[DC Universe Online] Now Free-to-Play! Lightning Strikes DLC now available, zappy zappy.

January 28, 2011, 11:20 am

≫ Next: [TERA] It's an MMO!

≪ Previous: Skyforge - New MMORPG by Allods Team and Westernization by Obsidian

Have you always wanted to be like this dude?

Or maybe this guy?

Or this Amazon?

Well you can, in DC Universe Online! Kind of, it's complicated. And here's me swiping the beginning of another forums thread!

Okay WTF is this?

Official Site: http://www.dcuniverseonline.com/
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment
Platforms: PC and PS3
Genre: MMO
Release Dates: January 11, 2011 (US), January 12, 2011 (Europe/Asia/Africa), January 14, 2011 (UK)

View Cinematic Trailer
Fractured Future Trailer
What is it?
DC Universe Online is the only next-generation massively multiplayer online action game that delivers unparalleled physics-powered combat set in the DC Universe. This genre-defining game puts the power of the DC Super Heroes and Villains into the palm of your hands…The next legend is YOU!

•Experience the power of visceral combat where you control every blow your character strikes, delivering a level of action that is unparalleled in the MMO segment.
•Choose your side, superhero or villain, as you battle to save or conquer the universe.
•Fight alongside or against your favorite DC heroes and villains including Batman, The Joker, Superman, Wonder Woman and others…The next legend is YOU!
•Experience the intensity of a world created in the artistic vision of legendary comic book artist Jim Lee.
•Take advantage of the state-of-the-art physics engine and use objects in the world around you as weapons, including even your enemies!
•Players will create their own DC-style hero or villain, each with a unique look and combination of superpowers.
•Embark on heroic or villainous story-driven adventures penned by famous DC writers including Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman.
•Gameplay is optimized for both the PS3 computer entertainment system and PC.
•Explore the DC Universe; walk the darkened streets of Gotham City, investigate the mysteries of the futuristic cityscape of Metropolis and travel to legendary locations including Arkham Asylum and the Justice League of America Watchtower.

Go here to read up on the rest of it, the post was too good to not use but also too good to outright copy paste!

I've read all that, sounds cool, where do I hang out with equally cool PA Dudes?

First things first, go and join our Steam Group for simple inviting into the PC Leagues! http://steamcommunity.com/groups/DCArcadians

PC Dudes
The Arcadians
Contact anyone not on the red bottom list to try and get an invite, and also mention it in this thread!

League Name: The Arcadians

Leader: Ashtha
Officer: Hailestro

Veterans:
Spitfire_DNG
Khildith_DNG
Dysphoros
Rakaos_DNG
Mystic Shard_DNG
Tornado_DNG
Darkflow_DNG
Sizzle_DNG
Mr Allan_DNG
Ananse_DNG
Knightwatch_DNG
BrokenHawk_DNG
Baratus_DNG
Work_DNG
Iceclasp_DNG

Member:
Beryl Flambeau

Candidates:
Amon Re
Carpy
Star Ember
Lisara
Walter Jones
Blue Celest
Pipistrellus
Frost Point_DNG
Slyde_DNG
Vihar_DNG
Grey Knight_DNG
Pteropus Alecto
Evigilant_DNG
Aegis_DNG
Lord Verement_DNG
Inferno Rose_DNG
Croissanwich_DNG
Van El_DNG
Alamar_DNG
The Raccooner_DNG
Luk_DNG
Northern Light_DNG
Star Breaker_DNG
Thelon_DNG
Punchkicker_DNG
Final Justice_DNG
Giraldus_DNG
Pax Maynard_DNG
COrday
Dr Payback_DNG
Muck Dork_DNG
Wincest_DNG
Maestro Mummy_DNG
Ymir_DNG
Crimson Justice_DNG
Timmy 237_DNG
Morvidus_DNG
Black Feather_DNG
Celeri Styx_DNG
Nature Lass_DNG
Innocent Citizen_DNG
Corrigan_DNG
Iskall_DNG
Kemler
Berylia
ohcomeon
Hatsya_DNG

PAers Currently Not In League as far as I know:

The Cow King - Dr Payback
TexiKen - USAgent
Arcath - Hesperos
MikeMcSomething - Quicks
JimJimBinks - Observer
jdarksun - Ballista
Bad Karma - Red Rooster (rerolled, thanks)(Rerolled to what?) Still Red Rooster, just deleted the original and made a new one, won't be a habit.
Hypertime - Hypertime I'm a nooooooooooooooooob
PikaPuff - Wincest
tallgeeze - Blizzarine

PA Villain League on the PvE Server Darkness Falls
I don't currently have a list of everyone in the League that also includes their forum names, so if you have a Villain on this server with us PLEASE send me a PM with your characters!
Arthil - Volcanonic/Violent Rose
Maguano - Sarcastro
Megamaniaco - Atesh

PS3 Dudes
Going to need people to PM me about this one too, but so far this is what I've got.
Forum name: Samurai6966
PSN Name: Samurai6966
Server: No Man's Land (PS3)
Char name: Cybernexus
League: Manly Tears

Raiek - Villain, Redemption Server, League: Sanity Optional
VanityPants
BEAST!
Mostlyjoe13 - PSN Mostlyjoe

No Mans Land - PVP - Psychopomp (Manly Tears)
No Mans Land - PVP - Urban Arcanist (Black October)

gvandale (assumed, not sure) - Hero, Birthright Server, League: OPRA
Kemal86 - Hero, Crisis Server
mastrius
MasterOfPupets (You mentioned you'd be picking up the PS3 version, not sure if you did)

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AhuL-NzYIxMxdHNRVmluRXlzX3loTzN3SzVyWXEzMXc&hl=en&authkey=CK_I0vcM#gid=0

Alright I'm in the game, WTF is up with the UI/Chat system?

Yeah we wont deny, it sucks big time and hopefully SOE gets around to fixing some things. But here's some information to help you figure it out.

Help! NPCs and Villains alike are kicking my ass in melee!
The game is about as like an old school fighting game as you can get with an MMO of this caliber, here's some info on the various things that defend against attacks, and the counters to those defenses.

I HAVE A FEVER AND THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION IS MORE GLOWY
I see you've come to be addicted to finding all those shiny looking blue and green (!) and the occasional collection (?). Well have no fear, we're here to help.

Dizzen wrote: »

A couple more blue clue maps, for the two of the Alert instances, HIVE Moon Base and Oolong Island. The more I look around, the more resources I find which have this sort of info, but I figure some folks might find this format more handy.

HIVE Moon Base blue clue Collection :

Spoiler:

In order from top to bottom:

Superman:
It's right on top of the southwestern, er, whatever those support structures are, around the platform.

Lex Luthor:
To the east and a bit south of the first clue, this one is on the northeastern side of the ramp. After you get this clue, be sure to look behind the ramp, as you might find a loot box nestled in a space underneath it.

Booster Gold:
Located on top of a building, next to its antenna.

Amanda Waller:
Just hanging out by some rocks.

The last two at the bottom are, in order of left to right, Lois Lane and Amanda Waller (again). Lois Lane's clue is at ground level, at the base of a tower. The Amanda token is tricky to spot, because it is on the _inside_ of the southern leg of that big structure on the southeastern part of the map.

Oolong Island blue clue collection:

Spoiler:

I ballparked this one more than usual, but hopefully it's clear enough. Roughly from south to north.

1
Lois Lane: On the top level of a docked yacht

2
Wonder Woman: Just past the bridge heading north out of the initial area, to the left as you head north off the bridge

3
Will Magnus: On a hill next to a rocky outcropping, with a tree next to it. The clue is on the west or northwest side of the rock, I think.

4
Joker: On top of some pipes enter into / emerge from the cliffs.

5
Batman: On top of the building

6
Circe: On top of the structure over here

7
TO Morrow: On top of the building, close to the southern edge

8
Lex Luthor: Bartender, I'll take a blue clue, on the rocks, floating not stirred.

9
Lois and Superman: On the roof, by the pipes that come out of the roof.

10
Chang Tzu: Deep inside (literally with the first part), around the area you fight all those little monitor bots or whatever they were called. It's against a south or southwestern wall, I think up on an uprised spot.

Dizzen wrote: »

Been trying to keep track of where I find clues, and after receiving some help finishing Area 51's blue collection in the steam group chat (thanks, Corrigan) , I figured I'd try to put together some maps / guides to some of the collections.

So, here's Area 51's blue collection.

Spoiler:

Directions, in clockwise order starting with the west most one.

Area 51: Lois Lane
Just off side of the road.

Area 51: Amanda Waller
Kinda on the edge of the broken up part of the road.

Area 51: Amanda Waller
In the broken up part of the road.

Area 51: Jack Ryder
Just outside the southeast wall of the northeast-most compound (third next-to-last compound you fight in, where you mess with all those security consoles while flipping the neural cores of the robots).

Area 51: Lex Luthor
In a busted up satellite dish kinda northwest-ish of the northern end of the southeastern long road.

Area 51: Superman
In the broken up part of this long stretch of road.

And because it was fairly quick, the Watchtower green clues.

Spoiler:

Watchtower Holographic Tokens

The tokens for the tech, magic, and meta wings are near vendors. The hub token is on the top level of where that northern dot is.

I'll be making more as I sort through my screenshot folder and find completed sets.

I NEED MOAR
This should help you find all those glowing things, especially in the damned Alerts!
http://forums.station.sony.com/dcuopc/posts/list.m?topic_id=12790
http://dcuo.mmorpg-life.com/tag/briefing/

↧

[TERA] It's an MMO!

May 4, 2012, 3:41 am

≫ Next: -DAOC- 13th year celebration is underway! New class combos, RVR tourney, Free gametime!

≪ Previous: [DC Universe Online] Now Free-to-Play! Lightning Strikes DLC now available, zappy zappy.

http://tera.enmasse.com/ THE OFFICIAL SITE

*SERVER INFO*
Server: Tempest Reach
PVE Guild: We Are Nice Guys http://weareniceguys.guildlaunch.com
Raidcall: #4871615

What Is TERA?

TERA actually stands for The Exiled Realms of Arborea. An Action MMO from Bluehole Studios

This looks suspiciously KOREAN. Why should I give two flips about this?

It is. But don't fret. Remember what I said about Action MMO? A lot of people may not realize, but TERA is claimed to play like a combination of Monster Hunter and Phantasy Star Online. What this means is aside from numbers popping up letting you know how much you hit or got hit for, there's not much in the way of auto-targeting. You have a melee attack? You better be facing the right way. You have a direct damage spell? You better hope you can aim semi-well or you may find yourself shooting airballs and before you know it you have an empty mana bar with not much to show for it!

Okay, Okay. The gameplay seems neat but this still looks VERY Korean

Oh you meant GRIND. I wish I could say I could alleviate your troubles but the Localization crew over at En Masse have assured us that they're working hard to mask that aspect of the genre, adding quests and rewriting lore to suit more western palettes. Standard mmo tropes do apply here, however. Kill X of Y, Bring me X body parts, craft this junk I could walk across the street and get but I'm a lazy sod. you get the deal.

Hmmm....tell me more, salesman

What we know so far:

7 races with their own racial skills
8 classes that any of the 7 races can become
A political system in the works where top groups of players are voted into power and given dominion over a province. Receiving perks such as guild keeps, special mounts, vendors along with being able to set a tax over their region.

Tax? What the HELL man?! I don't wanna give my hard earned greed monies to some random dick!

Not to worry! A group of geese trying to bleed the player base dry? Vote them out! It's that simple!

So about these races/classes?

Races:

Dragonfolk, Burly mean and strong. Value freedom and strength above all other things. Dragon pimps representing The iron forged dome of Kaiator

Huge genderless learned golem folk. They live in libraries since their home town was snuffed out. There's no female to their race. Which makes the fact that they have one really built up arm like Left 4 Dead 2 Chargers suspicious and also makes me question that "genderless" thing. Maybe they just mean "ronery"

Blood Elf style done right mixed with Night Elf douchebaggery. The males are Iggy pop. And the females wear plate thongs. Their home city is The Darkdeep Underblack. In the middle of scenic New Jersey.

Legolas and company. Only with slightly less "I'm better than you". Their home city is Fantasia. And no they can't talk to you because they really must be getting back to their fantastic magical oasis.

Magical Flower Children made by the goddess Elinu. They're also all apparently bitchy, tsundere misanthropes. yes we know. No, we're not having that conversation.

Elin Bioweapons gone horribly right The best damn race in the game.

The frontiersmen and the ground pounders. All the males look like Lou Ferrigno. The chicks all look like.....I guess some really hot human chick, pick your poison. They live in a giant wheel. Your argument is invalid.

What Class Should I pick!?

