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Funcom teases new Age of Conan group dungeons
The city of Paikang is getting a bit of an update in the next few weeks, and players of Funcom's Age of Conan should be pleased to note that the Imperial capital will soon be the home of two new level-80 instances. The dungeons are designed for elite groups and take place in two outdoor zones that were recently profiled at MMORPG.com. The Ai District features an expansive playfield along with two "set-piece" boss encounters and "the odd secret to be revealed from careful investigation." The Tian'an District is quite different in that it features six boss fights as well as a race against the clock to clear them all. Funcom has deliberately elevated the challenge level in this district, and Tian'an will reportedly require a skilled (and coordinated) group to claim its rewards. While Funcom hasn't revealed those rewards in detail, it has hinted that they will be on par with the existing Kara Korum dungeon drops.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Looking for groups
Like some of you, I feel that RIFT's Update 1.2 can't get here soon enough. A good content update, in my opinion, has a little something for everyone, and in talking with Trion Worlds last week, I definitely got that feeling from this patch. The team is catering to endgame players with Slivers, build-enthusiasts with a fifth role, rift-runners with new types of dynamic events, and people who aren't content to merely spam my Twitter feed with accomplishments but must now do so from inside Facebook as well. I'd be lying if I said I'm not planning on spending huge amounts of time assembling dashing and fashionable outfits for my characters once the wardrobe is in the game, too. I'm all about outfits in Lord of the Rings Online, so it's great to see RIFT bring this type of system into the game (unlike some other stubborn studios, which shall remain nameless). Players like to feel powerful while looking incredible, and this outfit system will hopefully allay some of the complaints of similar-looking toons. Above all this in Update 1.2 towers one of the biggest changes to the game yet: the Looking for Group (LFG) tool. Designed to assemble teams of players to tackle dungeons and group quests, the LFG tool will certainly change how we play RIFT. Will it be a good change or bad? That's the $1,000,000 question, which I will tackle after these brief messages, by which I mean, "after the jump."
Fight through five new dungeons in 2029 Online
IGG is pretty excited to show off five new dungeons for 2029 Online, each with its own unique layout, strategies, and (of course) groovy rewards. The company boasts that players will need to utilize a variety of skills, such as decryption and treasure hunting, just to make it out alive. The following dungeons will challenge a wide range of 2029 Online players: Clone Factory (level 10): An once-per-day instance where monsters spawn in increasingly tougher waves. Virtual Training Center (level 20): A sink-or-swim scenario that will have you facing off against mutants who've infested a special training center for adventurers. Lab (level 35): Head into the Rebel Army laboratory to destroy nefarious experiments. Biochemistry Research Institute (level 35): Take on the Rebel Army once again in the middle of its mountain fortress. This time you'll be facing off against gruesome experiments designed to make the perfect soldier. Fox Ruins (level 55): Take the battle to the Rebel Army by attacking its energy storage facility, guarded by the toughest enemies it can throw at you. You can get a peek at of some of these instances in the gallery below!%Gallery-122291%
Alter-Ego: An overview of the trinity in DC Universe Online
In DC Universe Online, all of the different powersets can pump out DPS -- however, the trinity is alive and well even in this superhero game. Thankfully, due to the way the powers are designed, our ability to stack effects, and the heavy utilization of combos, grouping or raiding in DC Universe Online doesn't generally feel like you're stuck simply mashing buttons. If you get in with a regular group, you'll learn the ways you can play your powers off each other using synergy, thereby adding an entirely new level of awareness to encounters. Unfortunately, endgame isn't just about going into an instance and unleashing everyone's max damage to tear through the place. While all characters can do damage in DC Universe Online, roles are still vitally important for group PvE and endgame content. As a preamble to a series that will look at builds for each role in the game and what they can bring to the table, I thought it would be a good idea to take this first week to look at which powersets go with the roles players use in endgame. Join me behind the break as I break it all down for those who are new to the game or perhaps are looking for a refresher.
