Yesterday's big update has served to remind us of the utmost truth of Haven & Hearth:
The world will eventually die.
It is as it has always been and always will be. When the day comes - and don't get me wrong, I don't want it to come - but when it does... Some will despair, some will be sad, others will be excited. But all shall return for the land shall be born again.
Well, since the addition of Valhalla and now that the game is more of an... enterprise, with actual and constant support, additions, a price tag, etc... I guess that simply creating a new world after announcing it (so people can wreak some havoc) isn't fitting anymore. We need something more, we need something grand - something epic that shall forever be in our memories...
We need a proper Ragnarök!
So, what would be our Ragnarök? Well, the basic idea is: when there's no way back and it is decided that the world must be restarted, we should enter the Ragnarök state. This could last whatever amount of time it seems nice, but I'd guess a week is enough time for everyone to enjoy it. All the suggestions below are ideas that could be part of said event, but whatever composition ever happens is up to Jorb & Loftar, of course
Sky changes
We don't have a skybox, true, but we have ambient light and clouds/shadows. These could go crazy, with variable light as if there was fire and on the sky, etc... longer nights, a colder ambience, tons of possibilities there - mostly cosmetic.
Atmosphere
Sounds of constant war and battle, fire, destruction, etc... change the whole soundscape of the game to chaos. I love the current soundscape, even if stuttering/bugged a bit, but it is really nicely designed. I'm sure it could be turned into something... chaotic.
More aggressive animals; random spawns
Animals could be tougher and more aggressive, kill when KO'd... If trolls are there by the time, trolls could spawn on the surface
Would even be nice to have some special monsters that only spawn during Ragnarok (like Ice giants or giant sea serpents) and if someone manages to kill them during the Ragnarök period, they could start the new World with a trophy hat, cape or something like that from that legendary monster kill.Nature's Death and the Flood
Biomes could start to slowly die, forests to wither, mountains to spread... If possible, water could start to flood into the land, forcing people to move or drown.
Rare rewards and stuff
It's difficult to convince people to play for a week knowing that the world will end, so it would be fun if there are some rare and difficult things people could achieve during the Ragnarök only, giving players a reason to enjoy the end of the world. Similar to what I suggest with the special monster trophies, things like: Godly Runestones that fell from the sky and can be written on. These runestones (with their messages) will be preserved on random locations on the next world as "legacy" of the last world.
Other types of trophies like special hats and capes (cosmetic only) that can also be carried into the next world.
Valhalla on Fire
A lot of people will be arriving in Valhalla during the Ragnarök so it could have its own special event as well, like a leaderboard with some special trophies for the top 3, etc...
The End
On the very last few minutes of the server, a massive spawn of evil creatures everywhere (literally, inside houses, caves, claims, on top of players) would ensure everyone still online will meet their destiny... and then the world shall end to be born again.
Relics
More like a way to get some dough, create a few more generic statue designs (like the ones we have now) and allow players to 'leave' a statue with their own message on the next world. Should be a bit more expensive but I'm sure some would like to leave their mark
Anyway, these are just some ideas to make the end of the world a bit more FUN!
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