Duelyst unleashes all of the things in their second super set of unit animations.
Monthly Archives: November 2015
Neverwinter: Strongholds Now Available on Xbox One
Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play MMORPGs, and Cryptic Studios announced Neverwinter: Strongholds – the seventh expansion for the action MMORPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms universe from Wizards of the Coast – is now available for Xbox One. In the game’s latest expansion, players will join other guild members to reclaim a derelict keep from the wild and rebuild it into a fortified stronghold on Neverwinter’s largest map.
Reminiscent of the wargaming tradition from which early Dungeons & Dragons evolved, Neverwinter: Strongholds empowers guilds to battle the surrounding environment for resources to customize and optimize their newly acquired home against threats. Build defenses both in and around strongholds using structures like archer towers to fend off attackers, while building siege structures to increase their ability to wage war against enemy guilds in the all new Siege PVP game mode, also available at launch.
Strongholds Siege is fought on a battleground created by combining two strongholds maps, doubling the scale and making it the largest map ever built. This creates a three-lane battlefield to support large-scale 20-vs-20, MOBA-like combat. The objective of this mode is to siege and destroy the enemy’s guild hall. Once the keep has been secured, guilds will work to solidify their foothold along the ranges of the Sword Coast.
“With the holidays drawing near, we’re incredibly proud to continue our support for Neverwinter on Xbox One,” said Rob Overmeyer, executive producer for Neverwinter. “It isn’t a surprise that there will be a ton new Xbox One owners in the coming months. Neverwinter brings even more content for their holiday gifts with a full-fledged free-to-play MMORPG ready to download right when they open the box. Xbox One players can try all eight classes, reach the level 70 cap, experience the massive amount of content in-game and more – all for free.”
“I welcome the Xbox One community into the guild vs. guild warfare that Neverwinter: Strongholds has brought to the game,” said Nathan Stewart, Brand Director of Dungeons & Dragons. “Join me as we fight back the hordes of Clan Overmeyer!”
Thanatos Grand Opening Today
Inixsoft and JM Studio have announces the official grand opening of Thanatos: The Dragon Chaser on their gaming portal, gameagit.com. Various events will be held during this early period of the game’s launch, including a level-up event and a friend invite event.
Thanatos is designed to work well on computers with limited system specifications while keeping an active and engaging combat system. Players can choose their side between supporting the Royal power or Divine right, each with their own ranking system and benefits. Challenge the seven dragons and prepare for many other events to come.
SWTOR: KOTFE Impressions – Holy Acronyms Batman!
By Jason Parker (Ragachak)
I played TOR during the Beta and first month after launch before I lost interest and went on to something else. I didn’t really think TOR was bad, but I was not willing to pay to play it. Then, the inevitable happened: Free to Play. Did it have some caveats to it? Of course, few things are really “free.” But if you are a subscriber to The Old Republic, you get to play Knights of the Fallen Empire. Yes, that is the only way. There is no workaround. However, if you sub for one month and then stop subbing, you keep all access to story content that came with being a subscriber. You keep access to all of the other expansions that came packaged with KOTFE (Rise of the Hutt Cartel, Shadows of Revan); you don’t lose your character progress or anything, which was something that admittedly worried me. My next fear was “I don’t have a level 60! What am I going to do?” Luckily you can make a level 60 and jump straight into the Knights of the Fallen Empire. It also gives you crafting stuff and the companions from previous content! My next fear was also allayed. The new expansion comes with a tutorial if you make a fresh 60, which gives you your powers in small chunks so you can take time to learn what everything does. That was terrific for me, because I have not played in quite a while, except for occasional chunks of time when it shifted to f2p.
There’s one very important, humongous change to TOR that I have to thank Bioware for. Bioware makes terrific single player games for the most part (I have my reservations about some of them, but that’s irrelevant), and typically write fantastic single-player narratives. So one of my big problems with TOR was everyone is a special snowflake. Everyone is the one man affecting change throughout the Universe. That bothers me a great deal. From a narrative standpoint, I hated it. So when I started Knights of the Fallen Empire, I came to an important realization: This is more like KOTOR! Yes. It is more of a single player narrative, with a gripping story that is told in episodes (we have the first 9 chapters right now, I’m just coming to the end of that as I write this), and though there is still multiplayer content to delve into after you are done with that first bit of the story I imagine, this feels much better to me. I wasn’t really enchanted by the earlier stories told in the game, and frankly, I would run out of interesting narrative fairly fast. But KOTFE has had a terrific story that I will try not to spoil in this article or my images I took from my gameplay.
Subscription will be required to get the next chapters which will start dropping in 2016, which is kind of a bummer, but I’m willing to bet this will recoup their numbers. The story is fantastic, and people who come for just the intro will no doubt want to see where it goes next. I’ve found myself playing more than I ever did in the past two years. I’ve also found myself leveling a character again, as it is considerably easier to do! Leveling is much more casual friendly as stats have been simplified: Mastery is the stat that deals with your class abilities (which replaces Strength, Willpower, Cunning and Aim). Surge is gone, pushed into Crit. I have to say, the stat system really bothered me with how ridiculous it was, and I think pushing towards a simplistic system will work out here. Flashpoints and Operations were also changed; quite a few of them got reworked, giving people more of a reason to go back and revisit the game to see what all changed. I also really like the idea of Solo Flashpoints, even though at its heart this is a multiplayer game.
