Loading Screens

In Skylords Reborn there are multiple types of loading screens. They always follow the same principle by showing a centered artwork in the top, a text field below and further down the loading progress bar.

## Types of Loading Screen

### Random text & Fixed artwork

The default loading screen artwork and a random text hint out of a pool is shown.

* Start Forge/Return to Forge after match
* Replay start-up

Since Patch #400031 the default loading screen has been changed multiple times to celebrate major patch releases:

Bandits Patch (#400031)Force of Nature Patch (#400033)2nd Anniversary Patch (#400039)Nature's Awakening Patch (#400042)
### Fixed text & Fixed artwork

The artwork and text are assigned to the map and will always be the same.

* Campaign PvE match start-up
* Battleground match start-up
* PvP match start-up

### Custom text & Custom artwork

The artwork and displayed text are defined by the map maker.

* Community map start-up

## Loading Screen Text

### Campaign PvE

Below are the fixed campaign loading screen texts and their respective artwork.

 Even as her body was destroyed by Brannoc’s final blow, still Viridya’s spirit did not leave. So passionate was her belief in her cause Viridya’s essence fused with Nature, tainting it with her rage. One enemy had been destroyed, but another, perhaps more terrible, had taken its place.

The Skylords now had to keep Viridya’s minions at bay as they protected the weakenend Jorne and with him, the fragile truce. Were this not enough, they would also have to bring her back into balance. As a spirit Viridya’s power was god-like, it would take all the Skylords’ might to tear her madness from her and grant her peace.

 The treasure paid to the giants in exchange for the new sun had been stolen by the mortal king of fire, known to some as the Red King. His actions brought the wrath of the giants down on all mortals.

Yet one of the missing treasure wagons was found. The Lyrish humans sent a messenger to the Giant King, Jorne. They offered him the wagon in the hope of gaining a truce.

But news of the treasure attracted marauders who hungered not for peace, but simply blood and gold. With them came a rogue giant and his Stonekin minions.

 Of course there were those who believed the Twilight represented a new ordering of things. Fools who claimed the only chance of survival was to embrace it, formed cults, the largest naming itself the Twilight Church. Intent on snatching their share of the future, ministers began to infect their followers with the curse, experimenting with the process of transformation.

 Lyr rallies around its new king, Rogan Kayle, the Skylord, Moon sees what strength and hope founding a new home can give. But the humans of the north are not the only ones who need aid, the fire tribes of the Southern Wastelands have also been brought to the edge of extinction by The Twilight Wars. Because their Red King stole the giant's treasure and abandoned his people, the tribes of the south are in disarray. Leaderless and shunned for their king's dark deeds, they are easy pickings for bandit slave hunters. Moon knows they need a new leader to give them hope. And by freeing some of them from the clutches of a vile bandit lord, she hopes to either find that leader or at least show the fire people they are not alone.

 I know, my sisters and brothers, we do not normally aid petty thieves and plunderers but helping them find the giant’s treasure does not mean we will let them take it. Let us use QueekQueek’s mercenaries to help the White Juggernaut fulfil his quest. I know he is no fit replacement for the Red King, but should he obtain the treasure things will be different. And the more we help the White Juggernaut now, the more he will listen to us later. Mo and QueekQueek face an army of powerful Stonekin, if we do not aid them both the treasure and the fire people’s future will slip through our fingers.

 Brannoc, Master of the Forge, said to be both powerful and wise, was the first and only leader of the Skylords installed by the gods. He had forbidden any to involve themselves in mortal struggles, instead ordering all to search for the missing gods.

History points to the irony that it was not Brannoc’s almighty gaze which found the missing gods’ trail, but the mortals of Lyr. The very same mortals who would have been dead, had all Skylords followed their leader’s command. And even now, creatures cursed with the Twilight taint surrounded them, attracted by the artefact they had discovered.

 Viridya led the mortals to the City called Hope not only because it was a powerful symbol of rebirth, but because it was home to the two soulstones; mighty shrines created by mortals ages past in remembrance of the Giant War. Within them was said to slumber the wrath of a million spirits. Viridya hoped they would wake when the time was right.

 When Mo arrived in Lyre, we saw that while we had been distracted with Blight, Lyre had been attacked. The Lost Souls, the very force behind the Harbinger and the Twilight curse, had invaded and destroyed Lyre. But how could all this have happened in the blink of an eye? The reason was terrifying. The Lost Souls had opened rifts through time and traveled into the past of Lyre undoing our work, killing Rogan Kalye and within a heartbeat, turning Lyre into a land of ghosts and ash. They attacked Lyre because it harbored the most prominent weapon we might have against the dead; the Cloudfire Beacon whose cleansing light might be able to banish the Lost Souls.

