User:Turnam

Random bits for fun. User:Turnam/Pre-release screenshots

Thematic sets

All towns from Restoration of Erathia as well as the Cove from Horn of the Abyss have a set of artifact thematically linked to them.

Faction	Right Hand	Bonus	Left Hand	Bonus	Torso	Bonus	Head	Bonus	Other?	Combo?
Rampart		+2		+2		+1		+1	[    ]
Necropolis		+3		+3		+2		+2		+
Fortress		+4		+4		+3		+3
Stronghold		+5		+5		+4		+4
Inferno		+6		+6		+5		+5		*
Cove		+7		+7		+6		+6
Castle		+5		+4		+1		+6	[    ]
Dungeon		+2		+3		+4		+4
Tower		+12   -3		+12   -3		+10   -2		+10   -2

In Armageddon's Blade, the Inferno theme set became plot-relevant as the components of Armageddon's Blade, without being an actual combination artifact as this mechanic would not be introduced until the next expansion. In The Shadow of Death, several of these sets became the basis for combination artifacts: Armor of the Damned for the Necropolis set, Angelic Alliance for the Castle set, Power of the Dragon Father for the Dungeon set, and Titan's Thunder for the Tower set. Cut content shows additional combination artifacts were planned, one of which, the Ironfist of the Ogre, was added in Horn of the Abyss as made from the Stronghold set.

A special case is the Bow of the Sharpshooter. It takes two components that are thematically tied to Rampart, and one that is thematically tied to Castle, making it mixed between the two town themes, just like its namesake the  Sharpshooter.

Gregory Fulton mentioned the level of the bonus from a given set corresponded to that faction's "technical prowess", which provides some contrast with their levels in the Mages Guild. For instance, Rampart and Necropolis both have level 5 mages guilds, but they have the worst artifacts, so their magic culture is heavy on spells. Fortress and Stronghold are the worst at spell casting, limited to level 3, but they are in the mid-tier for artifacts. Inferno, Dungeon, and Tower excel in both aspects, and Castle is one of the best at creating artifacts. This logic, if applied to HotA, would also make Cove better at creating magic items than Inferno; while Bulwark and Factory are simply out of the picture as they do not have any thematic artifact.