Patches

Turbine has released the official patch notes for Lord of the Rings Online's Update 11: Treachery of the White Hand this morning, and in them, you'll find an explanation of the changes coming to the game with today's update.

In addition to a new launcher, new Wildermore region, continuation of the epic storyline with Volume III: Book 10, and an improvement to mounted combat, the most important thing to come to any LotRO patch since launch is the removal of Lalia from the cursed Barrow-downs. Seriously. Bob's aggro-magnet daughter and her cloak have retired from frustrating players and she now owns her own shop in Bree. Where she sells MISERY. Just kidding. I think she sells Beanie Babies or something.

Be sure to check out the entire patch notes in the official forums.

It's like they know me! You'd think with all the bag functionalities that SOE has introduced to EverQuest II this year that the devs have watched my livestreams and taken pity on me and my storage predicament. And it didn't stop with just one new addition; even after one set of sorting capabilities was released, another set came along. With all these new organizational tools, there is a chance even I might actually find something in my oft-overstuffed bags. (Clean bags, however, is another matter entirely and not likely to be resolved!)

Now bag sorting in and of itself really doesn't sound like a big deal, the kind complete with flashing lights and a ticker-tape parade. It's not. In fact, it's pretty much a little thing... well, except for micro-managers and packrats, of course. So why in heavens would I be spending time talking about piddly updates in EQII when such an expansive one recently released? Because getting the little things (and getting them with regularity) is big. The subject of minor updates warrants just as much attention as a named one like Scars of the Awakened, both for what the updates are and for what they portend. And those updates bode well for everyone.

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Snow-covered zones aren't exactly new to Lord of the Rings Online, but the upcoming region of Wildermore is a little bit different than the normal Misty Mountain ski resorts. How so? Well, for one thing, it's not supposed to be snowy at all. So what's up with the premature winter in this area of Rohan -- and what are you, the player, going to do about it?

That's the basic setup for Update 11: Treachery of the White Hand. The update, which should be going live next week, is what I call the intermission zone: It's the region that Turbine adds between expansions to keep veteran players from bouncing off the walls due to boredom. Lothlorien, Enedwaith, and the Great River are past intermission zones, but Wildermore might be the most fascinating one yet.

Thanks to technical issues, I wasn't able to get a first-hand tour of the new region. Instead, I nabbed a heart-to-heart chat with the devs about the intricacies of Wildermore, the next step of the epic story, and plenty of assorted goodies coming with the update!

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Hark! Is that a new update for Lord of the Rings Online on the horizon? It is indeed, my chums. And with any fresh LotRO patch comes an expected slew of developer diaries.

Today we have two dev diaries to report about for players getting ready for next week's Update 11. The first talks about the next addition to the epic story, Volume III, Book 10. The diary discusses the 15-chapter storyline as well as the optional "interlude" Ranger episodes that may be played in sequence or out of order. There's even a funny behind-the-scenes moment when the devs show how badly they messed up an NPC model.

Then there's a diary on what Turbine is calling "Mounted Combat 2.0." Sweeping changes are coming to mounted combat with Update 11, including retooling the movement tree into a class-specific one, the addition of more class-specific skills, and a ton of polish and iteration.

Massively will take a deeper look at Update 11 tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Now that Defiance is live and has gone through the usual slew of launch-day messes, it's time for the developers to start thinking about the future. That means DLC. The latest development blog explains both what the team is doing to address the game's issues and how DLC will be released in a tiered system, with every major DLC update containing upgrades to the cash shop, a paid DLC component, and a free update for everyone.

The first DLC is already en route, and its $10 paid component allows players to make a Castithan character, access a unique storyline, and gain some special vehicles and outfits. Even if you don't pay for the DLC, you'll have access to new Castithan Blades, and a new open world game mode called Siege, and can earn new Charge Weapons. The game's store, meanwhile, will allow you to tint your Castithan Blades, buy new lockboxes or vehicles, and re-customize your character. There's a little something for everyone playing the game, and that's the ultimate goal.

Atlantica Online is in the middle of a three-patches-in-three-months cycle right now, starting with Awakening, moving on to Ascension, and finishing up with Judgment. The Ascension patch has gone live with a host of additional content for the game including the journey to West Atlantis.

The new zone of West Atlantis is a former technological haven turned centaur refuge and offers plenty of mysteries and adventures for the daring player. It's there that teams can tackle the Centaur Hero raid dungeon and hire a new merc named Chironia.

Other changes that have come with the Ascension patch include an increased level cap to 160, the Transcendent Temple dungeon, and an array of new talents. You can watch the update trailer after the jump!

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Cryptic's got a tiny surprise for Neverwinter players today: a teaser page for its module 1 update. The studio posted a splash page featuring a mystical forest with the phrase "They would seize from the moon the way to ruin and riches" floating above it.

In an interview with Massively a few weeks ago, Lead Producer Andy Velasquez acknowledged that the team was hard at work on this update even before Neverwinter went into open beta: "For the rest of the team, they've spent the last couple of weeks working on the first update which will come out a couple of months after the launch."

Cryptic says that more details on module 1 are coming soon, but in the meanwhile, why don't we engage in a fun round of speculation as to what this update could be?

[Thanks to Mark for the tip!]

Cryptic is cracking down on player-created missions that utilize certain exploits to gain XP faster than normal in Neverwinter's Foundry. While the studio temporarily banned authors for making these missions in the Foundry, it looks as though a recent patch has addressed the situation by "tweaking" the amount of XP that a player can gain within a set period of time.

