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Jesus

Another appealing challenge to me, so after making some time to play the Empyreal demo om Steam, here is my submission, the info about the boss is in the reel, cheers!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKf84TUNWco

Rich's avatar
RichStaff
Jesus

Jesus This is outstanding - a fantastic, thoughtful design, carefully executed, and I can see it fitting seamlessly into the game. Thank you very much indeed for your efforts here, and congrats on first place! šŸ†

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Sturmer

Trine-Keeper of the Firmament

Reason why I love Just = It lets me explore something new or unusual, or like in this case, returning to my early career roots as a game designer.

Inspiration & Reference

This boss concept is designed for Empyreal, and I believe it would fit seamlessly into the area known as The Gate to the Firmament, a location you revisit several times throughout the questline.

The design itself was inspired by something simple: a set of keys in my pocket :) three ā€œheadsā€ and two blades. Maybe not the most original spark, but when shaped into something unique, it brought to life this mechanical guardian.

If youā€™re looking for visual touchstones, imagine something between the Sentinels from The Matrix (fast, sharp, hyper-focused on their target) and Triglavians race from EVE Online, three minds sharing one body. Layer that with a mechanical-eldritch hybrid aesthetic, and you have the foundation of this boss.

Codex Entry and Encounter

"Trine-Keeper was not meant to guard the Gate. It was meant to be the key. But when the Firmament fractured and its Architects fell, it sealed itself within the chamberā€”splitting its mind into tri-threaded logic to protect the knowledge it was once built to share."

As you enter the arena, chains rattle. Pipes hiss. Three lens-eyes open. A whisper in machine-code stirs the sentinel with opening dialogues (Tri-Mind Dissonance):

Head One: ā€œYou bear no Seal. You carry no Harmonic Thread. Your path halts here, before the Vault of the Mind.ā€

Head Two: ā€œUntruth. Untruth! Too many signalsā€”none aligned. Strip the pattern!ā€

Head Three: ā€œIt breathes. Does it dream? Noā€”no dreams allowed. Must erase the pulseā€¦ā€

Weapons

  • Titan Drill ā€“ Pierces ground plates and delivers quake pulses.

  • Blade of Rend ā€“ Forged from phase-steel.

  • Harmonic Lenses ā€“ Emit volatile particle beams from each orb-like ā€œhead.ā€

Abilities

Tri-Beam Focus - The three heads align and charge narrow beams. When they converge on a single target, the beam unleashes devastating focused damage. A red glow signals its charging phase.

Cyclone Slash - One blade-arm spins outward in a wide arc while the core rotates slightly. High melee damage with knockback.

Scatter Pulse - Each head fires a beam in a random direction. Beams may cross paths, forming dangerous intersections. Dodge timing is key. The signal is when heads start to argue with each other.

Shutterquake - Trine-Keeper slams the Titan Drill into the floor, creating shockwave rings.

Combat Mechanics

The boss's behavior is governed by three cognitive cores (heads):

  • Sight (target tracking & beam focus)

  • Action (movement & melee strikes)

  • Judgment (attack pattern logic, drill operation)

  • Chaotic Dissonance

At 50% HP, Trine-Keeper enters Phase Shift:

  • The three orbs detach and orbit independently.

  • Each orb fires weaker but unpredictable Tri-Beams.

  • The main body gains partial invulnerability while orbs fly.

Once separated, the headsā€™ data streams no longer sync. Their voices grow more distinct, revealing fractured personalities. The fight becomes more unpredictable.

https://embed.bsky.app/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Fsturmer-ja.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lruxh3loa22o

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RichStaff
Sturmer

Sturmer Love this. What a beautifully detailed sketch, and clear thoughtfulness in your description of its attacks and the way the fight proceeds. I'd love to come up against a boss like this in the game. Congrats on second!ā­

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Sturmer
Rich

Thanks. Who knows, maybe developers will implement something like this ^_^

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GABOSER
https://embed.bsky.app/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Fgaboser.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lrvxu2ca3222

the enlightened one

The leader of the guardians, he began as a student of his great master whose name has been lost in time, he was a guardian of the monolith, he never sought to be the best of all, he only wanted to fulfill his duty as a guardian, until one day he simply disappeared, his student, now the enlightened one, decided to fulfill the role of his master, without ceasing to practice the teachings of his master, until one day other guardians arrived to learn his teachings. With the passage of time without anyone saying it out loud or decretting it somewhere, everyone knew that he was the leader of the guardians

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GABOSER
GABOSER

Sorry, I forgot to take more screenshots of when I was drawing it.

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ExponentThanatos
https://embed.bsky.app/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Fexponentthanatos.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lrvvd3sd4s2b

In the depths of the monolith are the supreme guardians, these guardians are different from the normal ones. They are divided by different elements that they can use to attack their enemies.

