Dhruin
SasqWatch
The latest edition of Answers from the Team is available on the Reckoning forums - here are two good questions:
More information.Q: Any chance we'll see some puzzles, riddles or environmental hazards (swinging blades, shooting flames, etc) in the some of the dungeons? Thanks! – By subotai
A: You'll find many dungeons to explore in Amalur that offer puzzles, hazards, and traps. In some dungeons, you may find puzzles that you must solve in order to progress on certain quests, and also to gain access to deeper reaches of the dungeon itself. You may find hidden doors and levers, as well as secret exits or jump platforms. You may also notice there are a variety of traps in Reckoning—we sometimes use these as puzzles, and also sometimes they conceal ways to get to special loot or reach other areas of a dungeon.
We also sometimes present traps themselves in the form of environmental hazards, such as pools of poison water, or the more naturally occurring plant traps that will snap at you. Some of these traps will add to the dungeon's environment in a way that affect your pacing or timing. You may have to dodge certain traps or use an ability to quickly maneuver swinging traps hanging from the ceilings. Some good advice for the stealthy hero might be to invest some points into your Detect Hidden skill, making these traps easier to spot on your map. Be careful where you tread, heroes of Amalur! – By Kitty "Neko" Hughes, Level Designer
Q: Just how "open" is the world? I know it has been said you can stray off the path, and there are five distinct zones. But how will the transition between these zones take place? Is it Elder Scrolls level "If you can see it, you can go to it?" (Within reason) – By Outlander
A: The world of Reckoning is huge, and at any point you can decide to veer off the main roads or take a break from the main quest. We strongly encourage it! The main quest does a good job of giving you a tour of the world, but it only touches on the depth and breadth of the different regions. A lot of care went into giving those explorers out there a vast world to roam and fight through. There are sweeping plains and dense forests that are stocked full of side content, but there’s also a great deal to be found from just free exploration. You might uncover some of our secret nooks and crannies that are hiding some of the best loot in the game, or even extra bits of lore.
There are load screens between the five biomes for technical reasons, but you can spend real-world days exploring the massive amounts of content of each one. There are also over a hundred and twenty hand-crafted dungeons to explore.
All in all, you could spend countless hours just wandering the world of Reckoning and uncovering its secrets. Please tell us what you find! – By Colin "Hugohan" Campbell, Lead World Designer