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Neverwinter gets ready for beta with a snazzy new trailer
Neverwinter's first beta weekend is almost upon us! From February 8th to the 10th, North American and European players will have their first chance to sink their claws into the game. Players who purchased the Founder's Pack or Guardian of Neverwinter Founder's Pack will have guaranteed access to all three beta weekends; the rest of you peons can take your chances by signing up the old fashioned way. If you find yourself in the beta, you'll be able to play as a Trickster Rogue, Devoted Cleric, or a Guardian Fighter and have access to content up to level 30. Don't forget to take your companion and mount quests at levels 16 and 20, respectively. You can kill the time until the beta's start by watching the game's new CG trailer. A (conveniently well-balanced) team of hardy heroes faces off against a dragon and an undead horde. Will they make it? You'll have to skip below the cut to find out. CG trailers not good enough? Join us at 4:00 EST today as we stream the press beta live!
New Neverwinter CG trailer sighted in the wild
Ready for a spell-binding CG trailer for one of 2013's most-anticipated fantasy MMOs? Well, no, it's not The Elder Scrolls Online this time. It's Neverwinter, and a German website called Gamestar has three minutes and 10 seconds worth of Forgotten Realms spectacle for your viewing pleasure. While there's no gameplay footage, the clip has everything else you'd expect from a Dungeons and Dragons title including hordes of bad guys, a feisty (and hopelessly outnumbered) party of heroes, and of course a rather large dragon. See for yourself at the source link below. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: What's the goofiest class name in an MMO?
If a game's gotta have classes, I say they need to sound awesome. I'm bored of Paladins and Assassins and Clerics and Warriors; I want to see Troubadors and Deadeyes and Tempests and Saboteurs and Disco Bandits. Some games, like Wakfu, have made class names into an artform: Foggernaut. Xelor's Sandglass. Sram's Shadow. What I don't get is why a Western game company would go to the trouble of implementing class names that sound like weird translations or just generic words mashed together. I'll forgive Korean devs for the Sheath Knight. I'll forgive sandboxes for mundane Bureaucrats and Beggars. But Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter is just screaming for a rewrite. Or at least a hyphen. What about you guys -- what class name would you like to see stricken from the roster of your favorite MMO? And what names stand out as the most badass? 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!
Neverwinter reveals pre-order packs, beta weekend dates
Neverwinter's closed beta is closer than you might think, as Cryptic has just posted the dates of the three weekend events coming up. The beta weekends begin on February 8th, with successive ones starting March 8th and March 22nd, and will be available to residents of North America and Europe to those lucky enough to be accepted. To tempt people into shedding some cash up front, Cryptic is prepared to dangle guaranteed beta invites to those who purchase a $60 or $200 pre-order Founder's Pack. In addition to the closed beta access, the $60 version contains a head-start to the open beta, a title, an armored horse mount, a mask, and a direwolf companion. The $200 pack has an even longer open beta head start, an exclusive Menzoberranzan Renegade playable race, a closed beta code for a friend, a spider mount, a panther companion, and priority access to the game. Alternatively, Cryptic's offering a $20 basic pack that will not contain a closed beta key, but will give players a few in-game items and 12 additional inventory slots. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
New Neverwinter dev blog, screens show off armor customization
Back in December, Cryptic highlighted some of the options available for customizing a character's appearance in its upcoming Neverwinter MMO. Today the company has released a second dev blog that touches on armor options and playstyle customization. Neverwinter's armor is both level-restricted and class-bound, but it also provides equipment and enchantment slots that allow for experimentation and differentiation. Check out the full details on the game's official site, and have a look through the new screenshot gallery below while you're at it. %Gallery-152607%
Score a Neverwinter alpha key by posting on the forums
Want to get an early look at Neverwinter? All you need is a Perfect World forum account and a little luck. The devs are doing an alpha key giveaway that requires you to comment on the game's forums and answer a simple question: Which class are you looking forward to playing the most in Neverwinter? Once you've added your answer to the giveaway thread, you'll just need to sit back and wait until tomorrow when the winners will be contacted via a private message on the boards. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter class revealed
Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter isn't to be trifled with. It's not just the mouthful of a name that strikes fear in the hearts of enemies far and wide. Oh no, it's also the medium to heavy armor and the ginormous two-hander that requires years of intense strength training to lift. Fortunately for Neverwinter fans, learning to play the class doesn't take that long, and the first part of your Great Weapon Fighter education starts with with our class reveal video after the break. We've also got a screenshot gallery for your perusal as well as a few related words from the Neverwinter dev team.%Gallery-175266%
New Neverwinter screens show off Blackdagger Ruins and Vellosk
If you've been following along at home with the latest Neverwinter news, you'll know that the game has been releasing a steady stream of new info lately to get us excited for the impending release later this year. In a flood of new screenshots unleashed from Cryptic and Perfect World today, we see some in-game action from both Blackdagger Ruins and the Vellosk zone. You can check out the images in the gallery below and read more about the lore behind these screenshots in an exclusive with our friends over at MMORPG.com.%Gallery-152607%
The Perfect Ten: New MMOs to watch in 2013
Oh, I had a great Perfect Ten prepped as the first list of the year, but my meanie-face editor slammed on the veto button and told me, point-blank, that I was going to be counting down the best MMO prospects for the year. Then she drove a lawnmower through a Nordstroms while huffing paint thinner and throwing empty cans at the security personnel. Even so, her idea is probably more interesting than what I had. Let me give you a few notes on today's list because I sense that I'm going to tick more of you off than normal here. My goal was to sift through the possible releases for 2013 and pick the 10 most promising, both in "will it actually launch this year?" and in its potential for success. The combination makes it a tough call because some of these will undoubtedly be delayed to 2014 or beyond and some of these we still don't know as much as we'd like about them. But who cares? Let's have some fun and kick this year off right. Here are my picks for new MMOs to watch in 2013.
