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Defiance Q&A covers the 7th Legion's background
Trion Worlds posted a series of questions and answers today covering the upcoming 7th Legion DLC for Defiance. The 7th Legion is an old organization that was founded shortly after the Arkfall, whereupon campers in the Yukon saw the devastation and decided to follow the bushido code of Yoshida Hiro. It's a faction that's different than others in the game, deeply embracing the cyberpunk western motif as it navigates relationships with humans and aliens alike. If you want to learn more about the 7th Legion, give the Q&A a quick read! Players that purchase the DLC will be given a chance to enlist in the Legion and equipped with its signature gear and skills.
Why I Play: Defiance
As I did with RIFT when it was announced, sent to beta, and released, I gave Defiance a bit of a hard time. Sure, I dug the shooter aspect of it, but its attachment to the television show and (what I took as) promises of interactions between both the game and show had me giving the game the side-eye. Yeah right, I thought, this will be some sort of "revolutionary" game. Well, I was half right. That means I was also half wrong. The game is not really revolutionary in many ways, but it does do many things that have never been done before. The more I play it, the more I see that the game developers and producers of the show sold the entire thing the wrong way from the start, but "the show will grow on ya, don't worry" would not make for a good tagline, and "the game is damn fun and does away with all of that level-based stuff that plagues RIFT" would probably not look too great on the game's website. Either way, I'm glad I've stuck with the game and the show. The game, especially, has provided me with hours of entertainment. In order to illustrate how I enjoy the game, I think it would be easiest to detail a typical evening of play.
Defiance previews 7th Legion DLC
Are you ready to join an elite group of bad people-stoppers? If so, then step up to your nearest 7th Legion recruiting center, or barring that, get ready to drop some money for Defiance's third DLC that's coming soon to the game. Trion Worlds has a brief overview of the features in this DLC up on its site. The 7th Legion is an E-Rep force that's making its way to the Bay Area, and by purchasing the DLC, players will be enlisted into its ranks. The DLC includes a 7th Legion uniform, a title, additional weapons, more synergies, hybrid shields, and a brand-new type of dynamic content called incursions. The 7th Legion update will also include an overhaul to the game's chat system and should arrive sometime next month.
Defiance chat upgrades coming with February DLC
Trion's latest Defiance dev blog talks up changes to the sci-fi shooter's chat interface. Creative lead Trick Dempsey says that "one of the most frequent requests" from players since the game's launch has been chat improvements, and Trion's in an obliging mood. In a nutshell, the UI is simpler and "free of the commands/emotes/etc., that bloated the viewport in the previous iteration." When can you get your virtual hands on this fine new chat system? Sometime in February, Dempsey writes. Keep your eyes peeled for the 7th Legion DLC which will feature the chat improvements and "even more steps to improve quality and ease-of-use for Defiance."
Defiance getting third DLC in February
Hot on the heels of Arkbreaker's release, Trion has announced the third DLC coming to Defiance. Dubbed 7th Legion, this update will hit the sci-fi game in February. Although more specifics won't be released until later this month, the studio did offer a snippet of lore from the Defiance Blog to help whet fans' appetites: When the world fell apart, one group kept their courage. Guided by the teachings of the Code of Bushido, the soldiers of the 7th Legion marched across Canada gathering survivors as they went. From one outpost to another they marched until finally they found a city which did not fall: Manhattan. There, they made their stand against the darkness, and Commander Yoshida Hiro called an end to their long journey. Now they have come to Paradise. What dread news could this herald? [Thanks to Swag for the tip!]
Pick up MMOs on the cheap in Steam's holiday sale
It's that time of year again, folks -- the time when grandfather Valve slides down the chimney and offers you a huge pile of reasonably priced games. Yes, Steam's holiday sale is now in full effect, bringing with it some nice deals on a few MMO titles. Here's what we've found so far: Guns of Icarus Online - $3.74 (75% off - flash sale!) The Secret World - $14.99 (50% off) The Secret World: Massive Edition - $29.99 (50% off) Darkfall Unholy Wars - $13.58 (66% off) Defiance- $4.99 (50% off) Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection Seekers Edition - $15.99 (60% off) EVE Online - $4.98 (75% off) Keep in mind that sales change daily and that some games above do require subscription fees. The Steam holiday sales ends January 2nd, 2014.
