Massively

Sixth-year Veteran Rewards announced for EQII

William Dobson — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Culture, Patches, News Items

If you've faithfully stayed with EverQuest II since launch, then you've got a handful of new Veteran Rewards to look forward to just around the corner. The sixth-year rewards have been announced on EQ2Players, and one of the bonus items in particular has the community cheering. Beginning with that most celebrated item, the rewards are:

Call of the Veteran: A charm-slot item that can be used to teleport to a group-member, or summon them to your own location. This functionality was confirmed by EverQuest II lead programmer Rothgar on the forums; the EQ2Players page only mentions teleporting to someone else but leaves out the summoning part. It has a reuse time of 60 minutes.
Hammer of Adept Hands: A charm-slot item that can be clicked to completely refill your tradeskill vitality. Its reuse time is 7 days.
Destiny Accessory Bag, containing the Hood of Fate and Shroud of Fate: A hood and cloak to let those around you know that you're part of the six-year club.

Rothgar also stated in another thread that up until some time this year, eligibility for veteran rewards was not being tallied correctly, with credit being given even while accounts were inactive. Going forward, an account must be actively subscribed to keep adding time towards veteran rewards. The rewards will be available when the Will of a Tyrant patch goes live on December 9th.

Sixth-year Veteran Rewards announced for EQII originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EQII's producer discusses the next update and scrapped features

William Dobson — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Bugs, Expansions, Patches, News Items

The latest EverQuest II producer's letter has shed some light on what the next game update, Will of a Tyrant, is likely to contain when it is released on the 9th of December. Senior producer Alan Crosby freely admitted that the patch will not bring as much new content as players might be used to getting; instead, the focus for this round of updating has been to fix lots of little bugs, some of which have been mildly irritating folks since EverQuest II's launch. Crosby said that this approach was chosen to give the game a nice clean slate for the coming expansion, Sentinel's Fate.

The letter goes on to discuss a couple of features (that may or may not have once been considered a part of the Will of a Tyrant update) that have been scrapped altogether. The Item Ratings system was abandoned, at least partially due to feedback from the player base, and the Fighter revamp that was in the works has been considerably scaled back. Both of these negatives do have a silver lining though -- the developers are looking at alternative ways to enhance gear, and Fighters will still see some tweaks, albeit "small changes, rather than sweeping revamps". Crusaders will be among the first Fighter classes to be looked at -- see the full letter for some early details.

While the producer's letter makes Will of a Tyrant sound overwhelmingly lacklustre, keep in mind that it doesn't go into some previously announced events that should give players something new to do for at least a little while. Hopefully the decision to squash all those bugs pays off with a smooth launch for Sentinel's Fate in February.

EQII's producer discusses the next update and scrapped features originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

See an Aion GM in action blowing up spammers

William Dobson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Humor

NCsoft has always been fairly vocal about about their assault on Aion's goldspammer and bot epidemic. They bolstered the game's spam filter a while ago and their Game Surveillance Unit reportedly banned over 27,000 botting accounts just last week. It's great to hear about these positive statistics, but if your game experience has been ruined in the past by some of these unsavory characters, you might be looking for something more visceral -- and thankfully, we've got that for you.

Enter Youtube user MidoriPeanut, who managed to catch an Aion GM in the throes of a banning spree and recorded it all for the rest of us to enjoy. The movie features the GM blowing up a number of goldspammer ad stores, all set to the dramatic Syringe by Emilie Autumn. Sure, this could all take place behind the scenes and the offenders would quietly disappear from the world, but isn't it a lot more fun seeing them cast off to hell by a cutesy animal? Get out the popcorn and head past the break to see the banishing in action.

Continue reading See an Aion GM in action blowing up spammers

See an Aion GM in action blowing up spammers originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nexon America's financials continue to impress in Q3

William Dobson — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: MapleStory, Business Models, Economy, MMO Industry, News Items, Mabinogi, Dungeon Fighter Online

We reported back in August that Nexon America had begun the third Quarter of 2009 with a very solid July; their revenue for the month grew 35% over the numbers for July 2008. Now that Q3 is over, they are happily touting some additional (and still impressive) figures. August 2009 beat out last year's August revenues by 32%, and September hit a lofty 44% growth in revenues compared to the same time in 2008. Overall, Nexon America's third quarter revenue grew 36% compared to Q3 2008.

Nexon America's CEO David Kim pointed out that this success comes without the bump that releasing a new game often brings: "Increasing our revenues without having added any new games to the company's portfolio for more than a year tells me that we are on the right track. Dungeon Fighter Online is just ramping up, so no revenues generated by that game are reflected in the outstanding third quarter we've had.

Dungeon Fighter Online is still in open beta, but an item mall has just been launched for the game. We can only imagine that Nexon's growth will continue when these revenues begin to show up on future financial reports.

Nexon America's financials continue to impress in Q3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest's third Road to Underfoot event shakes Norrath

William Dobson — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events (In-Game), Expansions, Patches

The ground in Norrath has literally begun to tremble with the introduction of the third and final "Road to Underfoot" event in EverQuest. "Breaking the Seal" completes the series of events, and participating in all three will allow players to gain access to the Underfoot expansion ahead of its official release date. This time the event involves the Cliknar -- from our Underfoot zone previews, we know that the Cliknar inhabit (or rather infest) many regions in the expansion. Now they've raised a significant army and are causing trouble on Norrath's surface.

