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Massively Exclusive: Elsword shows off Add's new job
Getting a new job is an exciting time. It means that you have new coworkers to meet, new procedures to observe, and in some cases, the ability to shoot homing psionic bullets that cover the map and kill enemies you didn't even know were there yet. The last case is more pronounced if your new job looks like Elsword's new job path for the character Add, but it could happen with your new data entry job, too! Maybe. Probably not. A preview video just past the cut shows off the Lunatic Psyker path in action, which features... well, about what you'd expect from the title: psionic explosions, powerful lines of energy, all the fun stuff you could ask for. Add also gets the ability to redirect damage that he's dealt directly into enemies, which should make stringing together combo attacks and otherwise crushing his foes that much easier. [Source: KOG Games press release]
Marvel Heroes unleashes Cosmic Chaos Week
Bad things to unleash include krakens, tempers, and the hounds. Good things to unleash include puppy parades and Marvel Heroes' new Cosmic Chaos Week. This soon-to-be monthly event features a week full of double boss loot drops, double prestige earned, and cosmic doops as far as the eye can see. There will also be opportunities to save up for special rewards and to buy certain galactic-themed heroes for a discounted price. The event is currently live and will go until the patch next week.
Previewing Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons module
I'll give credit to the Neverwinter team for being straightforward and direct about its next module, Tyranny of Dragons: When the devs say "dragons," they aren't skimping on the premise whatsoever. Module 4 is dragons by the bucketful, shaping the tone and story of Neverwinter's present and future development. Earlier today, I sat down with Cryptic Art Director Matt Highison, who showed off Tyranny of Dragons' new content while talking about how dragons are just so, so cool. With other MMOs that I won't name creating expansions that are lacking in new races and classes, Neverwinter is bringing one of each to this update as well as a wealth of content for the players to explore. From randomized dungeons to the controversial pricing of the scaly Dragonborn, we hashed out the details behind August 14th's content release. Let's dive in!
Meet Haku, one of Path of Exile's new Forsaken Masters
The titular feature of the upcoming Forsaken Masters update for Path of Exile comes in the form of seven notable NPCs who have special tasks -- and rewards -- for the players. Each master is willing to train players and bestow upon them special hideout decorations, hideout tilesets, and crafting options. Yesterday the team unveiled the third Forsaken Master, Haku the Armormaster. Haku is an armormaster who wants you to do a bit of ghostbusting while recovering an ancient spirit that's near and dear to his heart. We've got a quick video featuring the Master and his insane missions after the break!
Gameplay video tours Neverwinter: Tyranny of Dragons highlights
Those dragons, always being tyrannical, am I right? Neverwinter has my back on this, as Cryptic is already in overdrive to promote the upcoming fourth module, Tyranny of Dragons. Today the studio released a new gamplay video for the update, going through the major features of the patch. Cryptic talks about the DPS and cursing abilities of the spiffy Scourge Warlock class, gives a better look at the Dragonborn race, shows the several new heroic encounters for experienced adventurers, hints at the Cult of the Dragon storyline, and teases the additional level 60 skirmish and dungeon instances. Check it out after the break and let us know if Tyranny of the Dragons has you excited to play it!
Neverwinter exploit results in emergency maintenance, no rollback
Neverwinter's emergency maintenance this afternoon fueled speculation among players that another currency exploit was to blame and a rollback was imminent, but Perfect World Community Manager Akromatik says no rollback is planned. On the official forums, he wrote, Due to an exploit we had to bring down the servers for an emergency maintenance. The exploit was brought to our attention by our fantastic community. Your efforts, enabled us to find and implement a fix as soon as possible. Unfortunately the fix required downtime and will likely require additional maintenance following our investigation. While there is no rollback planned, we will be taking action against people who abused this exploit. Thank you for your patience, diligence and understanding. We will keep you updated as the situation develops. A serious currency exploit in May of 2013 after the game had soft-launched into "open beta" did in fact result in a rollback. [Thanks to Jeremiah for the tip!]
