An Update on the Land Rush

The River Kingdoms Are Alive With The Sound Of Music!

That is if you think the sound of people swarming into the map to claim their spots on the Guild Land Rush Leaderboard is music - and let us tell you, it is sweet, sweet music to our ears!

Let's start with some numbers!

We have 121 Guilds on the Leaderboard. That's a pretty awesome way to start!

We had over 1,000 people vote as of Midnight on Monday morning!

What Happens Next?

We allocated 33 spots on the Land Rush Map to the top Guilds. Of course the three winners from Phase I are on that list, as are the other 30 Guilds with the most votes in Phase II.

Each Guild provided a list of which Settlement locations they'd like to occupy in order of preference from 1st to 30th. Then we allocated those spots on a probationary basis by giving the guild with the most votes their first choice, the guild with the second most votes their first choice unless taken, in which case they get their second choice, etc.

We then update the Land Rush Map so everyone can see which Guild is holding which spot on the map. Each week, if a Guild holds the same spot, they'll get a bonus to their vote totals for being persistent. If a Guild is displaced, they'll start over in their new spot the following week trying to build persistence. Staying in the same spot week after week will make it harder to displace a Guild from their spot - but not impossible!

What To Do If You Get A Strange Phone Call

The Guilds on the Land Rush are in competition to get as many votes as they can. There's no way to predict how many votes will be needed to get that 33rd spot but it's likely to be a lot more than people expect. A lot of Guilds are now actively recruiting smaller Guilds and asking them to confederate.

Remember that "Guild" isn't a term that we'll be using in the actual game. It's just being used for promotional purposes for this Land Rush. In game, player characters will belong to Parties, Companies and Settlements. A traditional Theme Park MMO Guild will be equivilent to a Company. A Settlement is a little bit like a fraternity or sorority - it has a physical location, and it is a social club. Holding and running a Settlement is going to be something that we expect will require dozens, if not hundreds of members to be successful, so size matters.

Many Guilds are actively recruiting to get bigger, faster. There is a contact link for each Guild on the leaderboard, and you may be contacted by one of your peers offering a deal to consolidate. We've even heard of folks exchanging real-world contact info and getting in touch by telephone. The scramble for size is on! This is an expected part of the Land Rush experience. Being asked to consolidate with a larger Guild on the Leaderboard doesn't impact your in-game choices at all. But the deal you strike to join a larger Guild and help them move up the Leaderboard or hold an existing spot could be very worthwile depending on what you mutually negotiate. Wheeling and dealing, making and breaking alliances, angling for the best options, it's all part of the excitement of the Land Rush!

Tell Your Friends and Spread the Word!

This is a great time to get new people involved in Pathfinder Online. We are just weeks away from starting Alpha Testing. We're just months away from starting Early Enrollment. People can purchase Early Enrollment access (or Alpha access!) on the goblinworks.com store. Players with Alpha or Early Enrollment access can vote on the Land Rush Leaderboard.

With your help we can massively amplify our communications with potential players. Please do favorite these messages on Facebook and Twitter and Google Plus and everywhere else you're socially active. We really, really appreciate it!