The Road to Underfoot mini-site has been updated with a section on Breaking the Seal, as well as a short video showing the enemy in action. The epicenter of the shaking seems to be coming from Odus, so those willing to fight should gather there. Remember that apart from the early access, there is also a beta for Underfoot that SOE is still taking applications for, so there's another way to see the expansion ahead of time too.

EverQuest's third Road to Underfoot event shakes Norrath originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Meet EverQuest's mountain-makers in Underfoot zone "The Foundation"

William Dobson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest, Expansions, Lore, Previews

It's time for another EverQuest: Underfoot zone preview, as the EverQuest Players community site is featuring a look at "The Foundation". Like many of the other areas in the Plane of Underfoot, The Foundation is used by Brell's servants to create things that will end up in the world -- however, we haven't previously seen any creations quite as massive as what is made here. If you've ever admired a scenic mountain located somewhere in Norrath, then you have the inhabitants of The Foundation to thank. The enormous Genari stone giants push up mountains from underground, and then tirelessly hold their positions to keep the mountains standing.

Their job gets even worse. Sometimes a god might decide to raise a new mountain themselves, without thinking about the Genari underneath. When that happens, the Genari will most likely be crushed under the new weight. Don't fret though, because the Genari's broken form is often enough to keep the mountain up, and Brell can simply make another giant later on. Now that's cold.

Screenshots for The Foundation have been added to our Underfoot gallery, and we're very pleased to have another handful of exclusive pictures to share. Check them out below, and learn more about The Foundation's lore at EQ Players.

Gallery: EverQuest: Underfoot

Meet EverQuest's mountain-makers in Underfoot zone "The Foundation" originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest patch switches up hot zones, nerfs some Ancient Heroes rewards

William Dobson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Patches, Leveling

EverQuest has just been updated, and it's time to say goodbye to the ironically freezing set of hot zones that have provided icy experience bonuses for the past few months. This isn't a bad thing, as the new list of hot zones includes a number of popular areas for people to do their leveling in -- the full list can be found after the break, along with the rest of the patch notes. One of the hot zones, Howling Stones (also known as Charasis) has been altered to be more inviting for potential visitors:

Apparently while performing some end-of-the-summer cleaning, the doors within Howling Stones were left unlocked. It may be some time before a maintenance crew can be sent there again to lock the doors up tight. Use this knowledge as you will. In addition, the spells protecting the entrance to Howling Stones have weakened, and adventurers of lesser skill and strength may find its halls now accessible.

The other big change with this patch involves some tweaking of the Ancient Heroes missions from the previous update. The rewards from these missions have been the subject of much controversy ever since their introduction, and this patch has made many of them worthless (though they can still be refunded by handing them to the quest-giver). Having said that, some of the group-level rewards were actually improved. Hit the jump to see the patch notes in their entirety.

Continue reading EverQuest patch switches up hot zones, nerfs some Ancient Heroes rewards

EverQuest patch switches up hot zones, nerfs some Ancient Heroes rewards originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Latest LotRO dev diary details legendary weapon changes

William Dobson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Crafting

From the last "Ask the Dev Team" session with the Lord of the Rings Online developers, we knew that some changes were coming to the game's Legendary Weapon system. The latest Developer Diary entry is devoted entirely to filling in some of the details on these changes, which should come into effect when the Siege of Mirkwood expansion launches in December. First and foremost (and definitely one of the best tweaks) is that you'll be able to tell if a legendary weapon will ever turn into something good before you pour time and money into improving it.

There will also be a brand new item type, a series of "legendary item advancement scrolls". They will provide an alternative method of improving or altering legendary weapons, and will be found both as loot from enemies and from the deconstruction process. In addition, crafters are getting a significant nod with the introduction of a fourth relic slot that can only be filled by player-crafted relics. It gets better: every crafting profession can make a different kind of relic, providing a range of improvement options, and ensuring that no crafter is left out of the fun.

To read up on all the details of the upcoming legendary item changes (including specifics on how experience will be altered) see the full dev diary at the official site.

Latest LotRO dev diary details legendary weapon changes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Upcoming Champions Online dev chat to focus on the Hero Games

William Dobson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, Opinion, Champions Online

We do a lot of talking on this site (readers included) about things that could be changed or improved in the games we play, and Champions Online has been the subject of these discussions perhaps more than any other title in recent times. While some of our collective feedback must get back to the Cryptic Studios developers, one of the best ways to get through to them is by participating in their dev chats. There is one coming up at 4PM PDT this Thursday, October 8th, and the topic du jour will be the "Hero Games" PvP arenas.

The main way that the devs will be taking questions is through this forum thread. They plan to go through as many of the questions posted there as they can, but the audience will get a chance to ask some follow-ups or extra questions at the end too. The IRC channel is #championsonline at irc.coldfront.net, or if you don't want to use an IRC client, there is a Java chat client available as well.

So, if you think the Hero Games in Champions Online could be improved somehow, get a few questions ready (remember, the questions thread on the forums gives the highest chance of them being answered) and let your voice be heard this Thursday.

