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ArcheAge patches in Divine Gifts and land expansion certs today
Following today's ArcheAge patch you'll want to keep a close eye on the bottom left of the game's UI. You'll see a little icon light up to indicate that you have a new gift awaiting you, and then... you get free stuff. That's it. That's all you have to do. The newest patch will offer these Divine Gifts to players regularly, allowing you to open as many as 10 in a given day for rewards like Lunarites, bonus food, and Hereafter Stones. Players will also be able to craft land expansion certificates (which will also be available from the Marketplace in a future update) and larger storage chests. That's in addition to new rewards for maxing skill trees and new portals leading directly to Serpentis and the Sea of Drowned Love. Whatever your focus is in ArcheAge, you'll have plenty of opportunity to take part in it when today's patch goes live.
Early Halo: MCC buyers receive free month of Xbox Live Gold
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has provided a troubled walk down memory lane, but at least fans are being rewarded for their patience and support. Messages detailing a free month of Xbox Live Gold showed up in the inboxes of Spartans yesterday, referring to the gift as "appreciation for your continued support of Halo: The Master Chief Collection." The notice adds that players don't need to do anything further to redeem their free month of Gold. Bonnie Ross, head of development at 343 Industries, explained in an apology last month that a free month of Gold would be gifted to The Master Chief Collection players in an effort to "make this right." Additional thank-yous are coming in the form of a free, 1080p, 60 fps Halo 3: ODST campaign, due to arrive sometime this spring, and an exclusive nameplate and avatar. Anyone who purchased The Master Chief Collection between its November 11 launch date and December 19, 2014 is eligible to receive these gifts, though a reworked version of the Relic map from Halo 2 will also eventually be offered to all players via a free update. [Image: Joystiq]
How to get Backblaze backups for free, forever
Many of the crew here at TUAW are fans of online backup company Backblaze, which offers unlimited space for backups for just a piddling US$5 monthly charge. But as we always tend to find out, even that small amount is too much for some folks and they'd much rather lose all of their data than shell out the cost of a Starbucks Venti Latte in Boston once a month. Backblaze now has a way for you to get all of that online backup love for free for as long as you'd like -- a refer-a-friend program. The program is quite simple: when you sign into Backblaze, you have a link to send to friends from the "Get Free Months" page. That friend gets a free month of Backblaze service right off the bat. If your friend decides to sign up for Backblaze, then you get a free month of service. If you have a lot of friends and you can get 'em all to sign up for Backblaze, then you could theoretically end up with online backup service forever. It's a great way to make sure all of you are keeping your data safe, and saving a friend from losing his or her data is worth a lot of karma points.
Engadget giveaway: win a V.I.O. Stream Battery System HD camera!
We can't help you with the lights or the action, but the professional video folks at V.I.O. will provide the camera for one lucky Engadget reader this week. We have one V.I.O. Stream Battery System, which is a seriously rugged little POV shooter capable of capturing and streaming 1080p HD video using the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). It's waterproof, dustproof and shockproof (earning it an IP67 environmental standard rating), so it can handle all the extreme action you want to throw at it. And the battery add-on, which is included in this model, lets you roam free and capture footage for up to two and a half hours on a charge without any wired entanglements. Whether its documenting base jumps, birthday parties or kickstarting a budding film career, this HD video camera is up to the task. All you need to do is head on down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this V.I.O. Stream Battery System. Winner: congratulations to Alex B., Skokie, IL
Marvel Heroes adds Dr. Strange and Shuri
Marvel Heroes' roster has grown by two characters over this past weekend (sort of). Dr. Strange, the "Sorcerer Supreme," is now available in the game as is a gender-bending costume for the Black Panther that will make him Shuri, the first female to take on that character. The game is also running a "buy a hero, get a hero" promotion that lasts until the end of Monday. Through this, the purchase of any hero (other than Dr. Strange) will give the player a second, random hero (other than Dr. Strange) for free. If the player gets a duplicate of a hero he or she already owns, the bonus will then be a token to upgrade that hero's ultimate power. You can check out the Dr. Strange trailer after the jump!
