Monthly Archives: October 2014

WEBZEN Announces Lineup of Halloween Events for October

Webzen

WEBZEN, a global developer and publisher of free-to-play games, has announced a full lineup of Halloween events for WEBZEN games.

ARCHLORD 2 Event:

WHAT: Help Poor Jack O’Lantern!
START DATE: October 21, 2014 (UTC)
END DATE: November 11, 2014 before maintenance (UTC)

DETAILS: Players will be tasked with retrieving Witch’s Pumpkin Cookies dropped from all instance dungeons and contested areas! After collecting fifty Witch’s Pumpkin Cookies, they can bring them back to ‘Jack O’ Lantern (an NPC located in each capital city) to receive Jack O’ Lantern’s Giftbox. Opening the giftbox will activate a trick or a treat, randomly granting players a buff or transforming them into a duck, calf, deer, dog or pig! The following buff effects can be obtained: Increased Max HP/MP, Weapon Mastery Boost, and Item Drop Rate Increase. More information can be found on the official Archlord 2 website: http://archlord2.webzen.com/

WHAT: Login Event
START DATE: October 21, 2014 (UTC)
END DATE: November 11, 2014 (UTC) before maintenance (UTC)

DETAILS: Players can acquire Mysterious Pumpkin Seeds by logging in to the game daily (only once per day per character). After collecting seven Mysterious Pumpkin Seeds, they can be exchanged for one of three types of pumpkin hat rewards. As this is a repeatable quest, players can acquire all three kinds of Pumpkin hats if they log in every day for the runtime of the event. More information can be found on the official Archlord 2 website: http://archlord2.webzen.com/

C9 Event:

WHAT: Halloween Mix & Match Event
START DATE: October 21, 2014 (UTC)
END DATE: November 4, 2014 before maintenance (UTC)

DETAILS: Players can hunt an event monster – Pumpkin Knight in order to drop an event materials – Mix & Match Tokens in the 3rd ~ 6th continents’ dungeons. Those who combine 10 pieces of Dried Blood of Hellbehriths, 10 Tertis Claws and 1 Mix & Match Token with 1 Gear Part will acquire a giftbox containing a variety of random costumes for their character.

In addition, players will be able to buy a limited edition 2014 Halloween Gear Package during the Halloween festival. More information can be found on the official C9 website: http://c9.webzen.com/

MU ONLINE Event:

WHAT:  The Lord of the Halloween: The Return of Jack-O-Lantern
START DATE: October 28, 2014 (UTC)
END DATE: November 11, 2014 before maintenance (UTC)

DETAILS: Blood-thirsty monsters will be lurking in the dark corners of MU continent throughout October. Those who are courageous enough to hunt hellish creature Jack-O-Lantern, its accomplice Fire Flame Ghost and any other monster will collect Pumpkins they drop. Throw the Pumpkin on the floor to get special treats such as Jack-O-Lantern’s Scroll (Bless, Wrath or Cry), sustenance and a rare transformation ring that will change their character into a massive pumpkin!

Also, players who manage to defeat Fire Flame Ghost, will be rewarded with an additional random gifts such as Jewels, Zen or Excellent Grade items. Meanwhile, MU Online will soon welcome the new content update for Season 9 which is currently scheduled for the 11th of November. More information can be found on the official MU Online website: http://muonline.webzen.com/

Forge of Empires Releases New Contemporary Era

Forge of Empires

Forge of Empires gets into the trick-or-treating mood this month with two weeks full of spooky rhyming and an anticipated treat: the release of the New Contemporary Era. Players will have the opportunity to experience a new generation of city building today while enjoying the game’s Halloween Event from October 22 to November 5.

The Contemporary Era introduces players to a range of buildings with a modern Asian theme. Players will notice how their cities burst with detail and bloom with life as they expand their cities. At least one building in every category has a canal to keep with the motif. Players can also look forward to military buildings to boost up their army and a new desert-inspired continent map. This addition will introduce new units and new province leaders. In this Video, game Designer Peer underlines the features.

During the uncanny Halloween Event, players will have the chance to complete special quests in the form of riddles. Jack O’Lantern, the quest master, will reward player’s efforts with awards, like: two new portraits or a new building. In the spirit of Halloween a haunted house will be available as a final reward for the first time. Players will also have the option to upgrade or get graveyards.

For more info, visit http://us.forgeofempires.com/?ref=dotcom

Swordsman: Gilded Wasteland Tour

By Jaime Skelton (MissyS), Senior Editor

 

Swordsman Online is preparing a Halloween treat of its own this week: the launch of its first expansion, Gilded Wasteland, on October 23. Don’t worry, this update isn’t about ghosts and goblins and candy. Gilded Wasteland aims to deliver both new content for high level players, and improvements for players of all levels across multiple systems. While you’ll have to wait just a little longer to get your hands on the update, Perfect World Entertainment let us get an early look at the content.

Swordsman GW Logo

Head-to-head with the Eminence School

Anyone who’s played at least the first ten levels of Swordsman is already familiar with the Eminence School, the “bad guys” who have been trouble since level one. Up until now, players have been on the chase, but Gilded Wasteland changes that.  High level players will be able to finally face the Eminence School on their own turf.

