Choose your side in this faction-based survival game, pitting groups of players against each other amid hordes of horrific demons in an ongoing epic war.

Explore a mysterious and unforgiving world in search of resources and powerful artifacts as you race against the clock to achieve the glory of victory before you are wiped from existence. Carve a unique niche for yourself with RPG-like talent and skill systems, allowing you to tailor your character to any play style. Expand your technology and knowledge with your faction to unlock new heights of power to wield against your foes. Defend your base against an ever increasing onslaught form the unyielding armies of the Lost, and from enemy player factions.

Survival is only the first step, as there can only be one victor.

Will you be lost and forgotten, or will you emerge as champions?

Frostkeep Studios announced the debut of two new game modes for Rend – Classic and Exploration – on its Public Test Realm (PTR). Both game modes came highly-requested from players and include changes to Research Sparks and Ascension Points. The new game modes were developed in parallel with Rend’s Early Access roadmap features for Fall-Winter and will officially go live this month once initial testing is completed on the PTR.

The new modes, Classic and Exploration, will unshackle the world of Rend for players, delivering open-ended gameplay free from pre-established factions and shielded strongholds. Players will be free to weave their own solitary tale in Rend as they encounter other players, deciding whether to remain independent or work collaboratively.

Unlike the original game mode - now called Faction War - Ascension through spirit collection will not be a win condition and Reckonings will not occur in the new modes - promoting uninterrupted gameplay on persistent 60-player servers.

In Classic, players will be able to battle for supremacy by laying siege to each others’ bases, waging PvP wars, capturing Control Points, and collecting player bounties. While Exploration offers a purely PvE experience, without the ability to attack other players or their bases.

Both modes allow players to band together in clans, and all progression is per-character and there will be no reputation system. Spirits remain harvestable, rewarding XP and Spirit Residue – though Yggdrasil’s spirit totals will remain unchanged.

The latest update also sees Research Sparks undergo significant changes to facilitate the new modes, but also to improve Faction War’s current format. Sparks will now drop from creatures – with each family offering one of the four types.

Ascension Point management will also be updated, moving from a per-server basis to a global tally tied to each player’s account. Ascension Points earned from gameplay in any of the three game modes and Ascension Perk unlocks will now count for all servers.

Rend is currently available on Steam Early Access for $29.99 USD.

Featuring PvP and PvE, Rend challenges the traditional survival game blueprint with the introduction of player factions, RPG and sandbox elements, win/loss conditions and massive, culminating battle experiences the like of which have never before been witnessed in this genre. 

In Rend, players align with one of three factions before being dropped into a beautiful, but brutal fantasy world where they must strategically team up with other players and friends to battle enemy creatures and rival factions in a relentless and uncompromising struggle for victory. Players choose how they interact and participate in the world, and are immediately connected to a larger community that creates a place and purpose for every type of player.

The world of Rend is vast, varied and host to a myriad of mysterious environments – from majestic grassland valleys and an uncompromising cave system to danger-ridden frozen hellscapes, each of which is home to its own specific resources and perils ensuring that players will be able to find the level of challenge that appeals to them.

Key Features:

