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Connected Realms update for February 20
The list of US realms slated for the Realm Connection service has now been updated with new information regarding upcoming dates for the service, as well as status reports on realms that were slated for connection. Players on the Sisters of Elune and Cenarion Circle servers may want to make note that the connection for those two realms has been delayed -- Blizzard will provide updates on the status of that connection at a later point in time. The following realms are scheduled to be connected on Thursday, February 27. Alexstrasza and Terokkar Exodar and Medivh Frostwolf and Vashj Gorefiend and Spinebreaker/Wildhammer Gundrak and Jubei'Thos Mug'thol and Dragonmaw/Akama Read on for the rest of the connections and dates.
US Connected realms update for February 7
RP realms, your wait is nearly over. The list of US realms slated for the Realm Connection service has now been updated with new dates, and several of the RP realms mentioned earlier this month now have dates scheduled for connection. In addition to the updated dates, a fresh list of realms has been added, although no date is set as of yet for their connection. The following realms are slated for connection on Thursday, February 13: Azjol-Nerub and Khaz Modan Eldre'Thalas and Korialstrasz Farstriders and Silverhand Spinebreaker and Wildhammer Thunderlord and Azgalor/Azshara/Destromath Read on for the rest of the connections and dates.
US and EU connected realm and free character migration updates for February 6
Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera has posted the latest set of Connected Realm updates for US servers. There are currently three batches so do hit the break for more information. The first batch will be connected today, February 6, with the exception of Thunderlord and Azgalor/Azshara/Destromath: Hydraxis and Terenas Kirin Tor and Steamwheedle Cartel Shattered Halls and Executus/ Kalecgos Thunderlord and Azgalor/Azshara/Destromath- This connection is on hold and will be rescheduled for a future point in time. Uther and Runetotem The next set, scheduled for Thursday February 13 will be as follows: Alterac Mountains and Balnazzar/Gorgonash/The Forgotten Coast/ Warsong Azjol-Nerub and Khaz Modan Eldre'Thalas and Korialstrasz Farstriders and Silverhand Spinebreaker and Wildhammer Hit the break for the third, upcoming set.
US Connected realms update for January 31
The list of US realms slated for the Realm Connection service has now been updated with new dates, and a fairly lengthy list of new realms that will be slated for connection at some point in the future. The following realms are slated for connection on Thursday, February 6: Hydraxis and Terenas Kirin Tor and Steamwheedle Cartel Shattered Halls and Executus/ Kalecgos Thunderlord and Azgalor/Azshara/Destromath Uther and Runetotem Last week's revelation that RP realms have now begun to be added to the Realm Connections list continues, as the new list of realms without a date includes some fairly well-known RP servers. Read on after the break for the rest of the slated connections.
US Connected realms update, now with RP realms
A new update has been posted for Connected realms in the US -- earlier this week several realms were reported as having no date set as of yet for their connection. The date has now been set for Thursday, January 30 for the following realms: Alleria and Khadgar Anvilmar and Undermine Archimonde and Agamaggan/Jaedenar/The Underbog Cho'gall and Auchindoun/Laughing Skull Eitrigg and Shu'halo Mok'Nathal and Silvermoon In addition to this list, another batch of realms scheduled for connection has been provided for Thursday, February 6, as well as a third set of connections slated for some point after that. The most interesting thing about the list, however, is not the connection dates, but the realm types -- RP realms are now officially on the list. Players on low-population RP realms may want to check the lists out, because you just might have some new friends to say hello to soon.
TERA's senior producer looks at the game's past, present, and future
Saying that it "feels as though a giant weight has been lifted off [his team's] shoulders" now that TERA has launched, En Masse Senior Producer Brian Knox has turned his attention to the immediate and far future of the game. He says that the team is hard at work ironing out "pain points" for players, but his big passion is working to make the PvP experience even better and to roll out the battlegrounds this summer. "I want to continue to slowly iterate our PvP-server rules," Knox said in an interview published yesterday. "I think TERA's skill-based system is a natural fit for PvP players, and I want to develop a system that encourages and rewards PvP participants." Knox addressed the pace of the leveling experience (he says it should be a "smooth and even ride" if players follow the story and do all the quests), the price of teleportation scrolls (expensive for lowbies, affordable for veterans), and what to do at the endgame (answer: a lot). As more players reach the high levels, En Masse is preparing to juice up its nexuses and political system, both of which require a decent amount of participants to work.
TERA recaps the most recent closed beta weekend, concludes that PvP players enjoy PvP
TERA has just wrapped up its most recent closed beta weekend and is aiming at another this coming Friday. In this latest test, players finally got to take part in the game's PvP offerings, and the official postmortem leads to an ironclad conclusion: PvP players really enjoy killing one another. Across the beta's two PvP servers, players racked up a total of 50,000 kills, with over 150,000 battles fought. And that's not even factoring in the number of guild battles taking place with over 2,000 guilds formed. As it turns out, it wasn't just the players doing the testing; the developers were also putting together a small guild and going out among the people, as it were. It seems as if the game's PvP is humming along smoothly, and with the next closed beta coming up in just a couple of days, it'll be worth watching to see how the rest of the game stacks up. And for those players participating in the closed beta weekends, the third edition begins Friday!