Runes of Magic celebrates its second birthday
Happy birthday, Runes of Magic! Two years have gone by, and you're growing up so fast. Anniversary celebrations are already underway in RoM. If your account has been lying dormant, you may want to wake it up, join the festivities, and get some free goodies while you're at it. For me, these two years flew by. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I wrote a look back at the first year of RoM. In two years, RoM has seen three major updates, and a fourth is just around the corner. The first two chapters made it into the first year, and although Chapter 4 didn't quite make it into this article, chapter 3 brought a whopping amount of content and features. If your extra ginger beer isn't cutting it anymore and you're feeling brave, move on up by grabbing a bottle of Blenhiem's old #5 and join me for a look back at the last year of RoM.
The Road to Mordor: Echo... echo... echo...
Last night before I drifted off to sleep, I was idly wondering what it would be like to actually live in Middle-earth. Apart from the extremely high mortality rate due to wandering wolves, bold bandits, and orchestrating orcs, it might be a pretty excellent place to dwell, as long as one didn't mind a lack of Wi-Fi and Starbucks. I think Hobbit pies and Dwarf ale would be an acceptable substitute. Next week our virtual world will grow a bit in girth and depth with the Echoes of the Dead update. When all is patched and done, it'll be a truly big update containing meaty piles of content to devour. I think many of us are still scrutinizing Turbine as we go through this first year after the free-to-play switch, watching to see whether all of this additional revenue will be pumped back into the game or not. Echoes of the Dead marks the second post-F2P update for Lord of the Rings Online, following last November's Journey to Winter-home, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with just how much is being served up this time around. So in anticipation of the patch, let's walk through the major features of LotRO's latest update and see whether it was worth the wait!
Wings Over Atreia: Anticipation, part deux
A bonding experience. Love ya man, really. Last week's article seems to have struck a nerve. I feel like I know more of you now on a more personal level. And that's not just because I skulk around Atreia spying! The thoughts and comments you have shared have reaffirmed how universal our experiences are; what we think is a slightly unique situation is really just like so many others (OK, maybe not the legionmate who walks around in a duck suit, but others). You know the saying "You are unique dear, just like everyone else." Whether we have Black wings or white, whether we're a PvPer or even a carebear, many of our hopes for Aion are really quite similar. But I digress. As promised, this week I continue with my happy rave (it's better than a rant, yes?) about some of the treats promised us in the upcoming 2.5 patch. And just like I would with a proper dessert, I saved the best for last. Or at least my favorite! This week, we look more in-depth at additional pets, additional instances, and additions to legions. Relive that yearning experienced when anticipating Christmas mornings of yore and join me past the cut to sneak a peek at our hopefully-soon-to-be unwrapped update goodies for Aion.
Double XP returning to Aion, kicks off February 23rd
Every day is a good day for double XP, particularly in grind-heavy games like NCsoft's Aion. Even though players of the Korean import enjoyed a week of bonus experience just recently, the powers-that-be are turning a benevolent eye towards Daevas yet again. In addition to the progression double dip, Aion will feature a Gateway Getaway event that will enable players to enter instances regardless of faction fort ownership. If you've been unable to run Besh for awhile due to those nasty Asmodians/Elyos hogging the ground forts, you'll be happy to know that from Wednesday, February 23rd through Wednesday, March 9th, you're free to enter Silentera Canyon (and Upper Abyss forts and Abyssal Splinter) whenever you darn well please. The double XP runs through the same dates, so mark your calendars and check out the official Aion website for all the details.
The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend
It's been a few months since the November Update in Lord of the Rings Online, and the natives are restless -- as usual. Some folks are despairing the long wait until Rise of Isengard while others are itching for more challenges to their currently level-capped characters. Then there are the players who are hopelessly lost in Moria and would give their eye teeth for a flashlight. Happily, a new update is just around the bend, code-named Echoes of the Dead. The actual name is Echoes of the Dead too, so I guess that's not such a great code. Over the past couple of weeks, we've started to get a feel for just how large this update is, and after reading through the Bullroarer test notes on Wednesday, I think we're in for a tsunami of a patch. Of course, these patch notes come in the middle of Turbine's carefully spaced dev diaries dealing with each major change or addition, which means that we're a little in the dark as to the specifics of half of this update. That's not going to stop me -- or any of you -- from analyzing, speculating and gesturing excitedly to no one in particular. So let's dig in to this hearty meal of mushrooms and patch notes to see just how deep LotRO's rabbit hole goes!
