There are a lot of armor sets available to collect or craft and then equip in Throne and Liberty, all of which offer perks if you equip a certain number of ?a single set’s pieces. Each set has five pieces in total. 

If you’re wondering what the buffs are for each set or whether you’ll even like the appearance of a set at all, we’ve got you covered. Here are all the armor sets you can obtain in Throne and Liberty, along with their details.

All armor sets in Throne and Liberty

All of the following armor sets c?an be obtained in a variety of ways:

• Defeating enemies in the overworld
• Completing duties
• Opening Containers
• Crafting

Abyss Slayer Set

The Abyss Slayer Set is an E??pic Lv. 2 armor set made up of the following items:

• Abyss Slayer’s Void Mask
• Abyss Slayer’s Insanity Armor
• Abyss Slayer’s Claw Gloves
• Abyss Slayer’s Selflessness Pants
• Abyss Slayer’s Frenzy Boots

Set bonuses:

Dawn Mist Set

The Dawn Mist Set is an Epic Lv. 2 armor set that contains the following? individual pieces:

• Dawn Mist’s Killing Hood
• Dawn Mist’s Frost Heart
• Dawn Mist’s Death Hand
• Dawn Mist’s Mourning Pants
• Dawn Mist’s Thousand-Mile Feet

Set bonuses:

Death Set

Th?e Death Set is an Epic armor set containing the following individual pieces:

• Shadow Harvester Mask 
• Shadow Harvester Tunic
• Shadow Harvester Grips
• Shadow Harvester Trousers
• Shadow Harvester Boots

Set bonuses:

Elder Set

The Elder Set is an Epic Lv. 2 armor set that’s made up of the following in??dividual armor pieces:

• Elder’s Serene Circlet
• Elder’s Blessing Magic Garb
• Elder’s Punishment Cloth Gloves
• Elder’s Blessing Cloth Pants
• Elder’s Thousand Miles Prayer Shoes

Set bonuses:

Fallen Angel Set

The Fallen Angel Set is an Epic Lv. 2 se??t and is perfect for ??magic builds. It’s made up of the following pieces:

• Oracle Priest’s Crown
• Oracle Priest’s Meditation Clothes
• Oracle Priest’s Concentration Gloves
• Oracle Priest’s Soul Pants
• Oracle Priest’s Tranquility Shoes

Set bonuses:

Forgotten Assassin Set

The Forgotten Assassin Set is an Epic Lv. 2 set that includes the follow??ing individual pieces of armor:

• Forgotten Assassin’s Shadowless Mask
• Forgotten Assassin’s Shadowless Light Armor
• Forgotten Assassin’s Shadowless Gloves
• Forgotten Assassin’s Shadowless Gaiters
• Forgotten Assassin’s Shadowless Boots

Set bonuses:

Ghost Wolf Set

The Ghost Wolf S??et is an Epic armor set and contains the following pieces:

• Phantom Wolf Mask
• Phantom Wolf Tunic
• Phantom Wolf Gloves 
• Phantom Wolf Breeches
• Phantom Wolf Boots

There are two bonuses available for equ??ipping this set, one for equi?pping two pieces and another for equipping four:

Holy Ghost Fighter Set

The Holy Ghost Fighter Set?? is an Epic Lv. 2 armor set, and you’ll need the five following individual ??pieces to complete it:

• Holy Ghost Fighter’s Equanimity Armor
• Holy Ghost Figher’s Devotion Armor
• Holy Ghost Fighter’s Mortal Hands
• Holy Ghost Fighter’s Conviction Gaiters
• Holy Ghost Fighter’s Blessed Boots

Set bonuses:

Imperator Set

The Imperator?? Set is an Epic armor set made up of the following individual pieces:

• Helm of the Field General
• Plate of the Field General
• Gauntlets of the Field General
• Greaves of the Field General
• Sabatons of the Field General

After you’ve obtained a couple of piec?es from this set, ??you can start unlocking its bonuses. These come with two or four pieces equipped:

Imperial Tracker Set

The Imperial Trac??ker set is an Epic Lv. 2 armor set that requires the following individual pieces to complete:

• Imperial Tracker’s Wind Ring
• Imperial Tracker’s Crafted Armor
• Imperial Tracker’s Leather Gloves
• Imperial Tracker’s Leather Pants
• Imperial Tracker’s Leather Shoes

Set bonuses:

Indomitable Knight Set

The Indomitable Knig?ht Set is a Rare armor set and is made up ??of the following pieces:

• Resolute Crusader Helmet
• Resolute Crusader Armor
• Resolute Crusader Gauntlets
• Resolute Crusader Greaves
• Resolute Crusader Sabatons

Set bonuses:

A?s a Rare set, rather than an Epic one, this one only has one bonus that comes when you equip three pieces from it, increasing your damage reduction by 15. 

Mother Nature Set

The Mother Nature Set is an Epi?c armor set and is particul?arly good for ranged builds. It’s made up of the following pieces:

• Swirling Essence Hat
• Swirling Essence Robe
• Swirling Essence Gloves
• Swirling Essence Pants
• Swirling Essence Shoes

Set bonuses:

Mysterious Sage Set

The ??Mysterious Sage Set is a Rare set and is made up of t?he following pieces:

• Alacritous Invoker Hood
• Alacritous Invoker Overcoat
• Alacritous Invoker Gloves
• Alacritous Invoker Pants
• Alacritous Invoker Shoes

Set bonuses:

As another Rare set, there is?? only one bonus that?? comes from the Mysterious Sage Set when you wear three pieces together. When applied, it will decrease your cooldown speed by 5%.

Nether Overwatcher Set

The Nether Overwatcher Set is an Epic Lv. 2 ??set that’s perfect for ranged builds thanks to one of its buffs. It contains the following piec??es:

• Nether Overwatcher’s Mask
• Nether Overwatcher’s Leather Armor
• Nether Overwatcher’s Leather Gloves
• Nether Overwatcher’s Leather Pants
• Nether Overwatcher’s Leather Shoes

Set bonuses:

Palace Guard Set

Like most of the armor sets shown here, the Palace Guard Set is an Epic Lv. 2 set. It in?cludes the followin?g pieces:

• Palace Guard’s Visor
• Palace Guard’s Plate Armor
• Palace Guard’s Plate Gauntlets
• Palace Guard’s Plate Gaiters
• Palace Guard’s Plate Boots

Set bonuses:

Reflection Mind Set

The Reflection Mind?? Set is another Rare armor set and includes the following:

• Soul Mirror Turban
• Soul Mirror Carapace
• Soul Mirror Hand Guards
• Soul Mirror Trousers
• Soul Mirror Boots

Set bonuses:

As a Rare set, the Reflection Mind Set has only o??ne bonus that kicks in when you equip three pieces of the set. When active, it increases your?? attack speed by 6.6%. 

