus:

The new spawns include both terrestrial and aquatic creatures, designed to provide diverse challenges and opportunities for exploration.
Players can expect to encounter new environmental quests and dynamic events that enrich the late-game experience.

New Sea Creatures:

In addition to terrestrial spawns, Ravendawn will introduce new sea creatures such as piranhas and whales.

Ocean Content Redesigned:

Ravendawn will undergo a complete redesign of ocean content, focusing on improving balance and enhancing gameplay mechanics.

Ships have been heavily redesigned to make ship speed a significant factor in gameplay. This change aims to add strategic depth and increase the importance of maneuvering in ocean environments.

Enhanced Combat Experience:

The redesign includes changes to abilities and combat mechanics for both PvE (Player vs Environment) and PvP (Player vs Player) scenarios in ocean content.
Players can expect a more engaging and calculated combat experience, making interactions on the open sea more dynamic and rewarding.

Future Updates:

These updates are laying the groundwork for future additions to ocean content in Ravendawn.
Planned future updates may include ocean bosses and other unique features that will further expand and enrich the ocean gameplay experience.

Plunder Channel:

This channel will serve as a heightened war mode environment with increased rewards for grinding and trading trade packs.

Risk-Reward Mechanism:

To enter the Plunder channel, players must pay a silver bounty.
Upon death in the Plunder channel, the player drops their bounty, which other players can then collect. This introduces a higher risk-reward dynamic, where players stand to gain more but also risk losing their bounty upon defeat.

Future Channel Considerations:

There is a possibility that, depending on player feedback and gameplay dynamics, Ravendawn may phase out the existing Warmode Channel in favor of the Plunder channel. However, the decision to maintain both channels for player preference and simplicity is currently favored, providing players with more diverse gameplay options.

Poll (Item Drops):

Players are interested in enhancing the excitement of grinding mobs by introducing rare drops that go beyond standard creature products. Unique gear drops like those in games such as Tibia are not feasible due to the player-driven economy and existing crafting systems in Ravendawn.

Community Suggestions:

Cosmetics: Introducing rare cosmetic items as drops could provide a desirable reward without impacting the game's economy.
Mount Drops: Implementing rare mounts as drops could serve as a prestigious reward for players.
Trinkets, Amulets, Rings: Introducing unique accessories that offer situational benefits without overshadowing crafted items.
Trophy Shards or Similar Concepts: Exploring the idea of collectible items that could eventually be combined into a rare trophy or reward.
Limited Equipment Drops: If equipment drops were introduced, they should have limitations or conditions that prevent them from being superior to crafted gear.

Game Balance Considerations:

Any new drops would be designed to complement rather than replace the role of crafted items. Crafting would still be necessary for acquiring top-tier or highly customized gear. The aim is to maintain a balance where both grinding for drops and crafting remain valuable gameplay options.

Poll and Community Feedback:

A poll is being considered to gauge community interest and feedback on potential new loot ideas.
Developer transparency and community input are crucial to ensure any additions align with player expectations and game balance.

Rangers Company:

Change to System:

Currently, the Rangers Company board operates on a system where tasks must be completed within a 2-hour window. This system is being reworked to give players charges instead of a time limit.