Watch this first

Hunters only without the pets. I hope you like third-person shooters because that's basically what playing an Archer is.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/archer

"HULK SMASH!" These guys are your heavy hitters, slow and steady before they land that one hit that leaves them crying uncle.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/berserker

Your tank class. Stuns and aggro abilities. You also have to manually block things. If you like playing Balrog or Guile in SF4 you should feel right at home here.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/lancer

Support Healer that relies droppable orbs and auras to support their group. You will learn to love their blue balls.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/mystic

Mostly aoe heals with damage absorption shields. It's like if a Holy priest and a Disc priest stopped fucking around and had a baby.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/priest

Dance of blades all day erryday, AOE melee specialist. Sort of a middle ground between the power of a berserker and the mobility of a warrior

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/slayer

Every mage ever. Massive firepower but made out of wet tissue and popsicle sticks. Avoid danger accordingly

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/sorcerer

A dual wielding cyclone. Their playstyle changes every 10 levels and are probably the most JOHN FUCKING MADDEN class in the game. They're marked the hardest for a reason

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/warrior

RESOURCES

.ini tweaks

FieldofView Bind:
Navigate to "TERA\Client\S1Game\Config"
open up the file "S1Input.ini"
underneath the line "bEnableMouseSmoothing=true"
Bindings=(Name="x",Command="fov 90")
(make sure there is no ; at the start of the line like there are with the lines underneath it)

Disable Mouse Smoothing:
Navigate to "TERA\Client\S1Game\Config"
open up the file "S1Input.ini"
Change "bEnableMouseSmoothing=true" to false

Disable In-Game Fake AA/Blur (FXAA):
Launch Tera. Go to Settings: Video: "Lighting Enhancement"
Change 2 to 1 Add Antialiasing with SMAA Injector:
Do above FXAA fix!
DISABLE NVIDIA/ATI AA! (it doesn't work anyways)
Download: http://mrhaandi.blogspot.de/p/injectsmaa.html
Extract contents of dx9 folder into:
\TERA\Client\Binaries\
Toggle with Pause/Break to see Jaggies Appear/Vanish like Magic! (default is ON)

S1Engine.ini Tweaks:
Change "DepthOfField=True" to False (Less Blur in distance and on trees)
Change "bSmoothFrameRate=True" to False (Disables stupid FPS cap)
Change "MaxAnisotropy=" to 16 (Better texture filtering)
Under [SystemSettings] add "bAllowLightShafts=True"
GAME OVERWRITES S1Engine.ini each patch so CHECK THESE Nvidia Character Texture Tweak:

Download/Open Nvidia Inspector
Click on Wrench (duh!)
Open Tera Profile
Scroll down to Dynamic Tiling
Set Flag to: PS_DYNAMIC_TILING_ON
Save Profile

The breakdown of what this does is:

No laggy mouse.
Wider view.
Sharper visuals.
No jaggies.
Smoother character textures.
No blurry things.
Uncapped FPS.

Crystal Builds
http://atra-astrum.eu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=13483#p13483

Glyph Calculator
http://glyphcalc.atra-astrum.eu/

Class Guides
(Thanks to Grouch for compiling these)

Lancer Eziel's Lancer guide
Warrior Nalfen's Warrior Guide

Advanced Warrior Tips

Slayer Xeismik's Slayer Guide Steparu's Mini Slayer Guide
Archer Sedina's Archer Guide
Sorcerer Delak's Sorcerer Guide
Mystic Karyudo's Mystic Guide
Priest Luciferia's Priest Guide

Enchanting

Info courtesy Maywind

Here's something: http://tera-europe.com/guides/enchantment-guide.html

It doesn't cover masterworking, however. Normal enigmatic gears can only be enchanted up to +9. However, for any enigmatic gear piece that doesn't say "Cannot be made into masterwork" on the bottom of its stats pop-up, you can masterwork it (enchant up to +12). You'll have to use a Master Enigmatic Scroll to seal the item and an Intricate Identification Scroll to unseal it to reveal the stats. The chance to masterwork an item is pretty low (3%), so you'll have to keep on sealing and identifying using Master Enigmatic Scroll and Intricate Identification Scroll until you proc the masterwork. You'll know you successfully masterworked when the item name changes from "Sword of Doom" to "Masterwork Sword of Doom". Once the item is masterworked, you can only use Master Enigmatic Scroll and Intricate Identification Scroll to reroll the stats. To enchant a masterwork +10 to +12, you'll need to use the pink Master Alkahest.

Since the enchanting patch, people generally use the following colored fodders for the specific enchantment levels:

+1 to +3: white fodder
+4 to +6: green fodder
+7 to +9: blue fodder
+10 to +12: gold fodder

However, you have to remember despite the enchanting improvements, RNG is still RNG. It's entirely possible to be super unlucky and fail a couple times in a row even if you use gold fodder and at the same time, I know a guildie who +12ed his weapon using a green fodder.

Closing this post with Amani getting their groove on

↧

-DAOC- 13th year celebration is underway! New class combos, RVR tourney, Free gametime!

December 23, 2011, 8:19 am

≫ Next: [Camelot Unchained] Gather ye Internal testers, Alpha testers. Pre-alpha draws near!

≪ Previous: [TERA] It's an MMO!

It's DaoC's 13th birthday, and they are celebrating it with RVR festivities. Starting after 9/24/14, when you subscribe, you will be given 13 days free game time.
New race/class combinations have been added. The list is as follows:
Albion
Avalonian/Necromancer
Highlander/Heretic
Inconnu/Wizard
Korazh/Reaver

Midgard
Troll/Warlock
Valkyn/Thane
Frostalf/Bonedancer
Deifrang/Skald

Hibernia
Sylvan/Champion
Shar/Warden
Elf/Animist
Graoch/Valewalker

Also, adding to the celebration, an RVR tournament has been started, allowing everyone RVRing to have their shot at having a statue built in the players home city in their honor. If you want to enter, log in and start rvring!

Dark age of camelot is one of the best PVP MMos on the market. Based on the time after King Arthurs death, three factions wage war against one another for powerful relics.

DAOC was upgraded recently to allow players to level faster to get to their battleground or end game destination. Created by Mythic entertainment and released in 2001, DAOC has a solid fan base and is still lively.

Albion is a faction that is found in Camelot, where King Arthur once ruled and is balanced between Might and Magic. Hibernia is a faction created from Celtic myth, and harbors some of the best spell casters. Midgard is a faction based on the Norse and Vikings and are proficient in mainly Melee.

12/7/2013 Brand new giant 2 part update streamlining New Frontiers is heading our way!

3/6/2014 New New frontiers patch is placed on test servers!

4/29/2014 Patch 1.115 is live. Part one of the New Frontiers patch is go.

↧

[Camelot Unchained] Gather ye Internal testers, Alpha testers. Pre-alpha draws near!

January 19, 2013, 12:52 pm

≫ Next: There are many Fantasies; but this, like the last, was Final [FFXI]

≪ Previous: -DAOC- 13th year celebration is underway! New class combos, RVR tourney, Free gametime!

Mark Jacobs baby has a new name. "Camelot Unchained" has lore and leaders that predate DAoC, and more excitedly, more recognizable faction leaders.

City State Entertainment was formed with previous Mythic entertainment with Mark Jacobs at the helm.

Together they have been designing what appears to be a game like DAoC.

There will be 3 factions and perhaps 3 gods fighting over earth with devout followers Realm vs Realm style.

Mark sheds light on CU for those who want to know more about the game.

We should be expecting Beta 1 by 2015, Alpha 1 by August 2014

Special thanks to MoonLightWave from Neo GAF.

Camelot Unchained takes one part classic legends, adds a twisty little apocalyptic passage, and mixes in a whole batch of creativity to birth not just another “me and my WoW-clone”, but a unique RvR-focused MMORPG. A cataclysmic explosion pierced “The Veil” that separates dimensions, bringing forth a nightmarish mix of both legends and horrors upon our world, leading to an extinction-level event. It is against the backdrop of an almost unrecognizable world that our game unfolds, and as a player of Camelot Unchained, you can expect the following:

Camelot Unchained is a subscription-based, RvR-focused MMORPG. RvR is an acronym for Realm vs. Realm, which we call TriRealm™ for the interaction of the three main realms.

The game will feature RvR-based leveling tracks for all classes. No PvE (player vs. environment) -based leveling, loot drops or other such systems are currently planned. All leveling will come from engaging in the game’s RvR-based systems, whether by fighting other players, capturing objectives, and/or crafting objects to help in RvR.

You will have the choice of playing any realm on each of the game’s servers except that you may play only characters from the same realm on any single server. In other words, one server = one realm.

Our subscription tiers will be based on players' individual choices regarding participation, but will be less than the current accepted norm for MMORPGs.

The game will be developed for PC (Windows) with stretch goals for other platforms.

The game will be available in English with French, German and other languages based on demand.

The client will be DRM-free and distributed via Torrent.

Banshee Class:

Starting October 15th 2014, Pre-alpha will begin. ITs and Alpha testers Unite for a playable version of the game to test.

I’m pleased to announce that on Weds. October 15th 2014, Camelot Unchained™ will begin its Pre-Alpha Testing period (also known as the P.A.T.s)! During the next five months, we will be opening up the most current build(s) of Camelot Unchained to our Backers whose tiers included Alpha testing access so that those folks can get a look at and also have some fun in the game.

↧

There are many Fantasies; but this, like the last, was Final [FFXI]

May 20, 2010, 7:02 pm

≫ Next: [Rift] Rift Nightmare Tide is now Live - Play for Free ! Starter Bonus Included !

≪ Previous: [Camelot Unchained] Gather ye Internal testers, Alpha testers. Pre-alpha draws near!

Last update: 31Dec11

FINAL FANTASY XI: ONLINE
ITT we laugh, we cry, and we sit around with our party flag up.

Final Fantasy XI is Square's entry in the MMO market and if you've got a PS2/3, Xbox 360, or a half-decent PC then you too can play, because it's totally cross-platform with international servers

The June version update is here, marking the arrival of "Vision of Abyssea", the first in the Abyssea series of battle add-ons set to offer epic new challenges to adventurers who would take up arms under the sunless skies of this forbidding realm.

But that's not all! This update will feature the long-awaited lifting of the level cap, accompanied by a host of new weapon skills and job abilities. Adventurers can also venture into the newly unlocked Walk of Echoes and experience the climactic conclusions of the Wings of the Goddess nation quests. There's bound to be something for everyone!

Players are also encouraged to revisit the Vision of Abyssea site, where the latest information on the formidable set of arms known as "Empyrean Weapons" has been revealed.

Full details on the version update may be found here.

Access the official Vision of Abyssea site here.

Seasonal Event!

No seasonal event currently~!

Not sure if FFXI is for you? Then you should check out the 14-day free trial! It's free (as cleverly indicated in the previous sentence) and doesn't even require a credit card to play.

NA Trial
EU Trial
JP Trial

What makes this game different?

Job system - 20 available jobs, all of which can be played on a single character
Difficulty - nothing in this game is easy
Grouping - if you're going to get most anything done, you'll need to team up
Crafting - nearly everything monsters drop is in some sort of crafting recipe and the job system ensures even low-level gear is always in demand
Community - the playerbase is a pretty good bunch and is willing to help you out with most things
Atmosphere - the game looks and feels like Final Fantasy through and through
Cutscenes - yep, they're here too

Screenshots from Grinnin

Spoiler:

Screenshots from Bri

Spoiler:

Screenshots from Ormi

Spoiler:

Haiku Attachment
I wish I were a real girl.
Sad automaton.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25753.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24494.html

Spoiler:

WotG opening cutscene

Can I solo?

The simple answer is "Yes and no," but it is a bit more complicated than that.

As a brand new character, fresh out of the shrink-wrap, you will be soloing until you get a job to level 10 at the minimum; sometimes upwards of level 15. From that point on, it is in your best interests to find parties, or at least one or two other people to group with, for two reasons:

The monsters get a lot tougher. The power curve goes from a gentle wading pool to an olympic swimming pool to a raging river rapids.

All higher end reward content (the stuff that gets you the cool swag) needs parties in sets of three, (usually) six, and sometimes 18. How to behave in a party is a skill set that you need to cultivate: Without it you miss the whole game.

Once you have some job levels under your belt, and some other resources, you may pursue a job combination that allows you to solo at higher levels. Be advised though, that these jobs are often lonely things, and expensive to boot: Making aquantinces and sharing risks is and always has been the fastest way to advance in the game, in the long run.

How do you work this crazy thing?

Spoiler:

Here is the lowdown on the controls:

First put the mouse away from you. Don't touch it while in game.

Red is main menu. It has lots of option on two pages. It is pretty much everything you can do, so in combat it isn't particularly useful. If you have something targeted, hitting the enter key will bring up a context menu on the lower left. Navigate menus by using the arrow keys with your thumb.

Green is movement. 8 key for forward, the others for left, right, back. The five key in the center will change camera from first person to third person. If the camera is in first person, 4 and 6 will turn you. If it is in 3rd person they will move your character left and right. While in 3rd person, and a menu is not up, the arrow keys will handle camera control. While in first person and a menu is not up the arrow keys will turn your characters head.

If you are running forward, 7 is auto run. If you find yourself stuck walking slowly, you accidentally hit the / key, and hitting it again will allow you to run again. The * key on the numpad will let you heal. This will restore lost HP and MP.

Tab and escape for targeting. F1 through F6 will target yourself and members of your party. This is handy for mages.

Alt +1 through 0 and Ctrl +1 through 0 will allow you to use macros you have previously set up. There are a few default macros when you create a character, but those are useful pretty much only to show you how macros are set up. Delete them all and make your own by going to macros on page 2 of the main menu in the upper right of your screen by hitting '-' on the numpad, then the left or right arrow key once and the down arrow key to get to macros.

You have 20 books of macros to play with. Each book has 10 pages, with 20 macros on each page and six lines on each macro.

Which server should I join?
Carbuncle seems to be the server of choice for PA people so maybe consider going there! Or somewhere else! Anarchy!

Here's a list of who's on or has been on what server, though I don't know how accurate it is!

