Monthly Archives: January 2013

OnRPG Shotgun News 1/16: LoL, Renaissance Heroes, Wizardry Online, and Much Much More!

OnRPG Shotgun News 1/16: LoL, Renaissance Heroes, Wizardry Online, and Much Much More!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

 

Something Brews at Warhammer Online

A new live event may be in the works for Warhammer Online if Mythic’s Implimentation Lead Keaven Freeman’s tweet yesterday is anything to go by. Of course not much can fit in a tweet and so far this is the only sign of the possible event. Thankfully the tweet included a picture taken from a page of the Tome of Knowledge. OnRPG will keeping a close eye on the developments here.

 

 

SWTOR Hints at Upcoming Release

A new post appeared on the SWTOR page showing an upcoming update which for now has no release date. In it level 50 players will have the chance to assist the Gree in their pursuit for information. This will be available to everyone. And a new Galactic Reputation system will be implemented. Giving a new way to progress characters through six ranks.

 

 

Renaissance Heroes Announces Beta

ChangYou.com has announced that the beta for Renaissance Heroes will begin January 22nd and run for two weeks, with no wipe. The beta will introduce a new European server to go along with those for North America. In addition there will be two new heroes, Bart and Medici. Special events will be held everyday throughout the two week beta so be sure official Facebook page and the website regularly. Also our sister site MMOHuts will have an exclusive item up for grabs in a giveaway coming soon!

 

 

 

Einherjar Beowulf Adventure Going On Now

From January 16th (today) to January 23rd Einherjar players will be able to recruit Beowulf to their Viking forces. In addition new materials and a sword will be available. As this is a limited time event though you shouldn’t wait.

 

 

Fiesta Releases Unique Snowboard Mount

A new mount has come to Fiesta which makes it’s own trail. The Snowboard makes snow as you go so you never have to worry about it being the wrong season. Check out the trailer below.

 

 

MechWarrior First Double XP Weekend Announced

The first ever MechWarrior Online Double XP weekend has been announced! It will take place over the weekend of January 18th starting at 10 am PST. In addition to the announcement of the event MechWarrior has released a creepy new Spider Mech.

 

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League of Legends Video Highlights Preseason Balance

The second part video of Preseason balancing that will take place in League of Legends has been released. Check it out for yourself below.

 

 

Wizardry Online Delayed

Wizardry Online was expected to go live today however it has been pushed back by two weeks to January 30th. This is down to getting everything integrated and ready to launch being hard. Have no fear though, if you need your Wizardry Online fix check out Dizzy’s survival journal entries from Wizardry Online here.

 

 

The Secret World Real World Gear Now Available

Always wanted to represent your faction in the real world? Well I certainly have. And now Funcom has teamed up with WeLoveFine.com to offer official TSW apparel. It’s mostly Tshirts but there is also the famous Innsmouth Academy sweatsheart, bloodstains not included. I’m a Dragon and I wear a large…you know, if anyone was thinking about what to get me for my birthday.

 

 

Arma III Developers Heading Home

I promised to keep an eye on two Arma III developers who were arrested in Greece under suspicion of espionage and now I have the pleasure of saying that they have made bail and are going home soon. Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta were arrested about four months ago and their conditions have been somewhat questionable during that time thanks to the reported poor prison environment. Congratulations guys!

 

 

Sega Partners with Gogogic for Godsrule: War of Mortals

Sega is looking to strengthen it’s free to play and cross-platform portfolio by teaming up with Gogogic for free to play battle game Godsrule. The game is currently in closed beta for ipad and browser with a planned release sometime in early 2013.

 

 

All TERA Accounts Get Free Time

En Masse has announced that all TERA accounts have received free game time! Originally planned as a free week long event before the switch to free to play some complications meant many were unable to take advantage of it. So, instead everyone is getting a free 7 days of game time!