Back-stabbing is front and center with Neverwinter's Trickster Rogue
In a previous poll, many of you have indicated you'd prefer the play the magic-flinging, crowd-controlling Control Wizard over the shield-slamming Guardian Fighter class in the upcoming fantasy game Neverwinter. Perhaps your choice will change once you get a look at the wily back-stabbing moves of the Trickster Rogue class. Forget about standing your ground like a tank, the Trickster's main skills focus on slipping behind an enemy to take advantage of the vulnerable flank and slinking away with artful evades. Cryptic has released a video highlighting these skills along with others in the rogue's arsenal. Check them out in the clip after the break. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Neverwinter gets a new trailer
Raise your hand if you like Neverwinter. Raise another hand if you like lore. If you've got both hands up, go ahead and clap a bit because we've got news of a lore trailer for Neverwinter's mysterious Chasm. Or don't. You could put your hands down and just watch the trailer and that'd be just fine. The Chasm came about after the eruption of Mount Hotenow and an ensuing earthquake. According to the lore, the Chasm "began vomiting out foul creatures," and you know what has to happen when the earth itself begins upchucking baddies: Heroes have gotta go fight 'em. Skip below the cut to feast your eyes. [Thanks to groovy webizen Paul for the tip.]
Neverwinter boasts character customization equal to Cryptic's other titles
Even with the fantasy trappings and Dungeons & Dragons background, it's important to remember that Neverwinter is as much a Cryptic creature as anything. And because of that fact, the game will ship with a very robust character creator on par with the studio's other offerings. A new character creator dev diary walks us through the process of making a dungeon runner, which is both as you'd expect and slightly different for the genre. One important note is that you will actually roll for your ability stats. These stats will be augmented by the race chosen; each race has a special ability and specific stat bonuses. Once you get past the stats, it's on to the visual creator. It's here that you'll customize a unique-looking avatar. Cryptic says that if you've played one of its other games, you'll know what to expect here. The creator includes all kinds of skin complexions, skin color, tattoos, hairstyles, horns, scars, and a plethora of sliders.
Neverwinter details pour in from China
Our eyes are on the bounty of the Forgotten Realms, and our fingers are itching to get a hold of Cryptic's Neverwinter come next year. Today we are able to broaden our insight into the game with a series of screenshots that reveal most of the game's races and classes -- at least as they're coming along in the Chinese export of the game. The screenshots show the title screen, the map of the world (with helpful English subtitles), and several of the character selection screens. We're able to see four Neverwinter's five classes (Devoted Cleric, Guardian Fighter, Trickster Rogue, and Control Wizard) as well as the game's seven races (Human, Half-Elf, Tiefling, Dwarf, Drow, Elf, and Halfling). So far, Cryptic's only publicly announced the Control Wizard and Guardian Fighter classes. Head over to MMO Culture to check them out and then let us know what you're planning to roll!
Captain's Log: Q&A with Star Trek Online's Daniel Stahl
It's finally here! Season Seven has finally made its way to Star Trek Online! Months of waiting have produced the game's single largest ground map filled with new activities for veteran players. A brand-new sector of space with 17 new systems is waiting for exploration and patrols. A new strategic task force mission allows captains to take on the Borg Queen herself, and two new reputation systems will fundamentally alter endgame content for the foreseeable future. On the cusp of the new release, we took the opportunity to ask Star Trek Online's Executive Producer, Daniel Stahl, some questions about the new content and what we can expect from STO in the coming months. So jump past the break to check out what he said and take a look at some exclusive screencaps of the new material!