As you progress, you form an Alliance, kind of like your own cartel, cabal, or guild. Post Chapter 9, you can keep recruiting people to grow your base of power, and of course there are new companions to go along with a new story! Speaking of companions, you don’t have to spend all your damn time adjusting and juggling gear for your companions; that’s gone! Yay! I hated having to deal with so many gear sets all the time. I also love that you can change your companion’s spec (Heal/Tank/Damage) at a whim, so no matter what I am playing, I have a buddy to complement my weaknesses as I progress through the game. The companions are incredibly powerful now even on a fresh default level 60. But if you’re built up your influence with them, they will save your ass from some truly tight spots. Tons of class changes happened too, and I won’t go into that. Those interested should grab a large coffee and settle in for quite the lengthy set of patch notes. Though its worth noting that the feel of the classes has been preserved, with dps balance being pushed closer together from the lowest to the highest than just about any other MMORPG I can recall. The notion of Legacy-wide Datacrons is terrific too, which boost stats and things of that nature.
Trust In The Force: Great
Do I think this is going to net Bioware/EA a ton of money and get all those subscribers back? Probably not. Do I think it is a step in the right direction? Absolutely. It caught my attention again, and when more content comes out I may find myself subscribing again so I can resume my love of Star Wars lore. This is the year of Star Wars, with Battlefield, and The Force Awakens revitalizing interest in even the less interested. If this expansion were botched, it is my firm opinion that the game would have died. The last couple of expansions were pretty bland, even if the ideas behind them were interesting. Shadows of Revan showed some promise of life in the game, but just wasn’t on the level of KOTFE. This expansion being as good as it is was critical. And giving all the other content with it was a good idea so players new and old can experience things they didn’t, or couldn’t (or weren’t willing to pay for). Is it worth the price of admission? Yes, 100%. Subscribe again, look at the new story, immerse yourself in The Old Republic. The game now is what it was promised to have been back when hype ran incredibly high and budgets higher. Give SWTOR some love; it finally deserves it.
Forsaken World Mobile Babel Ascending Update Trailer
Forsaken World Mobile reveals features of their next update, Babel Ascending.
Star Wars: Battlefront Battle of Jakku Teaser
New scenario heading to Star Wars: Battlefront fans as a teaser to the events in Episode 7!
Crowfall Q&A November 2015
Crowfall devs are available for another round of community Q&A!
ASTA Initial Beta Is Now Live
WEBZEN, a global developer and publisher of free-to-play MMO games, is pleased to announce that the initial beta test for the new Asian fantasy MMORPG ASTA – The War of Tears and Winds has begun. This first beta phase is set to last for one week, ending on Tuesday November 10th, with a second beta phase scheduled for late November. All players with an active WEBZEN account can freely access the beta and check out this latest addition to the Webzen.com game portal.
The initial beta test gives players a first insight into the game’s settings and features, allowing them to progress up to level 50 and experience every facet the game has to offer. Players can immerse themselves in a beautifully crafted fantasy world inspired by Asian myths and legends, in which two factions vie for control and power: The Asu, followers of the goddess Arita, and the Ora, the disciples of the dark god Umra. Players can choose between 3 races per faction, and a total of 5 distinct classes.
ASTA offers the very best of traditional MMORPG gameplay, where seasoned veterans and beginning players alike will feel right at home. Classic features such as customizable attributes and talent trees give players maximum customization options for their characters, allowing them to be honed to perfection. The unique Divine Spirit System adds an additional customization element, allowing players to pinpoint specific attributes and values of their characters to enhance further.
Each faction has 7 areas to explore (excluding starting areas which differ from race to race), filled with unique characters and enemies, alongside intriguing and enthralling storylines and cooperative public quests. While protected in the earlier areas, players will also encounter those from the opposing faction in later areas, allowing for open world PvP. All throughout their progression towards the higher levels, players will have the opportunity to venture into dungeons (both on their own and as part of a group), team arenas and battlegrounds. All of these features can be accessed via an automated matchmaking system. Additionally, daily events such as Class Arena matches and public raids will ensure that there’s never a dull moment, and offer players the chance for some extra rewards.
Interested players are invited to check out ASTA’s official website for more information, and the option to register for an account. As this is the initial beta test, players are encouraged to visit the official forum to leave feedback and report any bugs they may encounter.
Starpoint Gemini 2: Titans Trailer
Starpoint Gemini 2 announces the release of “Titans,” a new DLC dedicated to giant starships, on November 6.
Heroes of Newerth Patch 3.7.13 Avatar Spotlight
Preview the newest avatars to arrive in Heroes of Newerth patch 3.7.13.
- Crystal Magi #6 – Paragon Revenant
- Paragon Taunt
- Polyphemus Gauntlet China (GE)
- Mermaid
- Slap the Troll Taunt
- Persephone
- Beelzebub
- Keeper of the Harvest







