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Neverwinter offers doubled experience until May 5th
Are you ready for the imminent release of Neverwinter's next major patch? Oh, you're not. You aren't nearly ready. This is going to be a problem, isn't it? Quick, maybe you can catch up this weekend before it comes out. Helping you in that catch-up goal is the fact that the game is offering doubled experience from now until May 5th, 1:00 p.m. EDT. So what's doubled? Oh, just experience from killing creatures, clearing quests, professions, invocations, Foundry missions... you know, pretty much everything you could possibly be doing in the game. And even if you've already hit the level cap, Companions will still gain the increased experience, although those Companions will not get the upgrade from Sword Coast Adventures. So if you're looking to race up to the level cap before the next patch hits, you've got a weekend full of play ahead of you.
Eliot Lefebvre05.02.2014
Neverwinter shows off new Black Ice armor sets
Neverwinter's Curse of Icewind Dale is two weeks away, and the team at Cryptic hopes to whip up interest by showing off the new armor sets coming with the update. Module 3 will allow players to forge this new type of armor from black ice, a special material that they'll be picking up from quests and adventuring. There are two different types of sets that each class can make from it, Corrupted and Purified Black Ice armor, each with its own stat builds and the ability to be powered up for a limited time. The armor not only looks all cool and jaggedy but it will help protect characters from the new black ice damage that's also coming in the new area. The studio posted pictures of the armor sets for each one of the classes, a few of which you can check out after the break.
Justin Olivetti05.01.2014
The Daily Grind: Is there an MMO you're too wary to play?
Ever since City of Heroes was abruptly and unjustly sunsetted, I've toyed with the idea of giving Champions Online another spin. It can never be everything City of Heroes was to me, but it has a lot of the same ideas behind it, and it's closer in spirit and gameplay to my beloved CoH than the admittedly few other superhero options on the table. But Champions Online has been so spottily supported by its developers over the last few years that I have a nagging suspicion I'd just be wasting my time, that the game is locked into a cycle of decay that will only frustrate me in the long run if I invest too much time, money, or emotion into it. And that's enough to keep me away. How about you -- is there an MMO you'd like to play but that just makes you too wary to actually jump back in? What specifically is holding you back? 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!
Bree Royce04.29.2014
Neverwinter previews post-60 advancement plans
You've hit the level cap in Neverwinter. You are officially as hardcore as you can ever be, and that brings a smile to your face. But it also makes you kind of wistful. After all, there are still so many roaming bags of experience points vicious monsters to fight, and all of the experience from those is going to waste. But that's going to change when Module 3 comes out and all of your otherwise unnecessary XP turns into sweet, delicious piles of extra loot. When Module 3 goes live, characters will continue accumulating experience as before when they hit level 60. Once they accumulate 250,000 XP, the character will be rewarded with a special pack that can contain extra Power Points, Enchants, account-bound XP Scrolls, and other useful goodies. The Power Points can only be used to add a total of 20 points to your character's Power Tree, but it still means that hitting 60 doesn't mean the end of your character growth. So go out, slay, and enjoy a little bit of extra potency as a result.
Eliot Lefebvre04.28.2014
Neverwinter will make players choose between mercenaries
When Icewind Dale arrives with Neverwinter's Module 3, players will have a difficult decision to make: whether to join up with the Ten-Towners or the Arcane Brotherhood. In a new post, Cryptic explains that these two groups are at conflict with each other in the effort to collect the precious Black Ice. Ten-Towners want the Ice for profit and for those who have lived in the north, while the Arcane Brotherhood desires the substance to increase its members' knowledge. Once a group is chosen, that faction will deliver daily contracts that the player can take up. By repeating the dailies, players can earn enough Black Ice to create a new armor set. Players shouldn't fret too much about their choice, as their allegiance can change on a daily basis with no penalty. Cryptic will also be introducing account shared banks with the module to help pass items between characters with ease. Module 3 arrives on May 13th.
Justin Olivetti04.23.2014
Star Trek Online launches Season 9: A New Accord
It's been a long while since Star Trek Online captains had to fear the Undine. This mysterious race has moved off of the radar as the Federation and KDF have explored the Solanae Dyson Sphere, fought back against the Borg and the Tholians, and sought allies upon New Romulus. But the latest patch for the game sees the Undine stepping up their campaign of aggression from fluidic space, sending players through a new series of featured episodes, introducing a new reputation, and offering several new endgame activities. Season 9 also brings with it a number of other changes, including a revamp to how both kits and reputations work. Both systems are now more flexible, with the former allowing captains more control over which abilities show up on the ground and the latter providing more player choice over the long term. Take a look at the full list of additions and get ready to set a course for new dangers in this update.
Eliot Lefebvre04.22.2014
Perfect World buys into Shanda Games for $100 million
Perfect World Entertainment announced today that it will enter into a share purchase agreement with rival Chinese MMO company Shanda Games Limited for 30 million shares valued at $100 million. The purchase is expected to finalize in 30 days. Shanda Games publishes over 20 MMOs for the Chinese market, including Aion, Luvinia Online, and Final Fantasy XIV. This proposed agreement, as well as agreements with other top companies, would put the total value of Shanda at around $1.9 billion.
