new-instances
Latest
Aion: Invasion launches today with new zones, dungeons, and server vs. server PvP
The battle for Atreia expands today as Aion's latest free content update launches. Invasion introduces two all new zones, two new dungeons, a daily log in reward system, new world bosses, and a new gear enhancement system. On top of that, Daevas will be able to participate in the open beta of server vs. server PvP! The two new zones include Kaldor, the burnt-out remnant of what was once the ancient Danuar land, and Levinshor, the colorful territory of Tiamat's origin. Kaldor is home to Wealhtheow's Keep, a place featuring new fortress siege elements. Levinshor is home to new species that will associate with the Elyos and the Asmodians. Of the two new instances, The Linkgate Foundry is for level 65 players and is solo, whereas Igdel Dome is a six-man PvPvE instance. This server vs. server PvPvE will happen in a zone called Panesterra, which was thrown into another dimension by a massive Ide explosion. There, 100 players from each server and faction will battle against one another as well as baddy Beritra's forces in a massive seige to control the zone. The first live siege begins on November 9th. For a look into the new content, check out the trailer below and dive into even more details in the patch notes. Then log in daily for your special gifts!
Aethertechs arrive in Aion January 29th
If you thought you'd have to wait until the end of Q1 for Aion's Steel Cavalry expansion, NCsoft has a surprise for you! Once dubbed patch 4.5, Steel Cavalry -- with its new Aethertech class, two new instances, and all-new skills -- is launching next week. As of January 29th, players can slip into the long-awaited final new class that uses a mechanized suit as a weapon. Daevas can also adventure through The Illuminary Obelisk and Iron Wall Warfront, the two newest instances to open in Atreia. Want a taste of what awaits you next week? Check out the trailer below. [Source: NCsoft press release]
Age of Wushu's Ultimate Scrolls expansion launches November 13
Grab your parkas (or sunblock, if you live in the southwest) because winter is right around the corner! Age of Wushu's Ultimate Scrolls winter expansion is coming in less than two weeks. On November 13th, players will be able to enter Ancient China's forbidden grounds and test themselves in new school-specific instances. Other incoming features include secret scripts (in the form of teachings of the treasured Helianthus Codex and Star Vortex), a new tier of martial art skills with ultimate scrolls, and the new marriage system. You can read more about the expansion in Massively's behind-the-scenes interview. And to help tide you over (or just tease you some more), Snail Games also offers the following expansion trailer.
Age of Wushu's Legends of Mount Hua expansion launches
Have you been eagerly awaiting the day you could dive into the new systems and features of Age of Wushu's first expansion, Legends of Mount Hua? Well, today's the day! Players are now able to get in and try their hands at the Youyun Sixteen Area Prefectures Battle Arena, a 40 vs 40 PvP battleground, and Yanmen Pass, an 18-man instance. Those with the urge to help out newer players will find the Martial Brothers system for mentoring helpful, while those who seek revenge on others will no doubt get use out of the Jianghu Gratitude and Revenge System. And the truly competitive of spirit can take part in the Mount Hua Competition. The new faction system and the Jianghu Heroic Playstyle and Treasure System will offer a variety of rewards. For a look at what's in store, check out the LoMH images in the gallery below and the official launch trailer after the break. [Source: Snail Games press release]%Gallery-195681%
Wings Over Atreia: A quick guide to Aion 4.0 dungeons
Last time, when sharing my initial impressions of Aion Dark Betrayal, I mentioned how the expansion was so big that there was no way one Wings Over Atreia could cover it all. Well, that's putting it mildly; there's no way two or ten can, either! in fact, I am still finding gems tucked away both in game and in the patch notes, so we'll definitely have plenty to discuss for a while. This week, we're going to try to make a dent in that pile of topics by grabbing one and just running with it. Up this week: 4.0 dungeons. Now, this guide is not going to delve deeply into tips, tricks, or strategies for Aion's newest dungeons. Instead, it's concerned with the who, the where, and the why, offering a synopsis of each new instance and a look at the lore behind it. Heck, with 12 new dungeons, that's about all we could fit in -- and only half of them at that! Check out six of these new dungeons now, and stay tuned for the second half of our guide next time.