Among them the Supreme Guardian of Lightning is the most lethal, because of the paralysis caused by each of their attacks their enemies may have much difficulty to face them and if we add his shoulder cannon is one of the most formidable enemies that we could find in the depths of the monolith.

SKILLS:

Tyranid Onslaught: Using his lightning charges, he charges his enemy, causing paralysis for 2 seconds.

Lightning Slash: Using his greatsword he launches a long distance slash that causes paralysis for 1 second.

Summon allies: Summons a large number of minor enemies and a random elite.

Lightning rod: During the summoning of allies if they are not eliminated quickly, the Supreme guardian of lightning will be immune to all damage and will summon 5 lightning bolts that will attract to him and when he gets the five charges his attack damage and resistance will triple.

Lightning cannon: Every so often the Supreme guardian of lightning fires different types of ammunition towards his enemy.

Zeus Destroyer Cannon: When the Supreme guardian of lightning has less than half health, he will load his cannon on his shoulder and this shot will be able to instantly kill his enemies.

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FearlessAle
https://twitter.com/FearlessAle18/status/1932928153363849606

Exo-Mirr, Reflector of Ruin

Lore:

Exo-Mirr was created as part of the Monolithā€™s central system, built to determine whether a visitor is worthy of accessing its core. Designed to adapt to any threat, it reconstructs a perfected version of the intruder.

Exo-Mirr is the final threshold before revelation ā€” but not without first ensuring the visitor has confronted themselves.

Exo-Mirr watches. Understands. Replicates. Annihilates.

Description:

Exo-Mirr is housed within a protective shell ā€” a dormant cocoon that only awakens once its two sentry orbs have scanned you thoroughly, analyzing your movements, strengths, and vulnerabilities. When it completes its assessment, it returns a distorted image of yourself ā€” amplified, lethal, and devoid of mercy.

Upon taking humanoid form, the shell that once protected it reconfigures into an armor of mirror-like metallic plates, floating weightlessly around its core.

These plates gradually shift into a form that mimics you ā€” your stance, your gear, your equipped abilities. But twisted.

Mechanics:

Phase 1 ā€“ The Shell

Very short phase, low HP.
The creature lies inert on the floor.
It sends out two orbs that scan you (they cannot be damaged). They deal extremely low damage every 5 seconds.
Your only task is to break the shell by attacking it.
As you do, it learns your weapon and memorizes your equipped abilities.
Once the shell breaks, Phase 2 begins.

Phase 2 ā€“ Imitation

Exo-Mirr takes on a form visually similar to your own.
It uses the same weapon you had equipped, as well as the same abilities you entered the fight with.
It has learned from you. Now it becomes you. Confront yourself

-

P.S.: 25 years ago, I used to love drawing... but I havenā€™t really done it since then. I know AI-generated content isn't considered for judging, but since my drawing is a bit rough, I wanted to add something a bit nicer to look at, hahaha

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RichStaff
FearlessAle

FearlessAle This is great, thank you for your thoughtfulness in these ideas! I love how the first phase of the fight aligns with your boss's purpose in the lore.

We considered your submission without reference to its AI images, and we really appreciate your transparency and reasoning for including them, but for future reference it does make it trickier for us to award your work as it risks sending mixed messages to other members. Your submission won a prize based on your drawn images and the strength of its design, which is clever, detailed, and clearly indicates good-faith engagement with the task. That's all we ask! šŸ«¶

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couchquesting
Rich's avatar
RichStaff
couchquesting

Hi couchquesting. We've really enjoyed your participation on Just so far - you've made several high-quality submissions on Blades of Fire and a couple in Lost in Random, which we sincerely appreciate.

But we're rejecting this submission and marking it ineligible because it shows signs of having been produced with substantial aid from generative AI. Thar'zul is also the name of a well-known figure in Warcraft lore. I also need to mention this submission on Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, in which you simply copied the header image and submitted more AI-suspect text.

Our goal with Just is to support authentic human creators, and to reward their content in a way that respects the effort taken to produce it. Content that relies on generative AI, plagiarism, or is otherwise low in effort or relevant knowledge is antithetical to our mission and is a violation of our content policies.

All of this is stated clearly in the terms of every reward - the point on AI is especially clear in the description of this one - and in our Code of Conduct and our How It Works article. Please read that article, especially the sections on 'how to win more rewards' and 'enforcement of content policies'. As per that section on enforcement, consider this your warning on submitting antisocial content.

We know it's tempting to submit to large numbers of rewards across many communities, but please only submit to rewards when you have the time and knowledge to make worthwhile content, as you very often have. This is the best way to win more rewards in the long term.

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couchquesting
Rich

Hi Rich thanks for the reply. I just wanted to clarify a couple of things. The artwork was completely hand drawn by me, and no generative AI was used in its creation, I did attach proofs and I have it on my phone still. I put lots of hours into this to ideate and draw and it would be sad if it's been made ineligible because of the text.

As for the character name, Thar'zul was chosen intentionally, since it is a familiar dark fantasy theme, was not a coincidence or an oversight by me.

Regarding my text for the drawing, I did use an AI tool to help structure and phrase my ideas clearly, as English isnā€™t my first language and I wanted to make sure my concept was presented properly, since this needed detailed explanation for lore and gameplay and it's attacks etc.

Still, I truly appreciate the feedback and understand the guidelines better now. Iā€™ll make sure to keep everything in mind. Thanks again.

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RichStaff
couchquesting

Hi couchquesting, thanks for the clarification. In light of your assurances we may consider your submission for a prize as we were uncertain about the artwork itself, but thanks for your honesty with respect to the text and for taking the broader feedback on board. We look forward to more of your work in the future šŸ¤šŸ™‚

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couchquesting
Rich

Thanks a lot, Rich, really appreciate the reconsideration. Totally okay if I donā€™t win, I just wouldnā€™t want to be ineligible.

ElChisuss's avatar
ElChisuss
https://twitter.com/JJesucr1st0/status/1930771917482459298

He can attack both with his energy sabers and physically with his legs, he is good against front and rear attacks, so it is better to look for side attacks. As his HP goes down he becomes more unpredictable and erratic.

Special attacks

The wide cut: affects the entire area.

Stomp: An area hit that can stun.

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projectazone
https://twitter.com/Projectazone/status/1927038430501908657

Echoryn: new enemy in Empyreal

Echoryn was a primordial form of energy, chained centuries ago by some keepers. Due to various disorders, Echoryn managed to escape and appears even more evil than before, embittered by centuries of imprisonment. His body is deformed, black eyes and his head is split in the center by a luminous scar from which electricity discharges come out.

His usual move is the static roar that allows him to advance quickly and through his eyes he manages to stun for a few seconds. But the devastating one is the fatal storm where the energy envelops his body and can transport itself a short distance unleashing a real energetic storm.

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mypets
https://twitter.com/dudu117099/status/1935467014199382256

Toheun - The Grim Reaper

He used to be responsible for watching over the world of the dead, but the collapse of civilizations drove him insane. He is left to wander the wastelands.

Because he's a reaper, I'm thinking of a quick but fair fight. Until he reaches 50% of his life, he'll be a relatively fast boss, but with predictable attacks. When he reaches 50%, a mist begins to appear around him, where he can camouflage himself, having to watch out for the sound of his blades, indicating that he will appear.

Ghorthan's avatar
Ghorthan
https://twitter.com/Jl_Max_Gamer/status/1935461557367922997

Son of Surtur

Fire elemental, but with mechanical alterations that make his structure more robust and resistant to ranged attacks.

Abilities

Summon enemies: He will summon a series of minions that will attack in melee with great speed and linearity, with shadow and fire damage, causing shadow damage that, when the effect ends, will consume the player's total health bar if hit by one of their blows.

Meteor: Son of Surtur will generate a meteor that will fall in a specific area, dealing area damage and generating burning damage for a total of 8 seconds.

Destructive Flare: Son of Surtur will stand in the center of the stage and begin to launch two large, linear flames from his arms that move in a rotating manner, while his axe will rotate around the boss, defending him from attacks.

Rich's avatar
RichStaff
Ghorthan

Ghorthan Thanks for submitting to this reward. The work-in-progress image is clearly posed differently from the final image - most obviously, the axe has switched hands, but there are a number of other disparities. Can you explain these disparities, tell us how you made this submission, and what your process was?

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Ghorthan
Rich

the procces was inspired on Surtur of Film the "Thor- Ragnarok" of marvel studio, and the design improvised in the program inkscape, later the linear graphics whit my brother help using photoshop for adding efects of any images of google and Gimp for add little modifications to complete the picture

Rich's avatar
RichStaff
Ghorthan

Ghorthan Your reply doesn't address the disparities between the two images. The purpose of a work-in-progress image is to show us your work during its creation so we can be confident it hasn't been produced by AI. Since you've not been able to explain why your work-in-progress image is clearly no basis for your finished image, we are marking your submission ineligible.

Our goal with Just is to reward authentic, human content and to do so in a way that respects the effort taken to produce it. Content that relies on generative AI, plagiarism, or is otherwise low in effort or relevant knowledge is antithetical to our mission and is a violation of our content policies.

All of this is stated clearly in the terms of every reward - the point on AI is especially clear in the description of this one - and in our Code of Conduct and our How It Works article. Please read that article, especially the sections on 'how to win more rewards' and 'enforcement of content policies'.

As per that section on enforcement, consider this your warning on submitting antisocial content.

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