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Looking at the larger picture of character advancement, I couldn’t help but ask Colin what players can expect once they reach the level cap, considering that Fallen Earth has a classless advancement system, allows players to craft 95 percent of the items in the game and incorporates the various character modifications available through Mutations. Colin estimated that it will take roughly 160 hours for players to advance to the level cap, and that’s only if they ignore the lion’s share of content and focus purely on getting to the “end game” as quickly as possible. For players who prefer to experience more of what the title has to offer in terms of both PvE and PvP content (neither aspect of the game is expected to take a leading role, but rather will act in a somewhat symbiotic manner) it could easily take “a few hundred” hours before hitting the cap.

Characters continue to advance in meaningful ways at the level cap.

We also discussed what shape Fallen Earth’s ‘end game’ will take, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the game was designed to allow players to continue advancing their characters beyond a simple loot grind once they reach the highest levels. Skills, stats and even the Mutations can be continually tweaked, allowing players to alter their characters in meaningful ways, all while avoiding a scenario similar to World of Warcraft where the leveling experience and reaching the level cap is “like playing two completely different games.”  

This concept extends to all areas of advancement, so even hardcore crafters will still be able to learn new things – for example they might earn a book from one of their faction’s NPCs that starts them on the path to learning how to make new variations of weapons. The book itself will serve as a jumping point, but ultimately opens up new doors for advancement in their given trade. Call it what you will, but that sounds much cooler than the typical MMO where you hit the level cap, purchase your last set of skills or recipes and then adapt to an entirely new way of playing Game X for the sole purpose of obtaining giant shoulder armor and little else.

Captain’s Log: Fallen Earthdate 4270.9

As the demo for Fallen Earth concluded, Colin, Associate Project Manager David Haydysch and Product Manager Jessica Orr took me on a quick tour of Icarus Studios, providing a quick glimpse at some of the other projects being worked on at Icarus along the way. Being the audio-obsessed type that I am, I had to resist the urge to spend too much time lingering in their in-house recording studio where I got the chance to hear some in-progress audio for an upcoming trailer for Fallen Earth (which I expect will knock some sci-fi socks off once it’s completed). We also made our way across the street to take a look at the studio’s motion capture facilities where I learned that the tech allows the developer to stream custom animations into live game settings in real time. While there currently aren’t any plans to use this for live events in Fallen Earth, the potential is certainly there.

Given our recent look at the state of betas, it seemed pertinent to ask what approach the Fallen Earth devs will take once the game is ready for open beta. Colin informed me that players can expect a shorter open beta period, as any testing beyond getting a feel for server loads should be worked through during the closed beta phases rather than after the floodgates have been opened to the general public (a philosophy I happen to agree with).  While no firm dates for open beta or release were revealed, I was encouraged to watch for an announcement coming Soon ™.

Be sure to check back next week for part two of my report from the front lines of Fallen Earth’s MMO apocalypse where I’ll touch on various aspects of PvP, factions and how the two ultimately fit together. In the meantime be sure to share your thoughts on Fallen Earth right here in our forums, or if you prefer you can always send a virtual carrier pigeon to my inbox!