Sacred Vanquisher Set

Another Epic Lv.?? 2 set, the Sacred Vanquisher Set is made up of the following pieces:

• Sacred Vanquisher’s Reaper Eye
• Sacred Vanquisher’s Atonement Clothes
• Sacred Vanquisher’s Conquest Gloves
• Sacred Vanquisher’s Judgement Pants
• Sacred Vanquisher’s Shadow Boots

Set bonuses:

Shock Commander Set

The Shock Comma?nder set is an Epic armor set containing the following pie??ces:

• Shock Commander Visor
• Shock Commander Plate Armor
• Shock Commander Gauntlets
• Shock Commander Greaves
• Shock Commander Sabatons

Set bonuses:

Skilled Veteran Set

The Skilled Veteran Set is another Epic Lv. 2 set ?and has the five fol??lowing pieces:

• Skilled Veteran’s Fated Mask
• Skilled Veteran’s Fated Armor
• Skilled Veteran’s Fated Gloves
• Skilled Veteran’s Fated Gaiters
• Skilled Veteran’s Fated Boots

Set bonuses:

Southern Admiral Set

Like most of the armor shown here, the Southern Admiral Set is another E??pic Lv. 2 set containing the?? following individual pieces:

• Admiral’s Combat Hat
• Admiral’s Commanding Uniform
• Admiral’s Directive Gloves
• Admiral’s Victorious Pants
• Admiral’s Infiltration Boots

Set bonuses:

Transcended One Set

A simple Epic set, the Transcended One Set is perfect for healing builds and inclu?des the follo?wing pieces:

• Ascended Guardian Hood
• Ascended Guardian Raiment
• Ascended Guardian Gloves
• Ascended Guardian Pants
• Ascended Guardian Shoes

Set bonuses:

Wing Gale Set

The W?ing Gale Set is an Epic Lv. 2 set containing the following pieces:

• Winged Wind Storm Hood
• Winged Wind Storm Armor
• Winged Wind Typhoon Gloves
• Winged Wind Tsunami Pants
• Winged Wind Gale Boots

Set bonuses:

World Tree Set

The World Tree Set is another Epic Lv. 2 set and am?ong the prettiest available. It includes the following:

• World Tree’s Mysterious Wreath
• World Tree’s Vibrant Attire
• World Tree’s Origin Gloves
• World Tree’s Providence Pants
• World Tree’s Winged Boots

Set bonuses:

Wraith Knight Set

The final set on this list is another Epic Lv. 2 set, and it is definitely one that’s worth obtaining if you want a badass tank build. It’s made up of the? followi??ng:

• Wraith Knight’s Netherworld Headgear
• Wraith Knight’s Execution Armor
• Wraith Knight’s Judgement Gloves
• Wraith Knight’s Invincibility Gaiters
• Wraith Knight’s Punishment Boots

Set bonuses:

The post Throne and Liberty: All armor sets showcase appeared first on Destructoid.

MMORPGs are no strangers to seasonal events, and it seems that the recently released Throne and Liberty from NCSoft and Amazon Games is no e??xception. Fro??m October 24, Halloween will very much come to Solisium. 

The Haunted Harvest event is set to? run from October 24 until November 13, so you’ll have plenty of time to dive in and experience absolutely everything on offer. Here’s the official trailer for the event:

The sheer amou??nt of Halloween-themed things on display in the trailer can be a little overwhelming, but don’t worry, let’s take a look at everything that will be available to try during the Haunted Harvest event. 

Get scared by event duties and tasks

It is an event-only Dungeon, home to a giant Jack-o�lantern with murderous intentions. In the trailer, you can see a player shapeshifting into a pumpkin to roll around obstacles and AOEs. According to the official post from Throne and Liberty, we’ll be defeating fiendish pumpkins and devouring Candy Corn for a chance to win reward?s such as cosmetics, buffs, and Ornate Coins. 

You’ll also get Dimension Pumpkins, a s?pecial i?tem that can be exchanged for spoils at event merchants, including:

• Ghastly Gourd cosmetic
• Jack-oâ€?lantern Izzy Amitoi
• Hallow-Knight shapeshift

Speaking of event merchan??ts, they’ll be located in special event villages, specifically added to the map in celebration of the spooky season. Candy Corn will be the main currency during the event, and you’ll not only earn it through participating in themed tasks such as greeting costume??d villagers but they will also be rewarded for daily login. 

If you're lucky, you'll be able to get the Phantom’s Pra??nk buff, which increases both Sollant and experience gain. 

Go fishing for gummies

During the event, you’ll be able to fish in various spots around Solisium in the hopes of r?eeling in a range of gu?mmy fish. Each fish comes with buffs that last 15 minutes:

• Red, Yellow, or Blue Gummy Fish

  • Increased movement and attack speeds

• Pumpkin Taffy

  • Increased boss hit rate
  • Damage boost against undead and demon enemies
  • Damage resistance against undead and demon enemies

Cooking up a fright

There will also be new recipes available to cook, bo??th of which come with their own useful 15-minute perks when consumed:

• Spooky Pumpkin Pie

  • Increased mastery gain
  • Increased abyss consumption efficiency

• Choco-Spider Cookie

  • Increased critical hit chance and damage

Special Shop gets haunting additions

One of the standout items from the trailer is the Grin Reaper outfit, complete with a backlit pumpkin-face mask. This ??item will be available in the Special Shop as part of the Wicked Enchanter bu??ndle, the cost of which has not yet been revealed. 

Ther??e will also be other cosmetics available for purchase, including the s??keleton outfit and witches hat on display in the trailer. Further cosmetics will become available when the new Battle Pass begins, carrying the theme of “Phantom Assassin’s Starâ€? 

Overall, this looks like an incredible first seasonal event for Throne and Liberty. As a long-time MMO player, this has left me slightly overwhelmed with the amount of things to do??, and I can’t wait to dive in and experience the first-ever Solisium Halloween. See you there, if you dare!

The post Throne and Liberty: Spooktacular Halloween event?, Haunted Harvest, begins October 24 appeared first on Destructoid.

A report from Yonhap News Agency, a news agency headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, developer NCSoft appears to be undergoing additional restructuring including layoffs and potential recommended resignations and voluntary retirements. The news comes just three weeks after its latest MMORPG, Throne and Liberty, released in the West.

According to YNA, NCSoft is targeting a sp??ecific number of employees belonging to the actual game development and operation organizations of the company, which comes after layoffs earlier in the year which targeted more support-related departments in the company. The report also claims that since new NCSoft CEO Park Byung-moo took of??fice in April, employees across non-development-related divisions have been encouraged to resign.

As part of the restructuring, NCSoftis also considering more spin-offs based on some of its existing IPs. Despite a strong western release of Throne and Liberty which quickly passed 3 million unique players and over 300,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, NCSoft's other games have struggled. Its flagship series Lineage has seen a decline in sales on mobile. Mobile game sales as a whol??e were responsible for over 67% of NCSoft's annual sales last year, but plummeted by 38% this?? year.

And despite the solid numbers for the newly released Throne and Liberty, the game is being published by Amazon in the? West. This means that profits from the new MMORPG are likely shared in some way with the publisher, making it a lot less likely to make a massive impact compared to NCSoft-developed and self-published titles in other markets.

Even sti??ll, it's the continuation of a very sickening trend in the game industry this year. Long-developed titles finally launched to relative success only to see the studios responsible shuttered or facing layoffs shortly after. Here's to hoping the many affect?ed can quickly find new opportunities in the shrinking industry.

The post MMORPG developer NC??Soft set to undergo mass restructuring? including layoffs appeared first on Destructoid.

One of the many fun experiences in Throne and Liberty is the ability to transform into different forms that enable you to dash, glide, or swim. There are a lot of different Morph forms, and you can unlock them throug??h a variety of means. 

Although we know how to get most of the Morphs in Throne and Liberty, some have obtainment methods that have not yet been revealed. They may be added as rewards for future events, as part of the Battle Pass, or through the Special Shop in exchange for Lucent. Morphs with unclear obtainment methods will be marked as TBD, a??nd we’ll update this list as more information becomes available. 