Upcoming Champions Online dev chat to focus on the Hero Games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns

William Dobson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Business Models, Culture, Forums, Legends of Norrath

Although the Legends of Norrath digital trading card game can be played completely separately from EverQuest, the two games have a lot of ties to each other beyond just lore. The former can be launched from within the latter game. There are also "loot cards" which not only function in LoN but can be redeemed in EverQuest for certain bonus items. Some people that play EQ but not LoN may have been upset in the past at missing out on a few of these loot card items, but it's doubtful that anything has caused as much of an outcry as is currently occurring over an upcoming loot card. The card in question is the Dragon Brood Crypt Key Card, and the resulting EQ reward will be the only way to access a brand new dungeon instance.

Continue reading EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns

EQ's producer discusses new Legends of Norrath-gated instance after player concerns originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Bounty Bay Online's upcoming expansion to introduce PvP tournaments

William Dobson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Expansions, PvP, News Items, Bounty Bay Online

Beyond the Horizon, the free expansion to Bounty Bay Online, has been confirmed by Frogster as on track for its intended Q4 2009 launch. Along with this good news, they also updated their expansion teaser site with details that are sure to please PvPers. Beyond the Horizon will introduce a new weekly PvP tournament system, offering 1v1, 2v2 and 5v5 battles, with both prizes and a highly detailed ranking system.

But since Bounty Bay Online features sea and land combat, the question must be asked: which of these locations will the tournaments be held at? The answer is "both". Two new arenas will be added to the game, one for land and the other for sea combat. The player will get to choose which type of battle they want to register for, which is kind of too bad, from a comedy perspective -- imagine turning up for a sea battle without a boat.

Bounty Bay Online's upcoming expansion to introduce PvP tournaments originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

See the mines of EQ: Underfoot zone "The Underquarry"

William Dobson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest, Expansions, Lore, Previews

The next EverQuest: Underfoot zone preview is up at the EverQuest Players community site, this time giving us a sneak peek at an area called "The Underquarry". The Underquarry's main feature is two large sinkholes that were made by some intense waterflow. When the water stopped coming, the area's inhabitants (more servants of Brell) found that there was good mining to be had in the caverns. Similar to the creatures of Pellucid Grotto, the miners take the results of their work and seed them into Norrath, rather than hoarding them down in the Plane of Underfoot.

As is expected from these expansion zones, there is some emerging conflict in the Underquarry to look into. Part of the problem is a group of stubborn Burynai (shown above) that are refusing to share parts of the mines, and there are also Cliknars that constantly invade and cause trouble. Our Underfoot gallery is now updated with screenshots from the Underquarry, including a few more Massively exclusive pics -- check it out below.

Gallery: EverQuest: Underfoot

See the mines of EQ: Underfoot zone "The Underquarry" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Your longest MMO bender

William Dobson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

We're not going to advocate spending a ridiculous amount of time playing an MMO non-stop, particularly due to some highly publicized unfortunate incidents. However, we can't turn our back on the fact that certain MMOs seem to inspire those extended play-sessions, and we bet there are a lot of you with a sizeable "high score" that you feel a healthy mixture of pride and shame about.

Today, we're all about the pride! Unless your stint ended in a similar fashion to poor keyboard-face pictured here. Perhaps it was the launch of a new MMO that caused you to break your personal play-session record, or maybe you had some time off work and wanted nothing more than to log some serious hours into your favorite game. In the comments section, we want to hear about your most impressive MMO sessions, including the name of the game and what particular event sparked the bender.

The Daily Grind: Your longest MMO bender originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Part one of LotRO's "Ask the Dev Team" feature now available

William Dobson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game Mechanics

Recently, Turbine collected a batch of questions from the community for the Lord of the Rings Online developers to answer. Due to the amount of quality questions taken in, the devs decided to respond to more of them than they initially anticipated, and the answers will be given out over a number of weeks. We're now able to view the first installment, and we'll sum up a handful of the quicker questions and answers right here:

On whether there are plans to open up the UI to customization and plug-ins: no, but there are more built-in customization options coming with the Siege of Mirkwood expansion.
On the possibility of a shared bank slot for trading between one's own characters: yes! More details coming soon. (note: Turbine announced today that it is part of the LotRO Adventure Pack that can be purchased for $20 and will arrive at the same time as the Siege of Mirkwood expansion.)
On future mail system enhancements, like multiple attachments: no to multiple attachments, but there will soon be an auto-complete for the "to:" field, for characters you have mailed in the past.
On whether there are plans for a new PvMP zone: nope, no plans for it.

These are but a few of the questions that the devs answered. Among the remaining ones, there is a particularly detailed entry regarding radiance gear and some upcoming changes. Check out the "Ask the Dev Team" feature at the official LotRO site for all the details.

Part one of LotRO's "Ask the Dev Team" feature now available originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Blu-ray to include code for bonus STO costume

William Dobson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, Star Trek Online

Trekkies should be getting a nice little extra in their box for the Blu-ray release of Star Trek - Season 3, according to TVShowsOnDVD.com. The box set's publishers CBS and Paramount have given retailers this sweetener to add to their product descriptions:

"For a limited time, sets will include an exclusive free offering in Atari's Star Trek(R) on-line game. Each set will include an insert that includes a unique code that will allow game players to outfit their avatar in an exclusive Admiral's outfit available only with this offer."

Is it worth it to go and pick up the the Blu-ray set when it releases on the 15th of December just for the Star Trek Online Admiral outfit? No, probably not. Then again, it sounds like the BR releases of the previous seasons have been crammed full of other bonuses and Easter eggs, so the next installment may well be an excellent purchase for fans anyway.