Swordsman Gilded Wasteland New Environs

The expansion raises the level cap from 89 to 94, and with it come three new zones (plus new dungeons). Thankfully, you don’t need to be level 89 to start experiencing the new content: the first zone is designed for level 80 characters, and the first dungeon for level 84. Of course, even if you are level 89, you’ll want to go through all of the new areas as they tie into the main storyline.

The first of the zones is Ping Liang, a vast mountainous region based on the geography of Northern China. Players are then lead to Dukhan, a desert-like region that’s design was influenced by western games like Uncharted. Players will find a new city here, along with the Empress’ Palace, the penultimate instance of this expansion where the best gear can be found. Finally, players can also venture into the Shadow Mountain Plains, which mirrors the Mongolian steppes, and players will face Mongolian raiders as they come through breaches in the Great Wall.

Swordsman GW Shadow Mountain Plains

In addition to a glance at these three beautiful and enormous zones, we were also given a run through the Road to Eminence, the first of the new available dungeons. Here players will find themselves battling against some of the Eminence’s finest, facing off against formations of martial artists, trained vultures, and a master that battles, in part, by moving great stone pillars around to attack the party.

High level players will also be treated to new Celestial Weapons. These weapons are the first of their kind, and far better than any currently available weapon. These weapons grow with the player, earning their own experience by being ‘fed’ special loot drops, and also lots of choice in stat selection.  Best of all, they’re completely free – players will get access to them, and the ability to level them, through normal gameplay.

Swordsman Gilded Wasteland New Weapons

 

More than One Way Forward

High-level players aren’t the only ones gifted with new content in Gilded Wasteland. Players of all levels will find benefits in a few key changes, including the companion system and PvP.

The companion system (Swordsman’s “pet” mechanic) is gaining an upgrade with the new cultivation system. Those who’ve played Neverwinter will be somewhat familiar with this mechanic: players can now send their companions out on timed quests. The companion will then return, having gained experience. As they level up, they will gain focus. Through this system, players will have greater control and benefit from companions, especially as they gain usability in PvP.

Swordsman Gilded Wasteland 7

The first news for PvPers is that the arena, which has previously been stat neutral, will now allow players to toggle on the effects of skill upgrades, lost arts, and other character bonuses. While the arena will continue to offer an even playing field, players who are looking for a more competitive twist will now have that option.

In addition, a new PvP system arrives with Gilded Wasteland: battlegrounds. The first battleground, Lok Yan Battlefield, will offer a 6v6 “capture the flag” with a twist, as players must instead escort a lion dancer back to their base. The second battlefield offers classic team deathmatch for those who don’t want to mess around.

Swordsman Gilded Wasteland 8

Perfect World Entertainment has been promoting this new update for virtual wuxia enthusiasts since early September, and it’s worth the wait. Story enthusiasts will the chance to enact their character’s revenge, end-game players will have instances and new weapons to keep them busy, and PvPers will have new ways to face off against each other. If you haven’t yet tried out Swordsman’s fluid combat and unique story approach, now is the perfect time to try.

ESL releases ESL App on Xbox One

ESL

ESL, the world’s largest independent eSports brand, today announced the release of its ESL app on Xbox One, which enables competitive console players – initially from Europe and North America – to connect directly through Xbox Live. Launching on Oct. 21, the application will allow gamers to compete across an expansive list of game titles in a variety of ESL cups and tournaments. With matchmaking acting as the core feature, the ESL app on Xbox One eliminates the need for extra devices and browser windows, thereby streamlining the gaming experience for users.

ESL stands for the best eSports experience in the world and our goal is to deliver that experience on all platforms. By launching our own app, we want to bring that unique experience to the Xbox One and its lineup of multiplayer games. The app will allow players of all skill levels to easily participate in our tournaments. This is just the start for us – we are working hard to bring major eSports tournaments to consoles and integrate them flawlessly into our app so everyone can get involved.” said Marcel Menge, Managing Director at Turtle eSports Technology.

“At Xbox, we’re dedicated to providing gamers with the experiences they ask for and we know competitive gaming is a growing category,” said Larry Hyrb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson. “With the addition of the ESL app on Xbox One, we can deliver a wide range of tournaments for some of the best games on the platform all with the functionality our community craves.” The main feature of the application is to enable users to find, sign up and submit results for ESL cups and matches on Xbox itself. An extension of this allows the gamer to stay on top of the competition and track his/her progress within both past and present ESL competitions. Additionally, opponents can be found, viewed and challenged (via gamertags) with the latest eSports news available from eslgaming.com.

Heroes & Generals – New ‘Spaatz’ update brings new content

H&G

Reto-Moto has just released a new update called ‘Spaatz’ for their popular WWII MMOFPS Heroes & Generals. This update brings a new action packed Skirmish map, new weapons, a new battle briefing screen and an improved battle report for the ‘Heroes’ players. While the ‘Generals’ get a deeper gameplay experience with better balanced wars through limited army resources for their faction. All players can now communicate with each other, even when not online, through the new in-game messaging system.

