Massively

The Anvil of Crom: AA resets, tradeskills, and hardcore PvP stagnation

Jef Reahard — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Anvil of Crom, Crafting

Welcome back to the Anvil of Crom, dear readers. After the content explosion of the past couple of months, it seems almost strange to be relatively relaxed when it comes to Age of Conan. I'd gotten so used to scrambling around re-writing columns at the last minute -- and polishing up interviews and impression pieces -- that I had almost forgotten what it feels like to settle into a comfortable gameplay groove.

In looking around for interesting topics this week, I realized that it's been quite some time since I turned the column over to the community. So without further ado, join me after the cut to see what's on the minds of Hyborians at home and abroad as we power through the week's hot topics.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: AA resets, tradeskills, and hardcore PvP stagnation

The Anvil of Crom: AA resets, tradeskills, and hardcore PvP stagnation originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

Levels in MMOs are best when accepted as a traditional aspect of the game that blends into the background. It's weird when you hold them up to scrutiny because it's very hard to mesh these arbitrary numbers with the pretend "reality" of the game world. I've always thought it was weird that I could get high enough in levels to return to old fortresses of evil and be basically invincible. Plus, how can there be bats and goats that are both level 5 and level 75? Is there an animal commando school somewhere I haven't seen?

In any case, while I enjoy the ding as much as anyone else, levels have lost their luster to me. The fact that Rise of Isengard added 10 new ones versus, say, five or none, doesn't really mean much in the long run. There isn't a lot tied to these new levels other than a small handful of mostly recycled skills and the typical increase in stats, so for me there's really no rush to climb through them. However, as with any first week or two out of release, leveling seems to be a huge area of focus for many players as they seek to hit that end cap once again and re-establish the status quo.

Still, it's important to some, and our kinship has spent a good amount of time chewing over these new levels, how to get them, and whether or not they're worth a hill of beans in this crazy, messed-up world. Today in our laser-focused Lord of the Rings Online column, I'm going to sort those beans. I may even eat one or two; beans are great for protein and fiber.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down

The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Enter at Your Own Rift: The curious case of planar attunement

Karen Bryan — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift

Over the weekend, players finished off those last crumbs of the RIFT birthday cake and celebrated six months of fending off planar invasions. But already on the horizon is update 1.5, Ashes of History, and with it comes new ways for level-capped players to keep busy. One of the major features to arrive is the new Planar Attunement system. Players who are level 50 will be able to use any earned experience toward attunement points, which will grant new abilities and stat bonuses. In many ways, it resembles the AA systems used in EverQuest and EverQuest II, although there are some noticeable differences.

The testing continues, and there are still tweaks to come with this system, but there are several questions surrounding the addition of the Planar Attunement system. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll look at some potentially tricky issues when it comes to RIFT and AAs.

Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: The curious case of planar attunement

Enter at Your Own Rift: The curious case of planar attunement originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Anvil of Crom: Alternate advancement explained

Jef Reahard — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Anvil of Crom, Guides

Welcome back to the Anvil of Crom, Conan fans. I trust you've been gorging yourselves on the movie and all of the new content that the Age of Conan dev team has pushed out the door over the past couple of months.

This week I'm going to step back and take a high-altitude look at one of the game's mechanical aspects, that being the alternate advancement system that shipped with 2010's Rise of the Godslayer expansion. I say high-altitude because many of the AA tricks you'll learn over the course of your AoC career will be class-specific, and though I'll eventually get to those in my series of class guides, today I'll start with an overview of the system as well as a bit of commentary relating to why you should care about it.

For you free-to-play folk, yeah, Funcom did lock your AAs behind the paywall for the time being, and yeah there is quite a difference between a "fresh" level 80 and a level 80 who has had even a little bit of AA training. Join me past the cut to see if upgrading is worth it.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Alternate advancement explained

The Anvil of Crom: Alternate advancement explained originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II's GU61 pushed back to Thursday

Jef Reahard — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

EverQuest II fans, get ready. Thursday marks the official launch of Game Update 61 (yes, Sony Online Entertainment has delayed it by a couple of days). The patch brings a whole slew of changes to Norrath and your characters, and EQ2Wire has the details. Whether we're talking about the massive alternate advancement reset, the faction grind relief, or a laundry list of bugs that hopefully don't make it past the sentinels on the test server, it's clear that Norrath will look quite different later this week.

