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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's 2.3 primer
Tomorrow, patch 2.3 will descend upon Final Fantasy XIV like a flight of angels. If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited. While I was by and large disappointed with 2.2, 2.3 is adding a lot of features I want, undoing some of the dumb features added in 2.2, and adding in a few more features that I didn't realize I wanted before but now know are immensely important to me. Kind of like the Challenge Log, except more. Unfortunately, the fact that it's landing tomorrow as of the time you're reading this means I have not yet actually played this patch. But I can still put a guide of some preliminaries together so that you can at least know what you're doing even if you haven't necessarily examined the patch notes with a fine-toothed comb just yet. So let's dive into it. When the patch goes live tomorrow, pick your destination, and go to it.
The Soapbox: Instant leveling and the whining fringe
Over the weekend at Blizzcon 2013, Blizzard Entertainment announced the fifth World of Warcraft expansion, Warlords of Draenor. The content add-on brings most of the things one might expect from an expansion -- new zone, new features, new quests, new dungeons -- but perhaps most notably includes the option to instantly raise any one of your characters to WoW's current level cap of 90. While you'll still face 10 levels of Warlords of Draenor questing, killing, and fetching if you opt to take the insta-level, the feature has re-ignited the argument among MMO fans as to whether offering players a maxed-out character somehow violates the core rules of the MMO genre. Should developers really provide high-level characters just to get/keep players in the game? The short answer, of course, is "duh." Here's the long answer.
Experience TERA with a free high-level character
Last March, En Masse enticed new players to join and get to high levels in TERA with a power-level promotion. But for some, even prizes couldn't make that much grinding worth it. If you fall in that crowd, then TERA's newest promotion is for you: For a limited time, new and existing accounts can get a free level 58 character! This Level Up Test Event is a chance for current players to get friends into the game and group up with them immediately as well as for new players who've been debating trying it to experience the newest content. To get your free level 58 character, you must create a brand-new character between 1:00 p.m. September 19th and 2:59 a.m. September 23rd and give it a name ending in ".Levelup" (i.e. Bob.Levelup, Jane.Levelup). All newly minted level 58 characters will be supplied with gear, a mount, access to all story quests, and a name change voucher. For full details, visit the official site. [Thanks to John for the tip!]
Flameseeker Chronicles: The long haul in Guild Wars 2
I hear a lot of Guild Wars 2 players talk about level 80. I hear, specifically, a lot of Guild Wars 2 doubters talking about level 80. Surely, surely, if the level cap could be hit in mere days (or for those of us well behind the vanguard, mere weeks), then the game must be content-light? Surely, surely, that would mean that the real game was "endgame"? Nope. Don't get me wrong; hitting the level cap is significant. It's cool. Your character strikes a pose (you know, the same one he has struck literally scores of times before at each and every level-up). Your character says a catch-phrase. You feel good. But in terms of actual gameplay, I can think of very little that is less significant.
The Daily Grind: Do you rush to endgame?
Welcome to the endgame... the endgame of 2011! We gamers love to say that MMOs are about the journey, not the destination, but that doesn't seem to stop us from zipping up the levels the instant a game or expansion launches. Hardcore players had hit level 50 in Star Wars: The Old Republic within just a few days of the pre-order early access, before the game had even landed on store shelves. In a game designed to be about telling and participating in a story, players have to be the firstest with the mostest -- the first to cap, the first to get achievements, the first to beat bosses, even the first to master tradeskills. The game doesn't reward you for stopping to smell the flowers, after all. Of course, hardcore achiever players are often the first to start moping when they realize they've burned through months of content in a week -- and all their friends are still busy catching up anyway. What about you, Massively folks? Do you take your time, savoring all the sights and really drinking in the game on your first playthrough -- or do you rush to the lonely endgame? 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!
