When Riders of Icarus first introduced its multi-sided Manastone battles, it was without any sort of automated matchmaking, with the assumption that players would square off with one another on the field of battle. What actually happened, instead, was a cabal of mega-alliances banding together and functionally trading wins so that one side or the other would have access to the buff for victory on a rotating basis. Needless to say, this was not what the designers considered ideal, and so changes are coming to the battle format.
Alliances are being temporarily removed, turning the battles into wars between the Militia and the various guilds in the game; smaller guilds can also bolster the Militia to provide a more interesting matchup. Players can also obtain “rental” PvP gear to ensure that battles are more balanced on a statistical level. It’s a fairly major shakeup to the system in the hopes of keeping these battles about an ongoing contest rather than simply trading wins back and forth.
