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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/previews/" rel="tag">Previews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dungeons/" rel="tag">Dungeons</a></p><div style="text-align: center">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/"><img alt=" title image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2012/01/pso2-title.jpg" style="border-bottom: 0px solid; border-left: 0px solid; margin: 4px; border-top: 0px solid; border-right: 0px solid" /></a></div>
A decade ago, <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/phantasy-star-online/">Phantasy Star Online</a></em> brought the special multiplayer magic of the emerging MMO genre to console gamers around the world. Sega celebrated the game's 10-year anniversary with the announcement of a sequel due to <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/01/phantasy-star-online-2-delayed-into-2012/">hit the shelves in Japan this year</a>. No word has been given on whether there will be a US or EU release, but that hasn't stopped international fans of the game from getting excited. <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/phantasy-star-online-2/">PSO2</a></em> officially launched its second alpha phase yesterday, and foreign game review website <a href="http://steparu.com">Steparu</a> managed to get itself an invite.<br />
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Fans of the original game's online play will be pleased to know that party gameplay has been given some much-needed improvements. There's no more need to make sure everyone is on the same quest; instead, the party leader picks a mission and the whole party gets it automatically. Mini-quests can pop up randomly during a dungeon, and completing them grants bonus experience. Boss fights are just as deadly and hectic as in the original, with fast-paced action and team members dying repeatedly throughout the fight. Steparu has published <a href="http://steparu.com/previews/mmo-rpg-previews/801-phantasy-star-online-2-2-part1">a comprehensive review of the early alpha</a>, with videos of everything from dungeons and boss kills to furniture arranging. We've embedded a few of those videos after the cut.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/">Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20159111/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>alpha</category><category>alpha-test</category><category>boss</category><category>boss-fights</category><category>console</category><category>dungeon</category><category>multiplayer</category><category>news</category><category>phantasy-star</category><category>Phantasy-Star-Online</category><category>Phantasy-Star-Online-2</category><category>pso</category><category>pso2</category><category>sci-fi</category><category>steparu</category><category>steparu.com</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vindictus invites players to explore sewers and fight with monsters in newest update]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/vindictus/" rel="tag">Vindictus</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/"><img alt="Fighting... LIKE A BOSS." src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2012/01/vindictus-liebeneath-epl-118.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Nexon-Europe/">Nexon Europe</a> is pushing <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Vindictus/">Vindictus</a></em> forward with the game's newest update, which brings two large content improvements to the game. Players mostly interested in the PvE side of the game can start investigating Rocheste's sewers, braving dangerous beasts in the hopes of obtaining new treasures and three new armor types. Fortunately, the three characters of the game each receive a new skill to go along with all of the dangerous, hopefully making it just a little easier to tear through whatever lies beneath.<br />
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If you'd rather go for the PvP route, however, the update is introducing a new combat mode known as M-Match. It's two teams of players pitted against one another, with the added twist that each side has a boss monster under its control. The first team to take out the opposing team's boss is the winner. The new arena also contains a number of chained boss fights for players to pit themselves against, either one at a time or multiple bosses in sequence, just to reward players who decide to hack their way through greater challenges.<br />
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[Source: Nexon Europe press release]<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Vindictus invites players to explore sewers and fight with monsters in newest update</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/">Vindictus invites players to explore sewers and fight with monsters in newest update</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20151218/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/vindictus-invites-players-to-explore-sewers-and-fight-with-monst/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>arena</category><category>boss</category><category>boss-monsters</category><category>bosses</category><category>content</category><category>m-match</category><category>monsters</category><category>nexon</category><category>nexon-europe</category><category>patches</category><category>pvp</category><category>pvp-modes</category><category>quests</category><category>sewers</category><category>updates</category><category>vindictus</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Taking a look at the world bosses of ArcheAge]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/endgame/" rel="tag">Endgame</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/archeage/" rel="tag">ArcheAge</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sandbox/" rel="tag">Sandbox</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/"><img alt="Set players on fire (like a boss)!" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2012/01/archeage-bosses-epl-109.jpg" /></a></div>
The upcoming sandbox game <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/ArcheAge/">ArcheAge</a></em> has turned quite a few heads with its design principles, graphics, and game mechanics. But mechanics alone don't make a game fun to play -- you need to have some content to make use of them, after all. Content like, say, a large number of bosses wandering the world for players to take up arms against. The folks over at <a href="http://steparu.com">Steparu</a> have gone out and shown off precisely those bosses with <a href="http://steparu.com/previews/mmo-rpg-previews/771-archeage-online-boss-hunting">a new series of videos</a>, showing the latest beta build in action by demonstrating pitched fights against these enemies.<br />
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As the preview indicates, defeating bosses rewards you with enchantments, equipment, and reputation, with the last being quite useful to gain access to new prizes through the game. The first of several videos is embedded past the cut, but if you want to see the full spectrum of enemies you can fight like a boss, you'll need to <a href="http://steparu.com/previews/mmo-rpg-previews/771-archeage-online-boss-hunting">check out the full array of videos yourself</a> and possibly join the legions of hopeful fans wondering when the game will get a stateside release.<br />
