The City of Dread, The Complete Saga Official Release

[Savantir07]

After what seems to be a long three years, my Architect Entertainment saga is complete. The City of Dread is a nine-episode adventure with a total of 45 unique quests to complete, handfuls of unique custom characters to team with or defeat, and multiple compelling stories from beginning to end. I spent an incredible amount of time on this, and it would mean the entire world to me to have others experience it fully.

 

Clues, NPC dialogue, ally/boss descriptions, and everything in-between ties the story together from the start of the first episode all the way to the end of the saga, so I suggest making a new "Story" tab in your chat window specifically for Cutscene Captions and NPC Dialogue. This is important, as it will make sure you don't miss out on anything that progresses the story and character development.

 

I've personally tested every episode multiple times with different archetypes. Everything is possible solo, but feel free to duo with someone! I provide NPC allies when necessary, but I do recommend being a well-slotted level 50 if you wish to complete the entire saga with few road bumps. Again, if you do decide to play through the saga, then I thank you. I am truly honoured to provide people with unique content created by a lifelong fan. To find the episodes in-game, you can either search the arc ID, City of Dread, or my global Savantir07.

 

If you are stuck, you may always lower the difficulty. Difficulty recommendations and arc IDs are listed below.

 

Difficulty, Author's Recommendation

Level 50, Solo, Incarnate, +2x3

Level 50, Solo, No Incarnate, +1x2

Level 50, Duo, Incarnate, +3x4

Level 50, Duo, No Incarnate, +2x3

 

The City of Dread

 

Episode 1 Arc ID: #10860

Episode 2 Arc ID: #11104

Episode 3 Arc ID: #11332

Episode 4 Arc ID: #42551

Episode 5 Arc ID: #42618

Episode 6 Arc ID: #42715

Episode 7 Arc ID: #49533

Episode 8 Arc ID: #49675

Episode 9 Arc ID: #49732

Priscilla's Behest Arc ID: #54075

 

 

The City of Dread, The Complete Saga

Patch Notes - June 5th, 2022

 

• Added a note to the send-off dialogue of episode 1, mission 1: (( The chemicals are in a destructible crate, not the meteor. ))
• Holo Man in episode 1, mission 3, now spawns on the first floor. This makes him unmissable for story purposes.
• Lead Agent Naverro in episode 1, mission 3, was a female despite the biography referring to him as a male. This has been fixed.
• The "Top Secret Files" objective in episode 1, mission 5, has been removed completely. There are now two glowies in the first room of the mission, which are a lot easier to find. The weapon cache glowies are still found in the cave portion.
• Night Widow Alana in episode 2, mission 1, was a male despite the biography referring to her as a female. This has been fixed.
• Bane Spider Melanko in episode 3 was a female despite him being male in episode 2. This has been fixed.
• This next fix is a spoiler, so I've marked it. Click to unveil.
• Spoiler

  Relik's Stheno's scales in episode 3 have been coloured to a brighter white to appropriately match her future appearances in the saga.

• The mysterious ally that appears at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 has been buffed to better assist players.
• The custom group that appears in episode 8 and episode 9 have been buffed to provide a better challenge to players.
• The Arch Villains that appear at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 have been tweaked accordingly to ensure players may defeat them solo, but with the help from the NPC allies provided.
• Throughout the entire saga, more important bosses have had their surrounding allies shifted from Medium to Hard difficulty.
• Throughout the entire saga, all glowies have had their interaction time sped up to 4 seconds. It was originally 5 seconds.
• The pop-up message after entering the final mission of episode 9 now displays a thank you note from myself, and a song recommendation for the mission.

 

The City of Dread, The Complete Saga

Patch Notes - June 12th, 2022

 

• The final boss' ambush in episode 1, mission 5, now triggers at 1/2 health. Originally 1/4 health.
• H3L1X in episode 2, mission 4, has had her powerset buffed and her height increased.
• M4LW4R3 in episode 2, mission 5, has had his powerset buffed.
• The elite boss' ambush in episode 5, mission 3, now triggers at 1/2 health. Originally 1/4 health.
• The arch-villain in episode 6, mission 5, has had his powerset buffed and his height increased.
• An ally's dialogue in episode 9, mission 5, had a typo. This has been fixed.
• Throughout the entire saga, mission titles and subtitles are now bold and sky blue. This makes them pop, and separates them from the contact's dialogue.
• In the first and second trilogy, every mission that has a time limit has had it extended. The final trilogy has no time limits.

