Alpha 2 – Test 2 is starting on Wednesday, March 25, featuring all the planned content… and then some! Here come all the details!

Hi, fellow gamer and MMO enthusiast!

The official announcement has arrived: Alpha 2 – Test 2 (A2-T2) is starting on Wednesday, March 25, at 4pm CET (10am ET)!

Being a proper testing phase, A2-T2 is going to last for a minimum of 2 weeks and can be accessed only by backers with a Legend Founder Pack or higher. Client download will be made available soon before the test begins.

This time, everything that was announced in our roadmap back in late December has made it as planned… actually, we’ve added a lot more than planned!

In the February Open Playtest, all registered users had the chance to preview some of the changes/additions coming in A2-T2, namely:

Enchanting

Shields

New terrain and water shaders

Various graphical improvements

Now, all the rest and more is coming. Read on for all the details!

Social Features

Yes, they’re all coming as planned, ready to (finally!) allow you to play properly with your friends.

Parties are non-persistent associations of players that allow sharing monster kill rights and a private global chat channel. By “non-persistent” we mean all parties are deleted in the event of a server restart – you aren’t removed from party if you log out.

Guilds are persistent associations of players with a unique name and tag. They provide the same advantages as parties but include more options such as the possibility of declaring wars and forming alliances (not yet implemented), and are crucially related to the upcoming player-run cities.

If you own a piece of land, you can now add other players as friends or co-owners of your claim. Plus, you can decide who has access to each item in your claim choosing between several options (only you, co-owners, friends, party members, guild members, everyone).

This means you can actually share a plot of land with friends, and can use chests to trade with other players – a handy temporary solution until we implement proper player trading!

New Player Experience

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As mentioned in our last update, feedback from the February Open Playtest convinced us to anticipate the introduction of a proper “early game experience” that is closer to the final one and can teach the fundamentals of Fractured.

The result is a whole new starting area that includes:

A local bank to store your items;

to store your items; Fields, crafting station and a tavern to rest at;

A series of tutorial quests that showcase the Knowledge System and other game mechanics;

that showcase the and other game mechanics; New “starter” foes to defeat (Young Wolf, Black Bear, Black Widow Hatchling).

Thanks to the new starting area (+ player cities, in the future), owning a land parcel is no longer a strict requirement for player progression!

Abilities & Creatures

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In Alpha 2 – Test 2, you’ll be able to acquire the following spells that didn’t exist in Alpha 1 – Test 1:

Assassination Shadow Dance Shadow Step Shadow Walk

Hunting (formerly: Marksmanship) Powershot Ricochet

(formerly: Marksmanship) Warfare Shield Block Shockwave*

Abjuration Absorb*m Protection From Poison

Alteration Verdant Regrowth*

Conjuration Infectious Burst Totem Of Decay

Invocation Frost Blast* Shocking Lash*

Restoration Minor Healing*



All the spells marked with an asterisk were already available for preview in the February Open Playtest, added to creatures already seen in Alpha 2 – Test 1. The others can instead be obtained defeating the following new foes:

Goblin Archer

Goblin Shadowdancer

Goblin Death Shaman (Boss)

Together with some of the old goblins, they can all be found in the encampments at the entrance of the Vale of Shadows.

The area populated in this first iteration of the Vale is large, grim and often spectacular… and the following ones will be even more so! 😉

Stealth

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Stealth is the main new mechanic coming with the abilities you’ll be able to discover in Alpha 2 – Test 2.

Once in Stealth mode, your character becomes invisible to all but yourself and your fellow party/guild members. There’s a catch though: when you’re within 6 meters from any creature (monster or player), a short timer starts ticking unless you move further away. Its duration depends on your Stealth modifier (based on Dexterity) and the revealing creature’s Detection (depending on Perception).

When the timer runs out (or whenever you get more than 100 damage at once from any source), you’re instantly revealed, so watch out and be tactical about your movements!

Others

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On top of the “major” features above, here are a few “minor” changes and additions coming in A2-T2:

The previously mentioned Bank system.

system. Various UI improvements here and there. Will you spot them all?

here and there. Will you spot them all? Mage staff – a new ranged weapon type that allows casting “mage” spells.

– a new ranged weapon type that allows casting “mage” spells. …speaking of spells, we’ve reviewed spellcasting armor/weapon requirements to make them easier to understand.

New house blueprints for your claim – from humble huts to large mansions!

for your claim – from humble huts to large mansions! Better AIs for all monsters.

Alright, this was the longest “new features” review we ever released for a new testing phase. Next week we’re also going to sum it up in a video, but for now let’s stop here and…

…see you soon in game!

DISCUSS