The Lance Dur transmedia adventure, which started with the launch of its website, is now officially underway! It's a story packed with information, exclusive images, and tons of revelations about this new hero in the Krosmoz and the in-game impact he'll be having over the weeks and months to come… Welcome to the very first of a continuing series of Forgenews posts!
SPANISH
The name "Lance Dur" hides a plethora of mysteries and surprises…
The starting point is an animated series entitled The Last Adventure of Count Lance Dur. It was dreamed up by Tot, the creator of the WAKFU animated series and the movies DOFUS Book I: Julith and Princess Dragon, not to mention the MMORPGs you all know and love.
As the name of the series suggests, Tot wanted to tell the story of the final quest of an old adventurer who still had plenty of life and fight in him and much to prove despite his creaky bones (and perhaps more than that, since he'll have to overcome his age-related weaknesses).
As production on the series progressed, every aspect of Lance Dur's story – the hero, his friends and adversaries, and the places he would visit – fell into place and came to life within the Krosmoz as a whole. The settings, creatures and characters all had their own story to tell from one era to the next, and thus from one game to the next.
A new class, new areas, new bosses and other creatures will therefore be appearing in your video games, opening exciting and unexpected new doors in your adventure.
While the new character class will only be in DOFUS, each game will have its share of new content and its own story to tell.
And at the end of your journey, in January, perhaps you'll be ready to discover what started it all and is behind everything – the animated series! It is therefore both the starting point and the destination.
Background: The Stranger
Hearty laughter competed with the sound of fistfuls of kamas cascading over the bar to pay for round after round. The city once known as a den of mercenaries was gearing up for the next day's hangovers, not yet suspecting that the fun was about to grind to a halt.
The stranger stepped into the inn through the swinging doors. Their squeaking contrasted sharply with the cheery atmosphere inside. Everyone turned to stare at the unknown face, and their expressions darkened. The adventurer's keen gaze scanned the room, moving from one table to the next as though he were looking for someone. His jaw remained tightly clenched. He entered with a slow, heavy gait, each step amplified by the rattling of a thin chain against the long weapon hanging on his back.
Behind the bar, innkeeper Tek Abir set down the glass he was polishing and tapped pointedly on a sign that read, "Leave your weapons behind the bar or take your thirst elsewhere!"
Aware that he was now the center of attention, the stranger dressed in gold and azure swept his gaze around the room before passing the dark leather weapon strap over his head. He revealed a shining lance that would have been truly marvelous if it hadn't been split from base to tip. The crowd fidgeted nervously. You didn't see a weapon like that around here every day. The stranger set it behind the bar amongst countless whips, axes, daggers, hammers, shields and swords.
"Another one!"
"We're seeing more and more of 'em these days…"
"Why don't they just stay on their island?"
"Get a load of that haircut!"
The adventurer ran his hand over the tuft of hair on top of his head, then briefly rubbed the close-shaved stubble on the back and sides. He smiled. Then he walked up to the innkeeper.
"I'm looking for a blacksmith."
Tek Abir was about to answer when a voice rang out in the inn.
"What happened to your spear there, buddy? Did you jam it in a Crackler's rear end or something?"
"Come on, boys, be nice… It was his first time!"
Roars of laughter erupted around the table where a massive Iop was surrounded by a fine selection of itinerant adventurers. The stranger glanced over at the beer tap and signaled to the innkeeper, who immediately served him up a pint. He moistened his lips in the foam, took a couple of thirsty gulps, and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
"I had a nasty run-in on the high road," he said without turning around. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and took another long sip.
"Well… go on, then, stranger! Tell us about it! We could use some new stories around here!" said the Iop.
"All right… Who knows, maybe you can help me. I was with my brother, Dayd. We had just come over from Albuera, and we thought the worst was over once the ship had made port. I hadn't seen my little brother in a long time and swapping stories of our adventures by the fire with him after so many years was a real blessing. We ate and laughed together for hours. Still, it felt like there was something… broken, something not quite right. He was worried about something, and he didn't want to talk about it. And that's when that… thing showed up."
The stranger paused for a moment. He seemed to be reliving the scene in his mind.
"What thing?" asked someone in the crowd.
"Some sort of armored colossus. I didn't get a good look at it… mostly I saw was my brother's face when the creature loomed up behind me. It was as though he was looking at… Death itself. Dayd went so pale. I thought he was about to die right before my eyes!" He laughed briefly. "I remember asking him: 'Hey there, little brother! Are you having a heart attack or something?' But the only answer I got was… that look of abject terror."
"Well, what happened?" asked a different voice from the crowd.
