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Illuminating answers about the upcoming patch for Champions Online
The first adventure pack for Champions Online is due out this month, although we don't know quite when just yet. But there are a lot of things coming along with the new pack, such as the promised return of Blood Moon and the addition of a difficulty slider. If you're curious about what all of this means from a gameplay perspective, you're coming to it at the right time, as the most recent Ask Cryptic has just been released, covering most of what players might be wondering about. The difficulty slider will be responsible for improved drops, but costume pieces are likely to remain just as frequent (or infrequent) as they currently are. Players who have watched the development of Star Trek Online might be saddened to know that the resistance bonuses and such coming with the Accolade system in that game will not be copied for Champions Online's Perks system. But there's also the prospect of expanding smaller regions into full-sized explorable zones, and some details on the next few adventure packs heading down the pipeline. It should be good news for the game's players, and it certainly helps keep the interest stoked for the coming release of Serpent Lantern.
Serpent Lantern info goes live for Champions Online
It's easy to write VIPER in Champions Online off as just being another group of armed-and-armored mooks along the lines of, well, Cobra. But that's neglecting the fact that the only thing keeping them from having a serious impact on the world is the lack of internal unity... something that the upcoming Serpent Lantern adventure pack is set to address. With the buzz for the free add-on having been tossed around for some time, Cryptic has unveiled the official information page for the globe-trotting adventure. As previously stated, the adventure scales for both level and team size -- a party of five characters at Level 40 or a single character at Level 11 can both take part. The pack will also include new unlockable VIPER-themed costume pieces, action figures, and perks. And if that weren't enough, the update is also slated to include the recently-discussed difficulty slider for missions, a new set of costume pieces in the C-Store, and veteran rewards for the longstanding player. Due out in June, the full page contains more information on NPCs as well as a trailer for the next major Champions Online update.
Difficulty sliders and grind reduction due for Champions Online
With additions like the melee review patch and the first adventure pack either out or coming on fast, the obvious question about Champions Online is also the simplest to ask: what now? The latest installment of Ask Cryptic certainly does answer the question; unfortunately, said response includes saying "no" to some things that players want. The addition of a base construction feature is a prime example and the biggest negative -- while it's acknowledged to be frequently requested, the development team apparently lacks the time to add it in a fashion that they find interesting. On the other hand, there are features which almost any player can welcome, such as the difficulty slider seen in Star Trek Online, currently slated for release along with the first adventure pack. There's also a promise that the development team will look into grinding as being the most "rewarding" activity in the game via adjusting drop rates and overall rewards. In the somewhat more mixed news category, the team plans to do another review of powers after the adventure pack goes live, although they're not yet certain which sets and mechanics will be undergoing examination. Read the full list of questions and answers at the official Champions Online site.
Dungeons and Dragons Online discounts Turbine Points and DDO Store items
Dungeons and Dragons Online fans know that the DDO Store has items on sale almost constantly, but rarely does the crew at Turbine mark items down with such enthusiasm. The normal DDO Store sales usually involve a handful of Adventure Packs and maybe a few other items. This sale, however, includes all Adventure Packs at a 30% discount, as well as an impressive array of other items large and small. Some of the more expensive premium items are discounted -- the Drow and Warforged races and the 32-point build -- as well as items all the way on the other end of the scale. Cleric Hirelings can be had for as little as 5 Turbine Points, for example. If you're planning to stock up, keep in mind that the DDO Store only allows you to purchase items appropriate to your character's current class and level, so you'll be a bit limited according to your current character roster. If you're a fan of the DDO Store or have been considering a purchase, this is a good time to take a look. The sale ends on the 29th.
