TL:DR - A new instance that does double duty as a player apartment and also a way to reset a player’s level back to 1 for a “new game plus” mode. Also contains a significant number of credit sinks.
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At some point between killing The Night Heart one-on-one, putting the Dust Brigade on the back foot, butchering the Kyr’Ozch in their own motherships, and showing the Xan that this world ain’t big enough for the both of us, the newcomers to Rubi-Ka (Players) have realized something: This is Our world. We are the Immortals.
We stand atop the pile, armor covered in dirt and grime, blades dripping and muzzles charred with carbon. We have swept aside any and all other pretenders to the throne… yet We have still not claimed it. Instead, We find ourselves full of sin and baggage, full of anxiety and power and turmoil and nowhere to direct these forces.
What if We could do it all again?
We propose that opportunity. A way to wipe the slate clean, allow Our enemies a brief respite, and let the throne wait for Us once again. A way to reclaim mortality. A tabula rasa.
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This comes to us through the gift of a new NPC in a new playfield: The Throne Keeper: an NPC that resides in a new instance called “The Throne Room.” The Throne Keeper rests not on the seat of command itself, but in an annex of the Throne Room. The Keeper is a utility of the Throne. It offers numerous services to the claimer of the throne, not the least of which is the ability to relinquish that claim - to be reborn in this world ready to grab it by the horns once again: Remortation.
Tabula Rasa is a single-use item that the Throne Keeper will offer to the player once they claim their Throne Room. The Throne Room is initially a single-player instance that must be cleared of six difficult guardians before a level-capped player is able to claim the throne. Each guardian starts already spawned, and must be paid a sum of credits for the privilege of fighting them. Once the throne is claimed, the room in its entirety becomes a player-owned instance similar to RK apartments or the Jobe luxury apartments. The Throne Room features some nice real-estate that can be decorated, as well as the titular Throne - a seat which doubles as a respawn point similar to the SL garden respawns. The Guardians themselves also become friendly servants of the new owner of the throne. They will offer various utilities such as banking, GMI, grid access, and teleportation to Jobe or major cities.
Tabula Rasa, the item of most interest, is an unusually ordinary stone slab. It can only be obtained by giving the Throne Keeper each of the garden and sanctuary keys of a player’s faction, as well as one of each of the Ergo progression rings (Totalling 17 items). The Throne Keeper will also require a donation of 800 million credits. The player must then strip off all items and use the tablet at their throne.
In return, the player dies immediately. This is the process of Remortation.
All items in the player’s inventory will be transferred to reclaim. The player then respawns in Arete Landing at level 1/0 with all perks, research, faction, alien XP, and daily timers reset.
For all their sacrifice, players are given a small gift: A new aura which grants the player and all their teammates an XP buff that stacks with existing buffs in the “XP Bonus” Nanoline. The amount given by this aura is variable, explained a little further down. The aura will also have a small trailing effect under the player’s feet of a color that represents their faction.
The second gift that players will gain is a new level cap: 2 additional shadow levels for each time the player undergoes this process (Up to level 230). This means additional allocation for shadowlands and alien perks, as well as more IP to spend. Each time the player undergoes this cycle, their Tabula Rasa aura increases in value by 10%, up to a total of 50% additional Add. XP Bonus. The intensity of their aura’s color will also increase, from mostly translucent to a nearly opaque noble blue, brilliant white, or intense red.
Each remortation will cause the player to relinquish their control of the Throne. In order to regain it, they will have to once again pay and defeat the Throne’s guardians.
AFAQ (Anticipated Frequently Asked Questions)
What happens to my guardian keys and Ergo rings? They get deleted from your possession. However, the quests for them remain completed: They can be repurchased from the garden and sanctuary nano vendors after making the initial run to these locations once. These vendors already sell keys for players that have accidentally deleted them.
At what level can I enter the Throne Room? You can enter the Throne Room at your current level cap, which increases each remortation (220, 222, 224, 226, 228, 230).
How much does remortation cost? Each throne guardian will cost 200 million credits to fight, for a total of 1.2 billion credits. Remortation will cost an additional 800 million credits per cycle for a total of 2 billion credits per cycle, or 10 billion credits after 5 cycles.
What are the benefits of remortation? Each cycle grants an aura with an additional 10% XP buff for the team, up to 50% after 5 remortations. Additionally, players get a 2 shadow level increase to their level cap per Remortation up to level 230.
Can I use friends to defeat the Throne Guardians? No. Throne Guardians must be faced alone in a single-player instance. They can be fought one at a time. Once all of them have been defeated, the zone becomes a player owned instance which other players can be invited to.
Why is Remortation so expensive? There are too many credits in the game’s economy, and not enough significant credit sinks to help divest some from the players’ hands. Most credits are in the possession of players that have numerous 220s, and most of these players enjoy being the biggest kid on the block - this process would help lower inflation a bit.
What is the point of Remortation? Remortation will help players put stagnant 220s back into use, repopulate the lower levels, and take credits out of the economy. In return, players that undergo the process and use a Tabula Rasa will get access to a stronger end-game character that is better equipped to handle current content.
Will Neutrals have to give keys from both factions? Suggestions on how to gracefully handle this issue are greatly welcome. The point is for players to relinquish their SL fast travel options.
Won’t level 230s be overpowered?
Old response. New suggestion below.
A bit. These players will have access to higher stats, in the ballpark of 30 to 50 point increases to most skills. They will also have additional opportunities to vary up their setups, and be given new options for things like hot swapping or using new builds due to the increase in perk points and IP. Certain items such as level 300 Exterminator Ocular Enhancement will become more reasonable to equip. I am not proposing unlocking absolute breed caps. I am proposing a tightening of PvP ranges available to players who have undergone Remortation: down to about 10% of their level. This would mean a level 230 player would be able to fight a level 210 and above, and a level 221 would be able to fight players 201 and higher.
I am now recommending that 230s simply gain access to more IP as well as additional perk points. The absolute caps for skills should be at their 220 equivalents. This would overall lead to mostly new options for level 230 players rather than a massive increase in statistical performance.
Who built the throne? Who owned it originally? Those are great questions.
