Devblog: Tutorial 2023-09-19 16:00

Why Redo the Tutorial and Not Something Else?

As some players already know, over the years, the start of the WAKFU game has been reworked various times. Now our data shows that, with the current tutorial, we aren't retaining enough players who are trying the game for the first time. This alarming data, which was confirmed in internal playtests, made it clear to us that reworking the early game was a key strategic issue for the future of the project.

This topic is even more important for WAKFU with the single-account server coming soon. This is crucial work; it will help welcome players to the game, with the aim of growing the community and thereby bringing your future friends to the game.

This project is very important, but also very difficult – there's no magic formula for a perfect early game. However, we've established a few clear guidelines that we think are on the right track.

Overall Concept

The main idea of this updated tutorial is to more closely match the rest of the game, introduce more mechanics, and most of all, avoid steering the player through scripted sequences. We want to let players explore, discover, and try things out on their own. This version of Incarnam is less guided, but it still presents obvious elements within the player's reach. The goal is to offer an experience that's representative of the rest of the game.

After a first pass through Incarnam to learn the basic controls, your character falls into the unknown and lands on the Celestial Island known as Rii. It's a very mysterious island on the border of Incarnam and Astrub, even though those are supposed to be in different dimensions. A few incarnates occasionally fall upon Rii by accident, with some deciding to stay and hone their fighting and elemental skills, and the rest going straight to Astrub.

This island is an early form of what you'll find later in the game; you can get acquainted with harvesting, combat, and various interactions. It's possible to leave right at level 2 and head to Astrub, but players are urged to stay and practice on wodents until about level 10. Another thing we're committed to is not introducing equipment. That means the first sets you get will be on Astrub.

Celestial Island Content

Those familiar with the Astrub Kanojedo will recognize a place where you can peacefully train to fight. It's the Celestial Dojo, run by Airyna, a disciple of Sacrier who is said to have trained countless adventurers, including Grandmaster Kano. These optional exercises offer training in the finer points of positioning, elements, line of sight, and more. You can also fight Mr. Punchy dummies there.

The statue of disciples is changing; it lets you display info about the game classes. Next to the statue is a soul named Hooly who's having trouble reincarnating. She'll offer to use her special magic so you can change your class as you wish, up to level 30. With the dojo and its standard Mr. Punchy nearby, the conditions are now ideal for you to try out different classes until you find the right one.

Meanwhile, Otomai will present the current context of the World of Twelve. You'll learn about Wakfu, Stasis, Ogrest, etc. He can also explain just how delicate the world's balance is. Even picking a flower has consequences; you have to plant it as well, and more broadly, you have to care for the harmony of the ecosystem.

Lastly, Grougaloragran himself will test your abilities and say whether you're fit to go on to Astrub… You'll have to uncover the secret behind his presence on the island.

The Guide System

This revamp of the earliest parts of the game comes with a new guide system. Currently, the tutorial info boxes are very small, located in a corner of the screen. These give information, but they're not visible and they don't draw the player's attention. We have reworked the guide interface so it's much larger and clearer. Although it's more obtrusive, it perfectly accomplishes the task of providing essential information to players, and it's impossible to miss.

Moreover, we've reworked the interface that lists them so that info about certain aspects of the game are easier to find.

There is an option to hide the guide window. Also, a guide with a "viewed" status across the account won't appear on your other characters. That means you'll have to go to the list of guides to view them.

Check out Update 1.81 to discover the many secrets of the Celestial Island of Rii.