by Tiago Bonifácio, Loremaster

From the very beginning, the concept of a magical sword that can cut through anything or a hammer that can summon storms and destroy mountains appealed to us. Not only were we enchanted by the mythical power of these weapons but also by the heroes who wielded them and their timeless stories.   

Real-world mythology is filled with examples of magical artifacts of incredible power. Every other god, from almost any pantheon, has access to a huge arsenal of magical items that would make any RPG player turn green with envy. Many times a mortal hero from antiquity ends up picking up some mythical weapon along the way as well, and that is not any less true in the modern age, because many of those ancient heroes have inspired modern ones. It’s difficult to imagine Zeus without his lightning bolts, Thor without Mjölnir, King Arthur without Excalibur, or even Wolverine without his adamantium claws. It is difficult to imagine those renowned heroes or their great stories without these magical tools. They have become one and the same, intrinsically linked for all time. 

When we started to create our world, we wanted it to have that same everlasting feeling. We wanted to tell great stories that would leave a mark on people. We knew from the beginning that our world would be an ancient one, with a secret history just waiting to be discovered and magical items from a bygone age that could serve as clues to that secret. We just didn’t know how important these items would become.

The first time Relics appeared as part of our game was as the solution to a problem our very first playtesters presented. At that time, part of the game objective was to “capture treasures” that were spread around the map at the beginning of the match. Each treasure would get you a bit closer to victory, forcing you to think a bit more strategically about deploying units and moving around the battlefield. The trouble was that, once you picked one up, it didn’t change the game state all that much. It wasn’t all that exciting. It wasn’t a major problem at the time, but it was something that was bothering us. That’s when Leo Cunha, our Lead Game Designer, came up with an idea that would change our game forever. The Relics!

Leo came up with the idea of granting a permanent bonus to anyone who picked up one of the treasures. A little side deck was set up, with special items that could not be obtained any other way. Suddenly, within those ancient lost treasures, we had some amazing magical items that players could fight for and that could completely change the game.

This is a very shortened version of the story, but suffice it to say that Leo’s idea not only opened a lot of doors design-wise, but it also created something unique and concrete for us to tell incredible stories with. 

We knew now that the Seekers, the central characters on each side of a match, were important people in the world. Now we knew why. Just like King Arthur, each of them had picked up an artifact of incredible power that would allow them to shape the world. What were they fighting for? Well, if these Relics are so powerful, would the different factions not rush to find and take control of them? This idea put a lot of our plans in context and everything else fell into place as we discovered the story and the world with Tracy.

What do you need to know about the Relics?

Relics are essential: The first thing you need to know is that they are a crucial part both of the game and of the lore of this world. On the game side, they have powerful game-changing effects and allow you to strategize around them in a very fun way because of their unique effects. On the lore side, the Relics are an integral part of the magic and of the culture of the world. 

Relics are mysterious: There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the Relics, and we are certainly not going to tell you all the answers right away. As we release more content in the world of Relics Untold, you will learn more and more, but we want you to have the chance to discover some things for yourself. Even some characters in the world of Relics Untold think they have it figured out, but most Relics were created during a previous age and the knowledge about them is both scarce and contradictory. The Relics have a way of confirming several conflicting theories at the same time and leaving everyone stumped. Be careful which stories you believe in.   

Relics are wondrous: In the game itself, there’s a limited number of things we can allow the Relics to do and not break things too badly. They still allow the players to accomplish some really fun stuff, but it’s difficult to represent the full gamut of what they would be able to accomplish in lore. As the game evolves, we will introduce more of them and push the boundaries as far as we can, because we think Relics should feel awesome to collect and use. The in-game feel of the Relics is important to us, so you can be sure the way they will show up and behave in the stories we tell won’t be far behind.   

Not all Relics were created equal: The Relics you pick up during the game, despite being extremely powerful magical items, are actually some of the weaker ones in the world. There are Lore reasons for this that we are keeping a secret for now. A more powerful type of Relic is the one each seeker wields. Aptly named Seeker Relics, they have found their perfect match, so their influence in the world and in the game is much greater. Few Relics are in a category above those, but they do exist. You won’t find these in-game, but you’ll hear about them in the stories we tell you in the future. The most important Relics are almost characters in and of themselves… But you will figure this out for yourself.

These are the main things you should know, but there is still so much more we’d like to tell you! If you haven’t yet, be sure to Join the wishlist and stay tuned for future articles on Relics and much more!