New Content Discussion [SPOILER]

[fbsonar]

Why Praxeus has the Tauren portrait?

 

[Kasrkin]

Arkain is not made with reforged in mind, any changes to the way models and skins work is not the fault of the campaign itself.
This bug was introduced in the latest reforged patch, even if you do not play on reforged or own reforged, this will happen for all custom campaigns made in older versions.

Spoiler

 

[LISBOAH]

And we are back to Arkain, lads!

Spoiler

-I see that Praxeus lost his horse.
-What are the Nexuses doing fighting each other? The moment Aridon hides, this is what happens?
-I am sorry. Calere does flips while walking?!!
-Twenty years of Dominion and the Orcs don't wear full-body black armor? Pathetic!!!
-Night Elves in Arkain? That's impossible!
-Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, a demoness, and KROM in this group?! What kind of DnD party is this?
-Darkan is one of the very few rational dwarves I see.
-Praxeus still has no idea what van Durce did, I see...
-Ironic that Krom is the only suspicious of Nysara.
-LMFAO! The hatred towards Night Elves is real!!
-Woah, back up! The Ejara Nexus have necromancers, skeletons, and Spirit Legionaires on their ranks?
-I was suspicious of Krom and even Calere, but the betrayal came from the obvious person. What exactly was Nysara thinking when she tried to touch a holy relic?!
-I smell character development for Praxeus. He was so confident on the Golden Guard and the Angelics, and now he finds out that he was being used by a demon for twenty years.

 

[Shar Dundred]

-I see that Praxeus lost his horse.

Cora's Flood is a dangerous spell.

-What are the Nexuses doing fighting each other? The moment Aridon hides, this is what happens?

Rohir and Scarec were... not exactly friends, to put it mildly, even while Aridon was there.
Meya capitalized a lot on the defeat of the Bonelords - and if you read her latest short story,
you can see how much she enjoys it.

What kind of DnD party is this?

The best kind.

-Woah, back up! The Ejara Nexus have necromancers, skeletons, and Spirit Legionaires on their ranks?

Minus the Revenant of the Depths, all units utilized by the Ejara have been in their arsenal before.

 

[MyPad]

Legacy of Arkain, Prologue One:

Gameplay

• It feels great to take control of a familiar character in Praxeus (may his horse rest in peace), and a new character.
  • Praxeus' attributes and health pool make him a great tank against enemies in a physical skirmish, and we get to
    see Zed's counterpart too, Tamara.
    
    
  • Dardan and Veln (I think) share a role in decimating groups of enemies and providing valuable single-target crowd control against crucial enemies.
    
    
  • Calere provides valuable attack and defense buffs to her allies while crippling her enemies' attacks. Her life regeneration aura improves the party's hit point regeneration rate both out of combat and in combat.
    
    
  • Krom is great as an assassin, disabling certain targets while dealing massive single-target damage.
• This is a great power-tripping first chapter, where even the sand dragons cannot do much to challenge your party. Praxeus' Holy Light and should keep most of your army healthy throughout the course of the map.
  
  
• The confrontation with the Keepers was ... interesting to say the least. Who knew you could summon Kasrkin afterwards?
  • That said, the surprise boss battle caught me off guard. I ended up losing Krom during the ordeal and had to reload.
    
    
  • The in-game Kasrkin boss comes with a plethora of tanky units to preoccupy your party while he deals massive AOE magic damage. While the party is physically tanky, there's not much they can do against magic damage even with the boost from their armor type.
    
    
  • I wonder if we get to see Blen somewhat wandering in the story as an unexpected force (actor).

Story

• We start at the end of the journey to reclaim the holy grail. Praxeus has gathered for himself quite the party; Dardan, Nysara, Calere, Veln(?), and Krom.
  
  
• We get to see the Blackthorn in action, employed by Nysara to act as bodyguards for her and Praxeus' party. The diversity in their roster shines through, as different races unite towards a single goal.
  
  
• We also get to see Dardan Hammerfall, a dwarf who is possibly related to Zarin and Mordin Hammerfall (gotta brush up on the lore), in action. He has a surprisingly healthy outlook towards others, lamenting the isolationist policies of his people while understanding the high king's reasons for doing so. I see him as Zarin #2 in terms of personality.
  
  
• It is a shame that Nysara had unintentionally exposed her true form to the party at the end, and in such an undesirable manner too. If only she was more forthcoming to the party, the entire ordeal could've been avoided. Still, it is understandable that she would keep her true form from the party, given the devastation that Niko felt when he had to hand the coke over to Miche--, erm, devastation that Praxeus felt afterwards for knowing that what he has known about her for the last 20 years was a lie, and Krom being Krom.
  
  
• It speaks volumes that the Scarec Nexus would be considered the most detestable undead faction among the undead. While their forces have dwindled greatly thanks to Mera's antics, I wouldn't cast aside the threat of them coming back again in the form of Inquisitors brought back from the dead.
  • Speaking of Inquisitors, it was interesting to note how Dardan felt about them, and how detestable they are that they make the Ironfist look like saints in comparison, and we know the general outlook of the dwarves towards the Ironfist (Zyainor) being unsavory as it is. I'm looking forward to the extent of cruelty that they will show in the story.

Edit: Removed main spoiler tag.

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

Well, It's been a while, so lets do it:

• 
  
  • I liked Praxeus party a lot. I never expect that our ancient favorite skeleton will be part of it, some time around the living and not hunting them for a change, Krom? Heh, also I love the dwarft Darkan. I expect a lot of good things about this team.
  • I FULLY support the Rohir Nexus. Arkain will be better without Scarec scum on it.
  • It pains me to attack the Dominion, but they were in the way, so... Shockwave of the nameless for them
  • To be totally honest, I didn't attack the sand dragons or the swamp whelps since the last ones are probably few on numbers. Cursed black dragons, all of them.
  • Karskin, I support your No Night elves on Arkain!
  • When Nysara was about to claim the grail, I was expected anything to happen. Well, that was better than I expected! Poor Praxeus, sometimes the angels hide a dark side, and in this situation was literally it.
  • That Kenos in the end... Death doesn't want him either, isn't?
  • Now I wonder what could be Praxeus reaction to see that one of his former high lord's children is gone, and most likely embraced a "blazing" new power on her.
  [*]

Overall, I thank you for the chance to return to Arkain, I'll looking foward for what is next.

 

[nchp1903]

I'm a bit late to the party, I don't have much to say other than what others have already said. I'm just gonna attach funny images as the result of skipping the cinematic way too fast the second time I watch it.

Spoiler

 

[Shar Dundred]

I wonder if we get to see Blen somewhat wandering in the story as an unexpected force (actor).

Meeting Blen at the coffee vending machine coming soonTM.

It is a shame that Nysara had unintentionally exposed her true form to the party at the end, and in such an undesirable manner too. If only she was more forthcoming to the party, the entire ordeal could've been avoided. Still, it is understandable that she would keep her true form from the party, given the devastation that Niko felt when he had to hand the coke over to Miche--, erm, devastation that Praxeus felt afterwards for knowing that what he has known about her for the last 20 years was a lie, and Krom being Krom.

Wait until more is revealed about what happened behind the scenes there.

I liked Praxeus party a lot. I never expect that our ancient favorite skeleton will be part of it, some time around the living and not hunting them for a change, Krom? Heh, also I love the dwarft Darkan. I expect a lot of good things about this team.

Happy to hear that!
The inclusion of our favorite marksman was challenging due to the missing lore of how he came to
join the group not having been explored but I am quite satisfied with how the camp talks helped
with that as well as with the characters in general.

I FULLY support the Rohir Nexus. Arkain will be better without Scarec scum on it.

You are on your way to becoming Meya's favorite!
Watch your, uhm... everything.

To be totally honest, I didn't attack the sand dragons or the swamp whelps since the last ones are probably few on numbers. Cursed black dragons, all of them.

Karskin, I support your No Night elves on Arkain!

I'm a bit late to the party, I don't have much to say other than what others have already said. I'm just gonna attach funny images as the result of skipping the cinematic way too fast the second time I watch it.

Spoiler

View attachment 515491

View attachment 515492

That's what happens when you don't make cinematic triggers for a year.
As funny as it is, gonna fix that, thanks for reporting it.


I am also going to add some character lore to the Character Sheet soonish.
I have not decided as of yet if I should make a completely new one for Legacy of Arkain.
For the time being I will stick to the current one.

 

[DD Mikasa]

Abit late on this one since life got in the way AGAIN!

First and formost we start the chapter slaying Orcs and whatnot it dont get better than this for that alone this project deserves a 10/10

Holy what in emperor text to speech device DnD party is this?
The mysterious Warrior that you dont know much,
The proud and honorable Paladin,
A midget than can cave your skull in,
And then the best twist of 2025 so far we got an elven bard and an undead archer in company with a holy paladin.

Prax got a doggo too? I didnt know that, kinda bummed after all this time 20 odd years he still is abit of a fanatic, while i do belive his reaction towards Nysara was warrented he could have handled it better.
That Kasrkin jumpscare cost me the game since his dammed paladins nuked Krom and i had not saved ;-;

I see that the first thing the undeads did after they gained free will was to slaughter each other, i guess conflict is at the core of every conscientious being in Arkain after all.

