Welcome to the final diary in our September series. Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared details about some of the raid types you’ll encounter in the game and the creative process behind their design. Today, we’ll talk about creation again, but this time we’re focusing on creatures, specifically, one type you'll come across in the Galaxy of Neterun: the Morays.
As always, we want to remind you that the material we share is a work in progress, and some aspects may change as development continues.
Let’s dive into the creatures of Neterun. In one of the earlier dev diaries, we introduced the core concept behind the planet’s biology, a fusion of organic and metallic elements, powered by sonic matter. The moray creatures fit perfectly within this framework, as you can see in one of the first iterations we designed.
In this version, you can clearly observe the blend of biology and mechanics. Raiders named them "Morays" because of their shape, after early Imperial explorers first encountered these hostile beings while venturing into Neterun, quickly realizing they were unwelcome intruders in the creatures' territory. Morays are fiercely protective of their habitat, and you’ll find them both in groups and on their own as they patrol the more remote regions of Neterun. We wanted them to evoke a sense of looming danger, with their glowing eyes biding their time until they strike.
As you can imagine, coexisting with these creatures isn't easy for the raiders. Morays are highly aggressive and use sonic matter to fuel a wide array of attacks against any raiders unfortunate enough to cross their path. Our goal was to create a creature that is constantly charged with energy, with luminous patterns running across its leathery body. During combat, the moray channels this energy, through sonic matter, both to shield its vulnerable areas and to amplify its attacks.
We designed the morays to feel like predators that circle their prey before moving in for the kill, making them challenging to defeat. Their metallic parts serve as protective armor, guarding their more vulnerable areas while they charge up for an attack. So, raiders, if you ever come across one of these creatures, surviving the encounter might not be so easy…
And with that, we've come to the end of this dev diary. We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into yet another deadly threat from our hellish galaxy. We’ll see you in the next one!
Farewell, raiders!
