According to legend, when the ravens depart the Tower of London, it will crumble to rubble and disaster will befall England. As man became more dependent on science, believing only in what he could define or create, ancient knowledge and rituals were lost to the antiquity of time. Prophecies that had stood as warning for untold generations were seen as archaic folly or ignorant superstition; so when the harbingers of evil began to manifest, few saw and fewer believed.
When the demons finally came, there was little that stood in their way.
Emerging from the swirling chaotic Hellgate, they overwhelmed humanity's defenses quickly and systematically. Even the nuclear and biological weaponry employed by a few desperate nations did little more than slow the apocalypse. The nature of the demons’ attack presented little in the way of strategic military targets to the generals of mankind’s armies. With no obvious headquarters to bombard, visible supply lines to cut, or known leaders to assassinate, the usual tactics of war were useless.
Only those that still practiced the holy, ancient, and arcane rights could stand against the dark invaders, using weapons and spells forged in the traditions of their forefathers. Their successes were scattered, and the leaders of the great military forces could neither understand nor accept their strange ways. This mystical resistance drew the immediate attention of the immensely powerful creatures, seemingly immune to the weapons of mankind. Soon, those that had preserved the knowledge of how to combat the demons shifted their focus from driving them back into the twisting nether to saving as many of their fellow humans as they could. They retreated to the relative sanctuary of the London Underground, a haven whose construction they had orchestrated decades before.
Now, the once great city lies in ruins. A massive, sinister gash in the fabric of our reality swirls and churns, dominating the horizon as it blends into a permanently darkened sky. The Invasion, the unspeakable cataclysm that befell London, eventually engulfed humanity. The powerful nations of man were eradicated, and the decades-long process called The Burn – the transformation of our world into theirs – had begun.
But mankind is a race of survivors. Men and women hide in the shadows of their former dominance, struggling to survive, yearning to strike back at their conquerors. These survivors banded together, and they are learning.
Learning how to travel undetected.
Learning how to forge weapons capable of piercing unfathomable defenses.
Learning how to harness the forgotten and arcane powers of magic.
Learning how to kill demons and close the Hellgate...
Key Features
The RPG Authority – Flagship Studios was founded by the core creators of Diablo, one of the biggest PC gaming franchises in history– they are the first, last and only voice in the world of action RPGs.
Beyond RPG – Experience new layers to the traditional hack-and-slash formula by experiencing the action RPG from the first-person perspective and through nontraditional character classes and play styles.
Have it Your Way - Three unique factions with their own visual and gameplay style, offering something for every type of gamer, whether they prefer the longer-range blasts of the Hunter or want to get up close and personal with the Templar.
Infinite Replayability – Dynamically generated levels, chance events and massive quantities of randomly created items makes for infinite replayability -- no two experiences will ever be the same and every game will be it’s own unique event. Mad Skills – Each faction has three character classes that contain a wide variety of skills and spells that are fully customizable.
Misery Loves Company – Don’t be a glory hog – fight online*. Gather with friends or recruit strangers in Underground stations and venture out into mean streets of London together to erase the Demonic threat.
Hell Never Looked Better – Hellgate: London features all of the latest next-generation technology to deliver a true, DX10 experience, while being fully scalable for optimal performance on older PCs.
Templar
These are the followers of the ancient rites and rituals of the Knights Templar whose writings and disciplines foresaw the demonic invasion centuries ago. Since the Dark Ages their order has been prepared for this apocalypse, training in the ways of holy magic and organizing their followers for the eventual war against the forces of Hell.
Templar are the true believers, the keepers of the faith, and the destroyers of evil. They are extremely organized and regimented, their centuries of preparation giving them the best basic footing for waging war against the demons. They also control and defend the London Underground, which serves as mankind’s sanctuary.
Templar utilize the basic military model of the secular world. Their ability to achieve discipline and uniformity, however, is what sets them apart. They have a clear separation within their hierarchy when dealing with societal administration and battle, and their chain of command is clear and strictly adhered to, making them extremely effective when fighting in groups.
The Order
The ways of the Templar are steeped in ancient rites and rituals. They follow The Rule and maintain their aptly named organization The Order with efficiency and clarity of purpose. In the aftermath of the demonic apocalypse, they have continued with their true purpose - maintaining watch over ancient relics of great power, and protecting the bloodline of man.
