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ArcheAge lore series sets the tone for the game
A fourth and final part of ArcheAge's lore series that's been posted today gives an epilogue of the backstory while providing the launching pad for players' future journeys. The story concerns a battle between 12 heroes and Kyrios, the god of death. The battle results in several companions dead, an entire continent wiped out, and a mixed, perhaps non-existent victory. "The future is uncertain," the lore series proclaims. "While others linger in the legends, in blissful memories where time can stand still, I like to imagine new heroes will be born. Heroes who will rewrite our mistakes, find those we left behind, and steer us to a brighter age." You can read parts I through IV of Gods and Heroes on the official site.
The Mog Log: A couple of days in Final Fantasy XIV's patch 2.2
After a couple of weeks of a break from Final Fantasy XIV, I happily patched up and got back into the mix on Thursday evening. Unfortunately, I'm writing this up on Sunday morning, and honestly there's too much for me to have a firm grasp upon the entirety of it after three days. Due to schedule weirdness, I haven't even finished my usual dungeon diving. There's a whole lot to see, and I've been able to get only a top-level overview. That having been said, I've assembled a nice new outfit via Glamours, I've tired the most brand-spanking-new dungeon, I've started in on questing, and I've submitted myself to challenges. I don't think I love this patch quite as much as its predecessor, partly since this one is more heavily focused upon the endgame portion I'm not fond of, but there's still a lot of great stuff buried in there and plenty of elements to love.
Heroes of the Storm shows off Tyrael
You remember Tyrael, right? Tall guy? He was in your class in high school? Glowing wings coming out of his back, divine embodiment of justice, enjoyed smiting evil? He was in Diablo III, remember? Anyway, he's got a new gig; he's showing up in Heroes of the Storm now. Yeah, still doing what he loves, slicing up demons. You do what you're good at, right? The trailer showing off Tyrael doesn't offer a picture of how he'll play but does serve as a nifty little glimpse into how the game will both look and feel. You can check the trailer out just past the cut if you haven't gotten enough Diablo III action already with the expansion release.
Why I Play: Star Trek Online
I always feel like explaining my desire to play Star Trek Online can be summed up quite simply with eight words. "Space -- the final frontier. These are the voyages..." It sounds corny, but it's true. My various natterings on the site have covered a lot of settings for which I have no real affection, but Star Trek is different. It's been a fixed point for me since I was around seven years old. It's a setting I have an immense fondness for, something I've been invested in for most of my life. Really, the thing that amazes me is that I manage to take time away from Star Trek Online. But loving the name on the box would only take me so far if the game were a big steaming pile. Every time I go back to the game, even though I have complaints here and there, I fall back in love with the game as a whole all over again. It's not perfect, but it's amazingly well-done.
Path of Exile previews its first mini-expansion, Sacrifice of the Vaal
The first mini-expansion for Path of Exile is coming out on March 5th, and it's meant to be a big one. This isn't supposed to just improve and expand the core game but to set the pace for the game's upcoming update structure and future expansions. So today is serving as the first preview of the update, teasing the lore behind Sacrifice of the Vaal as well as outlining the future reveals. Players will be set against Queen Atziri and the Vaal corruption she has spread throughout the land, as they try to harvest these malicious powers for their own ultimate ends. It's also hinted that players may have to sacrifice before the expansion is over if they want to put down this threat. The development team is hoping that Sacrifice of the Vaal will be the start of a four-month update schedule for the game, so players should keep their eyes peeled -- more reveals are coming before the March 5th launch date.
Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials
Some of the early story threads from Defiance's launch haven't been addressed. The nature of the Biodyne Project and control of the Earth Republic are both questions with no answer, but that's all changing in March with the release of the game's next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials. Players will explore three new quest lines involving members of Von Bach Industries, leading to events that see both the revival of Biodyne and a look at the power gaining strength behind the scenes of the Earth Republic. The DLC content isn't limited to story developments, though. Players will also be taking on new four-person challenges in which a group of hunters struggle to reach the end of a course, killing and progressing as quickly as possible. And raw damage isn't all that matters; teamwork and coordination will play a major role in clearing the end. Gunslinger Trials is planned for release in March, so get your trigger fingers ready if this sounds like your sort of fun.
WildStar previews upcoming adventures
It's fortunate for adventurers on Nexus that they won't be alone. And that's not just a matter of their faction; no, they'll have a little help from the Caretaker, a sentient AI left behind by the Eldan. Yes, he may have been waiting just a little while to deal with another sentient life form, but he's certainly not bitter about untold centuries of complete neglect without any word or even so much as a steady stream of information. So when you meet him in WildStar, why not let him take you on an adventure? The latest WildStar teaser is just past the break, and it hints at how adventures will work -- players will be put into a virtual construct wherein they can choose how to proceed, with consequences depending on which choices are made. They're also replayable, allowing groups to go back through and try different choices on the second time around. Click on past the break to let the Caretaker explain it in his own words... but you might want to sit a little further back from your monitor. He's a bit on edge. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's story post-2.1
Something kind of surprising happened in Final Fantasy XIV's first major patch: The story kept chugging along quite coherently. And not just through the main story quests, either. Yes, the primary focus was obviously there, but there were a lot of things taking place, wheels within wheels, building on the narratives established in 1.0 and seriously working toward the next major set of events rather than simply being a set of padding. I should warn readers, once again, that there will be spoilers for the game's story below. That includes both the patch story material and the main story from the core game. If you haven't finished the main story and unlocked the Crystal Tower yet, you may want to stay away. Or you can just read on ahead and be spoiled. I'm not going to tell you how you should enjoy your game stories. You should also finish the Hildibrand storyline, although I'm not spoiling that; it's just amusing.
The Mog Log: Making nice with beastmen in Final Fantasy XIV
I'm going to type a couple of words at the end of this paragraph, and I really need everyone reading to keep it together. I know these two words are frightening, believe me. But if you can just take a deep breath, I promise you it's all right. Ready? Here they are: daily quests. No, I -- sir, please put down the torch. Ma'am, stop eating your chair. That's not the exit; that's the window, and we're two stories up, and -- well, that went about as well as I had expected. Most of you are just shaking and silently screaming. While I'm definitely in the minority in terms of liking daily quests, that's mostly insofar as I don't find them vile anti-hope toxins. (I also was not around for the launch of Mists of Pandaria.) The addition of beast tribe dailies in Final Fantasy XIV might not set some people on fire. But the way these quests are handled not only is pretty darn good but might actually appeal even if you're one of the people fleeing in horror at the very mention of dailies.
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Exiles of WildStar
It's a truism you can see in literally any project you undertake: As a project wears on, standards for success slip lower and lower. The Exiles of WildStar have seen their major project go on for a very long time now. It started with Brightland's rebellious activities, yes, but at the time, those were actions of protest. That was a long time ago now, down what seems like an almost unfathomably far road. The Exiles of today certainly aren't fighting to reverse policies or change the Dominion; they're fighting for a home. We're introduced to the game's setting as a conflict between two opposing factions, but let's not mince words. The heart of the conflict has been over for a very long time now. The Exiles lost. What players will be jumping into is not the latest part of an ongoing struggle but the last stand of one faction that survives partly on the simple ignorance of its greatest enemy.
Another stretch goal hit for The Repopulation, another short story chapter posted
The second Kickstarter for The Repopulation is humming along at a decent clip at this point. It's already met its target goal, and now it's just a matter of smashing down stretch goals. The latest mark has funded the addition of calprate mounts to the game; they're the vaguely deer-goat-thing displayed in the header image, for the record. Except that one doesn't have a player-shaped bit of cargo on its back. Baby steps. In addition to looking forward future stretch goals, the team is also posting chapters of a short story to the official website. Chapter 4 of "Evening Star" is available to read now, detailing more of the world and feel of The Repopulation for existing backers and potential future backers. Or just people in need of a science fiction story to read on a Friday afternoon -- they're welcome as well.
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Cassians of WildStar
Imagine, for a moment, that your self-esteem has been validated completely by an external force. In fact, let's turn that up a little more -- let's say it's been validated by every single person you've ever idolized. Imagine that they all showed up at your front door and said you were awesome and that if you would just give them your cat, you would be granted a marvelous dominion over everything. First of all, it would be time to say goodbye to the cat. Second, it would mean that from that moment on, your future actions would all be entirely validated no matter what you did. Seriously, how could it ever be otherwise? Every authority you respect came around to tell you that you are supremely awesome, and you are apparently the last person any of them talked to. This should give you the barest hint of what it's like to be one of the Cassians in WildStar. You are born into greatness, into a legacy of being the greatest thing ever, and you don't just have to live up to that legacy -- you have to outdo it.
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Aurin of WildStar
The Aurin aren't the same as their allies in WildStar. The humans are still fighting a long, lonely war against the Dominion for slights that were so long ago the Dominion has likely forgotten about them. The Granok persist in their fight out of a dogged need to make their exile from the homeworld seem palatable. And the Mordesh have a long history of loathing to go along with being undead monstrosities, for which they (somewhat unfairly) blame the Dominion. But the Aurin? They aren't fighting for anything. They were dragged into this war by humans, propelled by a promise that grows ever more unlikely in its potential fulfillment. All that the Aurin wished to do was help people in obvious need, and their thanks -- and ultimate reward -- seems to trap them in an endless cycle of violence in which they're not naturally inclined to participate. In some ways, they're the most victimized race of the Exiles because they're limited by not just the Dominion but their fellow faction-mates.