 The sun’s death lasted only a year, but it changed the world. When mortals returned to the surface they found a strange curse had fallen upon those who had remained. They were now vile and twisted abominations, creatures who knew only hate and madness.

For Rogan Kayle and a group of human refugees the long journey home had become a terrifying battle for survival as they emerged into a world forever changed.

The Skylord Moon will guide you through your first mission.

 Viridya, infused with the Soultree’s awesome power, sought out Brannoc, determined he would pay for his crimes. But as father and daughter clashed it became clear they were equal not only in rage, but might. Their epic struggle ravaged the land and threatened to destroy the new human settlements.

Rogan Kayle, desperate to stop the destruction, sought to lure the Giant King Jorne into the fight. He reasoned bringing a third power into the fray would tip the balance and end the destruction. The price of failure was unthinkable.

 Call me Mo.
I‘m not what you'd call a people person; being smart and 30 feet high doesn’t seem to fit into the natural order of things, especially among my own kind. As for everyone else, they’re generally terrified of me or convinced I should be hunted. Not exactly a balanced life. But when you’re good at breaking things, you kind of get along with orcs. In my case one particular orc, calls himself Twinaxe. Only real friend I ever had. We had some good years; adventuring, plundering, wrecking a city or two. Happy times. But I lost track of him during The Twilight Wars.I heard he was with the Red King's guard on one of those massive treasure ships. Figure if I find them, I find him. So that's what I’ll go do.
Anything or anyone in my way is now officially out of luck.

 Brannoc’s rage had torn free a shard of the Forge. It fell earthward and crashed in the Shattered Lands. There, its magic went wild. Still a part of the Forge, it could turn the dreams of mortals into potent reality. But nearby were those infected with the curse, and it was their dreams that were born . Thus twisted nightmares gave birth to darker dreams, made flesh that which should not exist. The Twilight sensed the power of the shard, soon witches and other warped creatures journeyed towards it.

 The nightmares streaming from the shard had been stopped, but the Forge fragment remained a danger to all. It could not be returned, so had to be destroyed. But such an act would not be easy.

 Typical. The teleportation spell didn’t work as intended. Now I’m trapped on some stupid island on the edge of the world. The stick-waving locals don’t look too friendly either. I shouldn’t have trusted that flying bacon sandwich. At least Blight’s going to have trouble hunting me and QueekQueek. I hate to say it, but I hope those fancy Skylords find a way to get me out of here.

 There is one really old, powerful legend among the fire tribes that speaks of the Crimson Oracle. It is said to be a fiery spirit that prophesizes the coming of the next ruler of the fire people. This is a load of Moloch droppings of course, this Oracle is a fake created by corrupt priests using tricks of every kind. But you know the fire people, they're a fun bunch but don't have the sharpest minds so tend to believe any prophecy as long as there's a good show involved.
Had I known what that Skylord Moon had in store for me, I would have crashed her pretty party, my word on it. But I was off being chased by a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics so the crafty wench got her way.

 From Akylos, the border between the land of the dead and the living, the Harbinger had whispered dark promises to Brannoc, preying on his desire to resurrect his beloved wife. It had given the Skylord the curse, so perhaps in its defeat lay the cure for the affliction. But Akylos was not only home to the Harbinger itself, with its many faces, it played host to a dangerous cult. Their combined might would require an army of brave Skylords to even have a hope of victory.

 We've found Blight in the Wastelands. He's trapped the White Juggernaut near an old secret Raven base, but thankfully not killed him yet. If we manage to destroy Blight's fleet, we can still save the White One. Finally, we have the chance to destroy Blight and stop any more of his mad schemes. The fire tribes journey to aid us. Also, remnants of the Stonekin army still travel this land attacking anyone they come across. We might be able to put them to use and weaken the squadrons of battleships that stand between us and the White Juggernaut.

 As the first battle of The Twilight War loomed, it was clear the mortal races desperately needed aid. The leader of the Skylords, Brannoc, claiming victory could only be achieved by finding the gods, had disappeared months before in what some of his fellow Skylords thought a fool's quest.

Shepherded by his rebellious daughter, Viridya, mortals, most of them humans of the Northern Lyrish empire, gathered near the city called Hope. She believed there they could both make a new beginning and defend against the twilight creatures. Further disobeying Brannoc, Viridya convinced some of the Skylords to use the Forge to conjure legendary creatures and wonders of old. Moon, his able lieutenant, remained silent in the face of Viridya's plans.

 The bandits have taken the captured fire people to the wasteland border, where they are to be sold to Blight for questioning. But some of the prisoners have been infected with the Twilight curse and are changing. Enraged, the trapped Twilight creatures call to their new brethren. Soon the Skylords will find themselves caught in a struggle between the invading Twilight and the bandits. The Skylords will have to play the two sides against one another if they hope to rescue the prisoners. The bandit captain, Blight and Mo, the White Juggernaut rush into the middle of this explosive confrontation.

 The gods had been the first infected by the curse. They had journeyed to the Sunbridge Shrine to cleanse themselves of its taint. But by touching the Sunbridge’s holy light they only spread the curse to the world. Even the sun was corrupted and had become dark, driving the mortals underground. The curse had brought the Twilight.

One of the cursed gods still remained at the Shrine; Mora, the god of growth. A twisted shadow of his former self, Mora was thought to be the only creature who could point the Skylords to the source of the evil.

 Lyr desperately needed a king and, struggle though he might, Rogan Kayle knew it was right he be chosen. His bond to the Skylords and growing tales of his brave deeds made him loved by the people as well as respected by his men. But to become king, Lyrish law demanded one must possess the wisdom passed down from one ruler to the next; the secret to Lyr’s magical defences. With the former king dead, Rogan was forced to pursue the secret at its source, where the first monarch was said to have uncovered it.

The Riddle of Gnaur, he who had stored the wisdom of power within magical crystals, was said to only be revealed to those who were at one with magic.

But the Cult who guarded Gnaur’s secrets and controlled his Stonekin servants would not give up the knowledge without a struggle.

 Rogan Kayle was now King of Lyr. His coronation took place in a ruined fortress and was said by many to have felt somewhat rushed. Yet such expediency proved fortuitous for that very day the Twilight attacked with unprecedented force.

Were they driven by desperation? Did the Twilight hunger to snuff the tiny flicker of hope that now fluttered in men’s hearts? With no magical wonders to aid them, the humans were forced to try and restore Lyr’s ancient mechanical defences. But the Twilight would not to be stopped by rude cannons and simple walls alone.

 Mora had been slain at the Sunbridge Shrine, but his brothers and sisters still travelled the lands. Though their spirits were twisted by the curse their powers remained intact, making them a greater threat than even the giants. Though most gods remained lost, Urzach the God of Flies, was not. Insane and desperate, he attacked his own temple. Through the slaughter of his priests and desecration of his holy alters Urzach strove to anoint his followers so they could bear the mark of his new, distorted form.

 Many ages past, in the Elemental Wars, earth created the trees to defend against the wind. But the trees rebelled against their masters and created the power of Nature.

Viridya had a powerful affinity to Nature and knew this ancient conflict had spawned its most powerful artefact, the mighty Soultree. Within it she hoped to finally find the strength needed to rid the world of the Twilight curse. Moon watched but still did nothing, believing perhaps in the purity of Viridya’s intentions.

 A group of the Red King’s guard was found dead. With them were several wagons loaded with casks, surely part of the booty their master had stolen. It was unclear if these guardsmen had tried to return the treasure or make their fortune with it. After the first wagonload had proven so valuable in appeasing the giants, these casks had to be handed over to the mortals. But aid would have to be swift, as Twilight-cursed were about to flood the area.

 While Kayle carried out his desperate plan with the enraged Giant King, Brannoc and Viridya’s struggle reached the outskirts of Lyr. As they fought on, wild magic ravaged the landscape and their frenzied minions tore apart buildings and people with equal abandon. The fledgling capital of the northern humans faced certain destruction.

### Random Pool of Hints

Below is a table with all currently existing randomly selected hints that can appear during loading screen.

## Patch History

Patch #400042
* Changed the artwork of the default **loading screen** to the **Nature's Awakening** artwork (old:  / new: ).

Patch #400039
* Changed the artwork of the default **loading screen** to the **2nd Anniversary** artwork (old:  / new: ).
	+ Loading screen artworks are now displayed larger for higher resolutions (added support up to QHD 2560x1440).

Patch #400033
* Changed the artwork of the default **loading screen** to the **Force of Nature** artwork (old:  / new: ).

Patch #400031
* Changed the artwork of the default **loading screen** to the shared artwork of the new Bandits cards (old:  / new: ).
* Adjusted punctuation in Russian Loading Screen hints.

Patch #400030
* Improved some loading screen texts for Russian and French.

Patch #400026
* Reordered and added some loading screen hints.