What if, instead of being forced to wear whatever equipment you happen to trip over on the killing fields, you get to tweak and fine-tune a look that's just for you? Instead of spending hours comparing stats between your old breastplate and whatever hot item happens to be popular in the marketplace, what if all you needed to look at was how cool the new threads look on your character? In Hero's Journey, the bulk of attribute boosts and skills aren't tied into the equipment at all – instead, players find new equipment, pop their ultra-cool and ultra-powerful Wyr out of their old stuff, and shove it in the new. In the end, you get to upgrade your look without sacrificing the perks and benefits conferred by your old equipment. No dismissing equipment just because it doesn't have that perfect skill or stat boost.

This doesn't make equipment upgrades completely useless, mind you. Each time you get a new sword, piece of armor, or glittery new accessory, you'll find that it has a specific number of Wyr slots assigned to it. The more powerful the item, the more slots it has – and the more slots it has, the more Wyr you can fit inside (consequently, the more powerful you become). In the end, then, the power is going to lie not with the items you're wearing, but in the myriad Wyr you've collected and decided to use (or not to use) in whatever setup you're using at the time. Get sick of being fire-based? Swap out a few Wyr. Want more stamina? Grab a new Wyr. All the while, though, you can retain exactly the look you want – no strings attached.

Basically, our motto is: Your hero, your look, your style, your choice. Pirate, ninja, loud-mouthed bandit, or poop-flinging monkey, you set up everything from your swagger and scars to the polish of the buttons on your little red boots. When you're out tenderizing the faces of pasty-faced Broken with your maul in the Fields of Sorrow, count on your Wyr to give you the oomph you need to make it out alive. But know that they not only exist to give you the strength to brandish your kris in the nastiest of ways, but are also entirely responsible for your one-of-a-kind opportunity to look damn fine while doing it. It's a new way of thinking, and we think it'll stick.

Before I bid you all adieu and return to my game of cat-and-mouse on the forums, I want to give you a short look at some example Wyr. Better than prattling on about what they are and what they do, I can give you real live examples from the game as it stands. Each Wyr is a link not only to Elanthia's past, but also to a specific hero from the age of legends. Each has a story snippet to grant you a look at Elanthian lore, a rarity to determine its effective power and placement within the game, and a set of benefits and weaknesses that – when socketed – will combine with other Wyr to produce a wide variety of bonuses and effects. Some Wyr are even part of a set which, when united, grants amazing set bonuses.

So let’s take a look at some of these bad boys, shall we? Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we explore these guys in more depth, and feel free to enjoy the Wyr snippets below. And if you spot any Merfolk coming our way, do give me a holler, won't you? I'm just dying to see if my theory holds up.

Lynch’s Spark

• Description: "A fire, you say? Burned your competitor's business to the ground, you say? My my. What a tragic...accident. Yes. Accident."

  An affable Suwari who headed the Quillmore fire brigade, Scot the Lynch was perhaps best known for his wry wit and tendency to set things on fire.

• Functionality:
  • Rarity/Shape: UNCOMMON
  • Set Name: the Burning Gallows
• Benefits
  • Ability: Adds the Fire component to a Wizard's Elemental Helix Ability.
  • +X% to Disable Device
• Flaws
  • Susceptible to Ice damage.

• Description: "You will sleep under ice, and only the spirits of the snows will know your grave!"

  Before it destroyed Fuir-Hagen (and was itself destroyed), the great dragon known as Ashog was feared by the enemies of the Arcanum for its icy breath.

• Functionality:
  • Rarity/Shape: RARE
  • Set Name: Ashog's Demise
• Benefits
  • +X% to Damage
  • Ability: Adds the Ice component to a Wizard's Elemental Helix Ability.
• Flaws
  • Susceptible to Fire damage

• Description: “One drake cannot stop me! Ten drakes cannot stop me! The kingdom will be mine!"

  Val Zeair's early idealism led him far afield into dangerous places. As a young prince, however, he was a far luckier man than he was as a king.

• Functionality:
  • Rarity/Shape: SCARCE
  • Set Name: The High King's Vigilance
• Benefits
  • +X% Dodge
  • +Y% Block
• Flaws
  • -X% to Accuracy

• Description: "Why do you weep, my lady? My hands may be scarred, but they are still strong enough to lift you and keep you safe."

  King Val Zeair was renown for many good deeds before his tragic death. Though his body is dust, his spirit yet remains, protecting Elanthia from the spreading darkness.

• Functionality:
  • Rarity/Shape: Common
  • Set Name: The High King's Vigilance
• Benefits
  • +X% Damage
  • +Y% Protection
  • Ability: Minor Heal (as per the potion) once ever 30 minutes.
• Flaws
  • -X% Mind Aspect

- Jay Miller, Simutronics

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