Champions Online's State of the Game for April
Six months out, Champions Online has taken some punches here and given a few as well, but the game continues to press forward. With the most recent changes to leadership, it's fitting that the game has dropped a new address on the current state of the game, covering everything from the recent mini-expansion to the upcoming power revisions and future changes. Considering that the test build of the recent power changes has stirred up a fair boil of controversy over on the test forums, more communication from the development team is probably a very good thing at the moment. The next patch is apparently slated to contain not just the Supernatural and Melee adjustments, but also changes to offensive passive abilities and the recurrence of Blood Moon on the full moon. After that, the first major Adventure Pack is slated for sometime between late May and early June. Named the Serpent Lantern, the long string of missions will lead any hero level 11 or up on a quest into Africa to uncover the source of VIPER's power. The team seems to be hard at work bringing Champions Online up to being the best game it can be, which is good news for the fans.
Exploring Eberron: Getting the most from Adventure Packs
Last week we talked about the ability to truly play for free on Dungeons and Dragons Online, and this week we're going to continue that theme a little bit. You can earn a generous amount of Turbine Points just by playing the free content, and once you've earned a few hundred you can purchase Adventure Packs to open up even more content. Of course, there are quite a few options in the DDO Store, and if you choose to go the Adventure Pack route it can seem a bit daunting. There are currently 27 available Packs, with more on the way all the time, so where to begin? (If you're new to the DDO Store itself, navigating it can be a bit confusing. Check out the starter guide on the official DDO site if you need a bit of help figuring it all out.) Follow along after the jump for a guide to get you started -- I know those Turbine Points are burning a hole in your virtual pocket!
Turbine releases screenshots from Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 4
Yesterday's State of the Game for Dungeons and Dragons Online gave players a lot to look forward to, and brought about a storm of questions and excitement from fans. The new race, the respec option, and particularly the introduction of guild housing left the community very anxious for Update 4 to arrive. Almost lost amidst the other features was the announcement of a new adventure pack. "Sentinels" will take us back to House Deneith and Searing Heights -- places you may not have explored much lately -- to meet a new kind of undead and fight a pirate band led by Captain Tew. So while we're counting down the days until April and Update 4, if for no other reason than to satisfy our curiosity about these upcoming changes, we've got some time to wait. Turbine has given us some gorgeous new screenshots of House Deneith to hold us over in the meantime, so check out the gallery below and enjoy. %Gallery-88447%
GDC10: The future of Champions Online
We had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Roper at GDC 2010 and discuss the general future of Champions Online. There are two themes to Bill's answers during our talk: just about everything is free and listening to community feedback. First of all, melee powers like Might are getting reworked based directly from player feedback. The goal is to make players feel as though they're on par with ranged powersets in PvP situations. Generally, people have been saying they felt "gimped" and the goal is to fix that. There's a complete reworking of the supernatural set coming as well, which will separate the previously single powerset into two new ones.
DDO Unlimited rolls out second major update
Turbine is rolling out its second large update for Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, which includes a substantial new Adventure Pack entitled Dreaming Dark. If you're interested in finding out more about the new questing content, we have some hands-on experience with Dreaming Dark and the plot surrounding the Plane of Dreams and its many dangers. There's plenty more in this new update, however, including many new DDO Store items and improvements. Turbine is even adding special holiday items like snowballs. In addition to that, players can celebrate Festivult, where every treasure chest has the potential to drop festival coins. Free dungeons and adventure packs are all potential Festival coin carries, so nobody gets left out. Coins are turned in to the Festivult Jester, who'll exchange them for gifts crafted specially for the season from House Ghallanda and House Cannith. Sounds like good times in DDO Unlimited. Who doesn't enjoy finding extra loot in their treasure chest? Well, assuming it isn't junk loot, of course!
Dungeons and Dragons Online developer tour: The Dreaming Dark
Back in October, the kind folks at Turbine invited us along on a tour of Dungeons and Dragons Online's Update One, where we enjoyed an introduction to the newest Adventure Pack: "The Path of Inspiration." This month, we got the same treatment for the Update Two, which is scheduled to arrive later this month. If you enjoyed the Inspired storyline, you'll love this one. The Path of Inspiration introduced us to the Plane of Dreams, and this time we'll revisit the area in the culmination to the storyline that we began in Update One. This new Adventure Pack -- The Dreaming Dark -- is named for the creatures controlling the Inspired cult. We defeated the citizens of Dar Qat in Update One and now it's time to take on their masters. Follow along after the jump to explore The Dreaming Dark with us in this exclusive early dev tour.
