Forgenews #4: The Survivor

Here we go! One by one, updates for your favorite games are going live! We're following the adventures of Klimti Swood, which touches on Lance Dur, Cire Momore, and Ereboria, and we'll continue to reveal more behind-the-scenes info about this great transmedia adventure.

In the last episode…

- DOFUS, gameplay, Forgelance spells and mechanics: no more secrets between us!

- For DOFUS Touch and Ayin Spyr, there was a family reunion.

- A new character in both WAKFU and the Lance Dur webtoon showed you his scars.

- It's also a family affair with the Lance Dur anime: Agard proved it!

Is that all?

Fergus the blacksmith repaired the lance of Klimti Swood the Forgelance. Klimti was in a rush to test his precious weapon in turn-based combat against a miliboowolf and… a vindictive chestnut tree.

Background: The Survivor

In an endless clatter of shovels, picks and hammers, the wind whipped up a thick cloud of dust over Astrub Quarry. Gradually, in the midst of towering building facades, two silhouettes appeared deep in conversation. The tall and slender one, with a windswept crest of hair on top, was listening; the other one, who was small and stocky, was waving his arms around to push his point home.

"… a waste of time? Not at all, Mr. Swood!"

"I didn't say that, Fergus, but you have to understand, my brother is in mortal danger!"

"You need to know your enemy and the dangers of its island before going there."

Sheltered from the heavy blasts of air and clanging of metal on rock, an Ecaflip with black fur was studying the intruders from her tent. In the middle of the mining operation and among all the Rotcere workers, those balls of fur as black as carbon with a single eye right in the middle of their tuft, the two visitors really stood out. As the black slits in her emerald pupils narrowed, Reska reached for her staff.

"In here, Mr. Swood…" said Fergus at the entrance to the tent after lowering the scarf covering his nose.

The Forgelance took a step inside the tent only to find that a long weapon had suddenly appeared under his chiseled jaw. In the right-hand corner stood a dark feline figure:

"And just who are you?" she meowed menacingly.

He turned his head toward the Ecaflip with an exaggerated smile, but she immediately spun her staff in a circle, upending the Forgelance and making him somewhat shocked to be lying down so quickly.

"My name is Swood… Klimti Swood," he replied from the ground, with another exaggerated smile as he tried not to flinch.

"He's with me, Reska!" said Fergus hurriedly, pushing his large opaque goggles up onto his forehead.

"Meow, Fergus."

"Meow meow… Since when do you greet visitors by tackling them to the ground?"

"Sorry," she said before bending over to help the blacksmith pick up Klimti. "I'm not used to strangers here, and new faces hardly bring me flowers or balls of wool. When they do come, it's to meet that female Ecaflip who manages part of the operation and try to charm her so they can set off again with cheap merchandise, or worse, to ask me for a percentage in exchange for protecting the quarry… Pfft… Anyway! What are you doing here with this Klancy… Krispy… this oddball?"

"This oddball is preparing to sail to Ereboria."

Reska glared at the Forgelance. Klimti, not knowing what else to do, simply shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed look.

"Idiot!" she spat.

"You were right, Fergus. It was really worth coming here…" said Klimti.

"You need to tell him what you saw there, Reska!" said Fergus. "The more he knows, the greater his chance of surviving."

The Ecaflip hissed, and Klimti then spotted the scar that ran between her lip and nose.

"He'll remain there. Just like the others."

"Cire Momore is after his brother."

Reska, who was pacing like a caged animal, suddenly stopped.

"Well, he's already dead."

In the blink of an eye, Klimti drew his lance, threatening the Ecaflip this time. The tip brushed the feline's throat. She gave a wry grin.

"Go on! What are you waiting for?"

"Stop this iopery!" said Fergus. "Reska! Give him a chance to make it out alive: Tell him what happened to you!"

"And what do I get in return?" she asked, not taking her eyes away from her opponent.

"You can send me your Rotcere team with their tools when they need them. I'll sharpen them for 30 kamas each."

"That's the usual price, Fergus."

"That's right. Why?"

"Er… " said the Forgelance, lowering his lance from the Ecaflip''s throat. "Thanks, but don't mind me! I don't need anyone's help to deal with this rusty hunk of armor anyway. Bye!" he said as he prepared to leave.

"You're an idiot if you really believe that," said Reska, sitting back down at her desk. "Ereboria is a hornet's nest. One wrong move and you'll find yourself surrounded by creatures you wouldn't believe… "

The Forgelance looked over his shoulder.

"Well, help me then."

*****

"It all happened seven years ago. Legends told of treasure that could be found on Ereboria, the Cursed Island.

My guild and I had fire in our bellies in those days! And we had the golden touch. We felt invincible! Those were good times…

You should have seen us…

Pimprenelle the Iop and her huge hammer… She didn't move mountains; she smashed them!

Eni Cola and his fizzy flasks, which gave us a lift in tricky fights…

Gary Lemarchand-De-Sable, the Xelor who could put you to sleep in no time at all!

And of course, Maxine Panda, the great black and white bear who would carry us, support us, and throw us at the enemy during the fight.

We were the Heavy Sleep Watchers.

After arriving on Ereboria, against all expectations, we came across a secluded beach. We thought we would only find pain and despair in these lands. All we could do was stare. None of us had ever laid eyes on such beauty before. Its natural beauty, the beaches, its riches seemed to have come straight from Ingloriom. For one day and one night, we were the gods of this dreamlike beach.

