Venturing into the wilds is getting a little more dangerous.
Creatures are no longer waiting around to be attacked. This combat update gives them the awareness and behaviour they need to start a fight, pursue an adventurer and know when to retreat.
Pick a Fight, Get a Fight
Aggressive creatures can now notice nearby players and move in to attack. Each creature can have its own awareness range, attack speed and leash distance, so not everything in the world behaves the same way.
Lead a creature too far from its territory and it will break off the chase and head back. Stay within reach and it will keep the pressure on.
Threat and Targeting
Creatures now remember who has been hurting them. Dealing damage builds threat, which means an enemy can turn its attention towards the adventurer causing the most trouble instead of simply attacking whoever happens to be closest.
Threat fades over time, so backing away can eventually shake an enemy's attention. If two adventurers are equally tempting targets, the creature makes the same choice every time rather than flickering unpredictably between them.
Health, Weapons and Armour
Character health is now tied to Constitution, and incoming creature attacks use the same health rules as the rest of combat. Weapons can carry their own attack speeds and combat bonuses, while armour and other equipment feed into the stats that decide how a fight plays out.
What's Next?
We'll be building on this with attack animations, more creature-specific behaviour, combat styles, abilities and plenty of balancing. The goal is for a fight with a wild animal to feel different from a clash with an armed guard—or something much worse waiting deeper in the isles.
Watch your step out there.