patch-day
Latest
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's 2.3 primer
Tomorrow, patch 2.3 will descend upon Final Fantasy XIV like a flight of angels. If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited. While I was by and large disappointed with 2.2, 2.3 is adding a lot of features I want, undoing some of the dumb features added in 2.2, and adding in a few more features that I didn't realize I wanted before but now know are immensely important to me. Kind of like the Challenge Log, except more. Unfortunately, the fact that it's landing tomorrow as of the time you're reading this means I have not yet actually played this patch. But I can still put a guide of some preliminaries together so that you can at least know what you're doing even if you haven't necessarily examined the patch notes with a fine-toothed comb just yet. So let's dive into it. When the patch goes live tomorrow, pick your destination, and go to it.
EVE Evolved: Getting ready for Rubicon
EVE Online's Rubicon expansion goes live in just two days on Tuesday, November 19th, introducing four brand-new personal deployable structures and revamping PvP across the board with a seemingly innocuous warp acceleration fix. The expansion represents the first step in new Senior Producer Andie Nordgren's plan to bring true player-run deep-space colonisation to EVE Online. The new Mobile Depot that can be placed anywhere in space is possibly the most sandboxy feature since the introduction of player-owned starbases back in 2004. Players have been coming up with plans for the device since its first announcement, but I think we'll see its true potential revealed in the coming weeks and months. If you've been saving up your Sisters of EVE loyalty points to get your hands on the faction's new exploration ships, be prepared to buy and build the blueprints as soon as the server comes up. These will be the first pirate faction ship blueprints that are available in high-security space, and a recent devblog confirmed that players have been collecting Sisters of EVE loyalty points like crazy lately in anticipation of the expansion, but those who get the built ships to market first will make an absolute killing. For the rest of us, getting ready for the expansion means planning where to set up a Mobile Depot for some quick profit-making enterprise or building a few small PvP ships to put the new warp speed mechanics to the test. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at some of the best places to set up a Mobile Depot, re-consider the lure of low-security space, and propose adapting your PvP fleets to take advantage of the warp acceleration changes.
Breakfast Topic: What are you most looking forward to in 5.4?
Patch day is finally upon us! Soon enough, patch 5.4 will be here to bring a world of exciting new content on our virtual doorsteps. So the question of the day, as we wait out the downtime, is just what are you looking forward to in this patch? There's plenty to chose from, with the Siege of Orgrimmar (and potentially a new leader of the horde), the new flex raiding system, connected realms, and the mysterious Timeless Isle. So tell us, readers -- what are you most looking forward to? What are you going to jump into as soon as the servers come back online? %Poll-84474%
What new players need to know about WoW patches
If World of Warcraft had but one holiday, it would be Patch Day: the glorious Tuesday (or Wednesday) in which the WoW servers go down for maintenance but come back online brimming with new, unexplored content. If you're new to World of Warcraft, or MMOs in general, you may not entirely understand all the fuss the community makes over patches. So just what is a patch? Why are they so important? And how can you get your hands on one? We'll do our best to explain. What is a WoW patch? Did you know we're playing version 5 of World of Warcraft right now? It's true: Version 1.1 was World of Warcraft's launch client and every expansion since has bumped the version number up a full number, while each patch release is a decimal place. The original game went up to patch 1.12 (the 1.1 launch client and 11 patches after), Burning Crusade (2.0) had a scant 4 patches, Wrath of the Lich King (3.0) had 3, Cataclysm (4.0) had 3, and Mists of Pandaria (5.0) is about to see the release of its 3rd patch, patch 5.3. These days, patches are coming more quickly than ever and we have no idea how many patches to expect before the next expansion arrives.
Breakfast Topic: What's your patch day philosophy?
If you follow WoW Insider, I'm sure you've noticed me going on about patch 5.2's dinosaur additions. (And, umm, if you haven't, well, let's just say I like dinosaurs and leave it at that, shall we?) But as to actually playing on the Isle of Giants? I'm content to wait a while, which is in part because I haven't had a lot of time this week and in part because dealing with crowded zones isn't always fun. (It's also why I didn't log on to Diablo 3 on launch day and why I've yet to pick up SimCity -- both of which I think have proven to be good calls!) I'm pretty sure there's no right answer here, but what about you, fellow WoW-ers? When a new expansion drops or a new patch appears, do you have to be the first one there, racing to the level cap? Or do you prefer to take it easy and get there when you get there? But whatever you all are doing, I'm going to sit here with my Romantic Picnic Basket and a good book and catch up with you later!