An Ereboria beach in WAKFU (Pirate Beach)

But everything changed when we started exploring the island. We soon entered what looked like a cave. Everything became unsettling: the darkness, the cold… The further we penetrated into the underground tunnels, the more the walls were clammy and the atmosphere oppressive.

And we found the vestiges of Stubbyobs…

Ereboria's underground caves in DOFUS

But this merely reinforced our belief that piles of treasure must be hidden there.

When the path we were following split into three, we proceeded as follows: Eni Cola and Pimprenelle took the first tunnel, Maxine Panda and Gary Lemarchand-De-Sable the second, and I took the third all on my own. From afar, I heard cries of joy from my favorite Iop and Eniripsa. They must have found the treasure. I knew then that it hadn't been a waste of our time to come! But I would continue down my tunnel to see what was waiting for me at the end.

I heard the voices of the big Panda and little Xelor. But these sounds were more concerning. It sounded as if they were hurtling down a never-ending slide… One minute they seemed to be getting closer, the next minute further away. This was followed by reassuring laughter, but then… a fight.

I started to run to help them as fast as I could…

And it was at that precise moment that I heard it. A scream that I felt in every fiber of my body. Eni Cola… I ran faster. Pimprenelle… I ran even faster. It seemed to take forever. The passageway rushed past me, but I felt as if I were moving backwards.

Finally, I caught sight of the exit.

As I burst out, weapon at the ready, I found myself alone. I was outside again, in a beautiful green landscape. And at a loss. All of a sudden I jumped when two creatures emerged from a little pool nearby. I was just about to attack when I suddenly realized that it was Maxine and Gary, my friends. They were drenched but unharmed. They told me they had been attacked by Stubbyobs defending their territory. Pelted by arrows, my brothers-in-arms were forced to retreat into a dark passage, where they fell several kametres into a deep pool. With no way out, they dove into the pool, not knowing if they would have enough air to get anywhere. They spotted some hostile amphibian creatures and fled in the other direction. By chance, the light led them here…

We walked along the outside of the cave we had just been in, hoping to find an entrance and, more importantly, our friends. Our feet sank into a kind of greyish mud that was like a mass of soggy ashes. It slowed us down and became exhausting, but even worse, we started to sink.

I watched Gary slowly but surely disappear under the sludge. I lifted my head and looked up to the sky to keep my mouth above the black molasses-like mire. It was gooey, overwhelming…deadly.

I can look back now at that moment and say that it was the only time in my life I had been truly terrified.

I thought I would die.

The Cursed Beach in WAKFU

A huge hairy paw suddenly grabbed me by the collar.

I was plucked out of that dreadful swamp and thrown onto firmer ground by my dear Maxine. I was overcome with joy to see she also held Gary under her other arm! As she was about to throw him in my direction, my friends warned me of another danger behind me… Just in time I dodged the ax of something undead.

It was some sort of… Deathburn.

All around me, blackened skeletal hands emerged from the ashen swamp. Then whole bodies. Although 'whole' is hardly the right word…

I was surrounded. Petrified. The circle closed in around me. One of the Deathburns slashed my face with its dagger," said Reska, running her hand over her scar.

"Roused and jolted into action you might say, I flew into a rage and used my staff, feet and fists to try and break free. After an exhausting fight, I breached the mass of enemies and made a gap. I struggled free and then found myself back in the cave.

I used what little breath I had left to run, aware that I had left my friends behind. But I didn't know what else to do… Even though the Deathburns were slower than me, a horde of them were hot on my heels!

Then a miracle happened.

I saw the shoreline. It was the ocean, and on it was a boat. I had a found a way off this cursed island.

As I climbed in and tried to cast off, the Deathburns drew near. On the other side, angry Stubbyobs were running. I raised the anchor. I heard screams. Eni Cola and Pimprenelle. I looked up to a hole above, just above the channel that ran through the cave. I watched and waited. Nervously. The boat started to move forward. I kept my eyes fixed on the dark opening, hoping to see my friends appear there.

But instead of my friends, I saw it.

That thing. Grating. Metallic.

Cold, despite the glow that went before it in the darkness.

It was Cire Momore.

We stared at each other, motionless, as the boat drifted out into the open sea. Then I cursed him as I realized what the red stain splattered on his chest could mean…"

To be continued in the next FORGENEWS…

DOFUS: Ereboria, Scenery and Bestiary

Stubbyob Area Research

Stubbyob and Cave In-game Research

Stubbyob Bestiary

Deathburn Bestiary

DOFUS Touch: A New Beginning

The update is live! Explore Albuera, the land of the Forgelances, Klimti Swood, and Lance Dur right now!

Twelvians will take their first steps in this new archipelago from now on. Designed to act as a tutorial, Albuera will guide new adventurers every step of the way! Want to learn more about this new area?

EXPLORE ALBUERA

What else is new? Well, the new spellmaster seals have been added; class sets have changed; a level-200 spell – Exaltation – is replacing Summoning of Dopple… If you want more details, you can find them here!

Finally, to help you in-game so you can fully experience these new features, a range of all-new Progressopacks can be found in the shop!

WAKFU: Ereboria, Scenery and Bestiary

The Cursed Island is central to the next WAKFU update. You have had a glimpse of some of the new areas to explore and creatures to fight in the story above (Pirate Beach and Deathburns area), and below you can explore more of what you can look forward to in your favorite MMO.