The AA changes are, of course, the biggest tweak, and EQ2Wire notes that the old "spider-web" method has gone the way of the dinosaur. In its place is a more consistent ability unlock system as well as new subclass trees for each of EQII's 24 classes. As we told you earlier, the Shadows tree is now reserved for players at level 50 and above, so plan accordingly if you're fond of specialized crafting characters or other departures from conventional class wisdom.

EverQuest II's GU61 pushed back to Thursday originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2011: More details on RIFT's patch 1.5

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, RIFT

RIFT hasn't been out for all that long, but the game is already rapidly approaching its fifth major patch since launch. A recent demonstration at Gamescom reveals more of what will be coming along with the patch, which promises more options for endgame players as well as for players without a great deal of time. For the former group, the game is adding a new Planar Achievement System that will give players points to spend in unique supplemental skill trees, adding some fine-tuning and character customization.

For the latter group of players who don't have time to delve into large-scale group content, solo instances will be added, with one or two players easily able to clear the area depending on equipment. Hammerknell will be one of the first sorts of this dungeon, allowing players a chance to see more of the game as a whole. Higher-end players aren't forgotten, however, with a new Master Mode added to give dungeons extra sting and rewards. It looks like patch 1.5 will be a good time for all RIFT fans, whatever their level of commitment to the game.

Gamescom 2011: More details on RIFT's patch 1.5 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Players bracing for EverQuest II's GU61 AA changes

Jef Reahard — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

Big changes are afoot in the world of Norrath, or at least the version of it on display in EverQuest II. Game Update 61 is just around the corner, and ZAM has a brief rundown on the major alternate advancement and tradeskill changes coming when the patch goes live.

While many players are cautiously optimistic, some are concerned over the fact that such sweeping changes will affect their playstyles. How sweeping, exactly? Well, every character is getting a free AA respec, so there's your first clue. Also of note are the new class, subclass, and tradeskill trees available at level 10. Of particular concern to some is the fact that the Shadows AA tree will now be off limits to characters under level 50, depriving them of some very useful health, power, and run-speed AAs and making life that much harder for dedicated crafting characters.

In other EQII news, EQ2Wire offers a brief look at the veteran reward changes hinted at during last month's Fan Faire. While no release date is forthcoming, producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson says that "the design is outlined and we're committed to the concept."

Players bracing for EverQuest II's GU61 AA changes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Double XP coming to EverQuest II this weekend

Jef Reahard — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

Citizens of Norrath, mark your calendars! Bonus experience is coming to EverQuest II this weekend and you'll want to be sure to avail yourself of what the EQII website calls a "true double XP promotion (+100% XP)."

The bonus applies to adventure, tradeskill, and alternate advancement experience, so don't leave your crafter alts or level-locked and AA-starved characters out in the cold. Double XP starts at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 29th and runs through 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, July 31st. It's also good across all the game servers including the free-to-play EQII Extended shard and French, German, and Japanese realms.

Double XP coming to EverQuest II this weekend originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated]

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Massively Interviews, RIFT

Trion Worlds has never been shy in talking about RIFT's upcoming content, especially considering how fast and furious said content's been flying down the pipe. However, the studio may have topped itself today as it gave its first State of the Game address, opening up about the title's history to date and both the near and far future of the team's plans.

It's difficult to try to summarize all of this news in a brief paragraph -- so we're not even going to try! Instead, Massively joined a number of other news outlets for a conference call with the RIFT team and Scott Hartsman to clarify all of the exciting content, fixes and features mentioned in this address.

So join us after the jump as we look at quality-of-life improvements, new types of rifts, vastly improved PvP experiences, solo dungeons, and something intriguing called "Instant Adventure."

Continue reading RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated]

RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: Merge this!

Karen Bryan — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: EverQuest II, Classes, Culture, Economy, Lore, Opinion, Races, Humor, The Tattered Notebook

Server mergers are coming this week to EverQuest II, and with it come some serious questions about what stays, what goes, and who gets stuck with a name with a lousy X at the end. But sometimes mergers are a good thing, and I think since we're on the subject, it's worth looking at what else could be merged in the world of Norrath.

