During your next Faction Battle, you’ll need to pay attention to your surroundings as much as your enemy! As the battle rages on, the combat area now gradually shrinks, tightening the arena and forcing you and your rival crew into close-quarters combat. To leave victorious, you’ll need to stay sharp, keep your eyes on your opponent, and never lose sight of the encroaching red sea.
Shrinking Battle Bounds
During a Faction Battle, the Battle Bounds will shrink twice around a final combat area at five-minute intervals.
After you’ve matched with an opponent, you will fight in the first combat area, the largest area, for five minutes before the Battle Bounds shrink for the first time. You will then fight for another five minutes in a smaller combat area until the bounds shrink one last time around the final and smallest combat area.
When the Battle Bounds shrink, they will gradually get smaller over two minutes, giving you and your rival crew time to reposition. The Battle Bounds will also shrink toward the center of the combat area, not around the ships, ensuring the final combat area is predictable and in open water with few islands and sea rocks obstructing the fight.
If you get invaded for a Faction Battle, the battle bounds will center around open waters instead of around you.
After the Battle Bounds have shrunk twice, they will remain at their final size for the rest of the fight.
The size of the combat areas is different for each ship type, ensuring all ships have enough space to maneuver during the fight.
Sea of Fate
When the Battle Bounds shrink, you will receive a notification and hear an audio cue. These alerts signal both the start and end of each transition. Specific music will also play as the Battle Bounds change.
You can also visually see the red water, the Sea of Fate, and the low-lying red mist above the water, the Mist of Fate, close in around the combat area. The Sea of Fate and Mist of Fate are only visible to those in the battle.
To ensure your ship is inside the next combat area, you’ll need to check your Map Table. During the transition, the Map Table shows the next combat area as the Battle Bounds shrink around it.
There is a small buffer just outside the Battle Bounds that will cause your ship and the surrounding environment to turn red, signifying the pending destruction of the Hourglass of Fate. While in the buffer, you have enough time and space to turn your ship around. However, if you sail past the buffer, further beyond the Battle Bounds, your Hourglass of Fate will explode along with your ship.
