Blades of Persia

> *"Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But they're wrong! Time is an ocean in a storm. Those who have the will to change their fate will be put to the test."*
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> *"It is time, warrior! Seize the power! Unleash your destiny and become a legend!"*
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## Information

### **Rating(s)**

Mature

The sands of time has swept across the land of Heathmoor, as the Prince of Persia has arrived with his legendary dagger! Team up with other For Honor players in a special crossover event, Blades of Persia, for the game Prince of Persia, one of Ubisoft's beloved series whose popularity has stood the test of time. See what wonders the desert offers to you and earn in-game rewards with the new Free Event Pass. Most of all, play in two chapters of the Ruler of Time event mode, facing off the Prince! But be careful to watch over the sand in the hourglass, as the Prince will only remain in this time until April 2nd, 2020.

## Overview

Once upon a time, there was a Prince from a distant land who wanted to escape death at all costs. One day, he arrived in a secluded harbor and clashed with mighty warriors. The Prince had to use his mystical dagger to change his destiny and survive. Yet meddling with time would have dark consequences for his stranded soul...

## Event Game Mode

### Ruler of Time

> *"The Prince of Persia has traveled to Heathmoor! Defeat him to gain points in this sabulous version of Dominion. You still gain points by killing enemies and controlling objectives."*
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The new mode, Ruler of Time, brings Heroes to the transformed Harbor map for a sand creature-infested Dominion match. Periodically, the Prince will step out of a tornado of sand, and – wielding unique powers granted by the Dagger of Time – he’ll begin hunting players, regardless of which side they’re on. Otherwise, aside from the traps laid about the map, the gamemode serves as a normal Dominion match does.

### Wraith of Time

> *"The Sands of Time have corrupted the Prince of Persia! Defeat the Dark Prince to gain points, steal his Dagger of Time and use extraordinary Feats to turn the tide of the battle."*
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After the first week of the event, the Ruler of Time mode has transformed as the Prince is turned into the merciless Dark Prince. Aside from aesthetic changes, the game mode is no different from the previous week, except one feature with the Prince: upon death, the Prince will drop the Dagger of Time, which anyone can pick up.

When successful in picking up the Dagger, the wielder will have access to the Prince's feats (See below), on top of recovering all Health and Stamina. However, they will only have 75 health to work with and do not gain Renown during the possession of the Dagger.

The wielder will lose control of the Dagger upon death (while Revival is on cooldown) or when the Dark Prince respawns into the game.

### The Prince

The Prince appears as a modified Tiandi that has hyperarmour on all his moves, increased Health and infinite Stamina. He spawns 40 seconds into the round, and after 2 minutes every time he is slain. When his tornado of sand appears, all will be knocked back and dealt a mediocre amount of damage. From there, he begins his hunt of all Heroes. But the sand and his athletic skills are not the only things the Prince brings to the field, as he is empowered by the Dagger of Time with numerous powers:

* **Haste**: The Prince can teleport to any Hero on the map, punching them into a slow-motion fall backwards, which has the potential to ledge the Hero. With a 40 second cooldown, the Prince will teleport periodically, even when in the middle of a fight with a Hero.
* **Revival**: The Prince can rewind time, allowing him to survive lethal blows, including when he falls off ledges. He will revive with up to 50% of his total health, but the cooldown of this ability is long enough that he can only use it once per spawn.
* **Delay**: The Prince utilizes the powers of Time to slow down all nearby foes. Affected Heroes will be stunned and slowed for up to five seconds. If hit during the duration of Delay, Heroes will be hit out of the slowed time. 50 second cooldown.
* **Spears of Fate**: The Prince can summon spears of time from the ground, dealing massive damage to those who stand above. The area of affect is akin to the Highlander's Spear Storm, but can be used indoors and has a much shorter cooldown (50 second), allowing him to use it during most engagements.

The Prince will continue to respawn multiple times over the course of the game, granting 150 permanent points to the team that slays him. As a neutral entity, he is also able to "uncapture" a Zone into becoming a neutral Zone.

### Map Changes

Harbor has been changed to become an encapsulated mess in sands, with Persian merchandise and markings scattered about the map. Traps are laid about too, around both Capture Points. Spear traps are common around the map, shooting up spears from the ground after a sparking delay to deal damage to those who stand above. In Point A up on the lookout, there are sawblades that players should be wary about.

During the Wraith of Time game mode, the map is instead set in the nighttime compared to the first week's daytime.

