bonus-items
Latest
WildStar compensating players with bonus loot
The saga of WildStar's name reservation system appears to have come to a close. According to a forum post today from community manager Tony Rey, the system should be working properly now with no further issues. And while Carbine Studios can't turn back time, the studio is at least trying to offer up an olive branch to players and fans affected by the system's instabilities. Players who have pre-ordered will automatically be granted five Boom Boxes, little bonus packs of items being awarded for logging into beta that contain mounts, mount customizations, costumes, and so forth. (There's a short video past the break showing these off.) These boxes will also be awarded to any players who pre-order before 8 p.m. EDT on Friday. There's also a full technical breakdown of the issues encountered on the way for those curious about what went wrong from a technical standpoint. So you might not have gotten your first name choice reserved, but you do get an apology.
The Daily Grind: Would you re-buy a game for bonuses?
So Final Fantasy XIV has announced its relaunch date, along with another collector's edition for people to buy. I'd like to point out here that I still have the original collector's edition sitting on a shelf in my office, and it has been stated clearly that all of the digital gewgaws for the collector's edition will be awarded to people with the old version. Yet I still have to fight the urge to buy another CE anyway, because there's an art book and other physical trinkets. MMOs especially are games that you should never need to re-purchase. But sometimes you can find a game packaging something nice in with another purchase, and it almost becomes worth it to have another copy despite not needing a second account. So would you re-buy a game for new bonuses, either in-game or just bonus trinkets? Or does the very idea seem ridiculous to you? 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!
Trion offering a Defiance season pass with DLC, new species, and more
Trion has posted details on a season pass for Defiance, its MMO-meets-a-TV-show project in conjunction with SyFy. The season pass will cost players $39.99 and enable access to the game's first five DLC packs, which will include a new playable alien species, along with lots of new weapons, vehicles, missions, and other rewards. Plus, pass buyers get two bonus items: a digital Hellbug combat cap, and an extra Lock Box (which is a sealed container in the game for a chance at another item).The $39.99 is in addition to the game's initial purchase price ($59.99, or $99.99 for the deluxe edition). Defiance won't have a subscription fee, and this price is 20 percent off what the DLC will cost in total.The Defiance game will be launched on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on April 2, while the TV show will start on April 15.
Special Diablo 3 items available for Mists of Pandaria Collector's Edition buyers
The dedicated Diablo III fans at, uh, Diablofans.com have unearthed some files for the forthcoming patch 1.0.3 that reveal a few neat in-game bonuses, presumably intended for purchasers of the Mists of Pandaria Collector's Edition: A new Feat of Strength, Panda-monium, which is achieved by registering a copy of the MoP Collector's Edition. A new banner sigil and accent combo featuring a panda face and some pandaren-style linework. A pair of black demon wings, along with the string "SpecialGiftWingsBuff_name - Collectors Edition Buff." Unlike the banner options and the Feat of Strength, there's some speculation that this may not be a MoP CE reward, but the string at least raises that possibility. If you're interested in extra items, you might want to consider buying the Collector's Edition. While the details haven't been announced yet, Wowhead recently found a quilen mount and pet that may be among the in-game CE bonuses. Evil has returned! 1.2 million WoW players are getting Diablo III for free thanks to the Annual Pass. You can get prepared for the evil with WoW Insider's launch coverage. From the lore of Diablo, to the important blue posts and the basics of Diablo gameplay, we'll get you on the inside track for the return of evil.
TERA collector's edition gets unboxed
If you're a big enough fan of TERA to pre-order the collector's edition, you probably can't wait to get your hands on it and look at what's inside. But maybe you can't wait on a very literal level -- you have to see what's in that box right now. You're in luck, as the collector's edition has been unboxed by the fine folks at Curse, giving you a chance to see (if not handle) the bonus additions before the game's full launch. So what's contained therein? You probably know already if you pre-ordered: a map, a handsome box, a compass, and of course, the game itself. But there are lots of specifics to cover, like the quality of the extra little collectibles. So if you're in the literally-cannot-wait crowd, click on past the break to see what it's like to open up a new copy of the game before you can do so in real life.
