Devblog: Mount Zinit – Part 2 2017-04-25 17:00 - [Flatops]

The beginning of the end

In Mount Zinit part two, we decided to finish one aspect of the narrative before you even had time to explore the whole mountain. Acting as if this is all totally normal, we arrive at the end of the main quest! This also gives us a chance to tie the story in with other our media: you’ll learn more (a little) about the Eliatropes, although this is still a sub-plot, and then bump into a creature you’ll recognize from an encounter on the Lower Slope, but you might also recognize this creature from the Ogrest manga. She will accompany you all through this part of the adventure, if she doesn’t kill you on the way.
 

Do you know who we’re talking about? Blonde, covered in tattoos, a cruel laugh... and not all good memories either! Happy to have found a new plaything to torture, Kali welcomes you into the territory with her many open arms. Her army of devoted minions are the first monster family in part two: Kali’s Henchmen! Very obedient and living for only one thing, a whipping from their mistress, these faithful underlings will be delighted to have some new training targets to sacrifice and decorate their new base. Stay on your guard if you want any chance of making it past this family of level 156-170.
 

The most advanced players will get to meet the first two monster families designed for the highest level group: the Badgerox, who have taken over the Upper Slope just a short stroll from Kali’s Henchmen, and the Magmas family, who live in Dor’Mor Cave at the heart of the volcano. The 186-200 level allows players no margin of error and has positioning management mechanics and states that can lead to an almost instantaneous defeat. There are effects that are easy to understand but powerful and tricky to out-maneuver, so fighters require a good knowledge of the monsters in order to exploit all of their weaknesses. So our advice: train hard! With a balanced team with a good capacity to adapt to the boss’s changing strategies, you might just stand a chance...
 

Between two zones

But… wait… isn’t there a chasm between the Henchmen and the Badgerox family? Actually, yes. The cliff separating the two sides of the Upper Slope is very large, and so is the gulf between the two level groups. There is a simple reason for this: to offer you more content in the final bracket we are directing players towards level 171-185 content that already exists on Moon Island to make this transition! You have to complete all of this island’s quests to retrieve an item that is just as powerful as an artifact, but which is not an artifact (you could call it an “artifake”). You will have retrieve this item from Darkli Moon himself, a challenge that is not for the faint-hearted. Also, if you already completed all or part of these quests, don’t worry, your quest objectives will already have been validated at the start of this stage.
 

What’s more, Moon Island itself has had a few changes to suit the new format for VHL content. Resources and items of equipment have been readjusted and the method of obtaining them changed to suit the system of improvements put in place for this update. Boss characteristics have also been slightly lowered to suit the new equipment adjustments and make the progression from level 156 to the end of the game smoother. You might also notice some changes to environmental quests, the loot rate, machines and changes to Xelorium zones, all of which aim to harmonize content to a level equivalent to that of the Kali’s Henchmen zone.
 

Equipment for level 186-200

VHL (Very High Level) equipment has been fully revised to suit the improvement system. You will find all the details about this system in our devblog on changes to professions.

Since we are dealing with the highest level group, the “endgame” Group, we needed to make a vast and equitable redistribution of equipment between all the families in this section of the game. The build possibilities are not limited to a preference for certain sets, each is geared to suit a precise build. Based on your profile, you may have to find ways to optimize your equipment by taking items from other zones. This optimization will require you to work with crafters to increase items to the legendary level, which will also give you a much wider choice. For a while, this will also mean that you will only have access to some of the possibilities, while the other “endgame” families are not in the game with their corresponding items.

You’ll have to wait a bit longer before you can confront Ogrest because there are more obstacles between you and the top of Mount Zinit. But one thing is certain, the higher you climb, the more you will feel his power vibrating! The danger is real. You could be the man or woman who makes it to the end, but the only way to get there is by fighting the mountain’s most terrifying monsters; the ones who are strong enough to live in close proximity to Ogrest and survive. So, take courage and your sword and show us what you’re made of in battle!

See you in Mount Zinit (part 2),

[Vertigo]