The six frontiers¶
Edition scope — 9 September 2026: Chapter One focuses on frontier advancement, basic parties, three tutorial lessons, repeatable timed gathering and crafting anywhere. Deeper RPG systems are disabled but retained for the full MMO. Six-frontier, naval, custom-equipment and extended-story designs below describe that larger world. The current roadmap takes precedence over earlier milestone/group-size wording.
One permanent haven anchors a war that can advance or retreat through six frontiers. Each frontier contains several territory nodes, routes and objectives; it is not one capture flag or one boss room. Every region must offer a distinct silhouette, atmosphere, traversal problem, resource identity and cooperative encounter.
Greyfen is the sole permanent haven: every character starts here, with training, recovery, storage and crafting. Watchposts, captured docks, forward camps and fortresses outside Greyfen are temporary and can be lost.
flowchart TD
G[Greyfen · permanent haven] --> F1[F1 · Greyfen Marches]
F1 <--> F2[F2 · Drowned Reach]
F2 <--> F3[F3 · Emberglass Gorge]
F3 <--> F4[F4 · Thorncrown Bastion]
F4 <--> F5[F5 · Tempest Passage]
F5 <--> F6[F6 · The Ashen Crown]Arrows describe supply and war progression, not unbroken physical distances or instant travel. Enemy counterattacks follow connected territory nodes. Losing a route can isolate forward holdings and weaken them; ownership does not vanish instantly because one road fell.
Regions and escalation¶
| Frontier | Visual promise | Main challenge and memorable encounter | Major-clear target | Resource and gear step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Greyfen Marches | Wind through golden reeds, mossy timber ruins, wolves at a broken wagon; warm village lights behind a dark treeline | Goblin caches, watchtower and Fenline fortress; an alarm, a rescue, then the shrine champion | Solo contribution; roughly 1–3 for key early objectives | Copper, rough iron, heartwood and common herbs. Serviceable weapons, armour and recovery supplies |
| 2 · Drowned Reach | Flooded abbey, luminous marsh plants, leaning bell towers and walkways above black water | Goblin sappers and the first orc vanguard; drain or divert water while another group holds the bridge. Dungeon: The Sunken Bell | Around five with F1 equipment | Bog iron, silverleaf, resin and treated timber. Reliable steel, stronger bows, warded cloth and useful tools |
| 3 · Emberglass Gorge | Red stone arches, glassy volcanic seams, suspended mining lifts and rivers of glowing ash | Orc artillery and goblin engineers; sabotage siege batteries and keep ore lifts moving. Dungeon: The Furnace Below | Roughly 5–10, with small-group supply and scouting routes | Ember ore, black iron and fire-resistant fibres. Heat-resistant equipment, siege supplies and specialised weapon choices |
| 4 · Thorncrown Bastion | A fortress grown through enormous petrified roots, hanging war banners and storm light through broken stone | Multi-route siege: shield generators, a breach team and a defended supply line. Boss: The Rootbound Marshal, with positional and interrupt mechanics | 10–20 in the best F3 gear for the fortress clear; preparation jobs remain open to newcomers | Thornsteel, storm crystal and reinforced timber. The equipment and ship fittings needed for the sea campaign |
| 5 · Tempest Passage | Black-green seas, towering sea stacks, lightning silhouettes, burning enemy sails and an island fort on the horizon | One player at the helm, others on cannons, ammunition, repair and boarding defence. Break an orc blockade and hold the landing. Sea-fort: The Chain Lantern | A coordinated 10–20 across one or more crews; test roughly five meaningful roles per combat vessel | Tideglass, salt-cured timber and orc bronze. Naval fittings, wet-weather protection and island expedition equipment |
| 6 · The Ashen Crown | An orc island of basalt terraces, pale ruins, giant chains, ash storms and a furnace-lit citadel | Coordinate beachhead, siege and dungeon objectives. Dungeon: The King's Kiln. Final battle: Grath, Crown of Cinders, revised as a campaign encounter rather than the current starter boss | Approximately 20 well-equipped players for the main assault, subject to human tests; supporting objectives allow smaller teams | Cindersteel, crown crystal and masterwork components. Lateral mastery, prestige and preparation for the next chapter rather than unlimited damage inflation |
Frontiers I and II have original playable alpha layouts. Mirewatch Landing, Blackwater Sluice and the Sunken Bell are the three connected nodes of the Drowned Reach. Frontiers III–VI remain original draft Fight the Frontier content briefs. Current Ironwood enemies and Grath are prototype foundations; their presence today does not mean F3–F6 exist. Encounter tuning must not require materials obtainable only after that encounter is cleared.
Make each territory matter¶
Every frontier should begin with a recognisable arrival vista and contain a forward rally site, at least three connected strategic nodes, an essential resource site, a fortress, a dungeon or equivalent multi-stage interior, a named boss and a reclamation route. Some materials come from dangerous excursions into enemy territory; dependable high-yield extraction requires control and a supply line.
Ownership changes the environment: repaired bridges, protected lifts, usable docks, friendly patrols, mining operations and lit camps. Defeat leaves damaged works, enemy banners and recovery jobs. Weather and environmental hazards change the approach, while clear silhouettes keep combat readable.
Difficulty without an entry wall¶
The listed group sizes describe intended fortress/dungeon clears. They do not prevent a lone scout, gatherer, courier, repairer or new fighter from helping. Do not make a boss beatable merely by bringing more under-equipped bodies; use equipment preparedness, positioning, timing and interdependent tasks. Also avoid arbitrary locks that reject a skilled smaller team regardless of performance.
At the current front, a new player can defend a supply wagon, load a cannon, operate an allied emplacement, revive a teammate or fight a lower-tier reinforcement lane. They earn useful progression without being given the power to solo the frontier boss. Joining the war defines that first session.
Art and performance gate per frontier¶
Prepare an original concept sheet, palette, landmark silhouettes and one in-engine vista before producing the entire kit. Blender provides modular architecture, rigged creatures, equipment and destructible variants with shared atlases and near/far meshes. Keep landmark identity at long distance; scale detail and effects to relevance.
Each frontier gets a traversal/collision review, readable combat at night and in weather, multiplayer encounter rehearsal, frame-time capture and supported-population test. Naval water, fog, reflections, cannon smoke and moving decks need their own budgets. A beautiful empty scene is not acceptance for a 20-player assault.
Gathering and crafting challenge¶
Each frontier increases timing difficulty for its resources and recipes. The baseline circle progresses from a 78° arc and 3.2-second turn in Frontier 1 to 68° / 3.0 s, 58° / 2.8 s, 50° / 2.6 s, 42° / 2.4 s, then 36° / 2.2 s in Frontier 6. Foraging is a little more forgiving; smithing slightly tighter. Every attempt keeps two passes, the same controls and a clear success arc. Misses do not spend crafting ingredients.
The curve is configured for all six frontiers; only the authored Frontier 1 and 2 resources and recipes are available now. Later content must declare its frontier or inherit it from its holding. Tutorial resources and basic recipes retain Frontier 1 difficulty regardless of account experience or world progress. This is an initial tuning curve for human playtests, not a reason to gate newcomers out of contributing.