Shadowland Online is a strategic browser game involving time travel to recruit history’s greatest heroes.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Shadowland Online
Shadowlands Online is a real-time browser strategy game focused around space-time traveling throughout the ages in your quest to save your homelands from the undead shadow that threatens them. Challenge, conquer, and recruit some of the strongest warriors in history such as Genghis Khan and Leonidas. Then bring their forces to the present to dethrone the Great Lich Ossanal.
Features:
Time-Space Travel: Travel to various parts of the world and battle historic figures of legend, then recruit them to your ever growing forces.
Alliance System: Team up with friends to challenge NPCs and other alliances for control of strongholds. The more strongholds your alliance acquires, the greater your power will become! Alliance Leaders can even battle for the title of High Ruler and lead all of God’s Continent against Ossanal.
Varying Battle Sizes: As you start out, all combat will consist of small skirmishes. As you progress and become more fluent with the game, larger and larger battlefields will open up, allowing you to test your leadership as you command huge armies at once.
Races: Choose from the Tribal Union, Empire of the Nobles, and Mercenary Cooperative, each featuring a unique setting to build your empire’s HQ.
Dragon Nest Prepares for Official Launch
Dragon Nest Prepares for Official Launch
Following a highly successful open beta test, Nexon America’s Dragon Nest will officially launch next Wednesday, Sept. 28. As part of the launch, Nexon will release an expansive content update for the action MMORPG, which includes a new central town, danger-filled dungeons and an increased level cap.
Dragon Nest follows the story of a band of adventurers as they battle the corrupt dragons and their followers in order to save Verathea, the once pure and beautiful world created by the goddess Althea. Players enter this world, join their friends, and battle hordes of evil creatures and boss monsters bent on destroying Verathea.
Dragon Nest’s transition from open beta testing into launch will be completely seamless, so players will retain all of the characters, items and other enhancements they’ve made since the beginning of beta testing.
New and veteran Dragon Nest players alike will get to experience more than 500 new quests and an increased level cap of 32. Each specialization will have six to eight new skills to master, such as: the Sharpshooter’s Rain of Arrows, the Mystic’s Gravity Crush, the Mercenary’s Whirlwind, the Paladin’s Divine Punishment and other powerful new skills.
The world of Dragon Nest grows even larger with the addition of Saint’s Haven, a sprawling new city filled with colorful characters. In addition to the quests that advance the main storyline, new daily quests will be available that players can complete for epic quality rewards.
Ten new dungeons will open up with Dragon Nest’s launch next week, allowing players the opportunity to put their newfound skills into action. For the achievement junkies, players can earn more than 250 new achievements stemming from the new dungeons and quests.
For fans of Dragon Nest’s PvP game modes, a new season of PvP ladder shop gear will be available for max level players to earn. Faction vendors will also make an appearance for the first time, offering players who have earned high standing among the world’s various factions the chance to earn unique items and discounts.
Players will also be able to enjoy a series of celebratory in-game events starting next Wednesday, September 28th. Bonus empowerment points, which award additional EXP, cash item giveaways and more are planned to celebrate the launch.
Be sure to check out OnRPG’s Dragon Nest Game Profile for screenshots of all the new skills being released next Wednesday! Also be sure to join the lively Dragon Nest Community on our forums.
LOTRO Isengard Developers’ Diary
Lord of the Rings Online‘s Isengard expansion is barely a week away and the developers are ready to spill some goods.
Path of Exile Early Beta Impressions
Path of Exile Early Beta Impressions
By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist
Path of Exile is a free online-only action role-playing game set in the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast. It is currently in a very early beta stage being developed by Grinding Gear Games in New Zealand. I have been paying a lot of attention to Diablo 3 lately and forgot about this game in the meanwhile. When I got the chance to test the game I was quite happy to see Grinding Gear Games make a game that is able to compete with the well-known title Diablo 3.
