"In this final episode, gamers will see how the many design elements of Tyranny come into play – from the companions to spell creation, reputation, combat, and beyond."
"In this final episode, gamers will see how the many design elements of Tyranny come into play – from the companions to spell creation, reputation, combat, and beyond."
Join us for the third day in a row, this time for the weekly Dev Stream where the devs will continue from their previous save and play the second hour into the game!
In our last developer update, we introduced you to the Spires of Terratus – your base in Tyranny. For this week’s update, we’re going to introduce you to the last of your potential Companions – Sirin, Archon of Song.
In our last developer update, we introduced you to the Spires of Terratus – your base in Tyranny. For this week’s update, we’re going to introduce you to the last of your potential Companions – Sirin, Archon of Song.
Spoiler-free version: "If you've ever had the unfortunate experience of working as a manager for a large company, you're already well-versed with Tyranny's version of evil. At a preview event last week, I had the opportunity to sit down and play through the first few hours of Obsidian Entertainment's ‘evil has won’ RPG. As the type of person who sometimes gets a kick out of being contrarian, I went into that demo with the purpose of poking holes in Tyranny's attempts to seduce me to the dark side. If Tyranny wanted me to be bad, I was going to do everything in my power to do just the opposite. I thought it would be funny, but instead it left me feeling depressed. It's not because Tyranny doesn't accommodate being good, but because I found myself too weak-willed to choose it.
You see, in Tyranny, evil isn't some otherworldly demon that only wants to cause suffering. Instead, it's the kind of evil manifested in bureaucracies, ignorance, and ‘the greater good’. (...) Part of what makes these decisions tough is how incredibly well-realized Tyranny's world is. The writing and characterizations promise to be some of the finest that Obsidian Entertainment have ever done, and I immediately felt invested in the story. Strangely, I also found myself resenting Tyranny for that exact reason. You see, that investment also lets Tyranny manipulate me in ways that few RPGs ever have. (...) Being good in Tyranny doesn't mean simply picking the blue coloured dialogue option. It means defying the cultural norms of a society you're invested in and jeopardizing lives and objectives. It means putting yourself at risk. My instinct to acquiesce to that pressure is what depresses me as the evening ends and I return home.
When our moral compass points to absolutes, we're forced to make decisions that can negatively impact not just our own lives but the lives of the people around us. But at what point does that pressure begin to bend the compass needle? Even though I can't wait to play more, Tyranny's take on evil troubles me because it mirrors reality alarmingly well. When you sit down to play a fantasy RPG, the last thing you expect is to be reminded of the issues plaguing the real world. In that sense, Tyranny might just end up being the most politically relevant game of this year. Not because it has an agenda to push but because it has a disturbing understanding of the concessions we're willing to make when standing up for what's right demands sacrifices. Like a beloved relative spouting racial slurs while we quietly avert our eyes and say nothing, doing the right thing in Tyranny is complicated.
Spoiler-free version: "If you've ever had the unfortunate experience of working as a manager for a large company, you're already well-versed with Tyranny's version of evil. At a preview event last week, I had the opportunity to sit down and play through the first few hours of Obsidian Entertainment's ‘evil has won’ RPG. As the type of person who sometimes gets a kick out of being contrarian, I went into that demo with the purpose of poking holes in Tyranny's attempts to seduce me to the dark side. If Tyranny wanted me to be bad, I was going to do everything in my power to do just the opposite. I thought it would be funny, but instead it left me feeling depressed. It's not because Tyranny doesn't accommodate being good, but because I found myself too weak-willed to choose it.
You see, in Tyranny, evil isn't some otherworldly demon that only wants to cause suffering. Instead, it's the kind of evil manifested in bureaucracies, ignorance, and ‘the greater good’. (...) Part of what makes these decisions tough is how incredibly well-realized Tyranny's world is. The writing and characterizations promise to be some of the finest that Obsidian Entertainment have ever done, and I immediately felt invested in the story. Strangely, I also found myself resenting Tyranny for that exact reason. You see, that investment also lets Tyranny manipulate me in ways that few RPGs ever have. (...) Being good in Tyranny doesn't mean simply picking the blue coloured dialogue option. It means defying the cultural norms of a society you're invested in and jeopardizing lives and objectives. It means putting yourself at risk. My instinct to acquiesce to that pressure is what depresses me as the evening ends and I return home.