In this week's Tattered Notebook, I'll consider how merging tokens, towns, classes, gods, guild halls and more could benefit EQII. Join me past the cut!

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Merge this!

The Tattered Notebook: Merge this! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: A newbie look at alternate advancement

Jef Reahard — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook, Guides

So my little ratonga wizard is fast approaching level 50, and I figured it's high time I started worrying about his AAs. Actually, it's probably past time (he's got a paltry 29 at this point), as I've been too busy running willy-nilly around the world of Norrath flinging fireballs, exploring, and collecting junk for my South Qeynos rat hole. Yes, I've been terribly remiss about properly planning out an alternate advancement strategy so that my furry friend isn't horribly gimped upon his eventual arrival at endgame, but thankfully it's not too late (in fact, it's never too late, thanks to the awesome sauce that is chronomagic).

EverQuest II vets may be rolling their eyes at the prospect of an AA article, but for newbs on both the Live and F2P shards, alternate advancement can be a tad confusing if you're averse to reading a lot of tooltips. In this week's chapter of The Tattered Notebook, I'll break down EQII's AA system to give you a baseline of knowledge and a starting point for thinking about your own builds.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: A newbie look at alternate advancement

The Tattered Notebook: A newbie look at alternate advancement originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rise of the Godslayer: The Gateway to Khitai and Alternate Advancement

Jef Reahard — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Age of Conan, Expansions, Previews, Hands-on

It's an exceedingly rare feat when a game company, particularly a maker of MMORPGs, manages to capture the spirit and substance of a pre-established intellectual property. The landscape is littered with many a well-intentioned but misguided attempt at bringing a beloved novel, film, or multiverse into the realm of video gaming. While Funcom's Age of Conan suffered through a launch that contained a generous helping of bugs and negative forum buzz, one thing the game has always done well is transport the player into a lushly realized digital Hyboria, where lore and Howard references abound for those who care to look.

As we draw nearer to the May 11th street date for the Rise of the Godslayer expansion, Massively has managed to snag some time at the controls of the beta client, and we're happy to bring you our impressions of life in the eastern wilds of Hyboria. We touched on the extensive feature list for the new expansion in our earlier look from GDC as well as our Craig Morrison interview, so this time around we'll focus on the major mechanical addition, the AA system, as well as the general look and feel of the beta.

Walk this way for more on Khitai and the new mechanics and be sure to check out the gallery below.

Gallery: AoC: Rise of the Godslayer Beta

Continue reading Rise of the Godslayer: The Gateway to Khitai and Alternate Advancement

Rise of the Godslayer: The Gateway to Khitai and Alternate Advancement originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Age of Conan's Alternate Advancement demystified

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items

In an effort to bring interesting new ideas into Age of Conan for players in the higher levels, Funcom has decided to add in an Alternate Advancement system as part of the upcoming Rise of the Godslayer expansion. The idea is that rather than just giving players new levels to play through, they'd like to give people the chance to develop their characters more than ever before. With that said, as with any new system added to an MMO, there is the question of how precisely the new mechanics are going to work when it comes down to it.

Thankfully, the Funcom staff have written up an excellent post about the Alternate Advancement system in Age of Conan for players from levels 20 to 80. The full post over on MMORPG.com offers a solid breakdown of what players can expect -- from the use of Prowess, Mastery and Expertise on down to offline achievement points that should keep more casual players in the earning loop. For adventurers who like to call the wild lands of Hyboria home, this is a must-read dev blog, so be sure to pop over there and give it a look.

Age of Conan's Alternate Advancement demystified originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: Sentinel's Fate aftermath and advice

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, Tips and tricks, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook

Hrm. After a brief vacation, darlings, I am back at the reigns of my column. Neriak was lovely this time of year -- I encourage you all to stop by for a visit if you have the time.

But who has the time these days, right? All of your are off exploring Odus as if you haven't seen the place in 500 years. I hear that some adventurers are already tackling some of the most dangerous dungeons on that continent already! My, my, my, how you all tackle your challenges so quickly.

