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Wings Over Atreia: Class builds -- Cleric
Last week we discussed how personality influences class choice, so after some deep reflection, you have decided that it is time to reveal your true nature and be reborn as a cleric in Aion! Either that, or maybe you just wanted to solo some dungeons to horde all the loot. *cha-ching* Perhaps you already became one to impress that really cute voice in vent who is always looking for a healer. Whatever your reason, the life of servitude is for you. Now what? Welcome to Build-a-Cleric. While some Daevas are content to just play with what they get from drops or quests, a number actually want to outfit their characters the best they can. Even if leveling too quickly to worry about uber gear thanks to mentoring and an easier grind, it is never a bad idea to keep an eye on endgame. And with the plethora of manastones, armor sets, weapons, and stigmas available -- not to mention advice, both solicited and unsolicited -- it can be a daunting task to maximize your potential. So to help you wade through the possibilities, Wings Over Atreia will be exploring each class individually and highlighting popular and effective builds. With any luck, some advance knowledge will help you make informed decisions and avoid the catastrophes of expending all of your energies in obtaining the wrong gear for your needs. Nothing shouts broke like having to re-socket entire sets or enchant new ones! Roll up your sleeves and explore various builds for Aion's Cleric class after the cut.
Darkfall dev blog talks armor system updates, roles, and PvP viability
The latest Darkfall dev blog update has an interesting new Q&A session dealing with the game's armor system (and ongoing attempts to balance it). Aventurine devs collected a sampling of related questions from users on the sandbox title's official forum, and Tasos Flambouras has a pretty lengthy list of answers that should be of interest to Agonian veterans and newbs alike. Aventurine's goals for the upcoming revamp are threefold: more diversity in terms of the number of combat roles available to the player, a reduction of the time it takes to become viable in PvP, and retaining the ability for players to freely select, combine, and change roles at any time. Flambouras also spends a bit of time explaining Aventurine's stance on Darkfall physics, particularly bunny-hopping. "It's a fun way of using physics," he says, "but we never intended for players on foot to be able to keep up with mounts." Head to the official Darkfall website to see the changes coming to Agon in the near future.
Patch 4.2: Crystallized Firestone makes gear heroic
The folks at Wowhead News have found a very interesting new vendor outside of patch 4.2's Firelands raid. Lurah Wrathvine, who is also riding on a Flameward Hippogryph for maximum pizzazz, will upgrade various normal tier 12 raid and valor point gear for the low, low price of a Crystallized Firestone. This is an item that drops off of the bosses therein when they are killed on heroic difficulty. What's interesting about this system is that it affects items that don't even drop in the Firelands, especially the difficult-to-upgrade relics like the Hardheart Relic that makes my shaman scream "Me want!" like a caveman. Since relics are usually a valor point purchase, this makes them difficult (if not impossible) to upgrade, in comparison to other items. In general, this whole system is currently only in place to upgrade 21 items, but with some of those items being weapons or armor pieces, we may see more soon. It makes me remember Sunmotes and the Sunwell Plateau's exchange system. Crystallized Firestone definitely seems like the next iteration. Also new on the test realms: The Avengers of Hyjal have a new strength DPS trinket. Looks like new itemization is being implemented as we speak. The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!
Lost Pages of Taborea: Tinkering with standard classes and my Priest/Rogue
Aside from some ancillary problems, one of the things I love so much about Runes of Magic is that it gives me ability to augment weapons and equipment via the arcane transmutor. When that is coupled with a dual-class system, players are given a lot of room to bend traditional classes to their wills. I've been running a Priest/Rogue for a while now and loving it. The selection of offensive spells, the Rogue's skills, and the weapons I can wield have me wanting to push the boundaries of typical class specifications. I'm building a hammer-wielding Priest that's specced much like I'd spec a Mage, but the class can also pump out adequate melee damage. In this week's Lost Pages of Taborea, I want to give you a run-down of the gear, weapons, and stats I'm choosing. It should serve as a good guide to some unique possibilities for classes in RoM.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Whatever shall I wear?
Every now and again I'm fond of revisiting the basics of Guild Wars here in Flameseeker Chronicles. This usually happens for one of two reasons: newer players have given me some ideas on things that are universally confusing or there's a lack of new Guild Wars 2 news. Well, the Engineer topic has bypassed "beating a dead horse" and is rapidly approaching "beating a small smear of glue," and Justin Olivetti is playing Guild Wars in earnest again. What does that last thing have to do with the price of tea in Cantha, you ask? Follow along after the jump and we'll find out!
