In August Trion Worlds released their first DLC pack for their MMOTPS Defiance and now it's time for the second. The new DLC pack Arkbreaker will be arriving tomorrow on all platforms and all ark hunters will be able to dive into the new content headfirst for $9.99. In order to make sure you're aware of the new content in Arkbreaker, we were briefed by Trick Dempsey, Creative Lead, Greg Laabs, Social Media Manager, and Elizabeth Tobey, Director of Global Communications at Trion Worlds.
Spikes, Stims, and Weapons, Oh My!
In your ongoing fight against the Shkathe 'Nado (AKA Dark Matter) you'll have to conquer new arkfalls that yes, you can summon. If Earth is going to succeed in its fight against the Dark Matter you'll have to summon these new major arkfalls to gather new technologies that they bring along. The new arkfalls will feature the widely feared Volge race and even the “world-conquering” Volge Warmaster boss. While duking it out against the Volge race to get inside the new arkfall, players can place spikes on the floor that grant auras of ammo, 30% increased damage, and even shield power. Chances are you'll need spikes in order to defeat the Volge Warmaster, which allows for players of all combat ratings to contribute. Trick Dempsey mentioned, “The arrival of a new player should never be a bad thing.”
Another neat feature alongside the spikes that'll really overpower you in your fight is Stims. Stims are basically steroids with all the benefits and none of the disadvantages, allowing for players to take down foes without a problem. You can inject yourself to provide healing buffs, speed buffs, strength, and even EGO power refreshes. Now combine those buffs with a spike aura and you're set. We can't guarantee you that your voice will get deeper, however.
Along with the new arkfalls, spikes, and stims, we also get new weapons. While taking on new arkfalls players can attain 25 new arkbreaker signature weapons. What makes these weapons special is they're not any ordinary weapon, they have specific names and are relatively rare in case you plan on getting them all. These signature weapons will also have bonus rolls added to them leading to special traits such as an SMG containing a lot of bullets and reloading quickly. Among the new weapons will be volge weapons like the volge charge sniper rifle that can one shot enemies. Although you'll have to find a way to cope with its slow moving projectile.
That's not all though: players will also be able to snag a Volge Engineer Outfit. And if you own the DLC, you'll get increased daily and weekly log in bonuses (another new feature coming to Defiance this patch).
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Fighting the Rugged Volge Warmaster
Now let's discuss the what you really want to know about the new arkfall. After fighting on the outside of the arkfall for quite a bit with hopefully tons of other players, you'll be able to enter an interior instance and take on the Warmaster. The Warmaster has been worked on since 2011 and with that amount of time and commitment, it'll have new tricks to throw at you. From what we were shown, we only saw one person fighting the Warmaster (developer's demo and all) although a maximum of 24 players can be in an instance at a time fighting the behemoth. Fortunately, if there's over 24 players outside the arkfall getting ready to enter, it'll split up the players into groups of 24 so everyone has the chance to get involved. We were reassured that the system will try to keep groups of friends together.
The inside of the arkfall looks like a high tech dome arena that you'll be fighting the Warmaster in. The Warmaster is a giant Volge with blue crystalline on his arms as bracers and silver crystal shards sticking out his back. Your goal will be to blast off those blue crystals and get to its orange skin to really take it down. You'll want to do this as quick as possible, because here comes the kicker - you'll only have seven minutes to defeat the Warmaster. If you fail to kill the Warmaster, he'll run away and you won't get any legendary gear.
Tactics to Win in Seven Minutes
For an idea of what to expect in regards to how the Warmaster fights, here are a few of its tactics. The Warmaster will get stronger the longer you're in the fight and the more damaged he gets. He has a move where he'll jump on the wall of the dome and begin rapidly shooting aerial bombardments at players. Early on in the fight these bombardments are going to be less accurate whereas when he's more hurt and the fight is nearing the end, these will be even more rapid, deadly, and accurate. When he leaps onto the wall, if you deal enough damage to him he'll fall off and become stunned.
The new AI gives it a wicked tactic in which it'll target specific players. We weren't told if he'll focus the weakest link or the strongest character in the instance, but just that he'll target specific people. As a warning, be prepared for the Warmaster to target and lay havoc upon your facehole.
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Two other tactics to watch out for in the battle is when the Warmaster puts his mouth closer to the floor and shoots out a blue laser that he'd then sweep the floor with from one side to the other. Be ready to jump over it, otherwise, you're going to have a bad time. The other tactic is when he'll run at you and try to hit you with his arm. The best advice for that is to try and dodge it or outrun the other players getting hit.
What Features Are Free?
If you don't want to shell out $9.99 for the Arkbreaker DLC, you can still enjoy some of the content. The spikes and stims mentioned above will be part of the free content, so yes, you can also get your share of steroids. There will be a small feature that allows for players to “favorite” items in their inventory to bring them to the top of the inventory. The other will be new cooperative versions of single-player instances so you don't get cut off from your group. Plus everyone gets the daily and weekly bonuses for logging in, though only DLC purchasers get the boost to this. One other bit worth mentioning is that any player can get a weapon from the Arkbreaker DLC exclusively, but only those that own the DLC will be able to use it. If you don't own the DLC you'll be able to sell or salvage it.
That's all there is to know about the Arkbreaker DLC that I've learned, now it's up to you guys to hop in-game and start tearing it apart!
