An ominous aetherstorm is churning near Ramsgate. An Ostian ironclad has been sighted sailing on the horizon. And a terrifying new Behemoth is making its lethal presence known, strangling and bleeding the life out of everything in its path.

Brave Slayers prepare with Ostian weaponry, including grenades and a new ranged weapon. A new expert artisan, versed in the crafting and manipulation of cells, is making their way toward Ramsgate to help stand against the onslaught. And the Orrery are gathering intel on the ways this new Behemoth’s arrival is influencing the frontier.

This is The Coming Storm, Slayers. This is how you can expect Dauntless to grow and change in the coming months.

Hail to the Sovereign

Every Behemoth has the potential to devastate settlements, spread chaos across the frontier, and kill the Slayers pursuing it. Any Slayer worth their archonite knows that taking a hunt for granted is a recipe for a painful demise. But few Slayers have faced a foe who takes control of the battlefield like Koshai, the Sovereign of Thorns.

This new Behemoth emerges from beyond the frontier, riding a churning aetherstorm that pummels and tosses even the most stalwart airships. Ostia, a society renowned for its industrial accomplishments, resolved to take this beast down after it laid waste to their territory. But instead of coming back with glory, their hunting parties found only defeat and death.

Koshai: Sovereign of Thorns. Herald of the coming storm.

Reports from Slayers who have escaped Koshai’s clutches tell of a beast alive with vines strong enough to crack the keel of a ship and thorns that rend and tear the strongest armour with aether-forged talons. Slayers who can harness its power will forge weapons of equally devastating strength.

New Behemoths and deadly challenges are nothing new to the city of Ramsgate. But veteran Slayers and the scholars of the Orrery believe Koshai is more than just a new manifestation of aether’s destructive powers. If you’re going to get to the bottom of what’s going on, you’ll have to defeat the Sovereign itself.

Slayers who will face these coming challenges must stand against Koshai before the mighty Behemoth does to the Ram formation what it did to Ostia.

New Weapons

New challenges call for new tools. Slayers looking to down Behemoths at range will have access to Ostian Repeaters. Striking from range doesn’t equal safety though, and Slayers who pick up the repeaters will still need to get their hands dirty. As Koshai’s threat has grown more prominent, the usefulness of attacking from a distance – especially if you’re held in place by brambles and thorns – has become clear.

A few Ostian repeater configurations

These handheld mechanical marvels come straight from the forges of Ostia and have benefited from their artisans’ love of tinkering. The result is a paired weapon with interchangeable parts, allowing Slayers to customize different aspects of their repeaters to suit their needs. The materials needed to create these weapons and the training required to wield them will challenge even devoted Slayers. But for those who give their time, passion, and archonite, there’s something truly lethal in store.

The forges of Ramsgate are aglow with new patterns, melding Slayer savvy with Ostian ingenuity. Ostian repeaters are complex weapons that require specific materials to properly craft — materials that are currently difficult to find in Ramsgate’s immediate vicinity. Admiral Zai of the Ostian navy has requisitioned a steady supply of these key components, but it may be several weeks before help arrives from those quarters.

Ostian stylings of Slayer classics

If you’re looking to make an impression more immediately, Slayers will now also have access to an assortment of grenades that offer ranged attacks, but don’t require complex machinery to work. These craftable items feature different effects, giving aggressive Slayers the opportunity to capitalize on their tactical insights with a bang. Swing by Admiral Zai and see what you can craft.

SIGNS AND PORTENTS

Dauntless is a living, breathing world where you’ll discover new points of interest, characters that grow over time, and events which respond to the actions and interests of Dauntless players. That’s why sharp-eyed Slayers have noticed gigantic javelins, misplaced supplies, and banners left behind by Ostian hunting parties.

Early Phoenix Labs art explorations of an Ostian ironclad

The Coming Storm is our first foray into exploring the wider world of Dauntless, and Koshai is its herald.

Schedule of the Storm

When it comes to releasing new content and updates to Dauntless, we’re committed to listening to community feedback. Slayers want more frequent updates and we’re striving to meet those expectations.

Instead of compiling content into one huge update and then waiting weeks to make adjustments, we’re going to start rolling out pieces of The Coming Storm as they become ready. This will give us the flexibility to work with your feedback in a truly collaborative way and improve your experience week to week.

Players looking for details can get the absolute latest information on the Dauntless roadmap. Koshai, the Ostian repeaters, and other aspects of The Coming Storm will all be rolling out in the near future, starting on August 8th.

This is a way of developing that is new for many of us. It’s a huge opportunity for Dauntless and its community to grow — together. From all of us at Phoenix Labs, thank you for joining us on this journey!