Introducing Zenn Malath, Home of the Froglok Monks

Grinkles

Developer
Staff member
A curious travel brochure has been making the rounds in Dalayan bars. Here's one that was recently picked up in Newport:

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Rumors tell that a new way of life has taken hold among some Frogloks. Choosing to honor Malath through stoicism and martial arts, these Frogloks embraced monkhood and founded a sister city to Sadri Malath where they could pursue their meditations in peace. They named that sister city Zenn Malath.

Shortly after its founding, however, a commercial boom drew considerable attention to their new settlement. Word of its idyllic seaside scenery also spread quickly, bringing in visitors from all corners of Dalaya. Although this spotlight is not what the newfound Monk guild bargained for, they have come to live in harmony with the numerous outsiders who have grown fond of Zenn Malath.

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/salespitch off

Froglok Monks are now a thing! They can now be created like any other character via the character creation process.

Their hometown, Zenn Malath, is an oddball zone. Here is the non-lore gist of it:
  • Intended for levels 1 - 15, possibly slightly higher if you're patient.
  • All mobs have a unique mechanic to them; only one mob doesn't have a unique mechanic, and that is that mob's unique mechanic. ;)
  • Caters specifically to the FRG MNK combo, though others will find a number of low-end quests and other amenities available to them.
  • A FRG MNK can theoretically earn an item for every slot (except Charm) by the time s/he leaves at level 15, including a number of [EXPABLE] items.
  • MoP access will be enabled later today; currently, you can zone out to MoP but not vice versa.
  • There is a riddle/scavenger hunt quest that may be of interest to high-level players; please do not post answers to the riddles to the wiki or forum for the time being. (Feel free to discuss them among yourselves in game.)
Post any questions, balance issues, or screenshots here. If you find a game-breaking bug, please let me know via petition or Discord chat.
 
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Posting updates/fixes in this followup post for visibility.

UPDATES/FIXES:
  • 16 December 2018
  • Two-way MoP access is now live, though the particle effects on the MoP side aren't in yet. (For now, the portal is a floating teddy bear, but it works as intended!)
  • Mining is not implemented yet, but I intend to have it set up by next patch.
  • The healer NPC in town should no longer heal you if you're in combat. Sorry!
  • The final step in the progressive MNK guild questline, "Garb of the Anchorage," is currently unimplemented; I will be working on it in the days to come. (This has no effect on low-level players or the early steps of this quest.)
  • The Leash of Taldorian Twine clicky should now work properly.
  • The DRU group port spell quest now works. A different item is asked for instead of the unattainable Rootfruit. If you already picked up this quest, hail her for updated directions.
  • DRU/WIZ group port spells should have the correct icons after the next patch.
  • Hearty Head of Lettuce is no longer a size above giant. (It is now medium size.)
  • 17 December 2018
  • Fixed a number of incorrect dialog lines spanning several quests.
  • Monastic Facepaint now has the intended [EXPABLE] stats.
  • Sand scarabs can no longer do their "painful pinch" attack at long range.
  • Changed the way low-level monsters in this zone aggro players; they will no longer stand around waiting for a player to hit them before starting their melee attacks.
  • Changed a number of emotes to use fewer combat-related channels; this should improve their visibility in chat windows.
  • 18 December 2018
  • After several mind-numbing debugging sessions, the sparring partners for MNK toons finally work as intended; two of them may be in use at any given time. (This fix has no bearing on the sparring dummies, which any class may use and which work as intended.)
  • Kirby the Good Luck Manatee is now trackable.
  • The spell scroll for the WIZ group port to Zenn Malath was previously bugged and unscribable; it is now fixed. **If you have a bugged version of the scroll please contact me in game, on the forums, or in Discord and I will grant you the fixed version after verifying your quest flag.**
  • 19 December 2018
  • Wincent van Toad's dialog has been reworked, and the two rewards he gives are now given in reverse order. It should now be clear to players that they've not yet finished his quest when they're only halfway through it.
  • Two guards have been added to the settlement. They should behave more or less like other cities' guards and aren't involved in any quests (at least not yet).
  • 20 December 2018
  • The sparring partners for low-level MNK toons will no longer have a buggy appearance if you attempt to spawn one while in shark form (or any other monster form).
  • 21 December 2018
  • Players spawning into the Mansion of Portals from Zenn Malath will now face the proper direction.
  • 24 December 2018
  • Fixed a few unintended loopholes regarding town guards:
    • Monsters killed by town guards no longer give the mini exp bonus to FRG MNK characters.
    • Scarabs killed by town guards no longer count toward the "Test of Strength" kill quota given by Anchorite Pogwog.
    • Waterlings killed by town guards no longer have a chance to grant the player the quest item asked for by Ribble.
  • FRG MNK characters receive bonus exp even when they are under an illusion.
  • Lakelord Caspian no longer gets twice as many melee attacks as he should. (Whoops!)
  • Players in shark form now do double damage against fish enemies in this zone!
  • 25 December 2018
  • Sparring dummies are now immune to "destroy" spells and contagious diseases.
  • 26 December 2018
  • Sparring dummies are much easier to hit in melee, even at level 1; this should improve their usefulness for parsing.
  • 28 December 2018
  • Leash of Taldorian Twine and Bug Catcher's Eyeglass are now equippable in the Ammo slot in case players want to take advantage of that option.
  • 1 January 2019
  • A faction now exists for Zenn Malath.
  • [Friend of Zenn Malath] has been updated to account for the new faction:
    • Players receive faction boosts at varying stages of the quest; anyone who completes it will end at ally status regardless of their class or race.
    • Players who completed [Friend of Zenn Malath] before the faction existed will receive a one-time boost to ally status upon entering the zone.
  • 7 January 2019
  • Ring of the Anchorage now has a type 3 aug slot.
  • 8 January 2019
  • Sparring partners no longer bug out and stand around indefinitely if a player goes linkdead, crashes, or leaves the zone/game in any other abrupt way; instead, the abandoned partner will depop, freeing itself up for someone else to use.
  • 9 January 2019
  • The healer should no longer get stuck in his "busy" state if someone leaves the zone before the healer can complete a requested service.
  • 11 January 2019
  • Citizens and other friendly NPCs are now immune to charm, mez, fear, etc.
  • 23 January 2019
  • Fixed a dialog error that prevented Sadri Envoy Klermit from properly flagging characters for MoP access.
 
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Thats really cool. Can anybody post screenshots of the zone, I will give you non existent platinum.
 
Thanks Grinkles for setting the bar so high of what a new zone is. Now I can never release anything again without being a utter disgrace :p
I would say with the detail, though and effort put into this, it's probably the coolest zone in all of SoD.
 
I think I’m about halfway through the progression of this zone and it’s been one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever played through in 10 or so years.
Grinkles has done a great job with details, dialog and the sheer variety in the monsters to fight and quests to complete. Anyone who doesn’t at least give the zone a try as a brand new froglok monk is missing out big time.
 
I haven't leveled up in this zone yet, but I made a level 1 frog to check it out. Beautiful zone, good work Mr. Grinkles!
 
I haven't leveled up in this zone yet, but I made a level 1 frog to check it out. Beautiful zone, good work Mr. Grinkles!
I personally say its worth it, leveling is very enjoyable there and it's a very unique zone, graphically, aesthetically, and mechanically. ZMal gets a 5/4.3
 
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