First Impressions
Even though the game is currently in closed beta the graphics are really marvelous looking. The graphical style is dark and sinister, just the way I like my top-down adventures. When creating the character I was able to choose a league, the default league and the hardcore league. The Default league is very basic and is probably the most played league. Since characters can only see and interact with players in their own league, the game encourages the player to be more wisely and start off in the Default league. The Default League is extremely large and where players spend the most of their time. In the Hardcore League however you have a high risk of losing your character if you aren’t paying attention. Basically this means that if you die while playing in this league your character will have a perm-death. Now don’t be afraid to try out the hardcore league because if the character dies it will be transferred to the Default League so you can play it on there. Unfortunately your character cannot be transferred back after your death so once you are out, it’s over!
After I chose to play on the Default League I was able to make my character; there are currently five characters in the game. I went with my tried and true Ranger class. Rangers are specialized in using bows and attack from a distance like they would in any MMO. Attacking is done by clicking on nearby monsters; you can also use different spells which can be customized on different mouse buttons or QWERTY buttons. I was a bit put off when going over the controls that there was no way to rotate my camera. I might be a bitchy person, but this is really an option that I have been missing in Path of Exile. Sometimes I wanted to screencap the action from a different angle, but unfortunately it isn’t possible. I do hope they will add this feature in the future but I won’t get my hopes up.
My first objective ingame was to get safely to a small camp. To navigate it was of course time to pull out ye ol’ MMO minimap. Path of Exile decided to break the norm and place the minimap as a big overlay in the middle of your screen so you can view the surrounding world without taking your eyes off of the action surrounding your character.
Classes
There are six classes announced for Path of Exile, however there are currently only five classes available in the game. These classes are: The Marauder, Ranger, Witch, Duelist and Templar.
The Marauder is a class that uses brute strength to equip themselves with huge weapons. The Marauders use their raw brute power from a close range to battle monsters with different skills that incapacitate enemies on contact.
The Ranger is able to use a fast attack speed to overcome heartier foes. They are capable of wielding several different weapons to unleash multiple playing styles. Do you prefer to attack from range? Then the bow might be more suited for you. If you prefer the close combat style you want to equip yourself with some daggers.
The Witch is the class that is specialized in the use of magical powers. Because of the intelligence this class possesses she is the unmatched master of elemental attacks and dark arts. She creates impenetrable barriers and raises fallen enemies to fight against their former comrades.
The Duelist is the most confident or as some people see it the most arrogant character in the game. They use the power of a wide array of weapons to fill the standard roguish role.
The Templar is a class for the more wise men among us; they use weapons of steel and a shield of righteousness to fend themselves off against their foes. The Templar is a Strength/Intelligence hybrid in Path of Exile. They are trained in an array of weapons from the sharpest cutlass to the heaviest two handed mace. They can also utilize their oversized shield as a deadly bludgeon.
Hopefully the last class will bring a full healing/supportive class to the current addition of classes. Most likely this will be a class that would be the most important class in a party, bringing along enough buffs and spells to help their allies fend of their foes.
Gameplay
The choice of how to play your character is all yours in Path of Exile. The player is able to choose from a massive list of passives and branching skill paths for their character. I can honestly say it is the largest branching skill tree I have ever seen in any game. That way every character has a uniquely made build that can affect the game play in many situations. Not only can you customize yourself to meet the challenge of tougher dungeons, you can also equip yourself with surprises to keep your enemies on their toes in PvP.
Actual Skill Map Too Large for OnRPG.com
In every map there are loads of chests and corpses scattered around the map that can possess different loot. Unfortunately your inventory isn’t big enough to carry around all that precious loot you just found. You will have to make a choice between what you want to keep and what item you will have to drop in order to loot the more precious loot that you desire. There is currently not much room in your bag so pack rats beware. Hopefully they will add a slightly bigger inventory because after finding a few weapons your bag is stuffed. This is however much more realistic since a single man cannot drag along 10 different kinds of armor and weapons.
Graphics
The graphics in Path of Exile are really good looking and this will set the standard for Diablo III and other similarly styled games to beat. To play this game full of good looking eye candy just about any computer will do. However the options exist to really pump up the resolution for maximum enjoyment. Currently they are advertising that the game will even support the maximum resolution of 2560×1600. So if you have bought a huge monitor that supports this resolution and feel like playing this game on a really big screen, knock yourself out.
