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The Elder Scrolls Online celebrates 1M Facebook likes with new armor concept art and videos
Zenimax Online and Bethesda Softworks were feeling generous on this Valentine's Day by giving us a bit of a peek at some concept designs for heavy armor in the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls Online MMO. The armor concept shows off High Elven, Nordic, and Breton heavy armors. In addition, the developers celebrated one million Likes on their Facebook page by releasing a short tribute video. And speaking of videos, one more from the TESO team: the eleventh edition of "Developer Question of the Week" features UI designer Kristy Keaton. Check out all the new goodies over at the game's Facebook page.
TERA's High Elves strut their stuff in a high-octane video
"We believe. We remember." Those are the watchwords of the High Elves of TERA, and they're not just talking about rock 'n roll, mind you. As TERA's launch approaches, En Masse is making a strong bid for the legitimacy of this race by releasing its High Elf spotlight video. It's two minutes of flips, ridiculously big weapons, and strong magic flaunted in the face of enemies everywhere. Once a conquering nation that operated under the name of the Children of Karas, the High Elves suffered a humiliating downfall and subsequently re-emerged as a force for good. While their aid to the good people of the world is welcome, they're not quite trusted as of yet. High Elves receive four unique racials: They can teleport to their home city, refill their mana, regenerate mana upon resurrection, and gather alchemy resources quickly. Check out the video after the jump and let us know if you'll be rolling a High Elf upon launch!
Going toe-to-toe with TERA's first beta weekend
Over the past months, many fans of En Masse Entertainment's upcoming "real action combat" title TERA have been wondering whether the game will ever see the light of day. Between sparse development details and word of legal troubles, TERA's future seemed to be in constant jeopardy as cries of "vaporware!" grew steadily louder. Well, those voices can finally have a bit of a reprieve because over the course of this past weekend, players were able to jump into the world of Arborea and experience TERA's action combat firsthand. I was among those players, and after a joy-filled romp through TERA's gorgeous landscapes (thanks in no small part to my fabulous guild -- hi Territ!), I'm ready to conjure up some thoughts that will hopefully somewhat resemble my impressions of the closed beta weekend. So if you want to know whether the game's real action combat hits the mark or it's a swing and a miss, follow me past the cut and let's take a look.
En Masse releases new TERA Community Play Diary entry
TERA may have had a relatively laid-back showing at this year's GDC, but development continues apace for the folks at En Masse Entertainment. Community director Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman have returned to give anxious fans another peek behind the curtain, courtesy of the latest installment in the ongoing Community Play Diary series. This week's episode, dubbed Learning the Ropes, sees our intrepid hosts showing off a few of TERA's more unique tutorial aspects. Activities include bomb-throwing and climbing along with more traditional NPC interaction and UI familiarization fare that takes the form of story-based quests from the perspective of a raw Valkyon Federation recruit. Read all about it on the official TERA website, and check out this handy forum thread if you've missed any of the previous series installments.
Waging WAR: On the distant horizon
It's that time again! Yes, Greg's imagination has escaped its tiny 3x3 cell and is off spreading ruination and ruffling feathers across the countryside, armed with absurd notions and a not-so-surprising lack of reason and logic. This week's Waging WAR attempts to follow along in its wake as we take another look at the potential future of Warhammer Online: The Age of Reckoning. WAR released with an impressive lineup of playable armies and careers, setting the stage for the Age of Reckoning with a 3v3, two-sided RvR layout. In the summer following the official release of WAR, we got our first free content expansion featuring the Tomb Kings in the Land of the Dead. Just recently, we finally, at long last, got our Skaven wishes granted. In the spirit of the holiday season coming up, I've decided to look ahead at what may come in the future as we approach new horizons in WAR. Even if we discount Brettonia as another flavor of civilized human (akin in many ways to the Empire), the Daemons of Chaos as being already represented in some form or another as a part of Tzeentch's Warhost, and the Ogre Kingdoms (and other assorted Dogs of War) as being more-or-less an NPC army, we're still left with some excellent offerings from Warhammer lore as far as where WAR can go in the foreseeable future. Follow along after the break as I take another look at what's left on the table to play with for future packs and expansions for WAR.
New TERA high elf armor renders released
The folks over at TERAfans have released another set of in-game armor renders for En Masse Entertainment's upcoming TERA action fantasy MMORPG. The latest installment of fan renders, where in-game avatars in various armor options are displayed against a set backdrop, feature cloth, leather, and plate protection for high elf female characters. As always, TERAfans notes that the "armors are from a pre-Beta version of TERA and they represent unfinished artwork that is subject to change at any time." Check out a few of our favorites in the gallery below, or head over to TERAfans for all of the renders. %Gallery-96533%
Breakfast Topic: The next Warcraft comic book hero
So I posted a couple days ago about the new Death Knight manga starring the Human Death Knight Thassarian, and it sparked some interesting conversation in the comments. Namely, people started talking about the type of hero they'd like to see in the Warcraft comics. Some complained that the Horde wasn't getting enough representation, some wanted specific races to get the spotlight. I thought it was at least fun to think about, so I thought I'd ask the question straight up: Who would you like to see get front billing in a Warcraft comic storyline or graphic novel?