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[Thanks to ArcheAge Fan for the tip!]<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Taking a look at the world bosses of ArcheAge</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/">Taking a look at the world bosses of ArcheAge</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20144282/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/taking-a-look-at-the-world-bosses-of-archeage/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>archeage</category><category>archeage-bosses</category><category>beta</category><category>boss</category><category>boss-fights</category><category>bosses</category><category>cbt</category><category>closed-beta</category><category>closed-beta-test</category><category>preview</category><category>previews</category><category>video</category><category>videos</category><category>xl-games</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Turbine to bring back LotRO's Fellowship Maneuvers to boss fights]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online/" rel="tag">Lord of the Rings Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/"><img alt="Fellowship Maneuvers" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/09/conjunction.jpg" /></a></div>
It's a long-running in-joke in the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online"><em>Lord of the Rings Online</em></a> community that no matter how often <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/turbine/">Turbine</a> tries to call its group combo-maker "Fellowship Maneuvers," players can't stop referring to them as "Conjunctions" (the name for the system from beta). <a href="http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/1452-rise-of-isengard-developer-diary-the-fellowship-maneuver">In a new dev diary</a> covering the resurgence of the feature, Turbine acknowledges the nomenclature debate with the title "Conjunction Conjunction, What's your Function?"<br />
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In the past, Turbine had disabled Fellowship Maneuvers for tough boss fights, fearing that it would make the encounters too easy. However, the devs want to start giving the system more love again, and they have a two-step plan to do that. The first step is to allow players to create customizable Fellowship Maneuvers on a per-mob basis, allowing players to fine-tune their approach to each deadly encounter. The second step is to lift the ban on Fellowship Maneuvers during boss fights while making them much tougher to pull off successfully. This latter step is still in the planning stages, but the team wanted players to know that it was in the works.<br />
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There's more information in this developer diary about Conjunctions, especially in regard to the new 24-man Draigoch raid, so it's worth checking out if you're a serious dungeon crawler.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/">Turbine to bring back LotRO's Fellowship Maneuvers to boss fights</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20066246/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/26/turbine-to-bring-back-lotros-fellowship-maneuvers-to-boss-fight/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>conjunction</category><category>conjunctions</category><category>draigoch</category><category>expansion</category><category>f2p</category><category>fellowship-maneuver</category><category>fellowship-maneuvers</category><category>fm</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>lord-of-the-rings-online</category><category>lotro</category><category>raid</category><category>rise-of-isengard</category><category>turbine</category><category>turbine-entertainment</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[GodsWar Online takes the battle to a whole new level]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/previews/" rel="tag">Previews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/"><img alt="GodsWar Online" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/09/1-1316180606.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/godswar-online/"><em>GodsWar Online</em></a> is on the verge of another major content update, and it's never our wish at Massively that players be caught unaware, just in case you want to plan ahead and move laundry night to a different day or something.<br />
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The Grecian title will be throwing a gob -- which is made up of 10 goblets -- of additional features and content our way, including a level cap increase and a new storyline for players to enjoy. As the conflict between the three factions rises to an even higher level, elite warriors will be glad to get their hands on Class Suit III gear, not to mention to be able to upgrade said gear with collected medals.<br />
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<em>GodsWar </em>will be tweaking Wonderland somewhat, particularly in regard to tougher BOSS fights (although there will be new weaknesses that players can exploit). The update will also allow you to swap out your character's gender for a modest fee, just in case you choose poorly in the beginning or are discontented with your current anatomical features.<br />
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[Source: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/IGG/">IGG</a> press release]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/">GodsWar Online takes the battle to a whole new level</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20044633/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/16/godswar-online-takes-the-battle-to-a-whole-new-level/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>class-suit-iii</category><category>content</category><category>content-patch</category><category>content-update</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>gear</category><category>gender</category><category>gender-swap</category><category>genderbender</category><category>godswar</category><category>godswar-online</category><category>igg</category><category>level-cap</category><category>level-cap-increase</category><category>patch</category><category>switch-gender</category><category>wonderland</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Exclusive: Lucent Heart's Scaena zones and bosses]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/galleries/" rel="tag">Galleries</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/screenshots/" rel="tag">Screenshots</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lore/" rel="tag">Lore</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/previews/" rel="tag">Previews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dev-diaries/" rel="tag">Dev Diaries</a></p><div style="text-align: center; ">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/"><img alt="Lucent Heart screenshot" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/header.jpg" /></a></div>
If you were looking for something a little more "traditional fantasy" after <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Lucent-Heart/">Lucent Heart's</a></em> music-and-dance routine video <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/11/exclusive-lucent-hearts-shows-off-the-scaena-expansions-dance/">last week</a>, then today's dev diary will suit your tastes. In it, the folks at <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Gamania/">Gamania</a> have delivered to us an exclusive preview of the upcoming <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/Scaena/">Scaena</a> update's zones and bosses. The world of Acadia is being enhanced with the Witch's Cliff on the continent of Cropolis; the level 65-69 Heart of Fire in the lands of Fostyre; the crafting hub Minotsize, City of Industry; and the continents of Edea and Aislan. The dev diary also highlights two of the opponents that players can expect to encounter: the formidable God's Advocate in Mount Destiny and the scorpion-riding Medea in the Witch's Cliff.<br />
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Hit the break for the full scoop, and check out screenshots of some of the bosses and zones in the gallery below.<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/lucent-heart-scaena/">Lucent Heart Core Gallery</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/lucent-heart-scaena/#4394472"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/2gvg_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/lucent-heart-scaena/#4394473"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/3gvg_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/lucent-heart-scaena/#4394474"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/4gvg_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/lucent-heart-scaena/#4394475"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/5gvg_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/lucent-heart-scaena/#4394476"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/extrashot1_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Exclusive: Lucent Heart's Scaena zones and bosses</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/">Exclusive: Lucent Heart's Scaena zones and bosses</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20020615/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/exclusive-lucent-hearts-scaena-zones-and-bosses/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>bosses</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>galleries</category><category>gallery</category><category>gamania</category><category>lh</category><category>lucent-heart</category><category>news</category><category>patch</category><category>patches</category><category>scaena</category><category>screenshot</category><category>screenshots</category><category>update</category><category>updates</category><category>zone</category><category>zones</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brianna Royce]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Rusty Hearts dev diary gets bossy]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dev-diaries/" rel="tag">Dev Diaries</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/"><img alt="Screenshot -- Rusty Hearts" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/08/rhheader2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
	It's time yet again for another <a href="http://www.massively.com/tag/rusty-hearts"><em>Rusty Hearts</em></a> video dev diary. This time the focus is on the big baddies that players will be pitting their skills against in the anime-style brawler. We're talking, of course, about boss fights. As any brawler or beat-'em-up fan should know, no true game of the genre is complete without a challenging boss fight to cap off a level.<br />
	<br />
	The dev diary introduces players to a couple of the early bosses they'll be encountering, such as the nasty Blood Skeleton and the hulking Butcher. In addition, it details the rewards players can reap for defeating these challenging fights, such as copious amounts of gold, high-quality equipment, and high-value loot cards. For the full diary, including some footage of players facing off against the game's many bosses, jump on past the cut for the full video.</div><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>New Rusty Hearts dev diary gets bossy</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/">New Rusty Hearts dev diary gets bossy</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20020402/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/17/new-rusty-hearts-dev-diary-gets-bossy/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>beat-em-up</category><category>boss</category><category>boss-fights</category><category>bosses</category><category>brawler</category><category>dev-diary</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>perfect-world-entertainment</category><category>pwe</category><category>rh</category><category>rusty-hearts</category><category>video</category><category>videos</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Daniel]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Inggison]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/aion/" rel="tag">Aion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/wings-over-atreia/" rel="tag">Wings Over Atreia</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guides/" rel="tag">Guides</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/wings-over-atreia"><img border="1" hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/04/woaheader.jpg" vspace="4" /></a></div>
Back in January, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/wings-over-atreia">Wings Over Atreia</a> brought you the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/31/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-heiron/">first installment</a> of a series highlighting the who, where, what, and even some how of <a href="http://na.aiononline.com/"><em>Aion's</em></a> world bosses. At that time, we took a tour around the land of Heiron and met up with those tough (and some not-so-tough) bosses who taunt players with their juicy, coveted loot. But Heiron is for youngins; this week, we will focus our tour on the playground of the highest levels, the lands of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/13/wings-over-atreia-first-impressions-of-the-assault/">Balaurea</a> -- specifically, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/26/aion-assault-on-balaurea-zone-trailer-inggison/">Inggison</a>.<br />
<br />
It never fails -- the best goodies are never the easy-to-get goodies. As much as Daevas may want to get their hot little hands on some of the weapons, armor, and crafting materials dropped by these world bosses, they have to first find these giants and second actually defeat them. So much easier said than done. On the bright side, some of the mobs are easier to kill and can even be soloed (although they are also well-camped). On the not-bright side, others don't seem to show their faces as often as hungry loot-hunters would like, or they take a friend or 20 to take down. So what's a Daeva to do?<br />
