Summary
- Zoria: Age of Shattering utilizes a loot system similar to action RPGs like Diablo, with extra focus placed on providing players with a steady stream of loot drops for character upgrades.
- The game's approach to loot is driven by a desire to allow players the freedom to build their characters and explore various classes and playstyles without being limited by scarce loot.
- The large number of characters in Zoria: Age of Shattering's party system requires ample loot to gear up each character, enabling players to experiment with different party compositions and character builds.
Although Zoria: Age of Shattering is a methodical turn-based tactical RPG in the same vein as Baldur's Gate 3, its loot system bears more resemblance to action RPGs like Diablo which offer players a generous flow of loot drops from combat encounters and chests. There are pros and cons to each approach to RPG loot, and in Zoria: Age of Shattering's case, a steady stream of loot rather than infrequent but significant drops appears to have been the best move considering the game's systems.
In an interview with The Best War Games, Zoria: Age of Shattering producer Sefan Nitescu weighed in on the team's approach to the game's loot and why they prefer games that don't hold back on providing players with ample opportunity to upgrade their character's gear. They felt that being too restrained with loot can hamper players' freedom to enjoy building their characters and can limit how much players explore the game's various classes and playstyles.
Zoria: Age of Shattering Doesn't Want Players to be Limited by Loot
There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to loot in RPGs: either give players substantial upgrades on rare occasions like Baldur's Gate 3's loot system, or a steadier pace of loot that leans more toward marginal upgrades that allow players to fine-tune their builds more granularly, as is the case with Diablo's loot. In Nitescu's opinion, it's best to be generous to players so that they can enjoy their time customizing character builds rather than waiting around for the next game-changing drop.
We don't believe in limiting playstyles through artificial scarcity of loot, like, “We're not gonna give you much loot and you are going to be so happy when we do.” The point of a game is to enjoy it, it’s to explore. It's an RPG, you want to explore the story, and you don't want to do advanced economics to just be able to get through mid-game. I don't see the point in doing that.
It's never going to be overpowered because that just gets boring if I get the number one pick, so it's not gonna be like that. But I don't want to have your playstyle limited because you couldn't find the piece for your wizard, so now you're not taking the wizard because he's butt naked. So that's the approach, that's the reason behind all that loot.
RPGs tend to feature a number of classes to experiment with, and Zoria: Age of Shattering is no exception. Nitescu felt that one of the points of playing tactical RPGs is to experiment with classes and builds, and players can often struggle to do so in games where it's too difficult to find the appropriate gear for their desired playstyles.
Zoria: Age of Shattering Players Need Lots of Loot for Their Many Characters
Since Zoria: Age of Shattering has an XCOM-style approach to party members where players can manage a comparatively large number of characters at their outpost, a decent amount of loot is needed in order to gear up each of these characters, as even companions outside the player's active party have their uses.
When you get to the outpost and you get three more followers really quickly, and then if you do your exploration correctly, and if you upgrade the inn and you upgrade the outpost correctly, you get a few more followers.
When you get to a point where you have seven or eight really early in the game, a lot of loot already makes a lot more sense. If you work the other way around and you get a piece every two hours and you’ve got eight guys you're gonna start switching pieces. Then you have your classes and your gear types like light, medium, hardened, and heavy.
Zoria: Age of Shattering's demo doesn't feature the outpost mechanic, so players don't quite get the full picture when it comes to the loot system and it can initially seem overbearing when a party of three characters is provided enough loot to equip a much a larger contingent. Once the full game is released, players will find themselves making use of these items, and they should have an easy time exploring Zoria's many potential character builds and party compositions.
Zoria: Age of Shattering is set to release for PC in Q4 2023.