Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Flameseeker Chronicles: Guilds, grind, and Gamescom]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/02/flameseeker-chronicles-guilds-grind-and-gamescom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/02/flameseeker-chronicles-guilds-grind-and-gamescom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/02/flameseeker-chronicles-guilds-grind-and-gamescom/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Thursday evening was fairly eventful for me. Thursday is our regular Massively night in Guild Wars, so [MVOP] arrived in The Wilds and began setting up for our run through the mission. We found a few players waiting for us, extended guild invites, sorted out our grouping, and off we went. We made it through the mission with only one hitch -- which I'll address in a moment -- then headed over to the Eye of the North to begin tackling the Asura storyline.

The plan was to make the full trek through Vloxen Excavations to the Asura Gate, but once we arrived at Umbral Grotto, certain party members (me) were falling asleep in their seats and had to bow out and get some rest. The plans for this week are all set, and everyone is welcome to join us.

Now, about that little hitch. We were traipsing around the jungle in The Wilds when I got an IM telling me that the level cap had been set for Guild Wars 2. What? No way. A quick check confirmed it, and my wonderful group sent me off to a safe corner to leech and knock out a quick news story while they continued the mission. They even came back to find me after I returned and demonstrated my truly dismal navigational skills, because they are wonderful like that.

The leveling and progression information was pretty big news, so there was no question that I'd look into it a bit more deeply for this week's Flameseeker Chronicles -- follow along after the jump.

Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Guilds, grind, and Gamescom

MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: Guilds, grind, and Gamescom originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>80anetarenanetarenanet-blogfeaturedgamescomgrindguild-warsguild-wars-2gwgw2i-want-to-go-to-gamescomisaiah-cartwrightizzylevel-caplevelingleveling-and-progressionmassively-overpoweredmvopncsoftprogressionMon, 02 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[And the first World of Warcraft player to reach level 80 is...]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/and-the-first-world-of-warcraft-player-to-reach-level-80-is/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/and-the-first-world-of-warcraft-player-to-reach-level-80-is/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/and-the-first-world-of-warcraft-player-to-reach-level-80-is/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Nymh, Human Warlock of the EU server Drek'thar (and the real-world country of France) became the first World of Warcraft player to reach level 80 by working with an out-of-group Priest to spam area-of-effect attacks against rapidly-spawning mid-70s mobs, inspired by the technique of another World of Warcraft Warlock player named Jynxx, who eloquently explained the concept in a video (Note: probably won't make much sense if you're not a WoW addict already).

Time from 70 to 80: 27 hours.

Nymh did a lot of research and trial-and-error exploration of options in the Wrath of the Lich King beta test in order to be ready for the gauntlet after the EU launch, which of course came a little bit before the North American one. We'll note that the first-to-level-70-after-launch trophy went to another French player last year. Vive la France, no?

[Via WoW Insider]

MassivelyAnd the first World of Warcraft player to reach level 80 is... originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>80blizzarddrekthareufirstfrancefrenchjynxxlevel-80nymhpriestwarlockworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrathwrath-of-the-lich-kingFri, 14 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How long should it take to reach the level cap?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/07/the-daily-grind-how-long-should-it-take-to-reach-the-level-cap/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/07/the-daily-grind-how-long-should-it-take-to-reach-the-level-cap/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/07/the-daily-grind-how-long-should-it-take-to-reach-the-level-cap/#commentsFiled under: ,

Yesterday Blizzard revealed that World of Warcraft's recruit-a-friend program will undergo some big changes. One of those changes: if you group with a friend whose account was signed up because you invited him or her to play, you'll both receive experience at 300% the normal rate.

Blizzard has already decreased the amount of XP needed to reach level 60. When Wrath of the Lich King launches, word has it that an even bigger slash will occur in the 60 - 70 range. How long will it take to 60, 70, or 80 now, we wonder? That probably depends on your personal playstyle. But the question of how long it ought to take to reach the endgame in an EverQuest/World of Warcraft-style MMO has been on our minds ever since Funcom made a statement about how many hours it wants people to invest to reach level 80 in Age of Conan.

What's the sweet spot for you? Do you want to get there as fast as possible, or is the journey to the top the real attraction?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How long should it take to reach the level cap? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>607080advancementage-of-conanblizzardcapendgameeverquestfuncomlevellevel-capleveling-upmax-outmaxed-outratesoespeedtdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftwrath-of-the-lich-kingThu, 07 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video, interview paint detailed picture of AoC raids]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

There's a two-pronged assault of Age of Conan raid content information at Ten Ton Hammer -- a 20 minute raid presentation video, and an interview with raid boss scripter Eirik Munthe. Both the presentation and the interview occurred at the AoC launch event in Oslo last week, and both were rich with information. It looks like the endgame content has some incremental innovations just like the lower-level stuff; that should make the hardcore crowd happy.

In the presentation, bits and pieces of one of AoC's level 80, 24-person raids were shown to an audience with live commentary by Game Director Gaute Godager. Multiple bosses were shown, such as a poison-leaking monstrosity and two demons -- one ice, one fire -- who gain power when standing near one another. Godager explained the philosophy behind raiding and epic gear, and using collision detection in battle strategies. He revealed that raid groups will be able to call it a night halfway through a raid and finish any time they want (so long as it's before the raid expiration date -- one week after its start date). There was also a brief series of clips of a massive PvP siege.

In the interview with Eirik Munthe we learned that Funcom put together strike teams consisting of designers, scripters, and writers. Each strike team focused its attentions completely on a 20-level span; for example, Munthe's team worked on content for player levels 60 - 80. Munthe described the challenges he faced when scripting encounters with some of AoC's unique features such as collision detection and CoE (cone of effect) healing in mind.

MassivelyVideo, interview paint detailed picture of AoC raids originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>80age-of-conanaocbosseirik-muntheend-gameendgamegaute-godagerinterviewlaunch-partylevel-80massive-siege-pvposlopvpraidraidingsiegesiegingvideoTue, 20 May 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Average Conanite will reach level 80 in 250 hours]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/average-conanite-will-reach-level-80-in-250-hours/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/average-conanite-will-reach-level-80-in-250-hours/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/average-conanite-will-reach-level-80-in-250-hours/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Age of Conan game director Gaute Godager said at the launch event in Norway that reaching level 80 will take "on average 250 hours of gameplay," according to videogamer.com.

The first few levels will come lightning fast, but the bulk of them up to 60 will be comprised of between two and three hours of gameplay. After that, it will get a bit slower, thanks to some input from beta testers. By our math, that leaves five hours per level including and after 60, but who knows how that will be distributed.

Whether this ends up being faster than competing games like World of Warcraft and The Lord of the Rings Online by the end probably depends on your play-style. He said "on average," so does that mean the hardcore achievers will reach the top in 90 hours and the casuals will mosey on up there within 500 hours? There's been a lot of chit chat and speculation in the Massively office about this news. We suppose we'll get a good sense of it by midway through the summer.

MassivelyAverage Conanite will reach level 80 in 250 hours originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>80achieverage-of-conanfuncomgaute-godagergrindinghourslaunchlevellevel-caplevelingnorwayTue, 13 May 2008 13:30:00 EST