Winds

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High winds, rain, and snow - our dynamic weather system has you covered![1]

Wind will influence the speed and direction that ships travel on the open sea (non-coastal areas of the map).[2][3]

  • Players will need to take wind direction (and strength) into consideration when navigating the open waters.[3]
Wind is an important component of the open sea- quote-unquote open seas- so that's all non-coastal areas; and that open sea, based on those the composition of wind and the open sea, will influence the speed directionally that a boat is traveling in, and how that speed gets influenced by the winds. That can be an important strategic component when discussing timing for trade runs, or timing for what your location is in relationship to your target out at the open sea; and it just creates a little bit more fluid and dynamic experience when you're at sea that. Like you're not in this cove and you always know how you're going to interact with the open water; and the speed that you have, so you can predict accurately what your intercept rate or distance will look like. If that is a variable and that variable changes, then you have to adapt your strategies for that variable; and I think that is very healthy and keeps things fresh from a perspective of a cat-and-mouse game that usually occurs between ships in the open waters.[3]Steven Sharif

Ship navigation

Ship navigation is enhanced by navigational instruments, such as spyglasses, that can be equipped on certain ship classes. These will give an "overview radar perspective" of the area surrounding the ship, with range based on the ship's class and the type of instrument.[4][5]

  • The render distance of other ships on the water will vary based on the class of the ship and the type of of navigational instruments being used.[4]
  • Other types of tools are available to allow ships to detect movement under the water, such as aquatic mounts.[4]
  • Players will need to take wind direction (and strength) into consideration when navigating the open waters.[3]
  • If a ship's navigator is killed or otherwise removed from the ship then any player will be able to navigate the ship for a period of 15 to 20 minutes before the ship despawns and becomes a wreckage.[6]

Tides

Waves on a beach by Michael Bacon.[7]

There won't be tidal patterns in the ocean, but the ocean will not be static content all the time. Unique content will be represented at certain times with regards to certain climates.[8]

Weather

Alpha-2 dynamic weather change caused by the Beneath the Stone Shadows event.[9]

Since you instigated this event, which changed the weather, that will also now influence spawns nearby. You could potentially be spawning- well you are spawning side quests that relate to the rain, changes in enemies that relate to the rain, and that's driven on player action. So it is like a feedback loop.[10]Skott B

Some environments (Biomes) have fixed climates and others are variable.[11][12][13] Dynamic weather of varying intensity can triggered by certain events.[10][11][14][15]

During those weather events, the area of effect that the event is occurring in will likely have its climate descriptor overridden by whatever the event is specifically. So tornadoes might be windy, blizzards might be cold. And if an arctic dragon comes into a temperate climate it brings the cold weather with it; and that can be interacting with skills and abilities or other functions like farms.[16]Steven Sharif
There are climate effects that occur from a buff standpoint. They can also affect skills like, let's say you're using a frost bolt in a winter climate. There's the ability for those effects to be enhanced and/or stronger in those climates.[19]Steven Sharif
They affect crops and gatherables, vehicles, and mounts, ships, creatures; and loot tables change: their behaviors might change. Resistances and weaknesses or synergies might be relevant in certain seasons or weather systems. Targeting might change the AoE radius might grow for a fire effect if you're in the middle of summer, or it might shrink if you're in the middle of a storm.[20]Steven Sharif
  • Some weather conditions can be hazardous to mobs and players.[9]
Weather events and encounters themselves can include hazards that can appear and shake things up. They can also help too, if you can kite enemies into the lightning strikes or whatever.[9]Skott B

See also

References