What better way to start previewing some game mechanics than showing off all the cool equipment you'll be able to collect as you explore each island in Pharos? Well, not ALL the items... that would be giving too much away 😁. For this post, let's first dive into what kind of equipment you'll be looking for and how to know whether it is worth keeping.

The Basics

In Pharos, each adventurer you recruit will be able to equip up to three items. These are grouped into the following equipment slots: weapons, armor, and accessories. Whereas weapons are your primary source of damage and armor is your primary source of defense, accessories can provide all sorts of stat bonuses depending on what you find. All adventurers will be able to equip the armor and accessories you find, however weapons will only be usable by certain adventurers depending on their combat class.

To help you determine the relative raw power of a piece of equipment, each item will display its quality rating in the top right corner of the item panel. This can range from 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the highest quality items in the game. This is also something you will see across all items in Pharos.

Advanced Equipment

The items shown so far are what you would call basic equipment in Pharos. Expect to find these at shops across the Frontier. Eventually, you may find yourself coming across what we like to call advanced equipment. In addition to the stats seen on basic equipment, advanced equipment also bestows bonus modifiers upon the user. Make sure to keep note of all the different kinds of modifiers you find on equipment while progressing through the game; you never know what might come in handy!

One of a Kind

The islands of Pharos are a dangerous place to make a fortune. One would think that there must be something to find that's worth risking life and limb for...well as it turns out, the wealth of the islands is not in gold or jewels, but in equipment! Scattered across the Frontier are items known as Relics. These items are powerful pieces of ancient magic or technology which have been fashioned into weapons and other equipment. No one living knows where they came from or how they were created, but everyone agrees that their power is definitely worth fighting and dying for.

What makes Relics so powerful? Well, each Relic has what is called a unique modifier; an effect that no other item has in the game! These modifiers can be quite powerful when used in the right situation; one can only imagine what potential you could unlock through their use 😉.

When it comes to equipment in Pharos, knowing what is best for you will ultimately depend on who you are equipping and what you are fighting. Understanding how basic equipment stats, advanced modifiers, and even the unique modifiers of Relics play together will be a key to success in your expeditions across the Frontier.

While Pharos does not have a conventional leveling system through grinding XP, we are hoping the diversity of equipment and combat encounters will provide a challenging experience for those seeking it. Collecting all the Relics available in game is also another challenge worth undertaking. We'll be covering more on how equipment interacts with the different adventurers you can recruit in a future post, but for now I hope this has provided some insight into equipment in Pharos.

Until next time; thanks for reading!

Pharos is a 2D adventure RPG featuring turn-based battles with real-time elements and dynamic open-world exploration. The player assumes the role of one of the many captains exploring a chain of mysterious islands filled with relics, monsters, and locales that defy science and reason. It is the player’s job to assemble a crew, survive the islands' dangers, explore their hidden wonders, and sell their secrets to the highest bidder.

Players will begin their adventures in a small town at the edge of the world. The town will act as your home while you assemble a crew, equip them, manage contracts, and otherwise prepare to depart. Once the player reaches an island, they will need to utilize their crew’s professions, combat skills, and wits in order to survive long enough to find something worth bringing home. Once safely returned, the player will need to find a buyer offering a decent price for their stolen relics, trade goods, and other treasures. Every adventure incurs costs and turning a profit is just as important and slaying monsters. Completing objectives on each island and, most importantly, lighting every Pharos, will open up more island and content for exploration.

The islands are a bizarre mixture of incongruous biospheres divided by large stretches of open ocean. Some of the islands are naturally tropical while others are inexplicably frozen, suspended high in the air, sunless, arid, or marshy. The one consistent feature they share are the massive lighthouses, the legendary Pharos, that rise miles into the air and dominate the surrounding land. Few ever reach a Pharos in their lifetime but many speculate that an explanation for each island’s weirdness lies within. While the Pharos are rarely plundered, various ruins and tombs can frequently be found scattered across the islands. Each of these ruins is equally populated by monsters and relics, which are coveted by many. These relics are known to have mystical qualities and many have found their fortunes selling these artifacts to various archaeological societies, military research divisions, and criminal syndicates. Others have forcefully acquired their fortunes by exploiting their relic’s reality-bending powers.