[via Joystiq]

Star Trek Blu-ray to include code for bonus STO costume originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: MMMerch

William Dobson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

You'd be hard pressed these days to find a popular item that hasn't had its brand expanded with a bunch of new products for consumers to snatch up. Games certainly follow this trend; for example, games that were originally planned as standalone works might suddenly spawn sequels if sales are higher than expected.

Then there is merchandise. If you fall in love with a game's world or its characters, you might feel tempted to buy figurines, posters and the like to demonstrate your fandom. To see the kind of items that are out there, just look to Square Enix, one of the biggest providers of game merch (due to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest in particular). That little slime is so darn cute.

So, if you're an obsessive collector, now's your chance to brag about it. Do you have any MMO merchandise you're particularly proud of? Got a famous MMO mascot figurine on your desk keeping you company this very moment? How about non-MMO game merch? Or would you never, under any circumstance, pay for this stuff?

The Daily Grind: MMMerch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mythic invites former Ultima Online players to "Return to Britannia"

William Dobson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), News Items, Ultima Online

Did you ever have an Ultima Online account? If you did, then Mythic's new "Return to Britannia" campaign is aimed at you. All closed accounts in good standing have been reactivated, and will remain open until the 16th of October. Content up to and including the seventh expansion (Mondain's Legacy) will be playable by old accounts, which puts this offer in line with the 14-day free trials, with the added bonus of being able to play your previous characters.

The "Return to Britannia" campaign is part of the celebrations for Ultima Online's twelve-year anniversary, but keep in mind that the game's first expansion in years also launched earlier this month. Mythic Entertainment's Jeff Hickman made a statement about the offer: "UO was the first love of many MMORPG players, and it still holds a special place in their hearts after 12 glorious years. I think returning players will be pleasantly surprised to find a thriving and vibrant community from around the world ready to welcome back their former compatriots and include them in their ongoing adventures."

If you're keen to get back into UO, the client can be downloaded here, and Mythic is encouraging folks who can't remember their old details to try EA customer support.

Mythic invites former Ultima Online players to "Return to Britannia" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II players now receiving bonus experience for the weekend

William Dobson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events (In-Game), Leveling

A few weeks ago, over the Labor Day weekend, players of EverQuest enjoyed a massive double experience bonus. Some folks wondered why EverQuest II wasn't included in the bonus celebration. Well, this weekend it's their turn, as all players of EverQuest II should be receiving a bonus to adventuring, tradeskill, and alternate advancement xp as of 1:00PM PDT today. It doesn't sound like it's a full 2x bonus like it was in EverQuest, but every little bit helps.

The bonus weekend is a good opportunity for players to get into the brand new game update that was just pushed live this week -- although, the new Chronomagic system is all about going back in levels, not speeding forward. Players have until 10:00AM PDT on Monday to make use of the bonus, so if you've got some leveling to do, get cracking.

EverQuest II players now receiving bonus experience for the weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Preview the Pellucid Grotto zone from EverQuest Underfoot

William Dobson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest, Expansions, Lore, Previews

Just recently, the EverQuest Players community site featured a preview of the zone Brell's Rest from EverQuest's next expansion Underfoot. Another preview is now up on the site, showing off the Pellucid Grotto zone. The Grotto is home to a race called the Crystalkin, and these hard workers spend all their time harvesting, refining and polishing gems. They aren't in it for personal gain though -- far from it. After the gems are ready, they go and scatter them throughout Norrath, where adventurers end up finding them and either selling them, using them as spell reagents, or combining them with things using tradeskills.

However, if the players want this gravy-train to keep running, they might want to look into a new disturbance that the Pellucid Grotto is experiencing. We're pretty sure there are far worse consequences to the world at stake than just missing out on gems, but ... well, the gems are a pretty good reason anyway. We like gems.

Below you'll find our gallery of screenshots from Underfoot, newly updated with Pellucid Grotto pictures, and two of them are exclusive to Massively! For more on the lore of this area, check out the EQ Players feature article.

Gallery: EverQuest: Underfoot

Preview the Pellucid Grotto zone from EverQuest Underfoot originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Favorite activity to do at the same time as MMOing?

William Dobson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Let's face it: there are times when playing MMOs that your full, undivided attention isn't really required. Maybe you're in a slow group or raid, or camping some rare spawn, or just online to keep an eye on the market. We're often left with enough mental capacity to start up a second activity. Here are some popular ones:

Reading a book
Watching television
Getting paperwork done
Browsing the internet
Playing another game

These are just some examples. Maybe you have something a little less common you like to do that you could share with the rest of us. Knitting? Making and flying paper planes around the room? Sorting M&M's by color? Let us know how you keep yourself occupied during the duller passages of gameplay.

