Monday, September 12, 2011

1.4.4 Keep Defenses

In the upcoming 1.4.4 patch, a new system has been added for successful keep defenses.  In the current version of the game, nothing really happens when defenders push attackers back.  The door stays down and the fight continues.  That's about to change though, read on for the details.

A successful keep defense is declared when the defenders destroy a deployed ram.  Since the ram is now a major focus, bugs relating to its destruction have been fixed.  That means siege engines should no longer be able to make quick work of them.  Rams have also received some armor plating, which takes the form of a number of absorb buffs.

Once the ram is destroyed, all defenders in the area receive a Heroic Defender buff.

The Heroic Defender Buff grants the following bonuses: Movement speed increase, incoming damage reduction, high resistance to incoming critical, increased chance of outgoing critical, and finally increased morale and AP gain.

On the PTS, this buff lasts 1 minute and will be removed when players depart the keep area.  The buff should enable defenders to drive back the attackers.  There is no extra renown, instead the buff should help you get more by slaughtering your enemies.

A new Keep Foreman NPC now resides on the first floor of the keep.  He sells wood for repair and the ability to construct an outer door.  Both cost Ordinance, the final prices have yet to be determined.  Each piece of wood will repair the door by 1%.  However, it does not stack so you can only carry a limited amount.  The door must also not be in a combat state.  The Foreman is able to be killed though, so you might want to watch his back.

Some other important pieces of info from the patch notes:

If a New Outer Keep Door is purchased, the Keep Foreman will attempt to place the door. However as they are construction workers and not warriors, they will stop work on the door if an enemy is nearby or attacking them. They will return to work if the enemy leaves or is dispatched.


If the Keep Foreman is killed before the door has been deployed, a new purchase will need to be made. No refunds on uncompleted construction! Defend your foreman. 

If the Keep Foreman is able to successfully deploy a New Outer Keep Door, the keep siege will push back to the "defend outer door" stage. When this occurs, the inner door is not repaired automatically, but players can use bundles of wood to repair it.