All the World's a Stage: So you want to be a blood elf
This installment of All the World's a Stage is the tenth in a series of roleplaying guides in which we find out all the background information you need to roleplay a particular race or class well, without embarrassing yourself.One look at the blood elves and you might think "arrogant pop star," but their story entails much more suffering and tragedy than is at first evident. Like so many in the World of Warcraft, they have very nearly lost everything that was important to them, and more than once their entire way of life has been upset, turned around, and set in an entirely new direction. They are at once brilliant and desperate, beautiful and woefully flawed, addicted to evil magic and yet not yet beyond hope of redemption.The blood elves are the descendants of the original "Highborne" of the night elves 10,000 years before the setting of World of Warcraft, who used to follow Queen Azshara and studied the arcane magical energies flowing through the Well of Eternity. Following the "War of the Ancients," (discussed in the article on night elves), most of their peers at the time observed that arcane energies tended to attract evil demons from the darkest dimensions in the universe, and thought the world would be better off without it. The Highborne who survived that war had gotten very used to the power of arcane magic coursing through their bodies, however, and they suffered from serious magical withdrawal when those energies were no longer available to them. From their point of view, it was cowardly not to try again, to simply conceal themselves from the demons rather than to give up arcane magic entirely. Their addiction and powerlessness made them desperate enough to turn to violence, though they were no match for the new rulers of the night elf people.
Massively's WAR Camp: Tier 2 Scenario Guides
By now, people who picked up Warhammer Online at launch should have had a chance to play a bit, and many of them will be in Tier 2. This unfortunately means leaving the Tier 1 scenarios behind, but it also means that a whole new set of scenarios is unlocked. As in Tier 1, there is one scenario per racial pairing in Tier 2, totaling three new battlegrounds to visit. We've once again visited all three and documented our findings in gallery guides. Join us over the page, as we begin by looking at Phoenix Gate, the scenario for the High Elf and Dark Elf pairing. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Massively's WAR Camp: Tier 1 Scenario Guides
WAR is finally upon us, and as the gates open and players flood the servers hungry for blood, their first Realm versus Realm experience is most likely going to come from "scenarios". Scenarios are instanced battlegrounds that you can join by clicking a button near your minimap, and will differ depending on which part of the world you're in. Once you get into one, there will be a number of objectives to fight for, all the while holding off players from the opposing realm. Each racial pairing has its own scenario, totalling three unique battlegrounds per tier. We've braved the frontlines in each of the Tier 1 scenarios in order to give you a preview of the landscape and objectives that are the backdrop for the RvR mayhem. First up, we'll take a look at the High Elf vs. Dark Elf pairing, then Dwarf vs. Greenskin, and finally Empire vs. Chaos. Join us after the break to view our gallery guide for the Elf pairing scenario, Khaine's Embrace, and for guides to the other two scenarios as well! Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Massively goes to WAR: Guide to the Dark Elf starting zone
It's hard to know which area within Warhammer Online is best for you. To that end, we've put together this friendly Dark Elf starting zone visual guide for you to check out before the madness that will be Warhammer Online's launch day. Inside you'll not get a how-to guide, but instead a look at what you can expect to encounter within the most brood-heavy of all the races in the game. Click the image above, or button below, to check it out. Click to Begin >> %Gallery-34148%
Massively goes to WAR: An overview of Melee DPS careers for Order - White Lion
Last month we covered some of the early levels of the White Lion career in Closed Beta including levels 1-5, 6-10 and a brief overview of the Mastery Trees. The basic skills for the White Lions remain much the same. From there you gain additional skills in each Mastery Path as well as special abilities in that path.
Massively goes to WAR: An overview of Melee DPS careers for Order
You don't have to side with Destruction to do some damage in Warhammer Online. Order has two melee classes that crank out the dps up close and personal in two distinctly different ways. The Empire Witch Hunter uses a combination of rapier strikes to build up Accusations and then uses them to power a devastating Execution shot from their pistols. The High Elf White Lion wades into the thick of combat with his faithful pet lion by his side using it to distract and ravage his enemies.Read on after the jump for a more in-depth class into these two Order melee dps careers. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Lady Sylvanas' model updated
In one of the more unexpected moves in World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion Wrath of the Lich King, Lady Sylvanas, leader of the Forsaken, has finally gotten a new look. Lore purists have argued about why she was modeled on the Night Elf model when Sylvanas was originally one of the High Elves. (Thus her look should have more closely resembled Blood Elves from the Burning Crusade expansion) There's now an equally loud contingent who are complaining that Sylvanas' new look is perhaps a little too... valley elf. To see things for ourselves, we jumped into the Wrath of the Lich King beta and went through the Lady's Necklace quest arc that triggers off her singing Lament of the Highborne. We were curious as to just how the new model would play out in this player favorite arc. If you've never seen the event, are curious about how it looks with the new model, or just like to listen to the song -- join us after the break for an updated look at Sylvanas' Lament!