How to change Morphs in Throne and Liberty

To select which Morph you want to turn into in any situation, you can open up the main menu and select ‘Morphsâ€? Then, select ‘Dashâ€? ‘Glideâ€? or ‘Swimâ€?on the left?? side of the window. From here, you can choose any Morph that you have unlocked to become your Designated Morph, and also look through a sele??ction of Morphs that you’ve yet to unlock. 

How Growth Points work in Throne and Liberty

Each Morph will provide you with a certain number of Growth Points, with points being added automatically upon unlocking a new Morph. Then, whe??n you reach new milestones, you’ll be a??ble to unlock new perks for each Morph type depending on the Growth Level of the Morph category. 

Dash Morphs in Throne and Liberty

Dash Morphs replace the ability to sprint in Throne and Liberty, and there are a lot of very p??retty Morphs to choose from. 

Starter Dash Morphs

The following three Dash Morphs are u??nlocke??d as soon as you step foot in Solisium:

• Saber Taion
• Wild Skoll
• Shadow Purpuma

Unlockable Dash Morphs

If you want to change up your look while traversing the wilds of So?lisium, the following Morphs are also available to unlock. 

Glide Morphs in Throne and Liberty

Starter Glide Morphs

From the very beginning of your adventures in Solisium, you’ll already be able to double jump and glide down from high area??s? as the Bald Eagle Morph. 

Unlockable Glide Morphs

If you want to soar through the skies with a different look?, you can unlock the following Glide Morphs:

Swim Morphs in Throne and Liberty

Swim Morphs, otherwise known as A?quatic Morphs, allow you to glide through the waters around Solisium with ease. It's an interesting mechanic, rather than simply swimming as your character.

Starter Swim Morphs

The Roving ?Lutrang Swim Morph will be unlo?cked for all players from the very beginning of an adventure in Solisium. 

Unlockable Swim Morphs

If you want a new look while taking to the water, you can unlock various other Swim Morphs through different means. Some of the unlockable Swim Morphs come with the addition??al benefits, which can be seen below the table below.

*Dracoryft Turtles do not take dam?age over time when ?in lava areas

**Shadow Shark will no slow down when swimming in a sw?amp

Shapeshift Morphs in Throne and Liberty

There are a total of 84 special Shapeshift Morphs that can be unlocked as you make progress through the main story of Throne and Liberty. While these Morphs can’t help you move faster or? traverse the skies or seas, they can come in handy when you’re forced to make your ?way through enemy territory and don’t feel like fighting your way through the mobs. 

Transforming into any of these Shapeshift Morphs will allow you to walk through enemies of the same type without drawing attention from them. To choose your Designated Shapeshift Morph, open up the Morphs menu and ?then navigate to the ‘Specialâ€?tab. 

The post All Thone and Liberty morphs and how to get them appeared first on Destructoid.

Almost one year after releasing Throne and Liberty in Korea, developer NCSoft has teamed up with Amazon Games to publish the free-to-play MMORPG in the Western market. Throne and Liberty is a pretty important MMORPG to both companies as it is NCSofts first non-mobile-focused MMO in about a decade—Rest In Peace Wildstar—and for Amazon, it's certainly hoping to help fill the hole of recently canceled Bandai Namco MMORPG they were set to publish in the west, Blue Protocol.

At its core, Throne and Liberty is a free-to-play MMORPG with a focus on guild content via massive-scale guild vs. guild PvP, and open-world public event PvE that can host hundreds of players participating at once. It's an ambitious outing to bring the social aspects back to the genre; and for the most part, it succeeds. For better or worse, Throne and Liberty in many ways feels like a modern-day Lineage, and for many fans of the?? genre, that's a breath of fresh air.

Throne and Liberty (PC [Reviewed], PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: NCSoft
Publisher: Amazon Games
Released: October 1, 2024
MSRP: Free to Play

You start Throne and Liberty like most MMORPGs: creating your own character. Some would argue this is the most important aspect of an MMO. The character creators itself is pretty expansive, allowing you to customize your character's appearance through a variety of sliders, changing things like hair and facial features. However, two key typical MMO character creation choices are missing from T&L: race and class.

Humans are the only option in Throne and Liberty; sorry, no elves or orcs here. And while class diversity is traditionally a staple point for MMOs, in T&L, your combat gamepla??y and diversity are instead based on your weapons. There are seven weapon types in total: Crossbow, Dagger, Greatsword, Longbow, Staff, Sword & Shield, and Wand. You can equip two weapons at once, mixing and matching the skills for each of the weapons to create your own combo builds.

I started off with Crossbow and Dagger as it seemed like a pretty deadly combo for PvE. Using a mix of skills from those two weapons I was able to burst down enemies from afar, then switch into a deadly flurry of attacks with my daggers as they got closer. As I reached the higher levels I found that I enjoyed the ranged style of gameplay more, so I replaced my Dagger with a Longbow. I know, I know, it seems like an odd choice to be using both the Longbow AND the Crossbow. But both weapon types have specific skills that complement each other, and I've found the syne?rgy between the two while blasting enemies at range and kiting them around very enjoyable.

At a glance, the tab target action combat may seem rather basic. After all, this has been the pretty standard combat for MMO for a couple of decades now. But there are innovations to the system. For starters, every weapon comes with a unique defensive skill, that is bound to the 'Q' key on PC by default. Each of the skills lasts for a few seconds and will redu??ce incoming damage you take when active. However, if you're able to execute a well-timed use of the skill, you can completely parry and negate damage while also automatically dealing damage with a follow-up attack. It creates a very dynamic and fluid real-time combat system in both PvE and PvP while still using the tab target premise.

Little innovations like this mixed with the overall high level of polish that makes T&L succeed so fun. NCSoft isn't trying to reinve?nt the wheel, but rather present a very high-quality wheel with fun improvements to make the tried-and-true systems feel more fun and intuitive.

While the questing experience is rather par for the course—you know, the standard go here, kill this number of enemies, repeat—there is enough variety scattered throughout to make the journey a lot more bearable than most MMOs. Every hour there is a rotation of content throughout the entire world of T&L, which repeats every three hours.

So at midnight, every region has a special event called a Dynamic Quest?? that takes place, and scales players to that region's appropriate level. Dynamic Quests are area-wide public quests that are meant to be completed by a large group of players to get the best rewards. For example, the Dynamic Quest in the region called Nesting Grounds is the Lantern Seed Festival. Players must work together to complete a variety of tasks across three different phases to successfully host the Lantern Seed Festival.

Suppo??se the players at the event are able to complete all three tasks quickly enough. In that case, the remaining duration of the event spawns a special boss fight that players can continuously kill until the event ends to earn bonus rewards. After the event ends, all players who participate will receive level-appropriate rewards including experience, which always makes them worth doing. These Dynamic Quests will spawn every 3 hours starting at midnight, giving players the opportunity to join in on many throughout the day as ?they level and reach new regions.

Then, every three hours starting at 1AM, unique World Bosses spawn throughout all of the regions. In the lower-level regions, several portals open up at the World Boss spawn locations, a?llowing players to form massive groups before going in and attempting to take down the boss before the timer runs out. In the higher level regions, World Bosses will spawn in either a Peaceful or Conflict phase. In peaceful, the encounters are ??the same as the lower-level ones; make a group and go kill the boss. But when a World Boss spawns in the Conflict phase, the area around the world boss is open PvP, meaning you'll have to fight with other players while also trying to kill the boss. It's a unique experience, albeit a bit of a hectic one.

