ELDER REALMS: An Endgame Idea by Puffagod

#81

and if you look directly above the head of our daring protagonist (its a bit blurry)…

also that edit was mostly just for fun (and to tease a few things :wink:) - hopefully there wouldn’t be so many Gurgles in such a small area very often!!

#82

I’m a bit confused about the event system, so i get that you need to kill a world event to spawn a cult event, but what qualifies as killing a world event? If say, you were in a space cult and killed one of the cult events to spawn a world event, but non cult members kill that world event without you, would that mean that the next cult event won’t spawn?

#83

Ahh I will try to clarify:

The next cult event would still spawn.

Think of it this way - in the Elder Realm, you’re basically closing three realms at once.

Each Cult has the following pattern: cult - world - cult - world - cult - world - cult - world - cult before its realm ‘closes’.

Because there are three cults, three of these sequences are occuring at one time (provided of course all the Agalmata have been found etc etc.) Therefore each cult triggers the spawning of a world event specific to that sequence. When the specific world event has been defeated (whoever defeats it), the sequence moves on. The ‘world’ in ‘world event’ does not signify universality between cults - only the native/unaligned pool of the monsters. ‘World’ events are still in that respect specific to a cult cycle.

You receive quest markers based on the sequence of your own cult, but of course you can go and help out elsewhere. Unaligned players perhaps only receive quest markers for world bosses.

Does that make a bit more sense? The event system - and its explanation - will definitely receive attention in a future update :slight_smile:

#84

Okay, but what if for example it death cult just didn’t do anything and everyone else did all of the death cult events, that would still close the realm right?

#85

In addition to that… status affect? Or maybe that’s your cult symbol? shrug I couldn’t help but notice that the red beast there wasn’t a part of your list, but I figured it was something yet to come.
I also like that you threw in that whale skeleton on top so it wasn’t just enemies lurking about playing waters! Having sub water biomes, islands and the occasional stable ground aesthetics definitely makes it less dreary than an endless expense of water.

#86

Yes it would - but defeating that Death sequence would only ‘close the realm’ for the Death Cult.

The main incentive for doing your own cycle is event loot [to be catalogued - along with more details of event behavior - in a future update] which is boosted for Cult events if you belong to the right Cult.

But yes - it can be brute-forced :3

#87

You know, of all the groups that I imagine will be running around in the elder realms, I guarantee you that there will be a group of five to ten people ganging up on the knight errant at the beach, farming waters of life.

#88

… if they can find him, make no mistake i’ll be amongst them :sweat_smile:

#89

What happens if a cult fails their final cult boss?

#90

A very good question indeed. I actually don’t exactly know yet - its a matter for the next iteration of the document, which will concern itself mostly with the Elder Gods. Would it be too cruel for the entire cult sequence to be re-started? Otherwise it would incentivise rush-clearing your sequence, nexusing out, and joining another Cult until all the event cycles have steamrolled and its TRUE FINAL BOSS TIME.

If you have any particular/alternative suggestions please let me know!

[edit: and thank you so much for your perceptive questions - they are very much appreciated!]

#91

I’m sure that cults will help each other out when convenient, though. There is still loot on the line! Then again, considering how long it would take to do everything, and the constant bobbing in and out of new and old players, perhaps the cults would just be fine splitting up. Normal realms themselves already take some noticeable time as it is!

Also, though I’m sure it’ll be addressed in the future, I did myself have a small question regarding the cult system. I realize there’s just with room in the realm for everyone to be in each cult to fill the three to the brink. But what if some cult members leave, and new people join the realm, bumping them out? It’s not so much a question of the status of the former cult members waiting outside (what happens if they switch servers too, now that I think of it), but does this mean that the new people have to trudge all the way to those stations and convince people to admit them? Even if you could straight teleport to one of those 3 spots, trying to yank people to help you may be unwelcome if you aren’t previously affiliated with them.

#92

Yes another very good question - would it work to have your Cult affiliation, once achieved, as a permanent trait (until the sequence ends) even if you nexus - removed only if you exit the game/change server? Or with a timer - so that if you decided to go and do something else, your space in the Cult isn’t compromised for more than a few minutes?

