New Content Discussion [SPOILER]

[Jongyi233]

That make sense. I forgot Redfist dude is not exactly a paragon of virtue to rally behind. The guy was pretty unhinged (maybe still is) back then

 

[Shar Dundred]

The death of Vanessa, which I thought would limit Volarian's development, is actually a good driving force for the story thanks to Volarian's brother in law (so at least another character knows of her).

Keep an eye out for the next release.

 

[Karmondia]

This is unrelated to Path of the Nameless, but I just wanted to share some of my thoughts regarding the Bloodclaw finale, because maybe by giving you my feedback it can help make this wonderful story even better, so here it goes! After giving it some more thought, here is my opinion on how the Bloodclaw epilogue could be improved:

- I realise this is a huge undertaking, but the ending of an amazing story such as this, the ending of one of the most influential figures of Arkain, should have a long cinematic full of dialogue. It feels strange that even relatively "short" Arkain cutscenes can be around 10 minutes long, and then the longest version of the epilogue is around 4 minutes (if you pick the elven children, that adds 2 minutes to the ending, otherwise it's 1-2 minutes long). Also, the "this happened, then this happened, and then this..." was never the way Arkain told its story, the whole thing felt like we are rushing through important events in a summary. I know this is not the case, but with the exception of the First Book endings (those were more like recaps of what happened, and Largoth musing on the player's choices), Arkain always told its story through real time dialogues.

- I also think the consequences of taking the elven children vs human children are disproportionate. I like the fact, that if you take the elven children, the human children die, but if you take the human children, everyone is fine, which kind of makes choosing the human children feel like the "optimal" choice. Maybe there should be some kind of narrative drawback for taking the human children, because currently, taking them feels like the safer and more rewarding option in retrospect. Especially since it also does not mess with the player's alcohol choice, more on that later. All in all, I think taking the human children could have a heavier narrative cost in the epilogue, to make the choice at the end of mission 3 feel more compelling and morally difficult, even on a second playthrough.

- Another issue is that the death of Gardon’s children overrides the alcohol choice entirely. I realise it's in character for Gardon (or anyone) to succumb to alcoholism after his children die, but it makes the choice of the previous two missions less meaningful. Why would I suffer the withdrawal symptoms in mission 4 and 5, if I took the elven children with me? It feels pointless, because he will start drinking again in the epilogue. This also makes it so, that if the player chooses the elven children, the only way to save Gardon, is to side with Brian in mission 5, otherwise he either becomes and undead or just dies. It restricts your choices (if you want him to survive) which is a shame, and makes abstaining from the wine feel pointless.

Please keep in mind that this is just my opinion. I hope this feedback can useful to you, and I’m looking forward to seeing Veln meet his destiny one way or another!

 

[Navy45]

On the subject of the human vs elven children choice, I feel like the elven route lacks something to either prevent or hint at Velina's betrayal. As it is, it feels strange and out of nowhere. Of course she seems confrontational with both her siblings and her father, but not to the point of wishing their death or being ready to burn all bridges with Gardon. On the contrary, she seems invested in Gardon's decision to go back to drinking or not... There's no moment where it feels like she's already decided to have them all killed (which I believe is the implication, since the attack happens while they're in the empire, she's arranged for their deaths before)

Overall, it seems to come out of nowhere and it feels like you had no way to prevent it. I suppose that the betrayal will be explored in Meya's path and I understand the same events can't necesserally be altered in all paths, but it feels weird for Guardon to spend so much time with Velina and not have any option to come closer to her so that she'd rethink her actions and maybe confess (of course they're in the empire, but it's not like they can't communicate with Zyainor to warn them).

There, that was my rant on the subject while it was on the table. I'll shut up and kill orcs now.

 

[Shar Dundred]

Just uploaded a hotfix. The B version was an outdated one that I accidentally put into the campaign file.
It should all work properly now.