Union Party System Unlocks Hidden Silkroad Online Power

Union Party System Unlocks Hidden Silkroad Online Power

 

Silkroad Online

 

Joymax today unveils an upcoming update of the “Union Party System” for Silkroad Online! Silkroad Online is preparing for this month’s upcoming patch, “Ignite Silkroad Part 3: Undead’s Revenge”, with the introduction of the terrifying addition, “Death Bone.” Born from the ashes of the Roc, this gigantic undead beast is the most powerful unique monster yet. The only means to defeat it is by combining forces with the use of the Union Party System.

 

 

The main feature of the Union Party System allows four separate parties to combine, creating a giant raid of 32 players. Creating a group this large requires a Union Ticket and the owner of the Union Ticket automatically becomes the leader of the group. The leader has the ability to control a variety of party settings such as loot distribution. With the improved party system from this month’s update, players can choose new types of distribution; including skill EXP, randomizing items, and ordered item distribution.

 

Silkroad Online

 

 

Players who enter into a union party will receive a special bonus EXP buff as high as 25% for a full union of four groups. Only these massive groups will be able to take on the newest challenge: Death Bone! Death Bone is the most challenging boss yet requiring a full Union Party at maximum level; the “Roc Time Attack!” may even feel easy in comparison.

 

 

The massive skeleton monster, Death Bone, is designed with powerful skills to draw players in then launch a near-death attack for the unfortunate few who do not flee in the short five second window of opportunity. Players, who have both defeated the Roc and completed a challenging quest chain, can summon this evil terror and find the reward well worth the effort, as Death Bone not only rewards the best EXP gains but also the highest gold reward — the 13th tier equipment and much more.

Battle Magician Mixes Magic and Melee in Elsword

Battle Magician Mixes Magic and Melee in Elsword

 

 

Elsword

 

 

Today Kill3rCombo, publisher of the hit game Elsword, launched a new class for its wildly popular free-to-play action MMORPG. The Battle Magician class is the second part of Elsword Transformation, a multi-month campaign that will see numerous changes to the game, including a new job class for every character.

 

 

As a Battle Magician, Aisha dishes out a wide range of punishing close quarter attacks and harnesses pure magical energy to blast her opponents into the stratosphere. While the first new class in Elsword Transformation was a natural evolution for the melee character Elsword, Battle Magician is a striking departure for the ranged caster Aisha, who can now go toe-to-toe in melee rumbles. This makes Aisha more versatile and unpredictable in both PvE and PvP modes.

 

 

Battle Magician offers improved melee abilities, but Aisha still retains a powerful arsenal of magical attacks. While Aisha’s other classes involve mastery over the natural elements or dark forces, Battle Magicians have the rare ability to wield magic in its pure form for devastating energy attacks. Aisha acquires this ability through a magical pendant given by her mentor, as the Battle Magician story unfolds.

WoW Wednesday – Sneaky Peek at 5.2

WoW Wednesday – Sneaky Peek at 5.2

By Meredith Watson, OnRPG’s WoW Reporter

 

 

 

It seems we were just here with patch 5.1 but 5.2 is now on the public test realm. 5.2 promises to be a huge patch with new zones, a new dailies hub (I know, I know yet more dailies), a new raid instance, some nerfs, some buffs and quite possibly Blizzard’s run up to giving us player housing. Eventually. Maybe. Soon™.

 

 

The Isle of Giants is off the coast of Kun Lai Summit and as of today doesn’t seem to have a purpose. I was able to get there by just flying north from Zouchin Village. It isn’t far but you will get the fatigue-o-meter for a few seconds before you hit the island. From what I can tell Isle of Giants is Un’goro crater version 2.0 except with less crater and more dinosaurs. The devilsaurs are back in a big way. The Isle of Giants has two new breed of dinos with the Pterrowing Screamers and Primal Direhorns. The Pterrowing Screamer is a much better version of the pterrodax that currently resides in Un’goro while the direhorn looks like a triceratops and is the new tameable pet for hunters that is obtainable by doing a long quest line.