The best plot tist imo was Krom adopting a village as his own and protecting it, for a being as old as he is, i find it adorable that he found solace in protecting life instead of taking it (ironic knowing he is a headhunter in the literal sense of the word)

What grabbed my attention from all the chit chat we got during the camp secuence was the terrible state of the humans on the arkain, being human is better in Salria than in the northern kingdoms which by the looks of it seem to be plauged with uprisings conflict and whatnot the geoplotical scene gonna be spicyyy.

One edit here: The old broodmother unit portrait is that of a Nerubian Crypt Lord
The map was played on 1.29 the recomanded version for this map

 

[LISBOAH]

The mysterious Warrior that you dont know much,

I still wonder if he's supposed to be a character that had been presumed dead.

Prax got a doggo too? I didnt know that, kinda bummed after all this time 20 odd years he still is abit of a fanatic, while i do belive his reaction towards Nysara was warrented he could have handled it better.

Maybe being tricked by a demoness will make him realize how wrong he was to misjudge Gardon.

That Kasrkin jumpscare cost me the game since his dammed paladins nuked Krom and i had not saved ;-;

Their hatred of Night Elves is that strong apparently.

The best plot tist imo was Krom adopting a village as his own and protecting it, for a being as old as he is, i find it adorable that he found solace in protecting life instead of taking it (ironic knowing he is a headhunter in the literal sense of the word)

He probably will try every possible job until Aridon returns.
Maybe someday we will see him as a merchant, an architect, a priest even...

What grabbed my attention from all the chit chat we got during the camp secuence was the terrible state of the humans on the arkain, being human is better in Salria than in the northern kingdoms which by the looks of it seem to be plauged with uprisings conflict and whatnot the geoplotical scene gonna be spicyyy.

Honestly I am scared of Salria. The Shadocracy must have turned the nation into fanatics, and Amari is just waiting for the Gnolls to do something stupid enough to deal with them.

 

[Shar Dundred]

Prax got a doggo too? I didnt know that

You should either watch the epilogue of the True Story again or read the short story Survival then.

One edit here: The old broodmother unit portrait is that of a Nerubian Crypt Lord

Intended, was the same in the True Story.
The original model had no real portrait and I found this to be better.

 

[gaurdian of the flame]

Why do I have the feeling that vlen could be a character that we thought it dead

also Kenos after watching an adventure group formed of most races including a skeleton being deceived by a demoness must be wondering if what he saw was real

Also I started to think think kenos was a stalker before joining the imperial army

 

[Navy45]

Just played the first mission of the Legacy of Arkain.

Gameplay :

• Not really much to say here. The level works well as an easy first level to introduce us to the characters and feel powerful using the dream team.
• I picked Praxeus' Ressurection ultimate thinking that we would get a few mercenaries, but as it is, it is completely useless on this level. Maybe either change Praxeus' ultimate, disable it for this mission, or have him start at level 6 with 3 points in Holy light.
• Praxeus' hero class is still Templar Commander. That feels a bit outdated, considering he isn't commanding much of anything and he hasn't see another templar in 20 years.
• Praxeus' ability being the exact same feels a bit weird. He spent more than 20 years hiding his identity. Keeping his iconic armor might be ok since he was probably more famous in the empire, but having almost only Paladin abilities, when he's probably one of the last paladins in Arkain, feels ineffective for not attracting suspicion.
• The camp scene is nice to allow players to choose how much lore they want to get (I chose every dialogue option of course, but the option is nice). It would be cool to be able to talk to the mercenaries. Of course, you wouldn't have dialogue options, but maybe just a message from them, either complaining, explaining more things, or just saying hi ^^ (the former Ironthunder orc especially feels like he could have interesting things to say. And it would make the mercenaries feel more alive to make fighting them later more impactful)

Story :

• Honestly, I think the characters are a bit too judgmental of the Dominion. Don't get me wrong, I love to list the reasons why the shadocracy is extremely concerning and probably veils a lot of conflicts that will one day explode... but their peace it's still better than most human realms. Also, we're just slaughtering dominion peacekeepers without any formal declaration of war to recover an artifact of extreme religious importance to a now paramilitary organization. We're basically religious terrorists...
• Just to be sure, are the different ghosts entirely a joke ? Because I quite liked the dialogue of some of them, for exemple the one about the slaughter of the swamp dragon. Maybe also because a faction that would oppose the goblins' industrialism or Zyainor's draconic cleansing could be very interesting.
• Interestingly, the shadows seem to be new arrivals, since the undead tell them to leave their breeding grounds, meaning they set up shop before the shadows arrived. Also, how come both coexisted here and no one seemed to try to get the Grail ? It didn't really look hidden or anything.
• Poor Praxeus will be disappointed when he discovers the "glorious" remnants of the Golden Guard. Well at least, if he believes he isn't worthy of joining them without the Grail, it will do wonders for his self-estime.

On the different companions of Praxeus :

• Veln the Nameless : We (obviously) don't know much about him, but he makes for a good protagonist of sorts. I like that we don't experience the story from Praxeus' point of view. For now, apart from his devotion to his companions and the fact he's critical of the dominion, we don't know much. He was found in a forest of Kerrel, so outside of Zyainor territory, and probably years after the end of the war since Praxeus' journey was already well underway. I wonder why he was attacked and left for dead...
• Darkan Hammerfall : A good old dwarf like they don't make them anymore. He has entirely left his people. Since he's a Hammerfall, he's probably related to Zarin, the high king. That would explain why he wouldn't be welcome, if Zarin's own family member ignored his decision to withdraw the dwarfs to their tunnels.
• Krom : The great surprise of this party, our favorite millenia-old skeleton. I was extremely surprised, and suspicious, but he really seems to be genuinely trying to help the group. Plus I can't imagine him deceiving them of his own initiative or doing it for anyone other than Aridon so... Still, he makes an unexpectedly great addition to the party.
• Calere : I kept the elven bard for last for two reasons. First, she's my favourite for now, she's got a moral sense, yet she's willing to ignore the problems of the dominion when they're irrelevant. Overall she seems the most reasonable of the group (though it's not like any of the other is unreasonable). I also love her getting along with Krom, like enough to be able to suggest he be her "pet" to his face. But most importantly, she's a mystery and I like to formulate theories ! So she is apparently an elf, but we know next to nothing about her.
  • Her "magic ?" : It seems her music has an ability in itself, being able to harm, inspire, or control others. The only thing close to that we got before was Sir Jay Bubblerino, who conjured a divine shield by singing or telling tales. But it's unsure wether the two are linked, since Calere's abilities don't seem to be holy in nature, Praxeus would likely have noticed it.
  • Her origin : She doesn't speak of it. We only know she ran away from home. She also dodged Veln's questions about elves in general. That could be because she doesn't like to think of her people... or it could be because the elves are not, in fact, her people (notice she says she ran away from home, but doesn't specify what that home was). When talking about Nysara, she says there's something familiar (negatively) about her. Considering she's a succubus, and doesn't seem to be reminiscent of anything in elven society, I have 3 theories :
    • A : Calere is, herself, a succubus in disguise, though she fled from the demon lands, her "home". That has the merit to explain her abilities since succubi have abilities to control others, she simply disguises these as an effect of her song.
    • B : Calere is really an elf, but she used to be a demon slave, that is one that was born and eventually fled from the demon lands. That would explain her willingness to keep her past secret (both because she resents it and also because others would suspect her for it) and also why she doesn't talk about elven society, because she simply has never lived in it. Her being from the demon lands also explains the "familiarity" she feels around Nysara.
    • C : Calere is really an elf, but a dark elf. The dark elven society being littered with plots and intrigue would make a succubus somewhat "familiar". She would also know nothing of regular elven society.

 

[Shar Dundred]

I picked Praxeus' Ressurection ultimate thinking that we would get a few mercenaries, but as it is, it is completely useless on this level. Maybe either change Praxeus' ultimate, disable it for this mission, or have him start at level 6 with 3 points in Holy light.

Praxeus' hero class is still Templar Commander. That feels a bit outdated, considering he isn't commanding much of anything and he hasn't see another templar in 20 years.

I agree. This is going to be changed in the update.

Praxeus' ability being the exact same feels a bit weird. He spent more than 20 years hiding his identity. Keeping his iconic armor might be ok since he was probably more famous in the empire, but having almost only Paladin abilities, when he's probably one of the last paladins in Arkain, feels ineffective for not attracting suspicion.

He hid his abilities more in other instances, that is true. The main reason I kep his kit as it was is that I do like the kit.
Cora i. e. has gotten changes to her kit though, not all characters will be 1:1 the same as before.

Just to be sure, are the different ghosts entirely a joke ? Because I quite liked the dialogue of some of them, for exemple the one about the slaughter of the swamp dragon. Maybe also because a faction that would oppose the goblins' industrialism or Zyainor's draconic cleansing could be very interesting.

All part of the same context.
I tried to make it not obvious with the ghosts so their dialogue had the same thought put into as other dialogues.

Interestingly, the shadows seem to be new arrivals, since the undead tell them to leave their breeding grounds, meaning they set up shop before the shadows arrived. Also, how come both coexisted here and no one seemed to try to get the Grail ? It didn't really look hidden or anything.

The grail had been moved there, the shadows followed. The Ejara were trying to fend them off of their breeding grounds.
It was originally just the Undead there until the other factions started showing up.

Poor Praxeus will be disappointed when he discovers the "glorious" remnants of the Golden Guard. Well at least, if he believes he isn't worthy of joining them without the Grail, it will do wonders for his self-estime.

