An introduction to Major Foci

RazmaelRazmael Administrator, Immortal
Hey folks,

With the release of the new Major Foci system approaching, I want to give you a bit of a guide on how it plays out so that you're not caught unaware and confused when one of them happens.

A Major Focus will cover the entirety of the area in which is spawns, turning all the area to the unstable environment and making it all open PK. It will progress through different phases, including a 'contention' phase, which is a random scenario explained further below.

Phases

SPAWNING
A Major Focus has a 10% chance of spawning in place of a Lesser Focus, so long as no Major Focus has spawned within the last 24 hours. There will be a 30 minute warning before a Major Focus spawns, and messages every ten minutes after that until one spawns.

PHASES
There are four phases that will occur throughout the duration of the Major Focus, in the following order: Seeding, the first contention, intermission and the second contention.

SEEDING
This phase will commence automatically immediately after the Major Focus has spawned. During the seeding phase, rooms within the Major Focus's area will begin to flood with ylem, beginning from the origin point of the Major Focus. Every thirty seconds, its radius will expand, and any players present in the rooms affected will be awarded a small amount of experience and a boost to their residual ylem reserves.

The seeding phase will continue until all rooms have been 'seeded', at which point the first contention will start.

FIRST CONTENTION
A contention can be one of five different scenarios, although one of them is exclusive to the second contention phase. The possible contentions that can occur in the first contention phase are: Nodes, Onslaught, Ylemfield, and Hotspot. More details about those will be below.

INTERMISSION
If more than 50% of the potential ylem available during the first contention is successfully harvested, the Major Focus will enter its next two phases, Intermission and the Second Contention. Any less than that and the Major Focus will collapse.

The intermission phase is exactly as it sounds. This is a five minute reprieve before the Second Contention starts.

SECOND CONTENTION
Second contention is exactly the same as the first, except a new contention type is available: Colossal. Second contention has a 50% chance of being the Colossal phase, or 50% chance of being one of the other phases.

Contention types

NODES
During this contention, three lesser foci will spawn in three different rooms in the Major Focus's area. These foci are unstable, and their contained ylem will leak away unless someone is actively extracting from them.

ONSLAUGHT
Reminscent of a Survivor event, waves of eld will swarm the area during this contention, including a few new elds. Elds slain during this phase are worth double the normal amount of ylem. The elds will disperse after fifteen minutes if not slain.

YLEMFIELD
In this contention, the area will spawn dozens of minor foci that players must scramble to harvest. Unlike nodes, these won't leak ylem, but they will despawn after fifteen minutes.

HOTSPOT
The hotspot phase creates a single focal point for players to fight for control over and contains more ylem than your typical lesser foci. The hotspot will periodically shift locations, and like the Nodes contention, the ylem will leak away unless someone is actively extracting it.

COLOSSAL
This contention is only available during the second contention phase. A number of ylem 'sinkholes' will spawn, which may be used to construct gateways to fight a colossal eld. Each gateway will take some time to set up, during which aggressive eld will spawn and attempt to destroy the gateway. The first group to fully construct a gateway will gain access to a sub-area where the colossal eld boss dwells. Only players of that tether will be able to access the sub-area, and it will collapse after 15 minutes.

If no gateway is constructed within 15 minutes, the sinkholes will collapse and the Major Focus will end.

Colossal elds

Colossal elds are large, primal elds that you will require a group to take down. In addition to the standard attacks that NPCs usually have, each of the colossal elds have unique mechanics that players will need to figure out, and overcome, in order to successfully beat them.

Successfully defeating the eld boss will gain everybody involved an honors line, and a large ylem bounty for their organization. The colossal eld will drop its 'core' when defeated, which the Delve research society is greatly interested in.
DristinOleisSetneTragerValdusLim[Deleted User]RiluoMoireanKendriGhendZsadistAldricGwenithIlyonIgnotumChelseaFaerahBenedictoSerrice
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Comments

  • SetneSetne The Grand Tyrant
    You have my attention...