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Chua of WildStar
Last week I proposed a theory about two of the game's races, one of them being the Mordesh. That theory, in case you didn't catch it (and it wasn't stated outright anyway) proposed that WildStar's dirty little secret races are that way in part because they say something about their home fashion. The Mordesh serve as a reminder that the Exiles are not, in fact, purely heroic figures struggling against insurmountable oppression. They're just as culpable as the Dominion in places, and they do not like thinking about that. So what about the Chua? What do they remind the Dominion of, aside from the ironclad law that every single MMO has to have one token short race? The Chua hit that button pretty hard. Just like Gnomes or Asura or Lalafells or countless other races that fall into the same role, they're a short and smart race known to be full of energy with an affection for technology, magic, and the usual assortment of things smart people like. The biggest difference is that WildStar's short race is both furry and insane.
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Mordesh of WildStar
No single race in WildStar has less to lose than the Mordesh. And no one has more to lose, at that. The simplest way of explaining the Mordesh is that they are the dirty little secret of the Exiles as a whole. They're the assassins, the pressure, the people who don't worry about doing something awful when it absolutely needs to be done. For all that the Exiles want to think of themselves as the good guys unfairly set upon by the Dominion, the Mordesh are the subtle reminder that there are no good guys -- there are just people. But that's not the whole of it. Unlike when I discussed the Granok, the Mordesh aren't just in this to bloody the Dominion's nose as much as possible. No, they've got all of their chips in this part of the game. And to understand why, we're going to need to zoom out a little bit and take a look at what got the Mordesh to their current position first.
Lightning strikes Final Fantasy XIV on Thursday
It's been previewed, it's been discussed, and now it's starting. From Thursday onward, Lightning of Final Fantasy XIII will be arriving in Final Fantasy XIV, offering characters a set of cosmetic armor and weapons straight out of the former game. If you've been wondering exactly how the crossover is going to make any sort of sense with the lore of either game, that's when you can start finding out one way or the other. The full series of quests will be released in stages; the second quest in the chain will be added on November 16th, the third on the 18th, and the final quest on the 20th. All of the quests will be available until December 9th, with a repeat engagement already scheduled for February of next year when Lightning Returns launches in North America. It's also worth noting that everyone who clears the first quest will be able to unlock a special hairstyle when patch 2.1 arrives, so lovers of cosmetic equipment and hairdos alike will want to be in the game on Thursday.
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Draken of WildStar
Let me open this third column about the racial lore behind WildStar with a simple statement: The Draken are relentless hunters, stalkers, and combat monsters. Unlike the last two columns, this one will not suggest in any way that this is not what they are. I know the past two have raised some questions regarding the nature of the races compared to how they are presented, but the Draken are exactly what they suggest they are collectively. That doesn't mean there's nothing more to be said or understood. The Draken are an old acquisition of the Dominion, one of the first member races afforded some degree of respect by the Cassians. And however cut-and-dried that might seem, I think there's a lot more going on beneath the surface.
Star Trek Online highlights its latest featured episode in a new trailer
Star Trek Online players have had to wait a little while for the next featured episode, but the wait is finally over. A new video is available to show off the start of the next episode, Sphere of Influence. It all starts on New Romulus as the Republic tries to activate a newly discovered Iconian gateway... a project that leads to a massive earthquake, trapping the players and others underground with no avenue of escape. Except, you know, the mysterious gateway that could lead almost anywhere. What follows next is less clear, but it involves players taking the controls of an ancient starship and joining up with both Klingons and the Federation to fight off some new opponents. It's the sort of exploration, danger, and adventure that you'd expect from a featured episode, in short. We have the video embedded for you past the cut.
The Daily Grind: What does it take to get you into a fantasy MMO?
Fantasy MMOs are everywhere. We're surrounded by them. The biggest subscription MMO currently out is fantasy, most of its peers are fantasy, and the safe assumption with any new game is that it's going to be a fantasy game. The total number of elves across all games would outnumber the population of Luxembourg. And with so many games drawing upon the same basic tropes, anyone in the world could be forgiven for not immediately jumping on a new game simply because it promises orcs and elves. Some games manage to take the fantasy conventions and push them quite far afield, either by viewing them through a separate cultural lens (Final Fantasy XIV and TERA spring to mind) or by moving the basic conventions in another direction (Allods Online and Guild Wars 2, for instance). But what does it take to get you into a fantasy MMO? Do you need a game that's so interesting you don't care about the setting? A truly original take on the setting? Some combination of both? Or do you just flee fantasy altogether? 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!
The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Granok of WildStar
The Granok are the polar opposite of the Mechari. Where the latter are covered in mysteries and elements that don't make a whole lot of sense without invoking conspiracies, the former is a race that you can pretty much understand as soon as you see a trailer involving the race. They're rock people who like to fight things and probably blow stuff up, and they don't really need a whole lot in the way of subtlety. Discussion over. Enjoy WildStar's boisterous bruisers. Heck, the Granok are more Exiles by practice than anything. The Granok that we know aren't lending their support to the Exiles for nothing; these are mercenaries by trade, first and foremost. At a glance, you could easily see these men and women fighting alongside whichever of the two factions paid better. They certainly don't care about Nexus in particular. But they do care about a lot more than beer and a good scrap, and when you understand the race a bit more, that punch-drunk attitude starts to look a little thin.
