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Hey there!
After weeks of teases and months of hearing about Spellbreak’s new game mode, we’d like to introduce you to Dominion, a new 5v5 objective-based game mode debuting with chapter 2. In this post, we’re going to describe the game mode in its entirety and hopefully answer any questions you may have.
Dominion Goals
Before we dive into the nitty gritty of how it works, we wanted to start off by detailing our goals with Dominion.
When we first started talking about this mode, we wanted to highlight a few things:
- Small-scale team vs team combat - Y’all have been asking us to make a small-scale game mode for as long as we can remember and we definitely agree. Spellbreak’s combat shines in small-scale skirmishes and highlighting that is one of the primary goals for this mode.
- Objective-based win conditions - Similar to the above, a mode focused around objectives instead of raw damage or downs/exiles has been requested and discussed for a very long time.
- Incorporate light PvE - Another oft-heard request and something we’re excited to explore more is fighting against explicit NPC characters.
- Team synergy and strategy - We want who you play with and how you build your character to matter. We want Dominion to allow different metas to develop that force players to adapt and change over time and we want more skilled players and teams with great synergies to excel.
- Variations from match to match - That said, each match should still end up playing out differently. Between multiple maps, various controllable RNG factors, and straight up surprising opponents, each match should feel different.
- Keep the stuff that works - In Battle Royale and Clash, both the match duration as well as the progression in level and gear feel good. We wanted to make sure we kept that.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it!
Match Goals
The goal of Dominion is to be the first team to reach a point threshold by capturing and controlling three different zones on the map as well as exiling players on the opposing team. If the score hasn’t been reached after 15 minutes, the team with the highest score wins.
As of this writing, the point threshold is 75 + (15 * number of players on a team). So if there were 5 players on a team, the total would be 150. If there were four, it would be 135 and so on.
Team Format
Every match of Dominion features two teams of five players, maximum.
We settled on five players because it’s a small enough number such that each individual player has a meaningful role to play and can communicate with the entire team effectively. It’s also a large enough number that the map can offer geographically distant objectives that a team must allocate their resources intelligently but not be spread too thin.
Starting out
Before each match begins, players select their class and talents like they currently do. But before spawning in, players are introduced to the Merchant for the first time and they’ll present the player with their first two Boon choices. Each Boon choice will give the player three options, of which they must choose one. The first Boon will be an offhand gauntlet and the second will be a rune. We’ll talk more about Boons and the Merchant below…
Players also start with 0 armor, but with 70 max mana, and +3 Run Speed (roughly equivalent to a rare amulet and rare boots).
The Map
Once the match starts, players will find themselves on one of four different maps (at launch, there are maps for Dustpool, Halcyon, Bogmore, and Hymnwood), surrounded by a red storm that will instantly exile any player who’s foolish enough to touch it. This forms the hard boundary of the map, forcing players to stay in a fairly small play area.
On the map (and in HUD elements), three Control Zones are visible: the Moon Zone, the Sun Zone, and the Star Zone. The primary way to win in Dominion is to capture and control these zones. To begin capturing a Neutral zone, simply enter and remain within its radius. The HUD indicator will begin filling, representing the progress towards capture. Once the progress bar is full, the zone’s ring turns blue to indicate the zone is fully Captured by a player’s team. NOTE: Capturing is accelerated if multiple teammates are within the zone area.
A zone becomes Contested whenever players from both teams are nearby. This freezes the zone’s progress, preventing it from being (further) captured.
When a player is exiled, they will respawn above a zone that their team controls after 15 seconds. If their team does not control any zones, they will respawn at one of the two starting spawn locations.
Gaining Points
Points are gained in two ways:
- For each of the above zones a team controls, they will earn one point every ten seconds. If a team doesn’t control any zones, no “passive” points are earned. If a team has one zone, they earn one point every ten seconds. If they have two zones, two points every ten seconds. And if they have three zones, they’ll earn three points every ten seconds.
- For each player a team exiles, they will earn a point, multiplied by the number of zones they control. If a team has zero or one zone, an exile is worth one point. If they have two zones, an exile is worth two points. And if they have three zones, each exile is worth three points. Note: Exiling the Vowguard does not count towards these points.
Vowguard
Another new thing players will encounter on the map are NPC Vowguards. These spawn in predesignated areas in groups of three and have little UI markers over their head to differentiate them from players. They’re relatively weak but will engage any player who comes near. They’ll stay near their spawn area and won’t capture or contest zones and once all the Vowguards in a group are dispatched, the entire group will respawn after 20-35 seconds.
Most importantly, especially early in a match, Vowguards drop loot and have a chance to drop Scrolls.
One thing players WON’T find on the map, however, are chests. In order to gain or upgrade gear, they’ll need to hunt down the Vowguard or to pay a visit to the Merchant.
The Merchant
As players deal damage to other players and to the Vowguard, the Boon Gem in the lower right of the HUD will slowly fill in. Players can fill this gem up to three times to store three charges.
While waiting to respawn, players can exchange one Boon Gem charge for a new random Boon.
A Boon can be any of the following:
- Gauntlets (either class gauntlet or offhand)
- Runes
- Blessings
All gauntlets and runes offered as Boons are guaranteed to be better rarity than the player currently has, however it may not be the same type.
When at the Merchant, a player can press “reroll” to see three new choices for their Boons. Of note: the RNG for Boons uses a “deck” such that any rerolls or subsequent offers won’t repeat earlier choices until all options have been cycled through. Each player has three rerolls available per match.
There’s also a soft catchup mechanic where if a player is exiled by another player while they don’t have a charged Boon Gem, they will receive a free bonus Boon.
Blessings are stackable buffs that last for the remainder of the match. They are only available as Boon rewards. There are currently 3 different Blessings:
- Armor Blessing: Grants +20 Max Armor
- Mana Blessing: Grants +20 Max Mana
- Speed Blessing: Grants +3 Run Speed
But how can someone visit the Merchant if they’re having a good game and not getting exiled? By Recalling! If they have at least one charged Boon Gem, they can Recall to visit the Merchant and respawn afterwards. To Recall, hold the Use key (default F on PC) for 8 seconds while not otherwise focused on a useable object. Recalling restores a player’s health and armor to max and spawns them above the location they recalled from.
What’s Changed from Battle Royale / Clash
- Leveling - Instead of leveling when a circle boundary is crossed, all players level simultaneously at predetermined times in the match
- Level 2: 2 minutes into the match.
- Level 3: 4 minutes into the match.
- Level 4: 8 minutes into the match.
- Circle - There is no closing circle. It’s fixed and unmoving (and deadly as mentioned).
- Amulet, Belt, Boots - These do not exist in Dominion. Your armor, speed, and mana can be upgraded through Blessings at the Merchant.
- Scrolls - Players ALWAYS drop a random scroll when exiled and the Vowguard have a chance to drop a scroll as well when defeated.
- Dropping gear on Exile - Players do NOT drop their consumables or other gear.
Wrapping Up
Phew! That was a lot to cover. We’re very excited about Dominion and getting everyone playing. Two final notes before we leave you:
- We’ll be talking more about this tomorrow, but Dominion will be the featured mode for the launch of Leagues in Chapter 2.
- With Chapter 2, Clash will be going away for the time being. We’re telling you now so you can get all your big score games in before the patch lands and Clash ends up in the vault while we all hop into Dominion.
If you’ve got questions, drop them down below and we’ll try to answer as many as we can.
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