LotRO Update 9 launches today, Yule Festival begins [Updated]
Over the past week, you've heard about the upcoming features in Lord of the Rings Online's next update, including three new level-scaling three-man instances and a travel to quest-giver feature. Today, you can experience them for yourself! Update 9 is now live, offering players these new features and more. Besides some combat revisions and a graphical update to Bree-town and Archet, players will also find that open tapping and remote looting are available throughout all of Middle-earth, not just Rohan. Chests in the new instances will also reward loot to players independently of others in the group and based on their class. More changes include getting experience for using craft nodes and completing recipes and the ability to turn off XP gain. For more details, check out the official patch notes. Along with the launch of the update, the annual Yule Festival has begun; denizens of Middle-earth can jump in and enjoy the usual festival activities. Once change players will note is that currencies from all the various festivals will now convert to a single currency to be used throughout all the different celebrations. [Updated: The team has now released a dev diary about the festival.]
Aion adds fuel to the 4.0 fire with announcement of four new instances
If the trickles of information about Aion 4.0 are making you crazy with anticipation, you might be pleased to hear that NCsoft has just revealed the four new instances coming in the expansion. The new dungeons are: Underground Katalam, a labyrinth where owning the fortresses will make travel easier; Lunadium, home of the broken-hearted witch Grendal; and Katalamize, a 12-Daeva instance boasting the strongest boss of all of 4.0. On top of those, the expansion is also bringing yet another new type of siege, just like 3.0 introduced a new one with the Hearts in Tiamaranta. The new fortresses will also have two unique additions to the standard fortress instance: a solo instance and a special version for the controlling legion that offers better rewards than the original. For more details, check out the official announcement.
Massively tours LotRO's upcoming three-man instances
Although the canon Fellowship of the Ring was substantial when it set out from Rivendell in Tolkien's epic, the group's size diminished in time as members went their separate ways. So, too, can Lord of the Rings Online players split off into smaller groups for different adventures. Such is the case with the new Road to Erebor instances coming in Update 9, due to release some time in December. This trio of level-scaling instances lets a team of up to three dive into The Hobbit-inspired locales to do their part to prevent Mordor from gathering more and more power. LotRO Senior Producer Aaron Campbell unlocked the secret back door and let Massively romp through the snowy hills, trash-strewn halls, and dark caverns of Iorbar's Peak, Seat of the Great Goblin, and Webs of the Scuttledells so Justin and I could share those experiences with you. We faced down massive stone giants, filthy goblins, and emaciated trolls so you'd know what to expect come release. And trust us when we say, there are a couple of hints you'll be glad to hear before tackling these new adventures.%Gallery-172923%
Bounty Hounds Online closed beta featuring new content
Bounty Hounds Online is talking up its AAA characteristics in the latest press release from Wicked Interactive. According to the blurb, the sci-fi MMORPG "brings triple-A quality to the free-to-play genre" and allows players to choose from five different mercenary class types while directing their avatars through "multiple worlds and environments." Beginning today, Wicked is rolling out a substantial update to the title's closed beta client. The new content includes five high-level Cambria group instances. There are also new missions and events on tap including objectives in the Wastelands that give both stat and skill point reset items. Finally, earned character titles now unlock unique stat-boost accessories, and XP requirements have been adjusted "so you'll spend less time grinding." Sound interesting? Head to the official Bounty Hounds website to learn more. [Source: Wicked Interactive press release]
Turbine unveils LotRO expansion point costs
Those of you who didn't get around to pre-ordering Lord of the Rings Online's Rise of Isengard expansion earlier this summer will probably want to mosey over to the game's official forums. Turbine has revealed the point costs for all of the new content, and due to the variety of items on offer, it may take you a few minutes to piece together what you want (and what it'll cost you). The short version is that the expansion quests and deeds will set you back 3,250 Turbine points, while the new Draigoch raid will cost an additional 1,250 TP. There's also a bindable item called Derudh's Stone that grants a permanent 25% XP bonus on monster kills through level 64, and it is priced at 995 TP. Finally, the new Update 5 instances, currently slated for a December release, will run you 1,495 TP. There's more info, and a load of comments and discussion, at the official LotRO boards.
