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Chaos Theory: Every game needs a Gatekeeper like The Secret World
It finally happened. I've been playing The Secret World since launch, wading through lots of lore, wracking my brains on investigations missions, collecting clothes, and soaking up the amazing atmosphere, among other things. But there is one activity that I have successfully dodged participating in that entire time until the moment came when I could no longer justify evading it. I'm talking about the Gatekeeper. For those who aren't familiar with TSW's Gatekeeper, here' the scoop: He's the giant golden golem that stands between you and the PvE endgame. He's the feature that all players who want to participate in the hardest mode of dungeons and acquire the best purple PvE gear must prove themselves against before being allowed to move their play to that next level. Consequently, he prevents those who are completely unprepared for that level of challenge from getting in over their heads and dragging down their groups in the process. Golden boy is a powerful (and merciless) teacher who can humble those not ready for the fight as well as those who are by really testing their knowledge about the game's combat system and forcing all to face up to their inadequacies. So I finally faced this Agarthan nemesis, and he was all I expected him to be. And yes, I was initially schooled. But I did end up laying the smack down on him, learning a few important things in the process. And one of the top lessons? I think every single game should have a Gatekeeper!
Sniping in Battlefield 3: End Game using a helicopter
We're not talking about long-distance dome-capping in Battlefield 3's final DLC, End Game, while using a helicopter – actually, that's exactly what we're talking about. It's just not accomplished here in the way you're thinking.
Latest dev blog delves into the depths of The Secret World endgame
If your Secret World adventures have thus far only entailed playing through the main story line, according to the latest dev blog you are missing out! The post plumbs the depths of TSW's character development and progression system (the endgame, if you will), detailing what lies in store for players after they turn that last page in the story. With such a variety of situations and so many different builds to tackle them with, mastering TSW is a very lengthy process. Part of that process entails honing skills and collecting gear by moving to successively harder dungeons. Beyond just acquiring gear, players must also augment their arsenal with crafted kickbacks, stimulants, and pure anima potions. Then there is obtaining glyphs and knowing which one to use when for the best effect. And don't forget about getting ahold of powerful signets that can be added to weapons and talismans. Of course, with the game's flexibility, there's no one "right way" to do things, so there are plenty of ways to experiment. Want some hints to use on this path to mastery? Check out all the details in the full post.
One final look at Battlefield 3 'End Game' DLC
With "End Game" the announced conclusion of Battlefield 3's downloadable content schedule, we will hopefully never have to post another one of its cockamamie release schedules again. Here's some new screenshots from the DLC and its release schedule again for clarity.
Battlefield 3's 'End Game' DLC begins staggered deployment next week
DICE has revealed its plan of attack, announcing on its Battlefield blog the release schedule for End Game, the final piece of downloadable content for Battlefield 3.PlayStation 3 players with 'Battlefield Premium' accounts will see the content on Tuesday, March 5, as part of the subscription. For premium users on Xbox 360 and PC, End Game will arrive on Tuesday, March 12. PlayStation 3 users without Battlefield Premium accounts can purchase the content on March 19, while Xbox 360 and PC users will have to wait until March 26 to gain access to the DLC.Pricing for non-Premium users has not yet been revealed, though previous Battlefield 3 content releases launched for $14.99 (1200 Microsoft Points).
Flameseeker Chronicles: The game at the end of Guild Wars 2, revisited
I tend to dislike the term "endgame" because I suspect most people have scribbled out their own definition of the word and that anyone who dares to use it in reference to anything outside of that definition is summarily dismissed and excommunicated. I'm never quite sure what it is I'm being excommunicated from, mind you, but there's definitely a feeling of being suddenly, inexplicably, apart. Alien. Other. Anyway, I hope we can agree that endgame is what happens at the, well, end of the game -- after the game has been, in some way, finished. We all know that this is ludicrous, right? As long as you're playing the game, the game is not ended, and expecting that it will change substantially enough to be classified in a new way is kind of silly. But people persist in using the term, and they persist in differing over when, precisely, the endgame starts. Does it start when you've hit the game's level cap, if there is one? How about when you've finished the game's storyline, if it has one? You might've noticed that I'm kind of endgame agnostic. Regardless, let's go ahead and talk about Guild Wars 2's.
Battlefield 3 'End Game' DLC dubbed 'lethal high-speed warfare'
More information has been released regarding the contents of Battlefield 3's final DLC pack "End Game," which is still slated for March 2013. Specifically, End Game will include four new maps "designed for high speed combat and action," according to the announcement, as well as three new vehicles, a support dropship with the ability to deliver vehicles and the addition of Capture the Flag as a playable mode.As always, End Game will be available for "free" to anyone with a Battlefield Premium membership/subscription/dark pact, though normal folk will need to pony up some cash for the right to ride a dirt bike into a hail of bullets, which doesn't really sound like the best idea if we're being honest.