 

 

 

The Isle of the Thunder King is the new daily quest hub which offers a selection of PvP and PvE quests. However, as soon as the player zones in from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms you will be flagged for PvP. Whether this changes or not remains to be seen. This may not go over well for those that don’t enjoy being forced to PvP. Getting to the Isle of the Thunder King is done through your faction’s portals hub in either Shrine of Seven Stars or Shrine of Two Moons.

 

 

Upon zoning in you, if you are Alliance, will notice a couple familiar faces with the most notable being The Image of Archmage Vargoth and Lady Jaina Proudmore representing the Kirin Tor while the Sunreaver Onslaught is being led by Lor’themar Theron for the Horde. The staging area has the feel of things being built which is exactly what is happening. Think Sunwell or Ahn’Quiraj. The top of your screen will show war progress with the whole point being getting the thunder forge built. 

 

 

The Isle of the Thunder King has the feel of Tol Barad with the Chinese theme of Mists of Pandaria running through it but as one would guess there are trolls. The Zandalari are back and playing a role.  Zandalari can be found in Krasarang Wilds, Dread Wastes, Townlong Steppes, Jade Forest, and Kun-Lai Summit and require one to two players to defeat them. The Warbringers will require a party of five and have a chance of dropping a rare mount.  Supposedly there are three new rare mounts to be had.

 

 

There is a new raid instance, Throne of Thunder, which can be found in the sewers – similar to getting into the Black Temple. The raid has 12 encounters and defeating the Emperor Lei Shen on heroic difficulty can open a thirteenth. Aside from new zones and new raid there is the continuation of the legendary quest line aiding the Black Prince. It isn’t only hunters that get a new quest line but warlocks will be able to change their fire spells to fel green through a solo adventure.  Like the Sunsong Ranch, the legendary quest line is not currently on the PTR but with what is currently on the PTR it looks like we are in for a good time.

 

OnRPG Shotgun News 1/15 – SWTOR, Guild Wars 2, Diablo III, & Broken Realm

OnRPG Shotgun News 1/15 – SWTOR, Guild Wars 2, Diablo III, & Broken Realm

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG

 

 

EA, Bioware Under Pressure For “Gay Planet” in SWTOR

 

For anyone who hasn’t heard, Star Wars The Old Republic is getting same sex relationships at last in the upcoming expansion. This is something that has always been promised would be in the game but so far has been missing. It has been delayed due to setbacks and other things which had to take priority. But now that it’s being introduced EA and Bioware are facing the wrath of Jedi and Sith all over the world. There are of course those completely against having same sex relationships in the game. But then they’re also getting a fire fight from those for it. Why? Because it’s limited to only one planet. One that even Fox News in theUnited Stateshas chimed in on, calling it digital segregation, and the gay planet. The official forums are filled with arguments from both sides leaving EA/Bioware asking, where is the love?

 

GW2 Hits 3 Million Sales and More

 

Colin Johanson from ArenaNet took to the Guild Wars 2 official site to look ahead in 2013 and announce that 3 million copies of GW2 have been sold. He talks about the living world, how important the events are and the rewards that are given for them. More events will be added in the year to come and the rewards for them improved upon. For early 2013 there will be content that allows guilds to go on missions together, get new rewards, and new tools to make guilds even better. WvW and PvP are getting looked at as well, adding more incentives and making it more friendly for the casual and hardcore alike. You can check out the whole post for yourself on the official site by clicking here https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/colin-johanson-on-guild-wars-2-in-the-months-ahead/ or check out the short video which summarizes what is said in the lengthy post.

 
Guild Wars 2 2013 Preview Video

 

Diablo III Goes PvP

 

Coming in Patch 1.0.7 will be the much sought after ability to duel. A new zone has been specifically designed for player vs player content in for different areas, a church, graveyard, river, and lake. Dueling will support up to four players in a free for all format. There won’t be any keeping score, except for that friendly competition between friends over who gets to pay for dinner. So there won’t be any scoreboards or objectives beyond, “kill that guy.”

 

Broken Realm Enters Beta

 

 

Today is the day the newest part of the Crystal Saga Chronicle comes to a computer near you, maybe even your computer. The beta begins at 1 PM EST and will feature 12 classes to pick from. Play from any browser by going to the official site.