Spoiler:

(Server)

(PA forum name) - (FFXI character name)

Asura

Skullie - Skullie
SkannerJAT - Ramiah
SNES - Arkm
Bama - Dael
Grundlestiltskin - Treva
Kyanilis - Kyanilis
Varega - Varega
scygen - Scygen(?)
fightstrife - Paige
king awesome - Emol

Bahamut

Ultravisitor - Dose
Arcibi - Arcibi

Carbuncle

The Dude With Herpes - Kingshand
Just_Bri_Thanks - Bri
Xhero - Ormi
Pb - Ancalaehte
Smashism - Samash
Trevor Goodchild - Loras
ins0mniac - Dimen
Xanarios - Rikiru
Koopa_Paratroopa - Maus
Demitri Omni - Demitrion
RawrBear - Littlebear
RooX - Lumir
Dyvion - Dyvion
ProfMoriarty - Fefron
zanmatto - Misteyy
EdwinOfThay - Edwin
draw4wild - Kalbus

Diabolos

WillisIVIIX - Gynin

Kujata

Murphy - Murphie

Fenrir

Elimination - Vyles

Lakshmi

EricKei - Erickei (Hiatus)

Midgardsormr

Professor Snugglesworth - Jorginus
Stryker43 - Caldyen
ProfMoriarty - Ocilus

Pandemonium

seabass - Bassiwassi

Phoenix

Evil_Pig - Karli
GrinninBarrett - Ishmael

Quetzalcoatl

neville - Neville

Ragnarok

UltraMantisBlack - Ultramantis
RavynBlackheart - Vehnibi

Remora

Tcheldor - Tortalius
Freebytes - Freebytes
mystic_knight - Everitt
Xhaztol - Xhaztol
Aoi - Squidge

Shiva

The Laughing Man - Stompy

PM for additions or changes

Newbie FAQ that I'm totally copy/pasting from the old thread because I'm too lazy to write a new one
You've installed the game. You plugged in your keyboard. Now what?

I. New Player Guides
II. Resource Links
III. Consoles
IV. PC and third party addons

Spoiler:

If you have installed the game on PC and are playing it for the first time, make sure you run the config utility out of your start menu before playing the game. The game will be an ugly mess if you don't. If it is not in your start menu it can be found by going to your ffxi installation and then going to "...\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\ToolsUS\FINAL FANTASY XI Config.exe"

I. New Player Guides

SE's New Player Guide
These video's are hosted on the main FFXI site.
They contain easy to understand instructions for all platforms.
Watch all videos, click each section on the left column.

LBR's Gigantious Beginners Guide to Vana'diel
So this is a FFXI podcast, I'll admit the hosts are kind of annoying.
This super long podcast though has a lot of useful information to a new player.
Skim through it sometime while soloing out those first levels.

Forum Post New Player Guide
Kind of opinionated but lots of good macro tips and more.

II. Resource Links

These sites will help. Go here first if you have a question, a lot of basic (and advanced) info is out there for the taking, just look for it. Of course, ask away in this thread if you can't find an answer from these links.
Links by Grinnin!

FFXI Auction House Database
An online AH that lets you check prices and trends from any AH on any server from your browser.

FFXI Wikia
FFXI's Wiki. Just about everything you could possibly look up is in this Wiki.

BG FFXI Wiki
Another FFXI Wiki just in case the other one doesn't have what you're looking for.

Vana'diel Atlas
A site with all the maps and related information in the game. Useful if you're ever lost, or wondering what kind of treasure you can find in a zone.

Vana'diel Bestiary
Excellent source for finding out what monsters exist where; also a handy tool for deciding where to take your party to XP.

FFXI Firefox Plugin
Nifty Firefox plugin. Show FFXI times, searches, skillchains, and more.

III. Consoles

Playstation 2

Must have a fatty PS2
Need a HDD
Must have Network Adapter
USB keyboard

Playstation 3

BC confirmed for consoles that allow it

Xbox 360

Must have HDD
POL and FFXI take up about 7.5 gigs
USB keyboard
Messenger Kit mini keyboard doesn't function correctly. "/" doesnt work.
Free Silver membership required (no need for gold)

IV. PC and third party addons

Controller Issues

Most PC users prefer to plugin a USB controller and play mostly with that, although many players go without it. See which you are most comfortable with.

If you do use a controller, there are a few problems you may run into.
The Microsoft Xbox 360/Windows controller will have some issues. The MS drivers won't let the triggers work, which you need badly for macroes, trust me.

Xbox 360 Fan Drivers
These fan made drivers let you use the 360 controller correctly with the game.
They also allow you to use budget third party controllers too. Such as, mad catz, pelican, and so on.
MUST BE THE WIRED CONTROLLER, the wireless adapter WILL NOT work with this fan driver, thus making the wireless controller useless for FFXI.
VISTA USERS: Pay close attention to the direction on your install, it is a bit trickier.

Windower - Shhhhhhh

The first rule of windower is you do not speak about windower (in game, ever, I am serious). SE sees all third party software as potential hacks and if they can prove you use it, they will ban you.
Windower is essentially some plugins that provide a multitude of options outside of the default game. You can view other party members TP, distance from enemy, cooldown counters, and way more.
It can also increase the graphics for the game by tweaking the registry (which you can do by yourself at your own risk), so the game appears sharp.

How do you know it's safe to use?
There is no way that SE can detect you using the program, SE has never detected anyone and just banned them for using the program. Now if you run around Sandoria shouting I USE WINDOWER, I don't think I can guarantee your accounts safety.
Even if you discuss it in a party nobody will probably respond, so you are better off just not mentioning it in game, at all, ever. EVER.

How do I use it?
Download the program first. Unzip it to a more permanent location.
Open up "Launcher_GUI"
Click the Advanced box. Set the Overlay Resolution to whatever resolution you want FFXI running at (desktop resolution).
Under: Registery > Background, is where you can change the texture sharpness. Make sure they both match. If X is greater than your background resolution it will create an in game AA effect. Nifty, AND HOW!
Now launch FFXI from this launcher from now on.

I also recommend the DrawDistance plugin to cut down on the fog in game and the infobar plugin to show you enemy details.

Higher Resolution Sprites - UI icon's

Brandson first made some higher res sprites for the game and Emiko has recently taken up where he left off. These icons IMO are clearer than the FFXI default icons and much more clean looking. There is also a widescreen version so no more icon stretching.

In game map replacements

Another old project of Brandson continued by Emiko. Replaces in game maps with more detailed variants that include path information, NM spawns and more.

ApRadar - The third party minimap!

If I could marry a plugin it would be this one. Simply unzip and open when you have FFXI running. It will display a minimap of your current location. Also displays maps regardless if you own them or not, so useful.

Spoiler:

So, I was going through my bookmarks to cleanup my bookmark bar and thought I'd share some of the more useful FFXI links I use quite a lot while playing:

FFXI Timer This thing I leave up constantly while I'm playing. It uses your system time settings and displays the upcoming moon phases, element for the day and upcoming days, and what real time they'll be;<<<Snip>>>

FFXI AH Exactly what it says. Infinitely more useful now with linked AH's, but it's always been a major tool. <<<Snip>>>

FFXIclopedia FFXI Wiki. Pretty self explanatory. Virtually anything you might want to know can be found here.<<<Snip>>>

MithraPride Chocobo Race Schedule If you're looking for a certain item (usually the xp pages) from the chocobo "races" you sometimes see when going to a chocobo stable in town (the NPC will ask you for a favor, etc), this site will tell you when you can find said race to get what reward and what the required time is.<<<Snip>>>

FFXI Atlas Exactly what the name implies. Maps. And with a lot more detail than the in-game maps. You can turn on/off a lot of the options to see what you need to see.

OP shamelessly stolen, but modified a bit!

↧

[Rift] Rift Nightmare Tide is now Live - Play for Free ! Starter Bonus Included !

October 30, 2014, 9:08 am

≫ Next: [WOW] Can I catch Ebola from an Afflication Warlock ?

≪ Previous: There are many Fantasies; but this, like the last, was Final [FFXI]

Rift Nightmare Tide is now live! Come Play for FREE !

Use the following link on NA or EU servers to get bonuses :

Rift Free to Play - Ascend a Friend

Or

Use the following code when you signup for your new account on Trion Worlds site:

RDT72Z3WYTTKWFCQT362

You will receive the following:

* Ability to summon me to you if you need assistance.
* 25% Experience bonus anytime we are grouped or close to each other while playing.
* An in-game Title "The Chosen" this title is only available to ascend a friend players.
* A nice starter Bag to put all your new loot in.
* A Cape so you can aventure in style.
* A Rune that will apply a glow to your weapon (Who doesn't love a glow effect when your slashing beasts?).
* A Mount provided by me so you do not have to start your adventures on tired feet (message me in-game once your registered with ascend a friend).
* A random Companion Pet (Only available if you choose the Greybriar NA or Zaviel EU shard for your character.
* An Experienced Rift Player with multiple characters on multiple servers that can often group and answer questions.
For reference I mainly play on the Greybriar NA Server/Shard but I have characters on most Server/Shards including the EU shards.
Message me here or in-game Nogardgib@Greybriar for any questions.
You ARE NOT required to spend any money to get the above benefits or bonuses !

↧

[WOW] Can I catch Ebola from an Afflication Warlock ?

October 28, 2014, 5:17 pm

≫ Next: [TERA] WANG is active, get your Jiggles ready

≪ Previous: [Rift] Rift Nightmare Tide is now Live - Play for Free ! Starter Bonus Included !

WARLORDS OF DRAENOR ahoy !

Here's the WARLORDS site: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/warlords-of-draenor/

Blizzcon, November 7 & 8: http://us.battle.net/blizzcon/en/virtual-ticket/

Patch 6.03 Notes: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/16549669/603-patch-notes-10-27-2014

Australian servers ! http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/16495451/australian-servers-down-under-10-23-2014

Go here for the expansion FAQ: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/11514711/World_of_Warcraft_Warlords_of_Draenor_BlizzCon_2013_FAQ-10_30_2013

Q: What are the key features of Warlords of Draenor?
Some of the new content and features of Warlords of Draenor include:
•Explore a Savage World: Explore the hostile world of Draenor, home of the orc and draenei races, as it once existed, and adventure in all-new zones alongside characters central to Warcraft history.
•Build Your Garrison: Construct, command, and expand your own customizable stronghold on Draenor, and gather NPC followers to collect resources and embark on missions on your orders.
•Instantly Upgrade to Level 90: Boost one character of your choosing to be ready to adventure on Draenor, making it easier than ever to enjoy the latest content alongside your friends.
•New Player Character Art: Character models and animations for many of World of Warcraft’s existing playable races are being fully revamped in keeping with the game’s iconically epic style.
•Adventure to Level 100: Reach new heights of power and unlock bonuses to further enhance your abilities on your way to the new level cap of 100.
•…And More: Take on a wide array of Dungeons, Raids, Scenarios, Battlegrounds, Challenge Modes, and more—no matter what kind of content you enjoy, new adventures await.

Q: How does the Garrison work? What kinds of followers and upgrades are available?
To establish a foothold on Draenor and bolster your faction’s defenses against the formidable Iron Horde, each player will need to build and manage their own Garrison, a customizable fortress that serves as your personal base of operations throughout the course of the expansion. As you complete quests and win allies to your cause, your Garrison will expand and you’ll be able to choose which upgrades you’d like to construct from a variety of options. You’ll also meet and recruit NPC allies and followers who will join you at the Garrison, each providing different benefits.

For example, a miner rescued from a dungeon might take up residence and help gather Mining resources. A heroic warrior you quarter might embark upon quests at your command, with a chance to return with valuable treasures. Other characters might provide you with quests that expand upon their own stories or lead you to valuable assets in your campaign.

When it comes time to upgrade your Garrison, you might choose to build a Barracks to send more followers on missions simultaneously, an Inn to provide new recruits, or an Infirmary to speed up injured followers’ recovery time between assignments. You may instead decide to build a Smithy and recruit a Blacksmith to research new plans and craft valuable resources (such as those with daily cooldowns). You’ll also be able to invite friends to visit your Garrison to trade resources and see how your home base stacks up against their own.

Q: What new zones will I explore on Draenor?
The expansion sends players to Draenor as it existed before it shattered into the realm World of Warcraft players know as Outland—and while some of the names of these places might be familiar, we’re building them all from scratch for the expansion.
Here’s a breakdown of Draenor’s zones:
•Frostfire Ridge: Across snow-covered wastes and beneath towering volcanoes, heroes of the Frostwolf clan and the Horde unite to repel invaders from their homeland.
•Shadowmoon Valley: Amid rolling moonlit hills, the draenei at the holy temple of Karabor unite with the Alliance in a desperate fight for survival against the Iron Horde and Shadowmoon clan.
•Gorgrond: Deep within the desert canyons of Gorgrond, an arsenal of massive siege weapons built by the Blackrock clan is about to be unleashed upon the whole of Draenor.
•Talador: In the shadow of a besieged Shattrath City, the Auchenai Soulpriests actively seek to safeguard the countless draenei souls inside Auchindoun from a terrible demonic threat.
•Spires of Arak: At the height of their power, the regal arrakoa plot atop their high peaks, well out of the reach of the brutal Shattered Hand orcs and the wingless outcasts below.
•Nagrand: Among the fertile hills and outcroppings of Nagrand, the bloodied wolf-riders of the Warsong clan remain a threat not to be trifled with.
•Tanaan Jungle: Within the overgrown jungle home of the Bleeding Hollow clan, a Dark Portal is under construction . . . and an Iron Horde army makes grim preparations to conquer Azeroth.

