PhoenixLabs_AMA

What features are going to separate your game from similar games in the genre like Monster Hunter? -- /u/OldSchoolRPGs

The most obvious element is that Dauntless will be on PC. This means full HD & glorious 4K resolution, streamlined matchmaking, streaming, and an even wider audience of slayers to play with due to the pervasiveness of PC gaming.

Being free to play means that we’ll also be able to add content (behemoths, weapons, story, quests, etc.) at a steady pace to keep the game fresh and exciting without needing to wait for a yearly release cycle. Free to play also means that people will be able to invite their friends to experience this genre without the risk. We hope this means the genre will only grow!

Aside from logistical elements, the islands that you explore in Dauntless are not segmented; they are one big, completely explorable map without loading zones. Working with a modern engine like Unreal also allows us to do some really crazy, exciting things with behemoths in terms of their abilities and scale.

Philosophically, we want to get players in and playing as quickly as possible. When we’ve tried to introduce our friends to this genre in the past we often hear that needing to spend hours wading through gathering missions is discouraging. We want slayers fighting deadly, huge behemoths as quickly as possible and really keep the focus on slaying their way to the top. This isn’t to say that we don’t love the sweet grind that is looting and crafting — expect to invest hours if you want top-tier gear.

As soon as the Alpha servers are stable we will widen the net. Until the whole world falls under our shadow MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...

Ahem.

Can confirm maximum aerodynamic potential.

How do you plan to keep old content relevant for veteran players? In a years time, will expert slayers still have a reason to hunt the earliest behemoths? -- /u/auramancer1247

Absolutely. The behemoth that you decide to slay is just one element of any hunt. Slayers who invest a lot of time into the game will find features like modifiers, challenges, and quests that inspire them to “revisit” every behemoth in the game.

The question inside your question is how do we keep every encounter challenging. Skill is a cornerstone of Dauntless — we want to push every slayer to their limits. And we don’t want the thrill of that challenge to let up at any point during progression.

Additionally, there’s also the social element. We’ll curve encounters based upon the number of slayers in a party, and slayers who are further along can always don lower-tier sets to relive past encounters alongside less experienced players.

yes