Cryptic, Riot, and more weigh in on free-to-play growing pains
Anyone adamantly wanting a return to gaming where a handful of publishers and platforms run the show might need to acquire a time-machine to do so. In a recent article, various development studios -- including Cryptic Studios, Riot Games, and EA -- discussed the growth of free-to-play and how the model is affecting the games industry as a whole. According to these publishers, there's no argument that F2P will become a major force in the industry. Cryptic Studios COO Craig Zinkievich remarked that although F2P is stigmatized as evil in the social market, the recent influx of titles has gotten the core gaming audience more excited about the model. More consumer excitement, of course, leads to higher-quality games. Sean Decker, VP of EA's Play4Free label, noted, "The good thing about so many companies moving into the free-to-play space is that it's great for the players: the quality of graphics are going up, the quality of the gameplay is going up." However, in the rush to capitalize on F2P, some are going to crash and burn. Zinkievich said, "I think there will definitely be failures within the next 12 to 24 months. Many who are entering the market right now are doing it as almost a money-grab." He added, "But subscription is dead. [Star Wars:] The Old Republic was the biggest possible swing for the fences. There is no longer any argument over whether that can be done. Free-to-play is the way of the future. It is the new world." Does that include console gaming? According to these folks, yes.
Neverwinter's magic spells are pretty wizard
Cryptic Studios and Atari Perfect World Entertainment have shared both the video above and the gallery below, both designed to show you what the upcoming Neverwinter's Control Wizard class is capable of. As you can see in the video especially, the spells are heavily inspired by pen-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons, and the game will have you casting old favorites like Magic Missile, Ray of Frost, and the destructive Ice Storm.You can also see a few other 4th Edition D&D mainstays, including Tiefling heroes (they're the ones with the horns) and some NPC zombies and skeletons. The free-to-play MMO is set to be released early next year.%Gallery-169797%
Taking the high road with DDO's Update 16
You know how the saying goes: Neither wind nor rain nor hurricane will keep Turbine from its appointed rounds. While the studio lost power due to this past week's Hurricane Sandy, all of its games kept on ticking. Dungeons and Dragons Online Senior Producer Eric Boyer said the studio is generally hurricane-proof. "The servers are in a secret location powered by magic and are not affected by anything," he laughed. "Well, most anything." We spoke with Boyer on the phone about DDO's second post-expansion update, which is loosely scheduled to hit the game in a couple of weeks. Update 16: The Netherese Legacy will continue the Forgotten Realms storyline that began with Menace of the Underdark and Update 15. It's an update that takes us down a famous path, introduces a new enemy faction, and gives additional love to the fledgling Druid class.%Gallery-170124%
Control Wizards join Neverwinter's class lineup
You've seen the brawn that's coming in Neverwinter, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons action MMO, now meet the brains: the Control Wizard. These masters of arcane magic eschew physical battle, instead relying on knowledge and study for their power. As their name suggests, Control Wizards have the ability to hinder multiple foes by using their spells to stun and disable large groups of surrounding enemies. Check out a video after the cut as well as images of the Control Wizards doing what they do best in the gallery below. And tell us, which class would you prefer to play when Neverwinter releases -- muscle or magic?%Poll-78724%[Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]%Gallery-152607%
Neverwinter demo to be showcased in Paris this week
Interested in getting a taste of the adventures that await in Neverwinter? All it takes is a trip to France! Attendees of Paris Games Week 2012 will be able to try out the upcoming MMORPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise from October 31st through November 4th. Players who make it to the demo will get to check out a new adventure zone. "It's not only the first time that we will showcase Neverwinter to the French public on such a big scale," states Nathan Hasle, Community Manager for Neverwinter, "but also the first time ever in France we're showing off the brand-new adventure zone Blackdagger Ruins. We're very happy with this opportunity to have French players try out the game's action-based combat in Blackdagger Ruins' exciting new quests!" [Source: Perfect World Europe press release]
RaiderZ stress test kicks off today
While the open beta for RaiderZ has yet to grace our fair computers, you can still get in and give this action MMO a try today. Perfect World Entertainment announced that it's running a stress test for the title this weekend, and everyone with a PWE account is invited to come play. The stress test begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT and continues through Monday the 15th at 8:00 p.m. EDT. The company is encouraging players to crush the server so as to make it more stable come launch. It also is promising special awards and fun events over the course of the weekend. Following the stress test, RaiderZ heads into open beta on October 24th. The studio is pushing for players to plunk down a few bucks to secure a Founder's Pack. The deal includes an exclusive mount and closed beta access to Cryptic's Neverwinter.
