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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's big fanfest reveals
Christmas came early for the forward-looking Final Fantasy XIV player this year. I know some people are upset at the fact that there were more revelations in the Japanese fan festival than in the ones in Vegas or London, but the timing is different. (I'd also point out that the expansion was announced in Las Vegas.) We've gone from having only a dim view of what's coming to having a pretty clear picture of what awaits through the next few month. One of the things that awaits is, of course, endless yelling about Machinist. Because boy. So let's start unpacking the stuff we learned from Tokyo. I say "start" because there is no way to get everything in one column, certainly not with deadlines and other considerations to take center stage. It's going to be a few months, but there's a lot to chew on just about 2.5, even if we ignore all of the expansion stuff, which I have no intention of doing.
EverQuest II's Aerakyn race is spreading its wings November 11th
A few weeks ago we peeked into EverQuest II's impending Altar of Malice expansion with Senior Producer Holly Longdale and Creative Director Akil Hooper. In addition to touring the zones and basking in the beauty of the artwork while weaving through dinosaurs, I also got a glimpse of the newest race coming the game and gleaned a few interesting tidbits about these scaly, winged creatures. Although not technically a part of the expansion, Aerakyn will become available to players for purchase on the same day that AoM goes live for All Access members: November 11th. Be a dragon! With a new race incoming, some players are already trying to determine whether they will bump an alt or just buy a new character slot. It's not just the opportunity to be what is arguably the first real dragonkind in the game (sorry Sarnak!) but the chance to experience the game as one of the very few flight-enabled races. The Aerakyn, like the Fae and Arasai introduced in a previous expansion, utilize their wings from day one. Of course, the actual flight mechanic cannot be obtained until the appropriate level (85), but the wings still work and the race can glide around. Unlike the Fae and Arasai, however, the Aerakyn will get to use their personal wings as all three advanced mount types.
Sneaking a peek at EQII's Altar of Malice with SOE
When EverQuest II's next expansion, Altar of Malice, was announced at SOE Live in August, we heard about upcoming features, perused concept drawings, and even saw some screenshots. As exciting as all that can be, nothing compares to actually getting in the game and seeing the living breathing world of Norrath. And that's exactly what I got to do last week on a tour with Senior Producer Holly Longdale and Creative Director Akil Hooper. While we have to wait a bit longer to hear more about the Aerakyn (the new winged dragonkind race) and what special goodies will be included in the collector's edition, the tour of the zones allowed me to bask in the beauty of the artwork while weaving through dinosaurs, pygmies, and my favorite-yet-long-lost starting zone. And it definitely made me even more excited for the upcoming release of Altar of Malice!
A new beastmen race is headed to Allods Online
Earlier this month, Russian developer Mail.ru announced the new Praydenov (Praiden) race for steampunk MMO Allods Online. Though we don't know for sure when or whether English-speaking players will get to play as these beastmen, Russians will be rolling up the furry creatures this fall. There's scant English news on the race so far, but at least according to the Mail.ru site, the race is a mixture of a wolf, lynx, bear, marten, and fox. Tipster tandarighttanon (many thanks for the translation!) tells us the Praiden are a "neutral race that you can play till level 20, then you must choose your faction." The official site includes a gallery of additional mounts and critters destined for the game in the same patch.
Aion adding fourth race to the Atreian struggle?
The battle for power across Aion's world of Atreia is currently fought between the clawed Asmodians, the light-winged Elyos, and the dragon-esque Balaur. But NCsoft Korea has posted a picture on the Korean forums teasing the entry of a fourth race to the mix. The line above the poster translates to, "A mysterious army begins to step forth from the shadows of the Abyss." And the text below the ominous red eyes reads, "The 4th race" followed underneath that by "Elyos, Asmodian, Balaur and ..." And what exactly? Could a fourth race really be entering Atreia for good, and if so, will the race be NPC-based like the Balaur, or could a new player race actually be in the works? Or could this be just a special event? And what race could those eyes represent? According to the announcement, we'll know more come September 6th. Until then, feel free to leave your speculations in the comments below. And you can check out the entire poster after the break.
