The world of Persist Online has always thrived on tension, unpredictability, and the ever-present danger that another player might strike when you least expect it. Our vision has always been an open PvP world – where every encounter carries risk. But with our new PvP system, currently in development, we’re adding depth, consequences, and a touch of justice to the chaos – without dulling its edge.

Note: None of the mechanics outlined here are final and may change before release.

What Is the New PvP System All About?

At its core, the new system stays with Karma, a value every character carries that reflects their in-game behavior, ranging from -10,000 to +10,000. All players begin their journey at +5,000 Karma.

Kill another player without justification? You’ll lose Karma. But let’s take a closer look at what this actually means.

Low Karma, High Consequences

Fall into negative Karma territory, and life gets harder – fast. Here’s what you’re in for:

More Durability Loss: Dying becomes expensive, especially for high-level gear.
Increased XP Loss: You’ll lose more character experience on death, but not levels.
Skill XP Penalty: Only players with negative Karma can lose skill XP, but not levels.
Respawn Restriction: You’ll respawn at the dreaded Black Hand Faction.
Visible on Compass: Positive Karma players can track nearby negative Karma characters (optional toggle).
Delayed Resurrection: The lower your Karma, the longer you wait to revive.
Fair Game: Anyone can kill you without penalty.

The Black Hand Faction: Home for the Wicked

Negative Karma players will find refuge, and a fight, in the Black Hand Faction’s stronghold, also known as Slaughterhouse 05. This hub offers essential NPC services:

Safehouse Entry
Repair, Auction, and Trade NPCs
Mailbox and Guild Terminals
A Leaderboard

But beware: the NPCs here are hostile to all players with positive Karma.

Outside the gates, special hunting grounds offer chances to grind your way back into the light… if you dare.

We will move the current position of the Black Hand Faction to their new home.

Gaining and Losing Karma

Gain Karma by killing zombies and mutants (not NPCs). We’re removing Karma-gain quests to keep it simple.

Lose Karma when you kill another player unjustifiably. How much you lose depends on:

How many people participated in the kill
How much damage you personally dealt
The formula is base value of 500 + 500 split between the participants

Here’s a example:

Character A (3,000 HP)
B deals 2,000 damage, C deals 1,000
A dies
B loses 500 + (2/3 * 500) = 833 Karma
C loses 500 + (1/3 * 500) = 666 Karma
If either of them had killed A solo, they’d lose the full 1,000 Karma.

And yes, even if A is finished off by a zombie or NPC – you’ll still lose Karma if you started it.

Bullying the Weak? Not on Our Watch

The system also increases penalties for killing lower-level players. Some examples:

Killing someone 15 levels below? Double Karma loss
30 levels? Triple loss
50 levels? You’re looking at a 10x penalty

There’s no extra loss for killing someone up to 5 levels below you. And taking down a higher-level player doesn’t affect Karma penalties at all.

“Justifiably Killable”: Fight Back with Honor

If someone attacks you and fail to finish you off, they become Justifiably Killable for 10 minutes. During this window, you can kill them without losing Karma.

The system will clearly indicate on their nameplate that this is a justified kill. Once you’ve exacted your revenge, the status disappears – justice served.

Note: The picture is a mock-up and might change.

What About Parties?

To keep things straightforward, party affiliations don’t factor into Karma. That means:

If your friend is attacked, they can defend themselves without penalty.
But if you jump in to help, that counts as an unjustified attack for you, and yes, you’ll lose Karma.

Newbie Protection

New players (level 10 or below) who die near Junction due to unjustified PvP (even if finished off by a zombie or NPC) won’t lose XP or backpack contents. It’s our way of ensuring fresh survivors get a fair start.

Dealing With the Truly Deranged

Some players might push the limits, going on destructive sprees and ruining the experience for others. To curb this, we’re introducing a stacking debuff: Insanity.

Characters with Karma below -5,000 begin stacking Insanity.
The lower your Karma, the faster it stacks. At -5,000 to -5,499, you’ll get 1 stack per hour. At -9,500 to -10,000, you’ll get 1 stack per minute.
Each stack reduces damage, HP, stamina, damage reduction, and evasion by 1%.

In short: the more you kill unjustifiably, the weaker you become, until even the zombies can finish what others started.

Insanity is removed if you reach positive Karma again.

Guild Claims: A Glimpse of Future Conflict Zones

Looking further ahead, we plan to introduce Guild Claims, designated areas controlled by player guilds where standard PvP restrictions will not apply. In these zones, every kill will be treated as justified, meaning players won’t lose Karma for killing or losing XP or their backpack for dying, regardless of the circumstances. These claim areas are designed to offer a controlled environment for guild-versus-guild warfare, where power struggles can unfold without interfering with the broader Karma system. While this feature won’t be available with the pvp system, it’s part of our long-term vision to give organized groups new tools to carve out territory – and defend it with force.

In Conclusion

We believe the new Karma-based PvP system will keep the world of Persist Online dangerous – but fairer. While we strive for balance, we also believe that true fairness in a PvP-driven MMORPG is likely impossible to achieve. That said, we know not every survivor thrives in the chaos of player conflict. In the future, we’re considering separate non-PvP worlds for those who prefer to explore, survive, and progress without the constant threat of PvP. You’ll still have the freedom to play as you like, whether that’s as a hero, a villain, or something in between.
Just remember: every kill comes with a cost.