SWTOR dev builds mini-movies in Flashpoints
We all know BioWare is acclaimed for the presentation of its games. Single-player games like Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and DragonAge have a way of capturing a player and immersing him in the world. How many of you have ever wondered what it would be like to invite your friends along for a ride on a BioWare game, too? This could be the key reason BioWare decided to make Flashpoints in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Jesse Sky is a world designer at BioWare Austin. In the most resent developers blog for SWTOR, he details what it takes to build a Flashpoint. He explains that it's not all about getting to the next boss fight: "Fighting through legions of enemies is part of what makes the cooperative gameplay feel heroic, but we find it helps if your enemies do more than just stand around waiting to be attacked." According to Sky, many players have run dungeons that have them wondering why they are there, with no sense of purpose. "We want you to feel like you are the heroes in a Star Wars action sequence, but we also want to give you opportunities to roleplay with your friends." Sky indicates again that SWTOR's emphasis is not only making a great game but also making a great story. Be sure to read the whole developers blog on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website.
The Daily Grind: Why don't you like PvE?
You might know that it's not real. You might be reminding yourself that all you're fighting are lines of computer code sitting on a server somewhere with no connection to a real heroic struggle. But if you're even remotely a fan of fantasy, when you find yourself drawing your weapon of choice against a dragon, you can't help but identify with a long-held tradition. There's a reason many players will judge a game solely on its PvE -- while PvP is all about balance and mechanics, PvE is all about showing you something new and amazing. But we come here to bury PvE, not praise it. Maybe you get annoyed, from time to time, at the thought that all you're really doing is dancing according to a known pattern in tune with computer code. Maybe you don't like realizing that all of your accomplishments will be reset along a set pattern. Or maybe you're just not a fan of fighting internet dragons when you could fight real opponents sitting behind a keyboard. Whatever your reason, tell us -- why don't you like PvE? 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!
Blizzard working on ways to improve dungeon finder
The current dungeon finder is of course a vast improvement over the old LFG channel, but it can always be made better. In response to a forum thread about the dungeon finder's ever becoming performance-based, Zarhym weighed in with some interesting news. Zarhym - Dungeon queue should be performance-based We would love to implement better ways for Dungeon Finder to detect if players know what they're doing in dungeons beyond just the gear they've accumulated. We have some long-term design goals in mind for this we're not quite prepared to share this early on though. ;) source What was more interesting was the idea that Blizzard wants to improve the educational aspect of the service, however. With the current vote kick system, often players who are forced out of a group may have no idea why they failed, especially when they are new to the game.
Guest Post: How to succeed in dungeons without really trying
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Make no mistake: Early Cataclysm dungeons are not the faceroll that we experienced at the end of Wrath. Not only have everyone's gear levels dropped dramatically relative to the content, but Blizzard has returned to a more BC-style design philosophy wherein crowd control really matters and one live mob can make the difference between an easy pull and a very difficult one. Of course, the ideal solution is to read up on the dungeons beforehand and make sure you're prepared for them, but we don't live in an ideal world. Sometimes, you'll wind up in a random dungeon that you weren't expecting, and you haven't had time to research. Additionally, dungeon guides don't always give tips for trash, and trash pulls now require some coordination. Luckily, instance design does not expect you to have an encyclopedia in your head. An alert dungeoneer can succeed on the fly by following a few simple tips.
Age of Conan producer's letter talks new content, possible movie tie-in
It's the end of the month, and if you're following Age of Conan, you know it's time for the traditional letter from the game director. Funcom's Craig "Silirrion" Morrison obliges us with a lengthy look back at 2010's AoC milestones as well as a glimpse of what's coming in 2011. In addition to continual content rollouts and tweaks of the current 2.1 build (which is set to include two new Pai-Kang 6-man instances, new tier four Jade Citadel raids, a solo daily instance, and two new auto content generation dungeons), Morrison hints at a possible tie-in with the forthcoming Conan motion picture. "Some of the things [on tap for 2011] might just relate to the return of the great barbarian to the silver screen later this year in the form of the new Conan movie. That is something we are very excited about, and means there is great potential over the coming year, with a lot of renewed interest in everything Hyborian," he writes.
