Bjorn, the Raging Berserker

Introduction: Welcome to our first character spotlight for Quest Forged Arena! Today, we are diving into the fierce and formidable Bjorn, the Raging Berserker. As the last surviving son of the king of the elves in the North, Bjorn brings a unique blend of strength, strategy, and lore to the battlefield. Bjorn hails from Jotnar, a cold desolate swath of land in the north. His lineage can be drawn back to a tribe of warriors known for their fierce independence and unmatched rage in battle. The North Elf tribe, from which he descends, is characterized by their resilience and martial prowess. Bjorn, embodying these traits, leads from the front lines, inspiring his comrades with his bravery and skill.

Abilities and Gameplay: Bjorn’s gameplay is designed to reflect his battle-hardened nature. His core ability allows him to sacrifice his own health to deal additional damage to opponents, making him a threatening presence on the battlefield. His Heroic Leap ability enables him to jump into the fray, getting behind enemy lines or retreating for a tactical advantage. Additionally, his war horn can cause enemies to flee in terror, allowing Bjorn to control the battlefield. Pro Tip: catch everyone in the war horn’s range for maximum chaos. 

Initial Art Concept: Bjorn’s design began with a blend of influences from Norse mythology. We also liked the idea of flipping elves on their head, from being peaceful, forest-dwelling creatures to having them be more hardened from the cold, in the thick of battle, a little more tribal, akin to traditional Dwarven societies. The goal was to create a character who embodied the rugged, battle-hardened traits of these northern Jotnar Elves, while still maintaining a unique identity within the game. Early sketches always depicted Bjorn with a strong, imposing presence, marked by his distinctive armor and weaponry. The journey from initial concept to final design was iterative and collaborative between the developers, the community and artists. Because he was a character created for the game, we had a lot of control over his abilities, as there weren’t any story beats or plot points we needed to keep in mind. 

Balancing Design and Gameplay: One of the primary challenges in Bjorn’s design was balancing the rule of cool with functional gameplay. His powerful abilities had to be tempered to ensure they didn’t overshadow other characters while still making him a formidable presence. This required close collaboration between the art and gameplay teams to iterate on his abilities and visuals until what we hope is the right balance as he bounced from Guardian to Assault, and eventually back to Guardian again. Whether charging into battle or rallying his allies, Bjorn’s presence on the battlefield are felt both visually with his unmistakable size, and mechanically with his in-your-face punishing style. Bringing Bjorn from a 2D concept to a tangible 3D model was a journey the entire team was incredibly pleased with. The process began with Crowe creating a digital turnaround - a 2D illustration that provides our 3D artist necessary information on posing, armor, facial expressions, and hair layering. After that, we send the turnaround to our partner artist that’s helping create our 3D models, Rick Ramos (@rickramos3d on instagram) who meticulously crafted Bjorn by leveraging Crowe’s art turnarounds as a reference. One of the key challenges in 3D modeling is maintaining the level of detail seen in the 2D concept art. For Bjorn, this meant paying close attention to the textures and patterns on his armor (interlaced leather arm wraps), the runic and weathered look of his weaponry, and the rugged features of his face and accessories. Each element was carefully sculpted to ensure the final model would capture the essence of his character. 

3D Printing Process: Once the digital model was complete, the next step was optimizing it for 3D printing. This involved preparing the model to ensure it would print correctly without losing any of the intricate details. Key considerations included the thickness of certain parts, the need for supports during printing, and ensuring that the final printed model would be both sturdy and visually accurate. Bjorn being one of the tallest characters introduced the unique challenge of keeping him on a 32mm base while towering over the other minis. Crowe developed a sizing chart to ensure all champions were consistent in universe, and Cam spends hours upon hours going back and forth between the 3D model and the printer to ensure that all miniatures come out at the correct scale. With the model optimized, we moved on to the actual printing process. Using a 12K 3D printer, we printed Bjorn in several parts to ensure the highest quality test prints. Once printed, the parts were carefully assembled, and inspected, and feedback noted for future iterations. 

Conclusion: The journey of crafting Bjorn from a digital concept to a physical 3D model showcases the blend of artistry and technology involved in game character creation. The end result is a stunning figure that not only captures the essence of a Jotnar berserker, but also stands as a testament to the attention-to-detail and dedication of our team. Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes insights into the making of Quest Forged Arena!

-Quest Master Kayden