Wizardry Online – Journal of a Survivor

Wizardry Online – Journal of a Survivor

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Journalist

 

(Special thanks to Alicja Chrena http://tirramisu.deviantart.com/ for her continued support of OnRPG and making some of the most amazing gaming related commissions I’ve ever seen. The original cover image can be downloaded at her page HERE)

 

Journal Entry 1:

 

 

Zero the Proud, slayer of 1,000 adventurers that dared challenge him in 1 on 1 combat. Nemora the Cunning, a young magi that rallied the 10,000 elf army against the demonic assault that nearly destroyed Itox in the early days after its founding. Toradek the Wise, the dwarf who successfully revived 100 fallen warriors of legend including Garon the Lion Heart, the smallest Porkul of his clan that carried the spirit and voice to unite the warring races against Zed and his Orcish Legion. None of these great warriors of legend have the slightest inkling to do with me. I’m Kurumu of the Korono clan. Granddaughter of Windrush the Greedy, a dwarven thief that blew himself up picking his first treasure lock. Niece of Lina the Short-Sighted, last seen tying her armor on in the city sewers on her first mission for the Adventurer’s Guild. Presumably devoured by zombies. Great granddaughter of Duufas the Clumsy, infamous for tripping over a rock and falling to his death in the Ruins of Mir. Well you get the idea. Adventuring runs in my family like a cancer. Generation after generation has been lured into it by the promise of fame, gold, and the occasional infatuation with a sexy gnome, but up till now it’s resulted in a 100% fatality rate. It’s honestly a miracle the lineage has survived long enough to give me a chance.

 

 

So one might ask why I’m writing this journal entry with a brand new adventurer’s badge pinned to my breast plate without even having a youngun of my own to follow in my fateful steps? Pride I suppose. Stubborn dwarven pride that makes me believe that I would be the one to finally rise from the humble line of the Koronos. No I suppose it’s fear that drives me more than anything. A fear of a fate worse than death. To be lowly shop keepers like my mother and father; my only remaining kinsmen to carry breath in their lungs. I can’t bear the thought of living that dull danger-free lifestyle serving potions and wares to true adventurers day after day. I have goals and a dream. A dream to one day stand amongst the regal Dwarven Priests of Dimento’s Arcanum. Perhaps meet the son of a Goldstein or Siegel and have a forbidden romance behind the ministry’s back… <3 Honestly anything beyond rotting on that street corner in Iffalo would be fine by me.

 

 

But the ministry is no charity. They only welcome the great human warriors and elven magi to their ranks. A dwarf has to buy their way in and that is never happening with the meager earnings from our poor family’s general store. So I decided after a terrible fight with my father, Palo the Cautious, that my days of rotting behind the forge were over. I now rest under the roof of my only remaining friend from my school days, Wodan Lokkju, great great “grand” descendent of Nemora the Cunning. The sleepy town of Iffalo sees him as its greatest hope of a hero of fame in decades. I still see him as the clumsy elf that blew our school house apart at the age of 9 while ignoring our assignment and trying to impress me with his so called ‘mastery’ of flame. To think the teacher sent him home with accolades after such a spectacular disaster. He has yet to learn his lesson and has plenty of scars across his forearms and chest detailing a history of many successive mistakes he’s made with fire since that day. That and he drinks like he carries the liver of a dwarf and is twice as flammable because of it. Honestly if I didn’t worry so much about him I might have never had the courage to confront my father and strike out on this crazy adventure. That maniac would probably blow himself up at the first sign of danger and then Iffalo would be out another would be hero and I’d be out of a place to sleep.

