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Istaria drops a big update and looks for testers
If you're a fan of Istaria, times have been quiet for far too long, even with unique race selections. Luckily, that longstanding silence has been broken with the game's newest content update, a major patch that delivers a complete loot overhaul and several changes to the game's underlying mechanics. Techniques and Technique components have had their drop sources adjusted, Junk Loot has been added to the game, and a brand-new item type known as Broken Items has been added for crafters to repair and improve. The loot system revamp is only the least in a long list of changes, including numerous alterations to enemy distribution and large-scale reworking of several quests. The patch notes also mention specifically that this is the first update of the year, which seems worthy of speculation -- after all, there has been a call put out since October for players willing to take part in alpha testing. It seems quite possible some major changes are en route to Istaria, which should make the year interesting for players. [Thanks to Joseph for the tip!]
The Perfect Ten: Best non-traditional MMO fantasy races
Elves. Dwarves. Humans. Halflings. Gnomes. Hobbits. Dark elves. High elves. Half-elves. Wood elves. Keebler elves. Elvish impersonators. Are you as tired as I am of the endless regurgitation of stock fantasy races in our MMOs? It seems inconceivable (I do not think that means what you think it means) for a new fantasy title to come out without most of the above races infesting the character creation screen with moldy unoriginality, putrescent stank, and dusty boredom. That's why today I'm standing up to praise 10 MMOs that dare to go above and beyond the stale by offering mostly unique and different races than the rest of the market. Hopefully future games will learn from their example and throw off the yokes of generic oppression to give us something bold and refreshing!
