Dear friends!
First of all, we would like to thank the Warspear Online community for their interest and attention to the process of developing the new island! This time, we have decided to provide more details about the non-playable guilds of Almahad, which we briefly mentioned before. We recommend you to check out the first part of the diaries to fully understand the topic, and now, welcome to the continuation of the narrative!
We would like to remind you that the project is still in development, which means that any elements may be subject to change by the time of release.
What are non-playable guilds?
After exploring the magnificent palaces and dilapidated slums of Er-Sahil, you will be just one step closer to unraveling the mystery of the Black Sun's rim. A fierce battle among the leading guilds of Almahad has unfolded for the right to possess this most powerful artifact on the island. This means that the only way to acquire the artifact is to infiltrate their ranks and gather information from within. But what are non-playable guilds?
Non-playable guilds are special coalitions, interacting with which grants you access to unique gameplay mechanics and content, not available outside of membership in that guild. As we mentioned in the first part of the diaries, you can only be a member of one non-playable guild at a time. Additionally, on Almahad, rivals from different in-game guilds can be part of the same non-playable guild.
You will be able to join a non-playable guild after completing the storyline in the city and the introductory quests related to the guild. You will have access to all existing introductory quests for non-playable guilds simultaneously – you can choose where to begin first.
In the upcoming release, you will have the opportunity to get acquainted with two of the five non-playable guilds – Adventurers Guild and the Assassins Guild. Guild registrars, awaiting new recruits in their headquarters within the territory of Er-Sahil, are always ready to assign you a special initiation mission, and from there, the most exciting part begins!
Adventurers and Assassins
Getting acquainted with any of the non-playable guilds promises you truly captivating adventures outside the capital! As you already know from previous diaries, a significant part of the Almahad island is covered by a desert - vast, but not lifeless. The desert is divided into gameplay sectors, each with its own storyline and unique inhabitants, and each non-playable guild will have its own sector. Additionally, a substantial portion of activities will take place in the Golden Sands – an extensive common PvP territory.
Completing tasks assigned to you by the representatives of the Adventurers Guild will lead you to the Mirage Desert - a magical habitat of genies, snakemen, and a true sanctuary of antiquities! Representatives of this guild are true explorers, as they gain access to the most hidden corners of Almahad!
Adventurers Guild
The Adventurers Guild, founded many centuries ago, sets its goal as the exploration of the mysterious island of Almahad and the search for its long-lost treasures. It is the Adventurers who guard the secrets of the hidden corners of the island, which they are willing to reveal only to the worthy. The guild members are brave, curious, and determined warriors ready to challenge both what is lost in the sands and what remains hidden in plain sight!
And if you decide to join their rivals - the Assassins, then you will venture into the Scorpion Kingdom - a land of endless warfare, inhabited by half-humans, half-scorpions and Dog-Heads, ready to battle all who dare to challenge, to quench their thirst for combat. Even the Assassins themselves are ruthless and dangerous “headhunters”.
Assassins Guild
The Assassins Guild specializes in contract killings for hefty money. Guild members live in a world of shadows and deceptions, one they have largely constructed themselves. Each of them is a talented hunter, capable of tracking down and striking a target of any level, whether it's a common bandit or a highborn noble. Only those who prove their courage will have the gates of the Assassins Guild open to them; brothers and sisters will welcome them into their ranks to stand against the visible and the invisible together!
After joining a non-playable guild, you gain access to daily and dynamic quests, dedicated dungeon and guild events, raid boss, and further progression in the storyline will unlock access to side storylines and missions in the gameplay sectors of other guilds. Additionally, you will have access to content unique to your non-playable guild (we will provide detailed information below).
While exploring the island, do not forget about the harsh climate of Almahad - from time to time, powerful sandstorms occur on the island, which can confine you to the capital Er-Sahil for an extended period!
Reputation with factions “Elders of Guild”
As it's well known, every newcomer must first secure the support of the most respected members of the combat brotherhood. On Almahad, you will need to earn the recognition of the guild's elders by building your reputation with a specific guild faction. Familiarizing yourself with the faction will occur upon joining the guild. Reputation can be earned by completing daily and dynamic quests, as well as through various other activities, of which there will be no shortage. Please note that if you leave a non-playable guild, your current reputation with that guild's faction will be reset to zero!
The accumulated reputation points can be spent on learning talents from the non-playable guilds, with each guild having a unique talent tree.
