halloween-event
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PlanetSide 2 patches in Directive improvements and space pumpkins
The latest PlanetSide 2 patch is a pretty big one even without the pumpkins. Yes, there are pumpkins. Space pumpkins. You will need to shoot them to get currency, which you can then cash in for Halloween-themed masks, maximizing your character's spookiness through the month. But the patch has a lot of other changes in it as well, starting with major improvements to Directive tracking and overall Directive progression, complete with a new Leadership tree. Experience awards are also adjusted slightly, changing certain bonuses and how they're distributed to make life a bit easier for players. Offline cert points have also been removed from non-Member accounts and added exclusively to Members, thus making your subscription seem just a bit more worthwhile. For a full rundown of these changes, other balance tweaks, and the like, check out the full patch notes. [Thanks to theKavorka for the tip!]
Age of Conan's Update 4.4 ushers in new raids, new tier sets
As summer fades into memory, Age of Conan players turn their gaze toward the Halloween event and the next major patch of the game. The latest game director's letter is about exactly those topics, as well, so that works out nicely. While update 4.4 will bring with it new Unchained raids, there are other improvements coming along as well, not the least of which are visual improvements to the Tier 5 sets that will be released along with the raids. The update also brings with it the PvP streak system and new area looting functionality; pressing Shift and V will automatically loot all eligible corpses in the immediate area. Players can also look forward to the upcoming gem system and Thirst of the Serpent God event at the end of the month. Check out the full letter for more details about what's coming next for the game over the next 31 days.
Dota 2 gets new heroes, crafting, and Diretide
Last week, the folks at Valve apologized to the Dota 2 community for silently skipping the game's Halloween-themed Diretide event. In the apology, the Dota team promised that Diretide would go live with the next big update, which they hinted would include a bunch of other features the community would be happy to see. Today, Valve announced the update, titled Three Spirits. And true to the Dota team's word, it's a big one. It includes two new heroes in the form of Earth Spirit and Ember Spirit (counterparts to the existing Storm Spirit), an in-game coaching mechanic that enables teams and individuals to improve their play, and a crafting and socketing system that provides for customizing existing items or combining unneeded ones to make something better and more useful. The patch also brings a new showcase view of matches, a lane-picker, colorblind mode, new training missions and more. Oh, and yes, Diretide is coming; the event runs from November 14th to November 28th. Check out the full patch notes on the official Three Spirits site.
Valve responds to fan outrage at Dota 2's missing Diretide
Halloween events might just seem like a trivial little thing to you, but they are serious business in Dota 2. Valve didn't turn on the game's Diretide event this year, and the resulting fan outrage could probably be bottled up and used to start fires. So what in the world happened? A week or so out from Halloween proper, the company has finally addressed the controversy in a new blog post explaining why the event failed to materialize. In short: The team was working on a major update that was meant to be ready around Halloween, so the assumption was that it would be easier just to launch that. Then it got delayed, and there was no time to stop working on that and start working on Diretide. Once the time came and the event was still missing, what happened was more or less a matter of figuring out how to fix it rather than simply stating that the company was aware. It looks as if the game's next update will contain a somewhat belated Diretide, which may not fix the problem but will at least help ameliorate lingering hurt feelings.