An important element to any F2P MMORPG is its monetization. Throne and Liberty is in a unique place compared to similar releases in the genre. There are two main types of currency: Sollant and Lucent. Sollant is essentially Gold, earned by killing enemies, completing quests, doing dailies, etc. You'll use Sollant when upgrading or crafting new equipment, leveling up skills, or buying consum??ables from the vendors.

Lucent, on the other hand, is the "premium currency". You ??can purchase Lucent directly with your hard-earned cash—currently ranging from $9.99 for 500 Lucent up to $99.99 for 6,000 Lucent—or can obtain it by completing various in-game activities. Y??ou can even get rare drops simply from killing mobs that you can then sell on the auction house that other players can buy with Lucent.

That's where things get a bit weird when it comes to the "Pay to Win" discussion that plagues all F2P MMORPGs. Directly in the cash shop, the th??ings you can purchase with Lucent isn't too bad. There's a battle pass with a free and paid track, with the paid track costing just 500 Lucent. You'll get a handful of upgrade materials, skill growth books, and a couple of cosmetics. Nothing too crazy, and all farmable outside of the pass other than the cosmetics. Outside of the pass, you can only buy cosmetic??s, dyes, rename scrolls, and server transfer tickets.

But where things get a little dicey is the auction house. With the Auction House using the premium currency of Lucent, paired with the option to just swipe to buy Lucent, players can in theory buy a ton of Lucent and just buy all the gear and upgrade materials they need to power level ??their gear without having to actually play to get such upgrades.

The argument most will make in regards to monetization is that it's "Pay to Skip" rather than "Pay to Win". There's a ceiling to how high you can upgrade even the best gear the game has to offer, and even someone playing completely freely will be able to farm out the materials to reach that ceiling. The difference is that someone who throws a ton of money at the game will be able to reach it quicker. It's a hard balancing act because obviously an MMORPG has to make money, and lots of it; they aren't cheap to develop. Going the F2P route makes things even trickier, as the developers can't rely on subscriptions to fund future content releases. That's probably a discussion for another day, but it's also something very important to mention as for a lot of peopl??e the decision to play an MMORPG is often influenced by its potential future. No one w??ants to invest a ton of time into their online character if the future isn't bright.

I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've done in Throne and Liberty so far. The combat is fluid and fun, and the world is massive and beautiful. Whether it'??s working with my guild to complete guild activities, grouping with randoms to complete dungeons and world bosses, or even just exploring the world, I've had a good time. It's been a long time since I've logged out of an MMO and immediately looked forward to logging back in.

Throne and Liberty feels like a step back in the right direction for MMORPGs, reviving a lot of the social features that seem to be missing from modern entries in the genre. While you can certainly still play solo, T&L gives you the opportunity to socialize and play with others in every aspect of its gameplay, even while leveling. It's a refreshing feeling for the genre that reminds me a lot of the classic days of MMOs, comparable to EverQuest and the original World of Warcraft release.

Like most MMORPGs, the fate of Throne and Liberty will rely heavily on the decisions NCSoft and Amazon Games make in regard to future content. Nothing beats a solid MMORPG launch; and so far, at least the Early Access launch has been incredibly smooth. But the ability to keep meaningful and fun content coming is what keeps players logging in and overall making the MMO feel worth playing. In its current state, you'll be hard-pressed to find an F2P MMORPG with as much content and polish as Throne and Liberty. If you've been looking for s??omething that puts the MMO back into MMORPG, this cou?ld be just what you're looking for.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Throne and Liberty appeared first on Destructoid.

Amazon Games announced today that the NCSOFT-developed MMORPG Throne and Liberty finally has a global release date and it is September 17, 2024. Originally titled Project TL, Throne and Liberty is seen by many as somewhat of a spiritual successor to NCSOFT's popular Lineage MMORPG series. The MMO has already been released in South Korea, but has been receiving some updates and changes?? before Amazon Games br?ought it to the global audience.

Throne of Liberty features a dynamic PvP system that focuses on conquest battles and castle sieges. Winning these battles a?llows guilds to get valuable buffs and guild resources that increase the guilds ability to compete in PvE as well, creating a system where all facets of gameplay benefi??t each other.

The Castle Siege system is said to su???????????????????????????pport thousands of players as they fight over a castle, using unique strategic resources such as Golems to join them in the fight.

In Throne and Liberty, there are numerous goals that can be achieved through guilds, including guild rankings, Conquest Battles, and Castle Sieges. Guilds are at the core of strategic competitive battles. Guild members not only work together to achieve common goals, but also benefit from a guild reward system that includes distributing raid items and sharing rewards from events among members. However, the greatest appeal of a guild is the sense of belonging it provides, e?nsuring that you always have companions by your side.

- Moonseop Lee, Game Design Director at NCSOFT

Amazon Games also announced an upcoming open beta takin??g place from July 18 to July 23 on all platforms with cross-play enabled.

Throne and Liberty will release on September 17 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S and will feature cross-platfor?m play across all thre??e platforms.

The post NCSOFT MMORPG Throne and Liberty set to release September 17, open ??beta next month appeared first on Destructoid.

Finally, explore the floating castle

NCSoft has announced that their long-lasting MMORPG Guild Wars 2 will be receiving a fourth expansion. Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will see players soaring through new maps high above the skies of Tyria with new updates to flight masteries. Veteran players will recognize the setting of this expansion: the Wizard's Tower. This tower has been floating in the sky since Guild Wars 2 was ??released and players will finally get to explore it.

Alongside the normal expansion updates such as new story content, quests, dungeons, and more, Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will feature some exciting new combat options. Players will gain additional flexibility and playstyle diversity by equipping weapons that were previously exclusive to elite specializations. Furthermore, a new relic and rune system allows you to augment your build with special effects. Finally, all nine professions will gain access to a new weapon from the Guild Wars 2 armory. This will grant new skills and fighting styles to accompany the other combat system changes coming with the expansion. Fans anxious to try out the new combat changes will get a chance to do so this weekend during ?a combat beta test.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc4rcnC5ECM

Continual updates after release

Guild Wars 2 players have been disappointed with the lack of love their game has gotten recently. With the new expansion, NCSoft has planned new major content releases every few months. These updates will introduce new locations and rewards as the expansion continues to grow. Each update will expand its features and the story of Secrets of the Obscure.

While I have played Guild Wars 2, it's never stuck with me like Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft. That being said, I know the game has a huge devout player base that I'm sure is beyond ecstatic about this news. At the end of the day, no one likes to see their MMORPG die out like Wildstar or Sword of Legends Online (the latter of which is closing its servers for good on June 30, 2023). A big expansion is great news for the future of Guild Wars 2.

Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will launch on PC on August 22.

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Early development underway with Unreal Engine 5

Not to be confused with a certain high-profile Super Smash Bros. Brawl mod, Project M from NCSOFT is an upcoming Unreal Engine 5-developed, co??nsole-bound "interactive movie experience" with an eye-catching trailer. I can't say I'm exactly picturing a full-fle?dged game yet from this limited proof-of-concept, but the premise of a "man seeking vengeance" �combined with these high production values �speaks to me.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SApk_2ktfg

The footage is heavy on the "is revenge ever really worth it" theme? and shows a few action sequences that would look at home in one of Supermassive's cinematic horror adventures like The Quarry. For some players, there's not enough interactivity, but I don't mind as long as the pacing is tight and ??my mind doesn't have room to wander too much.

Plus, these sorts of accessible choice-based cinematic games tend to be a riot with other players in the room lending their voices (and other antics). For Project M, NCSOFT says the game will "feature different stories ?and endings depending on the player's choices."

