Throne of Thunder is the new 13 boss raid, with the last boss being Heroic Difficulty only.
Warlock will be able to unlock green fire spell effects through the quest line that starts with The Codex of Xerrath.
You can now purchase your farm, where several quality of life improvements have been made.
Wrathion is back once again and will reward you with a new head enchantment, Crown of the Heavens.
There
are two new world bosses, both of which will be a more pleasant
experience now that anyone from your faction can tag them and everyone
will get loot!
The Isle of the Thunder King is the new
daily questing zone, with the Kirin-Tor Offensive led by Jaina
Proudmoore and the Sunreaver Onslaught led by Lor'themar Theron. Doing
quests will unlock the powerful Lightning Forge, which will allow
Blacksmiths to forge mighty raid-worthy items, as well as classic
weapons from the past. Other features will also be unlocked by your
realm's participation in the war effort.
Four new scenarios have also been added. (Unofficially)
Are you a Hero of Ages? Do you deserve to be remembered for all
time as the one who stood against all the gods of destruction and
defied fate? Prove it!
We're announcing the unique End of Days competition! Those
who do the most to stem the rising tide of darkness during the event,
the true leaders throughout the apocalypse, will be rewarded!
To learn more about the End of Days event, be sure to read its Developer Blog here! The Rules
The event will run from the 21st of December until January 7th.
(Unless the game servers are destroyed by rampaging zombies before that
time.) The players who earn the most points throughout the event,
across all dimensions, will receive rewards shortly thereafter.
Using a Mayan Remains gives one point. (These remains are loot during the event.)
Participating in a PvP match in El Dorado gives three points.
Killing Bolon Yokte' K'uh gives ten points. Killing him while he is strengthened gives another ten points.
Killing any of the three Harbingers of Nameless Days gives ten points.
You will be able to view your progress in the competition in Chronicle (updated every 24 hours).
The Rewards
The top 1000 players will receive a unique title, Hero of Ages, so their contribution to the world may be remembered for all time.
The top 100 players will also receive the exclusive Hatchling pet, a
young ak'ab flown straight from the abyss to your side! This may be your
only chance to ever own one of these soulless chittering creatures!
"I'm sitting in the dark, covered in a blanket, writing this by the
fitful flickering of LCD. I fear that the end grows near, my friends,
and the human race will walk the slow spiral into darkness. December 21st is soon upon us and mankind is heading toward its inevitable doom. It’s quite depressing.
Let's
get the big one out of the way first - we recently made the
subscription fee for The Secret World optional. We moved the game to a
buy-to-play model which allows new users full access to the game for the
price of a client fee. You can read up on all of the changes here.
One of the great strengths with The Secret World
is our ambitious post-launch update plan. So far we’ve released five
strong updates, called Issues, chock full of content, storylines,
features and improvements. Having something new to play around with,
something that keeps the game fresh and alive is important for us and we
remain fully committed to releasing regular Issues. As part of the move
away from required subscription, there will be some components of these
issues that are free, while the other components will be paid DLC
content. Though it will most likely differ from update to update,
content such as new storylines and new locations will usually be part of
the paid DLC.
But what do these kind of changes mean for the development of the game going forward?"
The newest update to The Secret World, Issue #5, has just gone live.
Log in now to check out some of the awesome stuff awaiting you, such as a
new Auxiliary Weapon – the Quantum Brace, fresh missions and a brand
new and revealing story arc.
But that is not all you get with Issue #5. On the 21st of
December all Hell breaks loose both in the real world and the virtual.
The apocalypse is coming just as the Mayans predicted. In The Secret
World this will take the form of an End of Days event filled with new monsters and challenges.
The Event will run from the 21st and will last until The
Secret World’s servers are destroyed by rampaging zombies or until a new
dawn rises on the world once again. A competition will be running
during the event, and the players who do the most to stem this tide of
darkness will get unique rewards.
Catch the new preview video of Issue #5, narrated by Game Director
Joel Bylos, to get a sneak peek at what is awaiting you in this update
and the coming End of Days event.
Read on to learn more detailed information about each feature below the Issue cover.
End of Days Event!
On the 21st of December the dead will rise and the Harbingers will come. The End of Days is here and you must all fight for your survival or perish beneath the weight of rotting corpses.