He is in for a surprise, that's for sure.

• A : Calere is, herself, a succubus in disguise, though she fled from the demon lands, her "home". That has the merit to explain her abilities since succubi have abilities to control others, she simply disguises these as an effect of her song.
• B : Calere is really an elf, but she used to be a demon slave, that is one that was born and eventually fled from the demon lands. That would explain her willingness to keep her past secret (both because she resents it and also because others would suspect her for it) and also why she doesn't talk about elven society, because she simply has never lived in it. Her being from the demon lands also explains the "familiarity" she feels around Nysara.
• C : Calere is really an elf, but a dark elf. The dark elven society being littered with plots and intrigue would make a succubus somewhat "familiar". She would also know nothing of regular elven society.

Those are some interesting theories. If you had to put them in an order about how likely you think each are, which would it be?
The one presented here or differently?

 

[deepstrasz]

Why Praxeus has the Tauren portrait?

Because he's a bull of a man.

 

[MyPad]

When talking about Nysara, she says there's something familiar (negatively) about her. Considering she's a succubus, and doesn't seem to be reminiscent of anything in elven society, I have 3 theories :

• A : Calere is, herself, a succubus in disguise, though she fled from the demon lands, her "home". That has the merit to explain her abilities since succubi have abilities to control others, she simply disguises these as an effect of her song.
• B : Calere is really an elf, but she used to be a demon slave, that is one that was born and eventually fled from the demon lands. That would explain her willingness to keep her past secret (both because she resents it and also because others would suspect her for it) and also why she doesn't talk about elven society, because she simply has never lived in it. Her being from the demon lands also explains the "familiarity" she feels around Nysara.
• C : Calere is really an elf, but a dark elf. The dark elven society being littered with plots and intrigue would make a succubus somewhat "familiar". She would also know nothing of regular elven society.

I subscribe to Theory B, given that the potential for richer lore can be explored. Compared to the homelands of other races, I feel that the demon lands are not as fully fleshed out, so if Theory B is true, we can explore in greater detail how demons treat their demon slaves, their (demon slaves') daily routines, and how Calere managed to slip out.

 

[Tryce09]

Well, First I need to say that is a pleasure to return to the arkain world, and because the big time skip(+20 years) many things should have change!

About the gameplay

Spoiler

-An adventure map as first chapters is a good idea, especially because there is no way that Praxeus have some kind of army.
-I like how we gain more allies along the way.
-Explorations rewards us with more gear and some secrets.
-With micro enough everything can be smooth, especially if you pick your fights wisely(I just ignore the first dragon, until I get more forces lol
-Backtracking after finish the first phase is rewarding.
-The mini bosses are tough enough.
-The night elves stuff I didn't get the joke, I though that could be a secret item, but was a meme boss, I respect add some kind of BS that can break the lore just for the lulz.
-I really like the idea of talk to the heroes in this chapter, to add world building and also help the people that didn't read the short stories or play the true story. I think that I gonna steal that idea.
-Maybe we have too many "bonus armor" skills with Praxeus, Calere and Veln and the armor reach the point that isn't worth stack soo much, maybe reworks Q of Calere with more damage and 0 armor, or change Praxeus W with other skill.
-I like Krom but he can't be healing by Praxeus, but is just another work for our micro skill.
-I don't gonna mention any bug because I think that all already are fixed.

About the story

Spoiler

-How many years have Praxeus now? +20 years? Probably he like gardon were around mid thirties so he have +50 years?
-This dream team is probably the nicest fellows of Arkain, where 99.9999999998% of the characters are asses and the ones that not are really dead.
-At first I though that our man Praexus gonna be the focus, but not, the main PoV is the Nameless, but still Praxeus is the one who move the plot.
-This temple was on Salria... but its a jungle, was in the borderlands of the gnoll islands?
-I didn't expect that the grail were there and that Nysara show her true face, but that's made sense because if not, this gonna be just full circle of find nothing, now the plot can actually move.
-Krom was a surprise, and "make" sense, without so purpose he find something, maybe he like Meya like the humans and find them funny and that's why he "play" with them of find them worth to stay.
-Honestly is difficult to believe on Nysara, have some many things against her, but there is must be something more about her, she have many opportunities to so something EVIL to our heroes.
-I found hilarious that the Blackthorn just accept the last order of Nysara despite be a demon, I know that their boss is a demon, but they were a little mindless for the coin? Also I knew it that both Grazzas and Orkar(?) were cannon fodders, the orc not even have one dialogue! LoL
-I was scared that Praxeus may be die just right here and all his quest of the grail was on vain, thankfully this wasn't the case.
-Our man Praxeus man ends sad but his true companion tell him basically "think in the friends that we made along the way" , I just love it!
-Looks like that Ejara nexus return to do experiments with orcs after Aridon dissapear.

Minor stuff

Spoiler

-About Calere, her attack missile/animation is difficult to notice, black music notes on the enemy without any sound, at first I thought that she wasn't any LoL, maybe you want to add a small noise?
-The Tribal Dominion and Blackthorne lack of any unique model or skin despite happens like 20 years, I gonna take that those are really low priorities for the campaign at this point.

Finally about our "new" friends Nameless... I have some many theories!

Spoiler

So far We know that was found on Kerrel, terrible woundead and his face disfigured? So We can assume that He is a man, human, probably average warrior not an elite and not an undead, because he can be healed by Praxeus holy line.

My candidates are Lerric, Blen and Flavius, because the three die in a horrible way on kerrel unlike every else that died far away(like Logan and Merlon)
BUT:
-Lerric was devoured alive in the middle point of the second voidwar, so is impossible that He could survive, besides Veln don't share any spells with him.
-Blen was dying before Rath/Zoia struck the final blow and his body was left to rot in his prison, so... sorry my friends but Blen is really but reallyyy dead, too bad because both are swordman, have shockwave and have a "chill" actitute.
-Flavius is IMO the stronger candidate IF Veln is someone who already see in the past, both share 2 skills, devotion aura and veteran rank, the last stand of the golden guard was on kerrel borders and a Destructor fall on him and left NO BODY, so unless we saw him die, there is still have a chances, but a few contradictions:
1) He was the elder son of Van durce, Praxeus should have recognize him if not by his face then his armor.
2) Not Holy light spells? Too obvious or he forget to use holy magic?
3) If survive that explosion and everyone assume that he was dead, then how TF survive so long badly injured? The lore state that he was found a few YEARS after the second voidwar maybe he heal himself with the holy light until his mind broke?

SURE, the other option is that we are overthinking TOO much and in the end he is just a totally new characters without relationship with previous story, but still the fellow pick my attention by the mystery about him.

I looking foward to see more

 

[ƬƖƦЄƊ]

Spoiler: My guesses on vlen identity

1- Aaron the Sacrificing :No corpse seen ,in the first book he manged to escape the demons maybe in the true story did too ,but maybe killed off screen later by genthes.

2- Flavius Van Durce :his body wasn't found.

3- Daric ? Sir Ross ?

4- Random solider or merc.

 

[nchp1903]

Spoiler: My guesses on vlen identity

1- Aaron the Sacrificing :No corpse seen ,in the first book he manged to escape the demons maybe in the true story did too ,but maybe killed off screen later by genthes.

2- Flavius Van Durce :his body wasn't found.

3- Daric ? Sir Ross ?

4- Random solider or merc.

Spoiler

1. Aaron was indeed killed by Genethas canonically. There was a cinematic in True Story, not just the First Book.
2. Flavius fits the bill. If an airship indeed falls on him and crushed him, he may fit the bill of "a guy who suffered enough blunt trauma to lose memory, and burned enough to lose his face, but armored enough to still be alive". Although, I doubt it. If he was truly Flavius, Praxeus can just recognize him by voice.
3. Daric or Logan is a big "probably". I don't remember seeing them die at all. Sir Ross must already became a Rohir Officer by now, because Meya was involved, 'nuff said.
4. Interesting direction actually. He could just be another greedy guy but when he forgot everything, he now became a good man. What Krom said about him might be a Cherkov's gun.


Or he might be the greatest hero of all: Progaderas who got amnesia after being beaten too many times, and he stuffed himself in a suit for safety.

 

[Shar Dundred]

-The night elves stuff I didn't get the joke, I though that could be a secret item, but was a meme boss, I respect add some kind of BS that can break the lore just for the lulz.

May I recommend watching this video from 2020?

-About Calere, her attack missile/animation is difficult to notice, black music notes on the enemy without any sound, at first I thought that she wasn't any LoL, maybe you want to add a small noise?

I considered that and still might if I find one that I like for it.

I am not going to reveal Veln's identity just yet obviously but it is interesting to see the guesses.
I wonder if someone will find out who Veln is without the shadow of a doubt left in their mind...

 

[Navy45]

3. Daric or Logan is a big "probably". I don't remember seeing them die at all.

I doubt it is Daric, he left alive with his mercenaries at the end of the True Story. I don't see how he could end up alone and tortured (plus, he's not really the type to make enemies so bad they torture him and leave him for dead). As for Logan, if he survived the Mogthar, I don't see why he would not just rejoin the mercenaries and same as Daric, he doesn't really have this kind of enemies.