[caption id="attachment_328639" align="alignnone" width="2000"] _{Take the shot?}[/caption]

Coming to consoles... eventually

Details are limited, to the point where NCSOFT has only said Project M is in development for "consoles," bu??t the trailer features "actual gameplay content." Why show it now?

According to principal development management officer Moon Young C?hoi, the reveal trailer is a part of a new "NCing" R&D initiative. "NCing expresses the company's commitment to unveil the development process and to? continue communicating with the players earlier with regards to new projects," he said in a press statement.

"Going forward, we will proactively showcase our development progress in various forms?? of content such as trailer videos, interviews, novel??s, and webtoons."

I'll avenge my wife any day of the week. Just point me in the right direction!

The post Project M is NCSOFT’s new cinematic revenge game appeared first on Destructoid.

Scheduled for PC and consoles

There's not a lot of intersection between Korean MMOs and rhythm-based music games. Despite not having much in common, Blade & Soul developer NCSoft has signed on ??as the publisher of Harmonix's nex?t unannounced game.

That's all we know about this arrangement -- Harmonix is developing it and NCSoft is bankrolling it. Even though there isn't a title or concept that has been revealed, NCSoft's statement tells us a little more about this project. For instance, it's being developed for PC and consoles. Also, it's called a "software-based game" which presumably means it won't rely on extra peripherals like Rock Band instruments in order to play.

It'll probably be a while before we hear more about this mystery game. But, it seems like the right time for Harmonix to work on something new. As far as we know, its other projects are continued support for Rock Band Rivals and DropMix. Whatever this is, hopefully it's u?nique and unusual, because it was already born out of an unu??sual partnership with a Korean MMO giant.

Harmonix and NCSoft enter strategic partn??ership for?? multiplatform publishing deal [NCSoft]

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New expansion looks hot!

Guild Wars 2 is looking set to expand, soon, with the recently announced Path of Fire. The newest add-on will be releasing on September 22 and will bring players back to one of the lands from the original Guild Wars, The Crystal Desert. The main goal of this latest adventure will be to track down the rogue god Balthazar, which just makes me think we'll be living out an episode of Futurama in a fantasy setting.

If you pre-order the expansion now (and have an account in good standing), you'll be granted access to a preview weekend set for August 11 - 13. This preview will allow you begin your journey and exper?ience the new Raptor mount, which sounds awesome. Pre-ordering will also net you some goodies in the form of a miniature, a title and a weapon skin. All users will receive a free level boost upon buying the game, bringing one character to level 80 immediately.

As for how big this expansion will be, there are no specifics, but ??ArenaNet presiden??t and co-founder Mike O'Brien is quoted as saying, "This new expansion is all about content. An epic story, five immense new open-world zones, mounts that allow you to move through Tyria in all-new ways, and nine new elite specializations." Sounds chock full of goodness.

As big of a fan as I was of the first Guild Wars, I completely missed the boat on the sequel. I suppose I could just jump in now and start questing, but I always feel daunted by the vast amount of content MMO's amass over the years. The idea of returning to World of Warcraft, for example, fil??ls me with an overwhelming sense of dre??ad.

Either way, Path of Fire does seem suitably epic and I'm sure it will b?e a big treat for fans.

The post Get ready to walk the?? Path of Fire in Guild Wars 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

An odd MOBA

I haven't seen much talk about Master X Master nearly anywhere, so when the developers contacted m??e out of the blue, I decided to give it a sh?ot.

Oh uh, it's...a MOBA, b??y? the way. Wait, where'd you go?

But seriously -- and take this with the qualifier that I love MOBAs -- I got my hands on Master X Master by way of an alpha test that kicked off this w??eek, and I'm not necessarily hooked, but intrigued. Developed by NCSoft, this Korean action MOBA has both PVP and PVE ?modes baked-in.

Action? Yep, the catch is that unlike many other point-and-click MOBAs that derive their RTS control schemes from the original DOTA, this one allows direct control over y??our character. You'll use the WASD keys to move around and the mouse to manually aim, just like a top-down shoo??ter.  Another catch -- the entire game is skewed towards a "tag-team" setup, where you can flick between two heroes (masters) constantly with the mouse wheel.

In one game, I dropped some mines with one master and trapped an enemy in a c??orner while zoning them, and swapped to a rushdown character to chase them down when they tried to run away. There's a lot of potential here in terms of team composition, and I love the idea of being able to perform two roles rather than be forced into one niche because everyone else auto-locked in assassins. Yet, it also has the standard MOBA-ey RQE abilities, match-by-match stat distribution allocations, and ultimates, so it will feel familiar.

What I really like about it though is that it's trying to go for a more upbeat, sci-fi feel rather than the dreary fantastic atmosphere the industry trended towards in the past 10 years. There aren't many MOBAs like it out there except Battleborn, but Master is infinitely less annoying when it co??mes to both worldbuilding and characterization. It also has deliberate comic book callbacks in things like battl??e flavor text, which is an endearing little touch.

The Phantasy Star-ish hub world is also cool, and filled to the brim with tons of other players, taking the form of rock monsters, witches, jelly creatures, kung fu masters, and familiar faces like Rytlock from Guild Wars 2 (also published by NCSoft). It's the main staging area where you'll choose your next gametype and do some Easter egg type stuff like swapping the soundtrack at the jukebox (I love that there's a meta already where people ?constantly queue up the biggest K-Pop song in the game).

There's a decent amount of variety here too. You have your lane-based PVP modes, a straight arena brawl gametype, and a select amount of PVE/co-op missions on top of wacky mini??games with platformer and shoot-'em-up conceits. I'm not sure how long those sideshows will last long-term, but the sleek presentation and the skill-based gameplay show a lot of promise.

I'm still wary of microtransactions (all of the typical warning flags from Korean games are here, from daily login bonuses to multiple currencies), but even if Master X Master just doles out a few free characters every now and then, it'll keep me inte?rested for a good while. There's no release date in sight, but I'd keep this one on your radar.

The post I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye on Master X Master appeared first on Destructoid.

Still free-to-play

It's been a little over half a year since WildStar went free-to-play, but developer Carbine Studios is still going through a tough period. They've just announced a number of layoffs, and accompanying them is the decision to cancel the launch of the game in China -- a country th??at contributes huge MMO numbers.

The?? studio shared the news on their forums, noting:

Earlier this morning, Carbine Studios completed a reorganization of its operating structure. Moving forward, the studio will focus on operating and updating WildStar as a live game in the US and Europe. As part of this change, the studio has canceled its plans to bring WildStar to China. Unfortunately, as a result of these changes, we’ve had to reduce staff. These cuts are directly tied to WildStar’s evolution from a product in development to a live title, to the cancelation of work to bring WildStar to China, and to the overall performance of WildSta?r since launch in 2014.

Sad news for sure. WildStar is a great game with a killer art style, but it struggled to keep its hardcore fans satisfied very early on, likely bleedin??g subscribers.

A  Note from Carbine [WildStar Forums]

The post WildStar’s China launch canceled, Carbine Studios hit with layoffs appeared first on Destructoid.

Rolls out February 10

New end-game content is heading to MMORPG Blade and Soul on February 10.

The free up??date, Rising Waters, will include three new max-level PvE con??tent, including a 6- or 4-player Heroic dungeon called Bloodshade Harbor, Mushin’s Tower, and Hongmoon Level 5.

Here are the details:

Bloodshade/Nightshade Harbor: Available as a 6- or 4-player Heroic (purple) dungeon, Bloodshade Harbor (and its 24-player version, Nightshade Harbor) offers max-level players new challenges against the B?lackram pirates, a?nd Poharan’s boss, Admiral Hae Mujin himself.

