It has been a long time coming, but Landmark, the sandbox creation MMORPG from Sony Online Entertainment, is finally scheduled to add its very first combat mechanics starting August 27th. Announced at this year’s Sony Online-centric convention, SOE Live, PvP is coming full-force and will bring with it action-based combat and the ultimate reality check: death. Immortality will no longer be a convenience for players to fall back on through death-defying falls or toe-to-toe player interactions.
As described by the developers, Landmark PvP will be a very consensual affair. It’s not a feature that players can initiate on a whim, nor will you ever have to play in fear of being slain unexpectedly while exploring. Instead, PvP will stay contained to user claims and can be activated or turned off as the owner sees fit. Players will be given access to rule objects which can be placed in-claim and used to modify the terms of engagement. A game table object will be used to determine the game type and requirements for victory while spawn points can be placed to best maximize (or minimize) game balance.
What’s cool about Landmark PvP being confined claims is that it allows players to construct the arena that they’d like to play in. From your wildest imagination, if you can create it, you can play in it — anything from death pits, to floating platforms, to meticulously detailed structures. It’s all fair game and allows for limitless possibilities. Best of all, all the damage done to your destructible claim due to the savagery of war gets automatically repaired after a victor is crowned. The hours of painstaking labor invested will be perfectly preserved for another fight.
Sony Online emphasized that PvP in Landmark will actually play an important role in shaping the future of EverQuest Next. Participation in player vs player activities will allow the developer to observe what works, what doesn’t and what needs tweaks. Landmark, not just PvP, is the foundation on which EverQuest Next is being developed and player’s feedback is instrumental in shaping the future of the franchise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTmfJ3EmgB0