Keeps -
Keeps are now worth taking. You get a bonus for every keep over 8 that your side owns plus DF access. These bonuses range from more RP's, to more xp, to more coin, to 5% crit rate increase (if you own every keep in the game). Keeps consist of two sections, and outer keep and an inner keep. The outer keep is the outside walls of the keep, the ramparts, and where most of the keep siege defenses are available. The walls of the outer keep can be attacked and certain sections of the wall can be destroyed to allow a secondary means of entry to the keep. Destroying a section of the keep that will not create a hole makes it so defenders cannot build siege or place guards on that section. Keeps essentally have no guards to speak off. Other than the FG of guards that patrol the keep (this group consists of usually 4 fighter guards, one healer guard, and one archer guard) player must buy keep guards with GP, BP, or GBP. You have your choice of Melee guards, healer guards (that will heal other guards as well as PC defenders), Archer guards, Stealther guards, and Mage guards. Each guard allows the purchaser to give them orders as to what to do. Melee's can be set for 1hd or 2hd weapons and either offensive or defensive and always roam. Healer Guards are stationary and you set the heal level and frequency. Archers you set their range. Stealther guards detect any stealther that enters the keep automatically and you can set their offense or evasion, and weather they stay put or roam. Mage guards can be set for damage, CC, or DoT. Keep level determines the health of the walls, the level of the guards, how many hookpoints are avail, and where the lord of the keep resides. Stage 1 keeps the guards are blue-oj and the lord is on the first floor of the inner keep. Stage 2 keeps the guards are yellow-red and lord is on the second floor of the inner keep. Stage 3 keeps the guards are oj-grape and the lord is on the 4th floor. The courtyard area and the surrounding area outside the outer keep is wide open, with little obstruction. This pretty much makes any battles outside the keep and in the cy Open Field situations.
Towers -
Each keep has 4 towers that are linked to it. To be able to teleport to a keep, you need to own the keep and the two towers closest to the keep. These towers in question are the only towers where an enemy can launch siege at the keep. Towers can be claimed and upgraded as well, with the same effects as a Keep. Towers can only have two siege weapons on it, and one is always boiling oil. Landscape around the Towers is the same as around the keeps. Open towers (towers that are not in siege range of the keep its attached to) usually have some type of environment around it to entice different attack and defense points. Taking a tower is the closest thing to what its like taking a keep in the current live system.
Relics -
Relic keeps are now pretty much wide open shrines with snazzy effects. there are no walls, there are no doors, and there are no guards. The relics sit up on high columns and are unreachable. As you take down keeps in the realm, the towers will slowly lower allowing someone to walk up and snag the relic. The only defense point of a relic keep are the Relic Gates. Two 5 story high walls are the enemys only access to the Relic shrine, and the defenders last line of defense. Looking similar to the a scene in the opening of the Muppet Show, these gates are full of arches that defenders can use to launch attacks, while the attackers have to break down the gated door on the ground level. Once these gates are down, its a wide open run to the shrine, which is (of course) in a giant open field. See the pattern here?
Player Roles -
Range rules the game now. Period. If you don't have some type of ranged damage, expect to be fodder or siege bitch. Since NF centers around keep taking and defense, most of the action will be around keeps. Tanks can pretty much do nothing cept run siege or pick off any incoming defenders. It will be hard for a tank to find a new role in the beginning, but I have found that running that pot of boiling oil during defense, and playing whack-a-mole with brave archers is pretty fun. Archers also seem to have gotten a damage boost somewhat. With the new RA system, they can now crit on regular shots higher than they ever could with the Crit Shot ability.
RA System -
The new RA system for the most part is a good thing. More of the good skills that were class specific before are open to all, and the overpowered ones taken out (cept for Vanish, which is now crazy). With the removal of MoArcane and the availability of more critical rate up skills, defense is more important. AoM is now a must for everyone. IP is pretty much usless unless your high RR and willing to blow the points. Lvl 1 purge is really the only purge you'll need, but lvl 2 purge is good if you got the points. Most of the RR5 class abilities that you get for free are useless, but what would you expect for a free RA?
I will be posting Screen Shots soon of the new keeps, relic keeps, relic gates, and towers. I also have some nice caps of some keep defenses. I'd appreciate some feed back.
