Get ready for the next exciting challenge in the Elsword universe as Gate of Darkness goes live today.
Yearly Archives: 2012
Elsword Launches Gate of Darkness Update
Elsword Launches Gate of Darkness Update
Calling all warriors to protect the El Crystal from the invading demons including three-headed Dark Bone Dragons! Elsword, the award-winning anime-style beat-‘em-up game by Kill3rCombo, is introducing a new defense dungeon, Gate of Darkness. Players need to protect the gemstone in 15 waves of incoming demons by going solo or teaming up with other players. Players can receive more rewards by increasing the difficulty. To see a preview of the action, check out the launch trailer.
Starting today until Monday, June 4, Elsword is hosting events to celebrate the new dungeon:
Event Cubes: During the event period, players can collect special event cubes by defeating the demons in the Gate of Darkness dungeon. Collected cubes will provide various Magic Stones and El Shards;
Log in Event: Just by logging, players will receive a special cube filled with the wyvern’s accessories.
In Elsword, gamers can choose from five specialized and customizable characters as they explore immersive maps and battle to complete dynamic quests. As players progress through the game, they can evolve their fighting styles by upgrading to new job classes and watch as their chosen character matures and gains more fierce abilities and combos. With intuitive and straightforward controls, Elsword offers players of all skill levels the chance to defeat enemies and deal damage, either on a solo mission or cooperatively in a party of up to four players. For those who welcome a challenge, Elsword also delivers action-packed PvP combat.
WoW: Mists of Pandaria First Impressions
WoW Wednesday: Mists of Pandaria First Impressions
by Meredith Watson, OnRPG WoW Specialist
Recently, I got my WoW Mists of Pandaria beta invite. While I have been in a lot of betas, I haven’t ever been in a WoW beta. To paraphrase Jesse Cox of OMFG, some betas are like demos, others are stress tests but WoW betas are true betas. It is a true beta in the sense that things don’t work, there are many bugs, lag, crashes and the phasing is sketchy at best.
The first thing a returning player will notice is the new character creation screen. While it is very fluid now it does seem to emphasise how few choices there really are for character customisation. Blizzard has taken a page from other MMO’s books and now shows the starting character in a high end armour set for its class. As always, the starting character will be in the usual rags when it enters the game world for the first time.

Because I have played monks in other games and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was very excited when Blizzard announced WoW was getting its own version of a monk. Naturally, the first thing I do when I log into the beta is make a night elf monk. One reason for making a night elf versus a panda is that the pandas aren’t actually complete yet. The females currently only have one hair style and one ear style. They are definitely cute but not for me. I prefer my monks to be more ninja like rather than roly poly and sweet.
I levelled the monk to ten so that I could pick my specialisation. Up until this point, I had three skills and a roll. The roll is fun and surely meant for dodging out of the way but at these low levels I am just using it for movement speed. The monk uses two resources: chi and energy. If you played a rogue you will be familiar with how energy works. Chi is gained by using certain abilities and spent by using others in a continuous cycle throughout the fight. I do think as time moves on the monk will become an important and viable class as it can fill the holy trinity of roles: Tank, healer, and DPS.

It was a little disheartening at level ten to not get that first talent point to spend. In classic WoW and subsequent expansions one of the things a levelling character could look forward to was spending a talent point every couple of levels.
After being a bit disappointed with the baby monk, I decided to try a level 85 template monk. This is a great way to see the new content but it won’t be an accurate representation of every player’s experience. When one makes a template character it comes equipped with full heroic dungeon gear. The player has the ability to enchant and gem all of the gear with maxed out jewel crafting and enchanting. Many players will be better geared than a template character while some will only have quest gear, crafted, or others may only have PvP gear when Mists of Pandaria goes live. Is the first zone optimised for every type of player or will some struggle while some faceroll through?