## Other Changes

### Sabulous Aesthetics

The Prince of Persia has taken his rightful place on the main menu, as sand has been scattered among the trees of Wyverndale. The War Map now has sand all over its land, with a single cyclone wreaking havoc over the Knight's faction, which the Prince had taken with him when he arrived in Heathmoor. The face-off screen though is now a barren desert, daytime during the first week, nighttime for the following weeks. Music on the menus reflect that of the Prince of Persia game franchise.

### Soldiers

Soldiers have been replaced with the sand warriors the Prince had taken with him, each representing a different monstrosity.

* Knights are skeletal warriors from *The Forgotten Sands*, wearing nothing but shoulder plates and a helmet. Their bones still hold onto what human tissue they have left, while their arms and legs have been bandaged wrapped. Their chest cavity glow with their team colour.
* Samurai have taken inspiration from the Persian Immortals, wearing Middle-Eastern garbs that covers their head, torso and legs. Their arms are covered with metal armor on the shoulder and forearm, with their team colour glowing off the exposed arm and shoulder plate. As part of the Immortal aesthetic, they wear a metal Persian mask.
* The Vikings have taken upon being a heavy-set warrior, with a body that is plump but not to be underestimated. While they only wear armor around their waist, their shoulders and over their head, their stout build will keep them protected as their belly around their belt glows with their team colour.

All of these Soldiers will have greyed out skin and glowing eyes of their team colour. The Soldiers now do not speak and shout as humans, but as the time warriors they have become.

### Event Rewards & Pass

Outside the Event Order, players who participate in the event can loot exclusive in-game rewards, including new Prince of Persia themed weapons, outfits, ornaments, and Sand Mood effects. However, unlike Events before, cosmetic loot is attained by a free Event Pass. The free Event Pass enables players to earn the outfits, ornaments and effects over the span of 30 tiers, removing the randomness players faced previously when trying to attain these cosmetic items. Weapon visuals will still drop as scavenged loot.

Players can also opt to purchase the special items that are exclusive to the event. There are the Illustrious sets featuring the mask of Ratash and Sandwraith, along with a new Blade of Fate execution used by the Prince and Dark Prince in combat. From the Event Pass, one can also attain the Event mood of swirling sands and Battle Pass outfits.

Separate from the event, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, there are also time-limited emote moods that are on discount.

## Arcade Quest

> *"Once upon a time, there was a prince who was the architect of his own destruction. In his never-ending quest for redemption, he made a friend. they battled timeless warriors together..."*
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Tag along with the Lost Prince as you face enemies of different factions, corrupted by the sand. As you defeat the Vikings, Knights and Samurai, the Prince claims the Sands of Time he needs to repair what damage has been done. But in the end, just as you are about to face the Wu Lin, the Prince finds himself corrupt too as he teams up with your foes. As a result, he asks of you to defeat him, once and for all.

This quest takes place on the modified Harbor map, with the Prince of Persia acting as an ally. Traps from the Ruler of Time event mode also appears in this quest, on top of a large fire pit placed in the corner of the market place.

This event quest takes up the Weekly Quest slot for the entirety of the Event, until April 2nd.

## Unique Orders

During the Blades of Persia event, the daily orders and Event Orders will be tailored with unique names that references the special game at hand.

### Daily Orders

* Warrior ***(Daily Guaranteed Order)***
	+ **The Dagger of Time**:
		- "A warrior can overcome death with the Power of Revival."
		- "It can summon the deadly Spears of Fate from Azad."
		- "One may move faster to slay enemies with the Power of Haste."
		- "It holds the Sands of Time, granting extraordinary powers."
		- "Its wielder can manipulate time to slow foes around them."
		- "A warrior can overcome death with the Power of Revival."
		- "It can summon the deadly Spears of Fate from Azad."
		- "One may move faster to slay enemies with the Power of Haste."
			* *Complete 2 matches of any game mode.*
* Event Warrior:
	+ **The Prince of Persia**:
		- "It is told that he was trapped in the ocean of time."
		- "He was the youngest son of King Sharaman."
	+ **The Dark Prince**:
		- "The Sands of Time corrupted the Prince's soul."
		- "The Prince couldn't escape from his mistakes anymore."
			* *Complete 2 matches of Ruler of Time / Wraith of Time.*
* Attacker:
	+ **The Prince of Persia**: "The Prince tried to change his fate countless times."
	+ **Blades of Persia**:
		- "Ancient manuscripts were found on the shores of Hylur."
		- "These were cautionary tales about hubris and fate."
	+ **Ratash**: "Some heard Ratash's cries amidst the sandstorms."
		- *Capture 10 zones in any game mode.*
* Slayer:
	+ **Ratash**: "The Prince defeated Ratash with the Djinn Sword."
	+ **Blades of Persia**:
		- "These folk tales were very popular among the Samurai."
		- "Parents used to tell these stories to their children."
	+ **The Dark Prince**: "Escaping death came at a high cost for the Prince."
		- *Perform 10 takedowns on any game mode.*
* Executioner:
	+ **Blades of Persia**: "There were lost scrolls buried in the depths of Blackrake."
	+ **Ratash**: "Ratash used his magic to create the Sand Army."
		- *Execute 3 Heroes in any game mode.*
* Event Special:
	+ **The Prince of Persia**:
		- "His pride led him to steal the Dagger of Time for himself."
		- "He was known for his acrobatic and fighting skills."
			* *Perform 260 damage to the Prince.*
	+ **The Dark Prince**:
		- "Even the Dagger of Time could not save the Prince."
		- "Meddling with time had dire consequences."
			* *As a team, kill the Dark Prince 5 times.*

