Illuvium — 2. Gameplay
Intro
The player is a survivor of a vessel that crashes on a broken alien world, rich with varied climates and a vast shattered ocean engulfing most of the land. Powerful beasts roam the world. Could this be Illuvium, the mythical cradle of civilization?
Gameplay
Note: The game is currently in early development and details are subject to change.
Illuvium, at its heart, is an RPG game where players travel to various regions of the world and encounter creatures called Illuvials which they battle. By defeating them in combat the player has the option of capturing them in Shards. Players gradually build up a collection that grows in power over time, which they can use to venture into more dangerous regions, or battle other players.
One of the many ways Illuvium differentiates itself from other RPGs is in combat, which is not turn-based. Instead each combat instance is an auto battle, where the player selects and places their Illuvials strategically with the intention of countering their opponent. As such it is extremely important to select Illuvials that synergize well with each other, and are strong against the opponent’s selection
Synergies
The most important attributes of an Illuvial are its Affinity and Class. There are 5 base Affinities and 5 base Classes in the game. Stronger Illuvials may embody multiple affinities or classes, giving rise to a much greater variety of team compositions. The player is rewarded for selecting Illuvials of the same Affinity or Class through unique bonuses. The more on the battlefield with that synergy, the stronger the bonus.
Affinity
There are 5 basic affinities in the game: Water, Earth, Fire, Nature and Air. The damage each Illuvial deals or takes depends on the affinity of both them and their enemy. A Fire Illuvial will deal additional damage to a Nature Illuvial but will take more damage from a Water Illuvial. It is very important to take into account the composition of your enemy, as sometimes your best chance of success isn’t necessarily your most powerful Illuvial.
Class
There are 5 basic classes in the game: Fighter, Guardian, Rogue, Psion and Empath which roughly match up to traditional RPG classes. Each class has its own unique synergy, meaning a team of Guardians will take a lot of beating, while a team of Rogues might just cut you down before you can blink.
Combat
When the battle begins, each Illuvial will find an enemy target and begin attacking them. Over the course of the battle, through attacks and damage, they will gain energy. Once they hit a certain threshold they will unleash a special Ultimate Ability, which can change the course of the game. These Ultimates can do damage, enhance allies or themselves, hinder enemies, or hit with such force that foes are thrown around the arena. The battle ends when one team has been fully defeated.
Capture
In the adventure mode, after a successful encounter, the player will be able to capture the defeated Illuvials. To do this they must use a Shard. These range in capture power. This capture power, combined with the power of the Illuvial itself determines the chance of capture. If you succeed then the Illuvial will be yours. If you fail then there is a chance that the Illuvials will flee. When venturing into the highest level zones in the game it would be wise to bring powerful Shards, as the weaker ones will probably not cut it.
Rare Captures
There are still some mysteries surrounding the way Illuvials are captured onto Shards. One such mystery is that of rare captures. On successful capture there is a small chance that the Shard will be modified cosmetically. Rare captures such as Shiny, Rainbow and Holo can make your Illuvial stand out from the crowd. Each of these types is rarer than the last and provides a beautiful unique look to your collection. We suspect rare captures will be worth a pretty penny.
Fusion
Illuvials do not evolve, as they do in more traditional RPG games. Instead they fuse together to form more powerful stages of development. In order to fuse, two requirements must be met. First, the player must have three of the same Illuvial. Secondly each of those must have reached their maximum level, which is achieved through combat.
Bonding
Players also have the option of Bonding with one of their Illuvials to gain additional bonuses in combat. Choose wisely though, as this is a semi permanent process.
Experience and Leveling
With each battle, Illuvials grow in experience and gain levels. This is one way to differentiate two of the same type, as each Illuvial increases in power with levels. It does no good to leave an Illuvial stuck in a Shard without any combat, as it will not progress. But be careful, in the wild, Illuvials that are defeated in combat will return to their Shard and take time to recover. If you don’t wish to wait there are various methods of reviving them, including paying a small fee for instant revival.
Resource Collection
It is not just the Illuvials that fight. The player also takes place in the battle. In fact, the player character can be one of the most influential on the battlefield. Each player wears a protective suit of armor and wields a futuristic weapon. When infused with gemstones and crystals, your armor and weapon give off Affinity and Class auras. But to craft these weapons you will have to mine and collect resources from the environment. And for the time-poor adventurer, there is always the Exchange.
Travel
Illuvium is a large world. Luckily, there are Obelisks scattered throughout that players can use to instantly travel from place to place, allowing access to different regions and different Illuvials. Over time more and more of these Obelisks will be unlocked, increasing the size of the world. Obelisks also provide some protection from Illuvials. Inside their umbrella, small towns have been erected.
Game Modes
At launch players will be able to adventure around the world and capture Illuvials for their team. Soon after that the battle arenas will go live, where players can battle each other to see who is best. There are two planned arenas both with different rules. In the Ranked Arena players will be on equal footing. Experience levels will be normalized, and each Illuvial will have a point cost associated with it, making combat much more skill based. The Leviathan Arena will have no such restraints. Spectators will be able to wager on the outcomes of these matches as well. This is where you go to assert dominance, and show off your collection.
Future Expansion
There are many future plans for the game including different mechanics and expansion games that may be added over time. However we are focusing on core gameplay to begin, which is the collection of provably rare, valuable assets that can be used in battle without worrying about scratching or damaging your collection.
Wrap Up
This is a very high level overview of what can be expected in the game. Currently our developers are working hard to build the game and we are anticipating the release of Illuvium in Q3 2021. More details on the gameplay will be released in the coming weeks…
Stay tuned for further communications.