Elsword Harmony Festival features time-limited bonus items
What is Elsword doing for spring break? He's going to the Harmony Festival, of course! Kill3rCombo is hosting a time-limited in-game event for its fantasy action title, and you'll want to get in on said action prior to April 4th in order to grab the bonuses and upgrades. The festival includes free costumes as well as festival pie (the latter of which is used in dungeons to recover half your hit points and remove negative status effects). The devs have also added a few new quests to the mix, and there are new thrown weapons available for use in dungeons as well. There's more, of course, so head to the official Elsword site to get the full scoop. [Source: Kill3rCombo press release]
APB now available at European retail stores
The writing may be on the wall for lovers of the physical game box, but not every company is giving up on retail altogether. GamersFirst has just announced a partnership with Iceberg Interactive to distribute APB Reloaded to brick and mortar stores across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Scandinavia. The box sells for £20 and features £30 of bonus items including a permanent hi-performance vehicle, weapon, and 30 days of premium access (which in turn provides increased cash and reputation rewards, plus a hefty discount at the cash shop). APB Reloaded is an open-world third-person shooter set in the crime-ridden streets of San Paro. The game is free-to-play, powered by the Unreal 3 Engine, and features an advanced avatar customization system that allows for personalized symbols, clothing, vehicles, and in-game music. [Source: GamersFirst press release]
APB Reloaded gets North American retail distributor
OK, remember last month when GamersFirst seemed to shoot down the notion of APB Reloaded coming to a retail shelf near you? Apparently those rumors were more than idle scuttlebutt, and senior marketing VP Rahul Sandil's statement that GamersFirst was evaluating its options was more than idle PR-speak. In a new press release issued this morning, GamersFirst revealed that it is partnering with Interactive Gaming Software to bring the massively multiplayer shooter to your local gaming store. Sandil says that "the response from retail has been so overwhelming that we are considering launching with a half-million units." What will retail customers get for their $29.95? Aside from the box and manual, the package boasts $50 worth of in-game items including a permanent high-performance vehicle, a permanent in-game weapon, and 30 days of premium account access (which grants increased mission rewards, reputation gains, and a 20% cash shop discount).
World of Tanks coming to retail in late August
Collectors rejoice! World of Tanks is coming to a retail establishment near you on August 31st. The free-to-play action MMO, which launched in April as a digital download title, will now be available as a boxed version priced at $19.99. So what's in it for consumers apart from the decidedly retro notion of owning a physical copy of a game? Quite a bit, actually, as the package includes the full game client and approximately $30 worth of in-game items including a premium account, game credits, gold, and an upgraded tank. World of Tanks has been played by over 5 million people and features historically accurate renditions of more than 150 armored vehicles from America, Germany, and the Soviet Union. The game is the first entry in Wargaming.net's action MMO trilogy, which includes World of Warplanes and World of Battleships.
Crash the Rusty Hearts beta with style with enhanced keys from Massively!
Rusty Hearts is heading into closed beta on July 27th, something that participants in our last giveaway of beta keys have no doubt zeroed in on. But we've got another batch of keys to give away just before the beta launches, and this time they're coming with a little something extra. Actually, several extras. Players who use one of the Rusty Hearts beta keys from Massively will be entitled to a special costume on the first character created -- the Night Witch costume for Angela, the Bright Uniform for Tude, or the Dark Seal outfit for Frantz. You'll also be granted a seven-day Gold Pass and a smattering of items, which should be enough to kick-start your beta experience nicely. What's that? You already took an entry from our first giveaway? Well, not to worry -- if you grabbed a previous key to the game from us, you'll still get all of the bonuses. But if you haven't yet nabbed a spot in the beta and the latest Perfect World outing interests you, maybe now would be the time to grab a code?
Gods & Heroes going worldwide on Steam this week
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is coming to Steam. The mythology-inspired MMORPG, launched yesterday by Heatwave Interactive, is now available on Valve's North American digital distribution platform and will available worldwide later this week (June 24th, to be exact). Aside from the convenience of avoiding a retail purchase, Steam customers will also receive a traditional platform-exclusive in-game item, in this case a mythical minion called a Gorpal. The Gorpal is a damage-dealing Phorcid pet that "protects players by fighting with claws and a poisonous bite," according to a Heatwave press release. Check out our Gods & Heroes launch day coverage for more on the game, and don't forget to stop by the official website as well.
