For those unfamiliar, Sony Online Entertainment’s voxel-based sandbox MMO, Landmark, is an impressive open-world creation game appealing to builders, decorators and explorers. The game has a solid foundation in place that allows users to utilize simple tools to create some incredibly complex structures. But Landmark is an evolving project that still has a lengthy laundry list of features in the works — namely ones for players looking for a fight.
At SOE’s yearly Vegas convention, SOE Live, Dave Georgeson took to the stage to introduce the next big step in Landmark’s evolution: combat. Initially touched on at SOE Live 2013, combat is a feature that has been absent from the sandbox game and should be seen as a welcomed addition. It will bring about a level of depth that will make the overall world more exciting, dynamic and dangerous. Indeed, mortality has a way of adding appreciation and accomplishment to an otherwise hollow experience. With heightened risk comes greater reward.
Combat in Landmark will be action-based and relies on weapon and armor types rather than specific classes. You won’t be locked to any particular role when starting out in Landmark, so it’s up to you to experiment with different weapons to find the right fit for you. Three weapons will be available from the start, each with a unique flavor of battle. Of the weapons, warrior-style players can fight with the swordsman blade, a conjurer’s staff for those likening to a mid-ranged mage or the marksman’s bow for a long-ranged marksmen. All weapons will feature two attacks, a main attached to a left mouse click and an alt with the right. Falling hand-in-hand with combat, and directly tied to your characters mortality are the newly added stat bars: armor, health and stamina. Armor is in place to protect your health and stamina will deplete with certain actions, though specifics on what depletes stamina or if armor regeneration is automatic are unclear for the time being.
Further enhancing your character, armor can be worn to fortify various stats. Much like weapons, different types of armor will be tailor made to appeal to different preferences in play style. Some will increase health, making tanking a more viable affair while others will give ranged combat the upper-hand. Armors will range in visual style and appeal, varying from sci-fi to fantasy. Epic weaponry was also discussed and will be included in a separate Landmark update down the line. When they are finally added, players will be able to find these rare items via looting or enemy drops. The list of possible epic weapons include the likes of a flame sword or staff, a shadow sword or a shadow shield amongst many more.
One further feature to note, all weapons and armor will be able to be modified and enhanced through crafting. This goes to further reinforce the idea of truly building your own character from the ground up. It’s reassuring to see that the careful customization available in creating user claims is also being carried through to other aspects of the game. These are the things that are going to set Landmark apart from other sandbox MMOs on the market and Sony Online seems determined and on track to hit these nails on the head.
