{"id":110616,"date":"2020-03-20T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/?p=133452"},"modified":"2020-03-20T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T20:00:00","slug":"blaze-escalation-hits-dauntless-on-xbox-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/03\/20\/blaze-escalation-hits-dauntless-on-xbox-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Blaze Escalation Hits Dauntless on Xbox One"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Escalation, a new way to slay Behemoths in Phoenix Lab\u2019s Dauntless<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, was introduced in December. Players were challenged with a modified roster of Behemoths, each one deadlier than the last, even battling two at a time. Slayers fought tooth and nail to get to the ferocious Malkarion at the heart of the Maelstrom. They rallied. They fought. They won. <\/p>\n

Now they face a new challenge. With the launch
\nof Scorched Earth, a new Escalation is here: Blaze.<\/p>\n

Slayers will brave a lush jungle, ascend to a violent volcano, and battle their way to the Torgadoro, a primal Behemoth that dwells within. It\u2019s an environment completely new to the Shattered Isles, and the Torgadoro may be the largest Behemoth yet. A lot has changed with this new Escalation, so let\u2019s dive into it, shall we?<\/p>\n

Unlock New Powers and Battle Reimagined Foes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned a ton from Shock Escalation,\u201d says
\nReid Buckmaster, designer on the creature team. \u201cWe saw that some of the most
\nunexpected combinations made for the best fights, which led us to adding Blaze
\nvariant Behemoths this time around. We wanted to further push the feeling of
\ntruly being able to run into anything.\u201d 
\nBlaze-infused versions of Rezakiri, Gnasher, and Quillshot were all
\nadded to the game, providing new, fiery twists to the gameplay  and shattering the players\u2019 tried and true
\ntechniques. \u201cWe want to challenge them,\u201d explains Buckmaster.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Dauntless\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The variety doesn\u2019t end there, though. <\/p>\n

The decision to add a wider range of amps\u2014special buffs that carry through entire Escalation runs\u2014was made early on in development. \u201cWe found out which types of mods and amps players like to use and why. We used that information to try to bolster those good experiences and reduce the less impactful ones.\u201d Amps and mods allow players to increase their hunting potential in future sessions by raising their Blaze Escalation level. \u201cBlaze has a bigger suite of mods and amps to choose from, many of which are brand new and exclusive to this Escalation,\u201d says Buckmaster. \u201cWe wanted to equip the player with a large toolset to tackle these new challenges.\u201d <\/p>\n

Go Toe to Toe with the King of Blaze<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mods, amps, and Blaze variants mix up the
\nexperience for Blaze Escalation, but the true star is the new capstone
\nBehemoth. \u201cEarly stages of concepts had tons of different body types. All the
\nway from worms to scorpions to really abstract creatures,\u201d explains Kyle
\nDisanjh, senior animator on the creature team. \u201cThe gorilla body type resonated
\nwith a lot of folks around the studio. It was something we hadn\u2019t explored yet.
\nThis would be the first upright, bipedal Behemoth we made.\u201d After weeks of
\nexploration, the cocktail of ideas distilled down to the final result, and
\nTorgadoro was born. <\/p>\n

\n
\"Dauntless\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Like all Behemoths, Torgadoros\u2019 emotions live
\nin their animations, and the team worked hard to express this unique
\npersonality through their move set. \u201cGenerally for Behemoths,\u201d continues
\nDisanjh, \u201cwe have what\u2019s called \u2018personality animations\u2019 that play throughout
\nthe fight. These are the moments where players see what these creatures are
\nlike. With Torgadoro we tried to embed some of these moments into their
\nattacks, moves, and staggers, to show who they really are. For example, when
\nstaggered, Torgadoro has a brief window where the player can get some damage
\nin, but unlike other Behemoths, they will immediately smash back in that same
\nanimation. This shows how relentless they truly are.\u201d Another animation has
\nTorgadoro throwing a tantrum. The beast will howl, pulling on and hitting their
\nown face in a blind rage. Moments like these help convey the emotional range of
\na Behemoth, and this may be the most expressive one yet.  <\/p>\n

\n
\"Dauntless\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Another unique aspect of Torgadoro is its ability to use its surroundings. \u201cOne thing we got in that I\u2019m excited about is environment-based animations. Previously, Behemoths haven\u2019t interacted with their environment, but this time around there are some things we did that I hope will make memorable moments for players,\u201d concludes Disanjh. Just a tip: If you lose track of Torgadoro, look up to the cliffs.<\/p>\n

Explore a Never Before Seen Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Torgadoro\u2019s lair is part of a unique set of
\nislands. They\u2019re brand-new to the Shattered Isles. \u201cWhen
\nlooking at the concepts for Torgadoro and thinking about a home for it, I
\nimmediately gravitated towards a volcano caldera,\u201d says Jen Morgan, world artist.
\nTorgadoro\u2019s home with its jagged rock walls and flowing lava fits its
\npersonality, while the pathway there hints at the deeper lore. \u201cIn Escalation,
\nwe really want to have the player feel a sense of progression as they get
\ncloser to their goal.\u201d As players approach the volcano, the environment becomes
\nmore barren, foliage burned away by the lava and fire. \u201cI thought that a jungle
\nsetting with vibrant greens would nicely contrast the bright red hues of a
\nblaze-infused final arena. I\u2019m happy we achieved something that feels lush and
\nalive in contrast to the hellish volcano battle at the end. I think that
\ncontrast inherently tells the story of what\u2019s at stake if powerful Behemoths
\nare left unchecked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Dauntless\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Each Escalation provides us with valuable lessons. As we go forward, we\u2019re dedicated to pushing the experience forward. \u201cWe\u2019re building on our foundations with each season,\u201d says Buckmaster. \u201cWe\u2019re looking to improve the feeling of the islands, the intensity of the encounters, the spectacle of the capstone Behemoths, and to do more to tie it all into Dauntless<\/em> lore.\u201d <\/p>\n

The future isn\u2019t just bright for Escalation, it\u2019s bright for the entirety of Dauntless<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. We can\u2019t wait to show the world what we\u2019re working on next.<\/p>\n

Until then, see you in the Shattered Isles,
\nSlayers. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Dauntless\"\"Dauntless\" <\/a> <\/div>\n
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\"Xbox\"Xbox <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Dauntless<\/h2>\n
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Epic Games Inc.<\/p>\n

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Xbox One X Enhanced <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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As a Slayer, you are all that stands between your world and the Behemoths that seek to devour it. Take on boss-sized monsters, forge powerful weapons, and craft armour from the very creatures you slay \u2014 all in a massive, free-to-play online world.\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Escalation, a new way to slay Behemoths in Phoenix Lab\u2019s Dauntless, was introduced in December. Players were challenged with a modified roster of Behemoths, each one deadlier than the last, even battling two at a time. Slayers fought tooth and nail to get to the ferocious Malkarion at the heart of the Maelstrom. They rallied. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-xbox-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}