Hello, Taernians!
Another update from our roadmap is on the horizon. We’re getting ready to implement, among others, the Castle Specter instance with its immersive atmosphere. We’re sure it’ll let you have a lot of fun in the world of Broken Ranks.
The update will be implemented on May 9th. We’ll let you know the exact time at a later date. Once the update is live, the game client will download it automatically.
The update will include:
- the Castle Specter instance together with the boss and legendary loot,
- introductory quest for the instance (part 1),
- plethora of fixes and improvements, including those reported by you.
Meet the Castle Specter and his instance
The adventure takes place in the mysterious location with terrifying abominations shambling through its corridors and the lord of the castle himself. It can be started from the new introductory quest - Ars Moriendi.
This is the first part of a mission where you and Arcanegrin continue your research of a mysterious curse afflicting the grounds of Castle Gastelhof. Knowing the secret of the elemental specters, you follow the lead to the true lord of the castle. Where will the meandering story take you? Find out yourselves by completing the first part of the quest that will be implemented with the update.
Ars Moriendi can be taken from Arcanegrin at Lower Khemenak if you are at least level 40 and have completed Speck of Honor.
In the end, due to the incredible potential of the story, we decided to make Ars Moriendi bigger. That’s why the second part will be implemented at a later date (but still in this quarter). We hope that the flavor-searching and truth-seeking fans of the Broken Ranks lore will be happy ;)
Castle Specter Instance
Who is the Castle Specter, called thus by the simple folk from the lands surrounding Trentis? Where is his abode? You’ll find out once you get there. All we know is that the lord of the castle went missing together with his workshop. Where did he go? No one knows. For now…
You can get to the instance by speaking to Arcanegrin in Lower Khemenak. The NPC will open a portal for a fee of 150,000 gold (per party, not per player). You can also give him a Black Pearl that you can get from Mage Kimerul (as one of the random prizes), hidden treasures, or during events.
*You don’t need to complete the quest to enter the instance.
**The instance is inside Lower Khemenak, so you’ll need to be at least level 40 to enter.
Your task is to fight your way through the dark corridors of the forgotten part of the castle to reach and defeat the main boss.
Monsters created by the necropractices of the lord of the castle will bar your way:
Rasps
Rasps are abominations created by the lord of the castle to watch after the laboratory and handle research subjects (prisoners). Composed of various body fragments, mostly dried and mummified, these creations of Claudius’ necromantic magic are surprisingly agile and extremely strong. They are ravenous beings with exposed fangs and claws, and sharp, bony outgrowths on the back and arms. However, they can only understand simple commands. Enough to be effective guards and also terrifying opponents.
Stilts
Their task is to watch over research subjects and help with necropractices. They are in charge of Rasps and act as bodyguards to their lord. Terrifying, tall, skeletal creatures that tower over most opponents. Their bony blade, attached where the arm used to be, chopped off the heads of many adventurers.
Collectors
The priests of the Castle Specter and his most loyal servants. Their magical abilities give them control over Stilts and Rasps. They are the eyes, ears, and magical support for the practices of their master. They dabble in dark magic and their mental attacks are deadly to any intruder.
In the end, you’ll have to face the lord of this place - the Castle Specter himself.
If you defeat the boss, you’ll get a chance to loot the following legendary items:
- Gathril (helmet),
- Virthil (body armor),
- Nurthil (cape),
- Tirhel (legguards).
The most important fixes
Of course, the Castle Spect and the quest aren’t the only things that will be implemented with the update. We’ll also add some fixes and improvements that will surely make a lot of you happy.
Some time ago, you brought the loot system to our attention. The fact that some slots have better chances and that items drop in certain order makes you reluctant to join any venture. We decided it’s one of the most important things to fix. After the update, looted items will be assigned at random, with no preference. However, to make it more fair, we’re making sure one person cannot loot two legendary items while another one just gets two potatoes. ;) We hope that this change will make party play more enjoyable for you.
We’ll also implement two features our veterans know for sure. You’ll be able to expand your deposits and buy your pets back from a wider range of NPCs. Speaking of pets… The owners of the Badger will surely be happy to hear that we’ve added the model to this unique creature. ;)
These are only examples of the changes we’re introducing - there’ll be smaller or bigger changes to improve the comfort of gameplay. We’ll also be fixing some errors that you reported. Thank you for your help and feedback! The full list of changes will be published in the changelog closer to the date of the update.
In the next updates…
Following our roadmap, the next updates in the second quarter will feature:
- the marketplace,
- new sidequest,
- the Puppet Master instance (for about level 30),
- introductory quest for the Puppet Master instance,
- part one of the achievement system,
- fixes and improvements.
The second part of Ars Moriendi will be published in June.
We hope that you’ll spend many happy moments in the world of Broken Ranks. May all of them be memorable! Thank you for being with us.