 

[Karmondia]

Great chapters, here is my opinion on each:

B path:

• I didn't expect the Redfist to destroy the Dominion, but I hoped we could at least have the chance to kill Amari. Still, this last stand is really cool, and a nice change of pace!
• So, it was Amari who told Redfist where Rangul and Vanessa went... I never liked Amari, and knew she profited from those events, and let them happen, but the fact that she orchestrated the events that almost killed Vanessa, makes me like the Shadessia even less. (I'll have to write a long essay on why I like Gardon and dislike Amari eventually, because they are absolutely NOT the same!)
• Inara is a snake, but I knew that already.

I knew the path of vengeance would only lead Volarian to his doom, and would not make him happy. His mad quest couldn't have ended any other way. (That's why I choose to leave... and to end the cycle of violence.) If there's going to be an epilogue, I wonder if Aridon will raise Volarian as his servant? I mean, he only wants destruction, and hates the orcs with the burning passion of a thousand suns, so, if I were him, I wouldn't pass on the opportunity to get a useful servant. Unless Amari burns his corpse...

C path:

• This was my choice, and I'm glad I made the right decision. Too much blood has been spilled, and nothing will bring back what was lost. It's time to leave.
• Zelech left with his men, but the Redfist faction still has access to pyromancers, which is a bit weird, since Zelech explicitly stated, that he and his men were leaving. Zelech is the Grand Pyromancer, didn't the normal pyromancers serve him?
• Vanessa and Grofzag had a son, that's so cool! First, it is now confirmed, that humans and orcs can interbreed, and Volarian has a grandson! I'm glad he didn't have to kill him in this timeline. I hope to see more of Ergal in the future, he has the potential to be a really interesting character.
• When Krom arrived, I expected Volarian to share the fate of Merlon, but he survived, and Krom left on his own! Things couldn't have turned out better, especially since Aridon was very disappointed, and honestly, that's all I need.

I hope there is going to be an epilogue, at least to this ending, because I'd like to see Volarian reunite with his wife.

All in all, 10/10 missions, the Redfist faction is still very fun and the story is amazing as usual!

 

[Mochi King]

So I just finished both B & C. I chose both, but chose B first since I wanted to see how it ends. Will he succeed in killing most of the leadership, or will he go in his own terms? He faced a nation while being a renegade himself, which put him in the position of where he was during the Second War. I also found it full circle that where the original Redfist fell, that's where the revived Redfist fell as well. I also didn't know Nessi and Grofzag had a son, a powerful one too (if you think about it, the blood of Redfist with an orc body is bound to be strong). I also liked the final fight between Krom and Volarian. Though it may just be a farewell fight of sorts, or maybe both went all out, we'll never know. I really love this. Now I'm curious about Path A, and how 'Veln' will be in the war in Arkain. Will he be a part of Blackthorn, or will he join Daric, or maybe fight against the undead. I'm also pretty happy that the bag of bones didn't gain another servant. I already hate him as he is. I wonder how Redfist would react once he knew that Ira reanimated Vanessa (which was actually related to a question I had in the past, was Aridon actually scared of Redfist's wrath?). Overall, another 10/10 from lord Shar himself.

 

[Shar Dundred]

This might be a shock to you all but B and C will not have an Epilogue.
There will also be news regarding the Bloodclaw ending in the future.

 

[Karmondia]

This might be a shock to you all but B and C will not have an Epilogue.
There will also be news regarding the Bloodclaw ending in the future.

I see... but did Volarian make it back safe to Rodan? Did things work out with Nirielle? Also, I'm really excited to hear the news, whatever they might be!

 

[fbsonar]

I really love the Four C ending. Because I absolutely love Aridon failing.

 

[Karmondia]

Okay, wait a minute! Two things about 4B:

• Since I didn't pick "Power" or "Vengeance" back in 2B, I didn't get the Inara scene at the end. I would say I'm glad Amari is no longer in power... buuut, I don't think the Dominion will be much better under the leadership of Inara, so I'll stay silent.
• So Aridon DOES raise Volarian (at least in the updated version of 4B). Wow... the orc race is f-ed in that timeline.

My questions regarding 4B are kind of answered now, and I don't think it needs an epilogue. However, I think it would still be nice to see Volarian and Nirielle reunite after 4C.