Apparently some Foundry authors had been creating missions designed to pay out the maximum amount of XP by allowing near-nonstop combat. The patch has slowed that rate down by allowing players to earn only so much XP in five minutes before turning off the XP spigot altogether until the time limit is up.

Players have been reacting to the Foundry nerf with dismay, particularly non-exploit-using authors who feel as though they are being punished with the rest of the class by the XP nerfs (though "legit" farming maps appear to have escaped deletion so far). One player noted called this situation an "endless cat and mouse game" that has happened in other similar systems.

[Thanks to Zaph for the tip!]

Are you anticipating World of Warcraft's 5.3 patch that's on the horizon? If so, Blizzard offers a handy preparation guide to help you get ready for it. Among the proffered hints is one to keep ahold of some of the currencies earned throughout patch 5.2 as the gear-upgrading Void Binders are returning. The guide offers a breakdown of associated costs for various gear and the different currencies. Also revealed is an 33% reduction in the XP needed to level from 85 to 90.

The guide continues with suggestions for item level requirements for various scenarios and dungeons, information on changes to lesser charms of good fortune, and an update on PvP Season 13. And if you haven't played in a while but intend to after the patch, save some time by making sure your game is up-to-date as well as any UI add-ons.

Misery loves company, they say (look it up), but will people actually go seeking it? Piranha Games hopes players will, as it has introduced the Misery 85-ton 'mech into MechWarrior Online. The metal beast has an armament that includes plenty of lasers, a Gauss rifle, and an SRM-6 (again, look it up).

The new update goes beyond the debut of the Misery. There are four additional trial 'mechs to test out, color customization for Hero 'mechs, and a crazy Buccaneer premium pattern.

Read up on our preview of Update 15 and don't miss out on the video showing off the Misery in action after the jump!

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For you DC Universe Online fans out there, SOE has announced earlier today that the superhero MMO's upcoming DLC, Origin Crisis, will officially launch on Tuesday, May 14th.

If that's not enough, SOE is rewarding all Legendary Members with early access on May 8th (tomorrow!).

You can read more about what Origin Crisis has to offer in our coverage of the DLC since it was announced at SOE Live last October.

[Source: SOE press release]

When Lord of the Rings Online's Update 11 drops next week, it will open the paths to a brand-new zone: Wildermore. While it's part of the Wold, Wildermore is definitely unlike anything seen in Riders of Rohan; for starters, the area is inexplicably covered in snow and jagged ice crystals.

So what's up with this area? Turbine's developers have put together a video to introduce the zone and explain the main storyhook behind it. It appears that Saruman has fused an ancient relic with a giant, creating a nasty foe that will be the main antagonist as players travel through Wildermore. Don't fret, as there are good guys as well attempting to fight the snow powers that be.

Check out the dev tour after the jump, and if you use the LotRO forums regularly, you may want to read up on the forum consolidation that's about to take place.

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In a post on the official forums, Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Manager Eric Musco addresses some concerns about the release of Game Update 2.1 and what it will bring to the table. More importantly, though, Musco gives a tentative release date for both GU 2.1 (May 14) and GU 2.2 (June 11), which is said to be the actual content-heavy update.

So even though we don't know exactly what that GU 2.2 content is yet, we're reassured that this 8-week update cycle will continue, and those worried about the customization focus coming with GU 2.1 just need to wait a bit longer for more shinies.

May has just gotten started and already ArenaNet has another content update scheduled for Guild Wars 2. Called The Secret of Southsun, this May 14th update comes right on the heels of the final installment of Flame and Frost and extends the episodic content that began with that first series. This time, the adventures focus on troubles brewing on the tropical island of Southsun Cove where players must quell the rising violence and discover the secret that hides there.

The Secret of Southsun also brings an end to culling in the rest of the world (it was previously only disabled in World vs. World) and introduces two an improvement to WvW -- traps and an improved award system. Traps will remove supply from enemies. and players will gain reward for a wider range of activities in the Mists, such as destroying siege weapons, escort missions, and repairing walls. Players can also try their hand at a new crab toss mini-game.

On top of the update announcement, ArenaNet has recently posted additional lore expanding the story of Rox, the Charr. Read on to see where her latest adventures lead.

[Update: It seems ArenaNet let some of this info out before it intended to, as detailed in this forum post. So the WvW award changes won't be in just yet. ArenaNet has also informed us that it will be holding off on the culling as well and has now altered its official announcement to reflect these changes.]

[Source: ArenaNet press release]

This week is packed with MOBA news as almost every major title released a new patch. Infinite Crisis introduced new champions Poison Ivy and Gaslight Catwoman and announced that the game's closed beta will start in two days' time on May 8th. SMITE introduced new Norse god Fenrir the Unbound, and League of Legends released a champion spotlight on new Ice Witch champion Lissandra. Dota 2 also released new hero Elder Titan based on the original DotA hero Tauren Chieftain, and Heroes of Newerth released several months of balance changes at once in its colossal version 3.1 update.

Star Citizen celebrated hitting $9 million US in its ongoing crowdfunding campaign, and to celebrate, developers controversially gave all current backers free lifetime insurance on their ships. The title's success has also spurred EVE Online developer CCP Games to show off its own virtual reality dogfighter called EVR that uses the upcoming Oculus Rift headset.

Diablo III's first anniversary is just over a week away; details of any celebrations haven't yet been released. Developers confirmed that the PlayStation 4 version will not be getting mouse and keyboard support and that the PC version won't be getting support for analog controllers. For those of you up for some oldschool dungeon-crawling, Diablo II also announced that its ladder will be reset on May 14th this week and all players will start the game fresh again.

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