• THREE PLAYER FACTIONS: During character creation, players immediately choose to align with one of three in-game communities, including the sly and cunning Conclave (green faction), the proud and brutal Order (orange faction) or the mystical and intelligent Revenant (purple faction). The factions engage in all-out war in a competitive race from humble beginnings to awe-inspiring heights of power in a harrowing struggle for survival and domination
• CHOOSE HOW YOU PLAY: In the game, players must race against opposing factions to gather the lost souls of Rend and deliver them to The Creator. Players decide how they will contribute and participate within the game ecosystem – from harvesting, gathering or crafting roles to more intense assassin, soldier and hunter role options. Regardless of play style, there is a role, place and purpose for every type of player.
• THE WORLD TREE & DIVINITY STONE: Each faction's progress is marked by the World Tree, tracking lost spirits collected and stored within each Divinity Stone. Located within the roots of the World Tree, this giant crystal stores the lost souls gathered by players. Once enough souls have transferred to a faction’s Divinity Stone, that faction ascends and is officially declared the winner.
• MASSIVE, CULMINATING EXPERIENCES: Every week, during a server event called The Reckoning, players must join forces to strategically align and plan how their faction will protect and defend their base and Divinity Stone. The Reckoning takes place at a pre-determined time advertised during server selection. When this takes place, the magical shields protecting each faction’s base will lower, making them susceptible to enemy attacks from creatures – the Lost – and other player factions. With each subsequent Reckoning, the Lost creatures will grow stronger and more powerful forcing each faction to rethink their strategy.
• CAPTURE POINTS: The world will be populated by neutral capture points that can be taken under control at any point by opposing factions. Once a faction controls a capture point, they can build an outpost at that location. On top of the advantages provided by having more buildable locations, outposts will provide players with bonuses in the form of resources or buffs. Beware, however, that when The Reckoning hits, outposts will also be targeted, spreading players’ defensive efforts thin. Of course, other factions may try to take control away at any point so players will need to ensure their faction-controlled capture points are always well defended.
• SERVER LIFECYCLE & META PROGRESSION: After a winning faction is declared, participating players will receive rewards in the form of meta-progression points. These points can be spent on subsequent sessions on that server to unlock further customization and progression options for new characters. For players who find that the win/loss cycle is not for them, private servers options will be available that present a multitude of rule set options allowing them to experience everything they (and their friends) are looking for in the game.
• DEEP CRAFTING PROGRESSION: Crafting is a major component of most survival games, and Rend embraces that by providing a rich crafting progression system. Each recipe players learn can be mastered, unlocking the possibility to create exceptional versions of that item, providing increased power or utility. Recipes are unlocked by skilling up prerequisites in an intricate web of skills or by discovering them while exploring the world. Of course, you could also take gear from your enemies and break it down to see how it’s made. Or better yet, break into players’ bases and steal their research directly.
• WEAPONS: Rend utilizes a tight and responsive shooter-style combat system featuring a wide array of weapon types. As players use different weapons, they will increase their skill and eventually unlock customization paths to specialize in different uses of that weapon. For example, a player who is highly experienced with bows may choose between a more stationary, long-range sniper role, dealing massive damage in a single shot or a quick and tenacious hunter role capable of hounding and chasing down targets on the run. Players can further customize their play style with weapon modifications, adding lights, scopes, addition clip capacity, and more.
• TALENT SYSTEM: Players can decide how they will customize their character and experiences to match their play style and needs of their faction through a deep talent system. Players can explore being an Assassin, Survivalist, Soldier, or Mystic. Each role is accompanied by an extensive skill tree that allows players to build a unique set of capabilities to set themselves apart from everyone else
• SKILL SYSTEM: In Rend, players can continue to customize their experience further as they skill up their progression for in-game activities like harvesting, crafting, weaponry, hunting, magic, armor, exploring unforgiving areas of the game and more. Players can carve out unique and vital roles within their faction as they specialize in the activities they enjoy most.
• BASE BUILDING: Each faction must construct a base of operations to call home. Crafting and research stations, resource refineries, storage spaces and more will be housed inside a defensive fortress architected by players in the faction. During The Reckoning, factions will be called upon to protect their base against the Lost and enemy player factions. Players will also be able to build personal homes or group together in clans to build satellite bases. The Lost will not attack these smaller bases, but other factions will be itching to break in and rearrange it for you.
• FUTURE FEATURES: Rend will continue to expand to include more features and content as requested by the player community, including more creatures, weapons, game systems, spells, skills, customization options, game modes, and additional custom server options.

Frostkeep Studios was created by three game developers – Solomon Lee, Mat Milizia and Jeremy Wood – who met 15 years ago working together on the original World of Warcraft, Overwatch, League of Legends, WildStar, and more. Over the last year, Frostkeep Studios has assembled a talented team of game developers and contractors, including Overwatch composer Neal Acree, to contribute to the creation of the studio’s first game, Rend.