Wargaming.net celebrates 15 years with World of Tanks XP boosts and sales
Wargaming.net has been around for 15 years, and the World of Tanks creator is marking this milestone anniversary by throwing a slew of offers at tank captains across the globe. From August 2nd to August 5th, players will receive a 15% credit discount on Tier X vehicles, triple crew experience for every fight, and discounts on premium ammo, crew training, garage slots, barracks, and camo skins. Special anniversary tank and gold bundles will also be available over the three-day period. August also brings an anniversary garage theme to all players, one free tank in the form of the Soviet LTP tier II light tank, and new repeatable missions.
Torchlight II gives away its full soundtrack
Can you not wait for Torchlight II's release on Thursday? Do you need some form of the game right now before you lose your mind? If that's the case, you may wish to seek professional help, as that's not a normal level of excitement. But you can also sate that urge by downloading the game's full soundtrack right now completely for free off the official site, all 28 tracks mastered in professional quality for anyone who wants them. If you'd rather have a physical disc in an attractive jewel case, well, that's an option as well. The download contains a high-resolution booklet that you can print out and assemble at your leisure. The 120mb download might be a bit onerous for anyone still on a dialup connection, but everyone else should be able to nab the full soundtrack in a matter of moments. Completely for free. Who says we can't have nice things?
TERA chronoscrolls to be made available via Amazon
Game developers are always looking for new and exciting ways for you to give them your money. To that end, En Masse has partnered up with Amazon.com to sell TERA chronoscrolls, which are redeemable for a month of game time or for cold, hard gold from in-game brokers. Chronoscroll purchases through Amazon don't come with a clunky ol' code that has to be entered in anywhere. Instead, sweetening the deal, chronoscrolls will appear automagically in your in-game Item Claim window. Need more convincing? Customers who integrate their En Masse and Amazon accounts in the next 30 days will get free stuff! The federation field kit, full of in-game goodies, will be available for free from Amazon. Check out the official news post for full details and the TERA + Amazon support page if this sounds like your kind of thing.
Engadget Giveaway: win a new iPad, courtesy of Kabam!
What could be better than our usual Monday morning giveaway? Why, a Tuesday morning giveaway of a new iPad, of course. If you missed the pre-order madness or can't be bothered to hit your local bricks and mortar to pick up a new iPad, no sweat, Kabam's got you covered. Celebrating the launch of its first iOS title, Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North, Kabam decided to gift one of Apple's newest toys for you to make the most of its free game. Entering is as easy as dropping a comment in this post -- and reading the rules. But don't sweat it if you miss out on winning this iPad as Kabam's giving one away each day until the 31st of March for just playing the game. Good luck! The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. Duplicate entries will be filtered out and discarded, so adding additional comments won't increase your likelihood of winning. Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winners will be chosen randomly. One winner will win a new iPad. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Apple, Kabam and Engadget are not held liable to honor warranties or customer service. The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here. Entries can be submitted until March 21, 2012 at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Uncharted Water Online bribes greenhorn sailors with gifts
Netmarble really, really wants you to play Uncharted Waters Online -- and it's not ashamed of a little bribery to make that happen. To tempt players into giving this nautical MMO a try, Netmarble is giving every new sailor a gift pack for the next month. The pack includes basic supplies, a skill handbook, an "anti-natural disaster item," and, er, LifeSavers. Probably not the candy, though. In addition to the novice pack, players can earn up to three additional gift packs by leveling up. If a player hits level 20 in all three main skills, he or she will even be gifted a fine new sea vessel of his or her very own. The giveaway goes through March 21st, so if you've been eying Uncharted Waters Online, you might want to make your move sooner rather than later to get in on this deal. [Source: Netmarble press release]
Party tonight, for tomorrow we fly: Champions celebrates its F2P anniversary
A year after making the switch to decaf, er, free-to-play, Champions Online is livelier than ever. To celebrate the super-powered boost that F2P gave, Cryptic Studios is hosting special events both in and out of the game. From today through the end of the month, players can enjoy a hefty 20% discount on anything in the C-Store (excluding grab bags). So if you've been eying that special outfit or archetype, now might be the time to nab it. If you're not looking to spend any money but don't mind partying with the stars, there's plenty of fun to go around. For the rest of the anniversary event, characters can fly through the levels due to a double XP boost at their backs, courtesy of Witchcraft. Another hero, The Mountain, will be selling Halloween and Winter Gift Bags with in-game currency. Mr. The Mountain also has a special mission for those who want to earn his trademarked Mountain Costume pieces.
Nokia's Foursquare-enabled vending machine offers free smartphones, Butterfingers (video)
Sure, it's one thing to hit up the vending machine at work to get your Doritos fix, but free gifts? That's exactly what Nokia's doing at the Skypark in Glasgow for the city's Social Media Week with the help of 1000heads. Dubbed the "Nokia Gift Machine," it allows event attendees to obtain one free gift per day including candy from the US of A, Nokia accessories and even smartphones for a lucky few. All it takes is a quick Foursquare check-in with #NokiaConnects followed by a share over Twitter, and a goodie-filled tube will be yours for the taking. It'll only be in place until the 23rd, so if you're there and haven't given it whirl, consider this a quick heads-up from your friends at Engadget. Plus, who doesn't love getting awesome stuff for free? Exactly. Full details in the PR past the break.
Land of Chaos Online celebrates first anniversary with free stuff
Like presents? If so, Alaplaya is betting you'll like Land of Chaos Online, not to mention the one-year anniversary party that's going on right now. The festivities run through August 30th and include special anniversary gifts for all players as well as free hero cards from the AP shop. LOCO blends action, real-time strategy, and traditional MMORPG progression together with third-person shooter elements and a matchmaking format similar to Defense of the Ancients. The formula is apparently working pretty well, as the game has attracted over 530,000 registered players in the past year, according to a new press release. More info on the game is available at the official website, and you can also download the client and start playing for free.
EverQuest celebrates Memorial Ding with extra xp and items
You may recall the ConnecDING promotion that Sony Online Entertainment ran some time ago. Well, the EverQuest team decided that after the interest sparked by the first one, they'd run yet another promotion to get even more people to come join their Facebook page and keep up on what's going on in Norrath. The good news is that the team managed to meet their goals and are rewarding players with a weekend of 125% bonus experience. Yes, indeed -- that's a full 125% on top of all regular experience you get in the game. The even better news is that not only are players getting a full weekend of sweet, sweet bonus experience, but there's also a slew of goodies available this weekend for free in the Station Marketplace too! Items range from simple solo experience potions and a humorous "Tome of Friends" (which spawns a "Little Black Book" floating pet) all the way up to group experience potions that offer 50% experience (normally 1400 Station Cash) a fae familiar, and more. So if you've been thinking about heading back to the old stomping grounds, or just working on some more AA points, this is a great weekend to play some EverQuest and take advantage of all the DINGstravaganza.
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra infiltrates PlayStation Home
For a limited time only, PlayStation Home users will be able to download a set of four costumes based upon G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, the upcoming flick that will likely ruin their childhoods. Costumes for Storm Shadow, Duke, The Baroness and Snake Eyes can now be downloaded for free. Over the next two weeks, more G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra related content is planned to invade the Home cinema, along with a G.I. Joe Training Game where players have the chance to win in-world loot for their expert marksmanship.Finally, the cast and crew get involved in the promotional onslaught with an exclusive welcome message video from sexy rivals Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols, and a trailer introduction from director Stephen Sommers. Whether anyone apologizes for the upcoming action flick is unclear.
wowtwitter giving away a FigurePrint for a screenshot contest
We've talked about wowtwitter here on the site before -- they're the ones who created a whole other Twitter-like service just for your WoW characters (and that featured verification of your toons, so that no one else could claim or tweet as them). The site is definitely growing, but they wanted to give it that extra oomph, and so they're giving away a free FigurePrint to someone who joins up and posts a special screenshot. If you want a chance at the prize, what you've got to do is log in to the site and verify your character (as we said last time, it requires that you remove a piece of gear and then log out so the Armory can see the change), and then use their new screenshot uploading tool to post a screenshot with "wowtwitter" somewhere in the picture. Then they'll take the screenshots with the top three "like" totals (other users on the site can approve of your uploads), and the one they choose will win a real-life 3D sculpture of their character from FigurePrints.Seem like a lot of work? It does to us, too, but FigurePrints are still $130, so if you want a representation of your character but don't want to cough up the cash, this is probably easier. So good luck to everyone who enters -- the contest runs through July 31st, so you've got a little bit of time to get your picture in and get it voted up somehow.
Sega giving away Columns on iPhone for free all this weekend
Normally we'd just send out a tweet about this (that's usually what we do with free app deals, so if you're not one of the almost 40,000 people following us yet, you definitely should be), but this is a good one, and it's a holiday, so we wanted to make sure you knew. Sega is feeling particularly generous this weekend, so they're giving away free copies of their Columns Deluxe, a port of the old Genesis game, for the iPhone. The game is a pretty straightforward port -- it doesn't have any extras, and the accelerometer controls are a little tacked on from what we hear, but if you like the puzzler gameplay of Columns, and you should, it's a fun one to pull up for a few minutes at a time.Plus, it's free -- from July 3rd to Monday, July 6th, Sega says it'll be on sale for the low price of nothing at all. Sounds good to us -- sit back, put a few brats and burgers on the grill, grab a Corona (and lime, of course), and enjoy some old-school dropping block gameplay for no money at all.
[1.Local]: Of Baby Spice and free stuff from guys
Reader comments – ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week. (Baby) Spice, spice, babyReaders seem to have cooked up a satisfying solution to the problem of thoughtless creeps who park their mounts atop summoning stones, flight masters and other necessities, blocking them from use. "LOL, whenever I see a giant Tauren on his Humongous Impressive War Mammoth parked on the Dalaran flight master, it's Baby Spice to the rescue," giggles Euphronius. "Nothing more hilarious than seeing him reduced to the size of a Great Dane." Woof.
Rock Band 2 bonus track registration is online
Free. Is there any word half as awesome in the English language? Harmonix agrees and is now accepting redemption codes for the twenty downloadable tracks that were included with the purchase of Rock Band 2 (the code is located on the back of your game manual). Once the registration information is filled out and you receive your confirmation email you get to play the game ... the waiting game that is. Unfortunately this process is only a precursor to the tracks being made available which Harmonix promises will be "in a few weeks." When the tracks are available gamers will automatically receive an email that includes a unique code which is then used to grab the tracks from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The track list for the free content has yet to be released, however, the official Rock Band forums has a possible set list if you're eager to spot possibilities. Regardless of the track list, this could be the best "free thing" ever made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. You know, unless you count those Nacho Libre gamerpics.
Insider Trader: Jewelcrafting, the final stretch part 2
Last week, Insider Trader began the journey from 300 to 375 jewelcrafting skill. While we were able to avoid using recipes that required faction reputation or that had to be farmed, the cheapest methods to 375 from about 365 may require a bit more effort to obtain. If you are like so many other craftsmen, stuck with 375 seeming far away and expensive, then carry on through the break to examine ways to not only maximize your skills, but to attempt to make a profit while doing so, rather than running on a loss. Featuring several distinct ways to reach 375, you will find that you have many choices to suit your own needs, your guild's needs, and your server's market. In addition, I've put together some links for further reading that you should find helpful. Each week, Insider Trader takes you behind the scenes of the bustling sub-culture of professional craftsmen, examining the profitable, the tragically lacking, and the methods behind the madness. For more guides to maximizing your chosen profession, check out the final stretches for Leatherworkers and Alchemists alike, as well as part one of Jewelcrafting's final stretch. For a complete list of profession guides, feel free to peruse our directory.