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Soar past the cut for some tips, tricks, and a handy map for seeking out those Inggison bosses and convincing them to give up their loot.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Inggison</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/">Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Inggison</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19904345/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/wings-over-atreia-boss-world-tour-inggison/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>aion</category><category>aion-game</category><category>balaurea</category><category>boss</category><category>bosses</category><category>elite</category><category>elite-grade-mobs</category><category>elites</category><category>eternal-grade-loot</category><category>exploit</category><category>exploits</category><category>featured</category><category>gold-armor</category><category>gold-weapon</category><category>hero</category><category>hero-grade-mob</category><category>hint</category><category>hints</category><category>Inggison</category><category>legendary</category><category>legendary-grade-mob</category><category>loot</category><category>maps</category><category>named-mob</category><category>named-mobs</category><category>nc-soft</category><category>nc-soft-aion</category><category>ncsoft</category><category>ncsoft-aion</category><category>tips</category><category>tricks</category><category>Wings-Over-Atreia</category><category>world-boss</category><category>world-bosses</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[MJ Guthrie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's your boss fight playlist?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/the-daily-grind-whats-your-boss-fight-playlist/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/the-daily-grind-whats-your-boss-fight-playlist/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/the-daily-grind-whats-your-boss-fight-playlist/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/03/rocky.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
Many of us have admitted that sooner or later, no matter how good an MMO's score is, we turn it off due to sheer repetition and replace it with our own tunes. It's OK, I do it too. And when it comes to boss fights, it sometimes helps to have tunes queued up that are guaranteed to get your blood pumping and your fingers tappin'.<br />
<br />
Me? I'm all about the epic '80s montage jams when I'm going toe-to-toe with the deadliest virtual villains in games. Give me <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jYcW1nEsGk">You're the Best Around</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8rZWw9HE7o">Danger Zone</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjY_uSSncQw">Love is a Battlefield</a>, please, and pump up that bass. Montages solve <em>everything</em>.<br />
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So what about you? What do you queue up on your MP3 player when you're heading into the boss' sanctum? For today's bonus points, why not provide a link to the YouTube video version so we can all enjoy your no doubt excellent taste in music?<br />
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<img align="left" alt="" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/09/coffee.jpg" style="padding-right: 10px;" vspace="0" /><em>Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's <a href="http://www.massively.com/category/the-daily-grind/">Daily Grind</a>!</em><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/the-daily-grind-whats-your-boss-fight-playlist/">The Daily Grind: What's your boss fight playlist?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/the-daily-grind-whats-your-boss-fight-playlist/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19896529/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/the-daily-grind-whats-your-boss-fight-playlist/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-fight</category><category>boss-fight-playlist</category><category>danger-zone</category><category>love-is-a-battlefield</category><category>mp3</category><category>mp3-player</category><category>opinion</category><category>playlist</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><category>youre-the-best-around</category><category>youtube</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lost Pages of Taborea: What just happened?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/humor/" rel="tag">Humor</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/runes-of-magic/" rel="tag">Runes of Magic</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lost-pages-of-taborea/" rel="tag">Lost Pages of Taborea</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lost-pages-of-taborea/"><img border="1" hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/03/massivelyweirdanomaliesheader530.jpg" vspace="4" /></a></div>
There are always plenty of memories to make and share with others, as MMOs tend to be never-ending playgrounds for us to romp around in. And after recalling major events for <a href="http://us.runesofmagic.com/us/index.html"><em>Runes of Magic's</em></a> second birthday, I've been stuck in fond-memory mode. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/18/runes-of-magic-celebrates-its-second-birthday/">Two years</a> of playing <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/runes-of-magic/"><em>RoM</em></a> is a lot of time to build up memories, too. I've gone through many a server, guild and character since I started, and I've both made memories with friends and remembered events the game itself created.<br />
<br />
Sometimes a developer forgets to turn off a light switch, a new bug appears, or a new patch brings unintended changes. I remember a handful of times some pretty interesting things have happened. Mysterious statues popping up, bosses appearing in houses, and other anomalies await after the break.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Lost Pages of Taborea: What just happened?</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/">Lost Pages of Taborea: What just happened?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19885397/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/lost-pages-of-taborea-what-just-happened/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-in-house</category><category>bugs</category><category>featured</category><category>frog-king</category><category>frog-statue</category><category>frogster</category><category>frogster-america</category><category>frogster-interactive</category><category>funny</category><category>glitch</category><category>glitches</category><category>house</category><category>humor</category><category>jeremy-stratton</category><category>lost-pages-of-taborea</category><category>memories</category><category>memory</category><category>mysterious</category><category>nostalgia</category><category>rom</category><category>runes-of-magic</category><category>runewaker</category><category>runewaker-entertainment</category><category>strange</category><category>weird</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeremy Stratton]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's your favorite boss quote?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-boss-quote/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-boss-quote/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-boss-quote/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/03/rof.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
Like any good villain, a memorable dungeon boss needs a bit of an introduction, a smidge of pizzazz before he, she or it starts thwomping on your head in a three-stage attack pattern. Usually this comes in the form of a welcome speech: "Hello honored guest (I thus say sarcastically)! Behold my quirky nature! I'm deeply surprised you made it this far, but now you will die!"<br />
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Because we tend to run boss fights so very often, the dialogue these beasts spout tends to become ingrained into our noggins before long. My current favorite is Battlemaster Atrophinius, the Lord of Autumn from <a href="http://www.riftgame.com/en/"><em>RIFT's</em></a> Realm of the Fae. Who doesn't like a swaggering drunk who fights you solely because you interrupted his mead time? Because of him, I now use the phrase "frosty fop" in each and every conversation that I have.<br />
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So what's your favorite boss quote? For a bonus question, do lengthy boss introductions annoy or amuse you? For a final Jeopardy answer, this NPC is renowned for saying "What?! Now you've done it! The bunnies are angry! ANGRY I TELL YOU!"<br />
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<img align="left" alt="" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/09/coffee.jpg" style="padding-right: 10px;" vspace="0" /><em>Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's <a href="http://www.massively.com/category/the-daily-grind/">Daily Grind</a>!</em><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-boss-quote/">The Daily Grind: What's your favorite boss quote?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-boss-quote/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19885246/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-boss-quote/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>Battlemaster-Atrophinius</category><category>boss</category><category>boss-dialogue</category><category>boss-quote</category><category>boss-quotes</category><category>opinion</category><category>realm-of-the-fae</category><category>rift</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's your least favorite sort of boss fight?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-boss-fight/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-boss-fight/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-boss-fight/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/endgame/" rel="tag">Endgame</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://dragonage.bioware.com/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/03/da2-skills-epl-314-1300141463.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
If you study a fair bit of literary theory, you'll come across the idea that there are only a handful of different stories at the most basic level. The same is true of boss fights in most MMOs -- while there are variants, you can generally break a fight down to its component elements. DPS races, gear checks, endurance fights, add management, positioning battles... from <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com"><em>World of Warcraft</em></a> to <a href="http://www.lotro.com"><em>Lord of the Rings Online</em></a> to <a href="http://www.cityofheroes.com"><em>City of Heroes</em></a>, there are going to be fights where you have to avoid standing in things while killing the boss gradually.<br />
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Of course, each of these fights can bring different challenges, but not all of them are entirely welcome ones. So which set of mechanics do you find the least appealing? Do you find positioning fights irritating as they completely disregard character stats in favor of dancing? Do you dislike DPS races where everyone just brainlessly pounds on the keyboard? Are you sick of burning down non-entities in order to fight the actual boss? Or is there another mechanic altogether that gets your goat?<br />
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<img align="left" alt="" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/09/coffee.jpg" style="padding-right: 10px;" vspace="0" /><em>Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's <a href="http://www.massively.com/category/the-daily-grind/">Daily Grind</a>!</em><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-boss-fight/">The Daily Grind: What's your least favorite sort of boss fight?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-boss-fight/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19879403/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/16/the-daily-grind-whats-your-least-favorite-sort-of-boss-fight/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-fight</category><category>bosses</category><category>challenges</category><category>culture</category><category>endgame</category><category>fight-mechanics</category><category>game-mechanics</category><category>opinion</category><category>skill</category><category>strategy</category><category>tactics</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliot Lefebvre]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Frogster announces Runes of Magic Boss Rush video contest]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/frogster-announces-runes-of-magic-boss-rush-video-contest/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/frogster-announces-runes-of-magic-boss-rush-video-contest/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/frogster-announces-runes-of-magic-boss-rush-video-contest/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/contests/" rel="tag">Contests</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/runes-of-magic/" rel="tag">Runes of Magic</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://us.runesofmagic.com/news,id1872,boss_rush_video_contest_gdc_2011.html"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/02/bossrush.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
Fantasy MMO <a href="http://runesofmagic.com"><em>Runes of Magic</em></a> has been in the news a lot lately, and it hasn't all been positive. Last month, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/15/runes-of-magic-addresses-account-hacks/">self-proclaimed hacker Cpt.Z3r0 claimed to be in possession of the login details</a> to 3.5 million <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/runes-of-magic/"><em>Runes of Magic</em></a> game accounts. It's not all bad news, though, as today <a href="http://us.runesofmagic.com/news,id1872,boss_rush_video_contest_gdc_2011.html">Frogster announced a great new video contest</a> for <em>RoM</em> players. In honour of San Francisco's upcoming <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/">Game Developers Conference</a> at the end of the month, Frogster is giving players the chance to have their video creations featured on the massive widescreen TV in the Frogster booth.<br />
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To enter the Boss Rush video contest, all you have to do is make a video of you and your friends taking down one of <em>RoM</em>'s many instance or world bosses. Upload your video to YouTube and then send a link to the video to <a href="http://us.runesofmagic.com/news,id1872,boss_rush_video_contest_gdc_2011.html">the email address provided</a> to be entered into the contest. The best videos will be put to a general vote by the <em>RoM</em> community, who will pick their single favourite entry to win a huge additional prize. The guild members featured in the video that receives the most votes will be given a Grand Golden Repair Hammer in-game, and the guild leader will get a real-life golden hammer signed by Frogster's US GM team.<br />
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Although any video can be entered, there are a few things you can do to massively improve your chances of success. Uploading your video in a resolution of at least 720p, using a 16:9 aspect ratio and keeping a constant frame-rate of 25 will make your video look more professional. It's also advised that you pick a boss with interesting mechanics, as only the most entertaining videos to watch will be selected. Lastly, Frogster insist that you don't add any extra audio or music that you don't own the rights to. Entries must be in by February 28th for a chance to win.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/frogster-announces-runes-of-magic-boss-rush-video-contest/">Frogster announces Runes of Magic Boss Rush video contest</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/frogster-announces-runes-of-magic-boss-rush-video-contest/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19827904/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/frogster-announces-runes-of-magic-boss-rush-video-contest/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-rush</category><category>competition</category><category>contest</category><category>film</category><category>frogster</category><category>gdc</category><category>gdc-2011</category><category>instance</category><category>pve</category><category>rom</category><category>runes-of-magic</category><category>runewalker</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brendan Drain]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's the hardest boss you've ever fought?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/resubbed/" rel="tag">ReSubbed</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/08/boss.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
The video game boss is as traditional as it is feared. From the earliest days of the console generation to our fancy-schmancy Eminem-Os, gamers have cut their teeth on challenging villains such as the Sleeper, Mallyx, Tarinax the Destroyer and the Watcher in the Water. Boss battles always seem impossible at the outset, punishing parties with a complete wipe at a single mistake. Strategies are memorized, patterns are ingrained and teamwork polished until that big baddie hits the floor, sobbing like a baby.<br />
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So what's the hardest boss you've ever fought in a MMORPG? Was it an epic one-on-one battle, a harrowing party fight, or even a raid boss so mighty that its mere gaze stopped you in your tracks? What made this confrontation so difficult -- the sheer pool of hit points, the complex strategy or the way it almost seemed to cheat to win?<br />
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And no, "Hogger" doesn't count for this Daily Grind. These memes have a statute of limitations, you know.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/">The Daily Grind: What's the hardest boss you've ever fought?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19591225/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-battles</category><category>boss-fights</category><category>eminem-os</category><category>hogger</category><category>hogger-raid-boss</category><category>mallyx</category><category>opinion</category><category>raid-boss</category><category>sleeper</category><category>tarinax-the-destroyer</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><category>watcher-in-the-water</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fallen Earth boss-killing event in the works]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/fallen-earth-boss-killing-event-in-the-works/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/fallen-earth-boss-killing-event-in-the-works/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/fallen-earth-boss-killing-event-in-the-works/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fallen-earth/" rel="tag">Fallen Earth</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-in-game/" rel="tag">Events, in-game</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/07/image009.jpg" /></div>
Think your wasteland clone is tough enough to stand toe to toe with a giant mutated fungus named Deathspore? If so, put your money where your mouth is and join <a href="http://www.fallenearth.com"><em>Fallen Earth</em></a> fansite <a href="http://brokenfuture.tripod.com/">Broken Future</a> for a series of community boss take-downs. Currently scheduled for Thursday, July 15th at 11pm eastern, the party will leave from Jimbo's Cracked Egg in Needle Eye in search of adventure, excitement, and (hopefully) coming home alive.<br />
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"<em>Bring your combat gear and prepare for a night of fun. If the event goes well, I have a little surprise in store for everyone at the end. So hope to see you all there and take care</em>," says Broken Future's Jkillz in a <a href="http://forums.fallenearth.com/fallenearth/showthread.php?t=40267">post</a> on the official <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fallen-earth"><em>Fallen Earth</em></a> forums. Check out the <a href="http://www.fallenearth.com/node/579">news posting</a> for all the details.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/fallen-earth-boss-killing-event-in-the-works/">Fallen Earth boss-killing event in the works</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.fallenearth.com/node/579>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/fallen-earth-boss-killing-event-in-the-works/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19546820/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/fallen-earth-boss-killing-event-in-the-works/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-kills</category><category>broken-future</category><category>community</category><category>community-events</category><category>deathspore</category><category>event</category><category>fallen-earth</category><category>icarus</category><category>icarus-studios</category><category>in-game-event</category><category>post-apocalyptic</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jef Reahard]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dragonica Online screens show off boss battles]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/dragonica-online-screens-show-off-boss-battles/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/dragonica-online-screens-show-off-boss-battles/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/dragonica-online-screens-show-off-boss-battles/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/galleries/" rel="tag">Galleries</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/screenshots/" rel="tag">Screenshots</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dragonica-online/" rel="tag">Dragonica Online</a></p><object width="580" height="458"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lbd3Orp8phI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lbd3Orp8phI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="458"></embed></object>We haven't heard a great deal about <a href="http://dragonica.thqice.com/web/"><em>Dragonica Online</em></a> before now, but it seems as though it's been cruising through its testing phases quite successfully under our noses. The game is an English adaptation of a fairly new Chinese MMO called <em>Dream Dragon</em>, and features 3D side-scrolling combat in a free-to-play format. Embedded above is an old video we found on Youtube that will give you an idea of how it works -- comparisons to <a href="http://maplestory.nexon.net/"><em>MapleStory</em></a> are inevitable. <br /><br />The game's publishers THQ*ICE have sent along some screenshots of a few of the bosses you'll find in-game, and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/">we've put them in a new gallery</a> for you to check out. The main thing to point out here is that a boss wolf, for example, doesn't just look like a slightly-different-colored regular wolf, which is always nice to see. If it's starting to look like your kind of game, make sure to visit <a href="http://dragonica.thqice.com/web/">THQ*ICE's official <em>Dragonica Online</em> site</a> and register an account, as there's a preview beta test coming very soon.