Lore Look: Putting the Shard in Shardbound
Heyo Rangers, as we move towards Open Beta and Sharbound’s Worldwide Release, we want to start pulling back the curtain on the Shardbound universe and share some of the lore that makes the world so special. Today, we want to introduce you to our game’s namesake: the shards.
Every match you play in Shardbound is fought on the shards, and is meant to represent the countless bloody conflicts between the factions on these floating islands. But what makes them so valuable? Why are they important enough to kill over? Read on to find out!
Shards: The Basics
First, the Broken Mesa, Lost Highlands, and Reaver’s Mire map are but small slivers of the former surface of the planet, called shards, sent skywards in the great cataclysm. They exist in the upper atmosphere, known as the Shardveil, alongside billions of others high above the floating continents where a majority of the world’s denizens live.
Each shard is a small (roughly 1-4 acres) microcosm of life from before the blast, and typically retains the same biome from before the cataclysm. Intrepid shard explorers might discover ruins of the old world, or ancient treasures, tucked away in hidden vaults. If they’re not careful, hungry creatures might find them.
However, before anyone can even think about visiting a shard, it must first descend from the Shardveil. No one knows what causes shards to fall from orbit, but once a rock begins to drop, every faction within range scrambles their troops and sends their best fighters to scout its secrets. Why? One word: Chromacite.
Crazy for Chromacite
Chromacite is a naturally occurring mineral with incredible properties that make it a wildly valuable resource. Frankly, "wildly valuable" is putting it lightly. In the right quantities, it can power entire cities! It is the single most important resource on the planet.
As you can imagine, any Chromacite that was left on the continents has been long since extracted and used, however on the shards, it’s free for the taking. So, when a shard falls into Jacknife range, it becomes a battleground, and is picked clean with extreme prejudice.
No Place for the Weak
Not only does each faction have to worry about enemy troops scouring for the same Chromacite they’re after, they’re also racing against gravity. You see, during their descent, shards can pass a point of no return. The point of no return is directly related to how far a Jacknife can fly.
Anyone stuck on a shard that drops below the continent and out of Jacknife range… Well, they’re not making it back. Shards eventually find their way to the planet’s exposed core where they, and any unlucky hitchhikers, are annihilated. Completely.
Oh, and those critters we mentioned earlier? The hungry ones? When the first boot touches down, it’s like someone ringing the dinner bell. Faction forces need to watch out for Hungry Gnarbecks, Shard Harriers, Spark Treaders, and Veil Shriekers just to name a few, all while collecting Chromacite and fighting off the enemy. The shards are no place for the weak.
Yet despite all their dangers, and there are MANY, the shards are also beautiful, mysterious, and captivating. They are time capsules of a world that was...
And that wraps our very first peek into Shardbound’s lore! Hopefully you learned a thing or two, and if the you enjoyed this peek behind the curtain, let us know on X or in the Discord. Stay tuned Rangers, we've got more awesome stuff on the way, and we'll see you on the battlefield!
