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The Daily Grind: Does progression matter to you?
For some players, the game is all about the endgame. The reason to play the game is to wind up at the highest tier of content and get the highest tier of gear, and if you are not doing that, then you are fundamentally not playing correctly. That doesn't mean these players do nothing else; it just means that they're going to base their guild choice in Star Wars: The Old Republic on progress concerns before social ones. But then there's the other camp that doesn't care about all of that. Sure, progression is nice to a point, but these are players who derive more enjoyment from the social side of things. They have no interest in joining a guild focused solely upon the endgame; they want to be in a guild for roleplaying or social contacts or whatever. Progress is nice but secondary. So which camp do you veer toward? Does progression matter to you, or are you quite happy finding other ways to play the game? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Elder Scrolls Online's Paul Sage talks about dungeons and player experience
How closely have you been following The Elder Scrolls Online? Are you eagerly devouring every new piece of information that's trickled out following PAX Prime? Because there's a new video interview out with creative director Paul Sage that should provide you plenty to devour. Sage comments on some of the major changes made to the game for its PAX appearance (such as the implementation of the new compass and a more "weighty" feel to the combat) as well as the game's launch dungeons. He also mentions the Veteran Point system currently in development, a form of alternate advancement after your character hits the level cap. Of course, anyone eager for information has no doubt signed up for beta, which means you'll want to check your mail religiously today as a new round of testing invitations has gone out. Would-be players can also take part in an emote contest to win beta access as a grand prize. Or you can just check out the full interview video after the break. [Thanks to Jeff for the tip!]
Borderlands 2 Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2 out Sept. 3
Borderlands 2's second level-cap increase will take place on Tuesday, September 3, when the game's new Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2: Digistruct Peak Challenge DLC pack becomes available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Mac for $4.99. Unlike the first Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack, Digistruct Peak Challenge is not included in the game's DLC Season Pass. In addition to raising the level cap by 11 (to a maximum of 72 when stacked with the first Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack), Digistruct Peak Challenge also includes new weapons, new character customization options and a new map/mission, Raid on Digistruct Peak. Owning both Ultimate Vault Hunter Packs unlocks even more stuff, such as more weapons, "Legendary Class Mods" and tougher enemies that drop better loot.
Uncharted Waters Online launches its newest update, Tower of Babel
Who's ready for another round of leveling in Uncharted Waters Online? Because that's what players are going to be doing with the game's latest update, as the level cap has been raised once again from 70 to 75. All characters at level 65 or higher can take part in the quests needed to unlock the highest tier of leveling, and that means more trading, more adventuring, and more fighting to approach the new cap. Of course, new levels alone would make for a pretty anemic update, which is why the patch also features three new ships, new equipment, several new quests and discoveries, and new decorations for your dwelling. Players can also experiment with changes to several ship types and cultural contributions, both of which should freshen up the game experience. If you can't wait to dive in, the patch can be downloaded and played immediately. [Source: Netmarble press release]
RIFT 3.0 will increase level cap, possibly introduce PvP dimensions
Excitement is building for RIFT 3.0, the unnamed second expansion for the game. While we've known that it will include a combat pet system, new souls, and better item advancement, today we have gotten official confirmation of two additional key features: a level cap increase and PvP dimensions. Rift Junkies translated a video from buffed.de in which Trion Worlds Senior Design Director Simon Ffinch dished out the juicy details. He confirmed that players will have five new levels to add, increasing the level cap to 65. He also revealed that the team is working on PvP player dimensions, although it's not clear whether this will be finished in time for 3.0. These will allow players to customize and operate their dimensions for PvP deathmatches. Ffinch said that while RIFT 3.0 is an expansion, it will only be offered digitally. It will also be free except for the new souls which, as with Storm Legion's souls, will be sold through the in-game store.
