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Black Desert Korean OBT exploits lead to permabans
If you were hoping for an exploit-free experience when Korean sandbox import Black Desert heads west, you may still get it. But you may not, if Steparu's recent experience in the game's K-OBT is any indication. Problems include a buy-back dupe, mob kills that gave abnormal amounts of experience, and "something with the shop." Steparu also reports that developer Pearl Abyss and publisher Daum have permabanned serious offenders and deleted ill-gotten gains from "light abusers."
Hearthstone enters open beta testing
Blizzard die-hards and CCG fans alike have reason to celebrate today because the Hearthstone open beta is officially live. Plenty of players have been dabbling in the game since it entered closed beta testing in August of last year, but now anyone can jump right in and get started with Blizzard's latest money machine. As long as you've got an active Battle.net account, you can just head on over to the Hearthstone official site and join the fun. The official announcement post assures players that no further wipes are planned, so from here on out, you're playing for keeps.
First major Dragon's Prophet content update coming next week
Sony Online Entertainment's latest free-to-play offering, Dragon's Prophet, has been in open beta for about a month now, and that means it's about time for more content, right? Right. Next week, Dragon's Prophet will be receiving its first major update since the open beta went live, and it looks like there's plenty on offer for players of all kinds. For starters, players will be able to take part in the first annual Shadow Festival, an in-game event hosted "in remembrance of the great Warthorne who sacrificed his life during the Second Dragon War." Of course players might be more interested to know that participating in the festivities will earn them a unique title for their troubles. The update will also add a new zone to the game: the frigid Wintertide. This frosty new area contains three new dungeons in which players can put their skills to the test. And to top all of that off, players will finally be able to take up residence in their very own homes thanks to the introduction of dream islands. Oh, and there's a new level cap (yes, already). Players will now be able to adventure all the way up to level 70. The official post promises more information in the coming days, but in the meantime you can head over to Dragon's Prophet's official site for a peek of what's to come.
Marvel Heroes gets an open beta weekend in honor of Iron Man 3
Gazillion Entertainment is celebrating the upcoming release of the Iron Man 3 movie by throwing the doors of Marvel Heroes open for a beta weekend. From Friday, May 3rd, until Monday the 6th, players will be able to hop into the game and give it a test. As a special bonus, new players will be able to choose from some of the iconic Avengers as their starting hero. That perk will only last for the weekend. You can take a look at the game in the villains trailer that we've conveniently tucked under the cut. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]
Warframe soft-launches open beta, celebrates with Update 7
Digital Extremes has soft-launched Warframe into open beta. This most historic occasion has been marked with the launch of Update 7, which brings with it a host of fixes, updates, and new features. Two new warframes, the poisonous Saryn and sonic Banshee, have been added to the game along with a few new weapons and melee stealth attacks. A new training challenge and endless defense mission have been thrown in as well. The game's mod system has undergone pretty significant changes. Weapons have see tuning and balance updates, and a large list of fixes have been added. Check out the forums for a full list of changes in Update 7. Thanks to intrepid internetter Ken for the tip.
Exclusive interview with Hailan Rising's Adam Smith
Hailan Rising, an up-and-coming PvP title from Reloaded Productions, is currently in the screaming throes of open beta. It's always a fun time, especially for the development team, which is Producer Adam Smith was up for talking about how the game's coming along in these final weeks. Reloaded Productions is trying desperately to (what else) "wreck" the server by giving out prizes to the first three players to crash the game. Since destruction and mayhem are Massively's watchwords, we think you should help them out. Check out our interview with Adam Smith after the jump!
Hailan Rising enters open beta, invites players to break the server
Hailan Rising, a level-less, free-to-play, PvP-oriented MMO from Reloaded Productions, is entering open beta on February 21st at 1:00 p.m. EST. To celebrate the beta launch, the development team is challenging players to crash the game's servers. This "Wreck It Week" challenge will reward the first three players (as reported by the devs' monitoring tools) to crash the server with in-game currency, items, and other goodies. The third place prize will be 10,000 G1C, the in-game currency. Second prize will net one lucky player 20,000 G1C, which is valued at about $240 USD. The grand prize winner will receive 40,000 G1C, an epic in-game item, an original weapon named for their game-crashing character, and a QA acknowledgement in the game's credits. Winners will need to have a GamersFirst account in order to receive their winnings. In addition, all closed beta participants will receive 200 G1C. [Source: Reloaded Productions press release]
Broken Realm enters open beta
Congratulations to Broken Realm for going into beta! The first official beta server, Frost Highland, opened for business yesterday. Forget keys, this beta is open to all comers -- you can just sign up and start playing. There are oodles of beta activities going on, including welcome packs, XP happy hours, the ability to try out the VIP service for free, and a competition to become one of the top-ranking players on each server in order to unlock special rewards and titles.