Mushin’s Tower – Floors 1–7: Ascend each level of Mushin’s Tower—a single player Heroic dungeon—for increasingly greater challenges, and even greater rewards. Additional floors and cont??ent will be add?ed to Mushin’s Tower in future updates.

Hongmoon Level 5: Hongmoon Levels allow you to continue to gain experience beyond level 45, and unlock additional skill points to increase your character’s strength in combat. This update will unlock five Hongmoon Levels to be gai??ned after completion of a new quest.

The update also sets up the PvP pre-season by providing a new, in-game stats UI, and you can now earn Zen Beans for competitive game?s.

We reported earlier in the week that Blade and Soul has reached one million active players in just a week since launch.

Rising Waters Arrives February 10 [Blade and Soul]

The post Get ready? for free new Blade and Soul conten??t next month appeared first on Destructoid.

It's been 'tremendous,' says NCSoft

NCSOFT's new MMORPG, Blade and Soul, has reached on?e million active players in just?? a week since launch.

Blade and Soul was originally released in Korea in 2012, but it took four more years to reach North Ameri?ca and Europe, releasing on January 19, 2016.

“The sheer enthusiasm – not to mention volume – of North American and European players that have jumped into Blade & Soul since launch has been tremendous,” said John Burns, senior VP of Publ??ishing at NCSOFT West. 

In our first impressions report, we said that the game looks great, adding: “Right now I'm having fun but I'm won?dering if I'll hit a grind wall like?? I have with many other Korean MMOs. But for now, I'm forging ahead and having quite a bit of fun.”

The post Blade and Soul h??its one mill??ion active users in just one week appeared first on Destructoid.

First impressions

Do you have time for another MMO? NCSoft sure hopes you do, as the long awaited localization of Blade & Soul has finally arrived this week. It was released in Korea in 2012 and took the country by sto?rm, and now, nearly four long years later, it's available in the West.

I took it for a spin, and found? a mix of both fresh ideas a??nd stubborn legacy concepts.

From the screens alone, it's easy to see that Blade & Soul is a beautiful game, and that has translated very well into the localization. The western version even features fully-voiced cutscenes in English (even the screenshot feature gives you a vocal confirmation, with widescreen support to boot), which is a nice touch and adds to the already impressive in-game engine. I actually don't even mind the voice acting at all, but it's? nice that said scenes can be sk??ipped. Everything on the UI can also be customized, for those of you who yearn for full control.

It's important to note that this is a free-to-play game, where real money purchases will net players items, more skill build slots, and extra character slots. "Premium Memberships" grant you increased XP, more gold, and in-game discounts. For reference, a 365-day membership costs roughly $125, and many bonuses are not cosmetic in nature, including faster death recovery time, crafting items, a??nd the aforementioned XP and gold bonuses. The game is playable in its free incarnation without feeling like you're entirely missing out, but keep that all in mind.

I'm surprised at how smooth the game runs in general, which helps as the combat system is more action-oriented than most games in the genre. Combat is much, much faster than most MMOs, sporting a full-on action system inspired by fighting games. The default control scheme uses left mouse button for standard attacks with a built-in combo of sorts, with right-click and additional buttons (1-4 by default) reserved for alternate abilities. Blocking and dodging is a key mechanic in Blade & Soul, which gives combat situations a lot more weight than your average MMO (just like TERA). Playing as the Blade Dancer class, I had to time my two-second block to essentia??lly counter and riposte at the exact moment, which allows for even small skirmishes to be pretty engaging.

Grinding for abilities actually has more of a poi?nt, as you're not just gaining new powers that are essential for a slugfest-based rotation, but situational abilities that can be used to gain?? a tactical advantage. I particularly enjoy sprinting, as it's done by pressing the shift key, instantly putting a pep in your step, while triggering an impressive super leap when jumping. The fact that you get a flying squirrel-like glide after a few minutes really drives home how mobile this game really is. The endurance meter is rather generous, too.

Controller support exists, but it's not ideal. Face buttons are tied to abilities by default, which works, but additional tasks like talking to NPCs is triggered by pressing RB+RT on an Xbox controller. It's strange, and the developer really needs to take note of how well Square Enix translated Final Fantasy XIV with its cross-hotbar system for gamepads. After acquiring just a few new abilities, I promptly switched back to mouse and keyboard -- which thankfully can be done instantly without having to swap between the two in the main me?nu. Xbox One remotes ?work by the way, wirelessly and wired.

Did I mention it looks great? Because from the very first moment I stepped out of the starting area I gazed up at a gigantic floating monolith, complete?? with breathtaking eastern architecture and flowing waterfalls. The designs for the supporting cast don't really stand out to me per se, but the actual models have so much care put into them it's crazy. Under that glitzy surface, however, is a tried and true old school MMO. Hours upon hours are going to be spent questing for menial items, and gathering bear pelts for some dude. It's...exhausting after doing it for years, but as someone who is always playing at least one MMO, it's something I'm willing to put up with to enjoy a good combat system, and possibly spark up some dungeon runs with friends.

Like most MMOs these days there have been massive launch issues, though I first jumped in shortly after NCSoft added more servers to the game. Players are still experiencing long queues for the more popular choices and maintenance is happening on a daily basis now, but expect things to get better as more people trickle out of the game. In fact, it's noticeably better now if you haven't created a character yet and want to play on a new server. One thing that hasn't been fixed however is the major gold spamming problem in chat -- it's actually one of the worst cases I've seen in years (since the launch of Aion Online, actually), and NC??Soft needs to address it immediately.

At the moment I'm e??njoying myself, but I'm wondering if I'll hit a grind wall like I have with many other Korean MMOs. Time will tell, but for now, it's fun.

The post Blade & Soul reminds me of TERA, which is both good and bad appeared first on Destructoid.

Blade & Soul, I fell in love with you...

Blade & Soul is a rare example of a game that managed to completely slip under my radar. Before I saw a few people excited about it yesterday, I had literally never heard of the game.

Well, turns out it’s out today. I had to wa??it probably less than 12 hours between hearing about it and being able to play it, which is pretty sweet.

It’s a free-to-play MMO that looks like the happy point between the gorgeous Black Desert and the fun as hell DC Universe Online, which I’m totally up for. It looks lovely, has real-time action based combat, and lots of movement options like flying, running on water,?? and wall-running.

Has anyone been excited about this game and just not told me about it? Because if so, shame on you. It looks rad, and I’m going into this with ver??y high expect??ations.

You can watch the launch trailer up top, or you can download the game from the website. 

The post Blade and Soul releases today appeared first on Destructoid.

Including: the devil, modern day rap

As a prelude to the Blade & Soul World Championship, NC Soft put together a Blade & Soul musical. I suppose it wasn't technically about an MMO since it was the Blade & Soul story, but I'm really not sure about anything after the display I saw ??last week.

The good thing is, wo?w, you can watch the whole thing, too, for a slightly watered down version of what the hell I experienced live.

For example, the sudden, anachronistic rock music and de?vil?s at 10:00.

Or the sudden rock music and dub step at 11:00.

Or the actual devil at 29:50.

Or the cool-ass hats of 45:50.

I swear to God at some point two different Korean female gangster rappers came out in modern attire and rapped and they've cut that bit from the video upload.

Seriously, it must have been Jessi and Cheetah, both of whom did sets after the tournament ended (to varying levels of crowd dissipation) and the latter of whom was spitting hot fire. There were also performances by Mamamoo and their song "Mr. Ambiguous," which, good lord,? is pronounced in Korean like, "Mr. MMO??????????????????????????."