I'm trying to come at it from the perspective of who would want to torture this guy so badly (he was disfigured and I assume left to die suffering). But not that many people have this kind of enemies. The Ardoz (or any undead) could fit, but not that many people are specifically an enemy of the undead. Since it happened in Kerrel, I doubt Zyainor is responsible, so it may be the work of the Inquisition. I wonder if he might be Lord Derran (the noble from Kerrel who opposed the Inquisition in a short story... yeah I know, totally not grasping at straws here ^^).

 

[Fan_of_Aeroblyctos]

Just came to say I enjoyed playing a lot. It is the first time I read all lore, I very much liked how it was written. And gameplaywise, I found the rythm of this mission quite perfect. Thanks a lot for that new mission!!

Spoiler: spoiler

Nice surprise the Karskin one ^^

 

[Datage]

So, I have been busy as of late and I just was able to play it just now. First thing of all... wow, it's great. It's peak. I really liked it, honestly.

Spoiler: Observations:

-Nobody introduce the concept of role-playing games to Arkain. I have the sensation that more than one character would become hooked, to say the least. On a more serious note, the addition that surprised me the most was Krom: He did fight alongside Gardon in the last stand, and I didn't expect for Praxeus to be so welcoming of anybody who allied itself with Gardon.

-I agree with everyone else here: That Vlen is a character that was thought dead.

-Poor Braelon, he just cannot stop getting betrayed, can he? I am amused by the fact that everyone else thought he had feelings for Nysara (I mean... I'm still not sure if he didn't have them... or Nysara for him, for that matter). Still, give my man a break.

-On that note... didn't Amari meet "Boranel Aspurex" when he participated in the arena? I'm honestly surprised she didn't keep better track of him: Especially considering that the creatures guarding the temple are shadows...

-Also, if Marin was gonna do what I think he was gonna do with that Grail... whooo boy, I think Braelon dodged a bullet there.

-The best part of the whole thing was petting Tamara, of course.

-Also, tipical Rohir W.

-If a Keeper of the Grove falls in the middle of the forest, and the only ones to hear it is a party of DnD characters, what sound does it make? Seriously though, excited for the Night Elves. I also must say that the Kasrkin model looks extremely good.

-I really liked the conversations in the camp. They didn't feel repetitive, which is something most RPGs fail to do. They were also full of ominous foreshadowing. Neat.

-On a last note, I noticed the map had a lot of polish with the decorations and terrain elevations. I also noticed that it says "Upkeep Disabled" instead of the tipical "No Upkeep". Again, a lot of little things that speak really well of the map.

In other words, peak. Will wait patiently for more.

 

[Mvicio]

Veln truly could be anyone. I thought it could be Logan that was killed off camera but he was killed in Salria. Toraes is another option, sent to Kerrel in a secret mission from the demons (maybe to deliver a message in exchange of freedom?) and was kidnapped and almost killed by the inquisition in order to preserve their power on the council?

2. Flavius fits the bill. If an airship indeed falls on him and crushed him, he may fit the bill of "a guy who suffered enough blunt trauma to lose memory, and burned enough to lose his face, but armored enough to still be alive". Although, I doubt it. If he was truly Flavius, Praxeus can just recognize him by voice.

Maybe the airship burned his vocal cords?

• A : Calere is, herself, a succubus in disguise, though she fled from the demon lands, her "home". That has the merit to explain her abilities since succubi have abilities to control others, she simply disguises these as an effect of her song.
• B : Calere is really an elf, but she used to be a demon slave, that is one that was born and eventually fled from the demon lands. That would explain her willingness to keep her past secret (both because she resents it and also because others would suspect her for it) and also why she doesn't talk about elven society, because she simply has never lived in it. Her being from the demon lands also explains the "familiarity" she feels around Nysara.
• C : Calere is really an elf, but a dark elf. The dark elven society being littered with plots and intrigue would make a succubus somewhat "familiar". She would also know nothing of regular elven society.

I think B is the most interesting one, we never saw a demon slave changing sides since most of them are descendants of the original humans elves and dwarves that bend the knee to the demons. Perhaps she was sick of the demons and run away.

Also are the Ejara trying to breed sea turtles? Or mix them with other races such nerubians or sludges? That would be awesome, common Ejara nexus Win.

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

What an amazing return of Legends of Arkain!

The part that most intrigue me is the individual story and progression of Krom, what the future reserves to this lonely hunter? He has so much potential to grow in the narrative more than ever.

I love the optional skil to "Talk", that make the dialogue not something mandatory that we NEED to read to progress the story, now we read if we want, if don't care about "lore", just keep going playing, this gives the player more option to how we will feel the narrative. I love the lore of Arkain but i admit, read 10 minutes of cutsceane to understand ALL the characters sometimes makes me exhausted, so this is a excelent alternative!

 

[DD Mikasa]

still wonder if he's supposed to be a character that had been presumed dead

I do have a feeling that much of the story will be revolved around him, hell ill throw a curve ball and go and predict he himself is related to the demons somehow (maybe he was a demon slave of some sort)

 

[Navy45]

Just read the human legacy character sheets :

• So Daric has a legitimate job for the kingdom of Rengar, advising and ensuring the safety of the border with the Dominion. I think it's fair to assume he isn't Veln. Though I wonder if he's been affected by Edoarus' moves in Rengar. It would be weird for him to get his orders from royals without realizing many of them are undead... but then again, the order of the Flame is probably still alive too.
• I had forgotten Lord Marin left with Renald's corpse. Initially, it looked like he wanted to safeguard it from undeath... but he is studying the angelics a lot... and, from what we know, the process of becoming an angelic seems to involve dying. Could he be trying to turn Renald into some sort of male Angelic ? Considering the ways Valerie has changed, the fact Marin doesn't understand fully the power of the grail and how careful the Golden Guard was with using it... yeah that can only end well.
• So the Bloodstones hate the humans for siding with the black dragons too eh ? I thought maybe since they're not that crazy about tradition, they might be less angry about it. Between this, Zarin's friendship with Selana, who's currently in the custody of Rahandir and Saphira... I foresee a possible collaboration between the dwarves, Rahandir's undead and maybe even the Daviliad Nexus to liberate the elven forest from Zyainese influence. Though that would require Selana to wake from her coma first.
• Damn, Zoia really wants a new war to break out. I wonder why. She was always ruthless in how she fought and how she directed her regiment, but she didn't really seem like a warmonger. Is she looking for the occasion to elevate herself within Zyainese society or to gain some lands of her own, or is she really personnally missing battle ? If so, that's a side of her we haven't seen yet. Also, the sheet's last sentence is about as ominous as you can get. What powerful weapon is there left to get on Arkain ? The only lost artifact we know of is the Grail, but that's not really been presented as a weapon of mass destruction. Also, I wonder, is she still relying on werewolves ? If so, does that mean Zyainor knows how to make them, or was she somehow allowed to keep that knowledge to herself ? The sheet doesn't really tell what her position really is. Is she a trusted close general of Guardon, an influential head of the Zyainese military, or a commander among others, somehwat flying under the radar ?

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

- Just waiting for Salana to come back. Who knows? Saphira, Keera, Salana and Lera leading an undead elven army and having a "Long live the queen" 2.0. Maybe a dialogue between Larine and Renova's children (or a battle?)

 

[Navy45]

On the sneak peak of the second chapter of Legacy :

• Another level on the Dead Mountain among the undead nexi. However, these don't seem to be how we left them. Well at least, it seems Meya put all these captives to good use. She's really going for making the Rohir "first among the nexi". As for the other picture, well, based on the colour, it seems to be the Lenira Nexus. I suppose it makes sense they were allowed to build a seat on the Dead Mountain along with the other Nexi... though I doubt the flames are there for the ambiance. Maybe Ornasion has been letting off some steam again. I wonder how the Kezzar and other nexi are positioned relative to the Rohir's grab for power.
• A controversial "old friend" who wants to right old mistakes and can't wait to monologue all about it ? I wonder who, among the many egomaniacal Archlich pseudo God of Death we know that could be...
• I wonder, will we play right as Aridon awakens ? Does that mean we'll start with a sort of callback to the first undead mission, with Aridon having to reach all nexi and inform them of his will. Except they are wide awake, and the things they've done while they were awake might... upset Aridon. In theory, as his servants, they should fall in line immediately at his word. I can't wait to see if that's as effective in practice.

 

[Shar Dundred]

-The best part of the whole thing was petting Tamara, of course.

Best update I have ever made, hands down.

As for the other picture, well, based on the colour, it seems to be the Lenira Nexus. I suppose it makes sense they were allowed to build a seat on the Dead Mountain along with the other Nexi... though I doubt the flames are there for the ambiance. Maybe Ornasion has been letting off some steam again. I wonder how the Kezzar and other nexi are positioned relative to the Rohir's grab for power.

I have to specify here that the player color here is from the editor and I did not edit them for
the screenshot this time as I usually do; it was meant to be grey structures instead of pink.

 

[gaurdian of the flame]

releasing the legacy of arkain second chapter today is a very good birthday present for me

 

[Karmondia]

I can't believe how Aridon, in his guilt, came to an even worse conclusion than before! I must say, the story is getting really interesting, can't wait for more!
Also, it was nice to see Cora being relevant again! I thought she lost her free will, when she joined the undead, but I guess I was wrong. I wonder what Kazardius will do, now that he is free...