The Oxford archeologists in the Scorched Desert and the Morninglight
have important tasks for you. Slay the newly risen Mayan zombies, the
roaming Harbingers and the god of the nine Underworlds and be rewarded
with special loot and prizes.
Read more about the event in its developer blog here.
New Auxiliary Weapon
Warp time and space itself with the powerful Quantum Brace. Help out
Moose and Edgar in Kingsmouth with their experiments and build the new
Auxiliary Weapon yourself through trial and error. Each attack of the
Quantum Brace exists in two states – hit successfully with one and the
icon on your action bar will change and reveal a follow up attack. The
Quantum Brace is great for doing damage to both single targets and
groups, but can also be an especially handy tool for healers.
The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn
The blogger and resident of Solomon Island, Tyler Freeborn, has been
doing his own investigating into the rising darkness and is especially
interested in what lies behind the ominous fog which is surrounding the
island.
Follow in his footsteps and uncover another crucial piece of the
puzzle that is The Secret World. This new story arc contains several
missions and ends with a revealing climax no one should miss.
And much much more…
Contact Tanis to experience a new sabotage mission in the Scorched
Desert. Get to the bottom of what the Phoenicians are up to and what the
undead weapons dealer Said has to do with it all. Or you can head over
to the Shadowy Forest and speak with Alina. She offers a new
Investigation mission, where you help her break free of her Morninglight
past. But that is not all; Issue #5 also makes all Investigation
missions repeatable and includes the handy improvement of letting you
bind hotkeys to inventory items for easy use in battle.
All Classes Unlocked! Free players may now try any of the games classes completely free.
Classic Dungeons unlocked!
The complete selection of classic dungeons are now unlocked for free
play. This includes ALL the pre-80 dungeons and a selection of level
80 dungeons as well! Level 80 adventures in The Crow's Nest, The Iron
Tower, Xibaluku, The Slaughterhouse Cellar and Attilius' Mansion are
all now available for free play!
Gold cap increased!
In order to allow free players to engage more in the end game
economy, in particular with the incoming new crafting system in mind,
the gold cap on free accounts has been raised from 2g to 10g.
As of right now subscription is optional for The Secret World.
This means that after buying the game you can play all of the heralded
story-line and all content available right now without a paying a
monthly fee.
With four major updates released, which introduce much new content
such as a Raid in New York, Auxiliary Weapons and many new missions, the
game is better than ever.
Buy the game before December the 31st and all the content
in Issue #5, which will be released shortly, will also be included and
you will receive the Initiate Pack, which includes strong starter
weapons, a Blood Raven pet and extra social clothing.
So click here to BUY The Secret World for just $30 / €30 / £24.99 OR Purchase TSW through Steam.
Read on to get more information about these changes to The Secret World, or check out our FAQ on the official forums.
New Membership Available
For those who want to get the most out of their Secret World
experience we have an optional Membership available. Being a monthly
subscriber, for the same cost as before, now gives great benefits. For
being a member you get the following:
Time Accelerator (Clickable item which increases
experience gain for defeating monsters by 100% for 1 hour, 16 hour
cool-down – only usable by Members and Grand Masters)
$10 worth of Bonus Points (given out every month)
Item-of-the-month gift (given out every month)
10% discount to everything in the in-game store
The Grandmaster pack includes all these benefits and gets an
additional 10% discount to everything in the in-game store, for a total
bonus of 20%. So being a Grandmaster is better than ever!
Through the month of December we have a special offer where we give
30% off on the first purchase on the 3, 6 and 12 month Membership plans.
New Store Items
We have just launched some very nice new items through the Item Store. These are made to save time for those so inclined.
Ability Points Potion – This potion will double the Ability Points you receive for the duration of its effect.
Run Speed Upgrade – It is now possible to directly purchase the
run speed increases (identical to those which can be purchased through
your Secret Society).
In addition there will be lots of new social items such as clothing
and pets continuously added to the store, so check if frequently if you
wish to stay abreast with what is new.
Updates Since Launch
A steady flow of new content and deeper game systems have been
introduced to The Secret World since launch, and much much more will
follow in the future. Issue #5, The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn, is just days away from release.