When our moral compass points to absolutes, we're forced to make decisions that can negatively impact not just our own lives but the lives of the people around us. But at what point does that pressure begin to bend the compass needle? Even though I can't wait to play more, Tyranny's take on evil troubles me because it mirrors reality alarmingly well. When you sit down to play a fantasy RPG, the last thing you expect is to be reminded of the issues plaguing the real world. In that sense, Tyranny might just end up being the most politically relevant game of this year. Not because it has an agenda to push but because it has a disturbing understanding of the concessions we're willing to make when standing up for what's right demands sacrifices. Like a beloved relative spouting racial slurs while we quietly avert our eyes and say nothing, doing the right thing in Tyranny is complicated.
In our last developer update, we introduced you to Kills-in-Shadow (affectionately known around the office as “Killsy”), one of your potential Companions and a member of the Beast race on Terratus. For today’s update, I wanted to talk more about the player’s base mechanic, which we revealed yesterday during a live stream.
Two of the most prominent features of the world of Terratus are the Oldwalls and the Spires. We mentioned the Oldwalls in our update about the Bane and showed some gameplay inside the Oldwalls in a previous stream. The Spires play a prominent role in the game’s narrative, and also serve as the location for the player’s base.
As you explore the Tiers you have the opportunity to gain access to several of these Spires. Claiming a Spire unlocks several gameplay benefits:
Reduced Travel Time: Each Spire is magically linked with the others. Once activated, you can teleport between your spires, reducing your travel time through the Tiers.
Upgrading Your Spires: Once you’ve acquired a Spire, you can spend money to build an upgrade on top of the Spire. You can find the details of each upgrade below. Each upgrade provides different benefits to your party, among them providing different rest bonuses when you rest at your Spire. You receive the bonuses for all of your upgrades when you rest at any of your spires.
Hiring Recruits: Once an upgrade has been built on top of a spire, you can begin hiring recruits to work for you at that upgrade. Recruits provide several functions for your party: they can train your party members in skills, they can sell unique weapons and armor, and they can produce new items for your party while they’re out adventuring.
Recruits can come from many different factions in the game, including from your enemies. With the right price, some members of factions that hate you are more than willing to work for you at your Spire. Some recruits are only available if you make certain choices during Conquest.
Spire Upgrades
There are four possible upgrades you can build on a Spire. Each upgrade can only be built once and cannot be removed once built. So once you choose to build a Training Ground, you’ll need to find another Spire before you can build the Library.
Once an upgrade has been constructed, it costs money to maintain. Each month than an upgrade is active, you must pay its maintenance cost. If you don’t have the money for the maintenance cost, then the upgrade is suspended and you no longer receive any benefits of the upgrade until you can pay it again.
Infirmary: The Infirmary upgrade provides a place where healers and alchemists can gather. Once this upgrade is built, you will be able to brew your own potions and poisons and prepare various plants to be safely consumed by your party. This upgrade can be vital to ensure your party’s survival – especially on harder difficulty modes.
Library: Once constructed, the Library upgrade attracts Sages and scholars from around the Tiers. After all, there aren’t many great libraries left after Kyros destroyed the Vellum Citadel. The Library allows your recruits to research hidden lore – from powerful magical Sigils that allow you to enhance and customize your spells, to stories of ancient Artifacts that you might be able to forge anew. Players who want to get the most out of the Spell Crafting system will make the Library and priority.
Forge: Smiths throughout the Tiers, including Kyros’ Forge-Bound, will be amazed at the Forge you can construct on one of your Spires. Building this upgrade allows you to increase the quality of your weapons and armor, improving their damage and defense characteristics. The Forge also allows you to create unique Artifacts and special named items that you won’t find anywhere else in the game.
Training Grounds: The greatest weapon masters and mages in the Tiers are drawn to the Training Grounds. Once constructed, you’ll be able to attract the finest skill trainers, able to increase your party members’ skills to the highest ranks.