 

[Navy45]

On the second mission of the Legacy of Arkain :

Spoiler because early

Lore :

• ... I honestly didn't think it possible for Aridon to grow even more insane and disconected with reality... but somehow he managed to make me regret the time he was just powerhungry arrogant and/or racist. I honestly expected him to wait a bit before announcing a completely inept decision that will spell doom for like half the continent... well at least, this one was taken for sort of the right reasons. (Though I think he still has trouble comprehending that mortal beings actually have free will and intelligence, at least as much as him, and it's not like everything everywhere is entirely the fault of the Four)
• Poor Valdeer looks like the guy got a promotion at the worst time to do an impossible job. Really, the undead nexi look more and more like office politics. Though that must have been one Fallen Paladin to stomach the idea of slaughtering all mortal races and going along with it. I assume he's been an undead for a long time, because otherwise that is one hell of a depression.
• I absolutely adore the Nexi going free. I was a bit disappointed by Aridon going the genocide route because I expected him to be more reflective, but the nexi will probably make the undead very interesting. It also makes Cora being unsupervised more believable, because it's not like the Nexi didn't care about her, they were actively plotting their betrayal with her (though I don't know how much the other Nexi knew apart from the Zirr)
• Two things I am not sure about :
  • 1) Is the Splecir Nexus reconnected or just loyal ? Because Valdeer say they are loyal, which I am sure they are, but Aridon has access to their Core from the beginning. Has he restored the link like he did the Ardoz ? I doubt the Splecir would complain.
  • 2) What about the undead that aren't linked to a Nexus like Edoarus and Kazardius ? (unless Kazardius is Splecir, I'm not sure). Have they gone free too ? If they have, does Aridon have a way to reestablish control over them ? I assume Krom will be an exception, based on how fickle Aridon's control over Arkainians is. If so, Aridon will soon have one of the last remaining paladins of Arkain aware of how vulnerable the undead are... I hope for him the Grail keeps him busy for a long time
• I love the small details like the Scarec ruins being guarded by Ejara/Rohir forces like they agreed to split their territory or the Ejara's base being defended by living nerubians since the Ejara is now free from Aridon.
• I just want to speculate on what the Nexi will do with their freedom :
  • Scarec : Search for the Bonelord and kill everything that is on their way... and next to their way... and opposite to their way... and Rohir scum too.
  • Zirr : Probably keep collaborating with Cora, at least while Aridon keeps threatening their knowledge.
  • Rohir : Extend their power base as much as possible and probably try to covertly take over parts of Zyainor as they're being pushed back from the undead tunnels.
  • Ejara : It depends on Haran's state of mind. I really would like him to go free (from both Aridon and his Nexus' mindset), in which case, I expect him to make use of every weapon he can get, be it slavery or necromancy, to destroy Aridon and reclaim the Dead mountain to restore, or at least avenge the Nerubian Kingdom (I just realized the planned betrayal explains the Ejara building breeding grounds in Salria. They've probably evacuated a lot of nerubians from the Dead Mountain)
  • Daviliad : Protect the Elven forest from anyone and anything, be it Zyainor, the Kingdoms, the Dominion, the Empire or even Aridon himself.
  • Lenira : They were already free, but I doubt they'll like the whole "slaughtering everyone including themselves". Though I wouldn't put it past them to pretend to agree with Aridon's plan and betray him later (with Aridon being too deluded to see it coming)
  • Kezzar : Considering they left the Dead Mountain, they probably have a plan, but I don't know what it entails. They don't seem powerful enough to attack the Demon realms to get Ebira. Maybe they'll go after Aedale to "free" Lisara.
• Poor Grennan the Firesumonner, suffering the ignominious fate of being resurected as a cryomancer. At least, he got to be burned down by my Lifescorchers.

Gameplay :

• The level is a pretty cool powerfantasy, which seems to be the theme of these prologue missions. We've never had access to the full power of the Splecir Nexus and the combination of Lifescorchers and Spirit Legionnaires is nothing to scoff at. Having the fully equiped Aridon from the hunt for the Bonelord definitely contributed. Even so, the defensive emplacements of the rebel Nexi provides a good amount of challenge so the mission doesn't feel too easy.
• I think the mission could use a few more in-battle voicelines, considering how important an event the Nexi's rebellion is. For example, Aridon could say something about the Scarec in their ruins. Does he regret leaving the Nexi free ? Or allowing the Scarec to keep their genocidal ideology ? I think Galareth could say something when we fight him (probably something about giving Aridon divine ears). And maybe a broodmother of the Ejara could tell Aridon their children will never again be his slaves or something along those lines.

 

[Datage]

Just played through the new mission. Whoo boy, this keeps getting better and better:



This lich does NOT learn. They have already gone through literally every single stage of self-introspection... and they end right back at the beginning of Book One! Except now it's even worse, because now they are also going "Woe is me! I have to commit murder! Oh, such despair, how I suffer!" I genuinely cannot tell is they're being fully honest, lying to everyone, or lying to everyone and themselves. Which as I have said before, I really, really like.

It's even worse because the stuff they're about to do is probably less cruel than what they did in Legends. It's just... it's so in-character, that I'm actually baffled. But the ability Aridon has to completlely ignore how their choices affect others... it's just mind-breaking. It just feels like they're throwing a "tantrum", so to speak: Aridon messed up, but they have to be the one to clean it up. Which again, is in character with Aridon's whole shtick of being an interventionist, making everything significantly worse, and hiding (is it hiding if you truly believe you're doing the right thing?) under a veneer of rightiousness.

But enough about Aridon. I really liked the new Paladin. Funny how she goes from "The Nexi must be respected" to "Everyone who disagrees will suffer a most violent end" in the span of a second. Also, the way she makes excuses for destroying the other Nexi in the lore notes; from "The Zirr should only keep the knowledge I think they should keep" to "Too many statues of Meya". Whatever you might say about Aridon, at least they acknowledge that the current Nexi situation is partly their fault, too, and kills them because they're and obstacle, not because of their "quirks": They do not need a justification. This lady, on the other hand? She does not only destroy them, but she justifies their destruction too, due to some natural "inferiority" in regards to the Ardoz. Shar cooked with this one.

(Also, good on the Nexi for getting away from that hot mess. Aridon will now have issues(TM), since Haran will most likely murder them rather than be enslaved again, Meya controls most of the necromancers of Zyanor, and the Zirr have kept most of their knowledge, and the other Nexi always had their own agenda. Also, my man Kazardius, wonder where you are...)

In regards to the level itself... it was cool. Having access to almost endless resources and a full army from the beginning, fully equipped with all the Ardoz heavy units, as well as a full-level Aridon; is pretty fun. Also, the Night Elf hype is real; man, do the lore tidbits look promising.

Finally, a meme regarding the opening sequence:

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

Aridon never learns, first he kill all the four and put the world in a great mess, after that forget about everything and try to make "balance" that doesn't exist killing hundred of thousands, the world become more mess, now seeing that he create this whole mess what he do? Let destroy the world in a final great mess , Aridon is what he always was and will never change

But this is now interesting because thinking the actual timeline have a great event: The might Empire of Rodan commanded by a god full power is preparing to attack, we have the demons other side of continent, we have the undead preparing the greatest war ever seen lead by a god of death, we have Ziyanor and his greatest forces prepared for the war, the Tribal Dominion and machinations of Brian and union of all non-human and some human races to protect their lands

This will make the Second Void War be a childplay, even the civil war of Golden Guard and Ironfist, the rampage of the orcs, ascension of Tribal Dominion, the bloody invasion of the demons and their defeat will be nothing compared to what is come not just Aridon move but everything move.

 

[LISBOAH]

Prelude Two:
-The Kezzar Nexus left, why am I not surprised? Ornassion was totally done with the Lenira Nexus right from the beginning, and it could only get worse from there.
-What is with Galareth's obsession with ears and eyeballs?
-And Aridon went full genocide. He's not 100% wrong, the world has been shaped by the Four, though mortals would end up screwing things one way or another. He went from god-complex to self-loathing, but he has to understand that not all evil came from him nor his siblings.
-Aridon, why on earth didn't you put a spell on Cora the moment she went to Dead Mountain? Remember Largoth?
-Aridon is not wrong. The nexuses being fully independent will cause trouble to the entirety of Arkain. The Rohir will infiltrate the other nations and Scarec will go on a rampage.
-And we are back to the first mission, but now we have to fight undead rather than orcs.
-Sad that Aridon only interacts with the Zirr Nexus. It was a good moment, him showing both pride for them following his previous orders and sorrow that he has to kill them.
-Pity we don't get access to Ardoz units after we subjugate them.
-Nerubians have to be the unluckiest race in Arkain. They try to rebel against Aridon's orders, they get killed. Now, they do what Aridon ordered them to do, they get killed.
-Valdeer is right. Ardoz Nexus and their lack of morality should be dealt with before the purge is to begin. They can't afford for dissension to ruin this, not when the other Nexuses went rogue.
-Not sure how Rahandir and Krom will react to Aridon's new orders. They were loyal to him, but I am not sure they will support killing everyone.

Grammar mistake:
Opening cinematic: "...where they have gone." ---» "...where they went."

• Poor Valdeer looks like the guy got a promotion at the worst time to do an impossible job. Really, the undead nexi look more and more like office politics. Though that must have been one Fallen Paladin to stomach the idea of slaughtering all mortal races and going along with it. I assume he's been an undead for a long time, because otherwise that is one hell of a depression.

Had the Zirr Nexus developed anti-depressants, things may have not turned out like this!