The post I watched a Korean musical about an MMO an??d so can you appeared first on Destructoid.

Open to an Evo appearance, too

As announced earlier, Blade & Soul has a firm January 19, 2016 release date for North America and Europe, several years after being promised for release in those territories. Well, NC Soft wants to make it up to you. To start, a chance to win tens of thousands of dollars (and even more Korean won) and make the term "world championship" a little more accur??ate.

Even if the  ‎₩40,000,000 granted to the winner comes out to something closer to $34,448.

The Korean MMO is actually much more action-based than your typical MMO and NC Soft i??s heavily supporting the PvP aspect with a large yearly tournament replete with cash prizes.

The televised, two-day World Championship took place November 13-14. There was even a musical. More on that later. And while w??inner Sinkyum Kim rolled over opponents with his Warlock (only dropping one round), it was a lot fun. Kim won't be back next year, though, as he readies to entry compulsory military service in Korea. China, Taiwan, and Japan were represented along with Korea, though Koreans took the top three spots.

Still, one Japanese player in particular, crowd-favorite Yuya Masumoto, gave last year's champ, Jaesung Lee, a tough run for third. This left head of esports development Yongjun Choi, "was really surprised to see how the Japanese player was really good against Jaesung Lee and also the Koreans players who played against this Japanese player, they were really, really surprised to see the Japanese player played that well."

Me, apparently on actual Korean television, in a cat mask (cat head and arrow mine)

As an MMO that requires some time to unlock skills on route to class mastery, Blade & Soul doesn't have the general appeal and dramatic, last-minute match-ups of a fighting game and Choi doesn't want "to push players" just to practice Blade & Soul full-time and "wants them to enjoy the game," but next year's inclusion of North American and European players is meant to slowly increase the scene around Blade & Soul in addition serving as part of NC Soft's p?lan to grow in the Western markets. In the future, players from other global regions ??could be invited, too.

When asked if there were plans to introduce Blade & Soul to exis??ting tournaments like EVO, Choi is discussing these kind of opportunities with US-based NC West and, "if there is an opportunity for us to take part in those, it would be a wonderful experience."

The final match, less exciting than many that preceded it

The post Blade & Soul opens $35,000 world championship to the West appeared first on Destructoid.

After three years

It's been a long time coming. Hugely popular Korean MMO Blade & Soul was confirmed for Western release over three years ago and it's finally happening. It went into beta last?? month and some beta weekends remain: November 24–30 (English), December 11–14 (English, French, German), December 18–21 (English, French, German).

The official release date is January 19, 2016. Name reservation starts January 11 (you can get into that nifty character creator, too) for people who purchased Founder's packs of this otherwise free-to-play game and early access to the game itself begins January 15. You may need the time get up to speed in Blade & Soul, which takes a lot of cues from fighting games.

The newest class, Qi Master, was recently announced. It's a Kung Fu Master???? and Force Master hybrid.

I got time to mess with Blade & Soul recently at NC Soft's autumnal headquarters (possibly my first actual fall, being from San Francisco) and spent a not insignificant amount of time in the not-quite-Black-Desert character creator to create a buxom Kung Fu Master with beautiful hair. The boobs even jiggle in the character creator screen. I named her bushdidnineeleven because the numbers prohibited 420noscope69 and I am nothing if not an embarrassment.

I went with Kung Fu Master, though, because of the challenge that was announcing it as the toughest class to use, most reliant on timing and player input. And indeed, once I got to that point, figuring out enemy attack wind-ups and using the counter skill felt pretty damn good rather than letting early chump MMO fodder even get off their potshots. Plus, the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon influence is obvious in the running and fly/gliding animations (development head Moonyoung Choi cited it specifically when asked about influences, along with a long list of games including Street Fighter and Soul Calibur).

And while Blade & Soul does encourage more activ??ity than your typical click click click, it falls into feeling like just another MMO, at least in the early game. While I moving fleet of foot with WASD and beginning encounters with a floating jump kick, it was mostly for my own amusement, as I spent hours (somewhat quickly, but always very casually) leveling up near 20. I can see the twitch reflexes being more useful in hard raids or, obviously, PvP, but this isn't a huge genre shakeup when all's said and done. Just a pretty, high-budget version of the last decade with one twist in the right direction, which will undoubtedly be enough for some, especially with it being free to play anyways.

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Born free, as free as the wind blows...

WildStar has ??now finally ditched the subsc??ription and gone free-to-play.

The trailer is absolutely amazing. It’s got the vibe of a Borderlands trailer, and the animation style of a League of Legends ??one. Seriously, as far as animated trailers go, this is one of the best I’ve seen.

You can sign up and download WildStar on the NCSoft website. However, when I tried the servers appeared to be getting hammered (this is an MMO launch after all), so maybe wait a day or two befor?e jumping on board.

The interesting question to ask is do you think subscription fees are? sti?ll a viable model for an MMO?

The post WildStar’s officially gone free-to-play appeared first on Destructoid.

Game doesn't come out for another month

NCSoft has released the launch trailer for the upcoming Guild Wars 2 expansion, Heart of Thorns. And that is really, really strange.

No, it’s not the Evil Groot yelling at a cat that’s weird. It’s not the tentacle attacks, the sudden Wyvern attack, or even the Chelsea Flower Show’s interpretation of Cthulhu that appears at the end of the trailer which is weird. All that is really cool, and Heart of Thorns has got an amazingly well-animated trailer that I’d say rivals some of Warcraft’s best ads. That’s not the odd bit.

What is weird is that this is the launch trailer for an expansion that doesn’t come out for another month. Heart of Thorns launches on October 23, but this launch trailer was shown off?? at Twitchcon in San Francisco last week.

I’ve seen launch trailers come a week or so early, but never a whole damn month. NCSoft sure is an eager beaver, isn’t it? We’ll need the Launch Reminder Trailer? in a few weeks just to remember this happene??d.

The post G??uild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns launch trailer is a bit ??premature appeared first on Destructoid.

Nice art style!

Korean MMO Blade & Soul was confirmed for Western release three years ago and it's finally coming to fruition. NCSoft has scheduled betas this year ahead of the game's early 2016 launch. The first starts October 30. Purchasing a Founder's Pack guarantees beta entry.

The betas start in English and move on to include French and German. The full schedule is here.

"There will be at least five beta weekends, the first two of which will focus on testing the English version of the Western release. With over 20 days of total playtime, the beta weekends will all run from Friday at 10am PDT to Monday at 10pm PDT. The extended be??ta weekend November 24–30 will then include all launch languages—English, French, and German, with subsequent weekends including these three languages."

The post Blade & Soul getting closed beta just in time for Halloween appeared first on Destructoid.

That's when it goes free-to-play

Before WildStar released, I plann??ed on playing it. Really, I did!

But like so many other MMOs before it, when the big day arrived, I was preoccupied with other games and lost interest. With the relaunch closing in, I suspect many of us will give Ca?rbine Studios' sci-fi RPG another look as soon as subscript??ion fees become optional.

Speaking of which: WildStar is going free-to-?play on Se??ptember 29, 2015. (That's the news!)

Additionally, current subscribers and folks with an invite can participate in the second closed beta as of today. If you don't have a beta key and would like one, try your luck here.

The post You won’t need a WildStar subscription starting September 29 appeared first on Destructoid.