Q: Why are you giving everyone a level-90 character boost?
World of Warcraft is constantly evolving, and these days players engage with the game in a wider variety of ways than ever. Some enjoy the process of exploring the world and leveling up. Others enjoy the challenge of raiding. Many simply enjoy playing with their friends, wherever they may be. One of our primary goals with Warlords of Draenor is to empower WoW players to quickly and easily be able to participate in the content they’re most interested in, and giving everyone a level-90 character upgrade right out of the gate helps make that possible.

One common piece of feedback we’ve received from new players and those who’ve taken an extended break from the game is that World of Warcraft requires a significant time investment before they’re able to “catch up” and play with high-level friends. Design changes such as speeding up the leveling curve and features like the popular Scroll of Resurrection and Recruit-a-Friend system have proven very popular, but the issues’s only getting more challenging with each patch and expansion we release. By giving players the option to boost a character to be ready for the latest expansion content, we hope to remove some of these entry barriers and make it so anyone can pick up and enjoy Warlords of Draenor right away, no matter how much World of Warcraft they’ve played in the past.

Q: It’s been a while since I’ve played WoW—will I know what to do with a level-90 character?
At the start of the new expansion, players will be thrust into an exciting introductory experience involving a desperate strike against the orc forces on Draenor. During this opening sequence, new and returning players will have an opportunity to get up to speed on the game before diving into their faction’s starting zone content—similar to the Death Knight starting experience in Wrath of the Lich King. We’ve also recently added features such as Proving Grounds, which help players learn how to tank, heal, and deal damage in dungeons in a solo “teaching” environment, to help ease the learning curve and prepare players for battle as quickly, efficiently, and enjoyably as possible.

Q: How will the included level-90 character upgrade work?
In regions where players purchase World of Warcraft expansions, each World of Warcraft account that you upgrade to the Warlords of Draenor expansion will receive one level-90 character boost (to be used once the expansion releases). You don’t need to decide which character to boost immediately. You can also create a level-1 character from scratch and then use the upgrade on that if you wish. The boosted character will also receive a level-appropriate set of gear (along with some other assistance) to make sure you’re set for adventuring. We’ll have more details to share as development continues.
For regions where players do not purchase expansions (including China, Korea, and Taiwan), we’ll have more information to share on our plans in the future. In the meantime, our goal for all regions remains the same—to give players a way to get straight to the action in Draenor.

Q: Why revisit the player races’ art now? Will I recognize myself in the mirror?
As we’ve released new World of Warcraft content and expansions, we’ve received feedback that some of the earlier player character models and animations are no longer measuring up to the quality of the newer races. Because Warlords of Draenor takes players back to the homeland of the Orcs—one of WoW’s original playable races—it felt like a great time to update not just the Orcs, but other playable races that could use a refresh.
We know that many of you already strongly identify with the look of your current character, so we’re dedicating a lot of time and resources to make sure these updates capture each race’s iconic identity and personality. We’re still in the process of determining which races will be available upon the expansion’s release, but our goal is to update all eight of the original World of Warcraft playable races, along with the Draenei and Blood Elves, over the course of the expansion launch and subsequent content updates.

Q: What kinds of bonuses will my character earn on the journey from level 90 to 100?
Warlords of Draenor introduces a new bonus system that rewards players with powerful perks as they level up to the new cap. At every level from 91 to 100, characters will earn a major permanent boost to one of their their key spells and abilities (e.g. a Fire Mage might earn a +50% damage boost to Pyroblast or +30% boost to Scorch). Players will also unlock a new talent tier once they’ve achieved level 100, rewarding each class with three potent new abilities to choose from.

Q: What are the plans for new Dungeons, Scenarios, and Raids?
We’re planning 6 new 5-player dungeons for the launch of Warlords of Draenor, along with a revamped version of the classic Blackrock Spire. One of our goals is to make sure we’re giving players a good mix of “level-up” Dungeons along with some new, unexplored Dungeons to delve into at max level. The expansion will also give players a chance to earn awesome transmogrifiable weapons and other unique rewards in Challenge Mode Dungeons. We’re also planning a wide variety of Scenarios for launch, along with Heroic Scenarios for those who enjoy the extra challenge.

On the Raiding front, we’re planning 2 new raid instances around launch, as well as new world bosses. We’ll also continue to provide players with a wide variety of raiding options. In addition to offering four tiers of difficulty as in Patch 5.4, we're also extending our Flexible Raid scaling technology to Normal difficulty raiding. We’ll have more details to share as development continues.

Q: What challenges await in the world of PvP?
Warlords of Draenor will feature a new world PvP zone that hurls Horde and Alliance players into an epic conflict fighting for control of strategic fortresses on Draenor. This new area will be seamlessly instanced, with the goal of providing better performance and a more balanced PvP experience than was possible in WoW’s earlier world PvP zones. We’re also planning several major PvP-related UI improvements, including updates to help you track and communicate with your team about objectives in Battlegrounds, along with enhancements to Arena and Rated Battleground enemy unit frames designed to relay key information more clearly.

Q: What’s in store for professions?
One of our goals in Warlords of Draenor is to make each of the game’s existing Professions more engaging and integrated into the gameplay. To that end, the Garrison will play a major role in your character’s Professions in this expansion—similar to how your farm was key to the Cooking profession in Mists of Pandaria, only on a much more epic scale.

Q: What can players expect while questing in Draenor?
We received a lot of feedback over the course of Mists of Pandaria about what kinds of quests and world PvE content players enjoy most, and we’re continuing to evolve the questing experience in Warlords of Draenor with that in mind. Our goal is to give players a wide variety of fun and unexpected activities, ranging from the kinds of quests they’re familiar with to new experiences along the lines of the exploration- and event-driven Timeless Isle introduced in Patch 5.4: The Siege of Orgrimmar.

Q: Will you be making any changes to what Stats are available?
One of our goals for Warlords of Draenor is to make the act of finding and collecting loot even more exciting for players. With that in mind, we’re adding some fun new stats to gear, such as Movement Speed and Cleave, which gives you a chance to do extra damage or healing to additional nearby targets. In addition, we’ll be retiring a few stats that players don’t find very enjoyable to manage, such as Hit and Expertise. We’re also making improvements to armor itemization that will make it easier to share armor pieces across classes. We’ll have more details to share as development continues.

Q: Will there be any updates to the graphics and changes to the minimum system requirements?
Yes—we’re planning a number of tweaks and improvements to the graphics engine in this expansion, including some updates related to the upgraded player characters and the introduction of the Garrison. We’re also looking into updating other existing systems with an eye toward improving graphical quality and performance. We’ll announce the exact system requirements closer to the expansion’s release.

↧

[TERA] WANG is active, get your Jiggles ready

October 28, 2014, 3:35 pm

≫ Next: [Asheron's Call] 15 Years & Running - Private Servers soon

≪ Previous: [WOW] Can I catch Ebola from an Afflication Warlock ?

7 races with their own racial skills
8 classes that any of the 7 races can become
A political system in the works where top groups of players are voted into power and given dominion over a province. Receiving perks such as guild keeps, special mounts, vendors along with being able to set a tax over their region.

Dragonfolk, Burly mean and strong. Value freedom and strength above all other things. Dragon pimps representing The iron forged dome of Kaiator

Magical Flower Children made by the goddess Elinu. They're also all apparently bitchy, tsundere misanthropes. yes we know. No, we're not having that conversation.

Elin Bioweapons gone horribly right The best damn race in the game.

Hunters only without the pets. I hope you like third-person shooters because that's basically what playing an Archer is.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/archer

"HULK SMASH!" These guys are your heavy hitters, slow and steady before they land that one hit that leaves them crying uncle.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/berserker

Your tank class. Stuns and aggro abilities. You also have to manually block things. If you like playing Balrog or Guile in SF4 you should feel right at home here.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/lancer

Support Healer that relies droppable orbs and auras to support their group. You will learn to love their blue balls.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/mystic

Mostly aoe heals with damage absorption shields. It's like if a Holy priest and a Disc priest stopped fucking around and had a baby.

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/priest

Dance of blades all day erryday, AOE melee specialist. Sort of a middle ground between the power of a berserker and the mobility of a warrior

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/slayer

Every mage ever. Massive firepower but made out of wet tissue and popsicle sticks. Avoid danger accordingly

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/classes/sorcerer

A dual wielding cyclone. Their playstyle changes every 10 levels and are probably the most JOHN FUCKING MADDEN class in the game. They're marked the hardest for a reason

(OP Shamelessly stolen from @Beezel and the last thread)

↧

[Asheron's Call] 15 Years & Running - Private Servers soon

November 3, 2009, 12:10 pm

≫ Next: [Trove] just a bit like minecraft

≪ Previous: [TERA] WANG is active, get your Jiggles ready

GOOD NEWS FOR TYCHO

The payments have finally stopped.

Official Update from the AC Forums:

As of August 2014, Asheron’s Call and Asheron's Call 2 will no longer charge a subscription fee for players. The last payments will be processed on June 31st, making July the final “paid” month. Note that this means some players will technically receive some portion of July free as a result, as we have decided to absorb the cost and not run partial payments to cover it. Other important information for the transition:
~ After the transition, new accounts can be created with a one-time $10 purchase through our normal sign-up page
~ We will no longer be performing MSN Zone migrations after May 31st (click here for more information regarding MSN Zone Migrations)
~ Any inactive subscriptions that players wish to access after the transition will require a one-time activation fee of $10 via the myaccount website
~ Note that after the transition, help requests will only be available regarding harassment issues or account assistance with the $10 one-time activation purchase.
~ The AC forums will remain up and available

We also wanted to provide an update regarding “community” servers. Our current plan is to offer the first player run server packages and to open up our player run server sub-forums by the end of the year. Our first offering will be a basic AC1 server and client download. We expect the first offering to be light on documentation, as it is intended for enthusiasts with experience in setting up servers and dealing with networking. While set up instructions will be offered on these new sub-forums, this initial offering will be intended to be used in conjunction with the forums to allow the community to begin the process of running servers and creating documentation for that process.

Why should I play Asheron's Call?

Given the age of the game and the dwindling population, that's a legit question and a hard one to answer. The only thing I can tell you is that AC did a lot of things differently from other MMO's. If you need something different from modern "theme park" games or just want to see how things were done back in the day, it's a good game to try.

Here are just a few examples:

Original Gameworld - Nowhere will you find an elf, an orc, or a dwarf. The creatures and characters scattered across Dereth are largely unique to the series.
No Character Classes - You build the character YOU want to play from a list of available skills.
PVP - Considered by many to be one of the best MMO's for PvP mechanics. Play as a PK either on the regular PVE servers or go full time on Darktide, where you can be attacked by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Content - Turbine's regular updates (If you're familiar with the Living Story of Guild Wars 2, you'll understand the idea) from launch in 1999 up until the end of content development earlier this year means there are a lot of things waiting to be done.
Open World - 500 square miles of open terrain to explore with no zones and no instances; the only possible exception being dungeons, which are accessed via portals rather than running into them from the open ground. But again, these are not instanced - everyone shares the same dungeon.
Rich Lore - A very deep, involving history waiting to be uncovered...explore places packed with history and discovered lost, ancient texts for yourself
Randomly Generated Loot - You won't have a ton of people running around with the same epic sword that dropped off some boss somewhere; Quest loot is available but far and away the best loot to be had is randomly generated and dropped by everyday mobs, making everyone's equipment unique.

Assuming I want to try this, how would I go about it?

Purchase the game directly from the website for $9.99 - https://asheronscall.com/en

So what do you mean by no character classes?

It's really just that simple, no character classes. You can, when creating a character, choose from some preconfigured templates if you like. Or, you can delve into the custom creation screens and make your own unique build.

All characters have six "base" characteristics:

Strength - Determines how much you can carry, as well as influencing melee skills
Coordination - Primary stat for archers, but also influences your ability to dodge attacks. Also critical for alchemists and other craftsmen.
Endurance - Determines how much health & stamina you have
Quickness - Determines run speed as well as influencing ability to dodge attacks
Focus - Your mental clarity; a major stat for mages as well as those who wish to use magic items
Self - Strength of spirit; primarily determines the size of your mana pool

All stats start at a minimum of 10 and can go to a max (on creation) of 100. You get 270 attribute points to assign to a new character, meaning you can focus three of them or spread them around. A mage might put focus/self at 100/100 to maximize spellcasting abilities and spread the rest around as needed, while a melee fighter might give Str/Coord that 100/100 instead.

After assigning base stats, you then choose the starting skills that will define your character. Choose an offensive skill (melee weapons, ranged weapons, or some form of magic). There are also trade skills (alchemy, fletching, cooking) as well as tinkering skills that can be used to imbue your items with more powerful attributes. There are also support skills like lockpicking, or mana conversion (critical for any spellcaster as it reduces the mana cost of spells), and defensive skills (melee, missile, magic defense to either evade attacks or resist spells).

Want to be a thundering, raging axe warrior? You can.

Want to be a master of the arcane arts? You can.

Want to be the greatest arrow-slinging chef that ever baked a pie? You can.

Even if you create a total wimp of a character, it's okay. Thanks to the Temples of Enlightenment & Forgetfulness, you can change your stats & skills around later in the game if you really need to.

But what is there to do?

Quests, and lots of them. From simple to epic in scale, it's really hard to say there's "nothing to do" in AC.

If you're not into questing, you can roam the lands, hunting the wilderness to earn your keep. Or you can plop yourself into one of the many dungeons packed with dangerous creatures and slaughter them to level your way to the top.

