20th May 2014 Datamining

TehFrank has datamined the latest 20th May 2014 PTS Update for us to peruse and although the majority of items found are simply repeats of existing models, there’s still a few interesting tidbits. Also, Myrkur Depths as the 4th zone for 3.0? Likely!

Table of Contents:

• Flooded Port of Scion
• Various Icons
• Header Images
• Further Wolf Mount Skins
• Other Stuff

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Flooded Port of Scion

A flooded version of Port of Scion. These two maps show an above-water (the top image) and a below-water (the bottom image). The black splotches near the top are likely Death spirals.

Unfortunately not as exciting as it sounds. A flooded Port Scion would have been amazing to check out what Port Scion actually looks like, but thus far these two are the only maps found. This area is basically the “Battle for Port Scion” warfront which is not actually the entirety of Port Scion.

In fact, according to the Warfront text itself, this area is only a tiny district that hadn’t yet been fully conquered by Ithluk of the Endless Court.

Hopefully this is just a teaser and we get to see more of Port Scion in the Plane of Water.

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Various Icons

There’s a variety of icons datamined with the latest update.

Outfit

The outfit seems to be Life-based and could either be introduced with the Unicornalia Promo Week or Summerfest. Perhaps even just on its own as a Premium Bundle.

Faerie

This could either be an ability or a new Combat Pet Skin. Perhaps even a new companion pet. The closest match would be the Green icon for the Pet Skin: Greater Faerie Healer 2 under Rift Store -> Pets -> Combat Pet Skins.

There’s a Faerie Promo Image datamined so that probably related to the icon shown above. Perhaps another Summerfest-related item.

Guardian/Defiant Banner

This is likely related to some of the new datamined models.

These are two models for a carried version of the Defiant and Guardian banners which is more than likely what the datamined icons relate to. Possible uses of these new models:

• New Faction NPCs that carry these banners around whilst patrolling areas; or
• New Weapon Costumes that will allow us to wack our foes with our faction’s banner; or
• Perhaps in relation to Nightmares and alternate realities – we may end up fighting Defiants and Guardians from other realities or born from nightmares.

Unicorn Icons

The last two icons are clearly the Onyx and Opal Unicorn Mounts respectively. More information on them can be found here.

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Header Images

There’s two new images that look as though they would fit at the top of World Event/Promo Week Trackers.

The top image has Life, Death, Fire, Water and Air-related images (no Earth) which is rather interesting. I can’t help but think I’ve seen it somewhere before though, perhaps on a Promo or something similar. If it does turn out to be a World Event tracker header, it would be quite interesting to see what kind of World Event it would relate to.

The second image could potentially be the World Event Tracker header image for the prelude World Event that starts prior and leads into the 3.0 expansion (kind of like how Tempest Rising was the World Event relating to the 2.0 expansion). The header contains a bunch of Water-related images, including bits of ice jutting out in the middle.

Daglar did mention before in a Q&A that a prelude World Event for 3.0 was in the works:

Q:Will there be a prelude World Event for 3.0 like the Tempest Rising World Event we had for Storm Legion?

That should be on the schedule. That does not mean it will happen for sure, as priorities always shift and move in development. [r]

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Further Wolf Mount Skins

We’ve seen a ‘wolf’ mount skin before in a previous datamine as well as what were assumed to be repeat skins of the fox companion pets currently available on the Rift Store.

The latest datamine however has shown a much larger collection of these ‘wolf’ mount skins and it now appears that what was assumed to be fox companion pet skins are likely the unarmored versions of these ‘wolf’ mount skins.

I say ‘wolf’ because they could be something else, like a ram or goat. The markings on their head seems to point to wolf or fox (kitsune) and they may even be related to Shi-Ming (given the markings which look like Kitsune (japanese for fox) spirits.

Given the sheer number of unarmored and armored versions, they are likely not going to appear prior to the 3.0 expansion. They don’t seem to belong to some underwater merchant, so it is likely we’ll see these in the Tarken Glacier, which is above-ground.

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Other Stuff

A few other things datamined include:

• Possible new 3.0 Zone + Faction
• Patch 2.8
• Blighted Antechamber Map
• Another Horror Skin
• Nightmare Rift Powerupup Generators

Possible new 3.0 Zone + Faction

Zone: Myrkur Depths

The potential 4th zone for the 3.0 expansion could be named “Myrkur Depths“. Magelo has a page in their database for it that is likely pulled from the discovery or database files. This 4th zone is highly likely given the 3.0 Whiteboard had a “4 zones” written on it and we only have confirmed: Goboro Reef, Draumheim and Tarken Glacier. Myrkur is also referenced in-game already:

• The name is mentioned in the Sirens’ Songs in the Ember Isle Underwater content as follow:
  

  Xezberaii the Akvan; foe of light, enemy of warmth, extinguishers of suns.
  Ancient foes of the moon’s dreams, the Akvan slumber eternally.
  First in the cosmos, nightmare of the moon, nightmare of the dark, Akvan never awake.
  Upon the bone of Myrkur, in the chill of Tarken, the Akvan await the unraveling.
  Before words of creation, before Azdah’s dragon brood, the Akvan ruled through terror.
  Mighty Akvan, sleep one more epoch. Wake not in my lifetime, or that of my descendants.
  [Source: Hardy83]

• Proteus (the water-based boss in the Tier 2 Raid Planebreaker Bastion) also emotes something along the following:
  

  How dare you pull me from Myrkur’s depths!
  [Source: Zipsfan]

Faction: Lodebrink Syndicate

Magelo also has a page for a Faction called “Lodebrink Syndicate“.  This could potentially be another faction on top of the ones already datamined by TehFrank (Atragarians, Cerulean Rhenke, Manugo League, Pelagic Order, The Ghar and The Onir).

Patch 2.8

TehFrank has revealed that the localization server is up to 2.8. As such, it is likely we’ll be getting a Patch 2.8 prior to 3.0.

Not PTS, but there will likely be atleast a 2.8:
MAIN-208-15-A-905493|restricted/patchlocalization02|May 09 21:53, MAIN-208-15-A-905493|
the “localization” server is up to 2.8

[Source: TehFrank]

Basically we’re currently on ‘TEST-207-70-A-908252‘ on the PTS. The patch number would be the “207”. Or in other words, 2.7. ‘MAIN-208-15-A-905493‘ would thus be 2.8.

Blighted Antechamber Map

They’ve added the Blighted Antechamber (PvP Warfront) map in with all the hedges, the Spire in the middle and the two spawning platforms on the sides. Unknown ETA on the warfront hitting live, but it’s coming in the Patch 2.7 Release Cycle.

Another Horror Skin

Another one of those Horror skins datamined. This one almost looks like it is attaching itself to some kind of object or architecture like a parasite. Given what the gray parts look like, this is likely the skin for the Nightmare Rift Powerup Generators.

Nightmare Rift Powerup Generators

There’s a whole series of these ‘powerup generators’ to the right as well as what looks to be the main ‘node’ to the left. There’s actually a whole lot more colors than the ones listed above.

These Powerup Generators could potentially spawn on the ground as per the left image and may simply be a replacement for the powerup crystals that we currently use in normal rifts. I.e., just a replacement intended for the Nightmare Rifts to make them more spooky.

Each color is likely an orb that appears near the upper-middle section of the left model.

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Not too much to add this time round despite the large download size of today’s patch (2.05GB) due to the size mainly involving re-downloading existing files.

That said, if you’re interested in checking out some of the other datamining that has been going on, click here.