My purpose in creating the 85 monk was to look at and choose the “new talents”. Again, I was quite disappointed. I find the new talents far too simplified. I understand the intent of condensing the talents so the player isn’t penalised for their choices but my thought is that Blizzard has removed an enjoyable part of the levelling and customisation experience. The long wait for a new talent won’t affect level capped characters drastically when the expansion goes live as they will get to choose most of them in one go but for me it may deter my desire to level a new character. I like the little rewards, such as talent points, to drive me forward. Blizzard used to do that so well.

The beta isn’t all big sweeping changes though. There are little things that make one ponder. For example wands no longer have their own slot. They are now a main hand weapon. Wands have really only ever been stat sticks or something to use if out of mana. So the demotion/promotion of the wand, while not game changing, is moderately interesting. Another small change is the buff interface. I have never liked the consolidated buff icon. I want to see all my buffs, especially when raiding or in a dungeon, so consolidated buffs is a feature I’ve always turned off. However, in Mists of Pandaria the buff box, on mouse over, now indicates by stat which short term buff you have while long term buffs remain outside the box. It doesn’t appear to always work at this time though.
Mounts and companions now have their own tab on the hot bar. It seems to be very bugged at present. Currently the pet battle system has been removed but rumour has it that it is soon to be reintroduced.

After creating a level 85 template character, the character is dropped into the starting area of Jade Forest. However, there is a quest for both Alliance and horde in Stormwind and Orgrimmar respectively that lead the character to the Jade Forest through a series of scripted events and cut scenes. I so wanted it to be epic. It wasn’t. There was no real sense of urgency or impending doom. I remember watching the The Burning Crusade trailer over and over just to hear Illidian Stormrage say “You are not prepared”. That was epic. A ride in a junky gnome engineered plane is not.
From what I have discovered thus far, Mists of Pandaria is just more WoW. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It is just more of the same. If you are looking for something new and exciting you won’t find it here but you will find the same solid and entertaining game that it has always been.
SG Interactive Unleashes the Leviathan in Grand Chase: Heroes
SG Interactive Unleashes the Leviathan in Grand Chase: Heroes
A devastating new force awaits players in SG Interactive’s action MMORPG, Grand Chase: Heroes, with the release of the powerful Leviathan as the third job for the powerful demon-born Dio, Leviathan introduces a new choice in play-style for Dio fanatics. The new job hinges around different battle stances – the Devil Pose for conquering dungeons and the Weapons Pose to excel in PvP combat. Dio’s third job is available now, and interested players can try out the character by registering for free on the official game page.
Details of the Leviathan job include:
The new weapon, Soul Reaver: The Soul Reaver is a scythe weapon that gives players a deadly edge in combat. It bristles with the power of the grim reaper, as its wrath has been wrought on scores of monsters and players alike.
The customizable “Marble System:” The key to victory is adaptability. Players can customize their attack style and dominate the battlefield by changing the different weapon effects with Dio’s “Marble System.”
New combos: The “Marble System” combined with the powers of the Soul Reaver will allow skilled combatants to create brand new combos to chain together vicious attacks. These new combos can control the battle or dominate enemies in PvP and dungeons.
To help players get started with Leviathan, from now until May 15, SG Interactive will hold special events including:
The “Leviathan is Here!” Event: Brawlers will earn bonus rewards including the +10 Epic Reinforcement Stone Chest, just by unlocking Dio’s Leviathan mission.
Get a Taste of Dio’s Power Event: By playing as Dio or as a member of Dio’s team players will receive a 20% EXP boost in dungeons and PvP
Leviathan’s Rage Package Sale: Players can purchase the Leviathan’s Rage Package at a 10% discount.
Dio, tasked with destroying the dimensional portals that open up to the demon world, is forced to unseal more of his reckless power to deal with them. Leviathan builds on Dio’s existing jobs but gives players more customization and specialization to deal with foes. Players can alter his skills on the fly to be deadly in PvP or dungeons with the Weapon and Devil poses.
World of Warplanes Heavy Fighters Trailer
World of Warplanes shows off the incredibly manly heavy fighters.
Spirit Tales Open Beta Events Promises Ipads and More
Spirit Tales Open Beta Event Schedule Revealed; Win iPads and More!
