Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Land of the Dead is open for business]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/23/the-land-of-the-dead-is-open-for-business/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/23/the-land-of-the-dead-is-open-for-business/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/23/the-land-of-the-dead-is-open-for-business/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Hot sun. Sandy beaches. Exotic creatures. It almost sounds like a great vacation spot until you realize the heat is unbearable, the beaches run alongside a poisonous river, and the creatures are determined to kill you and then mutilate your corpse. The Land of the Dead may not be for your average snowbird but courageous adventurers will find treasures and excitement in great abundance - and it all starts today.

Game Update 1.3 launched exactly one week ago and introduced a special Live Event called Rise of the Tomb Kings. The event pitted the realms of Order and Destruction against each other in a massive resource-race to determine who would gain first access to the Nehekharan desert via airship. That race ended this morning and Mythic just released a patch that grants the winners 24-hours of uninterrupted dungeon access.

The Land of the Dead was a massive undertaking by Mythic that began shortly after launch in September 2008 and it will change the way Warhammer Online fans play the game from now on. How will it affect open field RvR, city siege, scenarios and other raid instances? Only time will tell (and we'll keep our eyes on it for you).

MassivelyThe Land of the Dead is open for business originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>call-to-armsland-of-the-deadlive-eventslive-expansionmythic-entertainmentRvRwarwar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineTue, 23 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The dead rise as Warhammer Online patch 1.3 goes live]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/the-dead-rise-as-warhammer-online-patch-1-3-goes-live/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/the-dead-rise-as-warhammer-online-patch-1-3-goes-live/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/the-dead-rise-as-warhammer-online-patch-1-3-goes-live/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Today is patch day for Warhammer Online players -- huzzah! Bug and balance fixes are of course in full swing, but the big news is the Land of the Dead live event launch. Of course, before getting to any of those juicy new content areas, players will have to participate in the brand new live event: Rise of the Tomb Kings.

This event is the final chapter for Mythic's Call to Arms content expansion and functions as a good intermediary between those initial massive updates and these new ones. So while plenty of content is indeed being added today, there's a lot more on the way in the coming months, too.

We'll be giving you plenty of coverage on the ins and outs of patch 1.3, so keep your eyes peeled for more.

MassivelyThe dead rise as Warhammer Online patch 1.3 goes live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>call-to-armseaelectronic-artsgames-workshopland-of-the-deadmythicwarwar-patch-1.3warhammerwarhammer-onlineTue, 16 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Big gear changes coming to WAR in patch 1.3 (part two)]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/big-gear-changes-coming-to-war-in-patch-1-3-part-two/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/big-gear-changes-coming-to-war-in-patch-1-3-part-two/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/big-gear-changes-coming-to-war-in-patch-1-3-part-two/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The New System (post-1.3)

The greatest thing about the concept of wards is that they allow you to progress through more difficult PvE content without granting insanely large stat bonuses that negatively impact RvR. Wards are simply a flag that determines whether or not an NPC hits you for 50% damage or 500% damage (not the exact numbers but they do well to illustrate the point). The various sets (and set bonuses) do grant players an advantage in RvR, but the difference from set to set is fairly miniscule (i.e., roughly a 5-8% stat/attribute increase per set).

To bring more diversity and flavour to WAR's gear, Mythic will introduce a combination of three new features in 1.3. Disclaimer: These changes are currently on the Public Test Server and are subject to change.

Sigils

In simplest terms, sigils are like wards but don't require that you actually wear the ward gear. You will now get a Tome of Knowledge unlock when obtaining a piece of ward gear and from that point forward you will receive the benefit of that ward even when you wear a completely different piece of gear.

One of the biggest complaints about the various PvE dungeons is that the drop rate for ward gear is too low due to the small group size and variety of classes in each realm (exactly a 1/12 chance). The new sigil system will partially address this issue as well. After killing the boss X times (number unknown atm), you will be guaranteed to unlock the ward/sigil. Those seeking the actual piece of set gear will still have to grind for it, but at least you'll get the ward.

The sigil system means that it is now viable for you to equip your influence, PQ, or other rare drop gear in place of set gear and not have to worry about a lack of wards when raiding fortresses, cities, or a high rank instance (as long as you have the Tome unlock).

Vessels

Vessels are weapons that allow for much greater customization through the application of talismans and/or soul essences. The vessels we have seen so far on the Public Test Server work like this: Blue weapon has a competitive DPS rating, a single stat value, and two empty talisman slots (two-handers have three empty slots). Vessels are awarded as PQ loot, drops, and can be purchased with special tokens. There may be rarer purple vessels as well.

No longer are you forced to abide by WAR's strange and inconsistent itemization. You can tailor your weapons to suit your playstyle, augmenting the various strengths and weaknesses you want for your character. Currently, it seems like vessels are only available as weapons. I think most casual gamers and min-maxers alike would agree: let's see vessels reach out to armor and accessories and truly take advantage of the new sigil system.

Tokens

Land of the Dead tokens come in several forms; silver scarabs, golden scarabs, silver anhks, golden cartouches, and sacred masks. Tokens are gained from player kills, mob/boss kills, and PQ loot. The tokens are soulbound, which means you can't trade them. Personally, I dislike this feature, but it seems the route MMOs are taking these days. "More grind for the grind god!"

Scarabs are used to buy more common items like blue vessel weapons, souls, and special crafting items. Anhks and cartouches will get you powerful accessories like rings, necklaces, cloaks, and belts. The masks can be traded for some pieces of Tyrant gear, which is on par stat-wise with Warlord gear found in cities. Word is that Tyrant gear does not grant wards or sigils though, so it won't make Darkpromise, Invader, or Warlord gear obsolete.

Conclusion

As you can see, sigils will give players the benefits of a ward system, while increasing the diversity of gear in the game and not imbalancing RvR. Vessels and soul essences will offer even more weapon variety, giving players more customization options. The new tokens mean that even if you are extremely unlucky with drops in this PvE/RvR mega-zone, you'll still be able to work toward something.

These are great improvements to WAR's gear system. The next improvement I'd like Mythic to make would be some kind of token system or shift in the random loot mechanic in "old world dungeons" (e.g., city dungeons, Lost Vale, etc.).

Sigils allow you to get the wards from these dungeons eventually, but players going after the physical set pieces will still be subject to low and random drop rates. Would it be too difficult for them to add a token system to these dungeons? What about a mechanic where bosses only drop loot usable by classes that form the instance group? Nothing is worse than finally downing a boss and having him drop two pieces of gear that no-one in your group can use. Oh wait, I forgot... "More grind for the... ugh whatever." Prove me wrong! Please?

MassivelyBig gear changes coming to WAR in patch 1.3 (part two) originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>call-to-armsgearland-of-the-deadmythic-entertainmentwarwar-1.3-patchwar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineWed, 10 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Big gear changes coming to Warhammer Online in patch 1.3]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/big-gear-changes-coming-to-warhammer-online-in-patch-1-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/big-gear-changes-coming-to-warhammer-online-in-patch-1-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/big-gear-changes-coming-to-warhammer-online-in-patch-1-3/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


After looking at the big gear changes coming to Warhammer Online in patch 1.3, Dorothy-type gamers might loudly exclaim "Sigils and vessels and scarabs. Oh my!" The first two features will be completely new to WAR, while the last one is an expansion of the current RvR token system.

Let's first take a look at how players currently earn and use gear in WAR and then discuss how it's going to change once The Land of the Dead introduces sigils, vessels, and scarab tokens. For simplicity's sake we're going to only talk about the endgame, which is rank 31-40.

Continue reading Big gear changes coming to Warhammer Online in patch 1.3

MassivelyBig gear changes coming to Warhammer Online in patch 1.3 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>call-to-armsfeaturedgearjoystiqfeaturesland-of-the-deadmythic-entertainmentwarwar-1.3-patchwar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineWed, 10 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you ever feel pre-expansion apathy?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/the-daily-grind-do-you-feel-pre-expansion-apathy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/the-daily-grind-do-you-feel-pre-expansion-apathy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/the-daily-grind-do-you-feel-pre-expansion-apathy/#commentsFiled under: ,

I have been talking to a few of my friends who play Warhammer Online lately and they are all feeling the same thing: pre-expansion apathy. This is basically a feeling of indifference or a lack of motivation to log in and play WAR knowing that The Land of the Dead live expansion is going to release soon.

This is not the only MMO they have experienced this in either. I remember playing World of Warcraft before Burning Crusade and organized guild raids were nearly non-existent for two months leading up to the expansion. Many were either PvPing or crafting to pass the time or simply not bothering to log in at all.

The reasoning my friends are using for not playing WAR right now is actually pretty logical. Why should they bother trying to grind for gear and wards when the 1.3 patch will introduce the sigil and vessel systems? Also, the gear in The Land of the Dead is said to be better than city dungeons and roughly on par with that found in Lost Vale, so why would they bother farming the same dungeons they have been grinding for months when a new one is coming just around the corner with potentially better itemization?

Do you ever get the same feeling in your MMO? Do you think this is more strongly felt in gear-based progression MMOs or is it a result of something else?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you ever feel pre-expansion apathy? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apathyblizzardexpansionmudflationmythic-entertainmentwarwar-1.3-patchwar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Combat and careers update stripped from WAR 1.3 patch]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/04/combat-and-careers-update-stripped-from-war-1-3-patch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/04/combat-and-careers-update-stripped-from-war-1-3-patch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/04/combat-and-careers-update-stripped-from-war-1-3-patch/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Yesterday, we mentioned Warhammer Online entered phase three of patch 1.3 testing and is finally letting players experience the Land of the Dead mega-zone. Today, we are getting word that a big part of patch 1.3, an extensive combat and careers update, is being stripped out to ensure Mythic stay on schedule and deliver a polished product.

In a bit of an "Oops" move, GOA delivered the unfortunate news before Mythic this morning. The original combat and careers updates proved to be a bit too ambitious with everything else going into this patch, so they decided to pull the changes out for now and introduce them in the next patch for fear of hurting the game.

Player opinion seems split. Some testers were extremely vocal about their dislike for the sweeping career changes on the public test server and applaud the delay for more polish. Others are questioning why Mythic is trying to cram so many changes into monster patches and wish they would release smaller patches more frequently like they did in the past.

MassivelyCombat and careers update stripped from WAR 1.3 patch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancecombatgoaland-of-the-deadmythic-entertainmentpatcheswarwar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineThu, 04 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[WAR's Call to Arms live expansion wraps up with Land of the Dead]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/03/wars-call-to-arms-live-expansion-wraps-up-with-land-of-the-dead/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/03/wars-call-to-arms-live-expansion-wraps-up-with-land-of-the-dead/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/03/wars-call-to-arms-live-expansion-wraps-up-with-land-of-the-dead/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We first learned about Warhammer Online's Call to Arms live expansion back in late January 2009. After nearly six months of tests, live events, content updates, monster patches, and an ongoing story arc, the expansion will come to an end some time this month. They have saved the best for last of course and Call to Arms will be sent off in style with the release of the highly anticipated Land of the Dead mega-zone.

This week may be your last chance to test patch 1.3 before it goes live. This (last?) phase will focus on the Tomb Kings zone itself. That's right; testers will finally be unleashed upon the desert of Nehekhara! As a special reward, random testers will be awarded special manticore and griffon mounts akin to those gained from Mythic's recruit-a-friend program.

Many players agree the game has improved by leaps and bounds in the last six months and population has been holding steady quarter to quarter. This new mega-zone may prove to be the extra push that encourages new and past players to hop aboard the WAAAGH! train and give WAR a(nother) try. Interesting times are ahead.

MassivelyWAR's Call to Arms live expansion wraps up with Land of the Dead originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>call-to-armsexpansionland-of-the-deadlive-expansionmythic-entertainmentpublic-test-serverrvrtesttomb-kingswar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineWed, 03 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Developer reveals how stats work in WAR]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/24/developer-reveals-how-stats-work-in-war/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/24/developer-reveals-how-stats-work-in-war/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/24/developer-reveals-how-stats-work-in-war/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Min/maxers in Warhammer Online rejoice! Adam Gershowitz, producer of character systems stopped by the official forums to clear up a bit of confusion about how stats work in the current live game (1.21) and how they will work after the new patch (1.3) lands sometime in June.

Specifically, he detailed the basic functions of offensive stats (strength, intelligence, and ballistics) versus the main defensive stat (toughness). There are three main reasons why Mythic is making these adjustments. First, quicker and weaker attacks with special debuffs were doing more damage than intended. Second, AoE attacks were also doing more damage than intended. Third, boosting the effectiveness of toughness will encourage gear diversity, which goes hand in hand with the new sigil system.

To see the nitty-gritty breakdown of how these stats will play against each other in the new patch, head on over to the official forum discussion. Make sure you read through all the pages as Adam responds several times with additional information. He hints that there may be upcoming changes to how weaponskill affects parry, block, and dodge as well.

MassivelyDeveloper reveals how stats work in WAR originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 May 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam-gershowitzmin-maxingmythic-entertainmentpatchesstatisticsstatswarwar-1.3-patchwar-patch-1.3warhammer-onlineSun, 24 May 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mythic's Carrie Gouskos on Warhammer's ToK and hints of patch 1.3 ]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/09/mythics-carrie-gouskos-on-warhammers-tok-and-hints-of-patch-1-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/09/mythics-carrie-gouskos-on-warhammers-tok-and-hints-of-patch-1-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/09/mythics-carrie-gouskos-on-warhammers-tok-and-hints-of-patch-1-3/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The 1.2 patch for Warhammer Online is barely a week old, but Chaos Moon managed to speak with Mythic's Carrie Gouskos about many a things -- including some hints for the 1.3 patch. There was also some general discussion of future updates to the Tome of Knowledge and much love from Carrie concerning the Book of Grudges mod. We're pretty excited to hear stat tracking for Scenarios and oRvR battles are on their way.

Of course the big news concerns clues of what to expect in the next big patch. Following some of Carrie's comments, it sounds as though the Tome of Knowledge could be getting a new feature or two in the 1.3. update. Additionally, some further UI information and visual improvements are on the was as well -- although Carrie mentions the visual boost will be minor.

What sorts of UI improvements could be on the way? The added layer of information to the open party and world map systems in 1.2 have been very well received, but going from Carrie's comments it seems as though something much more exciting is on the way. Given the size of the first two live events, something tells us Mythic will be showing off whatever it is they're working on next in a big way.
Warhammer Online Coverage Mythic has announced the first expansion to Warhammer Online! Check out the announcement itself, the two brand-new classes coming to the game, and the enormous new dungeon/zone slated for a few months away! Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

MassivelyMythic's Carrie Gouskos on Warhammer's ToK and hints of patch 1.3 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carrie-gouskoseaelectronic-artsgames-workshopmodsmythicmythic-entertainmentopen-rvrorvrpvprealm-vs-realmrumorscenariostome-of-knowledgewarwar-patch-1.2war-patch-1.3warhammerwarhammer-onlineMon, 09 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST