pvp-arenas
Latest
Norrathian Notebook: Ten must-see PvP arenas in Landmark
As soon as Landmark's PvP combat launch date was announced at SOE Live, a number of players dived in and started building arenas in anticipation. Not even hours after the update went live, there were fully functioning battle claims ready to welcome players to their death. Over the holiday weekend, that number exploded. In fact, there are now 10 (and growing) pages of PvP-labeled claims in the gallery to sort through with 50 claims per page. With so many choices already, how do you know where to go to check things out? Folks don't always have the time to mosey through all the choices themselves. That's where Norrathian Notebook comes in! From the first PvP claim I poked my head into (live, no less!), I planned to visit as many as possible and build a guide to highlight these creations. So I've compiled a list of 10 -- of the many -- Landmark arenas that I personally think are worth a visit. Please note, this list is by no means all-inclusive, and narrowing down the field was no easy task! There are plenty more out there and more coming all the time, so be sure to explore any that catches your eye and send your finds to us!
Aion 3.5 finally lands on EU servers today
While North American Daevas have been enjoying all the goodies that came with Aion 3.5 since last October, folks across the pond had to continue to wait for their turn. Now, though, the wait is finally over as Gameforge has released patch 3.5 on the European servers. EU Daevas can get their PvP on in new arenas, enjoy special legion quests (along with a legion level cap increase to eight), and dive into new dungeons like Tiamat's Stronghold. Players wanting a break from the adventuring side of life can take part in the new village improvement process to get new housing designs and add NPCs to the neighborhood. Get a glimpse of Tiamat as she awaits you in the trailer after the break, then hop in game to face her for yourself! [Source: Gameforge press release]
Wings over Atreia: Twelve things to be thankful for in Aion
I can't really help it. I was trying to pen an article or a guide about any of a number of features in Aion, but my mind kept wandering back to the spirit of Thanksgiving. This time of the year I just get to feeling so extra thankful for those things that make life better, easier, and more enjoyable. So instead of fighting it, I decided to go with the flow and just share some of the top things I am grateful for in Aion. As luck would have it, once I started this top 10 list, I kept thinking of more things, as you no doubt noticed by the title! I am sure I could keep adding, but the article had to stop at some point, so I ended my list at 12. Take a look at what made the cut and see if anything from your own list made it on mine.
Wings Over Atreia: Getting real with Aion 3.5
Carefree and in the moment: That's how I have been living in Aion lately. However, the surprise announcement about 4.0 a few weeks back got my mind spinning with thoughts about updates. Oh, the possibilities! But as much as I support indulging in expressions of hopes and positive thinking, speculation really should be done in moderation; too much can leave you pining for what may never be and missing what's actually available (or at least on the horizon!). So while I appreciate the recent opportunity to contemplate the mysterious Aion 4.0 update, now it's time to focus on an upcoming patch with actual features already ascribed to it: 3.5. Patch 3.5, though not announced for the Western market yet, hit Korea in July. And courtesy of friendly folks who have translated the patch notes, we've snagged a glimpse of what can be expected when it does finally roll around to us. What's on the horizon for faithful Daevas? How about two new dungeons, a cross-server dungeon group finder, personalized housing options, and (my personal favorite) a cooperative crucible!
More content incoming for ARGO Online, including a new arena system
Last month, ARGO Online received a hefty patch adding new goodies as well as raising the level cap. Today, the free-to-play steampunk game announced that more high-level content is on its way. This next set of goodies includes a new continent, a PvP dueling arena, and an even higher level cap. Lower-level characters need not despair about being left out of the upcoming content; all players level 30 and higher can enjoy the new arena. Dubbed Spirit of Warriors, the arena allows players to band together in teams regardless of faction to participate in 3v3 or 5v5 battles on any of the three maps. The best two out of three rounds wins the match. Winners will receive titles, veteran points for ranking, and possibly even precious medals that can be traded for rare set items. [Source: ARGO Online press release]
Wings Over Atreia: Drowning in dailies
Two weeks ago, in the midst of supplying Daevas below max level a list of things to do (which I am so glad many of you found helpful!), I mentioned daily quests. Since then, you've been asked about your opinions on repeatable quests, including daily ones; even the Massively staff members chimed in with their thoughts. Love 'em or leave 'em, daily quests are a pretty abundant in Aion. Abundant -- that's almost an understatement. I was not kidding when I said we're drowning in dailies; there are just so many dailies sprinkled throughout Atreia now that it's crazy! Heck, I almost went insane just trying to hit them all up these past couple of weeks. No one can accuse Aion's system of being a minuscule afterthought with all of the various quests and rewards available for all levels. But with so many other things to do besides daily quests, you might find it easy to miss out on them even if you really want to do them. We can't have that! So here is a quick(ish) reference guide to all of the types of daily quests... assuming the devs don't sneak more in on me that I haven't even found!
Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my!
OK, so maybe there aren't really any bears. Wait, I take that back -- there are maybe sorta bears... at least alluded to! Polar bears, to be exact. No really, work with me here: What Winter Festival, Atreian or otherwise, doesn't conjure up images of polar bears? We just won't get into the whole dancing bears thing. What we will get into this week in Wings Over Atreia, however, are musings about a few topics of interest that are swirling around lately, most notably Aion's upcoming conversion to free-to-play in Europe, the changes to the veteran reward system, and the aforementioned Winter Festival (sans dancing bears). Quick quiz now: Other than involving Aion, what else do these three subjects have in common? Give up? Time. While this column usually delves into single topics at a time, the fact that two of these are time-sensitive necessitates that they share face-time, else the news most relevant to Daevas would become obsolete. The third is less time-sensitive but more time-relevant.
Wings Over Atreia: Tickets please
As we barrel through November and get closer to the holidays, my thoughts have turned to turkey, pie, rolls, pie, and candied yams... did I mention pie? It's not that I can't think of anything else (pie), but I always look forward to family, food, and free time during the upcoming holidays -- free time meaning more gaming and less working! Unfortunately, a few other things are slipping in and interrupting the thoughts of impending gluttony for many Aion players. Everyone deeply immersed in Atreia knows that two of the most frequent topics of discussion this past week (ignoring all troll comments, of course) have been Star Wars: The Old Republic with its impending effect on Aion and the reduction in arena tickets that went into effect after last Wednesday's maintenance. While Wings Over Atreia took a look at the forthcoming release of TOR last week, I might have altered my predictions a bit had the announcement about the arena tickets happened sooner than right before publishing. Could one event really affect the balance? Check out past the cut to examine the NCsoft's action, the community's reaction, and the possible repercussions.
Forsaken World devs outline Phase 4 Beta
Perfect World Entertainment is just about ready to unleash its latest free-to-play MMO creation: Forsaken World. In the fourth developer video diary, Director of Marketing Jon Belliss outlines the development and testing process up to this point. He states that Forsaken World's closed beta testing has had the largest number of participants in Perfect World's history. The team expects great results from Phase 4, which arrives on February 23rd. This phase will allow all players to join in the beta if they wish to test out the game. Phase 4 also introduces the highly requested PvE server along with new realms and a level cap of 60. The level cap will open up a new world of gameplay and areas never before visited by players. Catch the full video diary after the break and then hop over the Forsaken World website for more information on how you can sign up. This is your chance to get in before launch on March 23rd.
Upcoming Champions Online dev chat to focus on the Hero Games
We do a lot of talking on this site (readers included) about things that could be changed or improved in the games we play, and Champions Online has been the subject of these discussions perhaps more than any other title in recent times. While some of our collective feedback must get back to the Cryptic Studios developers, one of the best ways to get through to them is by participating in their dev chats. There is one coming up at 4PM PDT this Thursday, October 8th, and the topic du jour will be the "Hero Games" PvP arenas.The main way that the devs will be taking questions is through this forum thread. They plan to go through as many of the questions posted there as they can, but the audience will get a chance to ask some follow-ups or extra questions at the end too. The IRC channel is #championsonline at irc.coldfront.net, or if you don't want to use an IRC client, there is a Java chat client available as well. So, if you think the Hero Games in Champions Online could be improved somehow, get a few questions ready (remember, the questions thread on the forums gives the highest chance of them being answered) and let your voice be heard this Thursday.
Bounty Bay Online's upcoming expansion to introduce PvP tournaments
Beyond the Horizon, the free expansion to Bounty Bay Online, has been confirmed by Frogster as on track for its intended Q4 2009 launch. Along with this good news, they also updated their expansion teaser site with details that are sure to please PvPers. Beyond the Horizon will introduce a new weekly PvP tournament system, offering 1v1, 2v2 and 5v5 battles, with both prizes and a highly detailed ranking system.But since Bounty Bay Online features sea and land combat, the question must be asked: which of these locations will the tournaments be held at? The answer is "both". Two new arenas will be added to the game, one for land and the other for sea combat. The player will get to choose which type of battle they want to register for, which is kind of too bad, from a comedy perspective -- imagine turning up for a sea battle without a boat.