To celebrate the upcoming open beta launch of Spirit Tales on May 10, KoramGame today revealed the full community event schedule that is designed to help players win an array of awesome prizes, including the new Apple iPad. Starting on the first day of open beta, players will have the opportunity to complete several fun tasks both in and outside of the game. Some of these tasks, like collecting gift and reward boxes from a certain NPC, provide players with the chance to unlock exclusive in-game prizes, with hundreds of winners in all!
Events Overview
Open Beta Blastoff – Visit NPC Halzo and collect 6 gift boxes for a chance to win 1 of 3 Apple iPads!
Achievement Hunter – Earn 50 achievements in the first week and receive a raffle entry that could net you some special prizes.
Login to Win – Play more than 25 hours and receive prizes made specifically for dedicated players.
Spring Fling – Slay any monster and receive a special spring token redeemable for exclusive in-game prizes.
Training Ground Booster – Complete the training grounds to earn a “chance box” that can result in 1 of 5 unique prizes.
Kcoin Purchase Bonus – Purchase Item Mall gold and receive a reward box that can be traded in for a random prize.
The fun doesn’t end here, it’s only the beginning. Come May 10, KoramGame will be announcing another exciting giveaway that includes a ton of awesome prizes like a gaming desktop and more! Stay tuned. For more details on each community event, visit http://st.koramgame.com/events. Prizes will be distributed during the scheduled maintenance following the event.
Guild Wars 2 Impressions w/ Mikedot
Mikedot makes his video debut at OnRPG with a first look at the Guild Wars 2 beta test.
Spirit Tales Launch Interview
Spirit Tales Launch Interview
By Bryan King (Bryan), OnRPG Journalist
Answers by Elliott, KoramGame Community Manager
Spirit Tales, developed by X-Legend and published by KoramGame, prides itself on being “the cutest fantasy game ever”. I recently got a chance to sit down and speak to Elliott, Community Manager of KoramGame about this upcoming title, and how it will use its “cute” niche to take the MMO market by storm.
Hello Elliott, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello Readers! I’m Elliott, Community Manager for Spirit Tales. I’m pretty much the one running the events, posting on our forums, Facebook, Twitter, and just about everywhere else. Some readers might recognize me from some other games I’ve worked on in the past, but I’m guessing most haven’t! I’m really proud to be a part of Spirit Tales, and I hope to see everyone come online on May 10th.
Can you go into depth about Spirit Tales’ storyline?
The basic story behind Spirit Tales is that a vast continent was formed sometime in the past and life eventually blossomed forth and flourished there. Over time, certain tribes of people came to inhabit the land and lived in peace and harmony for countless millennia until one day, spurred on by greed and ambition, the tribes of the North attacked. The Southern tribes, finding themselves caught within the shadow of the Northern onslaught, were forced to retreat to the southernmost reaches of the continent – to the rich and fertile, Autumnal Grove. There, within that final haven, the last hope of their people lies in the hands of the Glorious Shield, a resistance force made up of valiant and fearless individuals from each of the Southern tribes.
We feel like we hit a nice balance between story, quest line, and exciting gameplay elements; something our users can easily see just by playing our game.
Spirit Tales was developed originally in Taiwan, and was recently brought to North American shores in 2012, what did your team do in order to best fit this game to its new audience?
We have taken the game in a direction that tailors more to the American and European audiences by incorporating the market needs into the overall picture. So a lot of the content will be separate from other versions of the games already released in different regions of the world. For example, we’ve added more depth into the story line, provided more information to help guide users, and hosted community events exclusive to the Spirit Tales name. And that’s only the beginning. We have many new features in the pipeline that will really differentiate our game from any other.
Can you go into detail about the “pet capture” system in Spirit Tales?
Of course I can. Basically, nearly every in-game monster you come across in the world of Spirit Tales can be captured, trained, and evolved. Because you can have multiple pets in the game, the interaction between players and pets then becomes two-fold; one pet can be used in a way that boosts your character’s stats, while another may be summoned to fight right alongside you. Outside of these two interactions, players can train their pets, evolve them (which is actually something different than leveling them up), and refine them into an even stronger version. Also, the pet system is not only limited to world monsters, but also dungeon bosses and rare event monsters.