Guild Wars 2 updates Lost Shores page with video, schedule
Hey karka, leave our kids alone! If you find yourself saying this at some point this week, it's probably because you're neck-deep in Guild Wars 2's latest content update, The Lost Shores. ArenaNet's updated the official page of the update with lots of time-specific information as well as a teaser video for the big event. The first stage of Lost Shores begins on November 16th and tasks players to defend Lion's Arch. On the next day, the tides will turn as players seek to retake the town. The 17th is also when the new area, Southsun Cove, opens for business. Finally, there will be a one-time event on November 18th in Southsun Cove, where the invasion and counter-attack will come to a head. You can watch the trailer after the jump, and don't forget to check out our Lost Shores primer!
Guild Wars 2's Lost Shores content primer
We're just days away from Guild Wars 2's next big content patch and special event. So far the Lost Shores have been shrouded in mystery. Will the shores ever be found? Who lost them? Exactly how absent-minded does one have to be to misplace an entire shore? There are other, more pragmatic mysteries too. What is the content update all about? What can we expect? What sort of name do you give to a race of evil, bow-legged crustaceans? Happily, we're equipped to shed a little light on all those and more. Read on for our Lost Shores content primer!%Gallery-170657%
Star Trek Online is streamlining elite gear acquisition in Season 7
If you've been frustrated with the difficulty and randomness of obtaining the best gear in Star Trek Online, know this: Cryptic has heard you. The studio admits that both internal metrics and player testimonies have proven that the current system of endgame gear acquisition is too stingy and obtuse. As a result, the team is preparing to vastly streamline it in Season 7. There are many elements to this streamlining, however. Among them is the reduction of 42 items needed for certain gear sets to a mere two, shared drops across all special task forces, and a progress bar that shows when your drop will materialize. CM Brandon Felczer sums it up as thus: "By removing the random drop nature of the STFs, players will be able to use the reputation system to visualize their progress towards obtaining these awesome gear sets. It is clearer, easier to understand, and by reducing the number of STF runs needed, the rewards are flat-out more realistic to obtain for the average player."
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.
Battlefield 3's End Game to include deadly motorcycles, vs. Armored Kill's tanks
Battlefield 3's End Game DLC, due out March 2013, will have players take out enemies while looking studly on motorcycles, as demonstrated by the above image taken from EA's Summer Showcase. End Game is slated to contain new maps, vehicles and more, and is the final of three announced DLC packs for BF3, following Armored Kill in September and Aftermath in December. First up, fans will get their hands on Armored Kill, which features manic vehicular manslaughter in the form of ATVs, mobile artillery and most lethally of all tanks, as shown in the following gallery.%Gallery-161679%
Battlefield 3 'Aftermath' DLC in December, 'End Game' in March
Battlefield 3's "Aftermath" DLC pack, leaked way back when and then finally confirmed but a day ago, will find itself in the hands of capable soldiers the world over come December, according to this Battlefield Premium hype page.The site's calendar also officially acknowledges and dates BF3's "End Game" DLC pack for March of 2013. Both packs are said to contain four new maps, new unspecified weapons, equally new and equally unspecified vehicles, and "more." While Battlefield Premium subscribers gain access to DLC content two weeks earlier than regular folk, we expect the December and March launch windows to apply to both categories of people, provided the Premium launches aren't near the tail end of either month.
The Daily Grind: How would you design an MMO's endgame?
Earlier this week we asked if you were sick of raiding progression. A lot of you said yes, and that got us to thinking that there must be some other endgame activity that tickles your fancy. Let's pretend for a moment that budgetary concerns are off the table. You're the creative director on your very own MMORPG, and you need to come up with some sort of engaging endgame that will keep your max-level players entertained and/or paying (preferably both). If raiding is off the table, how would you design your MMO's endgame? 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!
