What are my theories regarding the new Illuvium leaks?
We are seeing rifts appear in the Overworld and a legendary Illuvial has been hidden from us. I am going to try and uncover what all of this means
This article will be relatively brief as we gear up for PvP coming later in September. With that in mind its time to do some epic theory crafting on some of the latest leaks in the Illuvium discord
Here is what I will be covering in this newsletter:
Illuvium rifts and what they could mean
The upcoming Web 3 Strategy game Shardbound and what it’s all about
What is up with that Legendary Illuvial
We will cover all of that here and more so please keep reading. I am excited to share this journey with you.
Please don’t forget to subscribe below! It really means a lot and together we can tackle the Illuvium metaverse better than anyone else.
Illuvium rifts have just been revealed
We thought we had seen everything the Overworld had to offer, the Overworld is about to become bigger than ever.
Now first off, if you haven’t seen this video leak in the discord yet you can see it right above. In this video we see several distinct things. Firstly, there are many floating rifts in the area, but its safe to assume this is purely a feature for testing. Secondly, they are at varying heights, likely to interact with the many movement mechanics Illuvium has to offer and thirdly, Arlen glows purple when she passes through a rift.
Many in the discord think that the glow is enhancing Arlen’s abilities and giving her some kind of buff to benefit either capturing Illuvials, movement speed, or maybe something else. However, I think its a red herring and the glow is actually the early parts of an effect that is unfinished.
My initial thoughts are that the rift is essentially a significantly more interesting version of the current Illuvial wakes that exist in the Overworld. But upon reflection why wouldn’t Grant show us entering the Wake? Is it unfinished?
As you can see from the gameplay reveal trailer from about 2:05 onwards Arlen is chasing the Titanor and then after shooting a tracking dart they both disappear into a wake. But where did Titanor come from? If Illuvials can teleport into other dimensions through wakes then maybe they enter our dimension a similar way?
That’s right! I believe Illuvials come out of these strange rifts or at least their essence does, which is what we chase in the Overworld. We fly through the rift and then some sort of chasing minigame (like Grant has hinted to on the Illuvium Showcase) begins and we chase some hidden presence either in another dimension or in the Overworld itself.
It’s no secret I have been playing a lot of Shardbound
Shardbound, incorporates all the elements of tactics and CCG games that I love and is actually in a polished state, unheard of for Web 3.
It’s no secret that every Web 3 game that launches seems to either have a million bugs or simply feel super janky. Outside of Illuvium, Shardbound has been the first game I found to feel almost feature complete and play super well. I really love digital card games but one of my favourite series ever is actually Fire Emblem.
Shardbound combines these two really well and pits you against other players in some seriously intense PvP battles. The feeling of predicting and outplaying your opponent never felt so good and this game is so close to completion that I could really see myself playing it frequently alongside Illuvium.
To explain how the game works really simply. You and your opponent have a commander at each side of the board. You slowly place cards from your hand onto the hex grid, at a pace similar to Hearthstone. On each turn you move your pieces and attack the opponent and ultimately try to eliminate your opponent’s army. There are some other twists and turns, and you can of course cast spells as well but what’s most interesting is the line of sight mechanic.
Each map has a variety of different terrain heights and things such as boulders blocking your path. With the correct positioning you can prevent your opponent from casting abilities and using ranged attacks to decimate your side of the field. That is why it is a perfect combination of these two styles of strategy games.
Illuvium will have a legendary Illuvial
Ever since this was shown to me early in August I couldn’t help but ask myself what it could be.
For anyone unaware, Illuvium is heavily inspired by the creature collecting in the classic Pokemon games. Pokemon initially released the game with 150 Pokemon, which later became known to actually be 151. Mew was created as a secret mythical Pokemon and it was a pleasant surprise for anyone who encountered it. Illuvium is doing everything it can to match that excitement.