Pirate101 sets sail for Marleybone
One of the bonuses of having Pirate101 set in the same world as Wizard101 is that the former can benefit from some of the latter's layout. KingsIsle has launched a big expansion for the game that includes some old favorites for veteran players, starting by sending pirate captains to the familiar land of Marleybone. Players will be investigating a war zone they helped inadvertently create while working up through another 15 levels of experience. The update also adds the new region of Aquila, a new Bazaar system for players to trade goods, and a new tutorial to help players get accustomed to the game. There are also new bosses and transport systems to give players more to do while they sail across the oceans. Last but not least, new companions are scattered through the added regions, and old companions are learning some new tricks. Pirate101 players can log in and start enjoying the update immediately.
The Daily Grind: How important is endgame progression to you?
For some players, the real meat of an MMORPG begins when you don't have any more pesky levels to worry about. Leveling is training, but using all that training to clear through the hardest content in the game is what you signed up for. Whether it's in World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2, these players feel that the real push is to have the best possible gear and optimize your character specialties. For other players, the endgame is just an addition, sometimes even an unwelcome one. Having the best gear or the best build is nice, but it's not worth pursuing at the detriment of your enjoyment. Far better to just do dailies in Star Wars: The Old Republic or level a new character in Champions Online. These players can be just as dedicated to the game, but they just don't care for the endgame push. So which category do you lean toward? Is the progression track at the top what you live for, or is it just a distraction? How important is endgame progression to you? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What's the fastest you've hit the level cap after a raise?
I hadn't really been trying to hit the level cap in Star Wars: The Old Republic after the expansion launched. I wanted to, certainly, but I figured it would happen when it happened. Turns out that it happened very shortly after the expansion launched, thanks to a combination of early access and a whole lot of play for first impressions. As it stands, I'm pretty sure it's the fastest turnaround I've had for hitting the cap after it's been raised. Everyone's racing to the cap when a game first launches, but when the cap is raised it's a different ball game. You know how to play the game, you've got resources on your character, and you are often in pretty good equipment to start off. So what's the fastest you've ever hit the level cap after it's been raised? A week? Four days? A few hours after the patch has gone live? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Do you grind for max level prior to a cap increase?
So Rise of the Hutt Cartel descended on Star Wars: The Old Republic last week, bringing with it some new content and five additional levels. BioWare hosted a series of double XP weekends leading up to the expansion's early release, presumably to aid players in getting a few of their avatars to the level cap. I partook as much as I could, but I didn't quite make it as I'm still sitting at 48 on my Gunslinger. I'm not usually a grinder, but for some reason I found myself disappointed that I didn't hit the cap before it was raised. What about you, Massively readers? Do you grind for max level when you know a cap increase is on the way, or do you just go about your normal business and enjoy the experience? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
God of War: Ascension update increases level cap, fixes audio glitches
God of War: Ascension's 1.04 multiplayer update, outlined by Sony Santa Monica designer Vincent Napoli in a new PlayStation Blog post, will bump up the level cap over 30 and through the "Elite Levels," up to 40. These new levels will enable a new item, two relics, and a new ultimate magic spell for the game's four allegiances.The update will also include a multiplayer stats screen and a number of bug fixes. Audio issues are the biggest priority there, but problems with matchmaking and certain weapon unlocks are also due to be fixed in this update. There's no official release date for the patch yet, but Napoli says it's on the way.
Borderlands 2 getting new class, level cap raise in the next few months
The new Vault Hunter for Borderlands 2, teased at SXSW, has been revealed at PAX East. Krieg the Psycho will be the game's sixth playable class, and you can see a quick teaser of what he looks and plays like in the video above. He's primarily a melee character, but has a few ranged abilities and can skill up in the Bloodlust tree (focused on combat bonuses), go insane with the Mania tree, or break out fire-based attacks with the Hellborn tree. Krieg is part of the Psycho Pack, which will be available in May for $9.99, or 800 Microsoft points. On April 2, Borderlands 2 will get the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade pack ($5, or 400 MSP), which will raise the game's level cap from 50 up to 61. Unlike the Psycho Pack, it will be part of the game's Season Pass content and unlock a third playthrough in the "Ultimate Vault Hunter mode." Finally, Gearbox teased the game's last piece of campaign DLC at its panel, which it simply said was due out sometime in June. %Gallery-183718%
Who here has the most level 90s -- and why?
