Know Your Nodes: Scientific Node Type

Every Node Type is different, and in this article, we’ll be going over what exactly makes the Scientific Node Type special in comparison to the others. If you missed our previous article in this series, we highly recommend you check out “Know Your Nodes: Advance and Destroy.” As a disclaimer, we want to note that our game is still in development, so all design decisions are subject to change during our Alphas and Betas. With that in mind, this series will provide you details on our current design plan for Nodes.

What makes a Scientific Node different from other Nodes?

A great Verran philosopher once stated, “To know the Gods, we must first know ourselves. Science is our looking glass.” On Verra, the Essence flows through the fabric of the world. Each location focuses the Essence in different ways, allowing for interactions with the Essence that yield a variety of results. Nodes exist near these locations in the world that focus the Essence, and one such focus is that of the Scientific Node Type. Those who seek knowledge, technological advancement, and want to understand why the world is the way it is will find the Scientific Node is for them. In these Nodes, you’ll find sprawling questlines and rewards for crafters, gatherers, and those who seek the highest reaches of Artisan knowledge.

Upon first glance at a Scientific Node, players will find Scholars on an Expedition out in the wilderness, requesting aid in finding alchemical or natural reagents. If you should choose to help them, you may progress a Scientific Node beyond a lowly Expedition into something magnificent.

Specialization in Artisanship and Construction mechanics are granted through many of the NPC merchants and through the ancillary quest points within the Scientific Node Type. This will unlock abilities within many professions and allow specialization in the Gathering, Processing, and Crafting aspects of the Artisan system.

Unique Building

Each Node Type has a Unique Building associated with it that can be activated at Level 3, the Village Stage, of a Node’s development. In the Scientific Node Type, this Unique Building is a building of knowledge and learning. Many quest lines and professions will intersect with the Scientific Node, and at every Stage beyond Level 3, it offers blueprints for buildings, along with tools and reagents for gathering and crafting. Outlined below are some, but not all, of the unique gameplay systems that become activated within the Unique Building at different Stages of the Scientific Node. (Note: Some utilities can only be used by Citizens of the Scientific Node which will be revealed in our Alpha and Beta tests.)

The Library - Level 3 (Village Stage)

At the Village Stage, the Scientific Node’s Unique Building is the Library, which records the history of the server. Players can use the Library to access information, including (but not limited to) the following:

History of narrative events and when they occurred

Locations and last known quantity of gatherable resources

Locations and inhabitants of new Dungeons or POIs (Points of Interest) that have spawned

Runic Power Stones for armor

Common armor and weapon recipes (Level 25 and under)

The College - Level 4 (Town Stage)

At the Town Stage, the Scientific Node’s Unique Building becomes the College. In addition to the previous abilities that the Library offered, the College adds more services, including (but not limited) to:

Component identification for non-Legendary item deconstruction

Certification of Tier 1 Building Schematics

Unique and Rare drop information for surrounding areas

Concentrated Essences for the creation of armor Enchantment Stones

Runic Power Stones for weapons

Common armor and weapon recipes (Level 35 and under)

Common glyphs for the creation of accessory Enhancement Scrolls

The University - Level 5 (City Stage)

At the City Stage, the Scientific Node’s Unique Building becomes the University. In addition to the previous abilities that the Library and College offered, the University adds even more services, including (but not limited) to:

Component identification for Legendary item deconstruction

Certification of Tier 2 Building Schematics

Concentrated Essences for the creation of weapon Enchantment Stones

Runic Power Stones for accessories

Common armor and weapon recipes (Level 45 and under)

Certification of Freehold Adjacency Bonuses for building

Common glyphs for the creation of armor and weapon Enhancement Scrolls

Artisanship Mastery qualifications

The Academy - Level 6 (Metropolis Stage)

At the Metropolis Stage, the Scientific Node’s Unique Building becomes the Academy. In addition to the previous abilities that the Library, College, and University offered, the Academy adds a considerable amount of new services, including (but not limited) to:

Components for Legendary item repair

Certification of Tier 3 Building Schematics

Concentrated Essence for the creation of accessory Enchantment Stones

Common armor and weapon recipes (Level 50 and under)

Legendary glyphs for the creation of armor and weapon Enhancement Scrolls

Profession Mastery qualifications

Relic and Legendary Crafting Benches

Legendary Freehold Schematic Certificates

The Unique Building plays a central role in the progress of civilization for a server. The above examples are a small insight to the benefits of a Scientific Node’s Unique Building - we don’t want to give away all our secrets, and would rather leave the discovery to our players.

Superpower

Each Node Type has a Superpower granted to the Node. These abilities become unlocked when the Node reaches Level 6 (Metropolis Stage). They are intended to change the dynamics of the game significantly.

Scientific Superpower - Teleportation

Scientific Nodes that have reached the Metropolis Stage unlock the Superpower “Teleportation”. Citizens of the Metropolis Scientific Node can Teleport between the Metropolis Node and any Nodes that are currently Vassals of that Metropolis regardless of their Node Stage, so long as the Vassal Node is not at war. Citizens of Vassal Nodes may teleport to the Metropolis and back to their Vassal Node as well. If there are multiple Scientific Metropolises, then an Airship will provide faster travel between those Scientific Metropolises for Citizens of those Nodes and their Vassal citizens. If the two Scientific Metropolises were at war, then the Airships would shut down.

This will allow Citizens and Vassals of Scientific Metropolises to do things more quickly than others, as fast travel is limited in the world of Ashes of Creation. They’ll be able to exchange goods and information with ease and get to locations in the world at a quicker speed in order to gather crafting materials to create recipes, as well as participate in limited-time events.

Each Node Type in the world of Verra has its own unique benefits, and it will be up to you, the player, to decide which will grow into large Cities and which will never advance beyond an Expedition. You’ll unlock new stories, services, items, and quests, and the world around you will be ever-changing as your actions take place.

In the next Know Your Nodes article, we’ll be covering the Economic Node Type, so be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook in order to get the most up-to-date information on Ashes of Creation!