Greetings, Scavengers!
Today, we are happy to give you a preview of a new and upcoming feature, designed to offer guilds more regular PvP activities in Persist Online. We are talking about: Sector.
What is A Sector?
A Sector is a specific contested area in the open world which guilds can fight over for a special reward. But claiming one Sector takes more than just standing in one place and waiting for a progress bar to fill. Each Sector comes with its own objectives, gameplay loop, and rewards. To succeed, guilds need to coordinate, divide their forces, and keep a close eye on rival groups.
Who Can Participate in Sector Fights?
Participation in a Sector fight is tied to guild membership, which means that Guild Leaders, Officers, and Members can take part in the event, secure objectives, use the Sector respawn system, and fight to capture the Sector for their guild.
Players without a guild can still enter the area while the Sector is contested, but they do so at a significant disadvantage: they cannot damage guild members inside the Sector, even while using Aggressor Mode (P), while guild players can kill them without losing Karma. Guildless players will therefore receive a warning while inside a contested Sector, informing them that the area is intended only for players that belong to a guild.
How To Claim A Sector?
Every Sector in Persist Online moves through three stages:
- Unclaimed
- The Sector is waiting for the next contest stage and cannot yet be captured.
- Contested
- The sector and its objectives become active. Guilds can fight for control and complete the requirements needed to capture the Sector.
- Claimed
- A guild has successfully taken the Sector and receives its reward. Once the ownership phase ends, the Sector becomes available again.
Once contested, all guilds on the server and their members can join the Sector battle, secure the side objectives, and ultimately attempt to claim the entire area. On overview of the current Sector stage can be found in the character menu (C) under the Nodes & Sectors tab.
How Much Time Do Guilds Have To Conquer A Sector?
In its current configuration, the Junkyard remains in the contested state for 2 hours after the conflict begins. If no guild captures the center within that time, the Sector returns to the unclaimed state. If a guild succeeds and claims the Sector, they will own it for 18 hours before it is released again.
Developer Note: For pre-alpha testing purposes, the first Sector will become contested every day at a random time between 6-10 PM local server time. This schedule is intended only for testing and will be adjusted for the official release.
A PvP Area with Its Own Rules
While a Sector is contested, a dedicated HUD provides information about the area’s current state, its objectives, and active capture attempts. World and compass markers direct you toward relevant locations and adapt to your current task. Sectors also use a dedicated respawn system for the time of the battle. Eligible guild members can place a custom respawn point within designated areas close to the Sector. This is not possible inside the central combat zone, so a poorly planned push can cost your guild valuable time. These additional respawn points are cleared once the conflict ends.
After a Sector has been captured, all objectives are reset and any effects related to it are removed. A short period of aftermath protection then gives participants a chance to regroup or retreat.
All right, now that we covered some basics about this new feature, let us have a deeper look at the first Sector — a place where scrap becomes a battlefield and quickly turns into power.
The Junkyard
This first Sector is built entirely around guild gameplay and consists of one main central objective,
and four important side objectives (pieces of machinery):
- the Mobile Crane,
- the Excavator,
- the Radio Tower,
- and the Truck.
Before a guild can capture the central objective and control the area for the main reward, it must first control at least three of the four side objectives at the same time.
This creates a battle across multiple fronts. While one group searches for parts or secures a machine, another can defend the center, intercept enemy carriers, or retake a lost objective. No objective is permanently safe. Rival guilds can take control of machinery that has already repaired. Even moments before the final capture, the balance of power can change completely.
How the Battle for the Junkyard Works
Step 1: Rummage Through the Scrap
First, you and your guild will find junk piles scattered throughout the Sector area. Interact and search them for spare parts belonging to either the Mobile Crane, Excavator, Radio Tower, or Truck. Not every search will be successful, and any parts you find will not appear as a regular item in your inventory. Instead, your character carries them directly. That makes you both valuable and vulnerable. While carrying spare parts, you cannot sprint or search additional junk piles. A visible signal also draws attention to your character, so you will need to decide whether to make a run for the matching objective, wait for an escort, or discard the parts before an enemy gets to you.
Step 2. Repair and Control the Machinery
Each objective requires its matching spare part. Once you have delivered it, you can begin the repair. This process takes ten seconds — giving enemies a chance to interrupt you. After a successful repair, your guild controls that objective. However, this control is not locked in. A rival guild carrying the correct parts can immediately take it from you. As a result, the Junkyard remains in motion until the final moments of the battle.
Developer Note: Discarded machine parts cannot be picked up again.
Step 3. Capture the Center
Once your guild controls at least three of the four objectives, the center of the Junkyard becomes available for capture. The final capture takes approximately 20 seconds. During that time, you must maintain control of enough machinery and protect the player completing the central capture. Only one player can conquer a particular objective at a time. If the central captor/capture is interrupted or you lose a crucial piece of machinery during the final attempt, the capture is stopped. Clear communication and a solid plan will be just as important as raw combat power.
The Reward: Junk Diver
Capturing the Junkyard does more than place your guild’s name on the Sector. The entire guild receives the Junk Diver buff, that lasts for 18 hours.
Guild members who are already online and entered the world receive it immediately, no matter where they are in the world. Members who log in later receive the effect with its remaining duration when they enter the world. That means the victory benefits more than just the players who were present for the battle. A successful capture gives the entire guild a meaningful advantage — and makes the Junkyard an objective worth fighting for.
Developer Notes: Guild Leaders & Officers can increase the reward buff by spending “Influence” earned from Guild Quests. Other Sectors (released in the future) will provide different rewards.
Your First Contact: Hank Foster
If you want to learn more about the Junkyard and the fight for the Sector, speak to Hank Foster in the Sector area. He will be your first point of contact to introduce you to the new system.
This Is Only the Beginning
The Junkyard lays the foundation for a new guild and PvP system in Persist Online. By combining scavenging, transportation, distributed objectives, and a final capture, Sectors are designed to create battles in which different roles and tactics matter.
Who will search for spare parts? Who will escort the carriers? Who will hold the outer objectives? And who will make the decisive push into the center?
Rally your guild, prepare your gear, and keep an eye on the Junkyard. Soon (aka in the next regular Playtest) we will find out which guild can turn a mountain of scrap into the greatest advantage.
-The Persist Online Team