Let's talk alts, people. How many 90s are you altaholics running these days? I guess it's pretty interesting to poke around for big, flashy totals -- and yeah, it would be cool to recognize the player with the highest number of 90s -- but I'm really more interested in how and why you pushed all those characters to the cap in the first place. Are you chasing the whole concept of one level-capped character of each race or class? Perhaps you've been building an empire of craftspeople. Or maybe you just really, really, really like the leveling game. What drives you to level 90 again and again? %Poll-81544% Are there any of you out there who've actually leveled an entire character select screen full of characters to level 90? If you have more than a handful of 90s, what's your motivation for level-capping so many characters?
Jewel of the North: Impressions of Neverwinter to the level 30 cap
I've been stoked for Neverwinter ever since I first got my hands on a short demo of the game at PAX East a year or two back. The game's stylish, fast-paced combat hooked me, and I've always been particularly fond of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, having spent a considerable amount of my teenage years in the original Neverwinter Nights and its many persistent worlds. So of course when I got my hands on a Neverwinter beta key, I was thrilled and waited on pins and needles for the duration of the excruciatingly long download, courtesy of my lovely ISP. Once the game was finally installed on Friday, however, my weekend was consumed by my adventures in the Jewel of the North and its surrounding environs. Over the course of the weekend, I managed to take my Trickster Rogue to the level cap of 30 and experienced a fairly large amount of the available content. Spoiler alert: I liked it. But if you wanna know the details, listen up and I'll recount my tales for you.
Puzzle Craft goes on a 'Treasure Hunt' next week
Puzzle Craft was one of my favorite games last year on any platform, not even just Apple's App Store. But like a lot of the title's fans, I've been somewhat disappointed that developers Ars Thanea haven't followed it up with any new content. They and publisher Chillingo had quite a few golden opportunities to get the game back in the spotlight with a big update, and they just haven't supported the game like I believe they should have. But there's good news here -- Chillingo has finally sent word that Puzzle Craft is getting a nice update next week. It's called "Treasure Hunt," and while it's not exactly clear how it all will work, it sounds like the game will be hiding treasure items in among the other items you collect, which you'll then be able to organize and complete into sets. In addition to the new gameplay, there will also be new jobs for your villagers, new tools to find and use, a level cap increase to level 60 and a new endgame goal: To upgrade your castle into an Imperial Castle, beating the game yet again. Personally, I'm really excited for the update -- it's not exactly what I would have imagined from a Puzzle Craft update, but hopefully it'll be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Chillingo didn't mention if the update will be paid or free, but given that the game is free right now, I'd expect it to be an in-app purchase. We'll check back with them, and keep an eye out for the new patch next week.
Star Wars: The Old Republic opens up test servers for patch 2.0
We've known for a while that the first digital expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic will be releasing in the spring. Those waiting eagerly for Rise of the Hutt Cartel won't have too much longer to wait, it seems, as the expansion has been put up for testing on the game's public test server. This build includes gear, operations, and flashpoints for characters at the new level cap of 55, as well as the extra abilities and skills you'd expect from an extra five levels. Notably not included is all of the content from Makeb that would allow players to actually reach level 55, which necessitates the addition of a special NPC to boost player levels and allow corresponding equipment unlocks. Still, if you're looking to take your main characters for a test drive in the post-expansion world, head over to the public test server and start seeing what changes with five more levels under your belt. And even if you'd rather wait for the release, this round of testing means the expansion can't be too far off.