### Event Orders

Each week, there will be a unique Weekly Order.

* **? - March 12 - 19**
	+ "\_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ R." (Samurai)
	+ "p \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_." (Viking)
	+ "aS we aWAke All kNoWN joyS..." (Knights)
	+ *Be the faction with the most executions performed in Ruler of Time.*
* **? - March 19 - April 2**
	+ "33 - 26 = ?" (Samurai)
	+ "10 + 5 = ?" (Viking)
	+ "V + S" (Knights)
	+ *Be the faction with the most executions performed in Wraith of Time.*

## Trivia

* The Illustrious outfits, Ratash and Sandwraith, are references to major plot characters in the Prince of Persia series.
	+ Ratash is the antagonist of *The Forgotten Sands* game.
	+ Sandwraith is the Prince's doppleganger, and was a key character in the storyline of *Warrior Within*.
* Abilities that the Prince has are all taken from skills/abilities seen in the game's franchise, from his ability to rewind time to his ability to teleport.
* All the weapon loot drops are inspired by Prince of Persia titles, taking on the white/black, gold and emerald colour schemes of Persian designs.
* The Viking sand-creature minion is Ubisoft's first attempt at seeing how large they can customize a minion.
* Easter eggs are scattered around the modified Harbor map:
	+ Scattered around the walls of the map are small images of the Prince jump across bridges or chasm, at 2-bit quality. This is a reference to the earliest release of the Prince of Persia game back in 1989.
	+ In the far end of the marketplace area, near the stairs, figurines stand as if fighting each other. This may be a reference to the earliest release of the game.
	+ Above the marketplace area, Point C in Dominion, a golden spectre of Farah can be seen standing upon a ledge holding her signature bow.
	+ The sawblades and spear traps are native mechanics of the Prince of Persia game franchise.
* The following are other easter eggs or references that have been seen during the event:
	+ As mentioned above, the Knight Minions take on the looks of the Wraith enemies in *The Forgotten Sands* game.
	+ The Execution "Blade of Fate" is a reference to one of the more distinct Speed Kill (essentially Stealth Kill) animations the Prince was able to perform on grunts in *The Two Thrones* and *Rival Swords* game. GIF in gallery below.
	+ The Powers of the Prince and Dark Prince, aside from Spear of Fate, are abilities original to *The Sands of Time* game, with Haste and Delay being modified to fit into For Honor.
	+ The Prince and Dark Prince's entrance via a sand cyclone onto the field in the Event Gamemode may be a reference to the Cyclone of Fate ability in the *Warrior Within* game or the Sand Storm Attack ability in *The Two Thrones* game.
	+ And more...!
* The Event Orders, just like some of the Event Orders of previous Events, is a riddle. While the second week's Orders are the key to getting the needed Caesar Cipher number, the first week's Orders use the Caesar Cipher to provide two messages.
	+ The Samurai and Viking Orders of the second week are basic math, resulting in 7 and 15 respectively. When plugging the "V + S" for the Knight's Order with these numbers, the result is 22.
	+ Using Caesar Cipher on the Knight's first week order with the above 22 in mind, the result is "eW ai eAEoi Epp oRsAR nscW." Seeing that the Samurai's Order has an uppercase R and the Viking's Order uses a lower case p, it can be assumed that the Samurai's Order takes all the uppercase letters, while the Viking's Order uses the lowercase letters. When these letters are reordered, **the result is "We are war" for the Samurai and "Peace is poison" for the Viking**.
	+ Help received from Reddit user Duncrain through this Reddit post here.
* The appearance of this crossover event may be attributed to the recent announcement of a Prince of Persia VR Escape Room title. See details here.