Dauntless Preview: Big Game Hunting
Jan. 2, 2017Dauntless Preview: Big Game Hunting
Monster Hunter andDark Soulsare two gaming franchises that have inspired large and devoted followings. You can always spot a player hooked by these franchises because that’s often all they talk about. But what if you could merge the concepts of both by combining a progression system with cooperative big game hunting of challenging monsters and a deep crafting system based on the spoils of hunts?Dauntless, an upcoming free to play RPG on PC from developer Phoenix Labs is looking to deliver just that experience.
Players take on the role of Slayers, who live and hunt among a series of floating islands called theShattered Isles, which drift across an endless sky. With skyships now available to the inhabitants, exploration of the surrounding isles has begun, and because of their drifting nature, new islands are always appearing while familiar ones recede. This opens up new opportunities for exploration and gathering of valuable resources. However, this expansion has been met by a natural threat, beasts called behemoths who wreak havoc and destroy settlements on the islands.
Behemoths draw their strength from the land itself, consuming a substance called aether which enhances their power and defines their abilities. Depending on the elemental aether they consume,behemothscan employ blaze, shock and frost energies in combat, to name a handful. 3 types of behemoths have been confirmed so far.Shrikesare flying predatory behemoths,Drasksare lumbering, lightning fueled hulks, andEmbermanesare fiery, clawed beasts that are built for speed. New behemoths are expected to be introduced during the game’s development and beyond launch and their design will form a foundation of the gameplay. As a Slayer, your mission will be tohunt and eradicatethese dangerous beasts who threaten the safety of everyone on the Shattered Isles, using what you acquire from your hunting quests toimprove your deadlinessas a hunter.
Once your character is created and customized, you will head out to hunt. When tackling the behemoths incombat, players are going to have several tactical options and considerations depending on the beast being hunted. The combat system is not hack and slash, andrecklessly attacking is going to leave players open for devastation, similar to Monster Hunter and Dark Souls. Instead, focusing on attack patterns and openings will be key to victory.
Dauntless will feature astamina barmechanic that governs powerful offensive actions like charges and combos. It’s also used for abilities like dodging and sprinting. This system is similar to those found in Monster Hunter and Dark Souls and can leave you exposed to anenemyattack or unable to land a blow on an opening if poorly managed. Players will be able to make creative use of these offensive and defensive tactics in concert like canceling out of a charge to dodge.
Theweaponsa slayer choose will determine the fighting style and combo attacks. Whether you chooseaxe,sword,hammeror any other yet to be revealed weapon type, what is wielded will all have very unique combos. These different combos will have very specific timing, and range from simple to more complex. However,no single weapon type can provide every tactical option, which is where themultiplayercomes in to play. As well as providing support against powerful behemoths to tough to tackle alone, slayer groups will have to make sure their gear is all complimentary to cover any tactical situation. Furthermore, each weapon can be imbued withaetherto enhance their power, such as increasing the attack, firing a canon attached to the hammer, or even apply specific elemental properties like blaze to your attacks.
The behemoths themselves have their own combat mechanics to consider. If your battles with the behemoths drag on too long, they’ll enter arage modeduring which their attacks and speed will amp up, and new abilities will make their appearance, and you’ll have to weather this elemental storm until the rage subsides. If you stand tall you cantarget specific parts of these beaststo expose weak points and alter their patterns. Continuing these focused attacks can result in the carving oftrophiesfrom their bodies, in the form of items like tails or bones which can be used in the game’scraftingsystem.
The trophies you harvest from the behemoths can be brought to anAethersmithin the town ofRamsgatewho will add them to your weapons andarmorto improve their abilities and appearance. Themore powerful the beast you slay, the more impressive the gear you can craftfrom their trophies.
Slaying behemoths releases the aether that they consume which can be collected into a substance calledaspect archonite. This substance can be used by the smiths to create new weapons and armor with raw power and elemental abilities specific to the beast killed. Further fleshing out the crafting system are items that can be collected such as minerals and flora which can be given to the smiths to add their own wrinkles when improving your gear.Players can expect to be frequent visitors to the smithsas they apply their spoils to improve their beast hunting prowess.
Dauntless is endeavoring to craft a positive feedback experience that is hard to find in gaming. Deep combat with engaging monsters who can be harvested for trophies and items that improve gear. Rinse, wash, repeat. By increasing the challenges of the foes presented, which will also naturally increase the quality of the rewards, we have a formula that can be gratifying for a long time. If the itemization, challenge and multiplayer can all hit the mark, we may have quite the special game to look forward to this year. Those interested in answering the hunter’s call cansign up for the game’s upcoming beta.
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Emergence
Editor at Fextralife. I look for the substantial in gaming and I try to connect video games to the emotions and stories they elicit. I love all things culture and history and have an odd fondness for the planet Jupiter. I think my dogs are pretty awesome too.
I’m getting kind of a paint-by-numbers vibe from this, though I like the idea that the giant world shattering monsters are played as a credible threat to humanity’s existence.
