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Last week we had the chance to talk to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Game Developer Lenny "Tiraslee" Gullo about the new racial mounts and spell graphics being introduced for the upcoming Game Update 5.

Today we have a transcript of that discussion, running down the numerous additions to the game slated for the coming patch. Click on through to read the full interview with Tiraslee. You can catch his views on where the best Vanguard new player experience is, which mount is his favorite, and a full rundown on how to grab one of these fantastic new rides.
Are the quests to get these racial mounts comparable to the quests for the unicorn and nightmare mounts?

Nay, these quests are obtained by gaining faction with a city. Players will need to sign up with a City Faction Registrar and they will receive an insignia that they wear. The insignia means they are fighting under the banner of that particular city.

But are these racial based? Or are the mounts per faction?

Aye, they are racial mounts, but can only be obtained through faction work.

When you came to doing mounts, why bugs? Or rather, how did you come to choose the creatures?

Well, as the team was creating monsters for the game, we thought it would be cool to actually be able to ride some of them. If it looked like you could ride it, we gave it a mount bone.

Are all the racial mounts land-based?

Aye.

I notice the frame rate is very smooth, comparatively.

Yeah, we added some code that is focused on reducing the hitching. It doesn't get rid of all hitching but should help out a lot.

What's next after Game Update 5?

The biggest thing after update 5 is the combat re-balance and new character models. Other stuff I can't really say just yet :p

Oooo are Halflings getting their eyelids back?

Hehe ... I can't disclose that just yet.

Which is your favorite mount?

I'm a fan of this Xakrin :)

When is GU 5 going live?

I don't have a date yet, but soon. We want to make sure it's ready. And doing thorough testing :)

Well, every update so far has been a big jump forward.

I think most people will see improvements with the hitching, that's a big deal for us.

In your opinion, what is the best starter continent for a new player?

I think Kojan is very well done in my opinion. New druids are pretty cool. The revamp has definitely made them more unique from the other classes.

Druids are fun, but I have a soft spot for bards.

Yeah. Creating custom songs is awesome.

Have you considered extending that to, say, spells or combat abilities?

Hehe ... no way. Bard songs are very complicated in code. Good thought though.

Yeah, but now that it's DONE .... doing it again should be easier! A nuke that includes a debuff and a dot. It would be fun!

With a little haste on top.

Anything new in crafting or diplomacy coming this patch? Can people earn the faction for the new mounts purely through diplomacy?

Nothing "new" to say. There are just more bug fixes and tweaks as normal. At the moment, there is no way to earn points in the new faction through diplomacy. We are not ruling it out though. We wanted to get the system set up first for adventuring.

I imagine the diplomats will be somewhat eager to see it come for them as well.

In time, we may add a way for it to be earned through diplomacy. By the way, the way you earn faction is by trading in coins. These coins you earn from fighting under the banner of your city.

When can someone begin fighting under the banner of their city?

Level 10 and after they register with the City Faction Registrar. The first tier of mounts is at level 30.

That's not too bad. How long approximately will it take for someone to earn enough faction for the mount?

In doing the math, we figured that from levels 10-30, a player will be rather close to or have just enough to get their first mount.

That's fantastic news!

Players will be able to earn coins from any NPC they kill as long as they get exp from it. There are different types of coins too, Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Copper, Silver and Gold are the only coins that can be traded in for faction. When you hit level 30, you will get a quest from the creature handlers of the city, and they will want the platinum coins. Platinum coins can only be obtained by killing bosses - NPCs with all capital names. But, you are guaranteed to get a platinum from each boss you kill. whereas when trying to earn the other coins, they are random drop from any NPC.

if a group kills a named, does each person get a platinum coin?

Yes, they all get a coin. There's a random chance you might get two coins, but each person has to be registered, of course

Cool! And same for raids?

Aye, raids are a little more unique. Raid mobs will give you ancient platinum coins. These coins can be traded in to any city for platinum coins of that city. One thing I forgot to mention, is when you are earning coins for, let's say, Rindol Field. The coins you get will say Copper Coin of Rindol Field so whatever banner you fight under, you gain their coins, and no one else's.

Sounds like a good incentive to raid.

Aye, the drop rate is slightly increased the higher the dot value of the mob.

If you earn a bunch of Rindol Field coins ,but switch allegiances, can you still turn the Rindol Field coins in?

Yes.

Do you expect everyone to be riding racial mounts soon?

Aye, we expect a lot of level 30 mounts for sure, especially since you can get multiple mounts.

Once you get a mount, does it reset your faction?

No, your faction remains the same. However, working on one faction will upset opposing factions. Such as, if you are working on Rindol Field, you will be upsetting Martok and Hathor Zhi, and lose faction in those cities.

By losing faction, can you become KOS in formerly friendly cities?

It is possible to become KOS. if you become KOS, you can still sneak in and register to fight for their city. Doing so, you will eventually get out of the KOS pot.

When you say multiple mounts, you can't get another race's mount, can you?

Aye, you can get any mount from any city, just have to do the faction work for that city.

So if a dark elf wanted to get their widow, that's no problem. But if they wanted to get the dwarf pig -- that is possible?

Aye, a dark elf can get a dwarf pig, but they will have extra work to do because they are not a dwarf.

Well, thank you very much for this preview!

No problem. Hope you liked what you saw :)