Templar techsmiths forge weapons that hold true to their martial and medieval roots, incorporating a mixture of technology and the arcane. Their training and holy rites reflect this melding of tradition and the modern era, as well.
Classes
* Templar Blademaster
* Templar Guardian
Cabalists
Delvers of arcane knowledge, students of the dark arts, and explorers on the fringes of science, Cabalists use the powers of the demons against them. Cabalists are spell-casters, and more specifically, summoners and controllers of demons and the primal forces of the netherworld. They seek to study and dissect the essence of the demons to achieve the next evolution of mankind.
Cabalists wield sinister spells and arcane artifacts, turning the weapons and powers of the demons back against them. They use “black” magic and arcane weaponry as their primary means of battling the demonic hordes, fighting fire with fire and blood with blood. Some have been so touched by the dark forces they wield that they display the traits of their enemies from whom they steal their power, riding the razor’s edge between good and evil, control and corruption.
The Cabal
The Cabal has brought together disciplines of fringe science and ancient, arcane practices to unleash the inner potential of Mankind’s spirit and bring about the next step in their evolution, known as The Awakening.
There have always been those who would be prime candidates to become “Awakened”. Sir Isaac Newton was the first modern scientist and the last of the ancient magicians and alchemists. The works of Tesla clearly show that his research went well beyond the common understanding of man. There are some references to Cabalists in turn of the century “majickal” texts by Aleister Crowley and in cult pulp fiction such as Lovecraft’s Necronomicon.
According to ancient Babylonian texts, “The final step in The Awakening is for the Leader, the Great Eye of the Cabal, to pierce the veil and wrestle with the Lord of Hell. If he is victorious, he will gain possession of the Infernal Key of Nine Gates, giving him full command of all the energies from the dark planes.”
Whether or not the Cabalists themselves succeeded in piercing the veil, the forces of Hell have flooded their world. Those that touched the darkness and lived to speak of it were changed. They see the other side of things, often looking at the fate of the world as the metaphor, “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.” Although distrusted and misunderstood by most, these seekers of knowledge have shown their final allegiance to mankind on more than one occasion.
Classes
* Cabalist Evoker
* Cabalist Summoner
Hunters
Black Ops. Wetworks. The Agency. Every government has its darker side. No matter the name, the world powers have always maintained highly-trained individuals who are most comfortable clinging to the shadows and dealing with threats in their own extremely deadly ways. Trained with technology that is far superior to what the common man could even dream of, these Hunters commonly went after the most dangerous prey of all – each other.
That is, until the Demons came.
When the Demons did arrive, it was with a swift and deadly force. Millions fell instantly, and in mere days, it seemed that only a handful of people had survived. Not surprisingly, Hunters represented a high percentage of that number – their training, instincts, physical and mental abilities, and knowledge serving them well. National loyalties fell by the wayside as sworn enemies threw aside their political dogma to face a greater threat in the Demons. Methods and weapons once held preciously secret were quickly shared and the Hunters switched their crosshairs from one another to the monsters that had invaded their world.
The Hunter
The archetype of the Hunter is obscure, cloaked in mystery and subterfuge. In one way he is the Assassin, the Ninja, the Knife in the Dark. In other ways, he is the Ronin, a highly-trained warrior with no master. In yet more, he is the Destroyer, a force of blazing gunfire and deadly accuracy that lays waste to any that stand in his way. In all ways, The Hunter will not be staid.
The Hunter has learned how to use his natural skills and special technologies to effectively combat any adversary, no matter his number or strength. This is no mean feat, as Demons are largely invulnerable to mundane attack. That said, every foe has a weakness, and the Hunters have made it their purpose to find these soft spots and exploit them.
Although they acknowledge their apparent effectiveness, the Hunters are suspicious of magical or “holy” approaches to battling the Demons, and usually shun using them. They value skill over loopy beliefs, and as such don’t like to get caught up in arguments over the esoteric concepts of good and evil. Basically, Demons are very dangerous prey, and it takes a highly-skilled Hunter to bring one down. Now move out of the way and let them do it.
Classes
* Hunter Engineer
* Hunter Marksman
