Arena Heroes

Dec

We will be testing a new feature called Arena Heroes at 0:00 GMT Friday (8PM Thursday ET; 5PM PT in the US). This is a new feature that will attempt to make arena events "fair" by setting everyone up with the same artifacts, skills (trans everything your profession allows) items, and levels for the length of the arena battle. Come test it out with us and provide your feedback on what can be done to improve the system.

Feel free to ask questions and provide feedback here, in game, or by email (to me).

Theophilus

For those not tri-trans, it's a little hard to make an offensive system without being able to code and test it beforehand.

Perhaps we could have the ability to test -any- professions at any time in the arena with others, not just for this event but for the sake of seeing if you'd like a profession before switching to it. Circle professions only, of course.

Zenigra

Interesting concept, however not a fan if this is a change to arena combat, and not a different type of event. 

Jeremy Saunders

This is not a change to arena combat and will not be generally open to free use. We are going to use it for some upcoming events and we will let players use it a bunch to get used to it.

Dec

Zenigra said:

Interesting concept, however not a fan if this is a change to arena combat, and not a different type of event. 

This is different. You'll still be able to use the arena in the typical fashion.

Theophilus

How are arties chosen? Are you giving everyone different arties each event or the same arties each time?

Will they be misc arties or offensive arties too--like a priest might get a level 1 mace and knight might get level 1 axe, etc.?

Dec

Theophilus said:

How are arties chosen? Are you giving everyone different arties each event or the same arties each time?

Will they be misc arties or offensive arties too--like a priest might get a level 1 mace and knight might get level 1 axe, etc.?

For now it will be pretty much a wish list of every artifact you can use in the arena. You will not get class specific artifacts that do not work for your current class. So only priests will get the mace, only bards will get the harp, etc.  You don't get PvE only artifacts or trade skill artifacts as I don't see what you'd use them for.

Here's an example of what Theo could expect for example:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are holding:
Misc: 
   A ravenous hound, 14 onyx vials, 45 emerald vials, a pipe filter set, a silver flintlock, a 
Neelamic reservoir, a deep red boomerang, a whip of taming, a wand of reflection, a lunar shield, a 
staff of illusion, a Horn of Terror, the Foreboding Stone, a crystehl whetstone, a Flask of Divine 
Manna, a stylized antique telescope, a crystal-lensed magnifying glass, goggles of the unseen, the 
Seer's Eye, a Dreadscythe Claymore, a Doomforge longsword, a Souledge Sabre, a gleaming scimitar, a 
broadsword of Vahin, a Fleshrender battleaxe, the Zydramir Journals, a soot-blackened tinderbox, 3 
obsidian and gold pipes.

You are wearing:
Misc: 
   A vialbelt of truesilver kegs, a Diadem of the Quickening, a steelweave surcoat, a suit of 
quicksilver armour, Acrobatic Boots, a firescourge ring, a frostbrand ring, a poisonbane ring, a 
eupnoeic ring, a voltaic ring, a phrenic ring, a platinum-weave pack, a Bow of Asaka, a pair of 
Gauntlets of Avasyu, a Collar of Gazali, a Scorpion's Tail, a Torc of Malkav, a ring of Magick's 
Bane, a Golden Lyre of Shallah, a pair of Bracelets of Epiphany's Grace, a ring of Epiphany's Gift, 
a Quicksilver Amulet, a Veil of Obtenebrate, a golden band of Baar, an Illuminas ring, a pair of 
stone rings, a silvery crest, a Girdle of Aesir, a Sash of Malkav, Ethereal Boots, an aqueous ring, 
a ring of flying, wolverine's claws, a Band of the Fasting, a lamiran amulet, Darrinic Robes, an 
Armband of Celerity, a Cloak of Obfuscate, an Anklet of Dashing, a Brooch of the Tempest, a mask of 
lifevision, a silvery neck guard, a Monocle of Acuity, goggles of whitesight, a ring of Aryana's 
Bounty, a sanctified aegis, a feathered armlet, a wrist-sheathed toolkit, a pentagram eye amulet, 
plain grey trousers, a plain grey tunic, a pair of plated vambraces, a pair of plate greaves, a 
plate helm, a dragonskin quiver.

You have 30 types of items in the storage.

You have 142 items and no gold.
You have no gold in items in your inventory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dec

Thank you to everyone that participated, I learned a lot of helpful things.  Here are some things that have been fixed:

• Defenses should be kept (really lost, then gained back) when you start.
• Your original defenses should be returned upon exit from the arena
• Your config settings should be maintained when starting. (Changes made in arena will not be kept after arena)
• Autocuring settings should transfer
• Your artifacts should no longer disappear at 0:00 GMT
• Haze requiring items should be given to defilers upon start
• Monks can now choose a profession outside a training room
• Toxins that cannot be put on arrows / darts are not pre-envenomed on the arrows/darts
• Predator's animals will not be aggressive upon first call in arena
• The mount called for with HERO MOUNT can now track like an artifact mount

If there are other things that you wanted to have happen, but don't appear on this list please let me know.