Scarec : Search for the Bonelord and kill everything that is on their way... and next to their way... and opposite to their way... and Rohir scum too.

Aridon: Your "crusade" is over, Scarec Nexus. Any last words?
Scarec Nexus: F# you, Rohir scum!
Rohir Nexus: We didn't even say anything!

Lenira : They were already free, but I doubt they'll like the whole "slaughtering everyone including themselves". Though I wouldn't put it past them to pretend to agree with Aridon's plan and betray him later (with Aridon being too deluded to see it coming)

Pentiss is insane. I think she will slaughter the whole world just to be the last and the one to be killed by Aridon himself.

Kezzar : Considering they left the Dead Mountain, they probably have a plan, but I don't know what it entails. They don't seem powerful enough to attack the Demon realms to get Ebira. Maybe they'll go after Aedale to "free" Lisara.

Or go after Ebira.

But this is now interesting because thinking the actual timeline have a great event: The might Empire of Rodan commanded by a god full power is preparing to attack, we have the demons other side of continent, we have the undead preparing the greatest war ever seen lead by a god of death, we have Ziyanor and his greatest forces prepared for the war, the Tribal Dominion and machinations of Brian and union of all non-human and some human races to protect their lands

This will make the Second Void War be a childplay, even the civil war of Golden Guard and Ironfist, the rampage of the orcs, ascension of Tribal Dominion, the bloody invasion of the demons and their defeat will be nothing compared to what is come not just Aridon move but everything move.

If Aridon was smart, he would let the mortals and rogue undead kill each other, so that he can kill the survivors.

 

[Navy45]

-Not sure how Rahandir and Krom will react to Aridon's new orders. They were loyal to him, but I am not sure they will support killing everyone.

Personnally, I don't see any world where Rahandir goes along with Aridon's plan. If killing Guardon was enough for him to attempt to circumvent his orders at the end of the Second Void War, he will probably dip out the moment he learns of Aridon's plan and likely join Cora's efforts against him.

Pentiss is insane. I think she will slaughter the whole world just to be the last and the one to be killed by Aridon himself.

Honestly, I doubt she's half as insane and fanatical as she pretends to be. She plays the singlemindedly devoted Aridon-cheerleading squad captain because it's advantageous to her, both politically (since she's the leader of the conservative dark elf families) and strategically (it makes other nexus and Aridon himself underestimate the Lenira if they assume they're just singleminded fanatics like the Splecir and don't have an agenda of their own).

But the moment she can take some advantage, even at the expense of other undead, she does. Like when she dosed the rebels with lotus flower. It gave her a docile workforce of slaves, solidifies her victory (since she can parade the former mistress around) and deprived the undead nexus of these bodies.
Same thing at Castle Kome. She went on her own to accomplish her own objectives in the middle of the war and lied through her teeth by invoking Aridon's name to try and put a claim on the castle and bodies inside.

I think she's loyal to Aridon... to the degree that it doesn't severely hinder her power. Killing her and the dark elves would do that and more.

 

[MyPad]

Spoiler: Legacy of Arkain, Prologue 2

Story

• I can't believe it. Aridon Redfist becoming a recluse for 20 years to reflect on his mistakes and visions, only to come up with a conclusion far worse than the last time. While he may hide behind a thin veneer of resignation, I think he feels a burning hatred great enough to envelop the world, a hatred that seeks to destroy all in its wake. Unlike before when he was simply content to act as the "Watcher" of Arkain, he will bring down his wrath on everyone in an omnicidal suicide-pact.
  
  
• To resort to what is essentially a "final solution" towards every race in Arkain, even the Undead ... I will look forward to seeing him fail.
  
  
• Valdeer's first impression paints a picture of an overly zealous former paladin eager to acquire power at all costs, even changing her mind at a whim just to please Aridon. In a spiritual way, she hails from the Lenira Nexus, though her devotion to Aridon is unquestionable.
  
  
• It is pleasant to see Mordin Hammerfall outright questioning Aridon's current directives as a result of his individuality, ironically by the nature of being bound to Rahandir instead of Aridon. Can't wait to see him interact with Darkan (peacefully if possible).
  
  
• Going back to the topic of the Four; if the Holy Relic's power to reincarnate the dead to their holy form is to be believed (gameplay aside), I could see it being one of the original items held by Zindrach that somehow ended up in Rodan for Renald Van Durce to take. Viewed through that lens, I can even see the sub-plot of Nysara reclaiming the Relic as a possible narrative rebirth of the fallen Zindrach and the demon race for that matter.
  
  
• Seeing Cora Redfist retain her humanity even while indulging in "forbidden" knowledge is such a delight to witness. I'm looking forward to seeing her and her sisters (Aedale, Orie, and Vanessa) reunite as parallels to the Four.

Gameplay

• Gaining access to trainable spirit legionnaires is awesome, with their skills uniquely suited to punishing single-target units (and buildings with the repurposed naga royal guard Icebolt).
  
  
• As if the above wasn't enough, we also get to train Lifescorchers with their fiery nova skill, which just burns / melts enemy undead units (literally).
  
  
• Starting with a full-kit Aridon feels ... dirty, for the lack of a better word. Not only do I experience the dissonance of having to control a mad being out to scour the land, I also have to deal with the fact that he happens to have a packed spell-kit to suit his army's needs.
  
  
• Meanwhile, Valdeer doesn't feel like she stands out as much with her kit, aside from Holy Nova. While she keeps Holy Nova, the flavor of undeath taints her other skills, making her feel a bit more bland than expected. It could probably be because we're controlling Aridon at the same time.

Edit: Fixed bullet formatting.

 

[nchp1903]

Spoiler: Low effort meme pic

Spoiler: Review

• If there's one thing I can praise Aridon about, then it's his ability to drive the plot forward. Other than that, he thinks in binaries and absolutes, and that's why if something is not correct, the opposite must be. At least someone's still dumb enough to follow him, like Valdeer, and judging by the fact that she's the one writing the lore entries, she's gonna be around for a long while.
• The mission itself was fun, and I think it's a rare UD vs UD matchup? Lifescorchers and Spirit Legionnaires are fun, but I find the Rohir units too good for pass out. Taking a page out of Meya's book, I possessed a bunch of Poisoners and use a Destroyer as a spotter for them to wreak havoc. The Rohir's fortified base has nothing against the firing squad, and if they use Banshees to Curse, I can just Devour Magic right back.
• I also possess a Ghost to keep Valdeer mana-filled, because she desperately needs that, being a Strength hero with 3 active abilities.
• Speaking of Valdeer, Parry is nice, because it can stack independently with Miss chance/Evasion chance, if that ever comes up. It displays the wrong number in its main tooltip though, like 1000/2000/3000% chance.
• The kit as a whole is fine. It works, although I wish for something more flashy, since she's the new character after all. She and Veln both.
• My only real complaints are that if I have a Disease Team or a Destroyer, I can just easily aggro a Nexus into attacking into my firing squad again. And since they can't open doors, they're just stuck. Maybe add a check like "If Aridon in area and Nexus also in area, Nexus can open door"?
• Allied Splecirs are colored gray and not purple.
• I also found a certain paladin. Neat.
• Anyway, we had a human mission and an undead mission. Hopefully the next prelude will be an Orc mission to balance things out.

 

[merlockqueen]

Okay warning this is going to be a looong one instead of reviewing the full story of the true book which is what im focusing on characters and how i feel about them as they are at the end of the the true story campagin. no extra short stories or the follow ups are being considered cause that would be too much for me. 1-10 being how interesting they are to me as characters.

Aedale - she retains a interesting arc where its not clear whats shes going to do next but remains a free agent perhaps the most chaotic character potentially in the story and her descent to become just like her father is tragic. 7/10
Amarai - Unfortunately to me she kinda of hard to rate i kept feeling like i didnt really know who she was what she cared about or why she cared about it like did she actually care about Vanessa or was she a tool? does she respect okri or is she a tool? is all she wanted power for its own sake? i dont know at all so while she still is in an interesting place i really dont know how i feel about her 5/10

Ardion - honestly i just sighed trying to cap him in a sentance but at the same time i alwasy sigh and go this guy when hes on screen hes interesting in a hate able way though 8/10

Arnos-Dornos - who were these guys again? 1/10

Aveen - miss bird oh how you sure wanted to be a more important character her what for most of the story one sided love of her family/thero was intresting but after that being mildy nice shes not too anything really 3/10

Birram - he sure is a dude 2/10

Blen - a flawed man who rose to greatness than found himself unable to handle the poltical games of the empire and his arrogance cost him everything he had the biggest glowup in the true books i think 4/10

Brian - ohh a poor little meow meow if i have ever seen one he is so unsure if he wants domiance and vengance or to be a good support and father figure to his little mass murdering mind controling step children. which is compelling him endlessly torn in effectivley 3 directions keeps you guessing of what he vaules most. 7/10

Brokta - his charcter is intresting in how he is elequant and noble and what he vaules beyond honor in finding a good enemy is neat but he was cut short and like a lot of orc charcter in that arc kinda goes unmoruned and uncared about 3/10

Cora - shes in a very intresting postion haveing been slightly curropted by the undead but not fully leaving her in a place where she can do almost anything with the knoweldge she gains from them her eating scarlett didnt seem to give her any heart burn either her goal of for aedale seem almost silly now that Aedale has kinda for now triumphed over her inner demons.

