This article was sponsored by Rend.
Rend is about overcoming challenges in the proving grounds so you can join the gods in battle in Valhalla and the Reckoning is far and away the greatest challenge of them all. The Reckoning is a server-wide event which removes the magical shields around each faction's base and spawns countless enemies called the Lost. The Lost are drawn to the Divinity Stones at the center of the faction bases and will relentlessly march toward them, destroying anything in their path. It's up to you to defend your Divinity Stone from the Lost and, more importantly, the enemy players who will happily follow the Lost into your base.
If the Lost reach your Divinity Stone, you'll lose spirits. Spirits are a valuable resource in their own right and you need to offer them to Yggdrasil to claim victory, so defending your Divinity Stone is critical. But the real threat is the damage that the Lost will do to your base. Even the sturdiest bases will be battered after the Reckoning and with your faction shield disabled, every broken wall or missing turret is an opportunity for enemy players to invade. If enemy players reach your Divinity Stone, not only will you lose spirits but the faction that steals them can add them to their pool, potentially gaining a big lead.
The Reckoning plays a huge part in Rend's end-game since players have to defend their own base from the Lost, determine who to attack and when, and predict who will attack them. You could work with an enemy faction to dogpile the leading faction, deal a crippling blow to a faction that's already struggling, or buckle down and try to protect your current position. Will you be able to defend your own base if you send teammates out to attack? Can you win the cycle if you steal just a few spirits from an enemy faction? No matter what happens, with so many players fighting at once, the Reckoning is always an exciting event.
It's the actions of players that make the Reckoning so impactful, but you certainly can't ignore the Lost. The Reckoning occurs twice a week on most servers (each server has its own Reckoning schedule), and with each passing week, the Lost grow stronger and stronger. In this sense, the Reckoning is like a test: if you slack on developing new technology, you'll be ripped apart by the Lost. Think of it as a regularly scheduled boss fight which just so happens to come with a no-holds-barred PvP tournament.
To prepare for the Reckoning, you'll need to develop new weapons to defeat your enemies as well as new defenses to hold them back. Build sniper towers, reinforce walls, surround your base with traps and barricades, and install giant doors and gates to defend against the many siege weapons in Rend. Oh, and stock up on supplies for your inevitable repairs. Naturally, you'll also need to coordinate with your teammates so everyone's online come Reckoning day. You're going to need as many fighters as possible, after all, and in this sense the Reckoning is a lot like a raid in that it both inspires and requires teamwork.
It's no exaggeration to say the Reckoning affects every other part of Rend, from the overall balance of power to the way you build your base. It's a dynamic curveball that keeps the tension high, and it's one of the many things that distinguishes Rend from other survival games.
Rend is now available on Steam Early Access. You can find more information about Rend on its official site.