<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/">Dragonica Online gallery</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/#2009428"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/05/wolf-attack_1024px_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Regular wolves" title="Regular wolves" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/#2009429"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/05/wolf-boss_1024px_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Boss wolf" title="Boss wolf" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/#2009425"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/05/raccoon_1024px_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Regular raccoon" title="Regular raccoon" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/#2009424"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/05/raccoon-plumber_1024px_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Raccoon Plumber boss" title="Raccoon Plumber boss" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/dragonica-online-gallery/#2009422"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2009/05/lavalon2_1024px_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Boss: Lavalon" title="Boss: Lavalon" /></a></div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/dragonica-online-screens-show-off-boss-battles/">Dragonica Online screens show off boss battles</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 12 May 2009 15:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/dragonica-online-screens-show-off-boss-battles/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1543054/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/dragonica-online-screens-show-off-boss-battles/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>barunson-interactive</category><category>beta</category><category>boss</category><category>bosses</category><category>dragonica-online</category><category>dream-dragon</category><category>f2p</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>gallery</category><category>screenshots</category><category>thq</category><category>thq-ice</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[William Dobson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2009 15:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[It's Pandemonium in Final Fantasy XI]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/final-fantasy-xi/" rel="tag">Final Fantasy XI</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/forums/" rel="tag">Forums</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guilds/" rel="tag">Guilds</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/endgame/" rel="tag">Endgame</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a></p><a href="http://rukenshin.livejournal.com/17133.html#cutid1"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/08/rukenshin425.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />News has spread of a grueling new enemy encounter in <a href="http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml"><em>Final Fantasy XI.</em></a> The Notorious Monster (NM) Pandemonium Warden is one of the strongest opponents players can face in the game. But it seems <a href="http://www.square-enix.com/na/index_f2.html">Square-Enix</a> may have raised the bar too high, given the extremes to which players must go to defeat Pandemonium Warden. <br /><br />A linkshell (guild) called <a href="http://community.beyondthelimitation.com/ ">Beyond the Limitation</a> recently faced off against Pandemonium Warden over an 18 hour period, but the NM was still going strong. The NM shapeshifts into multiple forms, making it even more of a challenge to defeat; Beyond the Limitations fought Pandemonium Warden through twenty of his possible forms, some of which took hours to kill. <a href="http://petfoodalpha.com/?p=1055">Pet Food Alpha,</a> a <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/final-fantasy-xi"><em>Final Fantasy XI</em></a> community site, quotes a member of Beyond the Limitation stating: <em>"People were passing out and getting physically ill. We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people's lives." </em><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>It's Pandemonium in Final Fantasy XI</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/">It's Pandemonium in Final Fantasy XI</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://petfoodalpha.com/?p=1055>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1286329/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/its-pandemonium-in-final-fantasy-xi/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>absolute-virtue</category><category>beyond-the-limitation</category><category>boss</category><category>controversial</category><category>controversy</category><category>endgame</category><category>fantasy</category><category>ffxi</category><category>final-fantasy-xi</category><category>forums</category><category>game-mechanics</category><category>guilds</category><category>hardcore</category><category>linkshells</category><category>nm</category><category>notorious-monster</category><category>pandemonium-lamp</category><category>pandemonium-warden</category><category>pet-food-alpha</category><category>petfoodalpha</category><category>pve</category><category>raid</category><category>shapeshifter</category><category>shapeshifters</category><category>square-enix</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Egan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What makes a boss fight memorable?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/12/the-daily-grind-what-makes-a-boss-fight-memorable/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/12/the-daily-grind-what-makes-a-boss-fight-memorable/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/12/the-daily-grind-what-makes-a-boss-fight-memorable/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind"><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/tentacleshorizon.jpg" alt="" /></a>Over on his blog, <a href="http://mearls.livejournal.com/152268.html">4th Edition D&amp;D developer Mike Mearls has been thinking over the design challenges</a> posed by a solo monster fight. In 4th Edition, solo monsters are creatures designed to be a challenge on their own, without needing a group to back them up. As Mike has observed, the issue with solo monsters is designing the encounter so that it isn't boring: '<em>It's important that a solo fight take place in an environment that encourages movement and interesting choices. Otherwise, you end up with the party standing around, trading blows with one monster</em>.'<br /><br />We thought this was a game design point that applies every bit as much to MMOs as it does to D&amp;D. In <a href="http://www.coh.com"><em>City of Heroes</em></a>, where the environment makes little difference, fights with Archvillains used to be straightforward affairs; the AV was a big bag of hit points that got hammered. Now, with Archvillains like Romulus and his cadre of supporters, new twists have been added to keep the fight interesting. The boss fights in <em>World of Warcraft</em> are said to be some of the best in gaming, because they <em>aren't</em> simple surround-and-bludgeon affairs.<br /><br />What do you look for in a fight with a Big Bad? What are your best and worst experiences?<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/12/the-daily-grind-what-makes-a-boss-fight-memorable/">The Daily Grind: What makes a boss fight memorable?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/12/the-daily-grind-what-makes-a-boss-fight-memorable/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1251145/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/12/the-daily-grind-what-makes-a-boss-fight-memorable/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>boss-fights</category><category>dungeons-and-dragons</category><category>mike-mearls</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><category>thedailygrind</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Adrian Bott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lorebook tells tales of Ents gone bad]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/lorebook-tells-tales-of-ents-gone-bad/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/lorebook-tells-tales-of-ents-gone-bad/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/lorebook-tells-tales-of-ents-gone-bad/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online/" rel="tag">Lord of the Rings Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lore/" rel="tag">Lore</a></p><a href="http://www.lotro.com/article/552"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/06/dourroot.jpg" alt="" /></a>According to <a href="http://www.turbine.com">Turbine</a>'s most recently highlighted <a href="http://www.lotro.com"><em>The Lord of the Rings Online</em></a> <a href="http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Monster:Dour-root">Lorebook entry</a>, even Ents can turn to the proverbial dark side. One might think that even if they did, it would take them such a long time to work out how to kill you that they wouldn't be much of a threat. Unfortunately, you'll hear a different story from anyone who's faced <a href="http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Monster:Dour-root">the dour-root</a> -- or Huorn, as some call it -- in Agamaur.<br /><br />To be more specific, the monster is an Elite Master boss encounter in the Lone-lands' Garth Agarwen instance. It's probably not the first killer tree encountered by most <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online">LotRO</a> </em>players. That honor most likely goes to the <a href="http://lotro.allakhazam.com/db/bestiary.html?lotrmob=1365">Warped Oaks</a> in the <a href="http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Lore:Old_Forest">Old Forest.</a><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/lorebook-tells-tales-of-ents-gone-bad/">Lorebook tells tales of Ents gone bad</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.lotro.com/article/552>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/lorebook-tells-tales-of-ents-gone-bad/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1216056/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/lorebook-tells-tales-of-ents-gone-bad/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>boss</category><category>dour-root</category><category>elite-master</category><category>garth-agarwen</category><category>huorn</category><category>instance</category><category>lone-lands</category><category>lord-of-the-rings-online</category><category>lore</category><category>lorebook</category><category>lotro</category><category>mob</category><category>monster</category><category>old-forest</category><category>turbine</category><category>warped-oak</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Video, interview paint detailed picture of AoC raids]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/age-of-conan/" rel="tag">Age of Conan</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/endgame/" rel="tag">Endgame</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pve/" rel="tag">PvE</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33629"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/aocraid.jpg" /></a></div>
There's a two-pronged assault of <a href="http://www.ageofconan.com"><em>Age of Conan</em></a> raid content information at <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com">Ten Ton Hammer</a> -- a 20 minute <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33629">raid presentation video,</a> and an <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33679">interview with raid boss scripter Eirik Munthe.</a> Both the presentation and the interview occurred at the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/age-of-conan-launch-event-includes-fire-breathers-spellweaving/"><em>AoC</em> launch event in Oslo</a> 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.<br /><br />In the <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33629">presentation,</a> bits and pieces of one of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/age-of-conan"><em>AoC</em></a>'s level 80, 24-person raids were shown to an audience with live commentary by Game Director <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/gaute-godager">Gaute Godager.</a> 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.<br /><br />In the <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33679">interview</a> with Eirik Munthe we learned that <a href="http://www.funcom.com/">Funcom</a> 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 <em>AoC</em>'s unique features such as collision detection and CoE (cone of effect) healing in mind.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/">Video, interview paint detailed picture of AoC raids</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 20 May 2008 19:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/33679>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1200210/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/video-interview-paint-detailed-picture-of-aoc-raids/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>80</category><category>age-of-conan</category><category>aoc</category><category>boss</category><category>eirik-munthe</category><category>end-game</category><category>endgame</category><category>gaute-godager</category><category>interview</category><category>launch-party</category><category>level-80</category><category>massive-siege-pvp</category><category>oslo</category><category>pvp</category><category>raid</category><category>raiding</category><category>siege</category><category>sieging</category><category>video</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2008 19:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
