Language Used - XML, C++, Lua

Tools used - Lumberyard (Azoth Engine), Visual Studio
Role - AI Combat Designer at Amazon Games
Development Period - Apr to July 2025

Release - Oct 2025

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Part 1 - Invasion on Varlaam​

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Narrative:

Invasion on Varlaam is the first soul trial as part of the Nighthaven expansion set at level 66. The player has begun to explore the new zone and has met the warrior king Alecksi, who seeks the player's help in getting rid of the Berlaur (the Werebeasts clan) from the House of Varlaam. In order to do this, the player need to activate a powerful shield device, but they must protect it from the Werewolf Lord Asena and her minions.

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Encounter Sequence:

• Intro - The player enters the arena to begin the defense while the Lunar Shield Device activates. While this happens Lady Asena makes her intro on an upper platform.

• Phase 1a - Asena calls for the 1st wave of werewolves who charge at the device and attack it, followed by the 2nd wave of alpha werewolves. The werewolves can randomly switch to the player to cause tension while the player defends the device. Once this is done, the device spawns a Repair Rune with the appropriate visuals to guide the player towards repairing the device.

• Phase 1b - After repairing, Asena jumps down to begin her fight with the player. Asena often teleports around the player while attacking with various slash attack combinations. When this phase begins the following occurs:

  • A 3 min countdown timer for the encounter begins, and the player must survive and defend the device until the time runs out.

  • From this point in the counter, two additional powerup runes appear in the arena (Health and Damage runes). They will constantly refresh themselves shortly after the player uses them. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
     

• Phase 2a (at 70% HP, or 2 mins remaining) - Asena retreats to the upper platform and once again calls for waves of werewolf minions to attack the device. Similar to before, the player must defend the device again.

• Phase 2b - After 30 seconds from the previous moment, Asena jumps back down and does a loud howl to order her minions to focus on the player instead of the device, and then shifts her focus to the device. While the werewolves gang up on the player, the Repair Rune spawns again. If the player repairs the device, it emits an energy that wipes out nearby werewolves and forcefully staggers Asena. This in turn disrupts this focused moment, and Asena shifts her focus back to the player.  

• End (timer runs out) - When it's almost time, Asena retreats to the platform. And when the trial ends, Asena tells the player that they will meet again and then leave the encounter. Once this is done, the player meets Alecksi to complete the quest for a reward.

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Part 2 - The Wolf's Den​

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Narrative:

The Wolf's Den is the second soul trial as part of the Nighthaven expansion set at level 67. After the events at House of Varlaam, the player is in search of the Tear of Gaea along with Morgaine. Alecksi guides the player towards hunting Lady Asena again as she has the tear. After rescuing some hostages and Cecilia from the Berlaur and entering their den at Sorrowthorn Hollow, the player engages with Asena again, who is trying to gain more power from the Tear of Gaea.

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Encounter Sequence:

• Intro - When the player enters the wolf's den, they see Asena on top of a rock pillar channeling power from the Tear of Gaea which is linked by 3 crystals on the sides of the arena. Asena is wounded from the previous fight and starts off with 50% health. But while taking power from the tear, she slowly recovers her health. 

• Phase 1a - Asena continues to channel power from the tear. During this moment, she's invulnerable while taking in more power. The player must stop the channeling by disconnecting the power between Asena and the crystals while the werebeast minions will make their presence to stop the player (werebear, werewolf and wereraven). The den is also unstable and rocks keep falling down to the ground while the channeling occurs.

• Phase 1b - After stopping the channeling phase, Asena jumps down from the pillar to fight with the player. Similar to the previous fight, she teleports around a lot with while attacking with a combination of slashes occurs. She often also creates a line of impaling shards that forcefully root the player.​

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• Phase 2 - At 40% HP, Asena jumps back up again to channel power from the tear, while alpha werebeasts try to interrupt the player from stopping the channeling phase. Once stopped, Asena resumes her fight again. During this phase she performs heavy pounce attacks that do a heavy ground impact, which in turn cause more rocks to fall around the player.

• Phase 2 to 3 transition - At 25%, a cutscene triggers where Morgaine destroys the center pillar knocking the player and Asena away while stealing the Tear of Gaea. After she leaves, Asena quickly recovers.

• Phase 3 - Asena howls angrily because the tear is gone and makes the den to drop more rocks onto the arena. Her minion werebeasts show up during this phase quite often. The player must survive by dodging the falling rocks and defeating Asena.

• End - After defeating Asena, the player leaves the den and returns to the surface to find Cecilia to report what happened, thus ending the quest.​