Many of you have had some very interesting things to say about Odus, and I've been silently watching and taking some notes. I've got them all right here, tucked away in my notebook. I've even amassed some answers for a few of your more common problems, just in time for the digital download release today. But, all of you can never say that Seccia Ravenloft was a secretive elf. I'm more than happy to share my findings so come closely, gather around the campfire, and listen here.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Sentinel's Fate aftermath and advice

The Tattered Notebook: Sentinel's Fate aftermath and advice originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: Tips for a WoW player in EQII

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Tips and tricks, The Tattered Notebook

Greetings and fair travels to you, adventurers. Once again it is I, Seccia Ravenloft, here to present this week's look into the world of Norrath.

Now, from what these humans on this spiderweb site tell me, some of you are more familiar with other worlds than you are with Norrath. Blasphemy, I say! This week, I wish to mend that little problem of yours by teaching you how to adapt quickly to our world, lest you coddle yourself with the pillow armor other worlds offer you.

Luckily there are many similarities between our world and that Azeroth thing. So come, read along, follow my instructions, and soon you'll look like a hardened Norrathian adventurer in no time flat.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Tips for a WoW player in EQII

The Tattered Notebook: Tips for a WoW player in EQII originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Karos Online proves that mining and fishing don't have to be crafting tradeskills

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Crafting, PvP, Free-to-play

Free-to-play title Karos Online is demonstrating a different use of fishing and mining than the norm. Instead of taking their crafting skills and placing them on the side, Karos is directly implementing them into an alternate character progression tree separate from leveling.

Both mining and fishing will allow players to recover "fletta gems," artifacts that are used to increase player stats and some player buffs. These gems can also be used to buy special resources or enchant items for the character, making them a one stop shop for all your upgrade needs. Of course, this leads to these items being coveted for their use, and Karos is also implementing a guild control system on the mining areas -- turning what's normally a crafting ground into a high-stakes PvP area.

Karos is currently in closed beta, running in weekend beta tests similar to Aion. If you're looking to jump in, sign up for an account on the Karos website and then apply for a beta testing position.

Karos Online proves that mining and fishing don't have to be crafting tradeskills originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vanguard's past, present, and future with producer Thom Terrazas pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Vanguard, Massively Interviews

You mentioned Pantheon of the Ancients, and that's another one of my questions. What will Pantheon of the Ancients be bringing to the game? What can the players expect from the new dungeon and raid?

"Pantheon will not look the same as the rest of the game. We have all new textures and brand new monsters, really cool ones that were created just for this zone."

Thom: Our first launch for Pantheon is going to be including new 6 man raid content. There will be a little more content past that, but you're looking at mostly a 6 man group.

Pantheon will not look the same as the rest of the game. We have all new textures and brand new monsters, really cool ones that were created just for this zone. It's pretty exciting. I've got a walkthrough this week from the designers, and it is really looking awesome.

Along the lines of that, in our attempts to get content out, we're incorporating new quest lines, new loot, new rare drops. We're incorporating the three spheres of diplomacy, crafting, and adventuring into this release. There's alot of work that's been done, and the unfortunate and fortunate part of this is that this is just the first part of Pantheon. The higher end raiding portion of Pantheon will be coming out as we're working on the customer request list, but we will be doing all of that work simultaneously.

That's just a process of balancing, mostly. Different areas to play in and not to have raids and groups playing on top of one another. It's just quite a bit of work to juggle.

This is a simple question, but there seems to be something more to it. I noticed that you were increasing the level cap from 50 to 55, which is something usually reserved for an expansion. I'm interested in your thought process behind raising the level cap.

Thom: Well, we have quite a few players, a large percentage, that is already at the cap of level 50.

This is the kind of value that we keep adding to Vanguard. Something that you've already paid for, we just keep adding more and more value for your money. You don't need to go out and spend 20, 30, or 40 on a new expansion. We've chosen to do content and level expansions, giving you new race/class combinations, all with existing content and your existing purchase of Vanguard.

We felt that this is something that the players would appreciate more rather than going out and purchasing a new box.

Speaking of leveling, there's a little note here on your Producer's Letter about alternate advancement. Can you shed some more light on that?

Thom: We're building a way for you to advance your character, well, I guess, alternatively.

*laughs*

Thom: But the idea is you can build your character out so it's a bit more specialized in things like damage, or mitigation, or spell damage. So you can specialize any way you want.

