Today we have a first look at a new combat variant event for Seats of Power (SoP): Keep Level Restriction Lanes!
This is part of our continued focus on event iteration to create fun and fresh takes on combat, for players of all levels. It falls under a category of combat variants we call March Requirements, meaning that certain conditions must be met in order to send marches.
Select kingdoms will begin previewing these combat rules as early as February 2024, so read on for more info!
How It Works
All across Westeros are critical places to the maintenance or disruption of dominance over the realm. These seats of power, be they great or small, have a role to play in the great game. And each house, be they great or small, might have a part in it…
While the Seat of Power Keep Level Lanes Event is active, certain Seats of Power will have a maximum keep level of player that can send marches (both attack/take over and reinforcements).
Currently there are 4 lanes-
- Unrestricted: These Seats will function as they usually do. Any player, regardless of their keep level, can send marches as normal. These ‘unrestricted’ seats include seats in every region, seats of every star level, and every seat 4 stars or higher.
- KL33 and under: Players Keep Level 33 or below can send marches to these SoPs.
- KL29 and under: Players Keep Level 29 or below can send marches to these SoPs.
- KL25 and under: Players Keep Level 25 or below can send marches to these SoPs.
If you do not meet the lane requirement, then any options to send marches to that SoP will be unavailable. This includes joining Rallies set by allegiance members that met the requirement, or sending reinforcements to a SoP held by your allegiance.
Note that there is some overlap within lanes! An ambitious KL23 player could go after seats in the KL29 or KL33 lanes, or provide reinforcements for Allegiance members holding SoPs in higher lanes.
You can easily see which SoPs you do or don’t meet the march requirements for by checking the View All Seats of Power menu while the event is active. You will see similar iconography when looking at SoPs on the Combat Map.
A seat marked with a red exclamation mark indicates you are too high level to march against it. Tapping into an individual seat will give more information, including the maximum keep level that can attack it.
The event will begin on Friday (~2 PM Eastern) and run through Sunday (~9 PM Eastern.) Check your in-game events panel for exact timing.
Design Considerations
In designing this event, we wanted to avoid feeling like too many seats were being ‘taken away’, or the perception that this would invalidate existing combat strategies too much. The idea is to create novel combat situations, allowing new and creative strategies to flourish in a way that’s fun, but not so restrictive that it is stifling.
This idea is reflected in how SoPs were selected for each lane:
- All 4+ stars remain unrestricted
- There is at least one unrestricted 3.5 and/or 3 star SoP in each region, if available
- It is possible to ‘build a ladder’ for star titles using only unrestricted seats
Here is the breakdown by region:
As you can see by these totals, almost half of all seats are unaffected by lanes. Keep in mind that players in the lower level lanes can still participate in the lanes above them too.
We also took into consideration that every kingdom has a different SoP unlock schedule, so we cannot guarantee the same 2.5-5 star seats will be unlocked when the event runs, or across kingdoms. The chosen distribution of unrestricted and restricted seats should still fulfill all goals and allow laddering, even with differing SoP unlock schedules.
Let us know what you think!
We look forward to hearing what players think of this SoP combat variant event, and are open to fine tuning the event based on feedback!
The following kingdom will have an opportunity to preview this feature on the weekend of February 23rd, 2024:
Kingdom 1489
Be on the lookout for surveys after the event to provide feedback, or join us over on the official community Discord server!
FAQ
What happens if I’m holding a SoP before a Keep Level Lane event begins?
No players will be evicted from SoPs they took prior to the event, even if they do not currently meet the lane requirements. However, you will be unable to send new reinforcements once the event begins, so holding it on your own will be difficult. You can try to fill up your reinforcements before the event begins, or rely on your allegiance members within the proper Keep Level Lanes to send you their reinforcements while the event is active.
What happens if I try to join a rally to a SoP that I do not meet the Keep Level Lane requirement for?
If an allegiance member sets a Rally on a restricted SoP that you do not meet the Jeep Level requirements for, you will still see it in your Rally Menu. However, the Join Rally button will be grayed out, with a red exclamation icon to indicate that you do not meet requirements.
If my Allegiance member abdicates a SoP, triggering an abdication shield, can I take the seat from my teammate without meeting the Keep Level Restriction of that SoP?
No. If you do not meet the Keep Level Restriction, you will not have an option to send any kind of march to it, regardless of whether there is an active abdication shield.
Can I scout a SoP that I don’t meet the Keep Level Restriction for?
No, you cannot send a Scout march to a Lane Restricted SoP that you do not meet the requirement for.
Which SoPs are in each lane?
KL33 or under
- Acorn Hall, Bear Island, Breakwater Castle, Bronzegate, Castle Cerwyn, Crows Nest, Deepwood Motte, Dyre Den, Evenfall Hall, Feastfires, Golden Tooth, Grassfield Keep, Grassy Vale, Greenstone, Harrenhal, HeartsHome, Horn Hill, Hornwood, Ironoaks, Oldcastle, Saltshore, Silverhill, Sows Horn, Starfall, Sunhouse, Widows Watch, Wyl
KL29 or under
- Amberly, Baelish Castle, Banefort, Blackcrown, Brightwater Keep, Bronzehearth, Castle Darry, Deep Den, Driftmark, Greywater Watch, Ironrath, Old Anchor, Poddingfield, Redfort, Red Lake, Rillwater Crossing, Rosby, Sarsfield, Seagard, Skyreach, Steadfast Pavilion, Stokeworth, Three Towers, Tor, Vaith, Yronwood
KL25 or under
- Bandallon, Barrow Hall, Cider Hall, Flint’s Finger, Ghost Hill, Hornvale, Kingsgrave, Long Table, Mistwood, Raventree Hall, Sharp Point, Snakewood, Wheatfield, White Harbor, Wickenden
All other Seats of Power not listed above are Unrestricted.
Does titling still work regardless of restrictions?
Yes. If you hold a Keep Level Restricted SoP, you can still give out titles to any allegiance member, regardless of whether they are within the Keep Level Lane for that seat.