Design Notes

August 19, 2011

In the Land of Dreams and Nightmares...

Everyone wants to hear you scream!

And screams there will be when Stratos wakes in the Land of Dreams and Nightmares to see his worst memory play out before him. So grief-stricken is he that when he wakes again in the real-world, he is completely incapacitated. And it's at THAT moment that Invidia, his recruit assistant, brings word of the SkyPirates massing to invade Lore!

Your journey will start in Twilight's Threshold

Their first strike will be at the SkyGuard High Commanders, who have gathered to plot combat strategies. But they won't attack the Commanders head-on, no! They will strike at them where they have no defenses... in their dreams! That means it's up to you, along with Invidia's aid, to venture into the Land of Dreams and Nightmares to stop them!

Lose Yourself Inside Your Mind

Invidia will have a great deal of information on the Land of Dreams and Nightmares for you, thanks to King Alteon's Royal DreamWeaver (... good thing he had one!), so be sure to read that before venturing into the Maze itself. Once you're there, you'll need to find the Portal:

The Sword of Broken Dreams is a quest reward from the Nightmare Child

And quest to gather the Guide Stones which will unlock it, sending you on to your destination. SkyPirates are swarming around the map, and they'll do anything to stop you from reaching your goal, so you'll need to gather Guide Stone shards from them, find them hidden about the map, and complete puzzles which will reveal safely-hidden Stones.

Remember to investigate everything! Like this stone and that creepy little girl...

Try not to stare at the creatures spying on you from behind the mirrors. They can't hurt you... yet. If puzzles, battles, and side-quests aren't enough to keep you wide awake (and believe me, falling asleep in this Realm is a BAD idea!), then you can also try to crack the code on this puzzle:

You'll want to /goto your friends for help with this battle!

It will unlock a special challenge fight:

Fact: Abominations live inside your head. Sweet Dreams!

There's also a ton of EPICLY dream-y gear, like the Shattered Screams Staff (a reward from the Nightmare Child) and Phloyd the Dream Moglin (drops off of any monster)!

The SkyGuard Rep Shop has received some sweet new gear, too! Like the SkyGuard Gunner Armor pictured above. So equip this awesome armor, strap on your automatic rifle, and prepare to plow through the monsters which will haunt your dreams!

The Land of Dreams and Nightmares will open into a full zone for all players at some point in the future, but only members will ever get this zone-preview and the rockin' rewards that are hidden within!

Suggestion Shop Update coming NEXT week!

Too much to do and not enough time this week, so we're moving the Suggestion Shop update to next Friday! By then we'll have a ton of awesome ideas from you guys already Flashed and ready to go!

Sponzard: Class and Rep Boosts!

Yesterday Cysero announced that Sponzard, the sponsored-item-giveaway zard, has added two AWESOME rewards: Class Point and Reputation Boosts! Right now these 10 minute boosts can ONLY be acquired from the randomly appearing SponZard Button, which rarely appears in Battleon.

Coming next week!

We hope you'll enjoy this week's member-only release! Next week we'll return to Bloodtusk Ravine with more Horcs, more Trolls, and the rise of Chaos!

August 16, 2011

SkyGuard Saga: Sweet Dreams!

The Land of Dreams and Nightmares

Hidden inside the depths of your mind is the entrance to another Plane, one set apart from the everyday world: the Land of Dreams and Nightmares. Most only venture there while asleep, but for the Dreamweavers of Lore, it is a place they can visit at will, a realm into which they can bring - or force- other people.

When you last saw the DreamWeaver, she was sending Stratos into his own personal, hellacious nightmare: the worst day of his life. And that is where we'll open this Friday. See inside the good Captain's mind, and gain an insight into what drives him to wander the world with the SkyGuard.

Find her, she is trapped inside the maze of your mind!

Journey to Twilight's Threshhold

The SkyPirates are massing for an invasion, and SkyGuard High Command has gathered for a week-long meeting to strategize and distribute resources. Heavily defended in their Command Outpost, the DreamWeaver is going to attack them in the one place they have no defenses: their dreams!

The terrain of the Dream-Land mirrors ours to an extent, though travel there is much different. You will need to enter the Land of Dreams and Nightmares with Invidia and find a way to reach this otherworldly version of the military outpost and take out the SkyPirate assualt team sent to decommission the SkyGuard's highest Commanders!

Help the Nightmare Child for the Sword of Broken Dreams

Journey to Twilight's Threshhold, the entrance to the Land of Dreams and Nightmares. Enter a maze inside your mind to find the Portal that will take you where you need to go. What you'll see there depends entirely on you; but be careful, because it is laden with traps and puzzles. (And a challenge boss... IF you can figure out how to reach it!)

A final word of warning: things that are trapped there become... twisted. Do not stay long, Hero, or you may not come out the same as you went in!

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