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Tempest of Strife showcases Age of Wushu's weather events
With Tempest of Strife rolling out today, Age of Wushu players will be able to experience the sandbox in a whole new way. In fact, it is considered AoW 2.0 by the community. This expansion not only ushers in six additional factions (including a healing class and a group of scheming eunuchs) and their corresponding headquarters but also introduces the ability to change factions or belong to two at once. Additionally, dynamic weather will alter the environment, and special raid-type events will randomly accompany the weather changes. It all sounds pretty intriguing, no? Thanks to a recent walkthrough, I was able to get a taste of what players can expect when they log in to Tempest of Strife. And while the depth that the new faction features add is pretty impressive, the weather raids stole the show.
Age of Wushu's expansion hits May 7th; here's a trailer
Age of Wushu's Tempest of Strife expansion launches on May 7th. To celebrate, Snail has released an action-packed trailer that shows off new classes, new environments, and the new weather system. ToS also brings new face-lifting customization options, personalization-enabling equipment inscription, and new sects to the table. The martial arts sandbox MMO also boasts a new website as of this morning. Don't forget to click past the cut to watch the trailer! [Source: Snail Games press release]
A fierce weather front is blowing into Age of Wushu
Age of Wushu is introducing dynamic weather effects that will do more than look moody; they will actually herald several events. Each weather effect will have a different event that it will trigger. The great fog will start a school assassination PvP contest, the sandstorm will begin a treasure hunt in the desert, the eclipse will launch an invasion by the Prince of a Thousand Sentiments, and the thunderstorm will give you the opportunity to find the fight of the century. This weather system will be coming with the Age of Wushu: Tempest of Strife update. You can check out the weather effects preview video after the break!
The latest Swordsman trailer features three martial arts classes
Last month, we learned that Perfect World Entertainment is bringing its martial arts MMO Swordsman westward, and that means more hack'n'slashy trailers heavy on the particle effects and lush landscapes. The latest video is a brief trailer highlighting three of the game's planned 10 classes. They are: Wu-Tang: These masters of Taoism combine inner force and physical strength to become superb group fighters. Swinging heavy two-handed blades with ease, masters of the Wu-Tang styles supplement their raw physical damage with effects that buff and heal themselves and their entire group. Sun and Moon: The heretical disciples of the Sun and Moon Cult become deadly assassins with high mobility and heavy damage. Armed with twin blades linked by chain, many of their skills focus on single targets and let them attack in close quarters or at range. Their sinister powers can steal away the life force of enemies, distributing it to the cultist and their group. House Tong: Unlike the other schools, House Tong members rely on guns rather than blades. A family-like school, famous for their firearms and throwing weapons, House Tong members use traps to keep enemies at distance and attack from afar. These masters of firearms provide excellent damage in group combat situations, and with high attack speed and quick movement, the House Tong skills will frustrate any enemy. Enjoy the video below!
Snail previews Age of Wushu's scheming eunuch Rootless Clan
Want to get castrated and join "a cabal of scheming eunuchs?" Age of Wushu's Rootless Clan is for you. The martial arts sandbox game's upcoming Tempest of Strife expansion introduces the "mysterious yet heinous" new class which is an expert at both ranged and melee attacks. The AoW website features more info about the archetype's skills and abilities as well as a teaser video. Or you could just click past the cut to watch the latter. Hey, don't say Massively never did anything for you!
Age of Wushu celebrates anniversary with events, expansion info
Snail has unveiled a new page on its Age of Wushu website dedicated to celebrating the martial arts sandbox's anniversary. It contains links to various social media events as well as info on in-game activities including special world bosses, XP boosts, and more. The festivities run through April 24, 2014. The firm has also published a letter from AoW game director Hao Han that summarizes the upcoming Tempest of Strife expansion. Snail plans to launch said expansion soon.
Age of Wushu's latest class sect features 'fatal musicians'
Snail Games has introduced yet another new sect slated to appear in Age of Wushu's Tempest of Strife expansion. The latest class addition is called Peach Blossom Island, and it's an archetype skilled in both ranged and melee combat. "These masters of art combine elegant music notes with lethal crowd-control moves to excel in group battles," Snail explains on its website. "For centuries, Peach Blossom Island has been an idyllic retreat for martial art experts and hermetic musicians. They are here to escape worldly concerns, and to bide their time until their services are needed once again. Trespassers come at their own peril; to arrive at Peach Blossom Island unannounced is to meet a swift death at the hands of a true master." Click past the cut to see a preview video of the class in action.