Defiance now offers unlimited free trial
Defiance's free trial just got better as Trion Worlds has removed the time limit so that players can explore the game at their own pace. The trial still has a hard cap limit for 500 EGO, however. Trion also posted a dev blog talking about how the team is using stims, spikes, and revamped grenades to make the action in the recent Arkbreaker DLC even better. "Ark hunters constantly ride the dagger's edge between life and death: the addition of resource scarcity makes this danger all the more real when placed into the combat equation," Creative Lead Trick Dempsey explained. "Spikes, stims, and grenades add a huge amount of power to the ark hunter arsenal, but power always comes with the seductive possibility of becoming dependent and thus, vulnerable."
Drink in Defiance's Arkbreaker trailer
"Some wait for fortune," a new trailer for Defiance's Arkbreaker DLC states. "Breakers make their own." This trailer is a long, dark drink of action and heavy metal riffs, as Trion Worlds attempts to sell you on the spiffy new features coming to the game. Arkbreaker is currently out, and if the trailer gets you interested, you can read our in-depth interview with Defiance's devs for more info. Get an eyeful after the jump, Masta Breaka!
Defiance's Arkbreaker DLC sorta delayed on PS3
Those of you with PlayStation 3s who were planning to purchase Defiance's Arkbreaker DLC on its December 10th release day will be waiting a bit longer, according to a post on Trion's website. The holdup is due to some sort of online store setup, which requires "several weeks of lead time" for the PlayStation Network. PS3 Season Pass holders will be able to download the DLC manually on the 10th. PC and Xbox 360 users will be able to purchase the DLC on the 10th as per the original plan.
Free for All: MMORPGs for your new console
Consoles and MMOs do not have the stand-offish relationship that they used to have. In fact, there are so many different MMOs to choose from on consoles that it's seriously tempting to pick up one of the new ones -- the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 -- even though I wasn't planning on it for a long, long time. I enjoy using a controller with MMOs so much that I plan on covering the subject more in the future. So let's get to the list of MMOs that are currently on consoles or that will be coming out on consoles in the near(ish) future. Massively's own Mike Foster put together a fantastic list last summer, but I thought I would update and pass it on. After all, the new consoles are officially here... so be sure to reference the list when you need a new MMO to play on your shiny new console!
Defiance opens test server for Arkbreaker DLC
Defiance fans looking forward to experiencing the new mission line, weapons, instances, and raid boss content of Arkbreaker can now hop onto the Public Test Server and give the upcoming DLC a spin. Of course, Trion would like feedback on all the Arkbreaker adventures (including any glitches and bugs players find), and welcomes commenting in the alpha forums. To download the PTS client, registered players need only go to "Manage Games" on the official site and select Defiance Alpha Test. Unfortunately, the PTS is only available on PC; console players will have to wait until the DLC releases on December 10th to get in on the latest arkfall action.
Defiance's Arkbreaker DLC due December 10
Trion has updated its Defiance website with news of the game's Arkbreaker DLC pack. The content includes a new mission line, interior arkfall instances, and cold fire weapons. There's also a new Volge Warmaster boss fight designed for 20 players as well as an array of spikes, stims, and a new favorite item inventory tweak. Arkbreaker releases on December 10th for consoles and PC.
Defiance Arkbreaker DLC lands in December
Trion Worlds today announced that Defiance's second DLC pack, titled Arkbreaker, will go live on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in December. The post is accompanied by a promise for more information in the coming weeks -- Defiance players have already begun to speculate in the official announcement forum thread. Defiance's last DLC expansion, the Castithan Charge Pack, launched in August. Executive producer Nathan Richardsson noted in May that Trion has five expansions planned for "the next year," though he left the studio back in July.
RIFT and Defiance throw in-game promotions
Trion is in the middle of a special promotion that's giving a serious boost to both RIFT and Defiance players in-game. In RIFT all players are receiving 20% boosts to all types of XP and currency gained, and this bonus is stackable with other boosts. Trion's also selling 160% XP potions and raid 1 rings in the store. Over on Defiance's side, players are enjoying 25% boosts to loot, XP, and weapon skill. Epic mod hoards have also made their way to the store. These promotions will continue through Friday, November 1st. Trion is throwing this "PC Gaming Week" to celebrate RIFT's return to Steam.