What other features separate Spirit Tales from other F2P games?
We have been very open and transparent with everything in the game, including making the game as easily accessible as possible. We made it easier for players to find what they are looking for and what it takes to move forward in the game. We also included a full drop list for every monster in the game where players can just click one button to see everything a mob will drop. We also don’t hide things like enhancement rates; we have the percent chance of success right on the interface.
Our goal is to get people playing our game, not wasting their time with fillers and time sinks. Even though these tweaks sound small and unimportant, we know a lot of gamers out there who will care about the nitty gritty details of a game.
What classes does Spirit Tales offer? What differentiates them all?
To begin with, Spirit Tales places a huge emphasis on the individual, apart from their specific class. As of right now, players will have six main classes to choose from though and over 40 million different character customization and costume options that coincide with this. The six main classes are Fighter, Shaman, Warrior, Archer, Assassin, and Sorcerer.
What differentiates the classes from one another has to do primarily with party role as well as damage and weapon type, along with the tribe they belong to which dictates their overall appearance.
Typical player reacting to news of launch delay
How has your community responded to the Open Beta delay so far?
With the announcement of the delay of open beta, many players were upset, which was understandable. However, we are certain players will realize that Spirit Tales is worth the wait and that we made the right decision, even though it was difficult to do. We are really appreciative of the patience of our community with regards to this, and plan on rewarding them accordingly.
What PvP features does Spirit Tales have that is sure to enthrall your audience?
Spirit Tales has PvE Arenas where players can take on waves of monsters in a coliseum-like setting, 5v5 PvP Arenas for individual players along with teams, and PvP Tournaments that span multiple level brackets where players can earn special prizes. Last, but definitely not least, we have the soon-to-be-famous 1v5 PvP Arena where a player can transform into a dungeon boss to take on up to 5 players in a brilliant display of Spirit Tales uniqueness.
Cash shops in free to play games have been quite the topic lately, with many MMOs switching to a F2P format, and the MMO community is split in terms of how to better improve this economy to keep paying players and non-paying players in mind. What has your team done in terms of keeping the entire cash shop system balanced?
Well for one, we have made 100% of the game content available to all users, regardless of whether or not they pay. We will never withhold any sort of game content from users behind a “paywall.” Furthermore, we have made certain that all the items available in the Item Mall are fully tradable, making every item available to users in this way. In addition, X-Legend, the developer of the game, has been closely monitoring the economic impact and has exclusively designed Spirit Tales to be extremely balanced in terms of gold sinks and gold income.
What is your target audience for “Spirit Tales”? Many players may be taken aback by the “cutesy” setting. What do you have to say for many users who may feel that way?
Our target audience is basically any MMORPG fan that likes a fun, vibrant, and fast-paced game complete with community involvement and loads of content. Although Spirit Tales is a game that’s chalk full of adorable creatures and captivating colors, there’s much more than meets the eye. The gameplay is fast, in-depth, requires complex strategies, team work, and character control to be most effective. There’s plenty of content in both the PvP and PvE side of things that’ll satisfy any type of gamer.
The game’s “Guild Islands” feature seems quite enticing; can you go into detail about this to our readers?
As we all know, guilds have had a long standing tradition in most MMORPGs; providing players with the ability to socialize with both old and new friends alike. With that in mind, Spirit Tales has taken the whole guild tradition in an exciting new direction with Guild Islands. Members can build a guild that’s entirely one-of-a-kind by working together and constructing special add-ons. Players can also forgo upgrades entirely to make the Guild Island a simple getaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday MMO life.
Can you tell us a bit about the newly announced sweetheart system?
