Crowfall‘s latest developer blog reveals that the team is taking a new approach to the game’s armor system.
 
The armor system, which had originally been built with a simple series of armor tiers offering linear armor progression, is now undergoing some changes. The new system will offer each armor type various strengths and weaknesses against the game’s damage types (of which there are currently ten). With this change, all archetypes can now use any armor type, allowing them to benefit from any armor piece that suits their needs.
 
The hope is that this system will offer players more choice and be more rewarding to player skill. This also means that heavy armor becomes accessible to classes like scouts and wizards, who traditionally are unable to wear these kinds of armor in fantasy games. The new system also allows the team to introduce a new hit location system, which will be revealed in a future update.

Flaregames, a leading international developer and publisher of F2P mobile games, today announced that Dawn of Steel, a deeply tactical strategy game for iOS devices, launches in late August 2015 in Western markets. The game is currently under development at Superweapon, Los Angeles, a young studio formed by veteran game developers who worked on prestigious strategy game franchises like Command & Conquer, Empires & Allies, Company of Heroes, and The Lord of the Rings.
 
Dawn of Steel aims to capture the essence of the real-time strategy genre for mobile devices: Players assemble squads of gigantic piloted battle walkers, called Rigs, and direct them on an assault of enemy fortifications. Success depends on tactical prowess, quick decision-making, and precise movement. This is assisted by the intuitive direct-touch control scheme that lets the player feel the mechanized power he’s controlling. To defend against these mighty armored behemoths, dealing destruction with surgical precision, is no easy feat: Players have to use cunning, strategic foresight and, again, tactical thinking, as base-building in Dawn of Steel is more than just unlocking and placing buildings. Commanders get to utilize stationary weaponry, which must be arranged carefully to maximise damage with overlapping lines of sight, and can launch automated counter-attacks through the use of unit-spawning buildings. They must align buildings within the effects of auxiliary installations to maximize their defensive potential, and this makes for base-building that is unmatched in tactical depth.
 
On the lush surface of the planet Leviathan, corporate armies battle for control of Plasma, the most precious resource of all. And on this very battlefield, the fate of Earth will be determined.
 
Amer Ajami, President of Superweapon, says: “We aim to create a stunning mobile experience and are making some crucial last-minute tweaks during these last few weeks until our launch in August. The game has been in beta for quite some time, and thousands of enthusiastic players have been giving us valuable feedback, which we’ve been using to make the game better with every release. We’re convinced that both newcomers and hardcore strategy players will love Dawn of Steel and its unique style of play.”

WEBZEN, a global developer and publisher of free-to-play games, has announced that the dungeon-based MORPG, CONTINENT OF THE NINTH SEAL (C9) released Lord of Baltic, its fifth expansion today.
 
After the scheduled maintenance on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015 (UTC), fans of C9 are able to jump into Lord of Baltic and enjoy a new playable class, ‘Viking’, a fishing mode system, and even more features.
 
This new expansion brings the ferocious Viking fighters from the icy north to unleash their frozen wrath in their fight against evil. The class primarily uses Dual Battle Axes to attack enemies. Unlike other fighters, the Vikings have a special ‘Frost’ ability to mark enemies with the skill ‘Frost Stigma’, and then freeze them afterwards.
 
Players will also be able to fish in the game using just a rod and some bait which can be gathered from dungeons. Not only will you be able to catch a variety of beautiful fish in Waterford, you will be able to have a chance to get useful buffs and precious items such as Potions, Auspices or Skill books. In addition, C9 players can participate in a celebration event to go along with this new fishing mode system. The more fishing points a player gets, the higher the reward, such as Medic Gear, Soul: Prelude of Storm Set and more.
 
Along with these new features, the expansion introduces an adjustment of the PvP balance of the Battle Maiden class.
 
To celebrate the launch of this new expansion, a level-up event is taking place which offers special rewards to players who advance their Viking to level 57 during the event period.
 
From tomorrow through to July 31st, 2015, players will be able to visit any of C9’s media partners to obtain a code for the Lord of Baltic Celebration Package. Each code provides: Extreme Potion Package x3, PC Cafe Premium item [7 days] x1, Gold Nethergem, Dimensional Fissure Ticket x2, Bang Turmoil Ticket x2.
 
Full details on Lord of Baltic are now available on the official C9 website.

Obsidian Entertainment has pushed Skyforge into its fourth closed beta test this morning, bringing with it some serious game improvements as well as some limited time fun opportunities.

Whether you’re a returning player to the beta or one of the lucky ones to claim a piece of the larger than ever beta key push happening right now, CBT will have plenty of surprises to keep you entertained. For a limited time the advanced classes of Knight and Alchemist are playable from the start, rather than being unlocked from the upper tiers of the Ascension Atlas. This should maximize feedback on these hard to acquire classes for better launch state balancing.

