The map got a lot bigger this week. Here is what is out there now, and what changed for the people heading out into it.
Wreck Cove
A small island in open water off the village pier. Palms ring a lagoon, an old stone beacon stands on the hill, and a timber ship lies wrecked across the reef with her bow on the sand and her stern in deep water. The village boatman runs a ferry there for anyone; the boatman on the cove's jetty brings you back.
- Diving. Your breath does not last long. A Diving Mask (level 3) stretches it; an Oxygen Tank (level 15) gives you minutes, and you refill it at the shops or on the cove's jetty.
- Seven chests in and around the wreck, each on its own timer for every player. The ones inside the hull pay best. The morays in the holes do not like visitors.
- Spearfishing that fights back. Spear a big fish and it stays on the line: it runs and you let go, it rests and you pull, with tension and stamina like a rod fight. The reef is stocked by depth, and a reef shark patrols the deep end.
- Two time trials. A boat lap through the gate and round ten buoys, and a swim loop through the lagoon under the wreck's stern. Both race a ghost of your best. Every hull has its own leaderboard, and swimmers have theirs.
Further out
The Storm Sea lies off the west shore and is never clear. Lightning comes down on the water there; a ring of light marks each strike a moment before it lands, and anyone standing under it, in the water or in a boat, takes the hit. It is meant for level 35 and up. Nothing stops you going sooner. The tuna, hammerheads and yellowtail run bigger out here, and in its own storms a tenth lord rises: Stormcaller, a giant eel.
To get there in one piece you will want a bigger boat. There are three now:
- Skiff: inshore, round the main island and out to the hunting islands.
- Fishing Launch (level 20): faster, with a fish hold and four rod holders, and the range for Wreck Cove and beyond.
- Sportfisher (level 50): the fastest, with eight rod holders and a fish finder, and no range limit at all. Storms hardly move it.
Past its range a hull slows down and the sea pushes it home. You can look each one over, turning on its stand, at the new boatyard at the pier head, and pick which one goes in the water.
Islands to hunt on
Three hunting grounds: Stag Island and Crag Ridge by ferry or boat, and the marsh at North Creek on foot. Deer and turkeys under the oaks, goats and sheep on the cliffs, ducks on the water and crocodiles in it. On Stag Island you can climb the high seat over the meadow; animals notice you less from up there.
Some animals are elite: bigger, twice as tough, and worth a trophy to keep. Three are legendary: the Croc King in the marsh, the White Stag that only walks in the dawn and dusk fog, and the Goat King, who holds the highest tor on Crag Ridge and will throw you off it. Hunting has its own rank now, from Novice Hunter to Legendary Hunter.
Better together
- Boss tiers. Every lord now comes as Normal, Elite and Legendary; beat one tier to unlock the next. Legendary is built for a party: you can take it alone, but it is long and it hurts. Bosses are sized so that every extra player makes the fight shorter.
- Co-op contracts on the notice board, daily and weekly: bring down a lord together, hunt elite game, or land a haul as a party. Everyone in the party has to pitch in, and a bigger party pays more.
- Find a group. Post what you are after and it goes out in world chat with a Join button; one tap and they are in your party.
- Invite a friend. Share your code. When your friend reaches level 10, you both get coins.
The long game, and staying alive
Level 50 is no longer the end of the road. XP past it counts into Paragon levels, with no top. They pay coins, titles and a name colour, and never stats.
Out in the wild you no longer heal quickly. After a while out of a fight you mend slowly, and only part of the way. Bandages and first-aid kits work fast. Cook what you hunted at one of the four campfires, in the village, at the Stag Island lodge and at the Crag Ridge and marsh landings: a hot meal heals and leaves you fed, so you mend faster and further.