 

 

He is cute in that elfish way though. Always talking about his grandiose plans of fame and fortune, putting his name down in the books as surpassing his great great grandmother.  I can listen for hours while he talks about his future exploits and tells stories of how he is going to rid the slums of thieves and put an end to the bandit gang that’s turned our dismal sewer system into a den of thieves and prostitutes. Not that I’m interested in him beyond being friends. Elves dating Gnomes is rather unheard of after all and quite frowned upon by our people. We have higher standards unlike those slutty elf wenches that hang around the local tavern feeling up the muscles of visiting warriors that downed a bit too much mead. Though I’m sure if Palos knew I was staying here he’d be at the front door at first daylight asking for a dowry from the Lokkjus to marry me off. All he cares about is status. I can’t believe he still wears that flashy white robe with golden trim to our store like he’s a member of the Arcanum or something. I better call it a night before any more crazy ideas start popping into my head. Who knows who might someday read this thing.

 

 

Entry 2:

I didn’t get much sleep last night. A brick with a note was thrown through my window, shattering glass across the sheets. I was lucky to get out of bed with only a few minor scrapes but whoever threw the brick put enough force into it to take out a panel of wood on the opposite wall. The letter read as a threat to the Lokkju family claiming their era had come to an end and the bandits would soon be claiming our town as their own. Wodan was out the door before his parents could even read the note. I knew what was coming but my stubby legs and heavy unwieldy armor took longer than expected to tie on. By the time I reached the Adventurer Guild’s office I was too late. Wodan had accepted the bounty placed on the head of the bandit’s leader and was on his way to the sewer. The clerk explained he had told him it was suicide for a novice, even one of his caliber, to take on such a request that so many veteran adventurers had failed before.

 

 

I immediately turned to rush to the front gates but was taken aback by the wanted poster on the wall. The sum placed on the bandit leader was astonishing. Unable to fight my dwarven sense of business instilled by my father, I had to stop and run the numbers in my head. I could cover my first two months of tuition in the Priest Guild with that bounty! I pocketed the poster in my satchel and rushed to the front gates in hot pursuit of Wodan. Now I await as the creaky old wooden carriage filled with novice adventurers lurches towards the dark ominous opening to the City’s Sewers. The porkuls and young humans riding beside me seem to carry nothing but their weapons and street clothes. Muttering with excitement rumors that Wodan had been seen leaving the town moments prior with a staff in hand. I doubt these recruits will last a month in the field. Their families likely sheltered from the loss adventuring brings and lured by the recent bounties the Ministry was throwing around like candy. I’ve read the tales of my ancestors repeatedly. Learned the signs of orange glimmers indicating traps. Read books on zombies, werewolves, monstrous insects, and other horrors of the world to learn their strengths and weaknesses. Hardened my core and biceps against the unforgiving face of the anvil to the point that father complained it was unladylike. My equipment may be poor but I’ve tested it and maintain it tirelessly to assure it won’t break on me in the middle of combat. The carriage is coming to a stop. This is my day! Don’t die on me yet Wodan-

 

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Entry 3:

The door seems to be holding steady. I barricaded it with every piece of wood and furniture I could grasp in this hole in the wall. My mind is racing… I don’t even know where to begin.

 

 

I found Wodan exactly where I expected to find him. Surrounded by zombies on all sides taking a swig of his flask with one hand while blowing waves of fireballs from his staff in the other with a small band of elf girls staring on in awe. What surprised me was the look on his face wasn’t the carefree fun loving Wodan I knew. He glared over his flask with anger in his eyes, locking on and blasting each zombie with extreme prejudice. I had never seen him get serious prior to this and it was.. frightening. Limbs and heads rolled with each blast. Zombies could scarcely crawl after one firefall and usually a single tap of his staff after was enough to turn them into a pile of dust and bones afterwards. A loud sound startled me to my right as a large rugged man stuck his sword into a zombie’s mouth that had snuck up on me. He struggled with it and could barely push it back. I froze momentarily, unable to think. No I wasn’t like the others… I thrust my old sword straight through its skull, stopping its movement as I swiftly returned my blade to my side.

 

 

“That elf is something else.” I clearly remember the middle aged man say. As I watched Wodan slay 5.. 6… 7 zombies in the time it took the two of us to tackle one, I couldn’t agree more. But I was smarter than the useless girls awed by his power. I rushed forward and grabbed him back the hood of his robe and pulled him from the zombies as they reached, ripping cloth from his robes in a near miss. I saw an ominous staircase with some scattered bugs scampering around a fallen corpse and decided it would be a good place to hide while we got our bearing.