Talents of non-playable guilds
Striving to gain the upper hand in the fight for the artifact, representatives of the most powerful guilds of Almahad have created a special arsenal of skills and abilities within talent trees. And to make your journey through Almahad particularly memorable, each talent tree will be divided into segments of equal length, with special progress markers called “ranks”. A rank becomes active when you start learning all talents within the horizontal row it's connected to, and it remains active permanently. It's this active rank that allows you to retain the progress of learning talents at the same level and above the rank when leaving the non-playable guild. Upon rejoining the non-playable guild, the progress of learning talents will be restored to the level of the last active rank.
Unique mechanics of non-playable guilds
As we have mentioned before, each non-playable guild will have its own daily and dynamic quests, as well as other activities, bonuses, and enhancements, including the talent tree. Advancing through its study, you'll uncover a special talent that opens access to a unique guild mechanic. This mechanic becomes active and available to you as soon as you learn the relevant talent. Additionally, within the branches of the tree, you'll find talents that influence the functioning of this guild mechanic.
To engage with this mechanic, you need to head to the PvP territory of the Golden Sands – that's where the real scorching heat awaits! Nevertheless, you can always rally the support of your allies from your game guild, who can also receive rewards for successfully completing the unique mechanic of your non-playable guild, even if they're not part of it.
Mechanic of Adventurers - Tombs
For the fearless and tireless adventurers, explorers of Almahad, access will be granted to ancient tombs holding rich rewards! Just keep in mind that in your quest to find the entrance to the underground treasuries, you'll need to race across the desert, and the route to the tomb's entrance will be unique for each adventurer!
After the tomb entrance is discovered, the adventurer can invite their group to complete a mini-dungeon but remember, that the entrance action will be time-limited. The discovered dungeon is tied to the adventurer who found it: if they leave the group, the dungeon entrance disappears for all group members. However, if there are several adventurers in a group who have found tomb entrances, your group will have access to several tombs with active entrance timers. Moreover, visiting the tombs will not consume the seeker's stamina. The entry procedure for tombs, however, will remain identical to entering regular dungeons.
Each tomb discovered by an adventurer will be unique, as the layout of the location, monsters, and dungeon boss will be generated randomly. Your task is to clear the corridors of the tomb from monsters within the given time, filling the progress bar at the top of the screen, defeating the dungeon boss, and remembering to collect rewards from chests! By the way, rewards in the tombs will be refreshed daily, and in a day, you can receive up to 5 rewards.
Mechanic of Assassins - Outposts
Assassins are true masters of stealth, capable of not only tracking their target but also swiftly eliminating it without unnecessary noise. The unique guild mechanics of assassins will allow you to apply these deadly skills in practice and infiltrate bandit camps in the Golden Sands territory!
The ultimate goal of each assassin will be the bandit leaders - bosses with PvP-status. However, first, it's necessary to gather information about their location. Ordinary bandits - PvP-monsters, as well as other assassins who have already collected the information, hold the "Information" about the bosses. By defeating another player, an assassin will obtain a part of the "Information" they've gathered. In the case of group playing, this information will go to the assassin who deals the final blow. During a group battle with a monster, information will be given to each assassin in the group and located at the location at the time of the monster's death.
Only the assassin can gather and accumulate information, but any group member can help him to deal with monsters and other assassins. Once the required amount of 'Information' is collected (the progress bar, unique to each assassin, will help track the result), the assassin will gain access to the dungeon entrance - the tent of the bandit leader. After that, the assassin can initiate the dungeon run and invite their group. However, keep in mind that the entrance action will be time limited.
The group composition is locked in at the moment of dungeon activation, so the group can proceed through the dungeon even if the initiating assassin leaves the group. The entry sequence for outposts differs from the rules of entering a regular dungeon. First and foremost, group members may not be present at the moment the dungeon is launched on the location - the assassin can enter the dungeon directly to avoid enemy attacks, and group members can join later. Additionally, the assassin who opens the dungeon doesn't have to be the group leader, and group members can freely enter and exit the bandit outpost. Moreover, visiting the outposts will not consume the seeker's stamina.
Inside the bandit outpost don't waste any time, as you'll need to eliminate the bandit leader (and sometimes there will be even several) within the allocated time! For this each player inside the dungeon will receive a guaranteed reward and gain access to a chest with random rewards. Rewards in the outposts will refresh daily, and in a day, you can receive up to 5 rewards.
Competition among non-playable guilds on Almahad is just beginning to escalate... Perhaps you will be able to shift the balance and earn the greatest respect from the elders of non-playable guilds? We'll find out soon...
The release of the new island is scheduled for the end of September 2023.
See you in the vastness of Arinar!
AIGRIND