GameOgre.com recently had a Q&A session with Battle of Immortals. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.
1. Let’s start with the big question what sets Battle of the Immortals apart from other Fantasy MMORPGs?
There are a lot of different things that are going to make Battle of the Immortal really stand out; my favorite and what I think is the coolest is the gear. Each gear set is amazingly detailed and many have passive animations. For example one set of armor has an eye on the shoulder. That eye isn?t static; it rotates about looking at its surroundings and blinking. Daggers turn and flip like switchblades fist weapons extend and retract shields open and close. Just the level of effort that went into the gear is amazing. Beyond this the top gear?Soul Gear?will grow and level with the player.
2. What can you tell us about the PvE? How many quests does the game feature?
There is a strong PvE aspect to Battle of the Immortals. There are instanced dungeons with some epic bosses. Some of the rarer drops will help you continue to upgrade and become stronger. I don?t have the exact number of total quests in BoI but between daily quests dungeon quests and reputation quests there?s definitely enough to keep players busy.
3. MMORPGs and MMOs in general tend to have a lot of grinding. Have you guys done anything special to help ease the grind?
We?ve actually done a lot. We?ve tweaked the monster AI in order to make them more aggressive and give players a stronger sense of action. We?ve also readjusted the leveling curve and experience required in order to make the game less ?grind-tastic?.
4. What can you tell us about the pet and mount systems? Are they tied together at all?
The pet system is unique in the fact that any monster in the game can become your pet. As you kill monsters throughout your adventures they?ll have a chance to drop themselves. This creates an interesting dynamic when doing dungeons because players aren?t just hoping that the boss drops some cool gear they?re also hoping that he drops himself as a pet.
The pet and mount systems aren?t directly tied but they?re both very useful and important in BoI. Pets will be a valuable ally as you journey both in and out of battle. Our mounts will give you extra skills and increased movement bonuses?check out more about our mounts at our blog.
One thing that is similar about our mount and pet system is that both will change and evolve as they level. If you look at that blog post you?ll see how a mount changes from level 1 to level 2 and beyond. You?ll see that in both the pets and mounts.
5. How does the Soul Gear System work?
Soul Gear ties into Battle of the Immortals story actually. As a result past bloody war between the Gods called Ragnorak relics from that battle fell to earth. With these relics players can craft themselves Soul Gear to become as powerful as the Gods.
Players will receive Soul Gear as rare world drops or from dungeons/instances. You can also improve each individual piece using Soul Gems which are also attained through natural gameplay.
Something that?s interesting about the original version of BoI is that Soul Gems used to be exclusively available via the Cash Shop. This has changed completely for the North American version making the evolution of your gear more focused on gameplay and less on how thick your wallet is.
6. How does the Zodiac System work?
The Zodiac System allows players to attain pets and complete quests associated with their Zodiac symbol. For example Zodiac Pets will only be available during certain months of the year.
7. There seems to be a lot of ways for players groups and guilds to compete against each other. What can you tell us about the PvP?
This is definitely a game for PvPers. Of course there is standard PvP dueling. As mentioned before there?s several PvPvE elements including group battles while in a boss instance. There will be a Territory War system for guilds to compete for rare resources and relics which of course means the best upgrades! As a PvP centric game there?s a little something for everyone.
8. You guys have announced 5 classes. What more can you tell us about those 5 classes?
To recap the five classes are the Bezerker Champion Magus Heretic and Slayer. The Berzerker packs a punch with a focus on dealing physical damage. They have decent defense but the title of tank must go to the Champion. Champions have massively high defense and have an effective arsenal of AoE taunts to keep that aggro on them.
The Magus is an elemental mage class with a lot of fire and ice elemental damage and perfect for crowd control. The Heretic is also a mage class but with a focused on light and dark magics. Former religious fanatics the Heretics have defensive buffs and healing magic. The Slayers are the assassin class with high critical strikes and the poison elemental damage.
9. End-game content is becoming very important for keeping players interested through out the life of a game. What can you tell us about Battle of the Immortals’ end game content?
Battle of the Immortals? end game is focused on two primary activities: Attaining and upgrading Soul Gear and participating in daily and scripted events. As players complete their sets of Soul Gear they?ll find a deep system in place to help them evolve and level up their gear. Consequently these users will become more and more powerful greatly influencing their impact on battlegrounds dungeons and PvP.
interesting interview.