Rusty Hearts shutting down on September 15th
It's been going only for three years, but the action MMO Rusty Hearts is being brought to an early end. Perfect World Entertainment announced today that it will be ending the game's run on September 15th. If you're not playing and were hoping to check Rusty Hearts out before it ends, you're already out of luck. PWE said that the game is no longer downloadable and won't will be accepting new ZEN deposits. It will remain playable until the 15th for current players, however, and PWE is refunding the past six months' worth of ZEN to use in the company's other titles. "We would like to thank all the fans who helped bring life to all the characters in Rusty Hearts. Your loyalty, dedication, and countless hours crawling through dungeons is what made it all possible. Rusty Hearts was a unique experience and will be cherished forever," the studio wrote.
Path of Exile developers explain the systems behind Forsaken Masters
If you're a fan of Path of Exile, you've probably already digested the preview information about the game's next major update, Forsaken Masters. The latest post by the developers is meant not to introduce the concepts but to explain how the various systems of the update are supposed to work. In short, the idea is to create content that rewards both constant players and occasional logins, with the former obviously getting the lion's share of the bonuses. For example, the various Masters whom players will be courting feature reputation tracks that can be increased in two different ways. Players can get a single daily mission from Masters in towns, but Masters can also show up randomly in endgame maps. The daily mission provides the most reputation, but players who play a lot of the endgame will pick up lots of repeatable endgame missions that add up to a substantial boost. Check out the full post to see how the hideouts and crafting systems will work and what players can expect when the update goes live this month.
Path of Exile announces Forsaken Masters, its second major update
You aren't the best around in Path of Exile. To be the best, you need someone even better to teach you. You need a master. Maybe even a lost master, which is the premise of the game's second major update, Forsaken Masters. This update will give players seven different eponymous masters to train under, each of whom will make different requests of players and offer different lessons as players improve their reputation. That's not all the update will offer when it goes live, though. Players will be able to craft their own customized hideouts upon reaching enough reputation with a given Master, allowing them to craft their own little town. There are also new items, revamped passive skills, rebalances of existing content, and new challenge leagues to enjoy. Players will be able to start taking on these new adventures when the update drops on August 20th. Then you can start really being the best around. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Vindictus previews upcoming hero Arisha
Bad news first: if you're a stateside player of Vindictus, you don't know when you're going to be able to start playing with Arisha, as she's not releasing in Korea until August 7th. You can, however, take a look at her trailer just past the break to get a sense for the character and how she fights, so that's something, at least. In play, Arisha looks to be a fast-moving character using a single blade and magic to teleport, freeze time, and otherwise tear through her opponents. Also, by the looks of it, she's got a pet dog. Take a gander at the trailer if you're interested in seeing more about the character, although you will have to wait for a while yet to play her yourself.
Neverwinter coming to Xbox One in 2015
Perfect World is porting Neverwinter to the Xbox One in China this year followed by a worldwide release in "the first half of 2015," according to IGN. The site interviewed lead producer Andy Velasquez who says that a consolized Neverwinter will boast "all the same races, all the same classes, [and] all the same maps. The content will be there with some minor exceptions." The Xbox One version of Neverwinter will not feature cross-play with the PC version, and Perfect World offered no comment on plans for other platforms.
Path of Exile Supporter Packs are about to disappear
If you love Path of Exile but haven't converted that support into monetary form yet... well, that's fine, the game is free-to-play. But you're running out of time to take advantage of the Supporter Packs that were introduced as part of the game's launch. The packs will be officially discontinued very shortly, so if you haven't grabbed one yet, now's the time to do so. The official announcement notes that you will be able to arrange a payment plan and/or upgrade your pack, but you need to set that in motion before the packs are gone for good, not after. So if you've been loving the game and want to buy a little power boost... do it now. You're running out of time.
Marvel Heroes celebrates Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy film hits theaters on August 1st, and Marvel Heroes is counting down with its 10 Days of Guardians of the Galaxy in-game event. Players can complete three shared quests once per day to max out their allotment of Planet X Bark, which can then be redeemed for loot boxes with varying levels of unique rewards. There's also a daily login reward, so head to the official Marvel Heroes website to read all about it!
