Guardian Frames are highly armored and equipped with many different offensive
capabilities. Players can select from any piece of
gear they have collected to equip onto their Frames to take into battle. The more difficult the
Activities, the higher chance of more powerful items will drop. They can be upgraded with new weaponry, armor, equipment mods, and more.
Players are in control of their overall
Health points,
shields,
weapon and armor durability, physical
Stance and mental
Symmetry. Properly managing all of these will lead to triumph in battle. Frames have a built-in
Overshield generator that helps keep them protected, but managing several aspects of health and wellbeing will be vital.
Battery
Every Frame contains a removable
Battery that limits time in the field. Batteries have a Charge which discharges over time, dictating how long a Frame can operate. If a player runs out of Battery Charge, they will be unable to
Extract and will incur lost items and other penalties. Extracting before the Battery is depleted is critically important. Upgrades, consumables, and more can increase Battery charge amounts and overall Battery longevity to extend a player’s mission time.
Armor
Armor will help with incoming damage reduction,
Attribute and
Skill bonuses, and more. A proper set of armor can be the difference of surviving an encounter or not. Player’s can equip five pieces of armor:
- Head
- Chest
- Arms
- Legs
- Back
Weapons
Players can equip up to three weapons at any one time:
The composition of these weapons is based on the
Loadout Power System where any combination of weapons may be equipped as long as the sum of their point cost is below their allotted limit and the gear is able to be equipped by the
Frame Classe the player has chosen.
Weapon use is governed by
Weapon Classes and ammunition which can be obtained by defeating
Enemies, purchasing from vendors, and other means. Different weapons require different ammunition types, so once a weapon the player is using has expended their ammunition, they will not be able to use it further until more ammunition is found.
Grenades as well as various other consumable items are available and can inflict a variety of different effects.
Melee
Melee actions have several functions and are not as straightforward as a single input. Using the
Melee input while another weapon is readied swaps to the equipped melee weapon and readies it. It does
not automatically perform a melee attack. Melee attacks can only be performed once a melee weapon has been readied.
All melee weapons have unlimited primary attacks and many have a secondary action. All melee weapons are also able to reduce incoming damage by blocking which used melee charges.
Triggers & Ignitions
Triggers applied to enemies allow for followup
Ignitions which are extremely powerful attacks. Because of their potency, they require a specific series of actions to activate. Certain weapons and
Abilities apply a Trigger while others can Ignite.
Energy Charges
Energy meters are displayed for melee abilities and Blocking, Dodging, class
Abilities,
Grenades , Overdrive, and Thrusters. These are all infinitely reusable as long as the relevant action has enough energy to activate. All of these action’s meters will automatically recharge over time.
Overdrive
Dealing or receiving damage as well as various lengths of time will increase a Frame’s
Overdrive meter which can be used to activate one of two extremely powerful Overdrive abilities. Overdrives can only be activated once the entire meter is filled.
Every
Frame Classhas different, unique Overdrives they can choose from to activate.
Executions
Players can perform
Executions on most enemies once their health drops below certain thresholds. When activated, an Execution animation will take control of the player. After the animation finishes, the enemy will be instantly defeated. Players are vulnerable to attack from other enemies in this state, however some
Skills and
Abilities grant bonuses for performing these actions.
Movement
Players have many movement options including sprinting, jumping, mantling, dodging, hovering, and even flight.
Frames are equipped with aerial Thrusters that can be activated at will to traverse longer and higher distances. Short airborne activations will help players travel further or avoid falls, or for a short period they can activate their Thrusters while midair to travel to great heights with flight. Deactivating or letting its meter run out will drop the Frame to the ground. Fall damage can occur from high enough distances.
Activating Thrusters while on the ground will initiate a Dodge if the player has enough Thruster energy. It cannot be activated again for several seconds.
Loot & Storage
A variety of items can be found, purchased, or
crafted to bring into battle. Items not equipped that are either found or brought into the field are stored in one of two containers: the player’s
Pack or their
Belt, each of which has limited inventory space. Items may be cycled through and activated both within and outside of the Pack or Belt menus.