Latest Defiance patch gives weapons an overhaul
It's been about a month since Trion delivered the most recent Defiance state-of-the-game address, which promised a number of sweeping improvements throughout the game. Players can now see the first step of those improvements on the live servers in the form of patch 1.105, which was released today. This particular patch is all about shooting things and, more specifically, the weaponry players use to do so. In a nutshell, the new patch has reworked the stats of all new weapons in the game, meaning that players should no longer find weapons with useless bonuses (like melee bonuses on a sniper rifle, for instance), and rarer weapons will be universally better than their lower-quality counterparts. The official dev blog goes into all sorts of detail that we couldn't possibly squeeze into the remainder of this paragraph, so any curious Ark Hunters should head over that way.
Defiance spotlights a new kind of arkfall
If you've played Defiance for a while you're pretty familiar with how the game as a whole works. There are rules, an ordered nature to the whole thing. Arkfalls happen a certain way. Except the game's latest DLC pack has introduced a new wrinkle in the form of Dark Matter arkfalls, events pitting players against waves of Dark Matter enemies with the goal of being the only side left standing. Which is easier said than done. Players will encounter four types of event in both Minor and Major categories; the former lasts 20 minutes and the latter runs for 60. Extractor and Mayhem events pit players in an escalating shootout with Dark Matter forces, Obliteration tasks players with destroying an arkfall core, and the Extraction Force event pits players against the strongest of the forces that the Dark Matter troops can rally. Take a gander at the video past the break for some of the feel contained within these new events.
Defiance state of the game promises improvements
Defiance Creative Lead Trick Dempsey is in the middle of his move to Trion Worlds' Redwood Shores studio, but he's paused to take the time to write a state of the game before he changes ZIP codes. The top priority for the Defiance team is fixing weapons -- all of them. Dempsey said that the team is examining the "core balance" of all of the weapons and sorting out rarity and bonus issues. "Higher rarity weapons will always be accompanied with celebration and never disappointment," he promised. The team is also looking to tweak and improve shields, inventory, objectives, the UI, and especially the chat system. Dempsey ends his letter teasing the upcoming second DLC, the details of which he says will be coming "soon." [Thanks to Etaew for the tip!]
Perfect Ten: MMO industry moves I didn't see coming
Despite -- or more accurately, because of -- my love for video games, I would never want to work in the games industry as a developer or what have you. I think it's an industry that doesn't have a good track record of job security, sane hours, or products that you could feasibly spend years working on that might not make it to ship. But I love writing about the industry. I love the news. That's why I adore being at Massively. I also love the news because MMOs and studios constantly surprise me. Hey, maybe you're an amazing clairvoyant person who can not only predict but accurately foresee all of the jukes and twists that the industry makes. I am not. When mental superpowers were being handed out, I got "setting people on fire with a mere thought" instead of what appears to be the widespread "know it all" ability. I don't regret it. I mean, you probably already knew that I was going to post a picture of Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi being attacked by bees on the front page of Massively. But I think that the surprises are part of the fun. No matter what we've seen in the past and no matter how knowledgeable any of us is about MMOs, the strange developments keep on coming. So this week I want to list 10 stories that I really didn't see coming at all.
Trion offers up unique RIFT/Defiance crossover loot for new buyers
Trion Worlds has announced a curious new promo deal for folks who haven't yet picked up a copy of MMO-television hybrid Defiance. Purchasing a physical copy of Defiance now rewards gamers with unique loot in both it and Trion's other big online property, RIFT. Transmedia synergy, anyone? For a limited time (how limited is not mentioned in the announcement), players who buy a standard or collector's edition boxed copy of Defiance for PC, Xbox 360, or PS3 will receive a Votan Fragger weapon transmog (in Defiance) and a Ghost Hellbug mount (in RIFT). Buyers will also get $5 in RIFT store credits. It's an interesting strategy designed to pique the curiosity of current RIFT players, and it's not the first time Trion has sent Defiance's creatures into RIFT's fantasy world.
Raptr revives RIFT rewards, Defiance discount
Back in March, Trion partnered with Raptr to introduce a four-tiered reward system to help revitalize RIFT. Three months later, another reward incentive gave folks in-game armor, an exclusive mount, and a special Raptr pet. And now, it's time for another bout of rewards! Raptr has revived those very June rewards for RIFT, offering once again the armor, mount, and pet to those who join the community. The rewards, however, don't end with RIFT. Raptr has also revived the Defiance rewards (30% off the game) and added exclusive limited access to the alpha version of End of Nations. [Source: Raptr press release] [Update: Trion has let us know that part or all of this morning's press release may have been in error. Stand by for clarification from the source!]