Daric - we just havent seen near enough about him i really dont get what he wants from life at all if he knows 3/10

Dobric - as the leader of the average medicore dude brigade (Blen, Selior) he was the least average but the most medicore and his personality full on stopped through most of his story presenance besides being a vechile of vengance. 2/10

Dorten - A fools fool he seems to serve almost more as a prime example of the type of leadership the kingdoms have had over the years than a real personality in of himself. 3/10

Edoarus - where ya go boy? you showed up so early and than bam out of the story basically i think he did a second thing but i cant recall it tbh. 2/10

Dogran - he just didnt really matter till he joined the dead pile of orc charcters in the salaria arc and than he fully stopped. 1/10

Ebira - Always a delight a game in a game a real goal a personal intrest in whats going she actually wants things and is working to make them happen she also seem to be able to feel a full range of emotion with her sorrow making her one of the few demons that actually posses any emotional intellegance and maybe the only demon that can self reflect on her own actions. 10/10

Flammedus - he seems like a nice dude. 2/10

fleshtearer - 1/10

Gardon - the main man of humanity the most powerful empire wise human alive at the end of the story a monster who does endless cruelty and lives to regret time and time again. 7/10
Garaleth - is scary and threatening and silly and stupid dosent seem to be much past that. 3/10

Genethass - an okay villian he does his part realtively well 2/10

Gorthog - a seemingly minor charcter who goes down a werid windy charcter arc leaving him a diffrent person at the end of it im still not sure if i find him compelling or not though. 5/10

gran - he exists to be a counter to amari but even though hes right about her he kinda gets like every single thing wrong so he just seems kinda stupid and as a charcter outside of that he dosent exist. 2/10

Grella - she once was a person she is no longer she isnt anything outside of loyalty amari 1/10

Grofzag - the only noble orc now that Amari is fully in the evil camp, he is intresting and very likable with his old god magic intriqueing kind but not a full fool and if reveltions came out about amari might turn against her. 8/10

Harmos - as one of the very few kingdom charcters to matter to the story i think he is cool enough but he relies heavily on magie tropes and its hard to imagine he does much of intrest besides cast a few spells and hurumph at people. 5/10
Haran - the story oddly kinda soft retcons his sections not really but most of his charcter arc with ornassion gets tossed away leaving him realtively empty to me as a charcter despite getting a decent amount of screen time. 4/10

Horgar- sorry man i hardly knew ya seemed okay i guess. 3/10

Kenos - love the asthetic but really who were you why did you care should have been wiser than to throw away his life if he was so old. he feels just as short sighted and foolish as the other imp leaders really.

Larine - see grella above but horny instead of loyal 1/10

Lisra - i think she probaly served Tregotkth and thats why Ebira went no no straight to bad demon jail with you hard to say what she hoped to get out of any of that though. 3/10

Lerrig - honsestly the fact that he somehow married one of Renalds kids speaks very badly on renald tbh. 1/10

Kazaridus - feel bad for him how much he suffers now torn between loyalties it makes you wonder how much emotional range is left in that armor 5/10

Korras retka - lived a fool died a fool 1/10

Krom - peak silly guy honestly always a little scampering goober who will kill you yes he will! 6/10

Marin - evil inventor trope but honestly hes not the worst charcter just kinda there to be useful narratively with inventions and the purfiactor mostly i think. 4/10

Merlon - eh 4/10

Meya - a little too horny really her intrests outside of her libido are there but she mostly seems like a horned up jokey charcter and makes me wonder was she like this in life as well or is this a newer devoplement for the monster lady, 5/10

Mina - she carried a lot of narrative weight and peronality despite being a truly minor charcter perhaps the only elf who knows the full picture of rebellion that saw larine crowned. we left her turning renova down and it makes you wonder what she got up to next. 7/10

miss Quarines - evil back stabbing dark elf predictable incapable of escaping her trope and role. 3/10

Mordin - one of the rhandir loyalists leaves him with more personality and intrests than most of the undead cast hes realitvely gentle but bold enough to see it and say it as it is. 6/10

Keera - shes there shes sad she had a daughter renova so she is connected to the story legally. 2/10

ogren - kinda of a fool who never stops to ask if hes the baddie and than gets got real hard.

Orki - the only charcter who knows about Amari controlling Grella but seems to have forgotten she had a fun charcter ark with the destoryer than it ended and she still here doing stuff who knows not her thats for sure. 3/10

Oneeye honestly kinda of not that important or much to him. 3/10

Ornassion - vengance will be mine!/ my wife left me cause i locked her in jail. 4/10

Pechan - a scamp and the most powerful support to Amari he kinda ends up not doing too much besides being another silly mercant charcter like hortnog.
3/10

Ragnul - his charcter reaches his moment of self reflection and it kills him immediately (unrelated death but still funny) he kinda is fine but like who cares about him really? 3/10

Rath - this sad little guy dosent care about anyone and than he gets to die first for the orc charcters which is kinda fun for him i guess i mean he really is just vengy. 2/10

Renald durce - angsty uncle regrets trying to muder his nephew lives to regret it! He strikes me as a deeply simple man who was not capable of handingly anything going on even a little bit.
Renova - well she bet on the wrong horse and was kinda of a fool before and after that. 2/10

Rhandir - the only sane dead guy this side of the dead mountian you feel for him and its clear to seem having devolped and now fully formed a break with Ardion he has a lot of choices of who and what he wants to be now. 6/10

Sallana from brain dead thrall to likely vengance fuelled freed lady im curious to see whos heads she collects when she returns. 9/10

Sapphira - a very rational and logical and kind charcter outside of her immense hatred of Renova that dosent super feel earned and was maybe manipulation put upon her or unresolved death trauma hard to say she still has some story left to tell. 5/10

Sasrogan - orc lerrig youre mostly suprised that Amari bothered to have him killed and she really only did cause she hated him. 2/10

Tremelon - his bit of saying what happens next is kinda funny than he dies right after he does it zairmark which is really funny to think about. 3/10

The bonelords/Roghir - Intresting one of the few charcters who can recall the old ages though a flawed lens of it to say the least they unfournately seem to just be in the place to cause a bunch of trouble and than get defeated. 5/10

Vanessa - the orc charcter kinda of in the center emotionaly of everyone in the ragnual family group she does her best to be an emotional core and tether to everyone else but its hard to see if anyone but Grofzag still cares about her now, i like her though she is a very active agent in the Dominion. 8/10

Vail - selfish in an understandble way she cares less about the poltics of things and more about having some control and determiantion in her life and being treated well she takes things in stride and reamins an even keel even when dealing with deeply unreasonable people making her one of the more steadfast charcters. 7/10

Zairmark - he seemed to have a real moment of huh maybe senless hate isnt the way and i think that shaped his perspective later still feels like hes 2/3rds through his charcter story though somehow. 5/10

Zarin. he just loves to mess up over and over again picks the losing side not once but twice not wonder he fled to hide in his caves he claims to be honorable but has no abbility to really break down what any of it means. 2/10

Edit im sure i missed some but i got tired haha.

Zoia! - an evil lady who is still kinda fun to be around hope that she gets to see aedale again before they both die tragically. 6/10

 

[Daffa]

Ebira - Always a delight a game in a game a real goal a personal intrest in whats going she actually wants things and is working to make them happen she also seem to be able to feel a full range of emotion with her sorrow making her one of the few demons that actually posses any emotional intellegance and maybe the only demon that can self reflect on her own actions. 10/10

I think we found another demon slave

On more serious note, Ebira and Lisara conflict is a lot more personal when going in depth with the cinematics and dialogues. You can link this with Ornasion and Kersidar to get a clearer picture of their conflict. Had to mention this since I don't see Kersidar score in your list.

 

[LISBOAH]

Amarai - Unfortunately to me she kinda of hard to rate i kept feeling like i didnt really know who she was what she cared about or why she cared about it like did she actually care about Vanessa or was she a tool? does she respect okri or is she a tool? is all she wanted power for its own sake? i dont know at all so while she still is in an interesting place i really dont know how i feel about her 5/10

She comes off as bit of a manipulator. It vexes me that she appears to get closer to Inara than to Okri.

Grella - she once was a person she is no longer she isnt anything outside of loyalty amari 1/10

She got ruined in True Story.

Harmos - as one of the very few kingdom charcters to matter to the story i think he is cool enough but he relies heavily on magie tropes and its hard to imagine he does much of intrest besides cast a few spells and hurumph at people. 5/10

You would think he would have learnt humility after finding out that some of his order betrayed everything they stood for, but noooo...

Larine - see grella above but horny instead of loyal 1/10

Sadly true.

Lerrig - honsestly the fact that he somehow married one of Renalds kids speaks very badly on renald tbh. 1/10

His father-in-law was the only reason he lived for that long.

Orki - the only charcter who knows about Amari controlling Grella but seems to have forgotten she had a fun charcter ark with the destoryer than it ended and she still here doing stuff who knows not her thats for sure. 3/10

It sucks that Amari apparently forgot about her.

Rath - this sad little guy dosent care about anyone and than he gets to die first for the orc charcters which is kinda fun for him i guess i mean he really is just vengy. 2/10

A pathetic and hypocritical fool that only brought death to himself and others.