Man, I'm not used to this old stuff. This game is tough to play.

Well, there are many useful third party applications that run in AC to make things easier for you. Some of them are downright awesome and others are...well, they're bot programs to be blunt. But there's a lot that's been done and outside of unattended macro'ing, Turbine allows it.

Ask in the thread what other people recommend using to find the latest info, as well as to find out where we're at and when we're around.

At the very least, with AC going F2P I will have an active account until the day they shut it down for good. I'm sure others will as well.

↧

[Trove] just a bit like minecraft

November 11, 2014, 5:42 am

≫ Next: -DAOC- CL15, New Darkness Falls Inbound.

≪ Previous: [Asheron's Call] 15 Years & Running - Private Servers soon

Listen up you geese! There is a new game out called Trove and it is cool and also hip. I am playing it, and you should also be playing it!

Open Beta has begun. It's free, and fun.

Classes:
Knight

If you seek truth, justice, and a finely chiseled jaw, unsheathe your sword as a stalwart Knight. Gleaming armor and pointed sword have never looked this square.

Gunslinger

When you’re armed with six-shooters, serapes, and a rakishly angled hat, the possibilities are nearly endless… and endlessly handsome.

Fae Trickster

A master of illusion (and the ultimate prankster), the Fae Trickster is ready to beguile and charm your foes. To death.

Dracolyte

This staff-wielding engine of destruction is armed to the teeth with Draconic magic, infernal might, and one deadly-adorable Dragon sidekick.

Neon Ninja

Spread terror from the shadows and the light as a Neon Ninja. Hurl shurikens and backstab foes, then flip away as you drop into stealth!

Of note: Neon Ninja and Fae Trickster are currently locked when you start out. These classes can either be purchased with actual monies, or unlocked with currency you earn from playing the game each day.

Gametypes

Adventure
Level your character with a growing range of Classes from the Gunslinger to the upcoming Candy Barbarian. Each Class has unique abilities and play styles to help you vanquish enemies and rake in powerful magic items, gear, world-building blocks, rare trophies, and more!

Explore
The worlds of Trove are full of diverse Biomes, enemies, dungeons, landmarks, and lairs. Whether you’re out for adventure or sight-seeing from one player-created Club World to the next, you’ll be amazed at astounding sights and wondrous creations at every turn.

Create
Build to your heart’s content in massive Club Worlds and in your personal Cornerstone, a home away from home wherever you go. Collect items and gear made by your fellow players or make and submit your own – including items, gear, Dungeons, Lairs and more!

Sound awesome? Wish to play? Go sign up here!

If we get enough people together to play this, we can create a Club and start building stuff in our own club world.

↧

-DAOC- CL15, New Darkness Falls Inbound.

December 23, 2011, 8:19 am

≫ Next: [Phantasy Star Online 2] Emergency Code: Duel! All are welcome!

≪ Previous: [Trove] just a bit like minecraft

↧

[Phantasy Star Online 2] Emergency Code: Duel! All are welcome!

January 16, 2014, 10:05 am

≫ Next: [WOW] Looking for a guild

≪ Previous: -DAOC- CL15, New Darkness Falls Inbound.

Welcome space-robot/loli/androgynus teenager to the wonderful world of Phantasy Star Online 2. Well technically, 'universe' is more apt or really inter-dimensional, timey-wimey existence.

So let us address the elephant in the room first. No there still is no NA release yet, it is still "in the works". Yes, you can in fact play on Japanese servers with no issue. And yes, I will tell you how to do that (point of fact, it is pretty easy). So if you are already a seasoned Phantasy Star player and just want to jump right in than head to the bottom of the OP. For the rest of you who want to know more, pull up a seat (figuratively of course, as I assume you are already literally sitting down).

What is PSO2? And P.S. you misspelled 'fantasy'.

Okay, first off don't be an ass, it is a proper noun.

Secondly. Phantasy Star Online 2 is (surprise, surprise) the sequel to Phantasy Star Online which made it's first debut in the way, way long ago on a little known and misunderstood console called the Dreamcast.

PSO2 is a hack n' slashy/shooty (none of this hotbar combat bid'niss here) MMO-lite game in which you take on the role of a newly minted Ark (an intrepid space hero) who explores dangerous alien locales for loot/glory/sometimes genocide.

I call the game "MMO-Lite" as it has a solid blend of singleplayer/multiplayer elements.

The game has a story, complete with cut-scenes, story events, boss fights, and other JRPG staples. However, it is also online much like the original Guild Wars. You take on missions either solo or with 3 other buddies you can conquer the world.

The player hub area is an Ark Ship (each server is 1 Ark Ship and all the ships make up the Ark Fleet, which I thought was a nice touch). Ark Ships are massive flying nations that were sent out in to the unknown to find new life and brutally murder the shit out of it (at least that is my impression). Though if you want the official story, then fine, here you go.

Embark on an endless journey through the galaxy...!

Home to three (Axen's note: actually four now) species - Humans, the Newman, and the CAST - the fleet known as "Oracle" continues its journey across the vast expanse of interstellar space between inhabitable worlds. When it first became possible for this fleet to travel beyond the reaches of our galaxy, a new history was born.

In the year 283 of the New Light, "Oracle" traversed numerous galaxies and discovered countless worlds.

In the far reaches of outer space, grounds known as "Arks" were set up to explore and research newly discovered planets. Their purpose was to move from one planet to another, helping to build and advance the infrastructures of civilization.

Seeking new adventure and new opportunity, different Arks work together in order to explore the depths of space and discover what my be waiting.

Now, as new Arks set off to explore unknown regions of space, a new journey begins...

Okay I get the premise, but how does it play?

Well, that is easy, it is straight up action. The five D's of Dodgeball are in full effect here; dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge.

You can lock on to a target to help (and it does) facilitate combat, but just because you are locked on does not mean you will automatically hit (at least with range weapons). Enemies can (and will) dodge your attacks. Luckily you can do the same to them. You also have to keep in mind terrain as well. If you shoot a fireball at a space-gorilla and he is behind a tree you will blow up that tree (literally, it is awesome) instead of hitting the space-gorilla.

As I mentioned before, this isn't standard MMO hotbar combat. It is absolutely action oriented.

You can have three weapons active at any one time (at least). Though you are free to switch out what those weapons are whenever you want.

You can learn a ton of different attacks and level up those attacks, but you have to pick and choose the ones you want to actually use in combat (they're pretty much all awesome and you can change what abilities you are using whenever you want).

So as an example, my guy is a Force (basically magic type). I have a staff, gunblade, and a thingy (techno-magic book dealie). My current skill loadout is standard attack (mouse 1), a fireball (mouse 2), a freezing ice attack (shift-mouse 1), and a defensive spell (shift-mouse 2).

Enemies (normally) telegraph their attacks. Sometimes you only have a split second, other times you could go make a sandwich and still have time to react.

All in all I really enjoy the combat.

Two other neat things to mention.

One, you can befriend NPCs and eventually gain their contact info so you can invite them to join you on quests if you're the loner type.

Two, you ever play Dragon's Dogma? You know the Pawn system? Basically in PSO2 you can turn your dude in to a recruitable NPC that other players hire to bring along on missions. Not sure what, if any, bonus you gain from it.

So what are my race/class options?

For this I'll just straight up copy the info from here (I'll talk more about that link in a moment as it is important).

RACES:

Humans are balanced towards physical strength and photon (Axen's note: read 'magic'), they can adapt to every class.

Newmans are skilled in handling the photon. To compensate for their physical weakness, their photon sensitivity is high, unrivaled by the other races.

Casts are the machine race, but since their bodies are artificial, their handling of the photon is weak, to compensate for this, they have an exquisitely firm body.

cboihWL.jpg?1

Dumans (Axen's note: sometimes 'Dewman') have strong offensive skills but low defensive attributes, and thus need to rely on evasion in combat.

The actual stat differences between races isn't all that big and you can get away with playing whatever class with whatever race without issue.

CLASSES:

Hunter

One of the three primary classes which excels in close-ranged combat.
Their stat growth focuses on S-ATK, S-DEF and HP for increased survivability even when fighting enemies alone.
Weapons can also be temporarily enhanced through the use of gears, which depending on the weapon could affect charging speed, range, or power.
Skill enhancements for Guard and Step are highly recommended since they allow you to quickly dodge or block incoming attacks without taking any damage.

Ranger

One of the three primary classes which excels in mid-ranged combat.
Their stat growth focuses on R-ATK and R-DEF which is mainly used for ranged combat.
Rangers specialize in attacking weak points with skills that allow you to weaken certain spots on enemies or further increase damage to those vulnerabilities.
In addition, Rangers also inflict bonus damage when performing head shots since the head automatically becomes a weak point for them.

Force

One of the three primary classes which excels in long-ranged combat through the use of technics.
Their stat growth focuses on T-ATK and T-DEF which is mainly used for technics, but pretty low on HP.
Force can specialize in either fire, ice or lightning attribute, each having their own pros and cons.
Since they can use technics to heal themselves, they can survive without the use of healing items.

Braver

Added as a 4th primary class since Episode 2, they excel in both short-ranged and long-ranged combat.
Their stat growth focuses on S-ATK, R-ATK and DEX, which gives them great advantage when attacking at the cost of having lower defenses.
The katana can also be temporarily enhanced through the use of gears, which further increases the damage output of the weapon during counter attacks.
Weak Stance works great on bosses and other large enemies due to their exploitable weak points being lockable and easy to target.

Fighter

Secondary class that branched off from Hunter, which also excel in close-ranged combat.
Similar to Hunter, their stat growth focuses on S-ATK, S-DEF and HP for increased survivability even when fighting enemies alone.
Their weapons can also be temporarily enhanced through the use of gears, which depending on the weapon could evade incoming attacks or damage nearby foes.
Skill enhancements for Brave and Wise Stances are highly recommended since they allow you great advantages depending on your position.

Gunner

Secondary class that branched off from Ranger, which excels in mid-ranged to close-ranged combat.
Their stat growth focuses on R-ATK and R-DEF which is mainly used for ranged combat.
Although Gunners can also equip rifles, they can't use it properly as a Ranger does since they don't have all the weak point enhancements.
Instead, they focus more on chain combos with the twin machineguns which makes the finishing move a lot deadly.

Techter

Secondary class that branched off from Force, which excels in close-ranged to long-ranged combat.
Unlike Force, their stat growth focuses on S-ATK and S-DEF which is mainly used for close-ranged combat.
Techters can specialize in either wind, light or dark attribute, each having their own pros and cons.
They also have a few support skills that can be useful for the whole party, which enables them to fight at the front line or at the back.

Also, you can freely change between the classes and each class keeps track of its own level.

Each class can use several different weapons (and let me tell you, there are a lot to pick from). From bows, swords, great swords, twin blades, gunblades, dual pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, magic thingies, space-whips, staves, and wands (to name a few).

Out in the wild and from merchants you can get "discs" that teach you new abilities for a particular weapon. I haven't delved to deep in to it with PSO2 yet as all I find are sword/gun techniques and I use staves. :(

Alright, so how does it all go down?

Well once you have created a character and completed the tutorial/prologue you'll be dumped off in to your CampShip. This is your own little drop ship complete with storage, market, recruitment station, teleport pad to the Ark Ship, and quest board.

There are a lot of different things to do, but I'll run you through an average job.

From the quest board (or NPC) you will get a job. In the beginning these are basic "Find and kill X", but as you progress they become somewhat more complicated. It honestly reminds me a bit of Monster Hunter.

So say you take the job to exterminate space-wolves. You'll head to the planet and then your mission starts.

The are you are in is basically a zone and somewhere in it is your target. Of course there are other mobs that will get in your way.

But that ain't all. There are random events and random cut-scenes you may or may not run in to.

You can repeat a mission and have different things happen each time.

As you move through the zone you can explore a bit and find treasure, special mobs, events, what-have-you.

When you find your target the game will let you know and a very nice lady will give you the details. You fight and kill your target and the mission is complete. You can then teleport back to your CampShip and get your mission debrief.

Then you do it again. :D

As I mentioned though, there are a lot of other things to do.

Apart from the standard mission board quests you also have story missions, client mission (where an NPC requests a specific thing which may or may not be tied to certain monsters), the Matter Board (which I can only describe as one half achievements with rewards and another half extra missions), and the occasional fleet assault wherein the Ark Fleet is attacked by a monstrous entity and it is all hands on deck to fight it off. Which, btw, is awesome, as the combined efforts of all the players online count towards defeating it and it looks a little something like this:

Well that all sounds neat, so bottom line, how much does this cost?

Absolutely nothing. The game is free to play. It does have a cash shop, but from what I can tell it's basically just fluff. Potions to increase XP, crafting results, costumes, and the like. From what I've been told there really isn't anything in there you need in order to fully enjoy the game.

Okay I'm interested, but wouldn't this game be all Moonspeak?

The PSO fanbase is, if nothing else, dedicated. As such the fans have created several translation patches for the story itself (which is surprisingly well done), items, monster names, quests, and so forth. Some things are still in Moonspeak, but for the most part these are just fulff like item descriptions and quest story text.

Well, how do I go about getting this then?

Okay, first off follow the instructions in this guide in order to register and download the game.

One of the instructions calls for you to 'link' your SegaID with the game, but I never did that and it worked fine. All in all the process is no different then registering for any other game, and Hell if you have Google Chrome auto-translate for you then it is even easier. The hardest part is the Hiragana Captcha you have to decipher. It can be done and that guide has links to help.

