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TTH: Can you go into more detail on the “Trial” system? On you main FAQ you state that:

“Basically, Trials require you to go into battle and use your abilities in the most effective manner possible. Once you've used them enough, you complete the Trial and unlock different abilities or more powerful tiers of the abilities you already have. You're then free to use the abilities and tiers to further customize your Incarnations. Once you've completed enough Trials your Avatar's rank will increase.”

Does this mean that we’ll be “grinding” our abilities to finish our trials? Do trials gain us any sort of reward other than progression towards a higher rank?

Hampden: I’m happy to report that due to feedback our Alpha testing we’ve revised our progression system so that it rewards skillful use of your abilities in winning the battle, more than simply “grinding” with them. The new progression system is a big hit in our internal testing and we’re going to continue balancing and refining it during our pre-beta and beta periods.

Trials also reveal Fury’s storyline to you as you complete them. Upon completion of each Trial you will receive a “memory” from one of your character’s past lives. These memories include elements of the history of the world of Altaia, as well as your character’s own past. It’s really cool because after reading them you might begin to recognize one of the in-game landmarks as something from your character’s memories – a ruined castle or elaborate statue, for example. These memories will remain with you after you reveal them, so you can go back and read them anytime you wish. We don’t believe in shoving in-game lore down your throat, but our stuff is very good and it’ll always be there for you when you want to discover it.

TTH: How do Trials compare to current quest systems in other games? Are there lots of Trials to get as we journey, or are there a few Trial-givers and it just takes a long time to complete a Trial?

Here's a piece of artwork depicting a landscape in Fury.

Hampden: Good question. Trials are more about winning the battle and using your abilities wisely than about running around collecting daisies or peacock tail-feathers. We think they’re more fun because you get to do what you want to do: Fight. You don’t have to engage in any needless travel tedium, etc. that most people think of when they hear the words MMO quest.

TTH: Will players ever reach a “max” rank? What is this max set at right now?

Hampden: Yes. Max rank is currently set at 10. Now, this seems like a small number compared to most MMOs and their concept of “levels”. However, Rank is only used to determine equip-points and whether or not you can equip high-level gear. Ranks don’t determine anything like Health Points, for example. Even once you’ve reached Rank 10, you’ll still have a whole lot more to accomplish. Thanks to Fury’s classless advancement system you’ll have over 400+ abilities to unlock and then you’ll have competitive ladders to compete in, epic gear to aquire, Realm and Clan bragging rights to win, and much much more.

In most games maximum level is viewed as the “end-game”, in Fury, it’s only the beginning.

TTH:  How will ranks factor into actual arena battles? Will higher ranked people be forced to fight with higher ranked opponents? Or will there be an even spread?

Hampden: You are never forced to fight people of a certain Rank because you can always set your rank higher or lower depending on the type of game you’re looking for. The game will look at your battle-proficiency and experience when determining opponents, not only your Rank. This means that conceivably someone who is Rank 10, but doesn’t know how to use their character effectively could be ranked against some Rank 7s who have a better grasp on how to use their abilities effectively. The disparity between ranks and skill would still allow for a very even and fun contest.

TTH: Thanks for your time Mike, and I hope to talk to you soon!

Ten Ton Hammer is your unofficial source for Fury news and features!