There’s some more insight from the Fractured Online team on some of what to expect in the game. This time, the update shines a spotlight on some of what the player-driven towns and settlements will be like.
Your particular play style will come into effect since you can choose to be a lone wolf and claim land outside, but players who want to play more cooperatively can start a settlement together or join one with an open spot.
If you join a settlement, your membership is known as citizenship so it’s not related to guild membership and the two exist separately. So you can widen your in-game social circle this way. And for those who want a taste of power, settlements will have governors. If you can recruit at least 19 players to join your settlement, you can claim that role, which gives you some decision making power.
Another benefit to being able to recruit 19 players? You can then claim a town spot because you need a group of minimal 20 players in order to start a new town. Well, it won’t start out as a town, since this system for settlements has three stages and 15 ranks to earn. You will start with a hamlet, then progress to village, and ultimately a town. There are several predefined town areas located where villages or cities used to exist before the Fracture. You can also decide to become a governor. You can also choose to set up and live in a residential area outside of the actual town, with fewer responsibilities than town residents, and different options.
Given the emphasis on player decisions in race, traits, and skills, it isn’t too surprising that Dynamight has decided to make towns player-driven. They want everyone to be able to play as they’d prefer, but also put weight on decisions. You’ll have to choose wisely because you can only have one settlement membership per account, so every character you create will be part of that settlement.
Even with so much activity being player driven there are some NPC towns on each continent, they’re your player hubs or you can find ways to fulfill most of your basic needs.
For more on the system, head over to Fractured Online.
