Aldermere is the last world still lit. Cross over with nothing, wake at a tetherstone, and make a life there: smith, mage, sailor, tamer, thief or lord.
For anyone who still misses the first sandbox worlds.
How the last shard came to be
One world, broken into many
An age ago the world was split into mirrored copies called shards. Each held its own people, its own kings, its own wars.
The shards go dark
One by one, their lights went out. No one who stayed behind was heard from again.
The ruins wash up
Pieces of the dead shards still land in Aldermere: drowned castles, sunken halls, and things that should not be alive.
You cross over
You are one of the souls who got out. You wake at a tetherstone outside Highmarch with the clothes on your back. What happens next is up to you.
The tetherstones above Highmarch. Every soul that crosses wakes here, and returns here when it falls.
A life of your own making
No classes and no levels. You get better at what you do, and you can do anything. The storyline and quests are there when you want them, never required.
Learn by doing
Swing the hammer and smithing rises. Tradeskill quests in town buy the hundred daggers it took to get good.
Magic has a price
Every spell burns reagents you gathered or bought: root, pearl, ash and silk. A mage is only as good as their pouch.
Tame what's out there
Calm a bear, break a horse, raise a hound. The wild things of Aldermere can be won over, if you're patient.
Take to the sea
Buy a boat, fish the deep water, follow a treasure map. Something large lives out past the shallows.
Build a town
Raise a house, hire a vendor to sell your work while you sleep, and settle near your friends until it's a town.
Plunder dead worlds
The dungeons are pieces of shards that fell. Their treasure, and their monsters, came with them.
The road home is the dangerous part
Outside the walls of Highmarch, Aldermere is free, and it is not safe.
Anyone can draw on youPast the town guards, any player can attack any other.
What you carry can be takenFall on the road and your body keeps everything on it, for whoever finds it first.
The world remembersMurderers carry their name in red. Guards hunt them and others post bounties. Honest folk earn a name of their own.
You'll be backDeath returns you to your tetherstone. Your belongings stay where you fell.
And the wolves hunt the deer whether anyone is watching.
In the workshop now
Lastshard is in pre-alpha. These are real screenshots from today's build, a long way from finished.
Highmarch from aboveThe market squareA hind that fought back
Make an account and we'll invite you as playtests open. One email per playtest, nothing else.
Next you'll pick an account name and password. That's your game login too.
Questions
Is this Ultima Online?
No. Lastshard is inspired by Ultima Online and the sandbox worlds of the late '90s, but it's its own game, with its own world, story and art, built from scratch.
Do I have to fight other players?
Inside town walls the guards keep the peace. Outside them anyone can attack you, but murderers pay for it in reputation, bounties and guards.
Are there quests?
Yes, and they're optional. There's a storyline about why the shards went dark, side quests for special loot, and tradeskill quests that buy what crafters make. You can ignore all of it and just live.
How much will it cost?
We'll announce pricing well before launch.
When can I play?
Playtests open in waves during development. Join the list and you'll get an invite.