Get in the spirit with TERA's Banquet of Blood trailer
The air is cooling, which means thoughts are turning to pumpkins, ghouls, and fun in-game events. And tomorrow kicks of TERA's Halloween celebration! You can get your fill of tricks and treats in a variety of events, from the Banquet of Blood (don't forget to include your weapon as part of your costume!) to protecting your candy stash with a cannon. With plenty of ghouls and ghosts to dispatch and Halloween-themed rewards to acquire, it's sure to be a spooktacular time. Get a sneak peek of the party in the trailer after the break and the four new images in the gallery below. [Source: En Mass Entertainment press release]
September producer's letter announces return of the Cat God to The Secret World
At the close of every month, Joel Bylos pens a producer's letter to all The Secret World fans reviewing the activities of the previous four weeks and outlining what's still to come. For September, Bylos updated players on the progress of both Issue #8 (scenarios are being balanced for solo, duo, and groups as well as nightmare versions) and the much-anticipated Issue #9 (when visiting Tokyo, bring your origami skills!). Bylos also invited players to jump in and participate in the current Whispering Tide event and reminded them that many more phases of the event are yet to come. On top of that, he announced that the Cat God event from last Halloween will be back, so everyone who missed out on completing that line will have a chance this year. Additionally, a new series of missions called Stories from Solomon Island will be available where players will investigate the legitimacy of the islands' various urban legends. This series brings players back to the stories of Tyler Freeborn and the Groundskeeper at Innsmouth Academy.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The good, the mad, and the Lunatic
Things have been getting spookier and spookier around the land of Tyria. If you're a Guild Wars 2 player, I sincerely hope for your own sake that you've been able to get some time in-game in the last few days. A lot has been going on -- there've been scavenger hunts, dark tales unfolding, spectral energy levels rising, maddening races up clock towers, and so much more! Have you been missing out? Trying to decide how best to spend your precious holiday time in-game? Let's take a look at some of the big changes that have been creeping in with the shadow of the Mad King.
Guild Wars 2 preparing a Halloween surprise for tomorrow
Is it a "surprise" when you know it's coming? Perhaps it's a convenient surprise that's considerate of your busy schedule. In any case, Guild Wars 2's Halloween event is building up to a big moment that happens... tomorrow. The dev team posted a heads-up for gamers to be in a certain location at a certain time on Sunday: Act 2 of the Guild Wars 2 Halloween event is live -- enjoy the festivities! DO NOT MISS Act 3 of Shadow of the Mad King which kicks off at the lion statue in Lion's Arch at [3:00 p.m. EDT] on Sunday, Oct 28 with a very special, one-time only surprise! Will this be a trick or a treat -- or both! -- from the Mad King Thorn? We'll just have to wait and see with the rest of you until it happens.
TERA revs up Masquerade Mayhem event
Creepy and kooky, mysterious and ooky, that's TERA's Masquerade Mayhem in a nutshell. The game's first Halloween event kicks off today with a huge assortment of activities, events, and prizes to behold. Players will be treated to free gifts just for logging in, although it'll take some blood, sweat, and fears to earn the special costumes and mount during this event. A giant pumpkin ghost named Gourdo is haunting the various towns, and players can earn goodies by slinging pies at him. How do you get pies? From killing pie-toting mobs, of course. En Masse also has a themed dungeon for players to investigate, but don't forget to take a break on the 30th to partake in the Masquerade Ball. You can get a pie-full of Masquerade Mayhem event in the official video after the break!
Warhammer's Daemon Moon Rising event now playing
If you haven't firmed up your MMO Halloween plans, we've got another event to tell you about. Warhammer Online's Daemon Moon Rising shindig is going on now through November 1st. It features a Daemonball Rally public quest, a Daemon Mask event quest, and the High Pass Cemetery Scenario which offers extra influence if you participate wearing a Daemon Mask. There are seasonal drops aplenty, too, including crafting components for talisman-makers. Full event details are available on the official Warhammer website.
APB: Reloaded previews new map for Halloween festivities
Like in most virtual worlds, APB: Reloaded's San Paro is preparing for Halloween. In honor of the occasion, a new map will be brought out for two weeks of celebration. The appropriately themed Asylum map will be used to host a Fright Club, which will replace the regular Fight Club starting today. Trick and Treat, the respective Halloween Contacts for Criminals and Enforcers, will be chilling in the Asylum with missions to hand out. Players will be able to go through six levels of holiday missions. In addition, players will be able to smash pumpkins -- and smashing pumpkins unlocks titles! Not only will players unlock the Pumpkin Chaser, Murderer, Assassin, and Terminator titles unlocked at various numbers of pumpkins smashed, but the top player in each world for pumpkin smashing will unlock the title of Pumpkin King or Queen. Two contests will round out the festivities: the Headless Gunman Pumpkin Head Contest and the Halloween District Parade Costume Contest. Check out the official contest forums for all the details on that heap o' goodness.
