Port Harmony Cistern

July 27, 2023

Port Harmony Cistern uses magic to contain massive amounts of water before purification.

Underneath Port Harmony is a cistern that's critical to that city's water management. Players with access to Shroud of the Avatar's Episode 2 region may accept a quest from a "watersmith" NPC that tasks them with venturing through several sections of this underground "dungeon" that Keith created to discover who or what has been damaging the city's delicate system.

Port Harmony Cistern is a large water-themed "dungeon" with three main sections. The first area sets the mood and includes a helpful NPC who offers a quest but can also talk about some of the special mechanics in the scene. The second area includes several cavernous rooms and corridors with patrolling enemies. The third area includes more patrolling enemies and ends with a wave battle that includes a boss fight.

In order to go from one area to another, the player must swim through an underwater cavern and repair several leaking pipes in order to unlock the exit on the far side. If players don't solve the repair puzzle in time, their time will run out and they'll begin taking damage (although they can still leave the water-filled cavern through it's entrance). Shroud of the Avatar has surface swimming mechanics, not underwater swimming, but Keith used existing mechanics and a little trickery to fake swimming underwater. A player that moves through a vertical threshold will begin surface-swimming into the "water-filled" cavern that includes special lighting, schools of fish, a variety of bubbles, and "underwater" sounds.

In addition to the repair puzzles in the water-filled caverns, a second puzzle allows players to adjust dials and switches on several similar control panels. If the player adjusts the controls correctly, then they'll see water within a glass cylinder become purified. When all the control panels purify their respective water supplies, a "wall of water" is disabled after the boss fight and players are given access to a room that includes a "Reward Blessing" long-term buff.

The quest that leads players through the Port Harmony Cistern can only be accepted done once, but afterward players can come back to the cistern at any time.

Tags: boss fight, Catnip Games, multiplayer, Portalarium, puzzle, quest design, single-player, wave battle, worldbuilding