This demo has sold me, great stuff...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK3Mfn2smqo&feature...

Are there ability driven or weapon driven ways to restore health or are health potions the only way? – By Floytesangen

A: In addition to potions, there are many ways to recover health, including abilities, weapons and armor, and resting in a bed. You can find or craft weapons that will have a buff that allows you to steal health from your enemies with each hit, or armor pieces that grant health regeneration. "Healing Surge" is an ability you can pick up in the Sorcery tree that you can use to either heal yourself just a little, or charge it up to get much more health back … but time it well, you’re vulnerable while charging. – By Andrew "Andre" Frederiksen, Producer


Concerning the two Elven races and their history, I know they are fighting together against the Tuatha but what is the state of their relationship? Will we see any signs of tension between the two about the past or has the war completely united them? – By Kurik+Lein

A: At this point in history, the nations of the Alfar are not very different from one another and while the Ljosalfar and the Dokkalfar do not always see eye to eye, there is no animosity between them. Each culture looks upon the other like one would think of a sibling, and while they do not necessarily agree or get along all the time, they do not work against each other. Although Rathir is on the front lines of the war, the Ljosalfar consider it to be their war as well, for any threat to the Dokkalfar is a threat to all the Alfar of Amalur. – By Erik "DoctorSpooky" Caponi, Principal Narrative Designer


Does using roll or teleport while stealthed cause someone to unstealth? If not, do the "added" teleport abilities (i.e. poison) cause someone to unstealth? – By Geist

A: Neither dodge nor teleport will cause you to unstealth when you're sneaking around, and the added effects to teleport won't change that. Be warned though – your enemies may hear you coming since both dodge and teleport make more noise than the usual stealthy "creep." – By Andrew "Andre" Frederiksen, Producer


Hey guys, I have a question about weapons in Reckoning. Will weapons degrade over time, and need repair? If so, how quickly do they degrade, and what system is used to repair them (Blacksmithing, perhaps)? Also, will unique items degrade? Will we lose the use of our loot if we choose not to invest in the Blacksmithing tree? Thanks! – By Baseblgabe

A: Your favorite new piece of gear won't completely break or vanish, but all weapons and armor will eventually require repairs to stay effective - including unique and player crafted ones. And while they do degrade, you'll be able to get through several quest or dungeons before your new sword needs to be sharpened. To repair them you have two options – use repair kits or speak to a NPC. Anyone can use a repair kit regardless of their skill choices, but if you choose to invest in Blacksmithing, each kit you use will restore a higher amount of the equipments max durability. The NPC blacksmiths can be found throughout the world, and will gladly fix your gear in exchange for some of your gold! – By Andrew "Andre" Frederiksen, Producer


We saw a while back some of the details that have gone into the animations regarding the red ogre (sorry can't remember its name). How much focus went into the animations of some of the other monsters in the world (specifically humans) and what kind of animation details can we expect? – By CeliriaRose

A: I'm Young Vo, Lead Animator on Reckoning. Thanks for the question! We put in as much detail as we could before they pried it from our hands. Every monster in the game is hand animated (no motion capture). What that means is if you see something moving on a monster, an animator made it move. So nothing moves without a reason.

The animation team gets together a couple of times a week to go over the animations. We do this to ensure that the animation bar is met. We try to be as critical and honest as possible. There have been situations where we did things over several times because we just didn't think it was good enough. Our goal is for every monster in the game to act, move and fight differently ... and be fun.

But you want to know specifically about the humans. The best example of the animation details for the human is the rogue. The rogue will throw feints and dodge arrows—and they dash instead of strafing sometimes. Even the stance they use is unique to them. The best way to see monster animations is to let them win sometimes.

Hope that answers your question! – By Young "Kvothe" Vo, Lead Animator