Shawn Schuster04.21.2014
Neverwinter launching Curse of Icewind Dale on May 13th
If you're ready to have some chill adventures in Neverwinter, you'd better be ready on May 13th. That's when the Curse of Icewind Dale module will launch for players, bringing with it two new adventure zones, a new open PvP region, and new factions for players to fight over. Also a new Hunter Ranger Paragon path, but that really only affects Hunter Rangers, which as infographics show make up only half of the characters in the game. But why are you going to Icewind Dale? What's so important? If only there were some sort of lore trailer past the break that will give a concise explanation of exactly what's going down in the region and why players are taking part, as well as outline the factions fighting over the valuable Black Ice. That would be very convenient, wouldn't it? Perhaps you should click past the break to check out that exact trailer, then.
Eliot Lefebvre04.17.2014
The latest Swordsman trailer features three martial arts classes
Last month, we learned that Perfect World Entertainment is bringing its martial arts MMO Swordsman westward, and that means more hack'n'slashy trailers heavy on the particle effects and lush landscapes. The latest video is a brief trailer highlighting three of the game's planned 10 classes. They are: Wu-Tang: These masters of Taoism combine inner force and physical strength to become superb group fighters. Swinging heavy two-handed blades with ease, masters of the Wu-Tang styles supplement their raw physical damage with effects that buff and heal themselves and their entire group. Sun and Moon: The heretical disciples of the Sun and Moon Cult become deadly assassins with high mobility and heavy damage. Armed with twin blades linked by chain, many of their skills focus on single targets and let them attack in close quarters or at range. Their sinister powers can steal away the life force of enemies, distributing it to the cultist and their group. House Tong: Unlike the other schools, House Tong members rely on guns rather than blades. A family-like school, famous for their firearms and throwing weapons, House Tong members use traps to keep enemies at distance and attack from afar. These masters of firearms provide excellent damage in group combat situations, and with high attack speed and quick movement, the House Tong skills will frustrate any enemy. Enjoy the video below!
Bree Royce04.15.2014
Take a look at Star Trek Online's Earth Spacedock revamp
Star Trek Online's main hub is about to get a massive facelift, and Cryptic wants to give you a preview of the new design of Earth Spacedock as well as a tour through it. In a dev blog posted yesterday, the studio went through the process of coming up with the ideas for a much improved Spacedock, including how it would be structured and what players would see: "A few solid points were decided. 1. It was all going to be on one floor. 2. We had to have a view both of Earth AND of the Shipyard. Point two meant that there was only one place for it. It had to be within the outer wall of the docking bay." The blog also contains a link to an animated graphic showing a time-lapsed construction of one of the new areas. The Earth Spacedock revamp will come with Season 9's release on April 22nd.
Justin Olivetti04.15.2014
The Game Archaeologist: The danger of expecting lightning to strike twice
It's no secret that many of the more successful Kickstarter projects over the past few years have heavily capitalized on player nostalgia, brand names, and former dev gods who are back for another round. The formula for drawing in the big bucks seems to be the following: Take something players hugely loved back in the day, dangle the concept of a sequel (spiritual or otherwise), and promise some measure of iterative improvement. I once wrote about how we really can't go back again to recreate a particular game experience because it was usually a confluence of several factors that were related to where the industry was then and where you were then. I'm not saying that there isn't value to retro gaming, playing classic MMOs, or involving the past in future development! But there is a danger in how we as gamers become so beholden to our nostalgia that we dare lightning to strike twice -- and we're paying big bucks to see that happen. But can we? Will it?
Justin Olivetti04.12.2014
Star Trek Online Season 9 is coming on April 22nd
Even though April 22nd has yet to happen, we have the time travel technology to see it because that tech is a dime a dozen in Star Trek. And on April 22nd, we can tell you with assurance that Season 9 will release in Star Trek Online to the wild split-finger salute of digital Trekkies everywhere. Season 9 will contain a new feature episode, a space battlezone, overhauls to the Undine content, improvements to kits, and more heads. More heads make for a better galaxy, we always say! To celebrate the imminent content update, STO is doling out bonus XP from April 14th through April 21st. Cryptic put together a trailer to help get everyone up to speed on the events leading to Season 9, which you may watch after the jump.
Justin Olivetti04.10.2014
Star Trek Online reveals Undine Infiltration mission
Star Trek Online's latest dev blog details a new level 50 mission called Undine Infiltration. Players can complete the event in 15 to 20 minutes as well as opt into a normal or elite version of it. This isn't your typical MMO mission, though, as STO captains will investigate suspected Undine infiltrators "by asking a series of questions and based on the answers, deciding whether or not the suspect is an Undine and needs to be quarantined." After a player deals with the Undine presence in a series of Bajor caves, he'll be scored based on how many infiltrators he correctly quarantined as well as how many Bajorans he cleared of suspicion.
