The new game Rend aims to elevate survival MMOs like ARK or Rust to a new level, much like World of Warcraft did with MMORPGs back in the days of Everquest.
Even though World of Warcraft is probably the most successful (Western) MMORPG, it was not the first (Here are the 7 largest MMORPGs before WoW).
Blizzard wanted to create a better Everquest – which they succeeded at. One who knows this is now working on the MMO Rend. Jeremy Wood, a former Blizzard employee, explains that his former employer took all the good aspects from Everquest and the MMOs of that time, polished them, and combined them into WoW. This was very well received by players.
A better ARK
With Rend, the developers from Frostkeep Studios want to do the same. The foundation is not World of Warcraft, but the Dino MMO ARK Survival Evolved. Survival plays a significant role in Rend.
This is how the gameplay of Rend should unfold:
- Rend takes place on a “triangular” map, as there are three factions in the game.
- You start in the safe corner and gradually venture into the wilderness, which becomes more dangerous with each step.
- The map is so large that it takes about 30 minutes to reach the gates of another faction’s base.
- In the middle of the map, there is a huge tree for which you must collect souls.
- The faction that collects enough souls first wins.
- You collect the souls in a gem that is located in your base. If this stone is destroyed during attacks, your faction gets kicked off the server.
- Every week, the shield that surrounds the bases falls – and this happens for everyone at the same time. Then it is possible to attack the stones.
- Before the shield falls, you must gather resources in the wilderness to craft weapons and gear, with which you build new structures.
- Fights need to be well prepared – both the attack on enemy bases and the defense of your own. Tactics are essential!
Large battles, accessibility, and challenges
This is what Rend aims to improve: The developers of Rend want to focus on the essentials. Even though survival plays an important role, it should never be frustrating.
In other games, skirmishes and raids occur repeatedly, but the big war usually does not happen. Frostkeep wants to change that, as every player knows that the big battle is coming and must prepare accordingly.
Furthermore, the team wants to impress players with the graphics, as they know that aesthetics are indeed always important in games. Therefore, the developers place great importance on making Rend visually appealing and giving the game a distinct style. While Rend should be accessible, it should not hold players’ hands but rather offer challenges.
What’s next for Rend? We will probably experience how it plays in 2018. An Early Access phase is planned for later this year.
Rend comes from a team comprised of former WoW and LoL developers.
