Zone Types

"Beyond the walls of our cities lies a world hungry for blood. Know where you tread, hero."

• Erion, Last of the Gods

Arcania's world is divided into different zone types, each with distinct rules for safety, combat, and death penalties. Understanding these zones is crucial for survival.

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Zone Classification

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        ZONE SAFETY SPECTRUM                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                      │
│  🟢 SAFE          🟡 PVE           🟠 HARD PVE        🔴 PVP        │
│  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  │
│  No danger        Monsters         Boss monsters      Players can   │
│  Nexus access     40% durability   80% durability     kill you      │
│                   loss on death    loss on death      Items drop    │
│                                                                      │
│  0% durability = ITEM DESTROYED PERMANENTLY                         │
│                                                                      │
│  SAFEST ───────────────────────────────────────────────► RISKIEST   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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🟢 Safe Zones

No danger. Full services. Nexus accessible.

Safe Zones are protected areas where combat is disabled and you can safely manage your character.

Characteristics

Examples

Available in Safe Zones

• Vault Access - Transfer items safely
• NPC Vendors - Buy/sell items
• Forgemaster - Crafting station
• Quest NPCs - Accept and turn in quests
• Exit to Nexus - Safe logout

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🟡 PvE Danger Zones

Monsters present. Durability loss on death. No PvP.

Most of the world falls into this category - wilderness areas where monsters roam but players cannot attack each other.

Characteristics

Examples

Death in PvE Zones

When you die to monsters in a PvE zone:

1. 40% durability loss on all equipped items
2. Respawn at nearest Safe Zone or outpost
3. 10-second debuff - Resurrection Sickness (reduced stats)
4. No item drops - Bag contents are safe

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🟠 Hard PvE Zones

Extremely dangerous monsters. SEVERE durability loss on death. No PvP.

The deep Dominion territories and challenging dungeons fall into this category - deadly PvE content without the added threat of other players. Death here is especially punishing.

Characteristics

Examples

Why Hard PvE?

Some Dominion territories are designated Hard PvE rather than PvP to:

• Allow challenging content without grief potential
• Enable group PvE progression
• Provide "hardcore but fair" experiences

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🔴 PvP Zones

Players can attack you. Items drop on death. Maximum risk, maximum reward.

Contested territories where players can freely attack each other. Death here means potentially losing items from your Bag to your killer.

Characteristics

Examples

Death in PvP Zones

When you die in a PvP zone:

1. Random items drop from your Bag (3-5 items typically)
2. Dropped items are lootable by anyone
3. Equipped items are SAFE - they stay with you
4. Respawn at nearest Safe Zone
5. Resurrection Sickness - 10-second reduced stats

The PvP Risk/Reward

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Zone Transitions

Safe → Danger Zone

When leaving a Safe Zone:

┌──────────────┐     ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
│  SAFE ZONE   │────►│  ⚠️ WARNING: Entering Danger Zone  │
│  (Valoryn)   │     │  PvE Zone: Monsters present       │
└──────────────┘     │  Death penalty: Durability loss   │
                     │  [Enter] [Cancel]                 │
                     └───────────────────────────────────┘

Danger → PvP Zone

When entering a PvP zone:

┌──────────────┐     ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
│  PVE ZONE    │────►│  ⚠️ WARNING: Entering PvP Zone     │
│  (Wilderness)│     │  Players CAN attack you           │
└──────────────┘     │  Death penalty: ITEM DROPS        │
                     │  [Enter at your own risk] [Back]  │
                     └───────────────────────────────────┘

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Zone Map Integration

The world map shows zone classifications:

Reading the Map

• Solid colors indicate zone type
• Hatched areas indicate contested/changing zones
• Icons show available services (vendors, forgemasters)
• Skull icons indicate boss locations

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Strategic Considerations

Choosing Your Path

PvP Zone Survival Tips

1. Travel light - Only carry what you're willing to lose
2. Stay alert - Watch for other players
3. Know your exits - Map escape routes to Safe Zones
4. Group up - Safety in numbers
5. Deposit often - Make frequent loot runs back to safety