Funcom hints at Halloween tricks and treats in The Secret World
In a blog post prefaced with a spoiler alert, Senior Designer Tanya Short delved into The Secret World's upcoming Halloween event that was initially mentioned when The Cat God went live. Players already know that Halloween plays prominently in the game, as holiday decorations abound throughout Solomon Island, and Ragnar Tornquist himself likened it to Christmas in terms of holiday importance for TSW. The official spook day content will be released around October 15th. According to Short, players can look forward to a more light-hearted experience than the main plot. In fact, she states, "Halloween should be more like 'an episode of Buffy.'" The storyline will begin in Kingsmouth and will flesh out a couple of cat characters who have been waiting in the wings as well as add depth to the stories of two known characters. Stonehenge is also in the spotlight, and players can get a Head-O-Lantern for a limited time. For more details (and a close up look at Irusan, King of Cats), check out the full dev blog.
Funcom rehires staff, confirms TSW group investigation missions
New Game Director Joel Bylos dropped several juicy tidbits about the future of The Secret World on the Flash Point podcast. One of the biggest of these is that Funcom is growing once more following recent layoffs. "We have already brought back three people," he said, "It gives us hope and it's great to see those faces back at the office." He said that a second auxiliary weapon -- which players assume to be the chainsaw -- is coming with next month's Issue 4, and the Halloween event scheduled in a couple weeks will have players digging through Irish lore books. If you like the game's investigation missions, you'll be pleased to hear that The Secret World will be introducing group versions of these types of quests. But will the team be able to keep up with the monthly updates? Bylos is firmly confident that it can be done, as the structure for issue development is in place. Bylos admits that it's "absolutely vital" for the studio to advertise the game better and communicate clearly what the game is to potential players. He also said that the team is working on helping players overcome the game's higher difficulty, particularly with starter decks that are coming soon and easier story boss fights. [Thanks to Elania for the tip!]
City of Heroes' Cord 'Thinktank' Carney details Dr. Kane's Mansion
Halloween is almost here, and of course that means that many MMOs are gearing up for seasonal events. One of those MMOs is Paragon Studios' City of Heroes. A new addition to the festivities this year is Dr. Kane's Mansion, and World Designer Cord "Thinktank" Carney has taken time out of his busy schedule to talk a bit about the creation of City of Heroes' Halloween event and Dr. Kane's Mansion. One of the key challenges, Carney says, was balancing the event so that it's accessible to new players brought in by the game's free-to-play transition as well as ensuring that it isn't a cake-walk for veterans. Also of note is the task of making the event feel dynamic and alive by providing a variety of NPCs you can speak to, a multitude of triggered events, and so forth. For the full article on the making of Dr. Kane's Mansion, head on over to the official City of Heroes site.
City of Heroes adding a haunted house to the Halloween event
In a game all about creating colorful costumes, you might expect that Halloween would be a major holiday. And for years that's been the case in City of Heroes, with a special costume slot only available via taking part in the event. But this year it's time to bring back something that's long been missing from the holiday event by instilling a sense of terror. There's a new part to the event now, Dr. Kane's House of Horror, and it's going live on the servers on October 20th. Accessed via the Team-up Teleporter, the house will be a cooperative venture for four players between 15-50, with heroes and villains alike seeking to prevent Dr. Kane from unleashing the unquiet dead upon the world. That's in addition to the usual festivities for the event, which include costume slots and zombie invasions across the game world. With City of Heroes Freedom in full effect, everyone can enjoy the celebration this year, even if you might not make it out of the new haunted house in one piece.
Massively Exclusive: TLBB reveals new Halloween pets
Tian Long Ba Bu (TLBB), a free-to-play MMORPG set in ancient China, has just announced the availability of several new Halloween-themed pets. ChangYou.com, developers of the action title (as well as the free-to-play Zentia title), revealed that the spooky critters will be stampeding across both the EU Dragon and US Dragon Oath servers beginning today. The pets include a Jiang Shi (zombie), a Tutankhamen-inspired creature, and the ever-present pumpkin-head man. In addition to the new companions, TLBB is hosting a Halloween-themed event featuring new quests and rewards. Check out all the details on the game's official website.
The Daily Grind: What are your MMO Halloween plans?
When you think about it, MMOs and Halloween go together like Sonny and Cher. Wait, let's come up with a more contemporary reference -- like Laurel and Hardy. Crud, that's even less contemporary. Do kids still do the iPods these days? MMOs and Halloween go together like Apple and DRM. The point is, they go together. Let us progress to the next paragraph and pretend like this one never happened. Halloween is all about engaging in fantasy, flirting with the dark side, dressing up in fantastical outfits, and getting sweet, sweet candy from complete strangers. This makes it a close cousin of your typical MMO experience, which is perhaps why MMOs tend to go bananas around October 31st with in-game holidays, decorations and costumes for your costumes. Assuming that your preferred MMO is throwing a Halloween holiday, will you be a willing and eager participant this Sunday? Is your guild planning a spooky bash and costume gala? Or are you planning a self-guided tour through the more terrifying locales with a group of friends-slash-victims? What are your MMO Halloween plans? 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!
NCsoft details Lineage 2 Trick or Treat event
Just when you thought we'd brought you all the news that's fit to print about Halloween-themed events in your favorite MMORPGs, NCsoft checks in with their Trick or Treat GM Event for Lineage 2. Kicking off today and running through October 28th, the event requires you to go hunting between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm Pacific time. If you see an elpy appear next to you, you'll have 20 seconds to /say or /shout "trick or treat." If successful, a GM will transform you into a werewolf and teleport you to a special instance featuring a ton of loot-bearing elpies waiting to fall on your blade (or your claws). You'll be hauling in a ton of goodies, so you might want to consider clearing your inventory ahead of time. Read up on all the details at the official Lineage 2 website.
Reminder: Attend our Global Agenda Halloween event this Thursday at 7 PM
Did you forget about our Halloween event in Global Agenda? You forgot, didn't you? Tsk, tsk. Well, good thing this post is here to remind you! This Thursday, please take out your level 30 characters and join us in Global Agenda for a frightfully fun Halloween raid mission with the developers! All you need to do to participate is log on between the hours of 7:00 p.m. EST and 9:00 p.m. EST and queue a level 30 character up for a raid. Raids are starting when you see the red flashing lights in Dome City go off! The Global Agenda developers, Hi-Rez Studios, will be queuing up for raids as well, so you might just run into a few of them while you play! If you're still not high enough level but want to try out the raid, don't forget about the new microtransaction boosts. They could get you the experience you need! If you're not in a raid, then join the Massively.com editors in City Chat as we tease you all with Global Agenda trivia! Winners of the Global Agenda trivia contest will win the raid instance's Halloween swag -- so if you're a lower level player, you can always try to get some flair by answering some questions about the game! Either way, we invite you to come have a great night with us in Global Agenda, so don't miss out!
Massively Mob Halloween event: Global Agenda's Oasis Checkpoint... Of Doom!
Happy Halloween Mobsters! It's another Massively.com community event, and this time we're getting spooky! The team at Hi-Rez Studios has put together a brand new Halloween-themed raid, and you're invited to come along and raid with the developers! Next Thursday, October 28th, join us in Global Agenda from 7:00 p.m. EDT to 9:00 p.m. EDT to lay the smack down on some ghostly robots inside the game's level 30 raid queue. In celebration of Halloween, all of the level 30 raid queues will be converted over to run the brand new raid mission: "The Oasis Checkpoint... Of Doom!" During our two-hour-long event, the staff of Hi-Rez will be jumping into the raid queue to play as well, so you might get the chance to play with one of the Global Agenda developers! Not level 30? No worries! You have plenty of time to level up before Thursday, or you could use a Global Agenda boost to double your experience while you play. (Use boost to get through?) Plus, while you're waiting for the raid to pop, Massively.com editors will be in Dome City, holding a Global Agenda-themed trivia contest. Ten lucky contest winners will get Halloween head flair for their character, so you can celebrate Halloween all the time! So be sure to join us next Thursday, and keep an eye out for a post on Tuesday where we'll break down the entire schedule of events!