EverQuest II's Georgeson mentions free max-level toons, community foams at the mouth
EverQuest II producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson recently touched off a firestorm of controversy by asking the fantasy game's community how it would feel about a win-back promotion featuring free max-level characters. Predictably, the howls of protest are still reverberating around the internet, and EQ2Wire has a bit of analysis regarding both the discussion and the high-level flying mount portion of the game's latest expansion that led to it. Despite the fact that Georgeson was clearly engaging in a bit of speculative thinking with the community (i.e., there are no plans for EQII insta-90s), and despite the fact that Guild Wars has been offering max-level PvP toons since 2005, the EQII discussion quickly turned hostile and demonstrated the minefields that developers must occasionally navigate when engaging their playerbase.
The Daily Grind: What should expansions do to the level cap?
A successful MMO gets expansions -- it's one of the oldest truisms in the genre, and even as free-to-play games begin to ease in on the market, it remains the prevailing expectation. Of course, the expansion also comes on the heels of several players having already reached the level cap, which presents designers with an interesting conundrum -- how do you get people interested in the new content you're selling? World of Warcraft's choice has routinely been to increase the level cap, making a new rush of content for players to level through before populating the endgame with roughly the same diversity. Other games -- including Guild Wars, Final Fantasy XI, and City of Heroes -- broaden the level cap, adding new content that players can work through without necessarily requiring a new bout of leveling. So which do you prefer from a retail expansion? Do you like the model of adding another group of levels to move through, obsoleting the old level cap but letting everyone catch up to the same point? Or do you prefer an ever-larger endgame with the same cap but more options when you reach it? 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!
Wings Over Atreia: Miragent -- the saga continues
In past weeks, we delved into the world of max-level armor in NCsoft's Aion, weighing some pros and cons of the different sets, and you have trotted along with me as I began a mad dash for Miragent armor. Well, it began as a dash (yay for the first quest!), but it was interrupted by stops and starts (the second quest). I have successfully acquired the first two pieces of this set. Now, the question is -- can I make it any further? The ultimate grind is the next step, followed by the craft from which nightmares are formed. This week, we chronicle the next lap of the race, our pace slowing to a steady gait during quest number three, then finally picking up speed near the end and sprinting onward toward the fourth. As many players from both factions can attest, just about the single most frustrating thing about Aion has got to be the Miragent/Fenris armor quest-lines. While it is hard to ignore the bonuses and stats on these two sets, can the end really justify the means for most Daeva? Is it truly worth it? Any time I pop into the Dredgion, the answer is clear -- it is. Nothing makes the team groan more than a full-Fenris group. Well, save for half being all +10 enchanted! So with an eye on that ultimate prize, I -- like many Daeva before, and many Daeva to come -- continue forward with determination and the hope of ultimate glory. OK, so we would settle for the matching set and just being finished! Jog past the cut to follow the next step in our journey towards a complete set of Miragent armor.
Breakfast Topic: Some day my ding will come
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. Your fingers ache from the constant play while sweat beads down your neck. Your eyes become unfocused, the colors and background blending together until they resemble something akin to a Monet painting. Clicking at a furious speed, you slay mob after mob, all the while watching the XP progress bar as it inches towards your final goal: the level cap. Time flies. You ask yourself, "Has it really been 13 hours? No, surely it couldn't have." You open the drapes, staring at the stars and moon with a challenging look. Their day, too, will come. No matter. Neither man, murloc, nor the perpetual spinning of the earth about the sun will stop you this day ... er, night. Pixilated blood shoots from your prey. Their cries warm your soul, adding another notch to your symbolic belt. Then, whether expected or not, it happens. Your character is engulfed a soothing light, and the game changes forever. You've done it. After days, weeks or months of work, you've hit the level cap. You can stare proudly at your once-lowly character and proclaim your might to all of Azeroth. You're the new tough guy on the block, and nothing can stand in your way.