The Daily Grind: Favorite activity to do at the same time as MMOing? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II's Shards of Destiny game update goes live

William Dobson — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events (In-Game), Patches, Raiding, Grouping, News Items

EverQuest II's next game update Shards of Destiny is now live, and that means that players can take advantage of a number of new features. We've summed up the biggest ones just below:

Chronomagic: Visit some new "mysterious erudites" that have moved into Freeport, Kelethin, Neriak, Qeynos and Gorothyn, to lower your adventuring level for a small cost. This allows for grouping with lower levels, and a lot of older content has been revamped with more frequent bosses and changed loot rarities to make this option more attractive. There are also 37 new missions related to going back and seeing dungeons of differing levels.
Achievements: A new way to compete with other players. Most achievements will just give Achievement Points, but some will offer non-stat item rewards. Achievement categories include Exploring, Dungeons, Quests, Raids, Player versus Player, and Tradeskills.
Miragul's Planar Shard: a x4 raid zone and the first in EverQuest II to have a scaled difficulty feature.
The Shard of Love: Choose to help or hinder the Sisters of Erollisi, beginning by visiting either a Disciple of Love or a Disciple of Hate.
Teleportation Spires Event: Rewards are up for grabs for those who can assist the Quellithulians with the reactivation of the Ulterian Teleportation Spires.

Check out the full patch notes here, and before you head in-game, dip past the break to see the official Shards of Destiny trailer.

Continue reading EverQuest II's Shards of Destiny game update goes live

EverQuest II's Shards of Destiny game update goes live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you make regular visits to a game's forums?

William Dobson — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Forums, Opinion, The Daily Grind

This is a question that tends to get a very strong reaction either way. People seem to either visit their favorite game's official forums (and quite possibly a range of unofficial ones too) quite often, or they very rarely feel the need to. For a lot of folks, the forums are an excellent way to stay involved in their MMO while they are unable to log in; for instance, at work. Or at least while pretending to work. Others might have the forums up as they are playing, tabbing back and forth between the game and their internet browser. If the game is actually in the browser this is even easier. We know some people who spend a great deal more time romping in the forums than actually playing the MMO they love reading/posting about.

So, do you visit any game's forums on a regular basis? If you've been involved in a number of different forums over the years, are there any that really stand out as better or worse than others? When you visit, is it to look up things and find out answers for questions you have, or do you engage in the social side of forums and do a bit of posting yourself?

The Daily Grind: Do you make regular visits to a game's forums? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Alganon devs field questions on the studies system, crafting, and high level content

William Dobson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Alganon

We now know that Alganon is set to release in October of this year, which is pretty darn soon. Chances are you still have some questions about the game, seeing as we really only started noticing it a few months ago. Recently the game's developers Quest Online gave members of the community a chance to send in some queries for a Developer Roundtable. The results of that Q&A session are now in, with the team tackling four questions:

How does the studies system help casuals from being left behind in progression and/or power? (link)
Will we be able to use SMS to do things like queuing up studies while not in-game (same link, further down page)
What plans are in place to keep players in the higher levels entertained while they wait for new content to be released? (link)
Is crafting actually going to be useful or is the primary source of new gear going to be new drops like most MMOs? (link)

Some quick takeaways from the answers given: the studies system can significantly lessen the gap between hardcore and casual players under some circumstances, SMS functionality isn't in place now but may be later, and high-end crafted gear is intended to be as powerful as raid gear. The devs are already collecting questions for the next roundtable, so if you've got any burning questions ahead Alganon's launch at the end of next month, head over to the thread and hit them with your best shot.

Alganon devs field questions on the studies system, crafting, and high level content originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jagex comes in 22nd on the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 list

William Dobson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Browser

With the hugely successful RuneScape in their stable, we've known that Jagex has been doing well for a long time now. They've already been recognized outside of the immediate gaming world on numerous occasions: Guiness World Records awarded RuneScape the title of the world's largest free-to-play MMO, and in 2008 the word RuneScape was typed into Yahoo! Search more than Lindsay Lohan and Naruto. The company's latest accolade comes via the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, where they were just ranked at number 22 on the list of the fastest growing private technology companies in the UK.

The Tech Track 100 report states that Jagex's sales have grown 84% a year for the last few years, from £5.2 million in 2005 to £32.3 million in 2008. This is the first time they've made it on to the list since the company was founded in 2001. Jagex CEO Mark Gerhardt made a statement about his company's achievement, sounding particularly proud (and rightly so): At Jagex we are passionate about the games we make and the technology we have created to develop and deliver our games; creating fun is just part of our DNA. Our values and passion have allowed us to grow one of the largest player communities in the world." The full Tech Track 100 list is available online in .pdf form.

[Via GamesIndustry.Biz]

Jagex comes in 22nd on the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 list originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Is this concept art from the canceled Halo MMO?

William Dobson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Rumors

Last year, the news that a Halo MMO was once in development left us all wondering "what if?". The game was being made by Ensemble Studios, who put out the Xbox 360 RTS Halo Wars. The screenshot that was plastered over most stories about the cancellation looked decidedly World of Warcraft-y, and an Ensemble representative later said that the more advanced versions of the game fit the Halo theme much better. Perhaps it looked a bit like this. Some internet sleuthery on fansite Halo.Bungie.Org has uncovered this gallery of concept art from former Ensemble Studios artist Dylan Cole. The art doesn't appear to be from Halo Wars, and our friends at Joystiq raised the question: could this be from the canceled Halo MMO?

The art is marked as being from the "Halo Universe", which may simply be referring to the general Halo world -- but maybe it isn't. At the moment it's all speculation, and Joystiq has contacted Dylan Cole to see if anything can be cleared up. Whatever it was for, it's some fine work and well worth checking out, particularly for Halo fans (of which we hear there are a few). Start at page one of the gallery here.