Where there's a will, there's a whale

Whether we like it or not, mobile gaming has become huge. And for a publisher like NCSOFT that has long been an exclusive MMO provider, the company is making the smart move of shifting some o?f those dying genre resources over to a platform that can offer huge rewards for very little effort.

The company announced today that they are putting an increased focus on their new NCSOFT West mobile studio in San Mateo, Calif. While NCSOFT has yet to divulge what kind of specific titles and types of games we should expect, it did say that it plans on working to "dev??elop high quality, innovative titles that are both new IP and also leverage NCSO??FT’s existing game portfolio."

It's probably safe to assume we'll?? see our fair share of puzzle quests and battle card titles.?? Please be excited.

The post NCSOFT ready to get some of that mobile money appeared first on Destructoid.

Someone get them the Nobel Prize in character naming

Have you been enjoying my news posts on Destructoid so far? Well hold on to your undercrackers because after this paragraph you sure as fuck won't: I loved Brink. I pre-ordered it, I played it to death, I got a character to the level limit and I even kept track of the short-lived MLG presence it had. I adored Brink. I also drink lead paint and put forks in plug sockets because my taste in games implies I clearly hate myself. But that's besides the point because Brink was fantastic and you a??ll were wrong about not l??iking it.

And so along came Dirty Bomb, Brink developer Splash Damage’s latest foray in to multiplayer FPS, this time opting for the free-to-play route. It cut out the really fun parkour from Brink... and the interesting setting... and basically everything I liked about Brink. But?? hey at least we have this new rad ex-business lawyer woman with a grenade launcher as the latest playable class! Yeah! What’s she called? Uh&hellip??; Nader? Seriously? Oh. Okay then.

Nader is basically Martyrdom from Call of Duty: the Class. She has a big ol’ grenade launcher (which is convenient seeing as she’s called fucking Nader), and ??when she’s killed a gren??ade will detonate and kill any pesky teabaggers close by.

Splash Damage has released a trailer showing Nader off a bit more. Honestly I’m still interested to see where Dirty Bomb goes purely because of how much fun I got out of Brink,?? but I ?doubt it could top my darling unloved baby.

Also it’s a fucking stupid name I mean come on Nader are you kidding me people got paid to come up with this?!?!

The post Dirty Bomb’s grenade launching class is ingeniously called Nader appeared first on Destructoid.

Shocking absolutely nobody

Wildstar once stood firm in the face of a growing tide of MMOs ditching subscriptions and instead opting for Free-to-Play or Guild Wars-style one time purcha?sing. Developer Carbine has been pretty critical of F2P in the past and so it seemed unlikely to ever go completely down that route.

It turns out an MMO with dwindling popularity can’t actually stand firm. Whodathunkit? Games.on.net has reported that major Australian retailers EB Games and JB Hi-fi have been instructed to remove the game from sale. The Wildstar website is still sell??ing the game, but otherwise good luck finding it in Australia.

This is a pattern of behaviour which The Elder Scrolls: Online also followed: remove from retail, then drop the subscription fee. It’s possible that’s what publisher NCSoft is doing with Wildstar. We don’t know anything for definite other than it’s been removed from retail, but the precedent is there and, let’s be honest, has anyone really paid attention to Wildstar recently? If it does go F2P, o??r adopt a pay-once m?odel, we should hear about it soon.

WildStar possibly heading F2P as stock withdrawn from EB ??Games and JB Hi-Fi [Games.on.net]

The post Wildstar’s been pulled from shelves. Might be dropping the sub fee? appeared first on Destructoid.

This thing will never die

The MMO genre is not what it used to be. That doesn't mean, though, that there still aren't thousands ?of players that enjoy the endless farming and miles of endless walking that these games provide. With all the other options at our fingertips, who wouldn't want to slowly grind their life away?

Lineage II, which will celebrate it's 11th anniversary in the North America region this April, refuses to give up the fight as NCSOFT has announced their latest expansion for the game titled Infinite Odyssey.

Infinite seems pretty apt considering L2 will most likely live on for infinity. Along with new hunting zones and a new raid boss, the expansion will include the introduction of a new race called the Ertheia?.

For those that are really into it, there is even a Name that Skill contest currentl?y going on that will allow players to name five new high-end skills. The contest is running until March 31 and winners will be announced on April 7.

Giving the Internet the ??chance to name your skills? What could possibly go wrong?

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Mecha got a booty like DAYAM

I wish everyday started with over 20 minutes of gorgeous mech combat. Project HON's impressively long tr??ailer includes everything you could ask for from a game inspired by mecha anime: senseless destruction, giant guns, metal fisticuffs, weaponized grappling hooks, and transforming robots. Best breakfast viewing ever.

Rendered with the Unreal 4 engine, every single frame of this trailer looks absolutely stunning. As a niche genre, I'm used to mech games looking a little rough around the edges, but Project HON is bringing the visual splendor to?? the giant robot arena.

As excited as I am though, there are plenty of questions remaining about what exactly Project HON is. Various sources describe it as an MMO (which would make sense for a game being developed by NCSoft), an actio?n game with RPG elements (which is what it actually looks like), and a mobile title (wha?)

The trailer, for as dope as? everything looks, also adds to t??he confusion by seeming to demonstrate three very different games.

The first segment looks like a single-player third-person action game with all the usual standards; walking around with a group of NPCs, blowi?ng up enemies, and scripted action sequences between firefights. Sounds l?ike a fun time to me.

But then the second part? of the trailer switches gears, showing off a number of different types of mecha slugging it out in w?hat seems like a class-based multiplayer segment. The action climaxes with a RIDICULOUS battle between two gigantic robots (piloted by smaller mechs no less). Very cool, but that last fight seems especially scripted, maybe like a QTE face off between two players? Not exactly sure how that is all supposed to work.

But the LAST part of this 25-minute-long opus of a trailer throws a big curve-ball, panning out from the action to reveal is being played on mobile devices. Uh oh. There are troop icons, what seems to be unit costs (oh god, the freemium hooks), and drag-and-drop mechanics to air-lift giant mechs into the fray. So was everyt?hing shown before a fugazi? Or are you expected to boost around and try and shoot things with a touch i?nterface?

Well, maybe, maybe not. The very last scene also shows an Occulus Rift, so presumably it WILL be a PC action game after all? Is the mobile stuff some kind of secondary app? Who the heck knows. I'm a huge mech nut, so I'll be keeping a close eye on Project HON. Hopefully we'll get some kind of information soon and the game will be just as cool as it looks like it could be, and not a miserable phone-based F2P experience?.

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China DO care, to the tune of almost 4 million

Guild Wars 2's Chinese publisher had the MMO at 760,000 players on launch day. Two months later, it's reporting 3.8 million Chinese players. Guild Wars 2's first year ?sales, before the Chinese launch, were at 3.5 million, so total sales are at lea??st over 7 million. 

Not bad, not bad. 

[Via NeoGAF]

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Grab a beta key on Thursday

Carbine Studios is opening up beta access for its MMO WildStar this week. The open beta event kicks off Thursday and will extend to May 18. During that period, just head to the game's website and request a key, or if you're an existing beta player by way of a pre-order, simply make sure your WildStar client i?s patched and up to date during that time.

As part of the festivities, the?? level cap will be raised to 30, meaning players can reach Farside and play the tower defense-style Galeras Adventure. They'll also have the potential to earn two new abilities, an extra ??ability slot, and tier points for their character. 10 days should be time enough.

Carbine also has two livestreams planned: one at 11:00am Pacific on Thursday covering the state of WildStar, a??nd another at 11:00am on Friday featuring a huge Q&A session.

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