Issue #1: Unleashed was the first update to The Secret
World. It introduced a full mission pack, adding content to all the
game’s major regions. Several Nightmare dungeon modes were also
unlocked, giving veteran dungeon crawlers even more brutal tests to
their skills.
Issue #2: The second update, Digging Deeper, gave
players the very first Auxiliary Weapon – the Rocket Launcher. The
Issue included several new missions and Nightmare dungeons, in addition
a barbershop and plastic surgery gave the players many new options for
changing their looks.
Issue #3: In The Cat God The Secret World had its first
seasonal event with Halloween, and players got a completely new
storyline with an epic fight in Stonehenge. Furthermore new missions
were made available, and the dangerous Lairs got a big boost.
Issue#4: Our biggest update yet was Big Trouble in the Big Apple. It
added a new raid in New York, a second Auxiliary Weapon – the
Chainsaw, the Albion Theatre in London, new missions and Lair content,
and a big PvP enhancement for the Fusang Warzone.
New Content for the Future
Periodically we will release packs of DLC (Downloadable Content). These updates, called Issues in The Secret World, contain new
content, such as more Auxiliary Weapons, new missions and story arcs.
These packs are fully optional and can be purchased normally or for the
Bonus Points that are included in the optional Membership, as well as
with the Grandmaster Lifetime service.
The first DLC will start selling in January 2013, and is the main
storyline of issue #5. This will sell for $5, however this content is
already fully unlocked for anyone who has a full game account registered
before the end of December 2012.
Regular patches with free content and updates and enhancements to the core game will still continue.
How did the Aldmeri Dominion come to be formed in the first place? – By Luke Heys
It was really the brainchild of Queen Ayrenn, after assuming the
throne of Alinor. Having traveled Tamriel extensively before returning
to Summerset, she was aware of the dire threats menacing the world, and
saw it as the proper duty of the Elves to put things right. At the same
time, the Wood Elves and Khajiit were facing troubles of their own and
in need of allies, so they came together to form the Dominion.
What made the Bosmers decide to join the Dominion? - By Tamás Várfalvi
After the recent civil war between the Camorans, Valenwood was in
disarray and vulnerable. The Cabal who were running the Imperial City
took advantage of this by sending in Colovian troops to grab up some of
the Wood Elves’ northern territory. Seeking an ally to help repulse the
Colovians, King Aeradan of the Bosmer turned to Queen Ayrenn and her new
Dominion.
Will Elsweyr be in TESO? - By Jacob Wilde
Yes. At launch, you will be able to explore two corners of Elsweyr:
an island off the south coast, and the far northwest corner of Anequina,
around the city of Dune and Fort Sphinxmoth. Most of Elsweyr is still
in the grip of the Knahaten Flu, and isn’t a place you really want to go
until the epidemic has run its course.
Will the Khajiit players in The Elder Scrolls Online also get
a choice in sub-species, or will the default still be Suthay-raht? I
know that they are the most common breed, but is there any
more back-story as to why every Khajiit you meet in Vvardenfell,
Cyrodiil and Skyrim are Suthay-raht? Do the others never leave Elsweyr? - By Brandy Dills
Among the Khajiit, the race of feline humanoids who originate from
Elsweyr, the Suthay-raht are indeed the most common breed, and at
launch, all player-character and non-player-character Khajiit in ESO will be Suthay-raht. Now, will you glimpse more Khajiit sub-species in ESO in the future? Only time will tell!
There hasn't been a ton of content in Valenwood in the past.
How exciting is it for the people working on places in Tamriel that have
not been prominently featured in the past? - By Chris McNamara
We know from existing lore that Valenwood is an exaggeration of our
own world’s jungles and deep forests. Combine that with a bit of the
look seen in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and we take it
from there. The opportunity to take clues and hints from lore and turn
them into living, breathing places has excited everybody in art, game
design, and audio. What could be better?
I wish for more information about the cultures of the Wood and
High Elves. It is the culture that really gives a people its depth, and
what subconsciously governs at least my attraction to certain races.
What entertainment do the elves enjoy? Do the Wood Elves enjoy poetry?
Do the High Elves hunt for sport? Are there any beloved Elf vocalists?