Is this concept art from the canceled Halo MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Looking ahead to WAR's second year

William Dobson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvP, Warhammer Online, News Items

Although we've seen celebrations for some time now, with the Wild Hunt event and a couple of special scenario weekends, Warhammer Online's actual birthday came and went at the end of last week. Executive Producer Jeff Hickman took the opportunity to sum up some of the things that the development team will be focusing on, moving forward into year two:

"In addition to the four new careers, numerous Live Events, the medallion system, Keep upgrades, city siege improvements, and other new features, we're now turning our focus to improving balance, performance, and the Tier 4 game play experience."

Also on the cards for improvement is the "new-player experience", an area that many MMOs have fine-tuned later in their life with excellent results. The birthday celebrations haven't quite wrapped up yet either, with the "Isha's Sorrow" event taking place over the coming weekend in the Temple of Isha scenario. It may have been a bit of a rocky first year for Warhammer Online, but we'll hold out hope for year two. Happy Birthday WAR!

Looking ahead to WAR's second year originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BioWare's Bill Dalton reveals the secrets to making big teams work

William Dobson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, MMO Industry, New Titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic

These days it's extremely rare for a video game to be made by one person. Groups of people from different disciplines work on a game, hired for their proficiency in their area of specialty. When we're talking about an MMO, the game development team often ends up being pretty big. When we're talking about an MMO as ambitious as Star Wars: The Old Republic, the team is freaking enormous, by necessity. In a recent article on Gamasutra one of the members of the SWTOR team, Bioware Austin technical director Bill Dalton, discussed the challenges that come up when working with such a large group of people.

Unsurprisingly, Dalton said that communication is at the core of keeping a big team afloat: "There is nothing you can do to communicate too much. In a situation where things are in crisis and something is broken, and you've told individual people as they come up, it's not a bad idea to overcommunicate and tell the whole team what's going on." Dalton mentioned that another difficult aspect of team development is balancing the differing view-points that each sub-team looks at the game from. Again, communication is the key to solving these puzzles. Check out the full article at Gamasutra to read about an interesting case study involving Star Wars: The Old Republic and its Hero Engine, which allows developers from all disciplines to make live edits to the game simultaneously -- impressive.

BioWare's Bill Dalton reveals the secrets to making big teams work originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

A look at Brell's Rest from EverQuest: Underfoot

William Dobson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest, Expansions, Lore, Previews

The focus of the next EverQuest expansion Underfoot is the Plane of Underfoot and its cavernous areas, which the god Brell Serilis created and filled with inhabitants. An update on the EverQuest Players website has given us an early look at one zone from the new expansion, "Brell's Rest". Apparently, the most devout followers of Brell are brought to Brell's Rest upon their demise. Since a healthy mix of races pay homage to the Duke of Below, this means that the area is home to quite a few different factions, including dwarves, gnomes, gnolls and kobolds.

While the dwarves and gnomes tend to live a peaceful life in the Shining City section of Brell's Rest, the gnolls and kobolds have traditionally enjoyed ripping each other apart for all eternity. However, in recent times the gnolls have begun to withdraw from their beloved skirmishes, whispering about "The Destroyer" and "The Undying One". That's all we're going to find out for now, but it sounds like an interesting quest-line to look into when the expansion is released. The zone is also said to feature an arena for some good old-fashioned warrior games. Along with this chunk of lore, the EverQuest Players site had a handful of Brell's Rest screenshots to show off. We've put them all together for easy viewing in the gallery below.

Gallery: EverQuest: Underfoot

A look at Brell's Rest from EverQuest: Underfoot originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Runes of Magic area "Autolia Volcano" to melt faces this month

William Dobson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Patches, News Items, Runes of Magic

Runewalker Entertainment and Frogster Interactive have put word out that a new area is coming to Runes of Magic at the end of September. The "Autolia Volcano" is actually part of the Chapter II: The Elven Prophecy expansion that was just released under a week ago, and will be another high-level region for players to progress after the Savage Lands on their journey to the new level cap of 55. And yes, the graphic above does appear to have a spelling error (it's spelled "Volcano" every time in the news article). The Naga race call the volcano home, so be prepared to engage these scaly foes if you choose to visit. Right at the foot of the volcano is the sprawling Naga city -- perhaps not the smartest place to build, but it doesn't sound like they had much choice after getting their scaly tails kicked in the Great War.

Ahead of the zone being released, there are a couple of ways you can get a small taste of what's coming. An article on the Runes of Magic website has two pages worth of detailed lore about the area, its points of interest and its inhabitants to read through. For those who aren't into the whole reading thing, we've got a trailer just past the break that you can watch instead.

Continue reading New Runes of Magic area "Autolia Volcano" to melt faces this month

New Runes of Magic area "Autolia Volcano" to melt faces this month originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you MMO with relatives?

William Dobson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Just a few days ago we discussed family-friendly gaming that the young'uns in the tribe can get involved with. The phrase "the family that plays together, stays together" was brought up, and that is the basis of today's Daily Grind too. This time though, we want to know how common it is in general to play an MMO with another member of the family. This could be something as intimate as a couple playing right next to each other at the same desk, or as far-reaching as relatives from all over the world tackling a group dungeon together.

So do you have parents, children, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews or grandchildren that you get your game on with? Hopefully some of you have good stories to share in the comments section. Did your cousin Bobby get uninvited from the Sunday family dinner after ninja-looting? Did you first meet your future sister-in-law when your brother invited her to your family's raid group? Tell us about it, gaming families!

