The Ember Sword team has teased the upcoming next alpha playtest, but now they’re ready to share that we’re going deep –The Ultra Deep. That’s right, Bright Star Studios is taking us into the dungeon.
This is the second open playtest following a successful one in April. The Ultra Deep will open starting Friday, October 27th, at 11 AM UTC/ 7 AM ET through Sunday, October 28th at 10 PM UTC/ 6 PM ET. If you have an Ember Sword account, you can take part in the test.
A series of rocky caverns, Ultra Deep was once a network of caverns, with resources, machines, and a series of hidden tunnels and a network of places to hide–and for danger to lurk. Time has passed, and things have changed.
“Over time, Ultra Deep has gradually fallen outside of Burkhalter’s control, as rogue scientists conducted bizarre and unscrupulous experiments. A huge explosion, powerful enough to rock the ground above has now ended of all communication from within. You and your fellow adventures will need to descend through the depths and uncover the mysteries within.”
The team has even released a brief trailer giving a look at exploring the dungeon, playing with a party, and some of the bosses you'll have to face. This test is highly concentrated in the dungeon, and you'll be able to choose from equipment at the beginning that will let you figure out what playstyle works for you. Given that the playtest is centered around the dungeon, Bright Star is setting expectations that this will be a linear test.
One of the differences between this test and the last one was that there will be Regional servers. This should help with paying and lag and time zone issues. It should be easier to group up since they are set to run regional servers in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Read the full announcement over at Ember Sword.