Bonus item event in Final Fantasy XIV's beta
Final Fantasy XIV's open beta is only going to last until the 19th, which is just a stone's throw away. This would be worse news if not for the fact that the collector's edition of the game will be launching three days after that, meaning that the game's fans will have other things to do shortly thereafter. (The game's detractors don't really need the game to run one way or the other.) But if you'd like to take part in one last hurrah before launch, Square-Enix is hosting a special event on the newly-added Karnak and Narshe servers. All characters created on the special servers before 1:00 p.m. PDT on the 16th will have both the Onion Helm and Asuran Armguards added to their inventory. The former is the bonus for pre-ordering the collector's edition of the game, while the latter is the reward for also owning a copy of Final Fantasy XIII. It's not quite the potpourri of good news revealed from the pre-launch event yesterday, but it promises to still be a nice chance for Final Fantasy XIV beta testers to go out with a bang.
Age of Conan rolls out long-term sub bonuses
Funcom has just announced the availability of several limited-time long-term subscription offers, each of them featuring attractive in-game bonus items. The deals are broken down into 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month durations, with each option boasting additional free game time, character levels, and an owlet companion pet. The 3-month package sports 14 days of free game time, an owlet pet, and 5 free character levels. The 6- and 12-month deals add the Warlord's Cache, a treasure chest of XP buffs, food and drink buffs, and teleportation scrolls that are shared among all the characters on your account. They also add 30 and 60 days of game time, respectively, as well as 10 and 15 free character levels. The 12-month option also comes with the Wings of Power, a wearable item that grants a 10% experience boost for characters of level 40 and above. If you're thinking of playing Age of Conan long-term, check out these deals while they last, as Funcom states that they'll be gone forever as of September 30th.
Rappelz offers player prizes for logging in
There aren't as many new MMOs coming out this year, but there are still plenty of games to compete for your attention over the summer months. The team at Rappelz wants their game to be your choice for the summer, and they've devised a straightforward way to encourage it: an event you enter via logging in. No random prizes, no ornate entries, nothing but the simple procedure of logging into the game's servers for prizes. And it makes sense that it would be called "Login to Win" as a result. Running from July 7th to August 14th, the event will automatically award prizes to each character after you log in for at least an hour a week. If you log in for at least an hour for a certain number of days, you also get additional prizes, and characters who log in for a grand total of 35 hours during the promotion are eligible for a drawing from several nifty presents. It's a great way for Rappelz players to get a little added incentive -- after all, if you were planning on logging in anyway, logging in to win seems straightforward.
Fallen Earth offers a new exclusive item via Direct2Drive
Have you still not purchased Fallen Earth? Really? I mean, come on, you've been given special items everywhere you go to buy the game, you can get a discount if you're in the military, and they've just added new social features and gambling. Heck, we even had a piece about why you ought to be playing it, remember? Did all that not convince you? Well, admittedly, all of those other items were fluff and silliness, mildly useful but not exactly overwhelming. But with the latest offer, in partnership with Direct2Drive, they've brought what every apocalyptic survivor wants: brutal efficiency. No t-shirts for you, after all. Fashion is nice, but it's not as nice as a tool that gives a +6 boost to Scavenging skills, without taking up one of your valuable armor slots. Nor is it as nice as having a pair of Experience Boosts on-hand for any and all late-night grinding sessions you'd care to take part in. And if you'd like some backup out in the harsh wastelands, well, that's what the included Buddy Pass covers, letting you invite a friend to join you in Fallen Earth for a free 15-day trial. If all of this hasn't yet enticed you into the game through one of the more popular digital distributors out there, well, we don't know what it will take. Maybe even more hats.
Fallen Earth arrives on Impulse, offers more exclusive attire
If you play Fallen Earth and are resolutely dedicated to having as many unique pieces of clothing as possible for your character, you probably already have a couple extra copies from your need for faction-centric t-shirts and a really awesome hat. Add another one on to your list as the game moves on to the Impulse digital distribution store, offering two exclusive items for purchase: the Fancy White Boots and the Snazzy White Hat. It's unlikely that you'd purchase the game again just for a pair of boots and a hat, of course, but for new players these both promise to be quite the enticement. The boots are the more durable of the two, offering 31 primary armor, 20 secondary, and 10 tertiary, as well as a 3% bonus on all saving throws. The hat, on the flip side, offers about half of the armor and a bonus to the Scavenging, Nature, and Geology skills, excellent boosts for any new character. The game's array of extra items are all offering roughly the same overall bonus, but they give reason to pay attention as it spreads to different distribution methods, not to mention keeping the game fresh in people's mind. So if you haven't given Fallen Earth a try yet, perhaps the promise of some fancy white dancing shoes with matching hat will get you moving.