The Daily Grind: Do you MMO with relatives? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest's Underfoot expansion pushed back to December

William Dobson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Expansions, New Titles, News Items

It looks like EverQuest's upcoming expansion, Underfoot, will not be launching in November as was originally planned. A notice on the EQPlayers website has informed the community that the new launch date is the 15th of December, thankfully not too far from the previously nominated time frame. The reason given for the delay was fairly predictable: "To ensure that we can give our players the best possible gameplay experience and the amount of content that they've come to expect". Hopefully the extra time leads to a better expansion.

Just as before, players can still get early access to the expansion by participating in all three of the events in the "Road to Underfoot" series. So far only two of the events have actually been revealed; the first is "Giants, Giants, Giants", and the second is the "Ancient Heroes" event that was introduced with this week's game update. This leaves one more event to be unveiled later on. The cut-off date to participate in all three of them and qualify for the head-start is December 1st, with early access to begin on December 8th. Just remember that you have to pre-order and pay off the Underfoot expansion too! You can visit the Road to Underfoot homepage to get all the details on the events.

EverQuest's Underfoot expansion pushed back to December originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: You were on my mind...

William Dobson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

MMOs have a tendency to be very addictive, arguably more so than other game genres. Even if you are very strict with yourself and try to limit your play-time, we bet you can think of a time when you were super excited about a new MMO you had just started playing, and experienced something similar to the opening lyrics of the song in the video above: "When I woke up this morning, you were on my mind." Okay, so they're talking about loving a person and not digital entertainment, but MMOs weren't so big when that song was written in the 1960s.

This morning, we would like you to share how much you think about your MMOs when you're not actually playing them. Simply being at this website means there's a good chance that you are invested in your games beyond just logging in and playing. Do you talk with friends and co-workers about your gaming exploits? Does thinking about your next play session ever get in the way of your productivity in daily life? Perhaps you can turn it off like a light-switch, never allowing yourself to be distracted any more than you want to be. Or maybe you simply find a way to get online whenever you're jonesing. Let us know in the comments section.

The Daily Grind: You were on my mind... originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

New DDO Unlimited video and screenshots show off the "Demon Sands"

William Dobson — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, News Items

Today Turbine released new screens and a video of the Demon Sands adventure pack. As one of the many revamps that took place with the launch of Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited last week, this area got a major make over. Designed for characters level 10 and up, the adventure pack includes:

10 unique dungeons
The Demon Queen 12-man raid
68 wilderness quests
The Zawabi's Refuge outpost.

This adventure pack, along with many others, can be purchased through the DDO Store unless you are a VIP member (i.e. monthly subscriber), then it's included, as are all adventure packs. But the question remains, is it worth it for the free-to-play players? Check out the screens and video after the jump to help you decide. You may also find our Common Questions for new DDO Players and Round Up Of DDO Articles on Massively useful.

Gallery: DDO Eberron Unlimited: Demon Sands adventure pack

Continue reading New DDO Unlimited video and screenshots show off the "Demon Sands"

New DDO Unlimited video and screenshots show off the "Demon Sands" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LotRO Europe celebrates Bilbo's birthday week with free account keys

William Dobson — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Lore, Giveaways

Last year on Bilbo Baggins' birthday (the 22nd of September), a special quest involving Bilbo and Frodo was made available to Lord of the Rings Online players. This year the birthday celebration has started early, almost a week before the actual date. LotRO Europe is giving away a very specific number of full game account keys: 111, or eleventy-one as Bilbo himself might say. They will be given away on the game's community forums, the LOTRO_Europe and Codies Twitter feeds, as well as the Codemasters blog May Contain Gamers. The way they are given out at these locations may differ, but we do know that in the case of Twitter, it's first come first served -- if you can plug the key into a Codemasters account quicker than the next punter, it's yours. An additional 111 keys will be given away by some German and French community sites.

Past the account key giveaway, there will also be in-game festivities starting on the 21st of September and continuing until the 25th. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more news regarding the birthday fun.

LotRO Europe celebrates Bilbo's birthday week with free account keys originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Multi-boxing mayhem

William Dobson — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, The Daily Grind

The act of playing multiple characters across multiple accounts at once (known as multi-boxing) has remained a popular pastime over the years for a certain breed of MMO player. There are communities devoted to getting the most out of multi-boxing, and reading through their forums you'll quickly learn that the number of characters being played can vary from two at once (dual-boxing), all the way up to multiple groups. Sometimes it's done on one computer, but the more hardcore multi-boxers tailor a hardware setup for the purpose, involving multiple computers and perfectly arranged monitors.

The reasons for getting into multi-boxing differ from person to person. Some like the challenge of controlling extra characters, while others may enjoy being self-reliant when it comes to tackling content that would normally require more than one player. Others just like the process of refining the art itself, working on making the perfect group combination with the perfect hardware setup and control scheme.

This morning, we'd like to ask where you fit in the multi-boxing scene. If you haven't ever tried it, is it something that interests you or do you think you'll never get into it? For those that do (or used to) multi-box, how many characters do you tend to run? Is it for one of the reasons above or something else? Make sure to share any particularly crazy multi-boxing stories you have!