Now after you have downloaded the game and created a SegaID you will want to download the PSO2 Tweaker. This is a fan-made launcher that will (among other things) download the latest translation patches and keep those patches up-to-date. It makes the entire process painless.

tl/dr

Step 1: Follow the instructions in this guide (don't worry about "linking" your SegaID to the game).
Step 2: Go here and download the PSO2 Tweaker/English Launcher.
Step 3: While still at Arks-Layer.com it is recommended you download the Story Patch as well (it is 2.5 gigs). The PSO2 Tweaker will install it for you after you have downloaded it and it will continue to keep it up-to-date.
Step 4: Launch the game (the normal way the first time, then through the PSO2 Tweaker afterwards just to be safe) and log in.

PROTIP: If you used a capital letter in your SegaID username it doesn't matter. The login screen does not seem to recognize capital letters. So save yourself hours of grief and remember to type your user name in lower case when you log in to the game. Seriously, as an example say when I create my SegaID I typed Axen is my user name. When I go to log in to PSO2 and type 'Axen' it will not recognize it. So I'd have to type 'axen' instead. It could be that I am crazy and simply screwed up, but just a friendly piece of advice in case you run in to trouble.

Fantastic Links!

This blog has numerous guides and links to helpful things. Some of it is up-to-date and some is not. Still, super handy to have bookmarked.
PSO2.Cirnopedia is the preeminent wiki for PSO2 info and data. Pretty much anything you need to know is here and it is constantly updating.
PSO2 Symbol Art Editor. You can have your own personal "graffiti" tag (for lack of a better word). You can have one for your store, your character, your team, or whatever. This editor allows you to import/export Symbol Art from outside the game making it super-fucking-easy to have bang'n art.

Check these videos out to see it all in motion.

Showing off a 1v1 boss fight. Check out them moves!

This is a multi-party boss fight, not unlike a raid.

This one is a great video for so many reasons. Chiefly showing off how smooth it is and the English patch.

Heh, or this one where the party went on a normal mission only to have a random event happen in which the party got abducted and had to fight evil versions of their own characters.

What server, bro?

Most Westerners play on Ship 2 'Ur'.

My character is named Axen Moon.

There is truly a lot going on in this game and I've barely scratched the surface. All add more info and such to the OP as I learn more, for now it is barebones.

edit-

I mentioned last night that there was a lot of Fate/Night stuff in this game. :P

↧

[WOW] Looking for a guild

November 27, 2014, 4:16 pm

≫ Next: [WOW]WARLORDS OF DRAENOR: 100 pages of Arakkoa Stuffing recipes.

≪ Previous: [Phantasy Star Online 2] Emergency Code: Duel! All are welcome!

I played on Dark Iron and stopped during WotLK, but my old guild seems to have become extinct. Are there still any PA guilds active on Dark Iron?

↧

[WOW]WARLORDS OF DRAENOR: 100 pages of Arakkoa Stuffing recipes.

November 26, 2014, 8:01 am

≫ Next: [LOTRO] I'll see you on the other side. The Barrovian Society 2007-2014

≪ Previous: [WOW] Looking for a guild

WARLORDS OF DRAENOR ahoy !

Here's the WARLORDS site: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/warlords-of-draenor/

Blizzcon, November 7 & 8: http://us.battle.net/blizzcon/en/virtual-ticket/

Patch 6.03 Notes: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/16549669/603-patch-notes-10-27-2014

Australian servers ! http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/16495451/australian-servers-down-under-10-23-2014

We'll leave this here for now, there's a thread for it in G & T: OVERWATCH trailer http://us.battle.net/overwatch/en/

Go here for the expansion FAQ: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/11514711/World_of_Warcraft_Warlords_of_Draenor_BlizzCon_2013_FAQ-10_30_2013

Q: What are the key features of Warlords of Draenor?
Some of the new content and features of Warlords of Draenor include:
•Explore a Savage World: Explore the hostile world of Draenor, home of the orc and draenei races, as it once existed, and adventure in all-new zones alongside characters central to Warcraft history.
•Build Your Garrison: Construct, command, and expand your own customizable stronghold on Draenor, and gather NPC followers to collect resources and embark on missions on your orders.
•Instantly Upgrade to Level 90: Boost one character of your choosing to be ready to adventure on Draenor, making it easier than ever to enjoy the latest content alongside your friends.
•New Player Character Art: Character models and animations for many of World of Warcraft’s existing playable races are being fully revamped in keeping with the game’s iconically epic style.
•Adventure to Level 100: Reach new heights of power and unlock bonuses to further enhance your abilities on your way to the new level cap of 100.
•…And More: Take on a wide array of Dungeons, Raids, Scenarios, Battlegrounds, Challenge Modes, and more—no matter what kind of content you enjoy, new adventures await.

Q: How does the Garrison work? What kinds of followers and upgrades are available?
To establish a foothold on Draenor and bolster your faction’s defenses against the formidable Iron Horde, each player will need to build and manage their own Garrison, a customizable fortress that serves as your personal base of operations throughout the course of the expansion. As you complete quests and win allies to your cause, your Garrison will expand and you’ll be able to choose which upgrades you’d like to construct from a variety of options. You’ll also meet and recruit NPC allies and followers who will join you at the Garrison, each providing different benefits.

For example, a miner rescued from a dungeon might take up residence and help gather Mining resources. A heroic warrior you quarter might embark upon quests at your command, with a chance to return with valuable treasures. Other characters might provide you with quests that expand upon their own stories or lead you to valuable assets in your campaign.

When it comes time to upgrade your Garrison, you might choose to build a Barracks to send more followers on missions simultaneously, an Inn to provide new recruits, or an Infirmary to speed up injured followers’ recovery time between assignments. You may instead decide to build a Smithy and recruit a Blacksmith to research new plans and craft valuable resources (such as those with daily cooldowns). You’ll also be able to invite friends to visit your Garrison to trade resources and see how your home base stacks up against their own.

Q: What new zones will I explore on Draenor?
The expansion sends players to Draenor as it existed before it shattered into the realm World of Warcraft players know as Outland—and while some of the names of these places might be familiar, we’re building them all from scratch for the expansion.
Here’s a breakdown of Draenor’s zones:
•Frostfire Ridge: Across snow-covered wastes and beneath towering volcanoes, heroes of the Frostwolf clan and the Horde unite to repel invaders from their homeland.
•Shadowmoon Valley: Amid rolling moonlit hills, the draenei at the holy temple of Karabor unite with the Alliance in a desperate fight for survival against the Iron Horde and Shadowmoon clan.
•Gorgrond: Deep within the desert canyons of Gorgrond, an arsenal of massive siege weapons built by the Blackrock clan is about to be unleashed upon the whole of Draenor.
•Talador: In the shadow of a besieged Shattrath City, the Auchenai Soulpriests actively seek to safeguard the countless draenei souls inside Auchindoun from a terrible demonic threat.
•Spires of Arak: At the height of their power, the regal arrakoa plot atop their high peaks, well out of the reach of the brutal Shattered Hand orcs and the wingless outcasts below.
•Nagrand: Among the fertile hills and outcroppings of Nagrand, the bloodied wolf-riders of the Warsong clan remain a threat not to be trifled with.
•Tanaan Jungle: Within the overgrown jungle home of the Bleeding Hollow clan, a Dark Portal is under construction . . . and an Iron Horde army makes grim preparations to conquer Azeroth.

Q: Why are you giving everyone a level-90 character boost?
World of Warcraft is constantly evolving, and these days players engage with the game in a wider variety of ways than ever. Some enjoy the process of exploring the world and leveling up. Others enjoy the challenge of raiding. Many simply enjoy playing with their friends, wherever they may be. One of our primary goals with Warlords of Draenor is to empower WoW players to quickly and easily be able to participate in the content they’re most interested in, and giving everyone a level-90 character upgrade right out of the gate helps make that possible.

One common piece of feedback we’ve received from new players and those who’ve taken an extended break from the game is that World of Warcraft requires a significant time investment before they’re able to “catch up” and play with high-level friends. Design changes such as speeding up the leveling curve and features like the popular Scroll of Resurrection and Recruit-a-Friend system have proven very popular, but the issues’s only getting more challenging with each patch and expansion we release. By giving players the option to boost a character to be ready for the latest expansion content, we hope to remove some of these entry barriers and make it so anyone can pick up and enjoy Warlords of Draenor right away, no matter how much World of Warcraft they’ve played in the past.

Q: It’s been a while since I’ve played WoW—will I know what to do with a level-90 character?
At the start of the new expansion, players will be thrust into an exciting introductory experience involving a desperate strike against the orc forces on Draenor. During this opening sequence, new and returning players will have an opportunity to get up to speed on the game before diving into their faction’s starting zone content—similar to the Death Knight starting experience in Wrath of the Lich King. We’ve also recently added features such as Proving Grounds, which help players learn how to tank, heal, and deal damage in dungeons in a solo “teaching” environment, to help ease the learning curve and prepare players for battle as quickly, efficiently, and enjoyably as possible.

Q: How will the included level-90 character upgrade work?
In regions where players purchase World of Warcraft expansions, each World of Warcraft account that you upgrade to the Warlords of Draenor expansion will receive one level-90 character boost (to be used once the expansion releases). You don’t need to decide which character to boost immediately. You can also create a level-1 character from scratch and then use the upgrade on that if you wish. The boosted character will also receive a level-appropriate set of gear (along with some other assistance) to make sure you’re set for adventuring. We’ll have more details to share as development continues.
For regions where players do not purchase expansions (including China, Korea, and Taiwan), we’ll have more information to share on our plans in the future. In the meantime, our goal for all regions remains the same—to give players a way to get straight to the action in Draenor.

Q: Why revisit the player races’ art now? Will I recognize myself in the mirror?
As we’ve released new World of Warcraft content and expansions, we’ve received feedback that some of the earlier player character models and animations are no longer measuring up to the quality of the newer races. Because Warlords of Draenor takes players back to the homeland of the Orcs—one of WoW’s original playable races—it felt like a great time to update not just the Orcs, but other playable races that could use a refresh.
We know that many of you already strongly identify with the look of your current character, so we’re dedicating a lot of time and resources to make sure these updates capture each race’s iconic identity and personality. We’re still in the process of determining which races will be available upon the expansion’s release, but our goal is to update all eight of the original World of Warcraft playable races, along with the Draenei and Blood Elves, over the course of the expansion launch and subsequent content updates.

Q: What kinds of bonuses will my character earn on the journey from level 90 to 100?
Warlords of Draenor introduces a new bonus system that rewards players with powerful perks as they level up to the new cap. At every level from 91 to 100, characters will earn a major permanent boost to one of their their key spells and abilities (e.g. a Fire Mage might earn a +50% damage boost to Pyroblast or +30% boost to Scorch). Players will also unlock a new talent tier once they’ve achieved level 100, rewarding each class with three potent new abilities to choose from.

Q: What are the plans for new Dungeons, Scenarios, and Raids?
We’re planning 6 new 5-player dungeons for the launch of Warlords of Draenor, along with a revamped version of the classic Blackrock Spire. One of our goals is to make sure we’re giving players a good mix of “level-up” Dungeons along with some new, unexplored Dungeons to delve into at max level. The expansion will also give players a chance to earn awesome transmogrifiable weapons and other unique rewards in Challenge Mode Dungeons. We’re also planning a wide variety of Scenarios for launch, along with Heroic Scenarios for those who enjoy the extra challenge.

On the Raiding front, we’re planning 2 new raid instances around launch, as well as new world bosses. We’ll also continue to provide players with a wide variety of raiding options. In addition to offering four tiers of difficulty as in Patch 5.4, we're also extending our Flexible Raid scaling technology to Normal difficulty raiding. We’ll have more details to share as development continues.

Q: What challenges await in the world of PvP?
Warlords of Draenor will feature a new world PvP zone that hurls Horde and Alliance players into an epic conflict fighting for control of strategic fortresses on Draenor. This new area will be seamlessly instanced, with the goal of providing better performance and a more balanced PvP experience than was possible in WoW’s earlier world PvP zones. We’re also planning several major PvP-related UI improvements, including updates to help you track and communicate with your team about objectives in Battlegrounds, along with enhancements to Arena and Rated Battleground enemy unit frames designed to relay key information more clearly.

Q: What’s in store for professions?
One of our goals in Warlords of Draenor is to make each of the game’s existing Professions more engaging and integrated into the gameplay. To that end, the Garrison will play a major role in your character’s Professions in this expansion—similar to how your farm was key to the Cooking profession in Mists of Pandaria, only on a much more epic scale.

Q: What can players expect while questing in Draenor?
We received a lot of feedback over the course of Mists of Pandaria about what kinds of quests and world PvE content players enjoy most, and we’re continuing to evolve the questing experience in Warlords of Draenor with that in mind. Our goal is to give players a wide variety of fun and unexpected activities, ranging from the kinds of quests they’re familiar with to new experiences along the lines of the exploration- and event-driven Timeless Isle introduced in Patch 5.4: The Siege of Orgrimmar.

Q: Will you be making any changes to what Stats are available?
One of our goals for Warlords of Draenor is to make the act of finding and collecting loot even more exciting for players. With that in mind, we’re adding some fun new stats to gear, such as Movement Speed and Cleave, which gives you a chance to do extra damage or healing to additional nearby targets. In addition, we’ll be retiring a few stats that players don’t find very enjoyable to manage, such as Hit and Expertise. We’re also making improvements to armor itemization that will make it easier to share armor pieces across classes. We’ll have more details to share as development continues.