Wings over Atreia: Going for the gold -- Miragent or bust
So, you still want a set of Miragent or Fenris armor in Aion? I commend you -- you are made of some tough stuff; these are definitely not sets for the instant-gratification crowd. However, I truly believe in the old adage "you appreciate what you work for," and those who complete one of these sets have appreciation by the bucket-full. Not to mention the best set bonuses that Aion has to offer! We warmed-up already by knocking out the crafting requirements; this week we plunge ahead into the actual questing. Now here's a hint -- if you are prone to passing-out due to sticker shock, please, do not read ahead. Do not read any guides and do not ask any friends about the the total cost... although, if you find a way to pass Go and collect 200 kinah, do it! Trust me, every spare coin is going to come in handy. For those who believe knowing the course ahead is just one step closer to crossing the finish line, dash across the cut and follow me as I race for the ultimate gold prize -- Miragent armor.
The Daily Grind: What game has the best endgame?
While the sentiment isn't universal, there are parts of the population in any game that very vocally states the game begins at the end. More accurately, after you've finished killing rats or blowing up aliens or punching street punks to the point where your level stops going higher. It's the part of the game known as the endgame, which is a bit of a misnomer as it's the part of the game most focused on letting you continue playing indefinitely. There are very rarely things featured in leveling that aren't featured at the endgame, but conversely, there are often activities at endgame that don't exist while leveling. From group-oriented to solo-oriented, PvE to PvP, every game has its own unique cocktail for what you do at the level cap. So, out of every game, what struck you as the best mix? Was it the PvPvE battles in Aion? The open-ended nature of EVE Online? The storyline and high-intensity battles of Final Fantasy XI? Let us know what game's endgame engaged you the most and why. Whether or not the game begins there, it's certainly one of the most memorable parts.
LotRO's test server to get max level advancement today [UPDATED]
According to a recent post on the official forums by Meghan "Patience" Rodberg, the Eyes and Guard Inn should be implemented on LotRO's test server today during the patch. The game's Community Manager said in the post, "We have news! Assuming the new build passes QA, we'll be updating Bullroarer tomorrow, and will be opening the Eyes & Guard Tavern as well. So, while not 100% guaranteed that we won't run into a delay, that's the current plan."For those not familiar with the importance of the Eyes and Guard Inn, be sure to check out this guide created by us for the previous test server, Roheryn. The guide still applies on the new Bullroarer server, as it's basically a way to get a newly-created character to max level for testing purposes. Plus, if you'd like more information on the test server and when/if your server and your characters may be copied over, check out this FAQ.[UPDATE] Patience gives a bit of an addendum to the test server guide with how to get from level 50 to 60.
Dual specs at low levels
We heard a ton of news about the incoming dual spec feature last week, and for the most part, players were pretty thrilled -- besides the fact that we're finally getting the option to have two specs at once, we're also getting the much-awaited ability to preview our specs before they're saved, and the official Itemrack functionality that we've heard about for so long. But there was one thing Ghostcrawler said last week that hasn't sat well with many players: that we'd need to be max level before training for the dual spec feature.For many players, the main reason they wanted dual spec was to be able to switch between "leveling" and "grouping" specs, and obviously if you're already max level, you won't have much need for a leveling spec any more (more likely you'd be switching between "solo" and "raid" or "PvP" specs). Ghostcrawler's stated reason for requiring a max level was that they didn't want lower level players to be confused by having access to more than one talent spec too early, but as Zarhym says, Cvarto makes a good point: if a player uses only one spec for 80 levels and then gets the dual spec feature, he/she may not have enough experience with different specs to have any clue about how to choose another one.
Poll: Are you level 80 yet?
With the news last week that the majority of players are not level 80, and that Ghostcrawler considers you to be "hard core" (more or less) if you're at 80 already, the question that's come to my mind is: exactly how many people reading WoW Insider have hit the level cap already?I've only got one of my toons at 80. I suspect it's going to take over a year to get them all up to max level again. Not complaining, I just don't have the stomach to power level all my alts up like that so quickly. After playing the game since release I managed to get nearly every class to 70 before the release of Wrath, but that took...well...years.Gotta space it out and everything.But in our completely non-scientific and totally truthiness-ey poll, let us know. Are you level 80 yet?%Poll-23452%