Massively goes to WAR: Character creation video for Order classes
Those who bought the Collector's Edition of Warhammer Online get their preview weekend in a few days. And open beta will start soon after that. But for those who can't wait, we've recorded video of some of the character creation options in the game.After the jump you'll find three videos, each covering one of the races of Order: Dwarves, Empire (Human) and High Elf. We recorded both male and female choices and a number of different random variations to give you an idea of what you can do.Looking forward to playing Destruction instead? Those racial videos are right here.
The Elves of WAR: White Lion levels 6-10
In the first five levels of this High Elf melee dps career, we got a lion, an axe and an attitude. Time to take it on the road for five more levels and all the new abilities that come with it.Level 6 - Sundering Chop40 AP, Instant cast, 5ft rangeA powerful axe chop which deals 28 damage. If you are behind the enemy, then this attack will ignore 50% of their armor.With you lion set in tank mode with Trained to Threaten, this axe attack replaces Hack as your spam attack. It costs a little more in AP, but does about 50% more damage if you are behind the mob.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Shadow Warrior levels 1-5
Our overview of the High Elf ranged dps career, the Shadow Warrior, may not be enough for you. So here we are with an examination of every skill from level one through five. It's the latest installment of Massively's pre-NDA coverage of Warhammer Online, the Elves of WAR.Shadow Warriors are the quintessential bow-and-blade class, with skills in long-range, short-ranged and hand-to-hand combat. They have three stances they can switch between at a moment's notice that buffs each combat speciality. The first one, Scout Stance, is explained below along with the other beginning abilities.Level 1 - Scout Stance5 sec cooldownA long distance bow stnace that increases your Ballistic Skill initiative by 2 and the range of your bow attacks by 10%.Level 1 - Eagle Eye45 AP, 2sec cast, 5-100ft rangeA well aimed arrow that deals 53 damage.Level 1 - Grim Slash40 AP, Instant cast, 5ft rangeDeals 30 damage to your target.These are your two basic attacks, ranged and melee, with a ranged buff. Encounters are simple as shoot until melee range, then spam Grim Slash.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Swordmaster levels 1-5
Maybe the High Elf melee dps and healer careers aren't your preferred playstyle. It's time to look at the High Elf tanking class, the Swordmaster, in our continuing exclusive pre-NDA coverage of the Elves of WAR. We've already written up an overview of the class and its chain-combo fighting style, but now let's start from the beginning and work our way up.Level 1Graceful Strike - 40 AP, Instant cast, 5ft rangeLeads to Improved BalanceA swift attack that deals 10 damage and Cripples for an additional 20 damage over 5 seconds. Monsters struck with this technique will hate you more.Throw - 20 AP, 1sec cast, 5-65ft rangeA basic throwing attack that inflicts 10 damage. Has a chance to deal 90 damage to a severely wounded traget if you are behind them.Throw is good for pulling, but Graceful Strike is your bread-and-butter dps plus taunt ability and it starts your combo chain by shifting you from Balance to Improved Balance.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the White Lion, levels 1-5
Earlier in the week we gave you a broad overview of this Warhammer Online class based on our higher level beta experiences. Today, we continue our exclusive pre-NDA look at the Elves of WAR with a look at the White Lion class from the ground up.The White Lion career is a melee dps class on the side of Order only available to High Elves. With a loyal lion pet by their side and an enormous axe in their hand the White Lion is very good at taking down enemies, especially small groups of them.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Archmage, levels 1-5
Massively's exclusive pre-NDA coverage of the Elves of Warhammer Online continues with this sneak peek at the beginning levels of the High Elf healer class, the Archmage. The Archmage has an interesting mechanic it shares with the Destruction Goblin Shaman, a ying/yang relationship between his offensive and healing spells. Every time an Archmage casts a healing spell, he gains a point in Force up to 5 points maximum. Every point of Force will reduce the casting time of offensive spells by 20%. That means at maximum Force, your next nuke will be insta-cast. For offensive spells that are already insta-cast, each point of Force will increase that spells potency by 5%. Once an offensive spell is cast, Force resets to zero.The same holds true in reverse. For every damage spell the Archmage casts, he gains a point of Tranquility, resetting the counter when he finally uses his stored up Tranquility to power a defensive spell. Out of combat, any gained points will quickly fade.Level one through five spell details after the jump!