ArenaNet devs talk legendary weapons, endgame, and more
Have you always wanted to wield a unicorn bow and shoot trails of rainbows? (We know you have; don't lie to us.) If you have, ArenaNet developers Eric Flannum and Colin Johanson have confirmed today that Guild Wars 2 is the game for you. The two devs took to Guild Wars 2's Twitch page today to talk about late- and endgame content and progression for the game. To begin with, they talked about Orr, the erstwhile city of the gods, which has recently been turned into the abode of the dragon Zhaitan and his reanimated minions. Orr has no renown hearts, the quest-like activities that have been known to litter the lower-level areas, "because there are generally very few friendly NPCs in Orr." Instead, players' focus in Orr will be on huge events. There are roughly twice as many dynamic events in the Orrian areas as in other explorable zones; many of these are tied together as nets, rather than simple chains. Events tend to have farther-reaching effects than we've seen so far in lower-level areas, putting emphasis more on holistic zone control and cooperation than in the early game. Johanson suggested that players will need to recapture the fallen temples of the old gods and then keep control of those while also pushing deeper into the zone and fighting baddies at the frontlines.
Blizzard: Diablo 3's 'item hunt' endgame isn't sustainable
Diablo 3's current endgame, a supposedly endless item-hunt and enemy-slaughtering system, isn't as infinite as Blizzard first hoped it would be, and players are quickly running out of things to do, community manager Bashiok writes in the Battle.net forums. Blizzard is aware of this problem and is considering options for a more succinct endgame solution."Killing enemies and finding items is a lot of fun, and we think we have a lot of the systems surrounding that right, or at least on the right path with a few corrections and tweaks," Bashiok writes. "But honestly Diablo 3 is not World of Warcraft. We aren't going to be able to pump out tons of new systems and content every couple months. There needs to be something else that keeps people engaged, and we know it's not there right now."Blizzard is working on version 1.0.4, which will have "as many fixes and changes" as it can pack into one update, and 1.1, which will introduce PvP arenas. These updates will help, as will the progression systems Blizzard is considering, but they aren't the solution in the long run – and since 1.1 is still "a ways out," it is the long run."I think both those patches will do a lot to give people things to do, and get them excited about playing, but they're not going to be a real end-game solution, at least not what we would expect out of a proper end-game," Bashiok says.Blizzard didn't release an unfinished game; it truly believed the item hunt would be a sustainable system, Bashiok writes."Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose, but we believed pre-release that the item hunt would be far more sustainable, and would work to be a proper end-game for quite a while," he says. "That didn't turn out to be true, and we recognize that."
Mists of Pandaria Beta: The new endgame
Mists of Pandaria has a whole new story on a brand new continent with inhabitants that we've never really been able to interact with before. We've mentioned the leveling experience, we've mentioned the shift away from the linear nature of quests in Cataclysm, and we've mentioned some of the cool moments you'll see as you level. And let's face it -- there are a lot of cool moments. Leveling in Pandaria feels completely different from leveling in Cataclysm. Jade Forest serves as the starting zone and the literal impetus, in terms of story, for what drives you to the rest of Pandaria. Without the events of Jade Forest, the rest of the zones simply would not happen. In fact, without the events in Jade Forest, I suspect the rest of Pandaria would have been largely uneventful. The key lies in our arrival, which is a shift in the direction of the storytelling. We aren't reacting to traumatic events anymore; we're the cause of them. But it's the endgame that has changed so significantly that it's unlike anything we've ever seen before -- and it's changed for the better.
Battlefield 3 DLC trio coming in June, fall, winter this year
Expanding on our knowledge base from the earlier Battlefield 3 expansion reveal, EA has confirmed that "Close Quarters" will launch in June, followed by "Armored Kill" in the fall and "End Game" this winter.Hit the break for more details on the punch these DLC packs are ... well, packing.
Leaderboard: Leveling vs. endgame
It's the eternal debate that's occupied our attention on so many episodes of Massively Speaking that we had to bring it to you, the impartial judges and juries of the MMO world. What is better and more enjoyable: the leveling journey or the endgame activities? In my opinion, it's all about the journey up through the levels. You're constantly traveling through new regions and vistas, watching your character increase in power and abilities. It's almost like a movie, in which the young inexperienced hero heads out for a life-changing quest. But others claim that the endgame is where the true MMO experience lies. It's here that your character finally has a full range of his/her/its abilities and is able to tackle the toughest challenges and most epic confrontations in the game. So let's see how this pans out in the public arena. Which aspect of MMOs gets your motor running? Which is where the true spirit of gaming rests? Vote, and live a life free of regrets!
Flameseeker Chronicles: We don't need no stinkin' endgame
We talked a lot about the concepts of endgame and raiding on last week's Guildcast, but since not everyone has had time to watch it (and because the subject is still knocking around in my head), I want to address it a little more in this week's Flameseeker Chronicles. There are so many assumptions and so much speculation and so much talk about the concept as a whole and how it applies to Guild Wars 2, so let's dive on in.
