
Massive Murder Balls of Allied Players
Any new feature this complicated is going to require a lot of playtesting. During all of that testing, we discovering unexpected, but entertaining, issues. Early on, it was possible for PvE players to ranged attack or heal lawless, free-for-all PvP players from outside the zone border. You can imagine the shenanigans that followed.

- We implemented a new free-for-all system that eliminates all group, Company, and Faction ties. Even if you’re fighting alongside friends, it’s very easy to accidentally harm or kill one another.
- We also implemented a new crowd control system that keeps players from lingering in large packs for too long.
- Lastly, loot chests function like normal resources. Once looted, they’re unavailable to all other players until the respawn.
The Unique Thrill of PvP
We believe in the strength of our PvP combat, not to mention the unique thrill of PvP, and always look for more ways to engage both PvP and PvE players with enticing rewards. This time, we wanted to deliver more free-form, always-available PvP experiences, rather than relying on instances, scheduled events, and matchmaking queues.
Cursed Treasure Economy

A Revamped Cutlass Keys
There were a few zones in the game we thought could benefit from updates, as well as serve as proving grounds for new types of gameplay: Cutlass Keys, Mourningdale, Restless Shores, and arguably even Reekwater. Cutlass Keys’ pirate theme tied in wonderfully with our new game mechanics, specifically valuable, greed-cursed treasure that must be carried away from the zone and cleansed before the curse drives even the fastest friends to paranoia and, possibly, murder. This gave us the opportunity to add new varieties of Lost pirates, inspired by the infamous Ottoman corsairs of the Barbary Coast. We also crafted new, gorgeous points of interest for exploration, combat, and loot. Beyond the PvP zone, these gold-cursed Lost took over the formerly Ancient and Corrupted parts of Cutlass Keys, providing a variety of new PvE quests.
The Future of the Cursed Mists
This free-for-all PvP zone a bit of an experiment, so based on how players engage with the experience, we’ll see how it evolves going forward. Right now, players can look forward to new rewards after release. We’ll also keep an eye on the Cursed Mists to tune for what players adore most.