The stranger suddenly spun around, his cape swirling behind him, and began acting out the scene:
"When I heard heavy footsteps behind me, I turned around, drew my lance, and hit it with a hard jab… It was so huge that it was impossible to miss! But my trusty weapon just slid off its solid chest. Completely solid and unyielding… like a wall. After that, it was like a mountain rolling over me without taking the slightest notice of me… That thing was after Dayd, and I was just a pathetic little bump on its path to what it really wanted. It didn't even glance at me. Then, I cast my most powerful spell and attacked it from behind. Dishonorable, I suppose, but I had no other choice if I wanted to stop it and save my brother…"
"And then…?" asked Tek Abir in turn, captivated by the stranger's tale.
"That titan batted my lance aside like it was nothing – repelling my attack, breaking my weapon and throwing me to the ground. By the time I woke up from that one powerful blow, there was no trace that it had ever even existed. And not the slightest trace of my brother…"
Then the stranger raised his fist and exhorted the crowd:
"That's why, once my lance is repaired, I'll be heading back out to find that monster and take it down. And any adventurer who's valiant enough to join me will be more than welcome at my side!!!"
An heavy silence fell over the inn… followed by a wave of raucous laughter! Guests raised their tankards with a cheer and emptied their kamas out onto their tables. The burly Iop's group surrounded the stranger to offer him a round and slap him on the back as he looked at the innkeeper in complete bewilderment.
"We haven't heard a story that epic in ages, my friend!" Tek Abir explained. "I don't think you'll be needing to pay for any of your own drinks tonight!"
"But everything I said is the truth!"
"No need to keep up the act, stranger… Your arrival in Astrub is a success! All that's left now is to keep telling your story over and over to whoever wants to pay the next round…"
The big Iop emerged from the crowd and grabbed the hero of the day by his shoulders:
"Well told, man! Now tell me this: as the greatest teller of tall tales I've seen around here in months, what name do you go by?"
The stranger took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes just a bit.
"My name is Swood. Klimti Swood."
The Iop looked at his Ouginak companion just beside him, who was already smiling with his tongue hanging out. Then they both burst out in uncontrolled laughter:
"Hahahahaha! I knew that Forgelances were bold, and I knew they were braggarts, but I never knew they could be so funny! Klimti Swood! Haha! I love this guy!" He picked up a tankard. "Now tell me a bit about Albuera…"
To be continued…
Will Klimti Swood the Forgelance ever find his brother? Will he find a blacksmith to repair his ruined lance? Will he even manage to get out of this inn?
Find out in the next FORGENEWS…
Game Design: The Forgelance Heritage
As you've probably already guessed, the name of the new character class is:
This will be a playable class in DOFUS starting at the end of 2022, and you can learn more about the Forgelances from NPCs and new areas in WAKFU, DOFUS Touch and WAVEN.
Each Forgenews post (See what we did there? "Forgenews". Like "Forgelance". Get it? Clever, right?) will reveal a different aspect of the game design for these new characters. Today, we'll start by revealing not only the class icon above, but also the class's main roles in-game. Doesn't that sound nice?
Roles
That should give you an initial idea of the new class that's on its way…
To learn more, you'll have to wait for Forgenews #2 in October!
Artistic Design: Albuera
Albuera is, in a way, Lance Dur's kingdom in the animated series. That's where it all starts – and for many of you, your own adventure will start there too, because this island will soon be appearing in-game in DOFUS, DOFUS Touch and WAVEN!
Between the Dofus Era and the time period of the anime – which takes place in the Waven Era – the city and the areas around it will experience drastic change… and that's just one of the interesting details for you to discover as you move from one form of media to the next. As we've been saying all along, Lance Dur is truly a transmedia adventure!
So, what do you think of this new island? Are you looking forward to visiting it in the games? And, in the series? Albuera won't be appearing in WAKFU just yet, but next time we'll tell you about a character who will most definitely become one of its newest iconic bosses… Patience!
Animation: Synopsis and First Look
Synopsis 1
A once-legendary hero, Lance Dur, now a grumpy old man riddled with an old man's aches and pains, takes up arms once more to free his granddaughter Ozie from a powerful demonic witch. Backed by his former companions in adventure, who are now every bit as stiff and sore as he is, he'll have to prove to the world – and more importantly, to himself – that he's still good for something.
- Original work: Ankama
- Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
- Release date: Early 2023
- Number of episodes: 7 x 10 minutes
- Original French version streaming via: ADN
- Animation studios: Ankama, Andarta Pictures
Synopsis 2
At a birthday celebration for an old king who's closer to the end of his life than the beginning, a mysterious witch interrupts the festivities and kidnaps several children, including the young princess of the kingdom.
Despite his advanced age, his tired old bones and his seeming weakness, the king decides to take up arms one last time and venture forth to save the children.
Thus begins his what will be his last adventure, accompanied by his old comrades in arms, who are just as decrepit as he is… but more motivated than ever to show off their skills one more time!
There you have it!
You now know a bit more about the Lance Dur transmedia adventure and its in-game repercussions – but we're just getting started on revealing this new content. Patience! There will be something for everyone!
See you in October for Forgenews #2!
And to find out what's in store for you in the weeks and months to come, visit the Lance Dur website.