Aion Brigade General armor and weapons detailed in new video
The 2.5 update has brought quite a bit of new content to Aion. Whether we're talking about the new Esoterrace or Empyrean Crucible instances, new pets and related functionality, or the new mentoring mechanics, heretofore bored high-level Daevas now have a lot of new stuff to occupy their time. Aion's latest patch also features some new gear carrots to chase, and these take the form of the game's first eternal grade PvP weapons and armor. The Brigade General's weapons and armor set is basically the best there is, with stats that top the Primus Pilus set's stats and that go a long way toward making your Daeva indestructible. So put your nose to the Abyss Point grindstone and get your god-like armor, but not before you take a look at the new video after the cut. It shows all the class-based Brigade General sets as well as a bit of action footage.
Age of Conan's Morrison talks Savage Coast dungeons and gear
Interested in learning more about Age of Conan's newly minted Savage Coast of Turan adventure pack? Eurogamer recently talked to Funcom game director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison about everything from the marketing opportunities represented by the upcoming Conan film to specifics on the new tie-in content. Morrison riffs on new instances, both the solo and group variety, including an encounter with pirates called Dead Man's Hand and another tryst based on the Island of Iron Statues from the original Robert E. Howard lore. There's also a new raid in the Temple of Elric that features Ela-Shan, a master thief whom Jason Momoa's Conan encounters in the new film. Still want more? How about a new epic quest line and various loot upgrades? The drops from the team instances will be "slightly more powerful than the rewards we give for max-level content in Godslayer," Morrison explains. He also drops a hint about the adventure pack's new armor. "You can't go into an area like Turan and have that magnificent Persian theme without bringing in new armor sets." Despite the high-level nature of some of the drops, it appears that much of the Savage Coast content is aimed at players around level 50. Head to Eurogamer for more.
Funcom prepping new Age of Conan adventure pack inspired by film reboot
It looks like rumors of new film-related content for Age of Conan were pretty accurate, as Funcom has officially announced The Savage Coast of Turan adventure pack for its fantasy MMORPG. According to a new press release, the pack "includes but is not limited to" content from the forthcoming Conan the Barbarian film reboot and will see players traveling to the lands of Turan some 20 years after the events of the movie. Players will explore the city of Ardashir and take on new quests, encounters, raids, and dungeons, all inspired by the film and on display in the recently released Conan trailer. Conan the Barbarian debuts August 19th, and while there is no firm release date for The Savage Coast of Turan, film producer Fredrik Malmberg says that fans will appreciate the synergy between the movie and Funcom's MMORPG. "Many of the concepts, locations, and designs from the game development were utilized by the film team for consistency," he said. Check out our AoC gallery below for a glimpse of some Ardashir concept art that includes new Turanian armor. %Gallery-9836%
The path of the Dark Side: The Old Republic shows Sith Warrior progression
Can't wait until Star Wars: The Old Republic comes out so you can get your Darth Vader or Darth Malak on? BioWare's here to help with a tantalizing new video that shows the progression of a Sith Warrior in TOR. While the Sith Warrior begins as an unskilled neophyte with a lightsaber substitute, he soon grows in power and chooses one of two advanced classes: the Sith Marauder or Sith Juggernaut. The video shows off a range of each class' skills from stealth attacks to lightsaber flinging. The Sith Warrior's not about a subtle appearance, of course; both advanced classes are shown wearing truly wicked-looking armor and intimidating masks. If you want even more TOR news, take a look at the new dev blog from lead UI artist Michael Voigt, all about designing the UI for the game. You can check out the Sith Warrior in all his glory after the jump!
Aion adds Lineage II armor microtransaction items
Long-time fans of NCsoft MMOs are no doubt aware of the visual similarities between Aion and Lineage II. Sure, Aion is quite a bit newer and shinier, but it's easy to see influences from the earlier title if you know where to look. Take the level 30 Elyos Daeva armor for example. The set looks suspiciously like an updated version of L2's Blue Wolf armor, right down to the skin-tight leggings and the white boots. Today, NCsoft has announced a cash shop promotion designed to capitalize on the seven-year anniversary of L2 and intermingle the two titles even further. Players are now able to purchase skins inspired by Lineage II's dynasty armor for use on their Aion avatars. The dynasty skins also mark the first set of armor appearance items that aren't restricted by a player's armor proficiency (i.e., if you want to put the dynasty plate set on your cloth-wearing Sorceror, you can). The skins are available via NCsoft's microtransaction store and will only be available for a limited time according to the official website.