RIFT beta powow with Scott Hartsman
This is, by any measure, a busy week for RIFT. Fresh off the second beta event, Trion Worlds has dropped the NDA for the game and announced a third beta to take place over the holidays. As the process speeds exponentially faster toward launch, Scott Hartsman and his team have a white-knuckled grip on RIFT for all the bumps, shimmies, dips and hills that such a high-profile title offers. Even with a heaping amount of work on its plate, the team has been willing to share its passion for RIFT with the press and community. During this slight lull between betas two and three, Hartsman sat down with us over the phone to jaw about lessons learned from the beta, why Trion has dropped the NDA, how RIFT's already made history, and when we might be seeing this game on the shelves. Hit the jump and let's do this thing. As Hartsman is fond of saying about the game, "S**t just got real."
Arithion from The Rift Podcast visits Trion, investigates the endgame
This week, Arithion from the RIFT Podcast temporarily traded in her microphone for a camera and traveled to Trion Worlds to get a firsthand look at RIFT. While we've heard a lot about features like the dynamic invasions and the soul system, Ari was determined to investigate one area of the game that we haven't heard much about -- the endgame. She writes: "A game needs to have Endgame content in order to appeal to me – and with so many recent games failing to deliver precisely that, I was resigned to the fact that RIFT would probably do the same and I'd end up with a game to pass the time for a couple of months before subjecting me to the boredom of nothing to play until the next thing comes out. I was wrong." Happily, she reports that RIFT has some exciting endgame content, including two raid instances and many raid rifts, which she describes as "magnificent, difficult, (and) damn impressive." Head to The RIFT to read more about her visit and details on RIFT's raid content.
Cataclysm 101: Zone and instance progression
If you're sitting there at your keyboard right now violently coveting your upcoming Cataclysm experience and daydreaming of all the places you'll go, we here at WoW Insider would like nothing better than to aid and abet you in your wacky escapades. And since Cataclysm is launching on International Matthew Rossi's Birthday, who better to help you figure out where you intend to stream like an unstoppable torrent of locusts? Well, there may be lots of better options, but I'm doing it anyway. Cataclysm has several new zones to experience and quite a few new dungeons to crawl through. Let's take a look, shall we?
2029 Online dev diary talks battle instance tips
We haven't checked in with 2029 Online in quite a while, and what better way to take an updated glance at the game than via a new dev diary released by IGG. The free-to-play MMORTS features dozens of distinct instances to challenge players, each designed to provide ample experience and loot rewards in addition to the considerable fun factor. Join us after the cut for tips and drop information on the Clone Factory, the Lab, Fox Ruins, and the Virtual Training Center.
Wings Over Atreia: Altaholics anonymous
OK, now I've done it... my status as an oddity at Massively is exposed for all the world to see. I confess -- I do not like to play alts. Whew. There, I said it. That wasn't so hard. And being unique is not such a bad thing, right? In gaming, and in Aion especially, I definitely feel out of place for this philosophy. After all, Aion not only encourages but rewards you for playing alts; what other game gives you an impressive armor set and weapon only after you reach mid-level on numerous characters? And even for those who eschew playing alts, there are times when you are forced to do so (like I was). Pathetic available inventory space? Make a mule. Miss lower-level solo instances because they were introduced after you were too high of a level? Make a noob. But these are only a couple of examples involving mechanics. What makes people create so many alts that they need spreadsheets just to know who has what and is where? Head past the cut to delve into the pros and cons of managing multiple characters in Atreia.
Hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara at Gamer Day II
As part of its recent Gamer Day event, Trion Worlds invited Massively back to its studio for another look at Rift: Planes of Telara. Having now been to two of these Gamer Day events, I can say without a doubt that last week's was the more festive -- the player-community leaders and swarm of devs certainly made the whole experience much more wild than the first and reminded me that I was supposed to be having fun (not just studiously taking notes for you lovely readers, although I did that too!). Since this was my second day-long hands-on with the game (the first being last summer when I got to check out Rift's dynamic content), I thought it best to focus on two areas: improvements to systems I'd seen before, and totally new elements I hadn't seen at all (like the Guardian starting zone, PvP, UI enhancements, Deepstrike Mines, and several new souls including Riftblades, Bards, and Wardens!). Follow along after the break for my second impressions of this MMO that continues to surprise me with its glittering shine of polish.%Gallery-101448%