The Anvil of Crom: AA resets, tradeskills, and hardcore PvP stagnation
Welcome back to the Anvil of Crom, dear readers. After the content explosion of the past couple of months, it seems almost strange to be relatively relaxed when it comes to Age of Conan. I'd gotten so used to scrambling around re-writing columns at the last minute -- and polishing up interviews and impression pieces -- that I had almost forgotten what it feels like to settle into a comfortable gameplay groove. In looking around for interesting topics this week, I realized that it's been quite some time since I turned the column over to the community. So without further ado, join me after the cut to see what's on the minds of Hyborians at home and abroad as we power through the week's hot topics.
Age of Conan's hardcore PvP ruleset releasing tomorrow
What's a good encore for the week following a huge, game-altering freemium revamp? How about a new and much-anticipated server ruleset. Yep, Funcom is gearing up to release Age of Conan's hardcore Blood and Glory PvP shards tomorrow according to an update on the official boards. The American and European servers are scheduled to receive four hours of maintenance, after which time two new shards, Deathwish (US) and Rage (EU), will be brought online. These aren't just any servers, either. The Blood and Glory ruleset features free-for-all PvP throughout the game world, corpse-looting, and one character per account. Age of Conan's PvP community has been very vocal in its disdain for the game's turn towards the PvE side of the MMO street in recent years, and the new ruleset will finally give the die-hards an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. For more on the ruleset, check out our exclusive interview with Funcom's Craig Morrison as well as our Blood & Glory opinion piece. [Thanks to Blasius for the tip!]
Massively Exclusive: Age of Conan's Craig Morrison on Blood and Glory, grind, and the future
Interesting times are just over the horizon for Age of Conan, and whether it's due to the Dreamworld game engine upgrade or the recently announced Blood and Glory PvP servers, Funcom's sword and sorcery epic isn't standing still as it moves toward its third anniversary in May of 2011. On the heels of the PvP ruleset announcement, we sat down with Funcom executive producer and AoC game director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison for a chat about ruleset specifics, PvP balance, grind, and what we're likely to see once Dreamworld hits the live servers. Join us after the cut for all that and more.
The Anvil of Crom: Blood and Glory reactions and concerns
So the interesting news that Craig Morrison was hinting at via Twitter earlier this week wasn't free-to-play. It was, in fact, something altogether more surprising. For those of you hiding under a Bori rock and who managed to miss the announcement: Age of Conan is adding a couple of servers, one each to the U.S. and EU game regions. These aren't just any servers, either, but rather hardcore FFA PvP-enabled servers with custom rulesets (tentatively titled Blood and Glory) that make the pre-1.04 bloodletting on Tyranny look like a walk in the proverbial park. Player looting. Single character. No guards. These are just a few of the choice morsels Funcom has dangled in front of the snapping jaws of its ravenous PvP crowd. Join me after the cut for a bit of discussion on the potential impact of these new shards.
Bring it on: DCUO launches new PvP servers
We can only assume it's a good day for Sony Online Entertainment when demand for its new superhero MMO, DC Universe Online, creates a need for more servers. Starting tomorrow afternoon at approximately 6:30 p.m. EST, two new PvP servers -- appropriately titled "Cry for Blood" (PC) and "Blood Will Run" (PS3) -- will be available for bloodthirsty superpeople everywhere, bringing the total number of North American servers up to 16. That's not a shabby number for a new release or for SOE in particular, which has in recent years seen a slew of server merges and closings across some of its older games. On PvP servers, villains and heroes are able to duke it out via open-world factional combat while blasting through storyline content as well as in special PvP arenas. Word to the wise: Red means dead! Massively is interviewing DCUO's Game Director Chris Cao this very evening, so expect an exclusive interview on this and other new content goodies en route for DCUO players tomorrow!
PvP servers are an unstoppable force
If you happen to run into him, don't tell him we said this, but we keep very close e-tabs Ryan "Blackguard" Shwayder, following him around forums and checking his blog rather frequently. It's not that we have some unnatural affection for the man (although we do), it's more of a professional curiosity. We're watching and waiting from the shadows for the day when Ryan will perhaps have a bit too much to drink and sit down at his computer and finally dish all the details for 38 Studios' top-secret project, for which he is both a game designer and community manager.In the latest post on his blog, Ryan notes the overwhelming acceptance of PvP servers not only in World of Warcraft, but in the recently released Age of Conan as well, with over 50% adoption in that case. They've gone from begrudged niche in some cases to being as necessary for a sustained end-game as raiding or crafting. Specifically, Shwayder notes, "Now that it's clear there is money in PvP and it's not niche, I'm betting we start to see some high-budget PvP MMOs soon." Is that right? High-budget PvP MMOs in the future? Like, we don't know... Copernicus?