The Daily Grind: What game do you plan to revisit?
Snail's recent sect announcements for its upcoming Age of Wushu expansion have rekindled my interest in the fantasy wuxia sandbox. I played it for a good bit at launch but ultimately left due to the steep learning curve, the horribad translation, and other demands on my time. I've often thought of returning to the game, though, as it hits a number of my sweet spots and is utterly unlike anything else in the MMO space. What about you, Massively readers? What's that one MMO you're always keeping tabs on and planning to revisit when you get the chance? 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!
Here's Age of Wushu's new 'warrior maiden' sect
Snail has updated its Age of Wushu website with another new sect preview from the martial sandbox's upcoming Tempest of Strife expansion. Today's reveal is the Palace of Shifting Flowers, which boasts "a balanced set of skills featuring both melee and ranged attacks." The Palace is a group of female-only apostles that Snail calls a "zealous cadre of warrior maidens sworn to seek vengeance from the the men who wronged them." Click past the cut for the class preview trailer, and don't forget that AoW is now available on Steam.
Age of Wushu on Steam today
Wuxia sandbox Age of Wushu is coming to Steam today. Don't go trying to download it just yet, though, as the announcement page says that there's still a few hours to go before it unlocks. The official launch time is listed as 7:00 p.m. EDT in Snail's press release, which we've made available to you after the break. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Age of Wushu expansion to feature 'a proper healing class'
Age of Wushu's Tempest of Strife expansion is introducing "a proper healing class," according to the game's latest website update. Players walking the Golden Needle Sect path can bring back the dead, or at least the wounded, by using a skill set that "focuses on healing and defense [and that] works both in melee and from range." Snail Games has released a class teaser video which you can view after the break.
Here's the latest Age of Wushu expansion teaser
Age of Wushu's latest expansion is on the way, and Snail has updated its website with a lengthy blurb focused on Tempest of Strife's Xu Family Manor sect. Sects are basically the martial arts sandbox MMO's answer to traditional genre classes, and Xu Family characters boast heroic alignment, melee attacks, and a signature move called the Black Ink Ruler skill. AoW's Xu Family teaser video is embedded for your viewing pleasure just after the break.
Here's the Villa of Beasts sect from Age of Wushu's expansion
Earlier this week Snail announced Age of Wushu's Tempest of Strife expansion. Today the firm details the martial arts sandbox's Villa of Beasts sect, which boasts "some of the most diverse and powerful skills of any sect in the game." Villa of Beasts players will excel at bare-handed melee combat as well as the Dragon and Tiger Overlord Fist skill set. Further details are available at the AoW website. We've embedded the Villa of Beasts trailer after the break.
Age of Wushu's Tempest of Strife expansion announced for Spring
While many people are looking forward to better weather and sunshine come spring, Age of Wushu players will have thunderstorms, blizzards, and even sandstorms thanks to one of the new features in the upcoming Tempest of Strife expansion. In addition to immersive weather that can trigger mysterious events, this fourth expansion also includes six new sects to join. Players ready to cast off the shackles of their old masters can betray their school and sign up with one of the three sects open to all (Villa of Beasts, Xu Family Manor, and Golden Needle Sect) or one of the three that require a large reserve of talent first (Palace of Shifting Flowers, Peach Blossom Island, Rootless Clan). Want to forgo masters altogether? Become a vagrant! Additional expansion features include the ability to change your looks through a face-lift and the opportunity to personalize your equipment by inscribing unique names on each piece. Tempest of Strife is due out later this spring. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Save your Age of Wushu valuables in new Item Locker
Worried more about the cutpurses than the cutthroats in Age of Wushu? Then Snail Games has something to put your mind at ease: the Item Locker. Players now have a way to secure a certain number of valuables on their person so that they can't be lost or stolen during the course of gameplay. This Item Locker, accessible via the backpack, holds up to five items for free for non-Jianghu VIP players and 15 for the VIPs. Additional slots can also be purchased for 10 silver taels each. Items protected within the locker can still be equipped and used, but they cannot be traded, deleted, sold, or disassembled until the two-day cooldown timer expires. [Source: Snail Games press release]
The Art of Wushu: Finishing the job
Last episode, we talked about getting a bounty and the mindset of a career criminal. Unfortunately, this is the last Art of Wushu, but that doesn't mean we can't finish what we started. And that means talking about the art of killing good guys. Having a bounty means living on the edge. A lot of the time we take for granted the fact that we can walk around in Chengdu without too much fear. This is not true if you have a bounty. Every moment you spent logged in is spent on edge because a constable could jump you at any moment. You are constantly doing 360 degree camera spins looking around for trouble. You position yourself where you can easily run away, and you have escape plans in your head if things go bad. You worked really hard for your bounty, and you don't want to lose it because you lost focus for a moment. This kind of thrill is the most satisfying thing for me about Age of Wushu. When I get to log in, have that bright red star swirling around me and know that I need to be on the move immediately is the best feeling in the world for me.