    Ingram said:
    "Oh my arms are suddenly lubed"
  • Very nice. 
  • RiluoRiluo The Doctor
    I am having a sicky from work this week now >.>

    Abhorash says, "Ve'kahi has proved that even bastards can earn their place."

    IshinColette
  • MoireanMoirean Chairmander Portland
    edited December 2014
    This looks super fun with great integration of various playstyles and interests which will encourage a range of players to get involved. Excited to see it in action!
    FaerahIshinAshmer
  • And leylines just got that much more intense.

    However, I think this picture provides more enthusiasm than I can express with words.



    And if that doesn't...... this should!

    (Oasis): Benedicto says, "There was like 0.5 seconds between "Oh hey, they're in area. That was quick." and "OMFG THEY'RE IN THE AREA STAHP STAHP!""


    TragerRiluoTeaniIshinAshmer
  • JensenJensen Corruption's Butcher
    Just to play the villain here... Will we have more ways to spend ylem too? Pumped to see major foci in action though
    image
    AldricMoireanFaerahTeaniIshinAshmer
  • Sounds awesome! Though I wonder if the shackling ability will make colossal and onslaught "modes" the easiest ones? or will there be a way for the elds to keep pressure on us (such as all shackles being broken with every new wave in onslaught or the colossal eld being unshackable)?

    Politics
  • RazmaelRazmael Administrator, Immortal
    edited December 2014
    Jensen said:

    Just to play the villain here... Will we have more ways to spend ylem too? Pumped to see major foci in action though

    Yep, we've got a new research tree here fully coded by Oleis. Remember what my post said about the Delve researchers being interested in the colossal cores...
    Gwenith said:

    Sounds awesome! Though I wonder if the shackling ability will make colossal and onslaught "modes" the easiest ones? or will there be a way for the elds to keep pressure on us (such as all shackles being broken with every new wave in onslaught or the colossal eld being unshackable)?

    Colossal eld are completely immune to any of the normal eld-target skills like shackles, or eld specific buffs/items like the Hunting Ground items. As for onslaught, there's a few new eld types that may have abilities to keep you on your toes, like breaking other eld's shackles.
    RiluoGwenithJensenFaerah
  • RiluoRiluo The Doctor
    Thank you for this it sounds great.

    Abhorash says, "Ve'kahi has proved that even bastards can earn their place."

  • For the PVE bits, will the difficulty level scale evenly to all team sizes? Or do we have a minimum size where anything below it and it will start to be prohibitively hard? 
  • Pros
    Sounds awesome!
    great chance for conflict,
    Big Scary Bosses!

    Cons
    Now I have to learn to fight.
    Ishin
  • Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Politics
  • AishiaAishia Queen Bee
    Will there be any pk free parts/phases/contentions? Or is it all just YLEM AURA EVERYTHING IS FIGHTING?
  • When it comes to the colossal eld cores, will these cores be able to be received via the colossal eld in the Fracture?? 
    (Oasis): Benedicto says, "There was like 0.5 seconds between "Oh hey, they're in area. That was quick." and "OMFG THEY'RE IN THE AREA STAHP STAHP!""


  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    Already are.
    image
  • HadrakHadrak Dorohedoro
    Areka said:

    Already are.

    That core is not related to these eld.

    Areka
  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    Oh. OK. Well. Other Colossal has a big core that you can trade in. I remember Dask swiping mine when he helped me with the eld, that hooligan.
    image
  • TeaniTeani Shadow Mistress Sweden
    Looks really awesome! I'm looking forward to this even if I might die horribly in the process of participating. Great job!



  • RazmaelRazmael Administrator, Immortal
    Lim said:

    For the PVE bits, will the difficulty level scale evenly to all team sizes? Or do we have a minimum size where anything below it and it will start to be prohibitively hard? 

    No sort of difficulty scaling to group size at this time. Possibly may not be needed, but it's something we'll keep an eye on it. A large portion of the the colossal eld's attacks will be based on your max hp, so you can bring along lowbies and not have them die in one hit. There IS still a fixed damage portion as well so there remains a minimum level/hp threshold to be involved, and artifacts/health buffs still give an advantage.
    Aishia said:

    Will there be any pk free parts/phases/contentions? Or is it all just YLEM AURA EVERYTHING IS FIGHTING?