Pantheons, the unique Skyforge guild system, are now available as well. Get your friends together to experience the multiple new gameplay options this unlocks, such as assigning Clan Leaders, building a Stronghold, and taking on rival Pantheons in all our warfare.

Players will also experience increased freedom in pre-made party coordination, as the 3 dps, 1 tank, 1 healer mandatory party set-up is no longer enforced. Adventures difficulty can now be manually set, and adjusted for parties with varying levels of prestige present. PvP matchmaking now only factors Prestige into its formula. Also a new form of damage, Traumatic Damage, has been added to punish ranged characters for being hit by AoE attacks, while melee based characters will be relatively resistant to it.

The patch notes are extensive (this patch is 6.86GB in size!) so be sure to read up on all the key changes on the official post.

Netmarble Games today announced the release of the first major update for its blockbuster mobile action RPG game MARVEL Future Fight featuring characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy. The update will see the introduction of new heroes and villains, a new mission stage as well as additional in-game features.
 
Looking to enhance the player experience, the new update will see additions to the existing lineup of playable heroes and villains with the entry of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax, Yondu, Nebula and Ronan, in costumes inspired by Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy feature film.
 
In order to gain access to these powerful characters, players will need to go through the new ‘Special Mission’ stage where they can work to win items that will help them unlock these new heroes and villains.
 
For players looking to further add to their character roster, the new ‘Dimension Shift System’ provides a way to not only gain access to playable characters, but also provides a new dimension to the game. With the system, players can work to defeat bosses who may crash into their current battle at any time. This means players could fight bosses such as Hulkbuster or Black Cat for the chance to add that character to their own line up.
 
The overall game system has also been polished and improved in response to user feedback. For example, players can now obtain their favorite playable characters more easily and change gear attributes in a more robust character customization system.
 
“This first update marks the first of what we hope will be a continuous stream of enhanced content and popular character additions,” said Kwon Young-Shik, CEO, Netmarble. “We look to further the popularity of MARVEL Future Fight globally through regular updates set to bring players a greater gaming experience.”

SQUARE ENIX, Inc. today launched FINAL FANTASY® XIV: Heavensward™ in North America, the highly anticipated first expansion pack for the popular MMORPG FINAL FANTASY XIV®, which has already captured the hearts of more than four million adventurers worldwide. Players can adventure together with seamless cross-platform play on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Windows PC, and for the first time, Mac®.
 
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward features a new story that plunges adventurers into the heart of the Dragonsong War, the bloody thousand-year conflict between the knights of Ishgard and the dragons of Dravania. Adventurers can enjoy an increased level cap from 50 to 60 for all disciplines, a new playable race, new dungeons and raids, new primal battles, and new mounts that allow players to take to the skies—flying black chocobos, single-rider airships, dragons and more.
 
“FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward marks the beginning of the second season of our journey through the vast FINAL FANTASY XIV universe,” said Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of FINAL FANTASY XIV. “Having laid a strong foundation in A Realm Reborn®, we are extremely excited that Heavensward will build upon this with new and diverse gameplay and content that continue to be the hallmarks of the online FINAL FANTASY experience.”
 
Key Features

· All the hallmarks of the FINAL FANTASY® franchise, including genre-leading graphics and real-time cut scenes, an all-new soundtrack, and an immersive story experience
· Level cap increased from level 50 to level 60
· New player race, the Au Ra – with unique curved horns and scaled skin, the Au Ra hail from the eastern continent of Othard
· New jobs: dark knight, astrologian and machinist – players will be able to master three FINAL FANTASY jobs such as dark knight (Tank) who wields a two-handed greatsword and the power of darkness, astrologian (Healer) who use a divining deck and star globe to call on the powers of the stars to heal allies and support party members, or machinist (DPS) who deals damage from afar by using a combination of firearms and mechanical turrets that can be deployed on the battlefield
· High-end raids, includes a new raid dungeon series within the mechanical colossus “Alexander,” based off the legendary boss in the FINAL FANTASY series

• New beast tribes and powerful primals – players will encounter the Vanu Vanu and their primal, Bismark, and the Gnath, and their primal Ravana, allowing players to form new allegiances
• Flying mounts – Accompanying the vast new areas that feature floating islands are flying mounts for players to pilot such as the flying black chocobo and single-rider airships

· New gear, recipes and more
 
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward is available now for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 systems, Windows PC and Mac for $39.99. The physical Collector’s Edition is available for $129.99 and the digital Collector’s Edition for $59.99. FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, the new all-in-one bundle that includes both A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, is available for $59.99. A free 30-day trial is included for new FINAL FANTASY XIV accounts, with monthly subscriptions starting at $12.99.