The Daily Grind: Multi-boxing mayhem originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest's Ancient Heroes game update brings a "classic EQ" experience

William Dobson — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Patches, Raiding

There are a lot of players and former players of EverQuest that would love to see a server that is locked down to just the first few expansions, or maybe none at all. While the latest game update, Ancient Heroes (which goes live today) doesn't bring a new server, there will be a new "classic EQ" experience introduced to the game. An NPC in the Plane of Knowledge will transform your character into a level 50 (the level cap once upon a time) decked out in launch-era equipment, and send you off to fight the Kobolds in Nagafen's Lair or the Frogloks of Guk -- or even to raid the old dragons, Lady Vox (pictured above) and Lord Nagafen. There will be new rewards waiting for those that choose to take up arms in old-school fashion.

This character morphing is the primary focus of the Ancient Heroes update, but in fact, there is more character morphing to be had with some new Marketplace items. A Potion of Amnesia will allow you to change your character's name, and a Potion of Disgenderment will flip their gender -- both changes are permanent, though you should just be able to buy another potion if need be. The Witness Protection Pack combines the two new potions, for those situations where you've really driven your reputation into the ground and need to start afresh.

Continue reading EverQuest's Ancient Heroes game update brings a "classic EQ" experience

EverQuest's Ancient Heroes game update brings a "classic EQ" experience originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mabinogi to get "Dragon" update this year, teaser trailer revealed

William Dobson — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mabinogi

The Ancient Secrets of Irinid patch for Mabinogi was only launched a matter of months ago, but it looks like the team at devCAT kept up their momentum and quickly got to work on the game's next chapter. Publisher Nexon America has just announced that there will be another content update this year, simply titled Dragon, which is focused on a war between dragon factions in a new area called Zardine. This zone will play host to a number of new enemies, and dungeons here will feature a new "hard mode" difficulty.

Along with the dragons in Dragon, Mabinogi's recent foray into flight will continue in the next patch, with players engaging in aerial combat with flying monsters -- while manning hot air balloons. Sounds ridiculously precarious, but at the same time fun. The update will also include lots of additional items, weapons, clothing, image enhancements and some pets. The teaser trailer we have posted after the break shows off a bit of everything from Dragon, including the aforementioned hot air balloon combat. Click through to check it out.

Continue reading Mabinogi to get "Dragon" update this year, teaser trailer revealed

Mabinogi to get "Dragon" update this year, teaser trailer revealed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you revisit MMOs you used to play?

William Dobson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, The Daily Grind

There are always going to be new MMOs coming to the market, promising so much more than you're currently getting and trying to take your business over to their camp. Perhaps you like what you see and hear so much that you cancel your old game accounts, possibly delete their clients and devote yourself to the new MMO. Things go okay for a while, but then you find yourself missing things about that old game -- maybe the community, your former characters, the gameplay, the content -- that make you want to go back. It's your classic "grass is greener" scenario and we hear about it all the time.

That's not always how it goes though. It doesn't have to be a quick process. Maybe you quit a game many years ago and then suddenly out of nowhere, someone brings it up and (perhaps due to being bored with newer offerings) you just have to see how that world is going. It's a lot like an old partner, in that there's often a comfortable familiarity with a game you've spent a lot of time playing that you just can't get anywhere else.

Have you had this happen to you? Is there one particular game that, no matter how many others you try, you just keep coming back to? Tell us about it in the comments section.

The Daily Grind: Do you revisit MMOs you used to play? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest offers up double experience for the Labor Day weekend

William Dobson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events (In-Game), Leveling

So you've got a long weekend ahead of you (if you're from the USA) and you're wondering how to spend your time. SOE wants to help make up your mind for you. They've put forward a hefty incentive for you to stop by EverQuest's Norrath at some point during the weekend, offering to make it doubly rewarding to do so. That's right -- the rate of experience will be doubled starting from 10:00AM PDT today, allowing players to speed their characters through the levels, or perhaps just rack up eleventy-million AA points. For the best results, make sure to do your hunting in one of the current Hot Zones that show up on the Welcome Screen; we've been assured that the bonuses do stack.

Very generously, the bonus will continue to be applied until 10:00AM PDT on Tuesday. If you pull an all-nighter to catch the tail-end of it and go into work looking like a zombie, at least you'll be able to brag about all the levels you gained.

EverQuest offers up double experience for the Labor Day weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Turbine announces LotRO's next expansion: "Siege of Mirkwood"

William Dobson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:36:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Launches

The next expansion for Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online has just been revealed (along with the logo above): players will be able to download Siege of Mirkwood this fall and finish the epic storyline of Volume II that began with the Mines of Moria. Specifically, this will include Volume II Book 9 and an Epilogue. The level cap will be raised to 65, and along with the predictable traits, skills and virtues that come from extra levels, there will also be some new class quests. For the raiders, a new 12-man challenge involving the Nazgûl Lord awaits, and additional 3 and 6-man instances will cater to those hungry for small group content. Some enhancements to the Legendary items system and an upgrade to the game's responsiveness will be making it in too.

A brand new feature to be introduced to Lord of the Rings Online in Siege of Mirkwood is the Skirmishes system:

Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow. Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new "World Join" function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.

You can be sure that more information about the expansion is coming up -- as a matter of fact, we'll have an interview to share in the next day or so. Stay tuned!

Turbine announces LotRO's next expansion: "Siege of Mirkwood" originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments