Darkfall Lead Developer Tasos Flambouras has announced that the team plans to introduce a feature that protects new players so they can get accustomed to the game without being ganked. The optional system prevents new users from being attacked in the racial starting areas, but only lasts for a few hours.

The feature could launch as early as the next patch. You can read all the details in Tasos' full post after the jump.

As we’ve mentioned before we’re happy to see an ever-increasing number of new players entering the game and we’re also about to introduce several initiatives and special offers to further increase these numbers. We’re supporting this growth with more than just marketing-type initiatives. The Darkfall newbie experience is one of the areas we’ve been constantly working to improve on since the game first launched. It’s a top priority for us to get new blood into the game but to also make the transition to Darkfall more enjoyable for new players.

We’re introducing a new feature possibly as soon as the next patch which provides optional protection against player attacks to brand new players. This functionality is very limited and only lasts a few hours but it should be enough to allow someone logging into Darkfall for the first time to learn to control his character and to get his bearings while still having proper access to the live game.

Here are the specifics:

• If you’re a new player entering the game for the first time, newbie protection is on by default. There's an option to turn it off if you don't want it.
• You won't be able to damage other players and other players won't be able to damage you.
• You can only damage monsters.
• The protection only lasts for a few hours of gameplay. There's a visible count-down timer. You’ll get a warning before the protection expires
• The protection is active only in the racial starting areas. If you wander outside your starting area, you’ll get a warning and if you don’t return within a couple of minutes, you will lose the protection.
• There’s a visual indicator that signifies you’re a new player with protection on.
• You can trade and interact with NPCs without restrictions
• You cannot use any items that cause structural or player damage (battle spikes, warhulks, cannons, ships etc.)
• You cannot use mounts
• You cannot unspawn objects
• You cannot teleport
• You cannot use Runestones
• You cannot use portals including Nexus
• You cannot create a clan
• You can give and receive buffs and heals
• You can join a clan
• Newbie protection works only for new accounts
• You cannot skill up on other players or be used to skill up on

One of the myths about Darkfall is that players prey on newbies. The Darkfall playerbase on average has displayed great sportsmanship and most players go out of their way to help someone starting out. This has been reported many times (in disbelief) by new players and various media trying out the game.

We believe that the newbie protection feature is consistent with the nature of Darkfall, where without “softening” the game it allows new players a few hours to start navigating Darkfall’s learning curve and to be able to concentrate on learning the basics. It also lets veteran players and clans looking to help new players know when someone is completely new. Finally, it’s an optional feature so that experienced players can turn it off if they want to jump right in.

This feature is something we've been contemplating for a while; we’ve done quite a bit of work on it and have tried to consider every possible aspect before deciding to implement it. We’ll monitor this feature closely and quickly make any necessary adjustments.

We’re also working on many new features and enhancements to help new players adjust to Darkfall much faster, and we’ll never stop striving to improve the initial experience. This feature is coming in time for a large influx of new players to the game and other initiatives geared towards new players.