 

 

 The City of Dread, The Complete Saga

Patch Notes - June 25th, 2022

 

• A typo in episode 8, mission 3's send off dialog has been corrected.
• The allies in episode 9, mission 4, have had their survivability buffed.
• An ally in episode 9, mission 4, now has their claws correctly coloured.
• The fixes below are marked as spoilers for episode 8 and episode 9. Click to unveil.
• Spoiler

  • Relik Rudas' title under his name in episode 9, mission 3, now properly displays "Timelord."
  • Relik Rudas at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9, no longer has the fly trap pet.
  • Relik Rudas and the mysterious ally that appears at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 have had their fighting style changed from ranged to melee to combat them running off randomly. Unfortunately, this only reduces the chance of that happening. Allies in the entire saga, regardless of fighting style, will run off from time to time. There is no permanent 100% fix for this.

 

 

The City of Dread, The Complete Saga

Patch Notes - January 24th, 2023

 

• Enemies that ambush or patrol have been buffed throughout the entire saga.
• Enemies that guard captives, allies, bosses, and destructible objects have been buffed throughout the entire saga.
• Custom enemies that appear throughout the entire saga have been altered, increasing the number of powers they have at their disposal.
• The custom Gold Brickers that I created for episode 2, mission 3 have been replaced by Homecoming's new Gold Brickers.
• Fixed an issue where a boss in episode 3, mission 5 had really bright coloured spots, they have now been darkened.
• Fixed an issue where custom characters would have the wrong height or other body proportions. 
• The ally in episode 4, mission 5 has been buffed to be more likely to survive until the end of the mission.
• Fixed a spawn issue in episode 5, mission 5 to combat the chance of the final boss appearing earlier in the mission than intended.
• The mysterious ally that appears at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 is now guarded by enemies.
• The custom group that appears at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 have been buffed.

 

 

Priscilla's Behest [A City of Dread Story] Official Release!

January 27th, 2023

 

• Priscilla, the leader of the Carnival of Light, has requested aid. Assist her in reestablishing order between dimensions before it threatens the stability of Praetoria and Primal Earth. This arc has a beginning and an end, there is no cliffhanger.
• The events of this story take place after the City of Dread saga.
• Enemy Groups Encountered: Resistance Clockwork, Drudges, Wailers
• Five missions, new & returning characters, and a compelling narrative.
• Same difficulty recommendation as the City of Dread saga, see above.
• Arc ID is located below the IDs of the City of Dread saga, see above.

 

 

 Priscilla's Behest [A City of Dread Story]

Patch Notes - January 31st, 2023

 

• All typos have been defeated and correctly spelled.
• The ambush connected to the Blood-Soaked Wailer in mission 1 has been nerfed from hard difficulty down to medium difficulty. Furthermore, the ambush activates when the Blood-Soaked Wailer reaches 1/2 health, down from 3/4 health.
• The Elite Boss in mission 4 has been generously buffed, changing their secondary powerset.
• The Elite Boss in mission 4 has been given shoulder pads and has had their costume coloured differently.
• The fixes below are marked as spoilers for mission 2 and mission 5. Click to unveil.
• Spoiler

  • Botolf's dialogue at the end of mission 2 now properly triggers.
  • The Croatoa Winter Forest and Cave is used for mission 5. Priscilla now hints how to reach the cave in the mission introduction. For those that may have missed this dialogue: follow the iced river and you should reach the cave entrance. Alternatively, using Reveal will display the cave entrance on the map.

   

 

Thank you for playing The City of Dread, The Complete Saga and Priscilla's Behest.

Edited February 1 by Savantir07
Priscilla's Behest Patch Notes 01/31/2023

[SkyRocker]

Sounds great, can't wait to try it!

[Dungeoness Eloora]

I will be trying this too! Would you say that this story leads the player down a heroic/good path in terms of their involvement in it?

[Savantir07]

2 minutes ago, Dungeoness said:

Would you say that this story leads the player down a heroic/good path in terms of their involvement in it?