We're working on that now, and it's something we're looking to launch in the raiding portion of Pantheon. So if you really love your character and want to specialize in something more, be a little different then the rest of your class, then AAs will be coming with the second part of Pantheon so you can customize your character further in the higher level.

So, then, let's pretend for a moment that I've heard about Vanguard, but I don't own it and this Collector's Edition box isn't sitting next to my desk. In fact, let me hide this box for a moment.

Thom: *laughs*

So I've only heard about Vanguard. I heard about the rocky launch, it's been two years into the game and many people are at level 50. Why should a new player pick up Vanguard today?

"So I'd say come on back and we'd love to have you. I'd like to prove that we've been able to take a rocky launch and make it into a better game."

Thom: I think that if you're interested in playing a game that is a little bit different than the hack and slash games, Vanguard gives one of the best vistas and looks of any game I've played or been associated with. It is incredible to just hop on a flying mount and just see the vast areas that have been created for Vanguard and explore this artwork that is inspired by Keith Parkinson and continues on with our current art team.

This is something you don't see in every game. I'm not saying we're doing something that nobody else has done. But I'm saying the views, the artwork, the level in detail in Vanguard can measure up to some of the highest games you can think of.

If you're looking for visual, but also exciting playstyles, you have three spheres of progression you can choose to be an expert in. So, I guess the experience in Vanguard is just limitless.

Well thank you for your time today, Thom. This has been very insightful. Any last words you have for everyone? Anything we should know about?

Thom: Thank you! Let's see! Well, check out my producer's letter on the forums and you can see what the team has put together. The game is certainly getting out to new audiences. If you've tried us in the past or haven't tried us, then come on back, we have free trials on the website. You can also find it now on Steam as well as FilePlanet, so this is a great time for Vanguard and our team right now.

So I'd say come on back and we'd love to have you. I'd like to prove that we've been able to take a rocky launch and make it into a better game.

Vanguard's past, present, and future with producer Thom Terrazas pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Programmer Jason Weimann discusses his work on Vanguard

William Dobson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Interviews, Patches, Vanguard

Further to their chat with Lead Designer Salim "Silius" Grant last week, Allakhazam has posted an interview with another Vanguard staffer. This time it's Jason "Ikik" Weimann, a programmer that joined the team in April of 2007, long after what we'll tactfully refer to as a very unfortunate launch period. Fans of Vanguard will happily tell you how much better things are nowadays, and Weimann has had a part to play in these improvements, both in things that the players can see, and in behind-the-scenes refinements that have helped other members of the development team in performing their roles.

One of Weimann's most noticeable contributions to the game is the current iteration of the riftway teleportation system, which he had found to be unsatisfactory before he flew in and tidied things up. Some of the things he's working on right now were in fact mentioned by Salim Grant in his interview, such as the alternate advancement and item enhancement systems that will go live in the coming months. His dream project for Vanguard would be a little different though; he'd love to design and code a brand new class for the game. May we put in a request for some kind of pirate/ninja/zombie combination? No? Why not?

Programmer Jason Weimann discusses his work on Vanguard originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vanguard to get expansion-sized serving of free content in coming months

William Dobson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Vanguard

We're not going to call it an actual expansion until they do, but it sounds like there's a serious amount of new content in the works for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game's lead designer Salim "Silius" Grant was recently interviewed at Allakhazam, and he spilled the beans about what to expect in the way of patches over the next few months. We're talking two new dungeons with both group and raid components (which were previewed at SOE's Fan Faire '08), an Alternate Advancement system that might sound familiar to fans of EQ1/2, item enhancement, and an increase to the level cap.

Whether or not SOE decides to tie all of this new stuff together as an expansion of sorts is of little consequence, because -- and here's the best part -- it is all intended to be free. For a few specifics: currently, the level cap will raise to 55, and this does mean that classes will be getting a mix of both new abilities, and upgrades to older ones. The AA system will be modeled after the one found in the original EverQuest, and there will be passive bonuses like stat and run-speed increases, as well as class-specific bonuses.

As for the dungeons, one will help players to get from level 50 to 55, and the other will be for 55's and will feature some AAs. To get the full scoop on these things and more, make sure to check out the rest of the interview with Silius.

Vanguard to get expansion-sized serving of free content in coming months originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments