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KingsIsle launches new Wizard101 Zafaria content
It's update time in the world of Wizard101, and KingsIsle has released a mammoth set of patch notes to go along with its new Zafaria content. What's Zafaria? It's a whole new slice of the game world comprised of six unique areas that can be accessed with a Wizard101 membership or via individual purchases. The game's level cap has also been raised (to 70), and the requisite new gear is present as well. New spells can also be found in the update, as can new henchmen and improved character stats. There's a bunch more for you to read about (including info on a new music player!), so head to the official Wizard101 website for all the details.
Guild Wars PvP henchmen have arrived
Back at the beginning of the month, ArenaNet announced the winners of the Guild Wars henchman skill bar contest, promising that the AI would be tweaked to make the winning bars work well. Since then we've been anxiously awaiting the new henchmen to see how well they work and more importantly, what they look like. They arrived with last night's update, along with a bug fix for Devona, who really wanted to keep "Charge!" on her bar. While it will take some time to get a feel for them in battle, the Live Team clearly had a great time putting them together. The models look great -- a nice variety of looks and styles, and talking to them gives a brief dialogue that says a bit about their personality. In a fun little touch, many of their idle emotes fit their personalities as well. Talking to them will also reveal their skill bars, allowing you to make your selections without resorting to memory or the wiki. Heroes have been removed for the time being, but don't worry just yet if you want them back. Community manager Regina Buenaobra says, "After yesterday's update our programmer is looking into enabling Heroes in the Guild Hall. He is optimistic that it's possible." The new henchmen are available in Heroes' Ascent and in guild halls, and while it's a bit disappointing that we didn't actually get henchmen named Hi Captain Obvious or Noodle Legs, we are optimistic that they'll live up to expectations on the battlefield.
Team Arenas and Hero Battles not the only thing changed in latest Guild Wars update
Devona without "Charge!"? No more Firestorm for Cynn? Abasi has...wait, what did Abasi have before? Who is that, anyway? Regina said a few days ago that Hero Battles and Team Arenas would be removed from Guild Wars this week and that the Sealed Deck/Codex Arena would be added. It looks like the Live Team took care of that, made a few more PvP tweaks, then turned their attention to heroes and henchmen. Our sometimes-trusty sidekicks got quite the makeover. Nearly 70 henchmen skill bars throughout every campaign plus Eye of the North were rebalanced, and the AI for nearly every class of hero, henchman, and Hard Mode NPC was updated. (The AI on Necros and Dervishes got a pass - apparently they used their skills well enough to be left alone.) The full list of changes can be viewed here. The Underworld got some attention too, fixing bugs, streamlining things, adjusting spawns and adding the ominous statement "Something stirs deep in the Underworld, slowly making its presence known." Hopefully we'll find out more about that something when the Halloween events get into full swing. For now, we're going to find out if removing Healing Touch from Alesia's bar has taught her that she's not a frontliner.
Guild Wars announces winners of the henchmen skill bar contest
As part of the PvP love update that Linsey Murdock mentioned back in August, Guild Wars will be removing heroes from Guild vs. Guild and Heroes' Ascent, replacing them with brand new henchmen. Heroes in these formats were a bit of a problem, as they sometimes put players at a disadvantage if they didn't have access to heroes.These aren't just any henchmen, though. This new group comes straight from the Guild Wars community, courtesy of the henchmen skill bar contest. Players were invited to submit henchmen skill bar suggestions via Dizhou, a temporary NPC placed in the Great Temple of Balthazar until the contest closed on September 10th. ArenaNet chose forty skill bars from these submissions. Each of the lucky winners will receive a henchman named after them (or by them, if they preferred) and an everlasting henchman tonic that temporarily transforms them into their namesake.Check out the winners in both the Guild vs. Guild and Heroes' Ascent categories, and congratulations to all of you!
Guild Wars: A guide to Heroes
Guild Wars has been an innovator in so many different aspects of the MMO genre, but none more than the introduction of ally NPCs to fill out a party and make soloing easier.This was nothing new to online gaming though. Diablo did it way before Guild Wars, but GW refined the process with Henchmen. They made it simple to hire a few NPCs standing around near the city gate and get them to join your party for their share of the loot. It started out simple enough, but it eventually evolved into something much more advanced (and exciting) with Heroes.%Gallery-22452%
The Soloist: I've Got a Hench
Here's something I never missed before in WoW, but now I wish it could be implemented. I was leafing through the manual for my newly-purchased Guild Wars box (at $5 it was a steal! Thank you, random sidewalk sale!) and it mentioned the ability to purchase henchmen, or mercenaries, to travel with you on your adventures.Now, WoW has its similarities -- Hunters get pets, as do Warlocks -- and of course you have your guilds or PUGs. But here's the thing: leveling up a pet and outfitting it with new abilities is a pain. It's not how I want to spend my in-world time. And even though it's an MMO, I'm a lone wolf -- I don't want to group with people to play. In fact, this is the inaugural post of a recurring feature I'm calling The Soloist -- posts about playing MMOs alone.So, why can't I buy or rent mercs in WoW? Just think of all the times you weren't able to enjoy a quick raid because none of your friends or guildies were available. Or perhaps you have a random playing schedule and just can't coordinate even so much as a PUG. Maybe you just don't like the social aspect of MMOs in general. Whatever the reason, developers ignore the solo player at their peril! The funny thing is, Blizzard made mercenaries available in Diablo II, and that's kinda MMO, innit? C'mon, guys, help a lone agent out. Give us henchmen!