Dungeons and Dragons Online releases trailer for the Catacombs adventure pack
Deep in the bowels of the marketplace lies a new dungeon. A dungeon teeming with evil. A dungeon in desperate need of heroes to save it from its corruption. A dungeon that's... well being added to Dungeons and Dragons Online, of course! Turbine has released the trailer for their newest adventure pack for Dungeons and Dragons Online -- the Catacombs. The goal of this undead dungeon is to plunge into the depths and save the spirit of the Archbishop of the White Flame's daughter before she too is tainted by the evil in the old archives. If you're interested in the brief trailer (and braving the narration) then check it out embedded after the break. Otherwise, if you're an avid DDO player, you can pick up the new adventure pack from the DDO store and experience it for yourself!
DDO: Unlimited Shan-to-Kor adventure pack trailer
Turbine has released a video for the Shan-to-Kor adventure pack, which is aimed at level four and above players. The dungeon -- which lies deep beneath the marketplace -- is nothing too grandiose or epic, certainly not on the level of Dol Guldur, but these videos serve as a nice way for interested DDO: Unlimited players to get a preview of content before they commit to buying it in-game through the DDO Store. We wonder if there's a way for Turbine to incorporate these videos into the actual game itself, or at the very least to offer an external link for easy viewing. That may be asking too much, although since they keep making these it seems pretty logical to us. Check out the video after the break.
Massively's DDO developer tour for Update 1
Dungeons and Dragons Online has been enjoying a huge surge in popularity since their free-to-play model launched last June. Today marks the introduction of their first major content update since the launch, something everyone has been looking forward to for quite a while. We told you Sunday about the letter to the players from Executive Producer Fernando Paiz, and Monday we had the opportunity to get together with some of the guys from Turbine for a look at what's coming today. Between the gorgeous world Turbine has created and the numerous adventure packs for additional play, new DDO players have no shortage of content to explore and enjoy. Now long time players are getting some love with Update 1. Follow along after the jump for a look at what to expect from today's content patch.
DDO releases Gianthold adventure pack video
Since Turbine switched Dungeons and Dragons Online to a free-to-play model, the game has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity. They're keeping up nicely with the large new player base, offering over 20 adventure packs for all different levels in addition to the main game content. Earlier this week DDO released a video of one of the newest adventure packs, Ruins of Gianthold. "The Stormreaver plots to destroy Stormreach and fulfill an ancient prophecy! Earn the trust of the Gianthold army and confront the Stormreaver and his dragon lieutenants." This one is a bit more advanced than some others, designed for level 13-14 players, and contains a generous amount of content: 10 adventures, 45 quests and a raid. Like the other adventure packs, you can find it in the DDO Store. Follow along after the jump for a look at the video, or check it out on Turbine's official YouTube channel.
New DDO Unlimited video and screenshots show off the "Demon Sands"
Today Turbine released new screens and a video of the Demon Sands adventure pack. As one of the many revamps that took place with the launch of Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited last week, this area got a major make over. Designed for characters level 10 and up, the adventure pack includes: 10 unique dungeons The Demon Queen 12-man raid 68 wilderness quests The Zawabi's Refuge outpost. This adventure pack, along with many others, can be purchased through the DDO Store unless you are a VIP member (i.e. monthly subscriber), then it's included, as are all adventure packs. But the question remains, is it worth it for the free-to-play players? Check out the screens and video after the jump to help you decide. You may also find our Common Questions for new DDO Players and Round Up Of DDO Articles on Massively useful.%Gallery-73154%