 

 

“Stubborn fool as usual!” Perhaps I was too harsh… “You know you have no stamina from all that drinking.”

 

 

“I was fine. I can’t be stopped by a small legion of zombies. I need to show these bandits that the Lokkju name stands stronger than ever before. ” He held his staff in the air and laughed as he took another swig of his flask. A dark shadow loomed behind him. It happened too fast. I was powerless.

 

 

A club swung from the darkness, crashing into Wodan’s skull as his fresh hot blood scattered across my horrified face. Before Wodan’s limp corpse could fall into me, the massive lumberjack of a man.. or was it a beast… gripped Wodan’s cloak and held him in place like a sick puppet master testing a new toy.

 

 

“A Lokkju here? Huuh huuh huuh. Boss will be happy.” He went to leave but stopped as he noticed the shock in my face boiling into rage. “Shoo girl. I don’t need your poor gnome ass staining my club.”

 

 

I can’t really recall what happened next. Whether it was my rage blinding me or the pure amount of blood shrouding my eyes I can’t tell. My blade swung forward faster than it ever had in practice, my adrenaline fueling me with speed faster than any porkul. The hand grasping Wodan was limp and falling to the ground in slow motion. I caught Wodan as he coughed blood onto my chest. He was alive after a blow like that?! I froze as the bellowing voice of the beast man fell to the floor.

 

 

“Aggggh! Aggggggh! You! You!! I’ll kill you!!!” The massive figure was pressed against the wall pushing his club against the ground trying to regain his balance.  His huge figure completely knocked off-kilter by the missing weight of his left forearm. That’s when I saw it, the orange gleam I had trained my eyes to spot all these years. I picked up a pebble and threw it at the giant of a man just as he began to regain his balance. Sure enough a mechanical sound echoed through the narrow walkway as a mass of large stones fell from the sealing, pinning his leg beneath them. Hopefully it would buy us enough time to make a run for it. I was going to need it to carry Wodan all the way out of the sewers to safety. I turned to run with Wodan gripping my shoulder but crashed into something sturdy and fell to the ground.

 

 

I can’t express the fear as Wodan, I, and a bewildered zombie rolled around on the ground together. I managed to get a grip, on my sword hilt that is, and slam it through the zombie’s skull. But the angry horrified shouting of the injured buffoon were doing us no favors as the massive wave of zombies Wodan had been tormenting were now lumbering up the stairs towards our pile of fresh flesh and Wodan’s delicious blood scattered on the ground. I pulled Wodan onto my back and made a 180* spin as I dodged a powerful swing from the bandit. Bones and ash from the now shattered zombie flew through the air. Ugh I’m still picking it out of my hair now.

 

 

Wodan’s last words before falling unconscious were some incomprehensible muttering that I left his staff behind. I had no choice but to make a leap of faith off a nearby ledge. I can hardly move now as my shins are throbbing with pain from the landing. I imagine my left ankle is sprained if not entirely broken but at least our light weight allowed us to make the jump. The bandit was stuck up there to battle it out with the zombies and we had time to make a break for it.

 

 

So here I am… barricaded inside this tiny room with no food or water. Wodan’s bleeding has stopped but I doubt he’ll ever be the same after taking a hit like that. I don’t know if the banging on the other side of the door is bandits or zombies. Hopefully they give up soon so I can get some rest and wake up in the morning from this nightmare… Wait there is that sound again. Like cool air blowing through a tight passage. I think there’s a hidden exit to this room!

 

 

Editor’s Note: Hey guys hope you enjoyed the first part of my newest column here at OnRPG! I’ll be continuing this with around 4 more installments, one per week, until I complete the tale of Kurumu’s journey. Hope you come by to check out part 2 next week! And feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or even screenshots of your own in-game characters if you want to get included in a future edition!