BioWare releases Jedi armor progression video
Due to what could be considered a lack of hard info on everyone's favorite Star Wars archetype, BioWare has had many fans crying out in terror. Today, said fans were suddenly silenced, though not because something terrible has happened. On the contrary, the traditional Star Wars: The Old Republic Friday update brings us a breathless look at glowstick-powered combat footage courtesy of the new Jedi Knight armor progression trailer. The clip runs a smidge over two minutes and features ample opportunity to feast our eyes on various animations, attacks, and of course armor sets and outfits. There's no voiceover, and those of us who haven't played the game at the various cons may not know exactly what we're looking at, but it nonetheless looks (and sounds) pretty cool. Don't take our word for it, though, see for yourself after the cut.
World of Tanks Clan Wars signups begin
Since our GDC sit-down with Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi, we've been quite anxious to get our hands on the World of Tanks Clan Wars mechanic. Happily, the system is just about ready for prime time, and the company has put out a press release announcing official clan signups for both European and North American servers. The Clan Wars action takes place on a global map that is divided into several provinces. Each province features its own particular revenue stream, and Wargaming.net intends for hundreds of clans to duke it out for territorial control rights. Clan Wars will also feature economic and diplomatic systems, making it an entirely new play option for fans of World War II-based armored conflict. "Clan Wars is not just a new game mode, but rather a separate gameplay layer or meta-game designed to provide years of fun and action for those fond of strategic thinking, politics, alliances, and intrigue," Kislyi explains.
Mega Hurtz paintball robot is the remote-controlled, armor-plated tank you always wanted (video)
For whatever reason, the paths of paintball and robotics development have tended to converge. Latest in maintaining this fine tradition is the Mega Hurtz drone you see above, designed by a chap named Chris Rogers. It features a reconfigurable weapon platform -- so yes, you can spruce it up into a modern-day ED-209 -- equipped with a night-vision camera, a thermal imaging camera, and a laser scope. The paintball gun Chris has installed on the Mega Hurtz can rip through 20 rounds each second and tilt both vertically and horizontally for more refined aiming. It comes with a remote control feeding video of what the drone sees to the user, so all you'll really need to dominate your next wargame with the Mega Hurtz will be a generous helping of ruthlessness. Video after the break.
Wings Over Atreia: Never put off until tomorrow a daily for today!
Chances are, if you have spent any time in Atreia since the release of Aion's 1.9 patch, you have been participating in daily quests. If, however, you have been living under the same rock as I have (it's plenty roomy here, really), then you either don't know what I am talking about, put it off, or just never put much thought into it, period. Personally, I kept thinking, "I'll get to it in a bit," but never actually got to it. After all, there is quite a bit to do already in Aion, and my days were pretty full. I admit that I didn't even really know why I should put my time into them. After some cajoling from a shocked legionmate who insisted I was sorely missing out, I finally cracked down and got started. Boy, have I been missing out! The daily quest is a new(er) system that rewards players for completing a task with special tokens along with XP. These tokens are then exchanged for special items, including titles, gear, AP items, godstones, and even special pets. In many cases, these quests can be completed in just a few minutes each day. Sure, it takes some time to save up for the rewards, but it wasn't nearly as arduous as I had initially thought. If you haven't started on daily quests, want a few hints on maximizing your token earning potential, or just want to laugh at me for taking so long to jump on the bandwagon, jump past the cut and see why daily quests are well worth the time and effort. Trust me, you want to get started today!
Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Heiron
Or should l say world boss tour? Not counting the bosses at the ends of instances or campaigns, these are the baddest of the baddies, the top tier of PvE opponents. Some are beyond huge and make your heart stop the first time you stumble upon them; others are just average and innocuous-looking yet can wipe the floor with you when they sneeze. As vicious and imposing as they are, they often hold the most coveted loot. Not only is the loot sought after by just about every Daeva and his daggie, but these behemoths only spawn randomly. In order to even have the chance to defeat them (and thereby snag the gold goodies), you must have a fair bit of luck to catch them when they are active and roaming the lands. That, and find them when they aren't being camped by others who also want those same goodies. So where are these bosses and how can you get your wings on them (or avoid them, as the case may be)? Whether you want to sneak a peek at one of these mega-mobs without getting eaten or you want to strategize a way to defeat them and hoard some loot, Wings Over Atreia will introduce you to the highest-level named mobs in Atreia for your oggling or slicing-and-dicing pleasure. Today begins a series of articles highlighting the who, where, what, and even some how of Aion's world bosses. Glide on past the cut to delve into the world bosses in Heiron.