    Not at this time, but the system is set up to easily add new contention types in the future. I will point out that fighting may not always be the best strategy, either, since you need to fulfill the 50% threshold to progress the major focus into the next stage, and if you're spending all your time fighting that's not going to happen.
    Zsadist said:

    When it comes to the colossal eld cores, will these cores be able to be received via the colossal eld in the Fracture?? 

    No. The 'colossal' eld in the fracture is actually a 'colossal swarm'. It's basically thousands of tiny eld all attacking you at once. Colossal eld are a singular entity usually around 40 or 50 feet in height.
    Riluo[Deleted User]TeaniZsadistIshin
  • EleanorEleanor FOR SCIENCE


    colossal eld my body is ready

    (it's not ready)

    RiluoValdusTragerZsadistIshinAshmer
  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    I don't normally probe them, so man my headcanon for eld is way diff. >>

    image
  • There were rooms in the area in which vampires were taking sun damage/sun afflictions. Due to all the chaos I don't remember if the rooms were just in the area or if they were rooms with objectives in them, but was this intended or a bug?
    "You ever been divided by zero?" Nia asks you with a squint.



  • IshinIshin Retired Lurker Virginia
    Hey man, I had a lot of fun doing this last night. Big teams, good ol' Mudlet not bogging down like *mud used to when there's more than 5 ppl in one room fighting.

    It was really nice to see all of @Spinesreach come together for it too. Don't get to see too much stuff like that.
    Tell me and I forget, teach me and
    I remember, involve me and I
    learn.
    -Benjamin Franklin
    Moirean
  • @Draiman I'm pretty sure it's just luck of the draw in regards to the areas being inside or not. If the major seeds into the feral caves obviously it would all be indoors.
    image
    Rawr
    DristinIshin
  • This was absolutely fun! Though, its a serious grind and the 60 minute time had me boggled, because most people will not want to fight for 60 minutes. 30 minutes, sure.... but not 60.


    Also.... wtf happened to my mechanized borer?!?!!?!?!?!


    Question for future reference though, does spamming the REFINING GATEWAY CONSTRUCT actually help with increasing the stabilization or does just get control of the gateway?
    (Oasis): Benedicto says, "There was like 0.5 seconds between "Oh hey, they're in area. That was quick." and "OMFG THEY'RE IN THE AREA STAHP STAHP!""


    Ishin
  • JensenJensen Corruption's Butcher
    Zsadist said:


    Also.... wtf happened to my mechanized borer?!?!!?!?!?!

    I read that as mechanized boner

    giggity
    image
    Zsadist[Deleted User]IshinHaven
  • Amberlea said:

    @Draiman I'm pretty sure it's just luck of the draw in regards to the areas being inside or not. If the major seeds into the feral caves obviously it would all be indoors.

    I just assumed they would be something like lessers, when you tap one the room doesn't necessarily become in doors but the sun quits hitting you if the room was outside and it was day time. TBH though I don't know if the sun hits you in unstable rooms outside of the room the foci is in, so for all I know it could be working exactly as lessers. If it was just damage I'd be a little more ok, but a free goldenseal aff randomly could hurt in a fight :/
    "You ever been divided by zero?" Nia asks you with a squint.



    Ishin
  • TragerTrager Raiding your underwear drawer.
    WTS the cure.
    Indoran'i is back baby. It's go-... Oh.


    DraimanAmberlea
  • Hmm... all I will say on this is..intriguing. I suppose I'll start logging back in often to see how this work in action. :)

  • The major today was fun, but as a small suggestion.

    Can we get either the phase change messages as worldwide or when you look at Leylines, it tells you the phase and what type of contention if in the second or fourth. (Or both)

    Our side was (pretty much?) wiped out during the intermission and thus it was very hard to tell when it switched over to the second contention and what type it was.

    Thanks!

    Ishin
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