Nightveil Hallow: Lore and Design

newworld.com:

Shapes in the mist! Shrieks in the night! The demon Baalphazu, Marquis of Terror, and his horde of ghoulish Pumpkinites are spreading a living nightmare across Aeternum. Aid Salvatore the Mad in his quest to banish these foul terrors and collect a bounty of Nightveil Hallow rewards.

We spoke to the Design, Narrative, and AI Teams for insight into various aspects of the event. Let’s find out some of the tricks that brought you this Halloween treat. You’ll also get a glimpse at early Nightveil Hallow concept art from before Baalphazu could cast their first shadow over Aeternum.

The direction of Nightveil Hallow was greatly inspired by 80s horror movies, specifically the awesome creature-flicks and fun-spirited ‘schlocky’ tone of the era. As a Halloween and horror-fanatic, it was a blast to work with the team to mix all the pieces that make 80s horror so iconic, and present them within the realm of Aeternum. Baalphazu and his Pumpkinites convey a theme that should hopefully feel familiar to fans of the genre and season, while Salvatore is a classic throwback to the golden age of horror cinema icons.

The goal of every holiday event is to ensure it’s unmistakable to players that a special event is happening in Aeternum. With that, the playfully decorated settlements round out Nightveil Hallow. It is the team’s seal on our love letter to the spookiest time of year!

The reverence Nightveil Hallow holds for the spooky season is most apparent in the Event Shop and incredible rewards players can earn during the event. I’m certain fans of the genre will pick up on the inspirations for a few of the items, but there’s one hidden-in-plain-sight reference I’m particularly curious if anyone will catch.

When conceiving the demon Baalphazu, we wanted to hint at the existence of other parallel worlds. The Netherworld is a mysterious realm of shadows and nightmares, where the dark figure of Lord Tenebrous rules over the Host, a collection of goblins, ghouls, and other terrors.