Keep

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Keeps are defensible, fortified structures on a battlefield that both sides of the RvR conflict can capture and control. Holding a keep will give the controlling realm victory points in a similar way to holding an objective marker.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Basics 2 Look And Feel 3 Siege Weapons

[edit] Overview

In order to capture a keep, players will have to fight their way into the keep through multiple levels past defending players and NPC guards. The appearance of a keep will vary according to which army controls it so that as a player it should be obvious whether a keep is held by friendly forces or not. Additionally, it will be possible for regiments to take over a keep, who will then be able to hang their regiment heraldry from the ramparts.

Summing up:

• Keeps are permanent structures placed in strategic locations around the RvR territories.
• Battlefield objectives are still a part of open world RvR and in some cases will even play a role in keep capture.
• Anyone can participate in capturing a keep, but only regiments (guilds) can claim them.
• Siege weapons can be built and used to capture keeps (although you can attack a keep without them).
• NPC guards will support whomever controls a particular keep to ensure that keeps cannot change hands too easily.
• Keeps will have multiple levels of combat space (and no ladders).
• Keeps will change in appearance based on what faction controls them.

[edit] Basics

There is at least one keep per realm, per zone in all Tier pairings except for Tier 1.

• Tier 2 zones have one keep each (two per pairing).
• Tier 3 zones have one keep each (two per pairing) with fortified outer walls.
• Tier 4 zones have two keeps each for a total of six keeps.

The taking of a keep has three distinct stages:

1. Breach the exterior of the keep.
2. Breach the keep’s inner sanctum.
3. Defeat the Keep Lord.

At the start of the game (or when the campaign resets), keep ownership is based on the zone in which they stand (i.e., the keep in Ostland is owned by the Empire and the two keeps in the Chaos Wastes are owned by Chaos). In the Tier 4 neutral zones, ownership of the two keeps is split with Order and Destruction each owning one. Each keep is ruled by a Keep Lord and his retinue of 4 bodyguards. In order to successfully capture a keep for your Realm, the Keep Lord must be killed. This plays out as Public Quest and rewards are based on the PQ contribution system. When the Keep Lord is killed, all remaining guards are killed (despawned), and new Keep Lord (with retinue) of the appropriate Realm will spawn.

In addition to the Keep Lords retinue, keeps will have guards stationed in and around their walls. The fighting over Battlefield Objective will dictate how many guards are located in the keep. The more Battlefield Objectives you hold, the more guards you have at your keeps. Guard levels are set to the maximum for the zone per standard RvR level caps (level 12 for Tier 1, level 23 for Tier 2, level 40 for Tiers 3 and 4).

Capturing an enemy keep will play heavily into RvR Zone Control. Once a keep is captured, the Zone Control meter will move significantly in favor of the victors.

[edit] Look And Feel

Any keep will be laid out in the same geometric pattern. This uniform presence will, as a player increases in tiers, change slightly until the final version of the keep is created in Tier 3. The components to a Keep are:

• Center Tower - Composed of the Ground Level, Second Floor, and Roof.
• Outer Wall - Found on Tier 3 and Tier 4 Keeps, accessible only by a single breakable door.
• Postern - A quick access point for defenders to come in and out of the keep.
• Defensive Weapons - Where a defender may use siege weaponry, such as Boiling Oil, to deter attackers.
• Keep Interior - Location of the Keep Lord and their guards.

Each Keep will reflect the architecture of it's original owners. This will easily distinguish the keeps still protected by one realm, vs those that have been captured. When a Keep is captured it will immediately change to reflect the new owners in small ways. As such, a Keep captured from The Empire by Chaos will change to reflect the presence of Chaos, as dead bodies litter the floor, and banners to the Raven Host are hung about the building. If a Regiment claims a Keep, the keep will reflect the iconography of the Regiment in the form of banners and be upgradaded/repaired by said Regiment.

[edit] Siege Weapons

Main article: Siege weapon

It will be possible to build siege weapons, which when available can be used against a keep's defenses, defenders will also be able to use siege defense mechanisms, such as cauldrons of boiling oil against the attackers.