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Alganon patches Phase III PvP update
Destruction, terror, and mayhem came to Alganon this past November with the arrival of the game's first PvP patch. This week, the free-to-play fantasy MMORPG is tweaking the functionality with Phase III of its planned PvP rollout which includes a couple of noteworthy additions. First up is the new tower mechanic. In a nutshell, the towers are PvP-enabled zones that automatically flag players for conflict five seconds after they've entered. Temporary promotions will be in effect for characters from levels 10 to 49, and statistics and action levels will be raised to level 50 for the duration of a player's time in the tower zone. The towers can also be captured, which brings bonuses to every member of your faction in the zone. The Quest devs have also added local and world defense chat channels to facilitate battlefield communication. Finally, the new patch has also increased the renown level cap to 10 and there is new PvP gear for sale at various capital city quartermaster NPCs. Read all the details on Alganon's 2.5.2 patch at the official website.
The Verminous Horde swarms WAR today
Sharpen those claws and prepare to throw down with the Skaven: Warhammer Online's 1.4 patch, The Verminous Horde, hits the live servers today! WAR's 1.4 update includes a wide range of additions and improvements, although the highlight is the ability to play as one of the four new Skaven classes in RvR lakes. Other changes include a revamp of Open RvR mechanics, a Skaven-themed dungeon, a reworking of Renown Abilities and a Barber Surgeon who's anxious to give you a complete makeover. Patch 1.4 also marks the addition of two RvR Packs to the controversial EA Store. The Progression pack adds 20 more RvR levels (bringing the cap to 100) in addition to faster leveling and more gear. For fluffaholics, the Personality pack is a bounty of vanity pets, mounts and dyes that help you make a dashing first impression. Head on over to Warhammer Online to read the full 1.4 patch notes!
Alganon adding PvP functionality
Despite its checkered history, free-to-play fantasy MMORPG Alganon soldiers on. In its recently released November newsletter, Quest Online details the latest feature set added to the game in the form of PvP combat. The upgrade is scheduled to proceed in stages, with phase one consisting of both dueling and open world PvP, both of which are already available on the live servers. Phase two of the PvP integration is currently slotted for a December release and looks to add an objective system to the open-world PvP mechanics in the form of conquerable towers. Said towers will provide adventuring benefits to factional members located in the zone. Quest is also working on PvP armor sets and accessories for characters between levels 10 and 50. Keeps will be making an appearance in phase two as well and will represent stepping stones along the path to being able to enter the enemy capitol and slay the factional leader for fun and profit. Finally, phase three of the PvP master plan will bring battlegrounds to the world of Alganon. These self-contained PvP instances will feature team objectives and function similarly to the maps found in traditional FPS titles. Quest is also prepping a renown system that will feature weapons, armor, and assorted gear, as well as a resource-control mechanic. Battlegrounds are scheduled to go live sometime in 2011. Check out the official Alganon newsletter for more details.
Waging WAR: RvR packs, the "wait and see" edition
This week Waging WAR rides the double rainbow of gameplay customization via downloadable content and takes a cursory glance at the RvR packs being teased by the folks behind the development of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Let's follow along and see what Greg can unleash this time. It is difficult to talk about the future of WAR right now. Not because it doesn't have a future, but because the availability of information regarding it is not exactly easy to find. Actually, information on the future of WAR is all but non-existent, surrounded by controversy on all sides, and steeped in rumor, speculation, assumption and misinformation. The best I can put together is that we, as players, can look forward to some sort of set of three different "RvR Packs" allowing us to "customize" our gameplay experience moving forward. The packs have been called "Power," "Progression," and "Personality." What exactly each contains is a mystery, although the few talking points I was able to find regarding these RvR packs are speculatively disappointing at best. Although Carrie, Andy, and anyone else involved with the Mythic development team have said time and time again that they are not discussing moving toward the free-to-play business model, what they're proposing with these customization packs looks suspiciously like the item shop established by Turbine, implemented in Dungeons & Dragons Online and soon in Lord of the Rings Online as well. V.I.P. membership, anyone? Although concrete information is scarce and difficult to find, let's take a look at the most commonly referenced points of interest after the break.
Waging WAR: A healer's survival guide
This week, Waging WAR steps back from all the news and hype of Gamescom and GamesDay and focuses in on the healing archetypes in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. As we all know by now, Greg plays a healer and he's put together a guide for those who kill by mending the wounds of those who kill by bludgeon or blade. In my time in WAR I've learned a thing or two. No, I'm not writing about my extensive knowledge of how various terrains taste (the sand on the beaches of Nordenwatch and the cobbled brick streets of Praag have become favored delicacies). I'm writing about how to be an effective healer in WAR. While I am by no means invincible or infallible, I do consider myself a decent, relatively resilient and capable PvP tank (let's not kid ourselves here -- who needs plate when you can wear robes, right?). I have some advice to share with those who are interested in endgame PvP/RvR healing, or even those who are already there but seek to add an edge to their game. To achieve enlightenment, click the Read More button.
Faction populations largely balanced in Warhammer Online
When Warhammer Online launched, one of the pressing concerns players had was population imbalance between Order and Destruction. Some of the measures Mythic Entertainment has taken to remedy this -- like free server transfers -- seem to have worked, according to Mythic's Jess Folsom.A recent dev blog by Folsom at the Warhammer Herald addresses the concerns WAR players continue to have about faction imbalances, and paints a decidedly bright picture of the current state of play.Percentages shown for the average of all North American servers shows a near equal balance in active accounts per faction (49% Order vs. 51% Destruction), and an even 50/50 split between factions in terms of average experience and renown point gains.
Samsung Renown launching on Verizon November 19, in stores December 1
If you're a Verizon customer, global roaming's up your alley, and the Storm and Saga are both just a little more smartphone than you need, there's another option dropping shortly: the Samsung Renown. There's really not a hell of a lot to the unassuming flip beyond an integrated quadband GSM radio, but hey -- for some frequent travelers (drug runners come immediately to mind), maybe that's all the doctor ordered. The bronze flip musters VZW Navigator support, a QVGA primary display, micro SD expansion to 8GB, and a 2-megapixel camera, and while the $179.99 on-contract price after rebate might sound a smidge steep for such specs, let's not lose sight of that all-powerful globetrotting capability. It'll hit November 19 over the phone and December 1 in-store; in the meantime, follow the break for some views of the thing.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Samsung's winter lineup for the US gets dolled up for the camera
We know about most of these handsets, but it's always fun to get a few final views before they're officially announced and made available, isn't it? phoneArena has what must be the complete (or close to it) lineup from Samsung for the US market in the next few months all in one place, showing the a777 and a867 Eternity for AT&T, the Behold for T-Mobile, and the i770 Saga, i910 Omnia, and u810 Reknown for Verizon. New here is the R600 Hue II for Alltel, a boring-ass little flip that should be available in a handful of colors. There are a couple goodies in here -- the a867, i770, and i910 should all get some blood flowing, depending on how you roll. Which one's your favorite?
Massively's WAR Camp: Capturing and defending keeps
From Tier 2 onwards, players of Warhammer Online have the option of mustering an army to go forth into the RvR lakes and capture keeps. There are numerous benefits to capturing a keep -- renown bonuses and set-piece loot await a victorious party, as well as a chance to claim the keep in their guild's name, and push the zone control meter forward for their realm. Of course, if the opposing realm has some backbone about them, a quick capture can turn into an all-out war, with siege weapons and countless casualties. One can only hope! Join us as we take an in-depth look at all of this, in our gallery guide to capturing and defending keeps. Capturing and Defending Keeps %Gallery-34148% Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
