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New Dragon Nest videos show off Saint's Haven, new abilities
Nexon's dungeon-crawling beat-'em-up MMO Dragon Nest is gearing up for its launch in just a couple of days, and the company has released a pair of videos to help pump up some excitement for the official release. The first trailer welcomes players to Saint's Haven, the new city to which players will be able to venture once the game officially goes live. The city provides players with a whopping 10 new dungeons as well as over 500 new quests. But what good are all those dungeons if you don't have the mad skills to clear 'em out? Don't worry, Nexon has you covered. Video number two focuses on all the fancy new abilities players will be granted when the game launches on the 28th. So whether you're a nimble Acrobat, a brutal Mercenary, or a zealous Paladin, you'll have plenty of new tricks up your sleeve to help turn the tide of battle. But less babble, more bashing, am I right? Head on past the cut for the full videos.
Wasteland Diaries: PvE like a boss
Fallen Earth PvE can be anywhere from laughably easy to downright frustrating. I guess that's a good thing since you get a gamut of difficulty levels, but much of the leveling span leans toward the easy end of the scale. I tend to get bored with PvE combat fairly quickly in MMOs (not just Fallen Earth). Other people love to struggle against the environment. Some even refuse to do anything remotely akin to PvP. I'll only throw the term "carebear" at those who think all PvPers are maladjusted psychopaths. I'm not talking about them; I'm talking about regular hardcore PvEers: players who would rather play against the NPCs than against other players. Many of my posts center around PvP. If I didn't PvP (and since I'm not a big roleplayer), I doubt I would still be playing Fallen Earth. That's just what I spend most of my time doing in the wastelands. So I tend to write a lot about it. But all PvPers have to PvE. PvE has its own set of challenges for the player. Granted, these challenges are quite static, and once you find a way to overcome them, you are done. But they are challenges nonetheless, and knowledge is power as much in PvE as it is in PvP. In this post I will give you some tips and tricks that might help you get through that next tough mission. Much of this stuff is common sense, but it may not occur to you until it's too late. So click past the cut and let's get started.
SWTOR shows us how to level like a Smuggler
Star Wars: The Old Republic fans were hitting the F5 key for hours waiting for BioWare to reveal today's Friday update. If you are a Han Solo fan, then the wait was totally worth it. The community team decided it was time for everyone to witness the armor progression of the Smuggler class. As usual, this video is wrapped in iconic themes and Star Wars-y goodness. The keen eye can pick up on some of the Smuggler abilities, as well as the obvious armor sets. One of the first Smuggler-specific abilities happens about 30 seconds in when our rebel rogue kicks the large alien in the groin followed by a roll towards cover. No other class can distract a foe like that. And speaking of crowd control: pay close attention to his other abilities. The Smuggler can misdirect enemies by dropping everything out of his pockets or launch a gas cloud so he can step in for a sucker punch. Of course, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, right? Smugglers are the masters at the dual blasters. Catch the full two-and-a-half-minute video after the break. You'll love it. We know.
Wasteland Diaries: The old vs. the new
When it was first introduced, the new combat system seemed pretty awkward and cumbersome. As with all new game systems, you just have to get used to it. Luckily, due to the extreme familiarity I have with Fallen Earth, I adapted fairly quickly. But I didn't like it much at first. It was too healer-centric in PvP, and it was nearly impossible to die in PvE with such a large health pool and awesome self-heals. Instead of grinning and bearing it, I complained and hoped for a fix. It got fixed, and though it's not perfect, it's pretty close. In this post, I will take a look at the new system and how it differs from the old one, now that I've had some time to think it over. I'm still not sure whether I like it better than the old system yet, but it's growing on me. There's a lot of stuff that I miss from the old system and a lot of stuff I'll never miss. Knockdown and stuns are two of those things. A lot of players were worried that the new combat system would take ages to tweak, but it seems like it's pretty close to the mark already. A few minor adjustments might be needed, but it's already close to a finished product from what I see. After the cut, I'll tell you why I think that.
Blade & Soul Assassin abilities on display in new video
Say what you will about NCsoft's mysterious Blade & Soul import, but it certainly brings its share of eye candy to the table. MMO Culture has posted a new video featuring the martial arts MMORPG, and the clip centers on the nimble Assassin class and its deadly array of combos and fighting abilities. The video runs under two minutes and is basically a series of one-on-one combat vignettes. If your Korean language skills are up to the task, you might be able to decipher the various intertitles and subtitles that accompany the presentation. If not, you can still get a feel for how the class is going to play thanks to the footage, which you can view in its entirety after the cut.
