Wilds.io

Wilds.io is a Viking-themed browser game, first released around 2017 by a Polish programmer Rezoner. It has undergone major changes throughout its history, including a complete artstyle shift, and a move to a different gameplay structure.

The current game can be played in one of four modes: Desert Fort (or Winter Survival), Arena, Browars and a Soccer mode. Soccer aside, Arena and Browars are about 1v1 and 2v2 matches, respectively, while Desert Fort has potentially dozens of players join one of the two teams , fight each other and capture locations, though it also allows for players to become non-aligned, fight everyone and generally wreak havoc.

In the three combat modes, the underlying mechanics are the same. Each player has a limited amount of health (6 by default), and so even 0.5 point differences in damage matter. New players spawn in with an axe that deals 2 damage per hit, but can eventually purchase other weapons with in-game gold: the selection runs from sword, warhammer, spear and claws to a bow and even an ice staff for a long-range gameplay. Each of these weapons can be thrown by pressing F, which inflicts 3 damage if it hits, but reduces the thrower to bare-handed melee for 15 seconds, after which it regenerates. Each weapon also has a special attack, like axe's shockwave along the ground, spear's vault over obstacles, bow's flaming arrow that knocks down everyone in its path, and the ice staff's freezing projectile.

Moreover, each player also has a range of moves not related to their weapons. In particular, they can block attacks with their shield, kick, or roll; if the last two moves connect with an enemy player, they'll knock them down and inflict 1 damage. There's a rock-paper-scissors relationship with these moves and normal attacks: shield protects against all normal attacks and kicks, and leaves melee attackers stunned, but someone who blocks with a shield still gets knocked down by a roll; combat roll is fast and can be used to both dodge attacks and knock down opponents, but is interrupted by any attacks or kicks; a kick will both knock down melee attackers and deflect arrows and ice staff's bolts right back at them, but its user will be stunned if they are countered with a shield. There are also moves like dashes and jump attacks. However, many of these moves and attacks will also consume the player's stamina, although it's rarely a concern for players not using ranged weapons.

Then, each player can also carry up to four consumable items. These range from potions (stamina, speed, clone-creating mirage and the rare health potion) and throwing weapons (2 damage knives and 0,5 damage rocks that inflict stun) to explosives (grenades and time bombs) and grappling hooks, keys and wooden logs as utility items in the Desert Fort. Keys can be used to unlock doors of the small capturable houses that are spawned in random locations on the map: each house has an NPC archer inside, who'll start taking potshots at the enemies of player's team once the house is converted.

Grappling hooks can pull distant enemies right next to the player while damaging them, but can also pull allies to safety; this includes the very same NPC archers, who won't find their way inside otherwise. Logs are often the most important item, as they are used to light campfires and stoves, whose flame lets nearby players regenerate health and is the only way of healing besides the rare potions and a few health orbs dropped by the defeated enemies. Moreover, the titular fort can only be captured by blowing up its gate with explosives and raising the team's flag inside: once this is done, however, repairing the gate with logs is an urgent priority of the team, since the fort with its gate up provides a safe place with a stove, two storage cupboards, an item spawner, and four NPC archers.

Players can also level up, which is done in a way reminiscent of Dark Souls. Killing enemies doesn't provide experience in itself; a player needs to pick up the bones left behind after their death. These bones raise player's level, which raises their health, speed, and damage from all sources, in that order. (I.e. level 1 is a health boost, level 3 is damage, level 4 is health again, level 5 is speed, etc.) They themselves will also drop bones upon defeat; while it's theoretically possible for them to pick these back up, in practice the other players will almost certainly do that by the time they respawn.