Dominion is a brand-new objective-based mode coming to Spellbreak with the Chapter 2 release!
- Mode: Capture and Hold Objectives
- Size: 5 v 5
- Queues: Ranked and Unranked
What is Dominion?
Dominion is a game mode that pits two teams of 5 against each other in a contest to capture and hold key zones across the map. To capture an objective, players simply need to stand within the radius of the objective zone. If an enemy player is also present within this zone, capture progress will be blocked! However, if more than one ally is capturing, the capture progress is accelerated accordingly.
When a player is exiled, they will respawn above a zone that their team controls after 15 seconds. If their team does not control any zones, they will respawn at one of the two starting spawn locations. Additionally, exiled players will always drop a Talent Scroll - no other gear or items will be dropped.
In Dominion, there are NO loot chests or gear items! Everything in this mode is updated through defeating Vowguard NPC's, other players, or by visiting the Shopkeeper.
Points are gained from holding objectives and exiling enemies, and the first team to reach the points threshold will win the match!
Playing Dominion
Players will fight to control three objectives: the Sun, the Moon, and the Star. Controlling an objective nets you passive points over time, and adds a multiplier of points to each exile. The first team to hit the Points Threshold will be the winner of the match!
- Team Score - this is your team's current score. The blue bar will fill up to show your team's progress towards the score threshold.
- Score Threshold - this is the number of points needed to win the game. This adjusts based on the number of players in the game. The point threshold is 75 + (15 * number of players on a team). So if there were 5 players on a team, the total would be 150. If there were four, it would be 135 and so on.
- Objective Ownership - this indicates which team is currently in control of the objectives. From left to right, the indicators are Sun, Moon, Star. An icon being blue indicates your team currently controls the objective. A red icon indicates that the enemy controls that objective. An icon being grey means no team controls that objective (only at the start of the match).
- Objective Marker - shows the location of each capture objective, and which team is in control of it (per the same color rules as above)
- Level Timer - In Dominion, players gain levels at set time intervals instead of progressing through Spellstorm rings. This will indicate the time until your next level gain.
- Capture Indicators - the progress for capturing a point is shown in several different ways. The first way is the "Capturing" bar that appears above your Gauntlet info. Secondly, the Blue ring in the objective area expands outward towards the Red ring to indicate capture progress (and reflects the same info as the Capturing bar). Lastly, you can view the capture status of other objectives by viewing the Objective Marker on your HUD. A blue/red circle will display around the outside of the marker if an ally/enemy are capturing an objective zone.
- Boon Gem - Throughout the match, players will earn Boon Gem Charges. These can be earned from defeating Vowguards (NPC's) and damaging other players. Once earned, you'll see a counter in this area of the HUD. You may store up to 3 Boon Gem Charges before you are capped out, and must Recall or be exiled to spend these Charges.
Vowguards
Vowguards are NPC's that you'll find throughout the map. They'll attack any player that wanders near them, and defeating them will net you random loot drops consisting of Talent Scrolls, Runes, Gauntlets, and consumables - as well as some Boon Gem Charge!
The Shopkeeper
The shopkeeper is a new mechanic that's exclusive to Dominion mode. Here, you'll be able to spend Boon Gem Charges you've accumulated through fighting players and Vowguards. The shopkeeper is the first menu you'll encounter in the game, where you'll always be prompted to select a secondary gauntlet and a rune choice. These choices will always be Common rarity.
During the game, if you have at least 1 Boon Gem Charge, you'll be able to hold the Interact key/button for 5 seconds to recall to the shop and purchase something. You'll have to decide when is the best time to do this strategically in the heat of battle!
Players will always start the game with +0 Armor, +70 Mana (~rare amulet level), and +3 Move Speed (~rare boots level).
Note: Each player gets 3 Re-rolls to use throughout the entire game, so spend them wisely!
Each upgrade will cost 1 Boon Gem Charge. If players are exiled by another player without having a full Boon Gem Charge, they'll receive 1 charge to use in the shop. In the shop, you'll be able to buy the following items and Blessings (boosts):
- Mainhand Gauntlet rarity upgrades
- Offhand Gauntlet choices / rarity upgrades
- Runes of varying rarity
- Permanent boosts to Max Armor (cap of +100)
- Permanent boosts to Max Mana (cap of +100)
- Permanent boosts to Run Speed (cap of +10, not including Talents)
The Map
In Dominion, you'll be randomly playing in one of these arenas, each with its own unique challenges:
- Dustpool Hold
- Halcyon Keep
- Bogmore Citadel
- Hymnwood
Each map is surrounded by a Red Spellstorm that will instantly exile anyone who comes in contact with it!
Leveling Up
Unlike leveling up in Battle Royale and Clash, in Dominion there's no closing Spellstorm rings. The Spellstorm area remains the same size throughout the entire game. Leveling up in Dominion happens at set time intervals:
- Level 2: 2 minutes into the match
- Level 3: 4 minutes into the match
- Level 4: 8 minutes into the match
In short:
Succeeding in Dominion will take team coordination and strategy. Essentially, you'll need to strategically:
- Capture and hold points
- Farm Vowguards for Boon Gem Charge and consumables/items
- Rotate between attacking and defending
- Recall when the time is right, and shop with a goal in mind
- Communicate with your team
Is Dominion a Limited-Time mode?
For now, the intent is that Dominion is here to stay as the default mode for Leagues play. Dominion will be present for at least the duration of Chapter 2 content. Any plans to change this will be announced well in advance!
That being said, once Dominion is activated, Clash will be taken out of rotation. This mode may make an appearance again sometime in the future!
What happens if people leave or the teams are uneven?
If people being to leave a match, the Score Threshold will decrease accordingly. by 15 points per person that leaves. For example, if a game becomes a 4v5, the Score Threshold will decrease to 135. The same threshold would be in place if the game was 4v4. If the game then became a 3v5 or a 3v4, the Score Threshold would decrease to 120.
There is no re-join/re-connect or backfill option in Dominion currently, so leaving a game will result in a permanent disadvantage for the leaver's team. While the current system isn't perfect, it will at least