Five reasons patch 5.2 will pull you back into WoW
So you quit playing WoW. That's okay: we understand. All of us here at WoW Insider have been playing the game an awfully long time, and we know it can get old sometimes. Once you've played through all the content and there's nothing but the same dailies and the same raids over and over again... well, there's only so many times you can go through the same content before it starts to lose its shine. We don't judge. However, even if you've moved on to new games, Blizzard's latest content bonanza might be enough to come back to WoW (at least for a little while). So let's talk about why patch 5.2 is worth coming back for. A huge array of new content with Isle of Thunder and Throne of Thunder We'll start with the obvious: patch 5.2 introduces a brand new zone to explore. The Isle of Thunder will unlock in stages as players on your realm complete daily quests (not unlike the Isle of Quel'Danas in The Burning Crusade). Would-be heroes join forces with one of two new factions, The Kirin-Tor Offensive (Alliance), led by Jaina Proudmoore, and Sunreaver Onslaught (Horde), led by led by Lor'themar Theron. And though we know new factions and their associated dailies sound like yet another grind, the new faction quests will at least be fun the first time. And, as with all factions, with reputation comes reward, and we're pretty sure everyone enjoys new loot.
Breakfast Topic: Do you think the patch came too fast, or not fast enough?
Happy Patch Day! I hope you're ready for a new raid, scenarios, and plenty of other things to do on the Isle of Thunder. With new gear sets,the most amazing loot table known to Azeroth, and more, there are plenty of shiny new items to collect, too. It's a very packed patch. So what's the issue? Well, I wish we had another week before the patch. I know, I know, we ask for more, and we receive. But is it too quickly? I was away from the game for a couple weeks, so that may have something to do with it, but it doesn't change the fact that the content in MoP has been released at a much faster pace than in the past. The Pandaren tell us to "slow down," but are we really doing that? Patch 5.1 was released about three months ago, and MoP about two months earlier. It seems that Blizzard has set the pace of this expansion, so we'd better get used to more content, more often. The important thing is to not feel like we have to do everything, all the time. And I'll admit, I should be the first one to take that advice. Although there are tons of dailies and many new things to do, I need to set my priorities straight to avoid a WoW burn-out. Despite feeling a little behind, I'm still looking forward to experiencing what the new patch has in store! Do you think the patch came too fast? How do you feel about MoP's new pace? Are you waiting around for new stuff or are there a few unfinished patch 5.1 things you want to experience?
Final Fantasy XIV launches patch 1.22
Feel as if the last major Final Fantasy XIV patch just had too much to absorb at once? Well, you're going to be a bit stuck today if that's the case because patch 1.22 has just gone live and brought with it another host of improvements, updates, and changes. The good news is that this patch doesn't contain the same number of system changes as the previous patch, but that's because of the sheer amount of new content included. The patch adds another four ranks to the Grand Companies, another set of quests, the new Garuda battle, the first of the hamlet defense points, and more besides. Players will also be able to obtain new items from crafting, gathering, and victory in the Garuda fight, and they'll be able to see the first hints of what will happen to the world as the era draws to a close. Servers are expected to be back online later tonight, and players will no doubt have plenty to explore once they can log in again. [Thanks to Alex for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: What was the best patch ever?
There are three responses to every patch released by every game, no matter what the patch does or doesn't contain. There will be people who decry the patch as something horrible, those who act indifferent, and those who enthusiastically gush about how wonderful it is. But there are some patches that stand out as being real game-changers, from Star Trek Online's enormous Season patches to the various content-and-system upgrades doled out regularly for World of Warcraft. If you've been playing long enough, you can reflect on the patch history for your favorite game. What was the best patch that you can think of in terms of its individual impact? Was it one of the major overhauls introduced to Final Fantasy XIV? One of the story updates for Lord of the Rings Online? Or some of the large epilogues added to Guild Wars? What has your nod as the best patch ever, and why? 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 your longest patch-day wait?