Zarin. he just loves to mess up over and over again picks the losing side not once but twice not wonder he fled to hide in his caves he claims to be honorable but has no abbility to really break down what any of it means. 2/10

I love how he and the Dwarves prefer the Imperials over Gardon and the Kingdoms, even though the Golden Guard are far worse. Myopic right?

 

[Navy45]

I love how he and the Dwarves prefer the Imperials over Gardon and the Kingdoms, even though the Golden Guard are far worse. Myopic right?

I mean, the only thing the Golden Guard did that was truly immoral was attempting to have Guardon assassinated. Yes, evacuating the continent wasn't particularly nice, but it isn't like they planned to just leave Arkain defenceless. The Purificator and the paladins would have held off the demons for quite some time and would probably have lead the demons to abandon this current invasion.
Meanwhile, Guardon enslaved and then assassinated Selana, who had become a friend of Zarin, without provocation. Turned the Elven Kingdom into a litteral puppet state and allied himself with an ancestral enemy of the dwarves.

I may be an irredeemable Bloodclaw fanboy, but I can understand why Zarin would want nothing to do with Zyainor after that. Though, I think he might be overly stuborn in refusing to negociate with the remaining Kingdoms.

 

[LISBOAH]

I mean, the only thing the Golden Guard did that was truly immoral was attempting to have Guardon assassinated. Yes, evacuating the continent wasn't particularly nice, but it isn't like they planned to just leave Arkain defenceless. The Purificator and the paladins would have held off the demons for quite some time and would probably have lead the demons to abandon this current invasion.

Let's see:

• They insult the Kingdoms, but forget that Genethas, who started the whole mess, was an Imperial;
• They arrested Blen, a hero to the Kingdoms, and let him be tortured and killed;
• They blamed the various generals for what transpired in Lor, but Lerrig was left scot-free. Lerrig, who left Cleavehand to die against the orcs, and who fought for Genethas;
• They forced villagers to join the army;
• They instigated the Retka rebellion that engulfed three kingdoms. Countless innocents suffered due to this;
• They tried to get rid of Gardon;
• The Purificator was built solely to delay the Demons while they evacuated the Elves. It was never meant to protect Arkain;

I may be an irredeemable Bloodclaw fanboy, but I can understand why Zarin would want nothing to do with Zyainor after that. Though, I think he might be overly stuborn in refusing to negociate with the remaining Kingdoms.

The guy can only see evil in Gardon, but not from the "honorable" Golden Guard.

 

[merlockqueen]

I do think the High king is in part afraid of Gardon after he puppet-ed the elves Gardon shows that he can and will do that to the drawves given the chance.

 

[LISBOAH]

An age of unity and peace. An age of enlightenment and prosperity. A golden age. HER age.

Oh god. Amari is turning into the next Aridon. Good job, Brian.

Ever since then, Grella had become Amari's most vocal supporter and the first of the races' leaders to join the Shadocracy, urging many of her people to join it as well. Under Grella's guidance, most dark trolls have come to become devout members of the Shadocracy.

If Amari is the next Aridon, then Grella will be the next Pentiss, and the Dark Trolls the new Dark Elves.

It is not exactly known how Inara does this, she has only hinted that she can make others do what she wants one way or another. There are all kinds of rumors as to what this could mean, reaching from seduction all the way to "re-education". In either case, Amari has given her ever more rewards - almost too many some would say, very few would dare to say that Inara has been "showered" in rewards even.

Good lord, Inara is the Malkorok to Amari's Garrosh.

Inara not only has Amari's ear as her closest advisor and unofficial second-in-command, she also controls most of the western half of Salria,

This b# is the second in command? Amari might be the most incompetent ruler in Arkain! And that says a lot!

Okri, not having joined the Shadocracy, has been rumored to have been somewhat side-lined after the war, a warrior like her not being needed in an age of peace. There are some who believe that she would rather join the Blackthorn than becoming a servant of Inara or joining the Shadocracy. Others think that she will continue to serve at Amari's side and that her faith in Amari and her age remains strong.

And we have the Orc Rahandir.
I wonder if Inara will get rid of her.

After the war, she eventually came to be asked to represent the Humans of Salria. To give her a formal position that the Humans would accept, Amari granted Vanessa the title of Archduchess of Salria - whether or not that was also a "jab" at Vanessa's deceased father who had been "just" a duke and had been considered the greatest enemy of the Orcs in the war is unknown.

This would be the perfect middle-finger to Volarian. Killed by his "failure of a daughter", his crusade and goal ruined, and his "traitor child" got a higher rank than him.
He must be raging in Hell alongside Genethas, Rath, and Kersidar.

 

[Navy45]

The orc legacy character sheets have dropped :

• Amari not seeking to marry is interesting. I wonder how exactly she plans to have power be transmitted in the future. Will it always be a vote among the representatives of the different races ? I got the impression she was seeking a more compact union under a single leadership and was trying to avoid, as possible, each race being its own mini-state and making their own decision. If so, having a clear succession line would definitely help. Though... maybe she doesn't plan to ever let go of power. After all, Zairmak has been alive for at least centuries, why not her ? If so, I foresee an increasingly paranoid Amari that ends up prefering the company of shadows to that of other people.
• Vanessa and Flammedus seem to be the "pro-humans" squad. Since we don't know the full extent of the racial conflicts within the Dominion, we don't really know what that entails. Vanessa becoming an Archduchess is a nice touch. I wonder if she has plans to encourage negotiations with the human realms.
• Gran Gorehowl has put his mistrust to good use. Be it against ally or foe, I expect the Gnoll fortifications to be put to the test at some point.
• So Grofzag and Zairmak represent the old guard of the orcs, counting only two remaining clans. With how passionnate Amari was about destroying the clan structure, I wonder how long she will allow them to exist. Even if she does not dissolve them herself, with Inara having a lot of orcs behind her, she can put some pressure on them.
• I did not expect Amari to support Inara so much. I expected her to remain a sort of covert agent of the shadocracy, wielding relatively little official influence. But here, she owns most of the lands of Salria. Even inhospitable as they are, they make excellent spider breeding grounds. She also probably still controls the remnants of most of the other orc clans. And there's the matter of her "persuasion", meaning she probably has even more power than she seems. This really seems unsafe for Amari, to put so much power in Inara's hands. I wonder... there are rumors of her having lovers... and seduction is one of the ways Inara is theorized to get her way. Could the supreme Shadessia be a little lovesick on the side ?
• Damn, poor Okri. The clan of the Destroyer, who she had just forgiven, was given as a toy to Inara. And now, her own clan is dwindling away, a clan of female orcs, symbolizing her determination to keep fighting, to prove her worth after being abandoned. Between her and Grella, being loyal to Amari really doesn't seem to be healthy. Gran's position suddenly seems much more sensible. Wether she remains loyal to Amari or not, I hope she doesn't get roped into the Shadocracy, she's too interesting to become a fanatical tool.

No new character so far, but more are probably kept in surprise. I wonder if we'll get another ogre character to replace Brockta, it would be a shame for the ogre race to become voiceless in the Dominion (especially since they joined it based on a lie). Maybe an ogre magi could be interesting ? (By the way, I would love for the ogres to meet Galareth the Great at some point). I would also expect the Blackthorn to have a character. Though Hortnog's character sheet will probably shed some light on this organization.

 

[LISBOAH]

Though... maybe she doesn't plan to ever let go of power. After all, Zairmak has been alive for at least centuries, why not her ? If so, I foresee an increasingly paranoid Amari that ends up prefering the company of shadows to that of other people.

Brian must know a method to extend life.
Maybe Amari can become a shadow bound to her armor.

Gran Gorehowl has put his mistrust to good use. Be it against ally or foe, I expect the Gnoll fortifications to be put to the test at some point.

I am afraid that his defenses might be pointed towards the wrong side.

• I did not expect Amari to support Inara so much. I expected her to remain a sort of covert agent of the shadocracy, wielding relatively little official influence. But here, she owns most of the lands of Salria. Even inhospitable as they are, they make excellent spider breeding grounds. She also probably still controls the remnants of most of the other orc clans. And there's the matter of her "persuasion", meaning she probably has even more power than she seems. This really seems unsafe for Amari, to put so much power in Inara's hands.

Why on earth is she trusting Inara so much?
Oh, you bet this will bite her later on. One word from Zoia, and the Dominion will get a civil war.

 

[JackBlaze]

Just got this strange dialogue while playing the mission and I got real befuddled by it, especially by em having the Illidan animated portrait - who's this Outcast character? And what even fired it up in the first place? Got it while hitting the first outer defense line of the Rohir while also at the same time fighting the first Zirr defense line

But then when reloaded and fought each of those separately first, it didn't fire up again and all I got was the Zirr line with poor Grennan

EDIT:Alright, figured out where the Outcast was and that he's one of the Night Elf teasers. But I'm still not sure why his dialogue fired up earlier when I hadn't gone near the ice gate barring his area yet

 

[DD Mikasa]

Why on earth is she trusting Inara so much?
Oh, you bet this will bite her later on. One word from Zoia, and the Dominion will get a civil war.

I think it is partly due to the fact that Inara, represents a different type of orc. Amari got exiled for trying to change the way of life of the orcs, Inara unlike other orcs who had and or still have a pretty basic approach to conflict solving ( apply BONK to the head) has a more of a subterfuge approach to solving conflicts, a approach someone associated with the Shadows would love, Besides Inara was killing all the old guard that could have proved difficult to deal with. You scratch my back and I will scratch yours type relationship between the two.