And yes, I’m afraid, they’d have to make the trudge. The scaling on the champions will be designed so that, if undertaken solo, they’d be about as difficult as soloing a godlands-dungeon boss - so if there’s space available it shouldn’t be too hard to pledge yourself. The tricky bit is getting there. Maybe - once found - a special mini-map marker would make it easier for the Agalmata to be discovered by new players? This is where Golden Boughs, Lodestone Shards, and - i’m afraid - organised troops come in very handy.

I’m still not entirely satisfied with this system - there are lots of scenarios which the document, in its youthful draft, doesn’t account for. I would be eternally grateful for any suggestions/solutions!

#93

I have an nice idea, why don’t we make it like the son of Arachne, where defeating a cult boss removes an ability from the final boss, that way people are still incentivised to to defeat the bosses to not make the final boss near impossible to kill, but if you have the reflexes of a god, then you could speed run it by skipping them.

Also, I suggest putting something like a 10-15 min timer for each final cult boss, that way the entire elder realm isn’t held up from one troll, just staying in the boss room for an hour, preventing the realm from closing.

#94

I like this idea! And in fact I had something very similar planned already - but, scaled-up in the manner you suggest, it might be enough incentive by itself to clear the final bosses without keeping the Elder Realm frustratingly open for ages if you fail multiple times. Many thanks!

#95

With Oryx 3 breaking the trend and being a 3232 sprite, are you going to make the final boss a 3232 sprite as well?

#96

Probably not… I actually think the 32x32 Oryx is quite ghastly. But we’ll see how things go x3

#97

Heh, well, Space, Time, Death, and The Face of the Universe weren’t exactly tiny. Let alone some of the other sprites, though they’re not on this document.

#98

The Glass Heart + Ghost Pirate Rum = OP

#99

@Puffagod

How detrimental to the realm do you think it would be if the cults ended up being very small throughout the cycle of the realm, for the most part? You only need one cult member present to locate their specific cult bosses, and the hassle of obtaining cult status may shy players away from putting out the needless effort. Event incentives may not be enough.

This thinking strictly of players of the wild. Organized guilds/Discord’s are probably going to quickly dominate the scene because wild players can hardly seem to handle certain difficult dungeons with relatively narrow paths as it is.

#100

Yes… I did try to account for unaligned players by including World Events and by scattering valuable loot just in and around the Elder Realm itself - treasure chests, world activities and having it drop from normal enemies.

The Cult System is central however - and I’d quite like it to remain central… although I concede it might be slightly unfriendly to lone-wolf players (in fact I am such a player myself). Of course - there is no necessity to join a Cult to enjoy the Elder Realm, and tag along for event loot - and you still have a chance at rewards from the TRUE FINAL BOSS.

If the primary goal of the solo player is exploration, is finding an Agalma too much of a hassle to guide that exploration somewhat? I didn’t want it to be too taxing to beat, either (although I respect you can’t necessarily see that because the boss patterns are not included yet) - the idea being, you can join a Cult easily enough - and then go off and do whatever. Also, you can convert multiple people at once - so you can really just leech off a more organised group if they don’t mind the scaling. That’s not an entirely satisfactory answer - what if you’re not interested in the Cult system at all?

A specific event cycle for non-aligned players, working almost exactly like the normal Realm (but using events from the World Boss pool) might work to provide a more concrete path for lone wolves. The fear is that this will distract from the core path of the three Cults and the three Elder Gods - and make the Elder Realm even more confusing than it already is for newcomers. An endgame for unaligned players - something equivalent to an Elder God - might also work to create a parallel progression if you are uninterested in pursuing a Cult path. These are ideas that I’m not immediately pursuing - but potentially…

I’d like to keep Cults relatively central as an organising principle - but I feel like there’s already a good bit of leeway for players who’d rather go it alone, just in terms of helping out, pursuing world events, and exploring… but more work to be done, as ever.