Patch days are generally a crapshoot for MMORPG fans. Smaller updates usually have a minimal impact on your gaming schedule (but still may necessitate some custom UI maintenance or an adjustment period for various game changes). Bigger updates can cut into your playtime by a significant amount, to say nothing of the changes wrought on your favorite game world. Age of Conan's 2.6 patch (or Unchained, if you prefer) falls into the latter category. It was so big, in fact, that the game servers were down for a whopping 13-plus hours last Thursday. While this was expected and Funcom did an admirable job of updating the launcher as well as a relevant forum thread, the wait tested the patience of some AoC die-hards before it finally went live around 10:30 p.m. EDT. For today's Daily Grind, tell us about your patch-day patience. Do you constantly watch for updates, or do you forget about the game for a while and do something more productive? What's the longest you've ever had to wait? 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!
Tuesday Morning Post: The week after
It's been exactly one week since the launch of patch 4.2. As we've all come to expect from the high-end raiding community, raiders have already ground Ragnaros into the dust time and time again on normal mode. As of today, we'll start to see legitimate hard mode kills, and it should be interesting to see which guild comes out on top this time around. Most of us are content with much more humble progression, though. My guild finished the week at 3/7, having taken our usual Monday evening raid night off to celebrate some wacky thing called "the 4th of July." I think it's a holiday commemorating Gilneas' shrugging off the hegemony of the Alliance of Lordaeron and striking out on their own? I'm not really sure, honestly. Today's maintenance will be ongoing for a few hours more as of this posting, so if you're feeling particularly bored, don't worry! WoW Insider had some great content this past week that you can catch up on today.
Tuesday Morning Post: By patch day be purged edition
Last week, Ahune busted our instance servers. This week, Ragnaros gets the chance to do the same as we fully expect patch 4.2 to go live as of this writing. Now mind you, I'm not saying servers will crash, but hey -- might as well be prepared, right? Yes, I know that's the wrong raid boss's catch phrase, but I used my only "by fire be purged" joke for the title. As you might expect, downtime is currently scheduled for 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific time, so even if everything goes smoothly, you'll still have plenty of time to read up on patch 4.2 before the servers come up. I recommend starting with Mat's excellent patch 4.2 roundup. Then you can check after the break for a quick roundup of all the other good stuff from the past seven days. Don't stop once that's done with, though; we'll have plenty more piping hot patch 4.2 news and info for you in the coming days and weeks.
EVE Online's Incarna 1.0 coming Tuesday
It's almost Incarna time for residents of CCP's New Eden, and EVE Online's website has been updated with a brief blurb warning users to prepare for some extended downtime on patch day. The update process is scheduled to last for 14 hours on Tuesday, June 21st, so make sure you've got some long-haul skills in your training queue this Monday. Incarna version 1.0 is bringing the much-ballyhooed captain's quarters patch to EVE, and it represents the first step towards fully functional space station interiors. The update will also feature a new tutorial experience (though the familiar voice of Aura isn't going anywhere) as well as new agent finder and corporation recruitment tools. CCP says that full patch notes are in the works, and in the meantime, you can join the forum discussion at the official EVE website.
Breakfast Topic: What's your personal patch day history?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. There are a lot of firsts in World of Warcraft. Some firsts are great -- our first level, first mount, first dungeon, and first raid. Then we have our horrible, cry-ourselves-to-sleep-while-hugging-our-teddy-bear firsts -- our first death, first wipe, our first night of wipes ... We always remember these firsts. They're permanently set in our mind (much like Magni is permanently set in Old Ironfoge, may he rest in peace). Finally, we remember our first patch day. This first could fit in either category. My first patch day was catastrophic. All of a sudden, my talent tree was different, my DPS was garbage (well, worse than it was before), and everyone was "LFM for Ulduar." I was lost, confused, and scared -- yet it was the first day I knew I loved the ever-changing World of Warcraft. Patches provide an always-evolving universe, and I love it. Do you remember your first patch day? What patch was it? Was your first patch a good or a bad memory?