A huge and often necessary part of the MMORPG experience is building relationships with other players. This unique social system allows players to take their in-game relationships in a non-traditional direction by giving them the opportunity to partner up and even find “love” with a character of the opposite or the same sex. Providing both depth and an increasingly fun atmosphere to the game, players that choose to become a part of the Sweetheart System will unlock exclusive features and upgrades. In essence, the Sweetheart System allows players to take new or existing relationships to a fun new level, or just reaffirm those special ones that some players may already have.
What new changes have been added as of the official launch on May 10th?
What players can expect is that the level cap will be raised to 45 on the day of launch, and will be increased shortly after. There will also be 1 new zone, 2 new daily dungeons, and a Sigil Stone System that allows players to upgrade their equipment by providing bonuses to specific skills or stats. There will also be pet refining and evolution, along with new legendary (purple) equipment from world bosses and dungeon bosses made available during open beta.
Are there any major updates coming up for Spirit Tales?
As it stands right now, we are planning to have a very aggressive and rapid content release schedule, but we can’t give away too much detail about this right now. However, our first update will be less than one month after our open beta launch. That’s all I can say!
In one sentence, tell our readers why they should visit st.koramgame.com right now.
Every visit to our website will earn you bacon and a lolcat! (Not really, but come visit anyways!)
Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
Register for a free Spirit Tales account at our official website. And be sure to like us on Facebook for exclusive giveaways, event information and so much more! I hope to see everyone on May 10!
Thank you so much for your time!
Tribes Ascend Dev Diary: Tartarus
Tribes Ascend looks at some new maps and game changes in their latest dev diary.
The Joker Returns in DC Universe Online
The Joker Returns to Wreak Havoc in DC Universe Online
The battle between heroes and villains in DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) continues as Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that The Last Laugh, the fourth downloadable content (DLC) pack for DCUO, will be available in June for download on the PC and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The Last Laugh will pit players against each other in high-intensity multiplayer brawls, feature an all-new weapon, and introduce new Light-Powered Legends PvP characters.
“We created this DLC purely for the players that like to take the fight to each other in DCUO’s amazing PvP combat,” said Jens Andersen, creative director on DC Universe Online. “Our community has continuously asked for more multiplayer action in DCUO, and we wanted to deliver content that fully meets their expectations and pushes PvP to another level. The Last Laugh is the first DLC that we’ve created that focuses almost entirely on player versus player battles, and it adds an exciting new element as some of DC’s greatest heroes and villains join to fight alongside you. Players will have even more opportunities to prove to the world whether heroes or villains will be triumphant.”
The Last Laugh will include an all-new weapon, hours of multiplayer gameplay in the Safe Houses and Headquarters, and new Legends PvP characters:
The Shield – Players can unleash this vicious new weapon to bash their opponents, or hurl it to take them down from a distance.
Safe House Battles – No one is safe now that heroes and villains can invade each other’s Safe Houses in these four on four battles.
Graviton Technology Recovery – Players will be tasked with unscrambling teleporter codes that The Joker has mixed into fragments. Located at the Watchtower or Hall of Doom, players must retrieve eight code fragments to successfully rebuild useable teleporter codes.
The Rescue – Heroes must rescue hostages, while Villains will be freeing arrested criminals from opposing Safe Houses.
Bomb Disposal – Thanks to The Joker, the encryption on the Email terminals has changed and can only be bypassed by the robot he provided. Players must gain control of the robot and either upload the data to their HQ or add new encryption to keep their enemies and The Joker away from it.
Headquarter Battles – In this two-part crusade, 16 players – eight heroes and eight villains – will face off for the ultimate player reward. At the request of Superman, heroes must take over the Hall of Doom, while villains, egged on by The Joker, will breach the Watchtower in order to create chaos.
Legends Characters – Combat illuminates with the introduction of the first light-powered Legends for multiplayer combat. Players will soon have access to Kilowog, a Green Lantern, and Amon Sur, a member of the Sinestro Corps.
DCUO’s The Last Laugh DLC pack will be accessible for free for the game’s Legendary members and available for purchase for Free and Premium players via the PlayStation®Network in-game Marketplace, and on the PC via the DCUniverseOnline.com website.