Neverwinter unveils the Dragonborn Pack
Were you worried that Neverwinter's fourth major update, Tyranny of Dragons, would feature too few dragons? We're not sure how you could have been worried about that, but the good news is that you can bring even more dragon into your play experience by playing a Dragonborn. No, not that kind of Dragonborn; the kind that's literally half-dragon. Or all dragon, but... humanoid dragon. You get the idea. And you can play one. Buying the game's Dragonborn Legend Pack unlocks the new race as well as a set of cosmetic armor for your new man-dragon, the special Heart of the Red Dragon artifact, and a variety of other rewards including a race change token. The pack is on sale until August 18th, allowing players a chance to get in on the race at a discount. Whether you want to just one-up roleplayers claiming to be half-dragon or can't get enough lizards in your gameplay, you can pick up the pack now if it's your sort of fun.
Massively Exclusive: Grand Chase goes live on Steam tomorrow
Grand Chase is pursuing its way onto Steam on Thursday, July 17th, and you know what that means: welcome events. After all, when a free-to-play game shows up on a popular digital service, there will be a lot of new arrivals. New players can look forward to the Welcome Heroes event, which provides a free bundle of prizes to any one character on a player's account. They can also take advantage of the Character Jumping event, which allows everyone to kick a character straight to level 70 (the current cap is 85). A Steam-specific stat-boosting title is also available to everyone, along with new item packages. These packages include a new set of equipment with stats and a new pet, both of which have never been available elsewhere. If you're a long-time Grand Chase player or just can't wait to get a free-to-play brawler on your hard drive, take heart because the game will be available tomorrow. [Source: KOG Games press release]
Neverwinter shows off the Scourge Warlock for Tyranny of Dragons
Do you want to fight some dragons? The next expansion to Neverwinter is all about fighting dragons, hence the title Tyranny of Dragons. Would you prefer to do so whilst conjuring up forbidden and evil magic from beyond to help smite your foes and empower your party? Then the Scourge Warlock is right up your alley. You can check the new class out in the trailer just past the break. Scourge Warlocks are casters who can summon a Soul Puppet from the beyond, using their magical prowess to leech health and empower allies while leaving enemies as shambling shells. They also have access to a new paragon path, Hellbringer, which... well, it doesn't summon bunnies and stomach rubs. Take a look at the official development blog for a clearer picture of what these casters are capable of, and watch the trailer to see the class in action before Tyranny of Dragons goes live on August 14th. [Source: Cryptic Studios press release]
Path of Exile comic books hint at upcoming expansion
We all know that you haven't made it as a video game unless you're immortalized in a comic book. Path of Exile has joined that very select club as it announced today that it will be the focus of an official comic book mini-series. The four upcoming Path of Exile graphic novels will be based on the lore of the game and penned by Dynamite Entertainment. The comics are slated for some time this summer and will be 22 pages apiece, with a compilation release in early 2015. So other than the cool factor, why should players care? Well, not only will the comics feature a lead-in to the game's unannounced expansion, but each issue will have codes for in-game goodies such as cosmetics.
Vindictus shows off its TV spot
If you're already a fan of Vindictus, you're not really the target audience for the game's TV spot. Not that you should avoid watching it all the same, though. Who doesn't enjoy the prospect of seeing a game on the small screen? And you can watch it right now! As mentioned, there's not a whole lot to be said if you are a fan of the game, although you can certainly determine how well you think the ad represents the game as a whole. If you're not a player or a fan, though, you can still check out the trailer just past the break to find out what the game's all about. (Hint: hacking at people with swords.)
Marvel Heroes has great plans for you this Fourth of July weekend
Do you have a few days off this weekend for superhero action? Marvel Heroes has a trio of events lined up for players this weekend who have an abundance of time on their hands. The main event this weekend is a "Red, White, and Loot" boost to rotating game modes. Marvel Heroes will increase loot drops between four game modes depending on the time of day. There will also be BBQ-themed drops all over the game (because HULK LOVE HOT DOG!) and an extended Soccer Showdown event that neatly coincides with the World Cup.
Neverwinter's next new class is the Scourge Warlock
Perfect World Entertainment has just announced that the Scourge Warlock will join Neverwinter's class roster on August 14th when the previously revealed Tyranny of Dragons module launches. How does the new class with its special Curse mechanic work? The Scourge Warlock is a powerful magic user who plies dark magical abilities, communing with shadowy benefactors to destroy all who would dare stand in their way. A powerful striker who focuses on dealing heavy damage to both single and grouped foes, the Scourge Warlock wields a myriad of options to deal with adversaries using their powerful Warlock's Curse. The class will be available to all players. [Source: PWE press release]