Extended maintenance announced for Tuesday, April 26
Barring force majeure, it looks like patch 4.1 lands tomorrow, folks. Not only is the 4.1 trailer out, Blizzard has also announced extended maintenance for all realms for Tuesday, April 26, beginning at 3 a.m. PST and ending at 11 a.m. PST. Expect it to last longer, as patch day maintenance usually does. While servers are down, check out our Guide to Patch 4.1, including class analysis, dungeon previews, UI additions, and more. Stop the machinations of the Zandalari! WoW Patch 4.1 is on the PTR, and WoW Insider has all the latest news for you -- from previews of the revamped Zul'Aman and Zul'Gurub to new valor point mechanics and new archaeology items.
Late-month update for Final Fantasy XIV to include an item search
Final Fantasy XIV has not had an easy road out of launch, with several large patches having been added to the game in short order. The most recent patch was only a week ago, but the newest patch is slated to go live tomorrow as the second update for the month and the last one for the year. Although the full details have not been released at this time, one thing that is known for sure is one of the much-requested features due for inclusion -- an item search feature. The crafting-heavy system of the game has suffered from the lack of a dedicated auction house, but the continued reorganization and restructuring of the market ward system has helped address that. With the newest update, it will be possible for players to search for the item they want as soon as they step into the wards, thereby improving the time between entering the markets and determining whether your desired item is available. What else will be included -- if anything -- will become clear to Final Fantasy XIV players tomorrow afternoon.
The Queue: 4.0.1 is here edition
Welcome back to The Queue, our daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley will be your host today. Patch day is here! Patch day is here! I'm excited and using lots of exclamation points!!! !!! My entire inbox asked: Is Patch 4.0.1 coming today?
Warhammer Online drops 1.3.6 today
The odds weren't in favor of us seeing the newest patch for Warhammer Online so soon... but that works just fine, since the patch itself is Against All Odds. Even if you're not using it to set up a lame joke, however, patch 1.3.6 is going live today after slightly extended server maintenance, bringing with it several updates and improvements to the game. The eponymous Against All Odds mechanic is one of the central changes, giving a side without sufficient numbers in an RvR lake bonus rewards for persistence. 1.3.6 also brings two major changes to items in the game. The first is the addition of an appearance system, allowing players to make their armor look like whatever set they want without losing the benefits of high-end rewards. The second is equally significant, splitting the high-end Sovereign armor into two sets to celebrate alternate playstyles for each class. As always, there are a number of adjustments and bug fixes listed in the full patch notes, but Warhammer Online players should be happy enough knowing that the game's latest patch is live and ready to enjoy.
Revelations of Gipat goes live for Allods Online
It was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." While it would be more than three-quarters of a century after that when Allods Online was released, he certainly could have been referring to the Fear of Death penalty that caused quite a bit of fear and rage among players. But that tortured analogy no longer applies, as today sees the release of the newest patch for the game, Revelations of Gipat, which removes Fear of Death for good and puts a new death penalty into place. For many of the game's players, removing the unnecessarily cash-shop-based penalty would be enough to make the patch laudable. But as was revealed when the team released the patch notes last week, the update also sees the addition of a new zone, a raise in level cap, and new content for everyone to enjoy. After the marathon maintenance session, Allods Online is live again and ready for play -- it's worth checking out, even if the size of the patch might scare you off. You can also check out our gallery, showing off some of the new content players can expect as well as mounts. %Gallery-97106%
Global Agenda's Sandstorm goes live with phase one
It's time for some changes over in Global Agenda... big, persistent ones. Hi-Rez Studios has been hard at work on their latest large content addition for the game, and its been in testing for nearly a month. Now the much-awaited event -- phase one of the Sandstorm patch -- drops to the live servers today. It's quite the overhaul, changing everything from the setup of weapons in the game to the persistence of the world map. For those feeling a bit overwhelmed by the scope, we've written our share of coverage including an analysis of the upcoming changes and a chat with Todd Harris about the patch. In brief, the changes are aimed at making Global Agenda closer in scope and feel to a classic MMO while retaining its skill-based and energetic combat system. How they'll actually play out remains to be seen, but thus far the developers seem to know what they're doing. Brush up on the changes and the scope, or just jump in game and start exploring them for yourself.