MechWarrior Online celebrates open beta with a new trailer
MechWarrior Online has been in open beta testing for a week now. What better way to celebrate than with a snazzy new trailer? (There is no better way.) If you're a fan of MWO and its franchise, you're probably part of the open beta already. If you're not already partaking, consider this your official reminder that this is likely the best way to get a sample of the game -- and you'll be helping the team make the game better at the same time! And if you're not a fan, perhaps this trailer can entice you. Skip below the cut to see the video in all its mech-on-mech glory.
RIFT's Storm Legion beta open to all Trion account holders
The time for RIFT's Storm Legion expansion is almost upon us. The expansion goes live for keeps on the 13th of November, but if that's too long to wait, you're in luck! The latest and greatest beta test is open to all Trion account holders. We're guessing you're probably one of those if you're interested in the RIFT expansion. The open beta test runs from 1:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the 2nd until 11:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday the 7th. All of the expansion's seven dungeons are available for testing, as are all the leveling zones and a battle with Crucia herself. Full details (and a link to download the beta client) can be found on the official beta page. What are you waiting for, hero?
CCP's DUST 514 will stay in closed beta into 2013
CCP's DUST 514, the console shooter that connects to and extends the scope of EVE Online, is staying in closed beta at least through the end of the year. During a recent media and developer play session, Chief Marketing Officer David Reid mentioned that while the team doesn't yet have a start date for open beta, he's "confident that it won't be much longer after year end." Reid stated that the team wants to take its time with the beta. Nobody has ever really attempted this sort of connection between a console game and long-standing PC MMO before, and Reid says that the testing process will take time to ensure the kind of quality that CCP and fans expect of the game. This is, of course, terrible news for anyone who isn't a PlayStation Plus member (and is therefore unable to access the closed beta), since we all know that the world is going to end in late December. CCP's belief that the world will persist long enough for DUST 514 to go into open beta is noble, if ultimately foolish.
Ironfell MMORTS releases gameplay trailer
Good news, everybody! Ironfell is in open beta, which means you can hop in-game right now and get a feel for it! What's that, you say? You don't know about Ironfell? Well, luckily for you, there's a new gameplay trailer out to introduce you to the game! Ironfell is a 2-D, hex-based MMORTS. Its developer, David Colquhoun, touts Ironfell as "an indie MMORTS with an unfair approach to balance," saying that you can "gather stockpiles of resources to gain an unfair advantage over your enemies" and bring that advantage to bear in a massive and persistent world. Right now, the game has about 50 units and buildings, with plans for tremendous expansion -- eventually players will be able to create time machines and elevators to help them explore beyond the world. The game is free-to-play, and Colquhoun promises "to make every game item and resource available in the game without payment," although he's not sure what the game's exact business model will look like at this point. Skip below the cut for the new gameplay video. [Source: DataSmugglers press release]
Knight Age open beta launches today
The long-awaited event is upon us! People have been looking forward to this day for so long, and all that waiting will now pay off: Knight Age enters open beta testing today! Players entering the OBT will be able to keep their characters, levels, items, and all that jazz for launch, so your efforts won't be wasted. Unlock mounts -- including a new special duck mount -- and strike fear into the hearts of your foes as you charge into battle. Raise pets from tiny pupae into lean, mean, fighting machines. Experiment by fusing two pupae to create a new pet that combines the strengths of both parents. Engage in large-scale PvP battles to fight for the glory of wielding Excalibur, or fight in mounted battles against other guilds. Seize the day. Visit Knight Age's official site to sign up and hit up the game's Facebook page to get in the know. [Source: Joymax press release]
Blade & Soul Korean open beta records 150,000 users within an hour
Have you been itching to jump in to try Blade & Soul during its open beta test? If so, you aren't alone: The Korean OBT for the fantasy game started just last night and recorded 150,000 CCU (or Concurrent User number for the acronym-challenged) within a single hour. To accommodate the volume of players participating in the beta, NCsoft increased the number of servers available from two to 25 and has five more waiting in the wings if needed. Even with that flood of users, the B&S servers remained stable. Currently, Blade & Soul ranks behind only Diablo III and League of Legends in popularity according to data provided by Gametrics. The game is scheduled to launch in Korea next month; unfortunately for North American and European fans, there are currently no set plans for bringing the game to these markets.
