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 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Not So Massively: Behind the scenes of MOBA development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/22/not-so-massively-behind-the-scenes-of-moba-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/22/not-so-massively-behind-the-scenes-of-moba-development/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/22/not-so-massively-behind-the-scenes-of-moba-development/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Not So Massively title image
Diablo III's patch 1.0.5 launched this week, bringing in a brand-new Monster Power system and the Infernal machine endgame event. Upcoming action RPG Path of Exile announced that it will begin open beta in December, complete with a full three acts of content and a PvP arena system.

In MOBA news, League of Legends announced details of its massive Halloween update with new icons, ward skins, and brand-new transforming champion Elise, the Spider Queen. Heroes of Newerth's new competitive league was delayed this week due to technical difficulties, and SMITE revealed its newest God Freya, Queen of the Valkyries.

Dota 2 players came up with some surprising results on the most effective team compositions by analysing the details of 39,626 matches, and Wrath of Heroes released its new Garden of Morr scenario. Upcoming MOBA Prime World revealed details of its Outpost game mode in which two teams escort huge battle robots toward each other. And Monolith Studios gave us our second peek behind the scenes of development on upcoming console MOBA Guardians of Middle-earth.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Behind the scenes of MOBA development

MassivelyNot So Massively: Behind the scenes of MOBA development originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-mmoaction-rpgarenabattlenetbetabiowareblizzardblizzard-entertainmentchampioncompetitive-gamingconsoleconsole-mobad3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotadota-2e-sporte-sportseaelectronic-artseliseesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreyagarden-of-morrgothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gameshalloweenheroes-of-newerthhoninfernalinfernal-machineleague-of-legendslollord-of-the-ringslotrmiddle-earthmobamonolithmonolith-studiosmonster-powermultiplayermythicmythic-entertainmentnewsnivalnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayeropen-betaoutpostpath-of-exileplaystation-networkpoeprime-worldps3psnpvevppvppvp-arenariotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesspiderspider-queenstatisticsuberuber-bossesubersvalvevideowarhammerwarhammer-wrath-of-heroeswarner-broswohwrath-of-heroesxboxxbox-360xbox-livexbox360Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SMITE enlists Freya, Queen of the Valkyries]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/17/smite-enlists-freya-queen-of-the-valkyries-for-duty/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/17/smite-enlists-freya-queen-of-the-valkyries-for-duty/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/17/smite-enlists-freya-queen-of-the-valkyries-for-duty/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

SMITE enlists Freya, Queen of the Vikings for duty
SMITE's mining the Nordic pantheon for its starting lineup these days, as Hi-Rez Studios has revealed the newest playable character: Freya, Queen of the Valkyries. No, kids, Freya's not just a lingerie brand; she's a kick-butt warrior with a very long sword. Hi-Rez released a five-minute video on this tattooed protagonist to get players up to speed.

"Every rose bears thorns, but this one wields swords," the video narrator begins before launching into a rundown of the character. Freya is a melee magical fighter who can use her magical power to beef up her physical attacks.

Freya boasts abilities such as Irradiate, Pulse, and Banish, although her Valkyrie's Discretion is perhaps the coolest. This ultimate ability allows her to fly above the battlefield and attack without fear of reprisal.

Check out Freya's video after the jump!

Continue reading SMITE enlists Freya, Queen of the Valkyries

MassivelySMITE enlists Freya, Queen of the Valkyries originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten Worst expansion names of all time
When SOE announced that EverQuest's 19th expansion would be titled Rain of Fear, I instantly found myself tripping over the name. I shouldn't have -- it's a few simple words that are first round picks for spelling contests -- but it defied the traditional naming conventions for MMO expansions. Many people I talked to kept wanting to write "reign" instead because "rain" seemed like a deliberate misspelling by some intern in Smedley's empire.

Homophones aside, Rain of Fear is hardly the worst expansion title I've ever seen. The industry has had its share of bad names, from the confusing to the downright unpronounceable. Sure, we get used to these titles, and perhaps it's nit-picky to lug them out at such a late point in many of their lifespans, but petty is my middle name. My first name is Tom. And these are 10 poorly named expansions. Deal with it.

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Worst expansion names of all time