Yes. The story was designed for heroes, but there are a few missions that are vigilante-esque "for the greater good." I can't spoil anything!

[capricorpse]

I run a lot of mission arc teams with some IRL friends, but not everyone has tricked-out level 50s.  Do you think it's better to do these as an Incarnate with fragile lowbies tagging along, or as a lower-level team?

 

i'm excited to try it!  we love doing full story arcs and strategizing how to tackle different problems with whatever power combos are at hand. 

[Savantir07]

5 minutes ago, capricorpse said:

Do you think it's better to do these as an Incarnate with fragile lowbies tagging along, or as a lower-level team?

The real difficulty spike is the last trilogy because it has many AVs, but if you toy with the notoriety settings then you should be able to do the entire saga with both examples you gave me. Whichever you decide, I am excited that you are excited. I hope you have fun and enjoy the story!

[DanofEarth]

I really dislike the level changes. 42 to 50, then down to 26 randomly in Episode 2. Not sure what that's about. Still progressing through it.

[Savantir07]

2 minutes ago, DanofEarth said:

I really dislike the level changes. 42 to 50, then down to 26 randomly in Episode 2. Not sure what that's about. Still progressing through it.

I've already explained the reasoning behind this, I replied to you twice on Reddit. For those wondering here on the forums, the level shifts are due to the limitations that Architect Entertainment has. Don't fret though, if you're reading dialogue then I provide a story explanation when you're scaled down. Thank you.

[DanofEarth]

30 minutes ago, Savantir07 said:

I've already explained the reasoning behind this, I replied to you twice on Reddit. For those wondering here on the forums, the level shifts are due to the limitations that Architect Entertainment has. Don't fret though, if you're reading dialogue then I provide a story explanation when you're scaled down. Thank you.

Yea I didn't see the responses. Seriously calm down.

[Savantir07]

1 minute ago, DanofEarth said:

Seriously calm down.

I'm calm? Not sure what your problem is, I was only directing you to my previous replies to you. Have a great night.

[BlackRose]

Quite enjoying this! I commented upon completing the first episode. In mission 2 of that one, upon completion the text mentions an encounter with a hero. I didn't clear the map, so didn't see that hero. Perhaps make that encounter a mission-complete requirement? 

[Savantir07]

11 minutes ago, BlackRose said:

In mission 2 of that one, upon completion the text mentions an encounter with a hero. I didn't clear the map, so didn't see that hero.

This issue has now been resolved. For those wondering what the problem and fix was: the ally named Holo Man in the third mission of episode one would sometimes spawn down a hallway on your right on the second floor, making it hard to see him from a distance. I've now changed his placement, he will now spawn on the first floor, and is absolutely unmissable. You should definitely keep him with you until the end though! 😉

Edited June 4, 2022 by Savantir07

[Savantir07]

The City of Dread, The Complete Saga

Patch Notes - June 5th, 2022

 

• Added a note to the send-off dialogue of episode 1, mission 1: (( The chemicals are in a destructible crate, not the meteor. ))
• Holo Man in episode 1, mission 3, now spawns on the first floor. This makes him unmissable for story purposes.
• Lead Agent Naverro in episode 1, mission 3, was a female despite the biography referring to him as a male. This has been fixed.
• The "Top Secret Files" objective in episode 1, mission 5, has been removed completely. There are now two glowies in the first room of the mission, which are a lot easier to find. The weapon cache glowies are still found in the cave portion.
• Night Widow Alana in episode 2, mission 1, was a male despite the biography referring to her as a female. This has been fixed.
• Bane Spider Melanko in episode 3 was a female despite him being male in episode 2. This has been fixed.
• This next fix is a spoiler, so I've marked it. Click to unveil.
• Spoiler

  Relik's Stheno's scales in episode 3 have been coloured to a brighter white to appropriately match her future appearances in the saga.

• The mysterious ally that appears at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 has been buffed to better assist players.
• The custom group that appears in episode 8 and episode 9 have been buffed to provide a better challenge to players.
• The Arch Villains that appear at the end of episode 8 and throughout episode 9 have been tweaked accordingly to ensure players may defeat them solo, but with the help from the NPC allies provided.
• Throughout the entire saga, more important bosses have had their surrounding allies shifted from Medium to Hard difficulty.
• Throughout the entire saga, all glowies have had their interaction time sped up to 4 seconds. It was originally 5 seconds.
• The pop-up message after entering the final mission of episode 9 now displays a thank you note from myself, and a song recommendation for the mission.

 

Thank you for playing The City of Dread, The Complete Saga.

If there's anything else that needs fixing, let me know!

Edited June 5, 2022 by Savantir07

[SylvanMansion]

Designed stories are my favorite thing about AE. I will definitely play it. Thank you for doing this.

[Crazy1van]

I'll give it a go soon!

 

[On-Fire Dude]

Been looking for some interesting new stuff. This looks like it might fit the bill, thank you.

[tobiasrichards]

Just started episode 7, its been quite the ride! I'm enjoying it very much. cheers for the content

[xenonlights]

Custom group in later episodes was great, well-designed too.

Not too easy, but not too overpowered. Good job!

[Savantir07]

The City of Dread, The Complete Saga

Patch Notes - June 12th, 2022

 

• The final boss' ambush in episode 1, mission 5, now triggers at 1/2 health. Originally 1/4 health.
• H3L1X in episode 2, mission 4, has had her powerset buffed and her height increased.
• M4LW4R3 in episode 2, mission 5, has had his powerset buffed.
• The elite boss' ambush in episode 5, mission 3, now triggers at 1/2 health. Originally 1/4 health.
• The arch-villain in episode 6, mission 5, has had his powerset buffed and his height increased.
• An ally's dialogue in episode 9, mission 5, had a typo. This has been fixed.
• Throughout the entire saga, mission titles and subtitles are now bold and sky blue. This makes them pop, and separates them from the contact's dialogue.
• In the first and second trilogy, every mission that has a time limit has had it extended. The final trilogy has no time limits.

 

Thank you for playing The City of Dread, The Complete Saga.

If there's anything else that needs fixing, let me know!

Edited June 12, 2022 by Savantir07

[ElirixVahr]

I came back to the game recently and decided to knock these out during my vacation, but I might replay it with my daughter soon. Ep 6 and ep 9 were my favorite, the arch-villain battles were epic. Decided to play on the difficulty that was recommended, it was tough here and there but nothing a few inspirations couldn't fix!! 😄  

[TerroirNoir]

I love SFMA arcs.  Just started this and it was a hell of a lot of fun.  I'll add it to my list of "Long stories", along with @Darmian's Dark Deeds saga, @cranebump's Leviathan and @Ankylosaur's Glitters mega-thing. I mention these three because they're my benchmark for great stuff and City of Dread is shaping up to be alongside them!

 

Ok, on to Part 2!  More excitement ahoy.

[Savantir07]

35 minutes ago, ElirixVahr said:

I might replay it with my daughter soon. 

This makes me very happy. Thank you for playing!

[Savantir07]

24 minutes ago, TerroirNoir said:

Ok, on to Part 2!  More excitement ahoy.

More excitement indeed. After episode 2, you'll still have 35 missions left! Incredible.

I hope you enjoy the coherent story and unique characters along the way. Have fun!

[Savantir07]

On 6/12/2022 at 5:44 AM, xenonlights said:

Custom group in later episodes was great, well-designed too.

Their powersets went through a lot of trial and error because I wanted a variety that was perfect. The costumes were an absolute blast to create, I kept having ideas one after the other then I had the whole group envisioned quite fast. For the final trilogy, I know I needed to go the extra mile, so that's why there's not only a custom group, but many arch-villains as well. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Savantir07

[Darmian]

18 hours ago, TerroirNoir said:

I love SFMA arcs.  Just started this and it was a hell of a lot of fun.  I'll add it to my list of "Long stories", along with @Darmian's Dark Deeds saga, @cranebump's Leviathan and @Ankylosaur's Glitters mega-thing. I mention these three because they're my benchmark for great stuff and City of Dread is shaping up to be alongside them!

 

Ok, on to Part 2!  More excitement ahoy.

Thanks for the shout out, @TerroirNoir, appreciate it!

 

I tried City of Dread Episode One yesterday myself.  Good stuff, @Savantir07.  I'll get to the rest as soon as I can!

Edited June 14, 2022 by Darmian