Throne and Liberty Demonstrates the Game's Siege Mechanics
Jan. 22, 2024Throne and Liberty Demonstrates the Game’s Siege Mechanics
Throne and Liberty Producer’s Letter #7 sheds light on the MMO’s guild siege features, mechanics, and rewards.
Upcoming MMO (well, at least in the West) Throne and Liberty gets yet another “Producer’s Letter” or dev diary wherein he addresses some of the community’s concerns, questions, and whatnot. However, the bigger announcement here is that a server merge will occur and how the castle siege systems will work.
Sieges will require the participation of dozens of players and should be a rewarding activity to tackle with your guild. So, what’s in store for the attacker and defenders? More, after the jump!
Siges in Throne and Liberty arelarge-scalePVP battles during specific times of the day. Guilds must battle it out to take control of the fabled Stoneguard Castle, one of humanity’s greatest strongholds. A guild that currently holds the Stoneguard Castle will be called the “Legion” and will need to protect their keep from the entire server all at once.
A huge warning will be announced (presumably server-wide) when a Siege is about to begin. Here, players have about 15 minutes to prepare for battle by positioning themselves, getting the lay of the land, or purchasing other consumables.
The actual siege itself in Throne and Liberty will last 45 minutes (with a 3-minute sudden death extension if needed). All players who do not represent the Legion will be teleported out of the Stoneguard Castle and its immediate area, and be plopped down into a nearby settlement. Additionally, instant teleportation abilities will no longer be available for balancing properties. A PVP flag will also be applied to players, allowing the hostilities to begin.
The Throne and Liberty Siegeshowcasealso outlines a large number of tools that the attackers will have at their disposal when trying to take over Stoneguard Castle. We do know that the defenders’ advantages will lie in their usage and defense of the castle fortifications such as gates, walls, and towers.
First up is how attackers break into the castle. Instead of using more “traditional” siege implements such as catapults, battering rams, and trebuchets, Throne and Liberty sieges are much more magical in nature. Players can activate some massive golems on the outskirts of the castle and will them into assisting in the attack.
There seem to be four types of siege golems. The first two are pretty basic, with one being specialized in taking down walls, and the other more adept at demolishing gates. Another golem is good at jumping over the walls, bypassing the defenders’ advantage, and wreaking havoc in the back lines. The last type of golem can be ridden on by dozens of players, dropping them off just on top of the castle walls, ready to take the fight to the Legion.
So another way that attackers can infiltrate the castle is to go through the various sewer systems. Each of the culverts is fortified heavily by iron bars that are seemingly impervious to all types of damage. However, the sewers are all infested by rats and other vermin, as expected. Players can take advantage of this by using teleport skills to target the rats, essentially allowing them to go through the iron bars with ease.
Be careful though, as the time of day and weather will affect sewer usage. If it’s raining, the sewers may be totally inaccessible due to flooding. During the colder parts of the day, the water may be freezing and weigh you down heavily, making you move slower.
Once players breach the gates and the defenders, they must have their guild leader interact with the castle’s central throne. This will transform the leader into a “Usurper”, a beefed-up character that must hold that position for three minutes. If successful, the Usurper’s guild will take over the castle. Guilds will also be encouraged to support the Usurper as the more allies they have in the vicinity, the less damage they take.
So why would you want to go through all this trouble to take over Stoneguard Castle? Simple: for loot and taxes! During the sieges themselves, attacking guilds can take over certain key strategic points called Plunder Zones in the castle, essentially siphoning off money from the defending guild. This will directly lead to income and resources that the attackers can use later on.
The more complicated answer is because of taxes. Any trades done in the region around Stoneguard Castle have an associated “tax” that is paid off to the coffers of the keep. The Legion that owns the castle can distribute this wealth to its members, as well as its allied guilds.
Calculations for this reward seem to be very intricate and have a lot to do with percentages and distribution, so it’s best to view game director Jongok Ahn’s letter to the community directly.
On a final note, Ahn also addressed that Throne and Liberty will have the same monetization model in Korea as well as the global version. There have been some murmurs that the Global version would adopt a “pay-to-play” model, so he outright dismissed this idea.
In other news, check outRumour: Final Fantasy 16 May Come to Xbox Soon, andSword of Convallaria Demo Announced to Appear During Steam Next Fest this February.
Auberon
Writer at Fextralife. I really like vanilla ice cream.