Q: Will there be any updates to the graphics and changes to the minimum system requirements?
Yes—we’re planning a number of tweaks and improvements to the graphics engine in this expansion, including some updates related to the upgraded player characters and the introduction of the Garrison. We’re also looking into updating other existing systems with an eye toward improving graphical quality and performance. We’ll announce the exact system requirements closer to the expansion’s release.

↧

[LOTRO] I'll see you on the other side. The Barrovian Society 2007-2014

March 7, 2011, 6:08 pm

≫ Next: [Defiance] Let's shoot/kill some bugs

≪ Previous: [WOW]WARLORDS OF DRAENOR: 100 pages of Arakkoa Stuffing recipes.

Okay so we've all been away a while, tried other MMOs, etc. For me personally...nothing has proven anywhere even remotely as worthy of my time as

The Lord of the Rings Online

All you need to know is as follows:

-The game is awesome. Seriously it is the best available MMO. It has the best-designed game world, the best source material, the best community, and the most hobbits out of any MMO.
-The Barrovian Sociey, i.e. the only kinship** worth joining, is on the Landroval server.
-To join said kinship you either have to be a registered member on the Penny Arcade forums, or be married to one.
-Upon hearing this, if you still wish to beg for admission into The Barrovian Society, simply type "/joinchannel PennyArcade wang" in your chat box in-game and ask if there is an officer available who can invite you.
-Any further terms of your admission are left solely in the hands of the officer who was unfortunate enough to be the target of your incessant pestering.
-Don't roll a male elf. They draw some...unwanted attention from certain...unfavorable types. Why rolling a male elf means there's a greater chance that you enjoy yaoi is beyond me. Just spare yourself the aggravation.
-Upon joining, every recruit is promoted to the rank of Kinsman or Kinswoman depending on whether or not your sex organs dangle. Only the worthy are awarded the title of Officer. Don't ask what makes one "worthy", as it is something that is completely arbitrarily determined by me on a day-to-day basis depending fully on my current mood and how well my penis performed the evening prior.

NEW RULE: If you are offline for more than 600 days you will be expelled from the kinship. It helps keep clutter to a minimum when browsing through the kin roster, and I figure it's a good cutoff point seeing as we've never really had anyone return after that long.

Also, there are no bad classes to play in LOTRO. With the recent Isengard expansion, every class has seen its share of attention from the devs, and it seems they've all become OP in their own right. Play what sounds fun to you.

Good talk.

**"Kinship" is the fancy LOTRO word for guild

Addendum: This is a map that allows you to pick a region and an object, and see it's approximate coordinates. It's not 100% accurate, but extraordinarily helpful nonetheless. No longer must we solely rely on the sometimes-broken quest tracker to help us find that elusive NPC or those hard-to-find random useless objects we've been asked to collect.

↧

[Defiance] Let's shoot/kill some bugs

April 6, 2012, 5:45 pm

≫ Next: [Camelot Unchained] Second Pre Alpha Test check list underway/Sound Engineer Stretch Goal.

≪ Previous: [LOTRO] I'll see you on the other side. The Barrovian Society 2007-2014

Developer(s) Trion Worlds
Publisher(s) Trion Worlds
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release date(s) April 2, 2013
Genre(s) Third-person shooterAction
Mode(s) Massively Multiplayer Online Game

From the developers of Rift, Trion has released a sci-fi MMOFPS, Defiance, on PC, PS3 as well as the Xbox 360 - tying them all into the upcoming SyFy science-fiction TV-series by the same name. In addition to the events of the show influencing the game, there's a chance that what you do in the game might affect the show as well.

In the world of Defiance you play the role of an Ark Hunter, a specialist in survival, combat and tracking who braves dangerous frontiers to locate and retrieve lost relics of alien or advanced origins in return for great financial rewards. Currently you can play as either Human or Irathient ark hunters, but more playable races are confirmed (one of which will be in the DLC season pass)

Wreckage from the Votan ships that exploded in space periodically falls to Earth. These meteor-like fragments usually contain rare and valuable alien technology. While Small arkfalls can be tackled by a brave Ark Hunter or two and go unnoticed by everyone else, Major arkfalls are impossible to ignore as they blacken the skies, turning the surroundings into a violent torrent of debris. As an Ark Hunter’s EGO sounds the alert, a massive section of arkfall impacts the land. Filled with arktech wonders and/or rare resources, these large arkfalls attract a horde of beasts, who are often in turn dwarfed by a massive guardian of the species, intent on claiming the arkfall for themselves. Only an army of powerful Ark Hunters can hope to stand against the monsters of a major arkfall and live to claim the glory and rare rewards found within.

Guided by the celebrity scientist Karl Von Bach, a team of Ark Hunters embark on an Earth Republic-funded expedition to find a mysterious alien relic rumored to have been lost in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones searching, and their ship is soon brought down by mysterious forces.Now the Ark Hunters must try to gather local information to find the artifact and thwart looming dangers that threaten all life in the Bay Area. In addition to the main missions following the main story line of the game, that is tied to the TV-series, you will as a player be able to engage in a number of side-missions as well as challenges with leaderboards and special rewards of their own.

In addition to being able to explore the missions, side missions, and challenges with your friends, you'll be able to shoot them up too if you so fancy. There's both instanced PVP as well as an ongoing world PVP called the "Shadow War".

Ark Hunters in the vicinity of certain arktech will receive mercenary contract invites to an ongoing Shadow War. Those who choose to sign up become what are known as Shadow Operatives, soldiers working in the “shadows” of Echelon, a private military corporation. These Shadow Operatives quickly fill the ranks of two teams. Teams are then directed by Echelon to converge on the fallen arktech, where they must battle to claim the prize.
To the winners go the spoils: Echelon credits to be used on special gear, weapons, and armor, as well as a ranking on the Echelon mercenary leaderboards.

Through the coures of the game you will recieve a number of EGO points. These can be spent on EGO powers, Blur/Cloak/Decoy/Overcharge, and a number of EGO perks which provide passive benefits. You don't need to go into this system blindly though, as Defiance fans have put together an EGO point calculator.

With fourteen different weapon types, countless variations of each weapon, and the deep weapon customization weapon, you are bound to find a gun, or two, that suits your playstyle. The following is a list of the basic weapon types:

Spread Rocket Launchers
Submachine Guns
Semi-Auto Sniper Rifles
Sawed-off Shotguns
Pistols
Combat Shotguns
Light Machine Guns
Charge Sniper Rifles
Pump Shotguns
Infectors
Guided Rocket Launchers
Bolt-Action Sniper Rifles

Players are capable of spawning a purchased or earned vehicle at any point in the game. These range from one-man growlers to bigger trucks that your friends can jump into as you ride into the fray.

A-Tex Growler Pro
Cerberus
Challenger
Dodge Challenger RT Hemi Orange
Dodge Challenger SRT8
Duni Shetarru K-Frame
Hannibal 800TR Quad
Hauler
RM Nomad M4
RM Nomad V6 Red/Black
RM Nomad V6 Yellow/White
T4 Titan
Titan combat utility vehicle
Transport

Media

Video

Teaser trailer
PAX in-game trailer
The first 14 minutes of Defiance the TV-series
MMORPG.com preview and interview with Defiance developers

Pics
From rockpapershotgun.com:

Spoiler:

Links

http://www.defiance.com/ [The official site for the game]
http://vonbachindustries.com/en/ [Alternative Reality Game-site]
http://orcz.com/Defiance:_Arkfall_Codes [To be inputted below for minor rewards]
http://www.defiance.com/en/my-ego [See above]
http://en.defiance-wiki.com/ [More focused on the TV-series than the game]
http://www.defiance-central.com/ [Useful tools and information, such as the ego calculator]
http://www.language.defiance-wiki.com/wiki/Learn_Votan [Learn the various artificial languages of Defiance]

↧

[Camelot Unchained] Second Pre Alpha Test check list underway/Sound Engineer Stretch Goal.

January 19, 2013, 12:52 pm

≫ Next: [Elder Scrolls Online] It's like DAoC, but set in an MMO-y Skyrim

≪ Previous: [Defiance] Let's shoot/kill some bugs

Mark sheds light on CU for those who want to know more about the game.

We should be expecting Beta 1 by 2015, Alpha 1 by August 2014

Special thanks to MoonLightWave from Neo GAF.

Camelot Unchained takes one part classic legends, adds a twisty little apocalyptic passage, and mixes in a whole batch of creativity to birth not just another “me and my WoW-clone”, but a unique RvR-focused MMORPG. A cataclysmic explosion pierced “The Veil” that separates dimensions, bringing forth a nightmarish mix of both legends and horrors upon our world, leading to an extinction-level event. It is against the backdrop of an almost unrecognizable world that our game unfolds, and as a player of Camelot Unchained, you can expect the following:

Camelot Unchained is a subscription-based, RvR-focused MMORPG. RvR is an acronym for Realm vs. Realm, which we call TriRealm™ for the interaction of the three main realms.

The game will feature RvR-based leveling tracks for all classes. No PvE (player vs. environment) -based leveling, loot drops or other such systems are currently planned. All leveling will come from engaging in the game’s RvR-based systems, whether by fighting other players, capturing objectives, and/or crafting objects to help in RvR.

You will have the choice of playing any realm on each of the game’s servers except that you may play only characters from the same realm on any single server. In other words, one server = one realm.

Our subscription tiers will be based on players' individual choices regarding participation, but will be less than the current accepted norm for MMORPGs.

The game will be developed for PC (Windows) with stretch goals for other platforms.

The game will be available in English with French, German and other languages based on demand.

The client will be DRM-free and distributed via Torrent.

Banshee Class:

Starting October 15th 2014, Pre-alpha will begin. ITs and Alpha testers Unite for a playable version of the game to test.

I’m pleased to announce that on Weds. October 15th 2014, Camelot Unchained™ will begin its Pre-Alpha Testing period (also known as the P.A.T.s)! During the next five months, we will be opening up the most current build(s) of Camelot Unchained to our Backers whose tiers included Alpha testing access so that those folks can get a look at and also have some fun in the game.

Second pre alpha test linked here.

↧

[Elder Scrolls Online] It's like DAoC, but set in an MMO-y Skyrim

March 30, 2014, 3:47 am

≫ Next: Welcome to [ArcheAge], Give Me All Your Gold.

≪ Previous: [Camelot Unchained] Second Pre Alpha Test check list underway/Sound Engineer Stretch Goal.

How do I play with other PAers?
Roll Aldmeri Dominion, both the EU and NA guilds are there.

What is The Elder Scrolls Online?
A new MMO from ZeniMax Online Studios, sister company to Bethesda Game Studios (developers of The Elder Scrolls series and Fallout 3). It takes place in the Elder Scrolls universe, but in the Second Era - well before the events of Morrowind, Oblivion (both Third Era) and Skyrim (Fourth Era).

Another MMO, huh? How does it play?
Surprising like an Elder Scrolls game. A character's abilities are defined less by their class and more by what weapons, armor, and magic a character uses. There are some conceits, however, as characters are locked to one class. But this class doesn't define a character's role so much as inform it: you can be a Destruction Staff wielding Dragon Knight focused on fire magic, or a Sword-and-Board Sorcerer that can tank the world. You get two weapon loadouts that have five active abilities per loadout, so it's kind of like Guild Wars 2 meets Skyrim.

Force Strategy Games (these guys have awesome TESO videos) explains it best:

Character Builder at ESOHead

What about end game? Are the raids?
There are Adventure Zones (areas designed for 4 players), and Trials (areas designed for 12 players). Trials are interesting in that there are a set number of revives a group is allowed, and a leaderboard for those who complete them.

What about PvP?
The president of ZeniMax Online Studios is Matt Firor. That name should be familiar to long time MMO players, specifically due to Dark Age of Camelot. Firor was VP of Production Development at Mythic Entertainment before behind hired by ZeniMax. That heavily informs the PvP specifically and the game in general. How? Well, there are three factions.

Aldmeri Dominion
This alliance, led by Queen Ayrenn (as voiced by Kate Beckinsale), consists of Altmer, Bosmer, and Khajiit. It controls the Summerset Isles, Elsweyr, and Valenwood. The Dominion was formed by the Altmer after restoring order to Valenwood and Elsweyr.

Both the NA and EU guilds will be Aldmeri Dominion.

Daggerfall Covenant
This alliance, led by King Emeric, consists of Orcs, Bretons, and Redguards. It controls High Rock, Hammerfell and the recently-recognized "province" of Orsinium. The Covenant was formed by the Bretons through much diplomacy, trade, and marriages.

Ebonheart Pact
This alliance, led by Jorunn the Skald-King, consists of Dunmer, Argonians, and Nords. It controls Skyrim, Morrowind, and Black Marsh. The Pact was formed by the Dunmer, Argonians, and Nords through diplomacy due to the recent Akaviri Invasion.

PvP takes place in the province of Cyrodiil, and is a three-way tug of war between the factions. They compete to control keeps, seize Elder Scrolls, and defend them against attackers. There are catapults, ballista... did I mention the development lead was a bigwig on Dark Age of Camelot?

Anything else I need to know?