Conclusion
I didn’t want to make the comparison with Diablo 2/3 that much but unfortunately Path of Exile didn’t leave me to any choice. This game has the distinctly Diablo 2 feel in its animation and playstyle. Path of Exile however adds unique classes and a truly impressive skill tree system to make the genre into its own. If you can copy another game and create something even better than I say more power to you! Path of Exile chose to walk this path and has produced a challenging and addictive role-playing game worthy of OnRPG’s referral.
League of Legends Dominion Beta Has Begun!
League of Legends Dominion Enters Limited Beta
Last week Riot Games announced they would be rolling out their new League of Legends Dominion mode slowly in limited beta tests over the next few weeks. Well as of today that beta test has begun!
Keep an eye on League of Legend’s forum over the next week for announcements of when these sporadic beta events will begin. Unfortunately it’s during off-peak hours so I’m stuck in the office while you guys get to have all the fun!
OnRPG’s Jason Harper on the other hand is from the UK and already ingame preparing his report on the Dominion Beta test so stay tuned for a full write-up! In the meantime we’d love to hear your own thoughts in our massive League of Legends Thread!
Iris Online Plans Huge Winter Update, Server Merge
Iris Online Announces Major Content Release/Server Merge
Gpotato is proud to announce that their fantasy MMORPG, Iris Online, is preparing for a winter of massive new content releases. This will be unlike anything Iris Online players have experienced before. With new zones, dungeons, game modes, pet systems, items, a new class, and even a new race, Iris Online will be receiving a makeover that will breathe new life into the already popular title.
In addition to this, Iris Online is merging its two servers, Radiant Sun and Luminous Star, into one server. This ensures the fiercest guild vs guild competition and should add for some explosive showdowns as guilds struggle to learn the advantages of the new class/races and do battle with unknown foes from the server merge.
Iris Online is showing its appreciation to the current fanbase by handing out a Legacy Package to all players. This might include mounts, costumes, or even rare titles.

Are you more of the kind of person who only cares about the day to day reality though? Well Iris Online has a slew of events planned leading up to the winter content explosion so stay tuned to OnRPG for more announcements to come. Also be sure to join the forum discussion HERE.
Firefall Announces e-Sports Aspirations
Firefall Announces e-Sports Aspirations
Red 5 Studios announces new hire, Morgan “Rhoulette” Romine, to spearhead their e-sports division. As Red 5 gears up to launch the highly anticipated free-to-play, team-based shooter Firefall later this year, it rounds out its powerhouse team with the Frag Doll Founder, and one of the game industry’s Top 100 Most Influential Women.
Romine, better known as “Rhoulette” in video game communities, helped found and build Ubisoft’s all-girl professional gaming team. As Manager and Team Captain, she served as a primary spokesperson for the Frag Dolls and has used that role to become a visible advocate for women in the video game industry. Her involvement in professional gaming has given her an unparalleled insight into the culture of competitive video gaming and the values of its communities.
“I’m excited to join such an exceptionally talented team and to work on something as groundbreaking as Firefall,” said Morgan Romine. “I believe this game has awesome e-sports potential because Red 5 is committed to creating a competitive experience that is as fun to watch as it is to play. I can’t wait for our first tournaments!”
“We’re thrilled to have Morgan join the Red 5 ‘Tribe’ and know that with her caliber of experience and deep community roots, Firefall is poised to take the world of e-sports to the next level,” said Red 5 CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Mark Kern. “It’s a game that really lends itself to competitive tournaments, so we’re working to provide gamers with a new arena for regular competition and the chance to challenge themselves in a way they haven’t before. And Morgan is just the person to champion and develop our e-sports campaign around Firefall.”
Dungeon Defenders Developer’s Diary
Dungeon Defenders‘ developers give us a look at the set-up stage prior to combat in a typical mission.
Dungeon Defenders Trailer
Dungeon Defenders mixes real time action combat with tower defense strategy!














