Explaining Combat Progression Across Episodes

11/08/2024
Brighter Shores News

Source: Steam


Understanding Episode-Specific Professions

Brighter Shores features separate combat professions for each episode, which has generated significant player discussion. When entering Episode 2 (Hopeforest), players gain access to four new professions: Scout, Woodcutter, Gatherer, and Carpenter.

Importantly, your Episode 1 professions remain intact and useful whenever you return to Hopeport. These professions continue to progress and serve important functions throughout the game, though while in Hopeforest, you'll primarily use the Hopeforest-specific professions.

The "Breadth and Depth" Design Philosophy

The developers have implemented this system to accommodate both intensive and casual players. With a single combat profession spanning all episodes, high-level players would find new content too easy while casual players might find it inaccessible.

Instead of using traditional solutions like:

  • Level caps with periodic increases (which creates "dead content")

  • Auto-scaling content (which undermines the purpose of leveling)

Brighter Shores uses a "breadth and depth" approach where:

  • Progressing to new episodes (breadth) is relatively accessible

  • Each episode offers deeper progression opportunities beyond the main quest

  • Side quests with star ratings indicate higher difficulty content for dedicated players

  • Episodes remain interconnected, encouraging movement between areas

Planned Improvements

Based on player feedback, the developers are implementing several changes:

  1. Character levels now display as total levels across all professions and episodes

  2. Future content will require proficiency in multiple combat types

  3. Better in-game communication about the progression system

Additional considerations include:

  • Adding difficulty ratings to main quests for clearer progression guidance

  • Potentially renaming "episodes" to better convey the game's structure

Developer Perspective

Testing has shown that unlocking fresh combat professions periodically creates an engaging experience. The early levels of professions offer rapid advancement and fresh gameplay, which the developers want players to experience with each new episode.

Players who prefer focusing on specific professions can still specialize, which may become a viable strategy for future leaderboard competition.

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