Jef Reahard04.08.2014
Star Trek Online shows off new head options for Season 9
The character creator in Star Trek Online is pretty robust, but it has its limitations. There are only so many complexion options and only so many head shapes, and trying to create certain looks took an extraordinary amount of effort. So it's good news for all captains that Season 9 will bring with it a far more robust character creation setup with three new head shapes and three new complexions for everyone. It all started with bringing Tuvok into the game; creating a model that matched Tim Russ' actual face required the creation of a framework that segued naturally into more robust player options. It also gave the team an excuse to redo facial textures that had always been seen as problematic, replacing them with slightly higher-resolution versions that have better mapping. Take a look at the full development blog for more details on the process as well as a closer look at what can be done with the new options.
Eliot Lefebvre04.03.2014
Star Trek Online shows off a revamp to player kits
Kits are your main method for grabbing ground combat abilities in Star Trek Online. You equip a kit and you're good to go. Despite that, they're also rather limited, as there are a limited number of different kit types and each kit of a given type contains a very set number of abilities. Season 9 is thus deploying an extensive overhaul of the kit system, allowing players to build the sorts of kits that they want to use in a more flexible framework. The core of the system is simple. Abilities are split into two categories for each profession: Assault and Strategic for Tactical, Medical and Research for Science, and Fabrication and Mechanic for Engineering. Kits will become frameworks that contain skill bonuses as well as slots to equip abilities, with each slot allowing any skill within a given category. For more details on how the new kits can be acquired and how the flexibility will benefit players, take a look at the full development blog.
Eliot Lefebvre04.01.2014
Neverwinter spoofs game-within-a-game
Neverwinter has jumped the gun on April Fools' Day with its "preview" of Respen's Marvelous Game. The idea is that Neverwinter will add a game-within-a-game, allowing characters in the MMO to sit down and engage in some good ol' fashion tabletop D&D: "Respen's Marvelous Game takes place atop a table, with your character being transformed into a miniature statuette. This new event will challenge you on a whole new level. Now you will know what it is like to be on the other side of a tabletop game!" Of course, this is just a joke. Or is it? Cryptic teased the possibility of earning a green slime companion and said that it will be revealing more details tomorrow.
Justin Olivetti03.31.2014
Champions Online hosts FoxbatCon in-game
We're moving into the heart of convention season, when people move across the country to stand in lines and buy trinkets representing our favorite hobbies. So why not also pick up some trinkets in Champions Online to represent your character's favorite hobbies? It's time for FoxbatCon, the in-game event that celebrates the intensely campy 1960s television series focused around the roguish scamp known as Foxbat. After all, who wouldn't want to be surrounded by cosplayers inside of a superhero game? The FoxbatCon event will run until April 11th, allowing players to pick up Foxbat Swag Bags from defeated villains full of convention-themed prizes. Players can also take part in missions (some of which will be introduced during the event) to earn Foxbat Creds, which can be redeemed for even more con swag. If you're eager to celebrate the camp value of an old (fictional) show, jump into the game now for the full experience. [Thanks to matixzun for the tip!]
Eliot Lefebvre03.30.2014
Runic co-founders leave Torchlight dev to form Double Damage Games
Runic Games co-founders Travis Baldree and Erich Schaefer are leaving the Torchlight studio to start Double Damage Games. "I should say from the outset that this is an amicable departure, that I consider the amazing team at Runic my friends and family, and that it is a privilege that they've let me get away with running the place for this long," wrote Baldree, who served as the studio president and lead engineer, in his goodbye post on the company forum. The new studio will focus on smaller-scale development. Baldree says, "Working within the boundaries of limited means and resources is the best fun I've ever had, and that sort of work satisfies me in a fundamental way - I can't wait to be working that way again." Runic CEO Max Schaefer (brother of Erich) reiterated the parting was amicable and that the studio will continue working on its "completely secret project."
Alexander Sliwinski03.27.2014
Star Trek Online previews the new Undine battlezone in Season 9
Star Trek Online captains have been diligently fighting against the Voth in the Dyson Sphere for some time now, but when Season 9 comes out, the Undine will arrive. That means players will have to face off against new challenges, starting with the Undine battlezone. While this region of the sphere was previously under Voth control, the Undine have taken this area for their own, forcing Starfleet, the KDF, and the Romulans to work together in order to drive them out. The Undine Battlezone will be accessible directly from the Ground Combat Zone and the Contested Zone. Players will be tasked with taking control of nine points within the map, followed by assaulting the Undine's planet-killer ships. Success earns Dilithium and Undine Marks, while failure... well, you can imagine what that involves. For more details on access and the point control, check out the full development blog.
Eliot Lefebvre03.26.2014
Neverwinter releases post-Shadowmantle infographic
So how is Neverwinter doing these days? The game's been a little quiet since the launch of Shadowmantle. But it looks as if it's doing fairly well, judging by a brand-new infographic, which is embedded just past the cut. More than 2 million new characters have been created since the launch of Shadowmantle, with Hunter Rangers turning up as the most popular new character and Devoted Clerics as the least. Beyond that, over 3 million characters have died in PvP matches and a combined total of 405 years' worth of experience has been gained. If you can't get enough of numbers about games, go ahead and jump past the cut to see exactly how the game has been doing since its last update. On a numerical level, it seems pretty solid. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
Eliot Lefebvre03.26.2014