Runes of Magic: Chapter V to bring new lands and high-level instance
In just under two weeks, Runes of Magic players will be able to enjoy the fifth chapter of the free-to-play fantasy MMORPG. Last week we told you about the new race in Chapter V, the Shadowforge Dwarves. Today Frogster unveiled a new region along with a new high-level instance. Fires of Shadowforge also introduces the Warlock and Champion classes. In the west of the new continent of Kolydia, the Ancient Kingdom of Rorazan opens up to adventurers. This hostile and unforgiving realm was destroyed by firestorms and is now inhabited only by mechanical golems, fire elementals, and spirits. Adventurers can also traverse the war-torn region of Chrysalia. Dungeon-goers can experience Aeternal Circle, a new high-level instance with two different difficulty settings. Just be sure to take a sharp mind as well as a sharp sword along; the only way to advance to the next area after defeating each boss is to solve a puzzle. [Source: Frogster press release]
Dragonica's New Origin expansion launches today
Today's a big day for Dragonica fans, as the two-year-old title is gearing up to launch its New Origin - Rise of the Drakan expansion this afternoon. A new press release from Gala Networks Europe tells us that the patch is the biggest in the game's history and includes a new race, new dungeons, new mounts, a fellowship party system, and a level cap increase. As the title suggests, the new race is the Drakan, and it's unlocked once players reach level 20. There are two new Drakan classes, the Amazonian and the Shaman, and both of them are playable to the new level cap (80). Once you've obtained your spiffy new Drakan warrior and explored the new Drakan town of Kareuza, you'll probably want to partake of the game's new dungeon system. Parties are now able to brave the depths of Dragonica's dungeons with eight players (up from the previous four), and the expansion introduces a couple of new instances in the form of the Akia Cave and Black Claw Nest. More info is available on the game's official website. [Source: Gala Networks Europe press release]
Dragonica New Origin expansion coming September 20th
Dragonica is getting a new expansion, and the latest gPotato press release calls it the game's largest content update yet. September 20th is the big day, and the appropriately titled New Origin patch will feature new classes, new riding pets, a level cap increase (to 80), and new video resolution options. New dungeons are coming too, in the form of level 45 and 75 instances. Some of the old world maps have been redrawn as well, and gPotato says the redesign "[gives] the game a new and improved feel." The new classes take the form of the Shaman and the Amazonian, and there's also a new, as-yet unnamed race in the works. Finally, we've gotten our claws on the New Origin teaser trailer, and if you're in the mood for some CG, cute mounts, and fire-breathing dragons, you'll find all of that and more after the cut. [Source: gPotato press release]
Dragonica expansion bringing new race, class, and mountable pets
There's a new Dragonica expansion in the works, and gPotato and Gala Networks Europe have issued a new press release outlining a few details from the upcoming New Origin patch. The expansion launches this September, and looks to be the largest content update in Dragonica's history. What's the big deal? For starters, the patch will bring about a new playable race and mountable pets. Strangely, today's press release doesn't mention the new race by name, and instead says that it will "arrive with an entirely new player class" that uses summoning magic in some form, and "differ[s] significantly from [the] classes currently available." As for the new mount system, gPotato says that players may use their existing pets and may also deploy the mounts during battle. The expansion will include new pets as well, and we'll bring you more on all the New Origin content in the near future.
EverQuest II makes new vampire race available for purchase
With all the holiday hype surrounding new MMOs, it's easy to overlook veteran titles like EverQuest II. SOE is doing its part to make sure that you don't, and one of the ways the team is keeping the six-year old title in the public eye is the introduction of the new Freeblood character race. The blood-sucking avatars are available for purchase from the Station marketplace, or if you have a little patience, as part of your subscription fee via the winter rewards program coming in February. Regardless of when you choose to roll your vampire, you'll get a bunch of new abilities, new unarmed combat animations, and access to Freeblood-only accessories like new housing and a speed-boosting bat shapeshift ability. These accessories aren't obtainable in-game and can only be purchased with Station Cash on a Freeblood-enabled account.
EverQuest II reveals new Freeblood race lore
There's a brand new race coming to EverQuest II this winter, and SOE has all the juicy lore details in a post on the game's official website. Freeblood vampires will be available to EQII Live subscribers and EQ2X gold and platinum members beginning in February as part of the Velious Winter Rewards program. A quick read-through of the fine print reveals that players must qualify for both the December and January rewards to be eligible for the Freeblood race (and ice wolf mount) that make up the February rewards. Both prerequisites require an active subscription and an account in good standing. If you're having trouble waiting until February, the Freebloods will be available for purchase via the Station Store later this month. In the meantime, SOE has provided some fairly meaty lore for you to sink your teeth into, and it's available at the official website.
Asheron's Call rolls out December content update
Turbine may be the king of freemium themeparks these days, but once upon a time it actually developed sandbox MMORPGs. It did them so well, in fact, that even though once upon a time was 1999, Asheron's Call remains open for business to this day. Not only that, but the title keeps rolling out the content updates, with the latest adding a new playable race (the Olthoi), a new magic school, a new hunting area, new quests, etc. That's a lot of new for an 11-year-old game, wouldn't you agree? Oh, and there's also the new luminance mechanic, designed for endgame folks above level 200 and meant to improve everything from critical hits to crafting. Check out all the details at the official website, and hit up our new gallery below while you're at it. %Gallery-108616%
The Rising Tide continues to wash over Perfect World International
Will you be prepared when the tide rises and the seas give up their secrets? Well, if you check out this nifty trailer for Rising Tide -- the recently released expansion to Perfect World International -- that we've managed to get our hands on, you'll have a good head-start if you decide to wade in! Featuring a brand new race -- the graceful, aquatic Tideborn, new starting areas for players to enjoy, and a whole pile of new challenges, the expansion offers players a great deal of new content for everyone. Perfect World International players are facing off against a whole new evil to rescue the underwater kingdom through three new explorable zones, 200+ new quests, 100+ new monsters, new gear, and more! For those interested, be sure to check out the trailer behind the break, or pop over to the Perfect World International site for more details -- or to sign up! After all, there's no charge to take a dip in the Rising Tide.
GDC09: Runes of Magic has lots more in store
We had the opportunity to sit down with the Runes of Magic team at GDC last week. As one of the strongest free-to-play entrants in the MMO genre in the last little while, we've been very curious as to some of the things they have in store for the future. Luckily the guys from Frogster didn't disappoint as they sat down and gave us some hints of the many things that players can look forward to in upcoming months. Unlike many MMO publishers, the Frogster team is actually maintaining a fairly large live team; 65 people are currently working on Runes of Magic. Normally when an MMO launches, you'll see the teams cut down to about 20 or 30 people. That said they have a fairly ambitious schedule of things they want to release, so maintaining a full live team was something they said they felt was important to do. The Runes of Magic live team are looking to publish new content approximately every four months.%Gallery-24476%
What would you like to see in the next expansion?
In WoW's first expansion we got many new toys: flying mounts of every variety, new races, new profession, arena pvp and a higher level cap along with those 41pt talents. It didn't take us long to start imagineering the next expansion, but now that many of us have hit level 70 with our mains, toyed with Dranei and Blood Elf alts and are hip deep in reputation grinds, it's worth revisiting the question: What would we like to see next?Blizzard is keeping tight lipped on the subject, probably holding back until Blizzcon 2007 at the beginning of August, but that hasn't stopped players from rolling out wish lists on the official forums. Some of the suggestions make sense. Others are ... on their own planet.
Burning Crusade Site Updated
The official Burning Crusade site has been updated with new concept art, new screenshots (primarily of the Draenei), and interesting lore information for both races. There's also a new gameplay trailer, so those of us who stayed home can see what everyone at E3 is seeing. (Well, almost.) There's a lot of other information out there, but Blizzard's site is still the official information, and it's the only place to find detailed lore. [Image above is official concept art]
