Badia de Cara (“Bay of Faces”) is our next major zone, which will be released this spring. Building a full zone from the ground up requires quite a bit of work, from planning out the lore and layout of the area, to creating the art assets, to building the environment, and finally adding all the game data such as NPC spawn locations. Most of our work up until this point has gone into the first stages of that effort – planning and art assets – but since we’re now part of the way through building the environment, we wanted to share some screenshots and a little more information about the zone with all of you.
As a reminder, all the screenshots below are work-in-progress. These areas will look even cooler before we’re done and of course will be populated with plenty of NPCs for you to interact with.
Kosa Ull
Kosa Ull is the largest, central island in Badia de Cara, and one of the main locations that adventurers will travel to. Here are a few areas of the island that are currently under construction.
Beware the fierce Mawnok that guard the shores of Kosa Ull.
Beyond the beauty of Kosa Ull… what secrets draw adventurers to this island?
Right now, we are working on adding additional trees, ground cover, hanging vines, and canopy cover around the island. While the obsidian rocks are a key feature of the island, when it’s all done there will be a lush and vibrant jungle covering most of it.
Underwater Areas
In addition to Kosa Ull and some other areas that dot the water’s surface in Badia de Cara, there will also be several underwater points of interest for players to explore. Here are some work-in-progress screenshots of an area known as the Groaning Deep.
How deep do these waters go?
What you can see in these images is our first pass of terrain buildout, which primarily involves getting the base terrain and big rock formations into place. A second pass in a few weeks will add smaller objects such as kelps and colorful corals to the area along with additional details.
Those who do explore the depths are advised to be careful. While there will be great beauty to be found below the waves, not all of it may be friendly – and often, it has teeth. Like in this concept image.
One of the many kinds of colorful (and deadly) sea creatures you will find in Badia de Cara.
More Mysteries to Uncover
There are many different areas within the borders of Badia de Cara, each with their own history, lore, and inhabitants to discover. Whether you’re diving down below the waves to search for lost treasures or making your way through the dense jungles of Kosa Ull to find what lies within, you will find many opportunities for adventure in these waters.
What lies beyond this passage?
We still have quite a bit of work left to get this zone ready for everyone to explore, not least of which is making sure that there are plenty of interesting things within it. Right now, we’re on track to release the zone this Spring alongside our Combat and Progression Update, and we’re looking forward to seeing all our adventurers set sail to explore the area when it becomes available.