Umbral

[TcT Goth98]

Really kinda disappointing. Can't build cities there even if you transform and are tainted. Can't build normal outposts. RNG for this game SUCKS and I get maybe 1 or 2 sanctuaries in the whole Umbral even if the resources are everywhere. Kinda sucks.

[cernodan]

You fundamentally do not understand the intention behind the Umbral realm.

[Astronimo]

Umbral abyss acts as a dungeon to explore. Sanctuary outposts are designed as a way to heal up and continue to explore. Resources are scattered in the way that you have to choose.
It's all handcrafted. The game just places those islands.

It's a design decision. To act as a dangerous dungeon with strong rewards. Not as a layer to settle in.

[Portico]

I never got the impression that rewards for exploring umbral areas are worthwhile and largely ignore them. Why waste several turns getting stuff I can also get on the surface while also expanding my empire?

[⎝Wyrd Deofol⎠]

Originally posted by Portico:

I never got the impression that rewards for exploring umbral areas are worthwhile and largely ignore them. Why waste several turns getting stuff I can also get on the surface while also expanding my empire?

Because you can stop the gloom from spreading + the amount of resources gained from an outpost in the Umbral is very high.

[mk11]

Rewards in the Abyss are great. A Sanctuary Outpost can easily end up with something like +30 gold, mana, & knowledge and 2 magic materials. You can get high tier spells.

Also, the Abyss acts as a short-cut between parts of the realm offering routes to attack distant enemies.

[⎝Wyrd Deofol⎠]

Originally posted by mk11:

Rewards in the Abyss are great. A Sanctuary Outpost can easily end up with something like +30 gold, mana, & knowledge and 2 magic materials. You can get high tier spells.

Also, the Abyss acts as a short-cut between parts of the realm offering routes to attack distant enemies.

That works for two ways :D

[Kyle Bagel]

To be fair you can literally terraform the entire map to gloom. I def get wanting to build in it for RP reasons, but that's just not the point of it. Still maybe they'll change that.

[CrUsHeR]

Originally posted by Portico:

I never got the impression that rewards for exploring umbral areas are worthwhile and largely ignore them. Why waste several turns getting stuff I can also get on the surface while also expanding my empire?

The outposts can generate quite a bunch of resources. Also owning voidstones is a multiplier for allegiance gain with the umbral dwellings, and these are really strong vassals and also give lots of resources.

Generally speaking, if you play an Umbral faction yourself, the Umbral maps are an advantage. Otherwise more of a challenge mode. The map gets quickly swarmed by the umbral marauders and dwellings, the shortcuts make defensive strategy fairly difficult. Exploration is quite lethal for your scouts unless they have camoflage and gloom immunity.

[TcT Goth98]

Originally posted by Astronimo:

Umbral abyss acts as a dungeon to explore. Sanctuary outposts are designed as a way to heal up and continue to explore. Resources are scattered in the way that you have to choose.
It's all handcrafted. The game just places those islands.

It's a design decision. To act as a dangerous dungeon with strong rewards. Not as a layer to settle in.

Handcrafted very poorly then. Most resources can not be gathered from the Umbral. There are at most 2-3 sanctuaries in the whole Umbral. All the other Islands are useless then.