Developer Diary: Explore the Hideout in ‘Asgard’s Wrath 2’

We’re just over a month away from the December 15 launch of Asgard’s Wrath 2, and we’ve been giving the community a sneak peek at all that the epic adventure has in store. First, Oculus Studios Senior Producer Mari Kyle took us behind the scenes, laying out the backstory of the Cosmic Guardian and the role that god-scale mode plays in the game. Next, she gave us a deep dive on Asgard’s Wrath 2’s asynchronously social dungeon-crawling mode, The Uncharted Rifts. Then she took a look at the Mortal Heroes and Animal Warrior Followers that flesh out the game world. Today, she’s back for our fourth dev diary where she explores crafting, mini-games, and more in the Hideout.

After saving Abraxas from the rubble in the Temple of Atum, the Cosmic Guardian is chastised by an Egyptian god and whisked away to Ra’s abandoned outpost—which you’ll come to know as the Hideout. There, they meet the warrior demigod Medjet and the deity Horus.

“You look very different from every other god in Ancient Egypt,” explains Kyle. “You are this blue cosmic being, and so they regard you with a lot of caution and are very wary of what your intentions are as you approach this space. Nonetheless, Horus brings you in to ask you some questions, and you enter The Hideout.”

Deep off the coast of the Forbidden Desert, the Great Hall of the Sun serves as your central hub—and you’ll add to it as you explore Ancient Egypt. It’s where you’ll hunt, cook, craft, and more. And you’ll also encounter Ally Gods, who dole out advice and quests.

“One of the first Ally Gods you meet is Bes,” says Kyle. “Bes is a merchant and one of Horus’s oldest allies. Bes runs the bazaar in the Hideout, which is one of the first areas you unlock. In the bazaar, you can craft common materials, potions, and a whole range of items that you’ll find useful whenever you’re in your mortal form out in the world of Ancient Egypt.”

Next, you’ll recruit Ptah, a craftsman who can forge weapons and armor for you—as well as clue you in to the location of temples and mysteries across the Great Sand Sea.

Bes and Ptah are followed by two additional Ally Gods: Polydeuces and Castor.

“However, these Ally Gods are also a little bit strange compared to the other Ancient Egyptian gods,” notes Kyle. “These gods are also foreigners to the land, just like yourself, and they actually come from a faraway mythology.”

Polydeuces and Castor will help you craft hunting gear and prepare your meals for your impending quests.

“Cooking is such a fun element in the game, and a lot of folks will probably recognize it as very new to Asgard’s Wrath 2 compared to Asgard’s Wrath 1,” Kyle says. “As you explore the Great Sand Sea, you’ll collect anything from game meat to eggs to pomegranates, and you’ll be able to bring them back to the Hideout where you can cook those things into different recipes.”

As you might imagine, different recipes yield different effects, like health and regenerative boosts. You may even notice some perks among your Followers.

“Hunting is a very important part of the Asgard’s Wrath 2 universe,” notes Kyle. “The Great Sand Sea and all the worlds in Asgard’s Wrath 2 feel like living worlds with wildlife and creatures that you can hunt for varying purposes. With the hunting and crafting system, you can craft bait to hunt down apex predators, which will drop specific loot that you can use to upgrade your armor or your weapons or maybe even in different potions. They’re kind of like their own mini-bosses within the wildlife creature class.”

One way to take down your prey or other enemies is by crafting traps, which you can place on the ground where they’ll cause Area of Effect (AoE) damage or some other effect to any creature that comes across them—a helpful aid while planning during combat scenarios.

The Hideout is also home to some mini-games. There’s the slingshot range—a shooting gallery where you hit targets to compete for prizes and climb the leaderboards—and disc slider game that combines pinball and shuffleboard. And what RPG would be complete without fishing?

“When you’re in the environments of the Great Sand Sea, you’ll come across various oases and rivers where you can pull out your fishing pole and just fish,” says Kyle, “and just chill and enjoy the environment while also gathering resources for cooking.”

Other mini-games lurk in the expansive realms as well. As you explore the massive maps of Ancient Egypt, you’ll come across hidden Pillars of Neith—temples dedicated to the goddess of the same name. And Neith’s priestesses, you’ll come to find, engage in ritual combat challenges.

“In those combat arenas, you’ll have a number of ritual challenges to overcome,” Kyle explains. “If you are able to overcome them—and by the way, you have to be a very, very, very fierce, powerful warrior to do it, it’s gonna require a lot of skill—if you’re able to overcome them, you can unlock and endless mode for that arena and also some additional perks.”

The Hideout is massive in scale—truly a place for the gods. And as you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new allies and capabilities to help you on your quest to find Loki. With these RPG subsystems including crafting, cooking, fishing, and more, you’ll find much to do in the expansive living realms of Asgard’s Wrath 2 long outside of the main campaign.

Asgard’s Wrath 2 launches December 15—and it’s included free with every new purchase of Meta Quest 3.*

Pre-order Asgard’s Wrath 2 now to secure the following benefits:

• An exclusive Asgard’s Wrath 2-themed character skin and the title of “Cosmic Guardian” able to be equipped immediately in POPULATION: ONE
• A free digital copy of the original Asgard’s Wrath for PC VR, which you can play with a VR-ready PC either on the Rift Platform or wirelessly on your Meta Quest headset via Air Link
• The Great Sand Sea environment for your Meta Horizon Home
• Epic in-game gear for Asgard’s Wrath 2: the Sword of Ra and the Sun God’s battle armor

Click here for details on how to claim your pre-order benefits.

Can’t wait for launch day? The Meta Horizon Worlds team is crafting a custom Asgard’s Wrath 2 World due out in late November. In Asgard’s Wrath 2 Oasis, fans can explore a game environment created just for Worlds, unlock rewards like Avatar outfits, and meet other players to coordinate future leaderboard runs in the Uncharted Rifts. Stay tuned for more details on Asgard’s Wrath 2 Oasis coming to Worlds soon.

*See child safety guidance online at meta.com/quest/parent-info; Accounts for 10+. Asgard’s Wrath 2 (“Game”) is intended for mature audiences. Game offer ends 1/27/24. Eligibility and auto-renewal terms apply for trial subscription. See full terms.