The Soapbox: My hypersexualization conundrum
Every now and then here at Massively, we receive an email that isn't super nice. I know this may come as a shock to many of you -- the internet is, after all, a place of tolerance and constructive debate -- but sometimes the Massively inbox is no place any sane person would want to be. One reader recently took the opportunity to offer some choice thoughts on Massively staffers. And amidst the jumble of insults and generalizations, the reader levied the ever-powerful "hypocrisy" charge at us for claiming to care about hypersexualized designs of female characters in MMOs while simultaneously playing as those very hypersexualized characters. How could we possibly purport to care about the presentation of women in games if we're all running around in chainmail bikinis? Generally speaking, I prefer to not have my habits and behavior challenged via ad hominem attacks and false comparisons. But I have to admit that this one particular charge piqued my curiosity. Why is it that the majority of my characters are female? Am I, as a person who looks down on hypersexualized designs in games, committing an act of hypocrisy every time I create a female character? Let's sort it out. And before we begin, remember that the Soapbox, like most of our editorials, is just one person's opinion and doesn't represent the thoughts of Massively as a whole.
Massively's Valentine's Day roundup
When a mob hits your eye with a big sharpened spike... that's not really amore! In fact, it's downright painful. But it's February -- a time when love is in the air, hearts are aflutter everywhere, and pink and red festoon your favorite MMOs. So in the spirit of the season, go ahead and give that mob an extra-hard love tap, right from... er, to the heart! And don't forget to collect whatever treasures it had for you because we all know Valentine's Day isn't all about the love; no, it's about the loot! Want to know where to get your hands on something special for this holiday? There are plenty of celebrations throughout the MMOverse offering a plethora of events and goodies. Check out some of the various Valentine's events and specials going on now.
The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty
We all know what side of the law I fight on in Age of Wushu: the bad guy side. However, there's a marked difference between being a professional criminal and an indiscriminate mass murderer. Being a criminal means that you need to be more discreet in which targets you kill. If I don't have a bounty, a kill that doesn't get me a bounty is pointless. Infamy is a resource, and if I ramp it up too much, I could be looking at jail time without even getting a bounty. Nothing is more frustrating than having to idle for hours in some out of the way place because my infamy shot up over 2000, but it's pretty easy to get there. Being selective in whom I kill helps prevent those kinds of mistakes.
Age of Wushu updates with World of Contenders
You could have been a contender. Wait, that's not right -- you could currently be a contender. You could be contending right now. After all, Age of Wushu's latest update is specifically titled "World of Contenders," odds are good that you could be one heck of a contender. So get in there and contend! Yes, the latest major update for the game is live, and it offers a lot of ways for players to contend with one another, most notably the Dragon and Tiger Tournament featuring a series of one-on-one duels in large arenas. You can also take part in the weekly battles between schools added with the School Rivalry system. Not really up for contention? There's still plenty to access with the addition of the fourth Internal skill and a new set of skills exclusive to married couples. Get patched up and get ready to contend just as much as you'd like, as it seems Snail Games is indeed looking out for you.