Spirit Tales open beta delayed until May 10th
At the beginning of the month, KoramGame announced that its upcoming saccharine-sweet free-to-play title, Spirit Tales, would be entering open beta this Wednesday, April 25th. Alas, that is no longer the case. Fans of the mind-numbingly adorable title will have to wait another couple of weeks to get their hands-on time, as KoramGame announced today that the open beta has been delayed until May 10th. So what's the deal with the delay? According to General Manager Yann Wang, "problems have occurred that have made it difficult to incorporate certain features that are vital to the release of the game." As a result, the game "will not be ready on the date [...] originally promised." He goes on to add, however, that "the Spirit Tales team... [is] optimistic that this short-but-necessary delay will ensure that [it produces] a much more complete and polished game." Here's to hoping that's the case, but we'll just have to wait until May 10th to find out for sure. [Source: KoramGame press release]
Latest TERA trailer takes players to the shores of the new Island of Dawn prologue
TERA's open beta test kicked off in earnest today, opening the floodgates for waves of excited players to enter the realm of Arborea. To commemorate the occasion, En Masse Entertainment has released a new trailer that shows off the game's newly crafted prologue area, which gives players a taste of high level play before they enter the game proper. For those not yet in the beta, here's the down-low: Players begin their journey aboard a ship bound for the Island of Dawn, and as anyone familiar with fantasy tropes knows, getting on a ship bound for an unknown land is often just a prelude to a terrible shipwreck. TERA's prologue is no different, and players soon find themselves stranded in exceedingly hostile territory with a rather nasty demon infestation. Naturally, it falls to players to play demon exterminators and get the shipwrecked crew to safety because everyone else is too busy standing around telling the players what to do. Lazy chumps. At any rate, to get a first-hand look at the new prologue zone and all of the demon-ass-kicking it entails, just go watch the official trailer for yourself.
En Masse Entertainment wraps up TERA closed beta weekends
The fifth and final TERA closed beta weekend went out with a bang last weekend, heralding the beginning of the final steps toward the game's May launch. But before En Masse Entertainment opens the floodgates of open beta testing, it has decided to release some interesting details and statistics regarding the closed beta test weekends. For instance, over the course of the closed beta weekends, players formed 90,000 parties and over 3,600 guilds in order to hunt down and destroy over 7.6 billion monsters. In the process, they earned a total of over 14.5 billion gold, collected 20 million items, and bit the dust almost 2 million times. Castanics reigned surpreme as the most commonly chosen race (with Humans and High Elves not far behind), while the most popular class was the Warrior, followed closely by Sorcerer and Slayer. Of course, players can expect to blow these numbers out of the water when open beta begins on April 19th. [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
TERA announces open beta and head start schedules
TERA's May 1st launch date is just around the corner, and we all know what that means: open beta testing and head start events ahoy! En Masse Entertainment has released a full schedule for the events leading up to the game's launch, so players can go ahead and plan when to call in sick to work. Players who have pre-ordered the game will be able to log in between April 13th and April 17th in order to create their first characters, thereby ensuring that they get the names they want. The game's open beta test will begin shortly after, and pre-order customers will once again get a one-day jump on the competition as they will be able to log in beginning on April 19th. On April 20th, the beta will open to the public, and it will run for three days until April 23rd. And finally, pre-order customers will get one final head start on April 28th, allowing them three days to explore the world of Arborea before the floodgates open to everyone on May 1st. So hone your blades, string your bows, and ready your spells, Arboreans. We'll see you on the other side.
Spirit Tales open beta goes live April 25th; cuteness levels critical
Over the past couple of weeks, we've gotten a few glimpses of KoramGame's upcoming free-to-play MMO, Spirit Tales, but so far the game has been closed off to all but select closed beta testers. Thankfully for those who have been waiting patiently to get their hands on the game, KoramGame has announced that the title (with all of its precious chibi goodness) will be bouncing into open beta on April 25th. To celebrate the occasion, the studio has announced that it will be giving away over $2000 in prizes to players who sign up for the game's open beta. The prizes run the gamut from in-game items to a snazzy NVidia GeForce GTX 560 video card. If you can brace yourself against the sheer concentrated cute that the game has on display, it may be worth your while to head over to the giveaway site and sign up for yourself. [Source: KoramGame press release]
DragonSoul enters open beta
We haven't heard much from Neonga AG regarding its upcoming Asian-themed MMO, DragonSoul, since the beginning of the month. Well, apparently the team has been hard at work, because the title entered open beta today. So if you want to experience the game's much-boasted political system, or if you just want to kill some mobs, make some friends, and do some quests, just head on over to the game's official site to get started. There won't be any character wipes between now and launch, so if you want a leg up on the competition, this is your chance. [Source: Neonga AG press release]