Force Strategy Gaming's Elder Scrolls Online playlist
The Elder Scrolls Online (official page)
Diversify. The experience you get is divided among the armor you have equipped and the buttons on your hotbar.
For an invite to the EU guild, send a whisper to Zhakti (@Echo)
For an invite to the NA guild, message any of these people: first ten (image), eventually all of these folk will be able to invite
NA Guild Registration Form (if you want invite permissions) <--- PLEASE SIGN UP HERE THANKS!
NA PvP Campaign voting form
Visual crafting guide
A Reddit thread on efficient crafting and its results spreadsheet

Some neat addons:

EsoHead database - does nothing on its own, but lets you upload data to EsoHead.com.
EsoHead Markers - uses the EsoHead DB to put map markers for gathering nodes. Very handy if you're going deep into crafting.
LootDrop - this is great if you have autoloot enabled. Shows what you've just looted in the corner.
Item information (rarity and damage) added to item border/decals
Slightly Improved Attribute Bars (bar percentages)
Spam Filter
Research Assistant
Crafting Research Timer
Guild or Friend? Character Icons. Rainbow Reticle fills a similar role, but also makes hostile mobs more visible.
Bag filters!

Crafting tips:
reddit thread
its google doc

Patch notes:

↧

Welcome to [ArcheAge], Give Me All Your Gold.

December 27, 2014, 7:51 pm

≫ Next: [FFXIV:ARR] New Year! New thread! Patch 2.5 drops Jan 20th, part 2 planned for March!

≪ Previous: [Elder Scrolls Online] It's like DAoC, but set in an MMO-y Skyrim

Craft, Claim, & Conquer

ArcheAge is the ultimate free-to-play fantasy-sandbox MMORPG. Build massive castles and lay claim to lands whose riches fuel a deep, player-driven economy. Band together to protect your fortune in epic siege battles and naval combat – or live the life of an outlaw, prying glory and coin from foes left in your wake.

Or fight the click spam bots! (We have been told this is rectified with a 5 second timer, I guess it works, I still can't win any land grabs.)

Available: Now! For Free! Or you can pay, if you want the myriad benefits becoming a "Patron" provides. Such as:

BONUS EXPERIENCE
Get a 10% bonus to all Experience gained through questing, combat, and labor usage.
PATRON QUEUE
Receive priority queuing when entering the game.
FASTER LABOR
Double your Labor Point regeneration to 10/5 min!
AUCTION HOUSE LISTING
Get full access to listing and selling items on the Auction House.
MAX LABOR BONUS
Increase your maximum Labor Points to 5,000.
OFFLINE LABOR
Earn Labor Points (5/5 min) even while you’re offline.
BONUS CREDITS
Receive 10% bonus credits with the purchase of any Credit Pack.
LAND OWNERSHIP
Claim and own a piece of Erenor by placing farms and houses!
LOYALTY TOKENS
Get 5 Loyalty Tokens when you log in each day. Redeem them for special items at the in-game Loyalty Store!

You can learn a lot from the official FAQ!

You can give Trion/XLGames all your money (you won't be alone, I promise)!

There are plenty of streamers. The most popular, I think, is Kooncoon. He is on the Korean servers, which have been out for some years already. He is profane and hilarious, I especially enjoy when he goes open world PVP.

Speaking of servers, the majority of the penny-arcade forumers are in a guild on Ollo. We have a pretty good core group of players that are consistently on throughout the day. So join us! We even have a channel on ye old TeamSpeak.

Shamelessly stolen from @Jubal77‌ 's old OP (come back, by the way, you fool!):

Bullet points:

The entire world is shared. The entire population builds, gathers, lives in one large world.
Not limited on class creation. Over 100 combinations of classes. Swap classes at any time on your first character.
Almost no restriction on player building. If you want to be a plate wearing, two-hand axe wielding, caster you can.
Old-school style world travel. Teleporting is expensive.
Player driven world PVP. You can attack anyone, even your own faction, rob and steal to your hearts content. With little restriction.
Player driven economy. Grow materials in your own personal space, craft and sell.
All XP is shared. If you craft or gather the XP goes to your base level.
Quests are everywhere!

Some resources:

http://arche-base.com/ for your spec building needs.

http://archeage.gamepedia.com/ArcheAge_Wiki a wiki!

VERY helpful guides for resources and where to go to get those important early resources (Farms, Donkey):

First Farm and Donkey:
http://archeagefurniture.com/small-scarecrow-and-donkey-quest-walkthrough-west/

Larger Farm:
http://archeagefurniture.com/large-scarecrow-quest-walkthrough-west/

Additional links!:

http://www.archbroker.com/ For your buying and selling needs of land and buildings, so you don't have to deal with Faction chat! I actually successfully purchased some land using this site, so it works 100% of the time for me. :+1:

http://www.archeagestatus.com/ Are the servers up? Why are they down? Lots of useless and useful information here.

http://www.reddit.com/r/archeage/ *sigh* occasionally there is good info here, beware the trolls.

Our guild, in game, is Merchwater, Inc. and we are awesome. My main is Xixi. I can invite, but you'll probably have to give me all your gold, just introduce yourself here and/or on our guild website that we don't use nearly enough and/or on Teamspeak.

Rilke wrote: »

The Merchwater banner flies high!

Ahoy! All ye mateys are be apart of me merry band!

Boatload Of Suck wrote: »

For those interested in music:

http://forums.archeagegame.com/showthread.php?16741-The-Complete-Composing-Guide
http://www.archeagemmllibrary.com/

Translated music: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ws7bm2ncr99kivl/Music.zip
3ML: http://3ml.jp/bin/3mle_2_03_783.zip

MIDI archives (to convert): http://www.cool-midi.com/ https://freemidi.org/

↧

[FFXIV:ARR] New Year! New thread! Patch 2.5 drops Jan 20th, part 2 planned for March!

December 31, 2014, 12:02 pm

≫ Next: [Life is Feudal] Medieval themed Sandbox MMO *Alpha on Steam now*

≪ Previous: Welcome to [ArcheAge], Give Me All Your Gold.

September 2010, Final Fantasy XIV launches as one of the worst MMORPGs in recent history.

August 2013, Final Fantasy XIV relaunches as "A Realm Reborn" and largely in part to the efforts of Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi P) it becomes a whirlwind success.

Just a taste of what has happened so far:

14 Day Free Trial: http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com/us/
Benchmark: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/benchmark/

The game is available for PC (Steam and Non-Steam) PS3, and PS4!(And yes all players can play with eachother regardless of platform!)

The game has now been out for over year, and in that time Square Enix has made good on it's promises. It has delivered a rich, vibrant world, with interesting stories and characters, challenges to be conquered, crafts to be created, baubles to be collected, and generally a large variety of activities from the most casual of players to the most hardcore.

Every 3 months there is a new content patch which adds new dungeons, advances the main storyline, epic fights, side quests, humorous stories, and fun activities for all to enjoy. In between these massive patches (and they are quite huge) are quality of life updates, and smaller content patches to keep players constantly coming back for more.

Since the game came out in 2013, we have had a total of 4 major content patches

On top of all that Square Enix is in the process of launching the game in China, and has recently signed a deal to bring the game to South Korea.

If that isn't enough they've also been hard at work on a brand new expansion to debut Spring 2015, with promises of content equal in size to the launch of the game.

Races:

(Warning lots of lore within, just not your Race selection doesn't matter like it did in FFXI, there are minor stat differences and at worst you are looking at a 6 point difference in any particular stat, but when you are dealing with stats in the 500's it doesn't matter much. So just pick what you think is cool, besides you can always change later with a Phial of Fantasia purchased for real money)

All the races from FFXI are back with new names and the addition of a couple new genders! All info is from the official FFXIV: ARR website.

Hyur: Naming Conventions

Spoiler:

Over the course of some one thousand years and three great migratory waves, the Hyur have come to be the most populous of the civilized races in Eorzea. Compared to the others, theirs is an average physique, both in terms of height and build. The Hyur champion personal freedom and liberty, and their espousal of an eclectic variety of languages and traditions is a legacy of their diverse heritage?as is their resulting lack of a unified cultural identity.

The Hyur are divided into the Midlanders and the Highlanders.

Miqo'te: Naming Conventions

Spoiler:

Though their presence in Eorzea is lesser than that of the other races, the Miqo'te are easily distinguished by their large, projecting ears and restless, feline tails. The ancestors of this line first made their way to the realm during the Age of Endless Frost in the Fifth Umbral Era, traversing frozen seas in pursuit of the wildlife upon which they subsisted. Instinctual territoriality causes many among them to lead solitary lifestyles. Males in particular are said to shy from contact with others.

They are divided into the Seekers of the Sun, and the Keepers of the Moon.

Elezen: Naming Conventions

Spoiler:

The Elezen are a characteristically tall people, long of limb and slender of build. They are also possessed of a somewhat extended lifespan in comparison to the Hyur. The Elezen once claimed sole dominion over Eorzea, their presence predating that of the other races, and, as such, developed a heightened sense of honor and pride. In years past, the Hyur migration into Elezen lands sparked bitter conflict. At present, however, the mutual understanding reached between the two races allows them to work towards mutual peace and prosperity.

The Elezen are divided into the Wildwood, and the Duskwight.

Roegadyn: Naming Conventions

Spoiler:

The Roegadyn are easily identified by their massive, muscular frames. They are descended from a maritime people that roamed the northern seas, though many of their ancestors turned their longships south to brave the crossing into Eorzean waters. Often considered a barbaric race, the fiercely competitive Roegadyn are also known for their compassion and unswerving loyalty. Many of the greatest warriors in history were born of Roegadyn stock.

The Roegadyn are divided into the Sea Wolves, and the Hellsguard.

Lalafell: Naming conventions

Spoiler:

The Lalafell are a folk both rotund and diminutive. Small by any race's standards and possessed of a childlike countenance, it proves difficult for non-Lalafell to gauge an individual's age with any degree of accuracy. Originally an agricultural people inhabiting the fertile islands of the south seas, they found their way to Eorzea via the burgeoning trade routes. Lalafell are welcoming of outsiders, and share prosperous relations with all of the other races of Eorzea.

The Lalafell are divided into the Plainsfolk and the Dunesfolk.

New Race to be added in Heavensward Expansion: Au Ra

Classes: (Letter in parenthesis designates the city in which each Class has it's guild. Cities are Gridania (G), Limsa Lominsa (L), and Ul'dah (U)

Disciples of War: Archer (G), Gladiator (U), Lancer (G), Marauder (L), Pugilist (U), Rogue (L)
Disciples of Magic: Arcanist (L), Conjurer (G), Thaumaturge (U)
Disciples of Hand: Alchemist (U), Armorer (L), Blacksmith (L), Culinarian (L), Carpenter (G), Goldsmith (U), Leatherworker (G), Weaver (U)
Disciples of Land: Botanist (G), Fisher (L), Miner (U)

*Note: Only the Disciples of War/Magic are available as a starting class (except Rogue). The Disciples of Hand/Land can be switched to once you unlock the ability to change class around lvl 10.

Jobs
The Jobs and their Class requirements:

Bard = 30 Archer / 15 Pugilist
Summoner = 30 Arcanist / 15 Thaumaturge
Scholar = 30 Arcanist / 15 Conjurer
Dragoon = 30 Lancer / 15 Marauder
Black Mage = 30 Thaumaturge / 15 Archer
White Mage = 30 Conjurer / 15 Arcanist
Monk = 30 Pugilist / 15 Lancer
Warrior = 30 Marauder / 15 Gladiator
Paladin = 30 Gladiator / 15 Conjurer
Ninja = 30 Rogue / 15 Pugilist
Dark Knight = No Base Class
Astrologian = No Base Class
Machinist = No Base Class

Nitty Gritty on the Class/Job system:

Spoiler:

In FFXIV: ARR your character is able to access any and all classes and jobs that exist within the game. Unlike most other MMOs where you choose a single class at the start and are stuck with that Class throughout the game, FFXIV: ARR allows you to change your Class at will once you unlock the ability to do so by taking your starting Class to level 10 and completing the appropriate quest.

Each Class in FFXIV: ARR is leveled separately and retains any and all XP you gain on that Class when you switch. This means if you start as a Marauder and take it to level 15 and switch to Conjurer, your Marauder Class remains level 15 and you are now a level 1 Conjurer. If you play your Conjurer for awhile get to level 4 or so and decide to switch back to Marauder you are now a lvl 15 Marauder again and your Conjurer remains at level 4.

To switch your class (after completing the unlock quest) you simply seek out the desired Class Guild and speak to the Guild Receptionist who will give you a quest to speak to the Guildmaster. Upon speaking to the Guildmaster you will receive a weapon/tool appropriate to the desired Class and by equipping that weapon/toll you will transform into that Class.

The nice thing about having the ability to change your Class is that you are able to unlock abilities on each Class that you can then carry over to other Classes. Want a Lancer that can Cure? How about an Archer with Second Wind? Maybe a nice Parry buff on your Gladiator? All of this is possible by leveling up the appropriate Class that has the ability you want and then switch to the Class you want to use it on and set the ability you want from the Skills menu.

Jobs are a bit different as they are extensions of certain Classes. Once you reach the requisite level of the appropriate Classes (usually around lvl 30) you can unlock the Job associated with that Class or Classes. A Job is a more specialized version of the Class or Classes that it is associated with. A Conjurer for example can become a White Mage, and a Pugilist can become a Monk. Each Job has it's own requirements that must be met before you can unlock it.

New Info: The Expansion in 2015 will change this however as the 3 new classes to not have a Base Class. We don't know entirely what this entails just yet but it seems that Square Enix is breaking away from the initial system they put into place.

New Jobs to be added in Heavensward

Machinist - DPS

Astrologian - Healer

Dark Knight - Tank

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