Aion 2.5 on PTS today, new class skills video released
Aion's 2.5 patch is right around the corner, and today marks the update's official debut on NCsoft's North American player test server (PTS). The patch, otherwise known as Empyrean Calling, brings several new game features to the denizens of Atreia including a mentor system, expanded character customization options, a graphics engine update, new legion features, pet interaction, and new PvE instances. To celebrate the milestone, NCsoft has released a new trailer that shows off some new class skills that are also coming with 2.5. Sixteen different skills, two for each of Aion's classes, are shown in action as well as via textual descriptions. Have a look at the trailer after the cut, and don't forget to head to the PTS to get an early glimpse of all the updates.
Wings Over Atreia: Anticipation, part deux
A bonding experience. Love ya man, really. Last week's article seems to have struck a nerve. I feel like I know more of you now on a more personal level. And that's not just because I skulk around Atreia spying! The thoughts and comments you have shared have reaffirmed how universal our experiences are; what we think is a slightly unique situation is really just like so many others (OK, maybe not the legionmate who walks around in a duck suit, but others). You know the saying "You are unique dear, just like everyone else." Whether we have Black wings or white, whether we're a PvPer or even a carebear, many of our hopes for Aion are really quite similar. But I digress. As promised, this week I continue with my happy rave (it's better than a rant, yes?) about some of the treats promised us in the upcoming 2.5 patch. And just like I would with a proper dessert, I saved the best for last. Or at least my favorite! This week, we look more in-depth at additional pets, additional instances, and additions to legions. Relive that yearning experienced when anticipating Christmas mornings of yore and join me past the cut to sneak a peek at our hopefully-soon-to-be unwrapped update goodies for Aion.
Aion 2.5 patch notes translated, lots of new content incoming
Huge changes are coming your way with Aion's 2.5 update, and we've got all the details courtesy of the officially translated Korean patch notes. Yesterday we chatted up Aion producer Sean Neil, and today we've got a few interesting nuggets that should add fuel to your 2.5 fire. There's a lot of new content coming in the update, none of it bigger than the new Academy Bootcamp and Araka instances (both of which sport a level 50 entrance requirement). The former is a bit of a departure from the game's existing instances given that it's set in a circular arena and features "wave after wave" of monsters. The Araka farm instance requires an eye for quest dialogue detail, so pay attention to the Reian tribesmen associated with the dungeon. The 2.5 patch is also adding a new divinity endowment enhancement system as well as several tweaks to the game's crafting and gathering systems. The endowment system adds various bonuses to your equipment that are then consumed in battle, while more than 300 advanced designs have been added with the aim of reducing the pain inherent in the higher-level crafting game. Finally, 2.5 is adding new pets, an extensive pet mood system, group guide mentoring functionality, new temporary titles, new coin quests, new graphics engine options, new social clothing, and various legion enhancements. Check the patch notes on the official Aion website for the ful list of additions and tweaks.
Screenshots from inside Zul'Aman
Borst from the World of Raids forums has reported back this morning with some screenshots from the other side of the Zul'aman portal on live servers. For those of you not familiar, Zul'Aman is an instance just chock-full o' trolls, much like Zul'Farrak and Zul'Gurub are. Unlike the other two, however, the trolls in Zul'Aman make use of the beefier-looking troll model -- specifically, the Forest Trolls who are currently seen in the south-eastern side of the Blood Elf starting area. It is also, per an interview with Tigole, a L70 raid instance, although I haven't personally seen anything official from Blizzard stating if it's a 25 man or a 10 man as yet. Still, for all that the post and exploration was limited to just a couple of interior shots, it's interesting to see some small part of it. Although I do think it would be nice if we weren't killing trolls quite so much... Someone might get the idea that all of us trolls are bad, and it would be troll sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! Then who would ya get to dance 'da capoeira, mon? [via World of Raids]