Pitchford: Borderlands 2 has '100% chance' of level cap increase this year
Gearbox President Randy Pitchford has been less than excited about raising the level cap on Borderlands 2 in the past, saying that raising the level 50 limit on the title might just "break the game." But as hard as the task will be, Pitchford has confirmed Gearbox will do it, predicting on Twitter a "100% chance" that we'll see a level cap increase this year.He then goes on to admit that he's only "50\50 on unforeseen consequences that some people will rage about." Obviously, by definition, we can't foresee those, but Pitchford says there's no end of possible issues to the game, from skill tree balance to leveled-up enemies to even things like shotgun shell counting. One bug in the game, Pitchford says, applied a shotgun bonus to every single bullet in a shotgun blast rather than just the gun in general."Sometimes we trap ourselves. We get painted into corners on things. It's tricky," Pitchford said in an interview with VentureBeat. "But we're committed to it." So yes, expect the chance to level up past 50 in Borderlands 2 sometime this year.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The long haul in Guild Wars 2
I hear a lot of Guild Wars 2 players talk about level 80. I hear, specifically, a lot of Guild Wars 2 doubters talking about level 80. Surely, surely, if the level cap could be hit in mere days (or for those of us well behind the vanguard, mere weeks), then the game must be content-light? Surely, surely, that would mean that the real game was "endgame"? Nope. Don't get me wrong; hitting the level cap is significant. It's cool. Your character strikes a pose (you know, the same one he has struck literally scores of times before at each and every level-up). Your character says a catch-phrase. You feel good. But in terms of actual gameplay, I can think of very little that is less significant.
Guild Wars 2 crafter reaches level 80 first [Updated]
Although folks talk about how much there is to do and how many places there are to explore in Guild Wars 2, the first confirmed level 80 character goes to *drum roll* a crafter! That's right: Surfeuz, a member of the French guild War Legend, has hit the level cap by simply crafting with guild-donated materials. Reaching max-level, however, doesn't give Surfeuze an instant win button; he still needs to earn reputation points to purchase items and missing achievements. Also, since maps scale to a player's level, if Surfeuze decides to go out and experience other parts of the game, he won't be able to tear through the content as a level 80. Nonetheless, his accomplishment before the game even officially launches is still quite the achievement. [MMO Culture's site is currently down] [Update: ArenaNet's Mike O'Brien spoke on Reddit to say that this person's level 80 achievement was done by "unusual ways to level very fast" and that the team is "fixing these issues as [he] type[s]."]
Gamescom 2012: SWTOR will sell statted gear, debating new planet monetization
How do you take a subscription title like Star Wars: The Old Republic and turn it into a free-to-play MMO? According to Executive Producer Jeff Hickman, you do it as carefully as possible. "Give the story away," he explained. "Make the casual player understand what that is. Don't try to monetize that. Monetize all the things around that. I think, actually, as we looked through it, it is not as complex as you think it is. It is very difficult." While plans for SWTOR's cash shop are not finalized, Hickman did admit that players could use it to purchase gear to help them level up: "I don't want to unbalance the game by putting things out on the store that somebody can walk in on day one, buy and be the winner. Having said that, there will be some things that we put out in the store that do enhance power value in some way, but not at the top end." Hickman nibbled around the topic of the planet Makeb, which is still under construction. With more story and more systems, he hopes players will be pleased with the final result. However, Hickman could not confirm nor deny that the update will expand the level cap, nor would he go into detail about whether or not BioWare is going to attempt to sell this to subscribers. [Thanks to Scott for the tip!] Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show!
Dark Legends levels up its vamps, grants them allies
A vampire's life isn't just about torrid teen romance and counting from one to 10; it's a full-time career to battle back the other forces of the night and keep all of the goodies to yourself. Fortunately, Spacetime Studios is helping out the fanged population by increasing the level cap in Dark Legends to 26 and removing the energy requirement for 3-D missions. Dark Legends' most recent update doesn't just stop there. The game now has two additional campaigns, a cool flame aura for level 23-plus characters, and nightly rewards for regular players. Spacetime's added an allies system to the game as well. Allies are computer companions that are unlocked during the campaign. These characters can then be ordered to do one of three different jobs, each of which has a time requirement and a reward attached. Jobs do need to be collected by players within a certain window, otherwise some of the reward will be taken away.
