Unlike the set series of steps to progress toward breeding, training and other activities that are required in many ARPGS, while playing Arcane Zoo characters are given much wider ranges of open ended creative story ideas to let them shape and explore a character’s background and personal life instead.
Players can create these prompts in any order, and may double up on a single prompt if they have multiple unique story points they want to explore in different ways. Once completed players can submit each creative work to the Character Journey Prompt, if approved the character will earn a 'Memory'. Memories are tied to that character and can not be traded, sold or given away.
As they collect more memories, a character can spend them for these advancements in game:
2 Memories: Trained - Advances to fully trained and will receive a boost to rare item rewards during Resource Gathering, and some Monthly and Storyline Event Prompts.
2 Memories: Employed - Gains access to train in a specific job and can submit additional job based quests, as well as unique job related options during group events.
3 Memories: Mature - Will be able to breed in game.
Memory List:
- Memory: A character’s first memory, good, bad or neutral. What do they hold on to or reminisce about years later, how did it shape them.
- True Bonds: A first meeting, this could be a good friend or a bitter enemy. What triggered this meeting, how does it shape their life afterward.
- Adventure: Traveling outside their homelands for the first time, was this an exciting vacation, or a perilous journey.
- Education: Learning a special skill for the first time, is your character training to be a fierce pack hunter, a tolerant overseer to young. Do they excel quickly, or struggle to adapt.
- Hurt: Suffer a serious injury or set back. Was your character injured in a fight, or maybe not being picked for a job after a lot of hard work.
- Loss: Losing a close friend, or a treasured item. Maybe moving from their birthplace was a sad loss of their home.
- Growth: Passage into adulthood. In your character’s group what event do they hold to honor this occasion, maybe there’s a test to prove themselves. Are they scared or excited for this event.
- Fear: Your character is up against their biggest fear, how do they hold up. Do they overcome it or back down and flee.
- Spirit Touch: You character has a brush with the otherworldy. Perhaps in a vision, or dream, maybe in person while adventuring. How do they react, do they treat it like a motivating sign, or a dark omen.
- Hate: Everyone has something they hate, maybe it’s a person, an idea or an activity that needs to be done. How does your character start this dislike, how do they deal with it.
- Small Things: Even the most hardened warriors and wicked villains have something they can take pleasure in. What does you character enjoy when things get tough, tea, star gazing or something else.
Special Memory List:
Once a character has earned the title of Rookie, they also gain access to these prompts that allow for unique character customization as a reward. Players may use the same Prompt submission area as normal advancement when requesting these updates, if approved this unlocks the ability to add these updates.
All Speices:
- Scar: How does your character earn this scar, do they want to hide it or do they wear it proudly. Adds a large scar effect to any character.
- Charmed: The addition of jewelry can mark a special event for many creatures, what did you character do to earn these, was it a happy moment or added in honor of something more tragic. Adds bells or other small jewelry charms to any character.
- Mutation: Sometimes the side effects of using or being around alchemic energies can be surprising, did you character intentionally mess with these, or did someone else inflict them with it. How do they react to the sudden change. If a character carries a Mutation not shown, they may update their design to add the mutation.
- Adjustment: New changes in life, new changes to the outside too! Explore your character making a positive, or negative change in their life that might effect their external appearance. Before, after, or in the process of. Allows a character to have their mane and tail redesigned with new accents, this can include adding small streaks of color, a new hair cut, or small bands, braids or hair related bangles.
Kirunhound Only:
- Horn: Special pools hidden in the Atlosian Wetlands are known to alter the horns of Kirunhounds, what obstacles does your character overcome to reach these, how do their friends react to their new change. Adds a glow effect to Kirunhound horns, these can be any single color except white and black.
Popokee Only:
- Vision: The oceans that Popokee call home are deep, and vast, and also full of stray bits of magic unknown to the land above. What sort of things does your character find down there, was it scary, and did they take anything back with them? Changes the color of a Popokee's eye to any color, including splits, gradients and other unique patterns.