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Aika releases dragons, Epic II Saga: Hestia content

Jef Reahard — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

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

If you've been waiting for the conclusion of Aika's Epic II Saga, your wait is over. The Hestia content patch is going live on gPotato's servers today, and it's bringing with it a significant amount of new content.

Two new level-80 raids are in the mix, and there are challenges aplenty in the Hestian city of Drago (so-named because it's built "within the coiled body of a sleeping dragon"). Squads of players may take missions from Hestia and set out on epic adventures to reclaim the holy cities of Aquados and Tyriantor, which have been occupied by the vile Zereca.

gPotato says that the Aquados catacombs are also home to a water dragon named Reagor, and he and his minions require the services of 24 skilled (and high-level) players. There's also an undead dragon named Dariadra, and he loves to reanimate holy soldiers and bend them to his nefarious will as he squats over the Tyriantor keep. More info -- as well as the client download -- is available at the official Aika website.

Aika releases dragons, Epic II Saga: Hestia content originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: The top 19 ways to get your dungeon crawl on, continued

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, PvE, Wings Over Atreia, Guides

Ahhh. There's nothing like the feeling of facing down a formidable foe, beating it into submission, then finally conquering it and pulling from its lifeless corpse some rare and valuable treasure to hold above your head as a trophy of your victory. Of course, this feeling cannot be found in the PvP portion of Aion's PvPvE formula; sadly, neither Asmodians nor Elyos drop loot of any kind upon defeat, rare or otherwise (though I have to say adding in the ability to pluck a feather from your vanquished foe would be cool). So that leaves only one way to experience this rush, and that's through the PvE side of the game, and not just any PvE at that: While there is a possibility of valuable drops out in the world, your best chances lie within the instanced dungeons.

Dungeons are a great way to get away from the masses and all the accompanying interruptions that come with sharing the world with others, such as KSing, unwanted PvP ambushes, and mob trains pulled by some idiot next to you. Think of it as an Atreian vacation! And Aion has 19 PvE instanced dungeons ready to whisk you away for a brief respite from the world while simultaneously giving you the chance at some great loot and XP.

Last week we covered dungeons available to Daevas under level 40 as well as solo instances. Of course, in most cases, Daevas don't remain under 40 forever (or even for long if whole months of double-XP weekends crop up!), so there is a need for more places to scratch that dungeon crawl itch. This time around, Wings Over Atreia focuses on the gamut of choices for those advancing in their levels.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: The top 19 ways to get your dungeon crawl on, continued

Wings Over Atreia: The top 19 ways to get your dungeon crawl on, continued originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Agenda getting new mercenary PvP maps, high level PvE content

Jef Reahard — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Expansions, Interviews, Patches, PvP, News items, PvE, Global Agenda

If you're concerned that Hi-Rez Studios might abandon its Global Agenda MMO in favor of the recently-announced Tribes Universe, you can rest easy. In an interview with Lorehound, Hi-Rez executive producer Todd Harris announced several exciting additions coming to Global Agenda over the next few months.

First up is the 1.39 patch, which will bring several new mercenary PvP maps to the team-based shooter. After that, the game will be getting its first shot of downloadable content which will focus primarily on high-level PvE content. "It will contain some PvE open zone content, new themed weapons, a new PvE defense mission, and our first 10-person PvE offensive aid. A 10-person team will be able to infiltrate a hive colony node and fight new Recursive Colony bots and bosses," Harris said.

He goes on to state that Hi-Rez will be releasing similar DLC expansions every four to five months going forward. Check out the good news over at Lorehound.

Global Agenda getting new mercenary PvP maps, high level PvE content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dungeons and Dragons Online previews new Update 7 screenshots

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Races

Update 7 is coming for Dungeons and Dragons Online, and while the title of the update is Half-bloods, the patch promises to be anything but half-baked. Introducing two new races, a new raid, free quests, UI improvements, and more besides, the update promises to be one of the largest for the game since its switch to free-to-play last year. Turbine has shared a few new screenshots from the Droaam adventure pack, highlighting both the adventure and some of the coming UI improvements.

The UI improvements previewed offer several streamlined and clarified interfaces, while the Droaam screenshots show off a wide-ranging adventure that spans a number of different adversaries and settings. If the gallery sparks your interest, you can take a look at our recent tour through some of the content coming in Update 7 and get a bit more context. Dungeons and Dragons Online players can look forward to the patch later this month, which seems like a fine reason to assume that the cup is half-full.

Gallery: Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 7 Preview

Dungeons and Dragons Online previews new Update 7 screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Soul of the Ultimate Nation sees the spreading Shadow

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Trailers, Classes, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Soul of the Ultimate Nation

It might seem like everything is all fine and dandy in Soul of the Ultimate Nation, but there's a shadow on the horizon. More specifically, there's Shadow, the newest character added to the game. A combination of dark sorcery and assassin skills form Shadow's potent, solo-friendly skillset, something the game's development team had been hinting at since the beginning of the year. But that's hardly all that's new in the game, which has expanded the high-level content as well.

Player characters over level 100 have access to nearly two hundred added quests, as well as new high-level areas in Helron's Castle. Neville's Swamp and Bronze Moon City, as well as the area conquest for the aforementioned castle, are all open. To cap off the experience, players have access to the fourth village in Soul of the Ultimate Nation, giving high-end players a spot where they can congregate with one another. Rather than forcing you to just read the text, however, we have both a set of preview images in our gallery, and two trailers for the update embedded past the cut.

Gallery: S.U.N.: Shadows Fall

Continue reading Soul of the Ultimate Nation sees the spreading Shadow

Soul of the Ultimate Nation sees the spreading Shadow originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runes of Magic expands with Ravenfell

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Game mechanics, Patches, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Good news for those high-level Runes of Magic players out there as Frogster just announced the release of its newest zone Ravenfell. This zone is set in a Caribbean/pirate setting and is available to those players who are levels 45-50. It also introduces several new quests, bringing Runes of Magic's total quest count up to over 1,600.

In addition to this new content for veteran players, the newbie tutorial area has also been revamped with this patch. It introduces a more streamlined starter area and optimizes the localization of zones, items and quests text, which basically means the translations make more sense. "This content update meets the wishes of our players by further expanding the high level area." says Runes of Magic PR Manager, Philipp Senkbeil on the new features being built-in so shortly after the game's launch three weeks ago. We also anticipate a new dungeon called "Treasure Trove" which is set to appear in the near future.

Check out the five newest screenshots from Ravenfell in our RoM gallery below.

Gallery: Runes of Magic Gallery

Runes of Magic expands with Ravenfell originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Veteran's guide to Mines of Moria: What's in it for me?

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Tips and tricks, Academic, Education

So Lord of the Rings Online's first expansion, Mines of Moria, has released with minimal problems. Admittedly, the launch went off better than most, although there were a few server issues on that first day. As a veteran player of the game, with perhaps two or more level 50s, you've been playing Moria since the servers went live, with only breaks for school or work. We understand that and we only want to make your time with Moria that much better, so we've created this guide to the changes in Moria according to what a veteran player would seek. The low-level guide has been done, and now it's your turn, oh Master of Middle-earth.

Luckily for you, most of Moria's content was geared towards you. The biggest exception to this is the two new classes, as they would need to be created from level one. Still, between class balance, ten new levels, new instances and an entire underworld to explore, you have plenty to keep your highest-level characters busy for quite awhile. Follow along after the cut below to learn more about what Moria has to offer for veteran players.

Continue reading Veteran's guide to Mines of Moria: What's in it for me?

Veteran's guide to Mines of Moria: What's in it for me? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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X-Play delves into Wrath of the Lich King

Kyle Horner — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Video, Expansions, News items

X-Play took a look at the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft and while no new ground was covered on the information front, they did get a look at one of the final battles in the Death Knight starting quest line. Of course, if you're trying to avoid any sort of spoilers concerning the Death Knight or generally anything WotLK-related, you may not want to risk taking a look at the segment.

Worry not though, because as we said there ain't much meat on them bones. One thing the segment does point out is that this expansion is yet again aimed solely on high-level content. The subject isn't new by any means, but it did serve to remind us that old-world content could really use some love from Blizzard once in a while. You can find the video after the break.

Continue reading X-Play delves into Wrath of the Lich King

X-Play delves into Wrath of the Lich King originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Are hardcore players skewing game development?

Akela Talamasca — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind

Brace yourselves for a shock, True Believers: some people don't want to raid. Some players aren't enticed by PvP. For some, it's all about exploration and an individual experience, not level grinding, getting better loot, or running with a guild. In short, there is a section of players -- possibly larger than one might think -- who care nothing about high-level content.

Yet in update after update, what developers tout is how much more epic gear is dropped by the now-more-formidable bosses in the 25-man-specced raid instance. Now, there's absolutely nothing at all wrong with wanting to please the audience that has stuck with your game long enough to get to these lofty heights, especially as they're the ones who have kept your game an ongoing concern. At some point, however, it becomes a case of self-one-upmanship, with little true innovation. Why not broaden the low-level content as well, and bring in new customers at the same time? Is the purpose of an MMO merely to ramp up to a plateau and then go static? Is catering to the demands of the hardcore bad for game development?

The Daily Grind: Are hardcore players skewing game development? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO Book 11: Defenders of Eriador notes and release date

Matt Warner — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Patches, Previews

It's official! Book 11 has a name and an upcoming October 24, 2007 due date in North America and October 25, 2007 in Europe. Best of all, it's free to download -- zilch -- zero -- nada -- did I mention it won't cost a thing? Shiny, new, precious Book 11. We wants it. There's so much stuff crammed into Book 11 if you have been waiting for new content the wait was worthwhile, keep reading for the skinny.

Home, sweet home the Middle Earth way. Player-housing is probably the biggest undertaking for a free content update and the developers didn't skimp on the overall implementation. The biggest thing to get right with player-housing is that the elves and dwarves don't live in the same straw huts on a beach somewhere. The developers whole-heartedly agree since there are four different racially-styled homesteads that feature a distinctive Middle Earth architectural style and environment. When it comes to room there's plenty of plots around with 250 neighborhoods to each homestead, so all the hobbits can all live happily ever after and frolic on one giant bed after adventure hour just like in the movie -- I'm sorry, don't hurt me. Don't like your homeland? No problem, you don't have to be a hobbit to live in The Shire. If an elf decides to move in with my dwarven renegade and brings any of that elf culture with em', I'm setting up a neighborhood watch. Kinships won't be left out of the house either and various decorations ranging from paint to taxidermy and even music to help you clutter your new digs and set the mood for that special occasion. Lots and lots of good stuff for the crafters to keep them busy clicking and housing won't be about just the looks, being a home-owner also comes with a few other lucrative benefits.

If playing house isn't your thing and you are more into wielding something other than a paint brush Book 11 has you covered with The Rift Nûrz Ghâshu. A new large underground dungeon filled with adventure for up to 12 players. That's not the only high-level content planned either. Also on the endless chapters in Book 11 is a ton of monster play enhancements and a little trip down yonder to the new Goblin-town! For the classes, this time around the Minstrel and Lore-Master see some love with numerous skill updates including a new pet for Lore-masters and Minstrels will be able to train others in their musical ways, which sounds really neat.

LotRO Book 11: Defenders of Eriador notes and release date originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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