Winter Rune Forge Trial Deep Dive
newworld.comGreetings, Adventurers!
Join up to 10 max-level players in a bone-chilling gauntlet of increasingly difficult enemies. This Seasonal Trial requires teamwork to overcome Rune puzzles, slay an Icey Construct, and fell an Ancient Ice Guardian for unique rewards. Here’s an interview going behind the scenes of the Winter Rune Forge, plus a deep dive featuring the Art Team’s process.
Join Environment Artist Carlos Lopez for a glimpse into how the Art Team brought our latest Seasonal Trial to life.
Level Designer Zachary Holm, Lead Artist Brian Patenaude and I brainstormed the layout for this Trial. We were all enthusiastic about the thought of dropping down from the ice floor after an intense fight. I took inspiration from the worlds in Dark Souls and Metroid Prime, specifically their sense of scale. My goal was to immerse players in a grand area while instilling the feeling that you're just a small person walking through these historically significantly structures, each wall complete with its own story. Looking at older Trials, I wanted to make the art unique without contradicting Aeternum's established aesthetic.
The initial idea of the chasm was too simplified — You drop through the ice, fight a boss, get the rune and leave. I wanted the chasm to feel like the structure below once had purpose above ground but eventually collapsed and fell, giving the player the ability to partially climb back up or use the dilapidated structure as a path down. Depending on where the player fell, this would add a sense of exploration.
The bridge section follows a similar philosophy. What once was a functioning part of a previous civilization now becomes a gameplay element. Players parkour along the fallen bridge thanks to a new path of giant stalactites that have fallen from the ceiling. There’s also a sense of wonder as the player takes in a view of the gigantic cavern and teases of ancient structures. As you venture deeper, these structures slowly reveal that this isn’t a typical
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