The new Village Skirmish map is set in the fields of rural France with a sunken ruin, a chateau and a small farm as key objectives. This map is designed with less distance between the objectives, making it more tight and more action packed than the other Skirmish maps as all objectives are in danger at all times.

The new weapons are of almost iconic nature: German soldiers can now get the classic high-precision P08 Pistol, and the US soldiers will be able to live out their inner cowboy with the hard hitting M1917 Revolver.

For more info, visit http://forum.heroesandgenerals.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=25819

HoN Tour Arrives at Season’s Midway Point

Hon Tour

The Heroes of Newerth´s team today announced that HoN Tour, its biggest eSports event of the year, has reached the season´s midpoint. So far the ongoing tournament has wrapped up four cycles, awarding winning competitors with more than $120,000.

Prize pools, which started off at a base of $8,750, have tripled for each cycle with the help of eSports plinko and URSA CORPs, Heroes of Newerth´s community crowdfunding initiatives that kicked off for the first time this year.

“Community contributions have been huge,” said Sam Braithwaite, Head of Marketing for Heroes of Newerth. “Their support has injected new life into what is already Newerth´s biggest, and most electrifying eSports stomping ground.”

HoN Tour´s purchasable URSA CORPs content, which features in-game goodies ranging from character avatars, to permanent account progression bonuses, and more, have been, and will continue to be added until the season comes to a close early next year; 25% of the revenue generated from eSports Plinko purchases will funnel directly into HoN Tour´s prize pool.

“We´re very pleased with the progress of Season three so far,” said Braithwaite. “With ascending prize pools, fantastic URSA CORPs content, and a live World Finals event looming – yeah, I´d say it´s a great time to be a HoN eSports fan.”

For full coverage of HoN Tour including live streams, recaps, and more, visit HoN Tour´s official website. http://www.hontour.com/

Jagged Alliance Flashback: Now available on Steam

Jagged Alliance Flashback

Danish independent developer Full Control today announced the release of Jagged Alliance: Flashback, on PC, Mac and Linux. Jagged Alliance: Flashback is a reset for the classic turn-based strategy series, featuring a unique mix of deep turn-based tactics, role-playing and squad management.

“We are excited to bring Jagged Alliance back to its turn based roots with the launch of Flashback”, said Thomas Lund, CEO of Full Control, “It’s been a long journey from the initial Kickstarter funding campaign to full commercial launch. For months we’ve been working very closely with the awesome Jagged Alliance community, whose feedback has helped shape Flashback to the experience it is today.”

Based in the late-1980’s on the fictional Caribbean Island of San Hermanos, the elected president, “The Prince”, uses his powerful military force to halt a rebellious group attempting to overthrow his regime. The revolutionaries quickly find, they are powerless against “The Princes” powerful military force. Jagged Alliance: Flashback begins when the insurgent army quickly dissolves after the rebel leader is arrested and imprisoned. Players arrive on San Hermanos to get the rebel leader out of prison as events take a turn for the worse. During the course of the rebellion, three charismatic individuals arise from the turmoil to form the legendary mercenary organisation A.I.M.

In Jagged Alliance: Flashback, the player assembles and coordinates squads of unique and powerful mercenaries to conquer the island sector by sector and turn by turn. The backbone of a deep and complex turn-based combat system is the economy system allowing the player to manage their resources to improve their mercenaries, buy or repair equipment and hire new members. Like the original classic Jagged Alliance series, Flashback tasks players to create their own tactics, whether that be rushing in with heavily armed troops to flank “The Princes” forces or from sniping enemies from a distance.

Jagged Alliance: Flashback comes fully moddable and completely integrated into Steam’s workshop system. The player is free to create his own stories, levels or adjust the game to his personal preference and share that with the entire Steam community.

Jagged Alliance: Flashback originally received over $350,000 in funding through crowd-sourcing platform Kickstarter and has been in full development since June 2013.

For more information on the game, please see: http://www.jaggedallianceflashback.com

 

Face Your Fears in KingsRoad’s Halloween Event Series Starting Today

KingsRoad, the multiplayer action-RPG from Rumble Entertainment that delivers AAA depth, visuals and gameplay instantly within a browser, will see the special Soulstone in-game event hit the land of Alderstone next week. Beginning Tuesday, October 21 and running through November 10, the first-ever Soulstone event series celebrates the spooky Halloween season of frights and scares with special maps, brand new seasonal gear types, and unique collectibles for players to earn as they hack-and-slash their way through ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, and other enemies.

KingsRoad - Soulstone Event

By speaking with Beatrice the Witch in town, players can initiate the special Soulstone event, which features a unique reward system for players willing to test their nerves and face their fears:

 

  • One new ghoulishly difficult map will be available to players each day for 9 days
  • Players who complete the maps will earn special “soulstones”
  • Collect all 9 soulstones to receive the Arkoroth’s Skull and Deadfang earrings – a brand-new, never-before-seen gear type
  • Players who make it to the top 100 by the end of the event will receive the exclusive Doomsayer Belt – introducing yet another new gear type

 

The special Soulstone event is open to all players who have completed all story maps on Normal difficulty. Players will also earn leaderboard scores based on their performance.