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: Worst expansion names of all time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anarchy-onlineaoccpccp-gamescity-of-heroescity-of-villainsclassic-mmocohconquestcovcoxddodnddungeons-and-dragonsdungeons-and-dragons-onlineeaelectronic-artseqeq-2eq-iieq1eq2eqiieveeve-onlineeverquesteverquest-2everquest-iiexpansionf2pfantasyfeaturedffff11ffxifinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-xiforgotten-realmsfree-to-playfreedomFreyafuncomgalaxiesgeorge-lucasgoing-roguehumorinternet-spaceshipsjohn-smedleylineagelineage-2lineage-iilord-britishmenace-of-the-underdarkmythicmythic-entertainmentncsoftopinionp10paragonparagon-studiosperfect-10perfect-tenpvprage-of-the-wookieesrain-of-fearred-moon-risingriftrift-literift-planes-of-telararounduprvrSamurai-Empiresandboxsarah-palinsci-fisoesonysony-online-entertainmentspreadsheets-onlinesquaresquare-enixstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesstom-legionsuperherosuperheroesswgswgoThe-Legacy-of-Ykeshathe-notum-warsthe-perfect-10the-perfect-tenThe-Splitpaw-Sagathree-faction-pvpthree-way-pvptop-10top-10-listtop-tentop-ten-listTreasures-of-Aht-Urhgantriontrion-worldsturbineturbine-entertainmentultimaultima onlineunderdarkuoThu, 11 Oct 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Lineage II becomes one with the servers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/lineage-ii-becomes-one-with-the-servers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/lineage-ii-becomes-one-with-the-servers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/lineage-ii-becomes-one-with-the-servers/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We haven't heard a lot of news from Lineage II since their recent Freya expansion, but apparently the game has hit a rocky patch. Associate producer "Moxie" informed the players on Wednesday that the NA and EU servers would be merging to just one per region.

This merge is being done "in order to promote a healthy and competitive environment, as well as to offer a better overall experience." Currently, Lineage II has five North American and three European servers, which will be boiled down to only two by the end of this month. The team is accepting nominations for the new server names until September 14th and will hold a vote thereafter to determine the winners.

As merges always create an organizational headache, NCsoft is still figuring out the details of exactly how and when this will happen. However, Moxie said that the team will be deleting any character under level 20 that has not logged into the game in more than one year, and if a player has more than seven characters across all of the servers, he or she will only be allowed to keep the seven highest in terms of experience.

[Thanks Riz!]

MassivelyLineage II becomes one with the servers originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>freyaits-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-i-feel-finel2lineage-2lineage-iimergemoxiencsoftserver-mergeserver-mergesFri, 10 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lineage II's Freya expansion hits today]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/24/lineage-iis-freya-expansion-hits-today/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/24/lineage-iis-freya-expansion-hits-today/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/24/lineage-iis-freya-expansion-hits-today/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Fans of NCsoft's long-running Lineage II title are no doubt aware of the game's free (and extensive) expansions, and the latest, Freya, is coming to a server near you today. The titular Ice Queen is now handing out presents to players who visit her in towns, including vitality maintenance potions designed to give your character a temporary kick. Additionally, heart-warming gifts found while hunting may be presented to Freya in exchange for gift boxes bearing a number of scrolls, potions, and gemstones. These Freya Celebration Items will only last through September 7th, so don't delay.

As for the expansion proper, it adds a number of features to Lineage II's expansive game world, including new weapons, armor, abilities, and several new adventure areas including overland zones and dungeons. Take a look at the update notes on the official site for more details.

MassivelyLineage II's Freya expansion hits today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Lineage II Freya patch has been in the works for a while, and NCsoft let us know last week that it's nearing completion.

The company promised more information soon, and it arrived today along with access to the Play Test Server. The official release date for the Freya patch was given today -- Freya will be available to everyone on August 24th.

The full patch notes were released today as well, and if you want to read through them be prepared to spend some time. The list of bug fixes, new items, content additions, and so on is long enough to warrant 13 forum posts from the community manager. The notes may be long, but they're broken down into manageable sections this way, which helps quite a bit.

Until the August 24th release date, feel free to download the Play Test Server to get a feel for the patch. For a bit more of a preview, follow along after the jump for a new video depicting some brand-new emotes.

Continue reading Lineage II: Freya PTS open, launch date and patch notes released

MassivelyLineage II: Freya PTS open, launch date and patch notes released originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>communityemotesfreyalineage-2lineage-iilineage-ii-freya-patchncsoftpatchpatch-notesplay-test-servertrailervideoThu, 29 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lineage II readies Freya update]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/23/lineage-ii-readies-freya-update/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/23/lineage-ii-readies-freya-update/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/23/lineage-ii-readies-freya-update/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


NCsoft's Aion and City of Heroes may get more press here in the States, but the workhorse of the Korean MMORPG maker's worldwide stable continues to be Lineage II. The long-running fantasy title is gearing up for yet another substantial update, with the much-anticipated Freya patch scheduled to hit the public test server on July 29th.

Lineage II's updates have always been rather meaty (and free of charge, provided you have an active subscription) and Freya is no different. Included in the patch is everything from new weapons, armor, and abilities to entirely new overland and dungeon areas. Small touches aren't left out either, with new social emotes -- including partner dances -- scheduled for inclusion, as well as reduced teleportation fees and an increase in available quest journal space.

The patch notes have yet to be released, but you can get a sneak peek at the projected additions on the Freya wiki page. Additionally, mark your calendar for the Freya reveal festivities and don't forget to read the official press release. Finally, check out some of the new armors after the cut.

[Thanks Justin!]

Continue reading Lineage II readies Freya update

MassivelyLineage II readies Freya update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armorchroniclefreyalineage-2lineage-iimoviencsoftnew-contentpatchptspts-fun-schedulepublic-test-servertrailervideoweaponsFri, 23 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST