Climate

**Climates** are a gameplay mechanic in *Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen*. They are extreme environments that inflict detrimental effects on unprepared players. These effects can be mitigated through the process of acclimation.

## Description

Climates are extreme environments that inflict negative effects on players, making it difficult or impossible to explore some areas of Terminus. Players can combat the effects of Climates via Acclimation (see below). Climates can exist within other climates.

## Climate Types

* Frigid
	+ Archai with *Water* attunement, as well as Dwarves, have an innate bonus to their *Frigid* acclimation scores
* Scorching
	+ Archai with *Fire* attunement have an innate bonus to their *Scorching* acclimation scores.
* Toxic
	+ Archai with *Earth* attunement, as well as Dwarves, have an innate bonus to their *Toxic* acclimation scores.
* Anaerobic
	+ Dark Myr have an innate bonus to their *Anaerobic* acclimation scores.
* Pressure
	+ Dark Myr have an innate bonus to their *Pressure* acclimation scores.
* Wind Shear
	+ Archai with *Air* attunement have an innate bonus to their *Wind Shear* acclimation scores.

Each of these Extreme Climates have 5 tiers of potency. The higher the tier, the greater the scope and severity of its effect on players. Additionally, the higher tier an Extreme Climate is, the more Acclimation is necessary for a player to occupy that area safely. Each climate will have its own set of "core" and "sporadic" detriments it can inflict.

**Core Detriment**

An Extreme Climate’s core detriment is the effect that will apply to all players immediately upon entering the climate area. The core detriment will typically consist of several layered effects which can be mitigated by increasing the Acclimation score towards that specific climate.

**Sporadic Detriment**

Sporadic detriments have a chance of occurring as long as the player remains in the climate area. The chance a player will be affected by a sporadic detriment depends on the tier of the climate and their personal Acclimation score.

As an example, let's look at the Frigid Climate's core detriment

 **Glacial Pace**

 • Decreased movement speed

 • Decreased attack speed

 • Increased casting time

 • Increased cooldown time of abilities

The  **Sporadic Detriments**  for the Frigid Climate:

 **Frozen Lungs**
 Player takes a jolt of damage, losing X% of maximum health based on the climate tier. While Frozen Lungs is active, Endurance will drain until empty and will not regenerate by natural means until Frozen Lungs is no longer in effect.

 **Frostbite**
 Player takes a jolt of damage, losing X% of maximum health based on the climate tier. Places a counter on the player that will last until the player leaves the climate area. At 5 stacks of Frostbite, the player will be unable to engage in melee or ranged attacks and spell-casting will become disabled. The chances Frostbite will occur will increase dramatically in higher tier Frigid climates.

 **Hypothermia**
 Player takes a jolt of damage, losing X% of maximum health based on the climate tier. While Hypothermia is active, the player will lose Y amount of health every second until the player is dead, or Hypothermia is cured. Note: This effect can only occur if at least one other Sporadic Detriment is active on the player.

## Acclimation

Acclimation is the process in which a player mitigates the effects of climates. There are several ways players can mitigate the effects of Extreme Climates. Certain items and buffs will provide a degree of protection, your character can naturally acclimate--to a certain degree--to dangerous climates by persisting in them, and certain racial passives (See above) will also help. There will also be an Exposure mechanic allowing players to temporarily build up a further degree of Acclimation by persisting in the same climate for a period of time.

But the main mechanic which will provide the highest degree of protection is the Acclimation system, through which players can use Glyphs to increase their Acclimation score for specific climates (or combinations of climates), allowing them to enter and adventure in these harsh and deadly areas.

 **Acclimation UI Breakdown**

1. In the first section, players are able to choose which body part to view using the buttons along the top of the section. The available slots are: Head, Chest, Arms, Hands, Legs and Feet. Once a slot is selected using one of the buttons, the details regarding that slot are shown just below. It shows you how many slots are available to use, and if there are any Glyphs currently equipped in the chosen slot.
2. Below the slot selector and details, you can swap between Acclimation tab [pictured] and the Glyph Pouch, where a player's Glyphs are stored.
3. Below the *Acclimation* and *Glyph Pouch* tabs are a row of buttons. The icons represent the Climates, with the numerical value below representing how much protection the character has against the climate. By clicking the button, the section below will provide further details.
4. This section lists the name of the currently selected Climate as well as current and maximum Natural Acclimation the player has accumulated. The area to the left displays the current intensity of a climate, if the player is in one.

 **Natural Acclimation**
 Characters can gain a certain degree of natural resistance by being in a harsh climate for long enough.

**About Glyphs**

There are 6 parts of the body that Glyphs may be applied to: Head, Chest, Arms, Legs, Feet, and Blood. Glyphs will contribute differently to that score depending on the quality of the Glyph and which part of the body they are applied to

* Arms & Feet - Up to 20pts.
* Head & Legs - Up to 30pts.
* Chest - Up to 40pts.
* Blood - Up to 60pts.

Glyphs are rare and difficult to attain. They can be found off of powerful enemies in the world or created by max-tier Crafters through recipes requiring rare and valuable components. When acquired, Glyphs will populate a collection list within the Acclimation window of the UI, organized according to climate type, quality, and body location. Once you have found a particular type of Glyph, it is always available for you to use, allowing you to mix and match your Glyphs more freely as your collection grows.

Glyphs will be identified by 3 parameters:
(1) The climate type they correspond to.
(2) The Glyph quality, which determines how much it will increase your Acclimation score towards that climate.
(3) The part of the body it can be applied to.

An example of a low vs. a high level Glyph:

 Prime

The decision of what types of Glyphs to use, where to apply them, and the overall Acclimation score a player needs for the various climate types is the intended strategy of the system.

An example of this system in action: a player is trying to Acclimate to a high level area in the frozen South, which happens to be located within a tier 5 Frigid Climate. Including buffs, gear, and their racial passive as a Dwarf, they are sitting at a Frigid Acclimation score of 50pts. However, to be fully acclimated to a Frigid T5 climate they need a Frigid Acclimation score of 250pts. In this case, the player would need to use Prime Frigid Glyphs on every available part of the body.

An alternative example: a player is trying to Acclimate to an area with multiple climate types. Perhaps this is a volcanic region that has a tier 3 Scorching Climate and a tier 2 Toxic Climate. To achieve full acclimation in Scorching T3, let’s say the player will need a Scorching Acclimation score of 120pts. And for Toxic T2, the player needs a Toxic Acclimation score of 80pts. In this case, the player would need to mix their Glyphs, perhaps applying their Scorching Glyphs to the blood, chest, and arm slots, while applying the Toxic Glyphs to the head, legs, and feet slots. This would give the player the holistic Acclimation they need to survive in this area.