World of Tanks open beta starts January 27th
Ladies and gentlemen, start your tank engines. World of Tanks is officially rolling towards release, and Wargaming.net has just announced that open beta will kick off on January 27th. The World War II-based heavy armor MMO has been undergoing closed beta for the past six months, and the devs have decided that after 260,000 players (20,000 of them concurrent) and 40 million bombed-out vehicles, it's high time to kick the tires and light the fires. "We've been very pleased to get such a response from our players, that means the direction we are moving in goes in line with the views of our community," says CEO Victor Kislyi. World of Tanks features upwards of 150 authentic American, German, and Russian vehicles, all designed for action-packed 15 vs. 15 battles featuring a mixture of action, strategy, and simulation. You can learn more at the official site as well as sign up for the beta.
The Anvil of Crom: Breaking down the Khitai grind, part one
So I'm attacking the endgame faction grind with renewed vigor. After spending the past couple of months thoroughly engaged in Darkfall and somewhat distracted by Global Agenda, I have to confess to (formerly) being less than enthusiastic about Khitai repeatables, marks of acclaim, and 6-man pick up groups in Age of Conan. Time away from Hyboria (or at least, less time in Hyboria) makes a man yearn to return, though, as there is no place in MMO land that compares in terms of sights and sounds. That said, I'm still not a fan of the grind, and I still think Funcom needs to address the fact that it takes the average player months -- if he's lucky -- to get a full suit of Khitai armor (never mind jewelry and a couple of weapons). It does seem a bit less daunting when you break it down into chunks, though, and when you set yourself a reasonable goal and stop worrying about if or when you'll ever have time to play an alt.
BAE Systems develops e-ink camo for tanks and war zone e-readers
BAE Systems, long known for its wargadgets that blind and obfuscate, has recently announced that it is developing an e-ink camouflage system that displays images on the side of a vehicle which reflect the environment -- and which change in real time. This is well-suited for areas such as those found in Afghanistan, where terrain can vary from plain ol' desert beige to a lively and vibrant green, and -- provided it doesn't break down in the desert sand -- probably seems a lot more convincing than paint on metal. (We also wonder if this technology will work on cocktail dresses.) The company hopes to have a prototype within four years, while for our part we hope to have our troops out of the region in much less time than that.
Third Final Fantasy XIV notorious monster previewed
Zanig'oh is a monster. Not really by his own decision, as he was bred to be a biological weapon, further augmented by alchemical arts and powerful warding runes etched into his scales. But as far as Final Fantasy XIV players will be concerned, he's still the sort of monster that needs to be put down as fast as possible. After all, he's the third notorious monster previewed by the development team, and he drops the runestones that are already known to be the key to powerful armor sets. That means it's drake-hunting season once the December update arrives. This newest preview also contains the third set available from the allagan runestones, with this set suited toward the more lightly-armored disciples of war. With a strong pirate theme, the set is heavy on evasion, thus making it ideal for players who prefer a more nimble playstyle. We're also promised further previews of the non-levequest notorious monsters, something that should entice Final Fantasy XIV players with the prospect of more rewards and challenges in the wilds of Eorzea. After drake-hunting season is over, anyway.
Breakfast Topic: Not my rainbow gear!
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Blizzard attempted to change the leveling process on many fronts -- easier XP, quests for dungeons at the beginning of said dungeon, and better quest flow. One of the more lively changes was quest loot being given more useful stats -- and more importantly, being made part of an overall more "matching" set. This meant that people who predominantly quest will find themselves looking put together, rather than wearing whatever scraps of material they roll over while trying to collect 20 bear bottoms. The sets may not always work with random "- of the X" drops, but overall, they look nicer and have a easily identifiable style and color scheme. I'm quite impressed with this change. The strange mish-mash of leveling gear from questing was not only hideous to look at, it never matched and often had really terrible models with garish textures. The new questing gear looks regal and not prone to as much strange skin-baring, either. It looks like you're moving up the ranks of badassery as you are leveling up. This is a good feature! For those who are more inclined to roleplay, it gives you access to some easy outfits that you can wear around Stormwind or Ogrimmar and look trendy. While I know this trend is going to stop dead in its tracks at Outland (which I will overcome by putting my heirloom gear back on), it is fun to see it present in the Azeroth leveling experience and further on in Cataclysm content. Are you happy about this change, or do you feel that the garish clown vomit outfits of years past were essential to people's game before the level cap? %Poll-56538%
