In the fight for the Golden Sands, something I hadn't previously given much thought to became clear to me: that every Outpost has a "soul". By that I mean that each one is unique in some way, and it's not just in the way it looks. In the NPCs, for example, this is very visible: each Outpost is personified by unique characters with their own traits and personalities - often extreme ones. In addition to this, when releasing the Legacy Of Golden Sands sails, I was also confronted with the fact that each outpost has its own flag, giving them an even more distinctive personality.
This gave me the idea that if each Outpost is unique, it would be cool if each one had its own unique "mini-company" (which is not really a company... if you read the post further you'll see why), or a so-called "Outpost Ambassador" group.
WHO ARE THE OUTPOST AMBASSADORS?
Outpost Ambassadors are a new small mini-company of which each Outpost has a unique version/variant. These Ambassadors can be found at the back of each Outpost (or on the smaller island sections), and each one represents a unique playstyle and has a unique colour scheme. Here is the full list:
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Golden Sands Outpost is home to the orange "Hunter Ambassadors", whose specialty is hunting and taking down various monsters or other marine threats.
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Dagger Tooth Outpost is home to the pink "Mystic Ambassadors", who specialise in detecting and countering skeletal and cursed threats.
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Plunder Outpost is home to the golden-tented "Commander Ambassadors". They investigate the more and more interesting threats of Sea Forts that have recently appeared on the seas, and the 'Spanish trade lines' they have helped to uncover.
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Galleon's Grave Outpost is home to the "Pirate Ambassadors", who are dressed in black and show a marked interest in PvP battles in which the crews involved demonstrate special equipment or cunning tricks. They use this to take notes, which they use to pass on new ideas to the Pirate Lord, Bilge Rats and Shipwrights.
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Ancient Spire Outpost is where the Damned Ambassadors, resplendent in green, gathered. They are looking for breakthroughs from the Sea of the Damned, observed since the rebuilding of the Golden Sands.
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Sanctuary Outpost is home to the white-coloured "Pathfinder Ambassadors", who search for old hidden treasures and secrets, often deep underwater
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And finally, at Morrow's Peak, there are the "Ashen Ambassadors", whose tents are red. They search for the secrets of Devil's Roar and the mystical workings of the Shroud while thwarting Ashen Skeleton Lords and other Ashen abominations that have emerged (e.g. Ashen Ocean Crawlers, Ashen Winds Skeletons - more on these later as well)
HOW DOES THE AMBASSADOR SYSTEM WORKS?
From the list above, it is clear that each Ambassador group focuses on an area of gameplay in a way that adds something to it. Of course, as I said in the introduction, Ambassadors are not just a company, since there is already a faction for everything (and the more faction there are, the less focus there would be on one, which would make the 3 main faction less prominent, which I don't think would be practical). No, Ambassadors work on a sort of "premium reward for premium service" basis: i.e. you complete a task for them related to their playstyle, for which you get rewards (see: crystals subtitle).
AMBASSADOR BOARD: WEEKLY AND MONTHLY TASKS
Next to each Ambassador Tent you will find an Ambassador Board, which shows the tasks that are available to everyone, (but are always the same for everyone), and are updated every week. These are similar to the Daily Deeds (except for the fact that they are not updated daily), but they require a bit more time and do not reward Renown. In addition, there are three Monthly Challenges on the Board (per Ambassador group), which are also the same for all players. These work in the same way as the Weekly Challenges, only these take more time to complete and give more rewards. Let's look at an example of one monthly and one weekly challenge for all Ambassador groups:
Hunter Ambassadors:
- Weekly: defeat 2 Ancient Terrors!
- Monthly: Light all the lanterns on your ship at coordinate G14 with purple flame, summoning the Crystal Kraken (a purple, slightly stronger recolored Kraken variant exclusive to Ambassador missions), then defeat it!
Mystic Ambassadors:
- Weekly: defeat 2 Skeleton Ships in The Wilds!
- Monthly: Skull Keep is surrounded by a Skeleton Brigantine (also unique to Ambassador missions). Sink it, then defeat the Skeleton Lord that shows up at Skull Keep!
Commander Ambassadors:
- Weekly: Skeletons have turned up at Old Brinestone Fortress this week. Complete the (modified) Sea Fort 2 times!
- Monthly: Sail to the currently peaceful Royal Crest Fortress, where you'll find one of the hidden Chalice Shipments with the help of an Ambassador Aide, then transport it to Mercy's End Fortress and place it on the table after you've defeated the Phantoms!
Pirate Ambassadors:
- Weekly: knock down another ship's mast using a Cannon Rowboat!
- Monthly: Sink another ship near the Sea Dog Tavern, then use the "Blunder-Keg" barrel (an Ambassador mission exclusive item) you got from it to blow up another ship!
Damned Ambassadors:
- Weekly: defeat 5 emergent Phantom Captains (a new enemy type that only spawns if there is an Ambassador mission associated with it) in the Ancient Isles!
- Monthly: an old ghost captain's journal is rumored to be on a near island. Find that journal on Crook's Hollow, and follow its description to find the secret of the said ghost captain (a Tall Tales-like "event" that - again - only spawns on the island if there is an Ambassador mission associated with it)
Pathfinder Ambassadors:
- Weekly: sell 2 Breath of the Seas!
- Monthly: Use an old ship's log to find the remains of a former captain, and use the missing notes from the log to find his buried belongings!
Ashen Ambassadors:
- Weekly: Defeat 10 Ashen Ocean Crawlers (these are new enemy types that only spawn in Devil's Roar, and only if there is an Ambassador mission associated with them)
- Monthly: sail to Mercy's End Fortress, which is looking more fiery than usual this month, and fight the Ashen Phantoms there, and then the Ashen Phantom Captain during the boss wave!
CRYSTALS - NEW AMBASSADOR EXCLUSIVE CURRENCY
From the examples above, we have already got an idea of how this Ambassador thing works. But now the question is "but why should I do them?" Well, it's because each Ambassador group gives different types of crystals for each task completed. Each of the seven Ambassador groups has a crystal type that corresponds to the colour of the group (orange, pink, gold, black, white, red, green). These crystals are obviously earned for completing the tasks of the Ambassador group (each group rewards you with the corresponding crystal type).
PREMIUM REWARDS IN THE AMBASSADOR SHOP
You can spend the aforementioned crystals in the Ambassaodor shop. This is a shop, available at all Ambassadors, where you can buy premium quality cosmetics - many with an animated look - for crystals. The fact that there are 7 different types of crystal also plays a role. There are cosmetics that you can pay for with only one specific type of crystal (e.g. only green), but there are also cosmetics that you can pay for with several types or all types (e.g. a cosmetic that you can buy for 200 white or 150 black crystals, and you decide which one you pay with). It's important to note that the Ambassador Shop's offer changes completely every season. This does not mean that an item that was available before cannot return later, but it is certain that you will not be able to buy the same item two seasons in a row.
FINAL WORD / EPILOGUE
So that's my little Outpost Ambassadors idea: each Outpost has a new mini-company, representing a playstyle, and for completing weekly/monthly tasks, they give you different kinds of crystals to spend on premium (e.g. animated) cosmetics. How do you like this concept? Please, share your thoughts in a comment! ^^