Final Fantasy XIV talks about the new stealthy gathering
It's not always easy being a gatherer in Final Fantasy XIV. Sure, you get all of the features of a full-fledged class, and that's pretty nice. You are sent out into the wild amidst hordes of ravenous beasts, however, and you aren't given many defensive options beyond "try to throw a rock at things." At least, that's the case at the moment. Patch 1.19 is bringing a major change to the way Disciplines of the Land handle their trade, with a new ability known as Coeurl Step. Named after the cat-like monsters found across the series, the new ability permits gatherers to enter an undetectable state for various tiers of levels at the cost of a severe drop in movement speed. Stealth can be maintained even while gathering, however, allowing players to sneak right past aggressive monsters and take their bounty from the land with ease. While Coeurl Step is exclusive to the gathering classes, there are few players who haven't picked up one gathering class or another, so most of the playerbase will benefit from the option to go incognito.
Choose your abilities with ArcheAge's custom class creator
ArcheAge's skill and class system is still something of a mystery to most folks in the West, due to both the language barrier and the fact that XL Games hasn't outlined all the particulars in detail. The company has updated its English-language website, though, and the ability-combination page gives a bit more insight into what players can expect when building characters in the upcoming sandpark title. The page features a charted list of abilities that, when combined in groups of three, result in a particular class name being displayed. We're assuming that the resulting class will then get to select specific skills from each ability tree. For example, selecting the artistry, calling, and wild abilities results in a class called a Plainsrunner, and reading between the lines on each ability description indicates a Ranger-like class with a pet, stealth, support buffs, and ranged attacks. If you're looking for a traditional fantasy class, XL provides premade Warrior, Priest, and Wizard templates just above the chart (as well as something called a Chaser), and you can also view brief videos of 10 of the listed abilities via the link in the left margin.
Exploring the design of the newest City of Heroes powerset
Is time on your side? Well, it will be for City of Heroes players who choose to take advantage of the upcoming Temporal Manipulation powerset, which launches alongside the free-to-play conversion later this year. But some pretty visuals alone don't make for a compelling new powerset, which is why players will no doubt be happy to see the recent rundown of the abilities within the set as well as the rationale behind each of the given powers. As Temporal Manipulation is a set for Defenders, Corruptors, and Controllers, it's no surprise that there's a solid mix of debuffs and buffs for players to explore. In addition, Temporal Manipulation allows players to juggle a specific set of buffs and debuffs, with certain powers Delaying enemies or Accelerating allies and certain other powers having additional effects on those who are Delayed or Accelerated. The document also contains advice for players once the powers go live -- a bit far in the future, perhaps, but this would be the set where that's appropriate.
Wasteland Diaries: I got skills
Sector 4, a new skill and abilities system and a new... well, a new everything has come to Fallen Earth. Even the forums will be migrating over to GamersFirst's little piece of cyberspace. While the transition hasn't gone completely smoothly, it could have been a lot worse. I don't know why they decided to do all this stuff at once, but it went well, considering how major an undertaking it probably was. The skills and abilities (also known as the "combat system") didn't fare too well with the wastelanders, and the devs have promised some fixes. With everything going on right now, I don't think we'll see them any time soon, though I may be wrong. One thing is for sure: The new combat system is here to stay. Many of us would like to see them scrap it, go back to the old system and just patch up its imperfections (it was so close). But, I have been told emphatically that it's here to stay. So, instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, I'd like to take a look at all of the new skills and mutations, since they are definitely permanent -- although they may be changing a little bit in the coming days while this brand-new system is tested and balanced. Mostly what we have now is what we are going be using. Some of them are the same, but by and large, this new system is an entirely different animal. You may recognize some of the names, but most of the abilities (actually, I think all of them) function differently. After the cut, we will take a look at every skill and their associated abilities in the game.
SDCC 2011: City of Heroes has new powers to show off
Time Manipulation has been known about for some time as a new set en route to City of Heroes once the Freedom patch launches toward the end of the summer, but the development team does love throwing in new elements to play with. The game's official boards are alight with new information about two new powersets, Street Justice and Beam Gun, straight from the demo stations at San Diego Comic-Con. Beam Gun, as the name would imply, is a set for Corruptors, Defenders, and Blasters, giving players access to the eponymous gun which deals mostly Energy damage. The individual attacks are fairly weak, but each attack lands a debuff to increase subsequent damage, making the powerset play something like a ranged Brute. Meanwhile, Street Justice is a melee set that builds up combo points to improve a finishing attack, taking the form of smashing and lethal martial arts attacks. No word yet on any other powers that might be coming with the update, but three sets alone should have players hammering out new alts as soon as the update goes live.
Final Fantasy XIV outlines attack plans for patch 1.18
Final Fantasy XIV's next major patch doesn't currently have an announced date beyond the ever-ambiguous "soon," but two of the central features will be the reworking of the battle system and the implementation of the auto-attack system. Considering the game's current balance around the Stamina gauge, players knew that there would be some rather significant gameplay changes for battle. A good portion of those changes have been outlined in a recent preview post, complete with promises about future updates to the system. The three biggest abilities being changed are those whose functions depended on the Stamina gauge -- Speed Surge, Ambidexterity, and Chainspell. Speed Surge will be shifted into a straight haste effect for auto-attacks, Ambidexterity will allow for increased blocking chance rather than reduced action cost, and Chainspell will simply have its Stamina-reducing properties removed. There will also be changes to the various basic attacks that are purchased via guild marks, with recasts adjusted to make these attacks still relevant and useful. Final Fantasy XIV players should check out the newest preview to get a clearer picture of what the game will look like after patch 1.18 drops in the near future.
Prime: Battle for Dominus announces classes and abilities
Pitchblack Games has released the first of what it promises to be a series of many "infodumps" regarding its upcoming PvP-focused MMORPG Prime: Battle for Dominus. Today the spotlight is on classes and character progression, which is as good a place to start as any. Each faction will have six classes available to it, making for a total of 18 classes overall. New characters in Prime will begin the game with five basic skills, though they'll gain access to newer and more class-specific abilities as they progress. Each class will ultimately end up with a total of 15 skills. Progression is skill-based, with players earning skillpoints as they level. These skillpoints can be allocated amongst the character's various skills as they so desire (though Pitchblack did point out that it will not be possible to max out every ability with the amount of skillpoints granted, which will force players to prioritize). Another point to note is that Prime will not be permanently tying players to a given build. Pitchblack President Warren Weems says, "We don't think players should be permanently tied to choices they made when they were still learning about the game. We also want people to feel free to experiment." As a result, skillpoints will be "relatively easy" to reallocate if players feel the need for a change of pace. For more information, and for the full class and ability listings, warp on over to the official site!
Lord of the Rings Online bringing in major stat changes
If you've played Lord of the Rings Online extensively, odds are good that you're familiar with the concept of stat caps. Functionally, stat caps are that certain point at which further increases to the stat in question will be wasted -- useful for balance purposes, but rather frustrating when players find new abilities and equipment useless due to the stat caps. So it's probably going to be a good thing when Rise of Isengard makes stat caps largely a thing of the past. That's not the only useful takeaway from the new developer diary, however, as the game's statistics are also undergoing further revision to make the game easier to understand at a glance. A new stat, Finesse, will be added to specifically reduce your target's ability to evade or resist attacks. Resistance, Mitigation, and Critical Hit will all be merged from their current state (so melee, ranged, and tactical critical hit will all become simply Critical Hit). Finally, there are some changes incoming in terms of interactions with primary stats. It's a short diary, to be sure, but the implications for Lord of the Rings Online players should be far-reaching.
Wasteland Diaries: Weapon balance
Rock, scissors, paper. It's not quite that simple when referring to the three weapon classes in Fallen Earth. You have the two ranged disciplines: rifles and pistols. And then you have melee weapons. They all have distinct advantages in combat, and they are all viable in PvP and PvE when played properly. There is a lot of debate about weapon balance on the forums and in the game (gotta love global chat) about weapon balance. I come from the school of thought that believes the weapons are currently as balanced as they have ever been. Many people will disagree with me on that point. But the vast majority of people who agree that the combat is well-balanced in Fallen Earth's current system are my contemporaries who have been PvPing since alpha, beta or launch. Many newer, less experienced players feel that certain weapon classes are overpowered or useless. I say that is not the case. Continue past the cut and I'll explain why I feel that way.
ArcheAge caster class detailed
AAportal has published another review of the recently concluded ArcheAge CBT3 event, this time focusing on the game's Mage class. The reviewer leveled his Mage to 21 and came away with a better understanding of the pre-defined spell schools (in this case illusion, death, and magic) as well as the corresponding special abilities. While most MMO mages are on the squishy side, we suspect that ArcheAge will buck that trend a bit, given the reviewer's observations that his Mage had a lot of hitpoints as well as a significant shield buff. Offense is, of course, the Mage's raison d'etre, and ArcheAge casters apparently pack a wallop (as well as two- to three- second cast times). It's not all wham-spam-thank-you-ma'am, though, as there is some strategy involved. Read all about it at AAportal, and check out the gameplay video after the cut.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite combat ability in any game?
You may not like the fact that combat is a consistent part of most MMOs, but it remains a truism. And in a way, it's better like that, because it means we get a much wider array of spectacular combat abilities to choose from. From Ultima Online onward, players have been able to unleash a variety of devastating and frequently impractical attacks against harmful enemies, until they're essentially leveling thermonuclear warheads at an average forest squirrel. City of Heroes allows you to rip opponents through a wormhole. Final Fantasy XIV lets you incinerate land and earth around your target. Guild Wars lets you unleash a series of cuts too fast for the eye to follow. Out of all the destructive and sometimes ridiculous skills you've seen in MMOs, what qualifies as your absolute favorites? Are they abilities with impractical uses but a lot of flair behind them or solid workhorse abilities that might not look as spectacular but work like a charm? 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!
Patch 4.2 PTR: First look at the Encounter Journal
Recognize the little guy in the top left corner? Yup, that's Crabby! He's back to help guide you and your party through the various encounters found in Azeroth. Who would have guessed a simple crustacean had so much to offer? If you don't want to spoil yourself for any specific lore reasons, you may wish to avoid using the encounter journal until you at least get to the encounter itself. A recent patch 4.2 build had enabled it, and already I can see this being a huge asset to players who wish to dive into dungeons or raids. The encounter journal effectively tells you three things: Loot drops Boss abilities Notable phases Some of the journal entries also provide a little lore background into the areas you're invading. If you're a person like me who doesn't read quest text much and just hits "Next" on everything, you might sometimes wonder why you're going into some dark part of the world to take down some villain. At least now we have some idea as to why. What the journal won't tell you is how to take down bosses. You get a full list of boss abilities and mechanics, but it's entirely up to the raid to determine what tactics should be used to respond to said boss abilities. Warning: Partial encounter spoiler ahead.
Wasteland Diaries: Progress
I had some spare time this week, so I went on the Fallen Earth public test server to check out some of the new stuff. Progress towns have made their debut, and so has a slew of new skills and abilities. Actually, saying that there are new skills and abilities is kind of an understatement. There is an entirely new skills-and-abilities system in place on the PTS. It is barely recognizable compared to what we have now. Yes, it's that different. Is this a good thing, or is it bad? With Sector 4 looming on Fallen Earth's horizon, we are looking down the barrel of the gun of change. There are a lot of new things coming our way soon, most of which are closely guarded secrets. I did have an opportunity to see some of the new stuff we'll be seeing in the next patch, but I didn't get to peer behind the giant wall that keeps our prying clone eyes out of the next sector. If any of this stuff interests you, click past the cut and I'll go into a little more detail about it.
Dev Watercooler: Ghostcrawler discusses the number of player abilities
In his continuing conversational blog series Dev Watercooler, Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street (lead systems designer) muses about the number of abilities players have, what the sweet spot is in terms of quantity, the need for all classes to have a viable AoE rotation, and the difference between rotational abilities and situational abilities. From a game design perspective, this might be the coolest Dev Watercooler yet. Read this full Dev Watercooler after the break, or check out the other Dev Watercoolers with Ghostcrawler: Dev Watercooler: Expertise and hit for tanking Dev Watercooler: Interrupts Dev Watercooler: Critical hits
The Mog Log: Traits of war (and magic)
One of the areas in which Final Fantasy XIV really dropped the introduction ball is its handling of traits. They're an interesting way to put together the character you want; unfortunately, they're fenced behind a wall made out of Guild Marks and a moat of 20 ranks before you can purchase most of them. (I'm sure there's a boiling oil of misunderstood applications somewhere in there, but we can't spend the whole column on our trip to Metaphor Castle.) The fact is that you get a lot of points to equip traits long before you probably have any, to the point that other rewards probably look more appealing. It's a shame, since the game's traits can often make a set of Guild Marks more valuable than another pile of gil. So today I'm going to look at the traits for the Disciples of War and Magic, along with a few ideas about how the traits can be used in a character setup and which ones have the broadest application.