How would the Elf lords enjoy an evening off duties? What forms of art
have been popular through the ages? – By Joakim Brorson
Both High Elves and Wood Elves have an abundance of rich and
tremendously detailed background lore. These ancient races have had a
very long time to establish their own unique cultures. We’ve made sure
that this kind of lore about the Elves will be included in the game—in
plenty—in all the classic ways cultural lore is delivered in the Elder Scrolls games: quest dialogue, conversations with NPCs, lore books of all kinds, music, item crafting, and so forth.
How do you intend to portray the cannibalism of the Bosmer?
From what do you draw inspiration for the jungles of Valenwood and the
culture of the Bosmer? Any Ayleid enclaves to run across deep in the
jungles? - By James Craven
For the Wood Elves, cannibalism is a matter of ritual significance,
and typically quite private within a family or tight-knit group. There’s
actually a lot of background on Valenwood and the Bosmer in Elder
Scrolls lore, though you may have to dig a little to find it. After
Empress Alessia’s “slave army” drove the Ayleids from Cyrodiil, many of
them took refuge in Valenwood, so Ayleid ruins are actually rather
common in the southern jungles.
The buildings of Alinor are said to look like they are "made
from glass or insect wings." If the Summurset Isles are traversable at
release will we see a design reminiscent of this? And will we see the
Crystal Tower for that matter?! - By Callum Parker
When The Elder Scrolls Online launches, the playable part of
the Summerset Isles will be Auridon, the big island between Summerset
and the continent that includes the cities of Firsthold and Skywatch.
The architecture of the High Elves is fanciful, certainly, but it’s also
practical, constructed of real-world materials. Architects can’t make
buildings out of poetry!
MMORPG.com caught up with Chris Roberts to talk about all things Star
Citizen, from smuggling, to controls, to PVP, PVE, and player crafting.
Watch the video on the MMORPG.com Star Citizen page.
Want to ask him some MORE questions about the game's
design, its offline and MMO features? Want to just tell him how
grateful you are for Wing Commander? Tune in Wednesday, December 12th on
our live-stream at 5pm EST (2pm PST) for all this and more!
Let me stress how cool this is. We've talked a lot about the back-end
work we've been doing on the engine. Before, if I wanted to see the
engine I had to walk over to a coder's desk and then he hits compile and
there's the new engine. Now, Macrosun can give me a .rar and I can
unpack it on my machine and without having any tools or development environment installed on my machine
I can run around in the new engine, and play it. We can now build and
compile, and deploy as a standalone piece of software that patches and
updates and does all the things one would expect a game-client to do.
The coders did some fantastic magic to get this to work, and I can't
compliment them enough on getting it up and running.
So why don't you have it yet?
Couple of reasons. I posted some screenshots below, and if you notice
doors are about 20 feet away from where they should be (Parsed is
fixing). Grass isn't in (Macrosun is working on). Ground-tile alignment
(Vhab). Vhab fixed water and it looks amazing, but in some places it's
flowing uphill & lacks depth calculations. There are some gamma
issues with some playfields and sRGB. New character models/heads aren't
in yet (although, Adamse will be finished in the next week or so). So
there are issues, but we're very close to something we can get out
there.
But most importantly, the new client needs to run against version 18.7
because that's where we are fixing things. I can run it against 18.7
internally, but unfortunately you guys will have to wait until it makes
its way to the Live server."
EVE Online: Retribution is scheduled for deployment during an extended
downtime on Tuesday, December 4. Downtime will begin at 09:00 UTC and is
expected to be completed at 11:20 UTC.
In the world of EVE Online justice is a valuable commodity. When a
pilot is wronged they demand justice, they demand retribution. EVE Online: Retribution delivers new tools to let pilots seek their own justice. New Bounty Hunting and Crimewatch systems will ensure that criminals are punished for their actions. 40 Rebalanced Ships and 5 NewShips give pilots new ways to destroy those they hate most or to better protect their friends. As well as, new UI Upgrades and Inventory Changes that
will ensure that your path to revenge is even smoother. This is an era
of new immortals, greater opportunity, and lucrative retribution.
For more information about the latest EVE Online expansion, please visit the Retribution Feature Page.
"This is our second installment of the ESO “Ask Us Anything”
series, featuring more of your questions about the Ebonheart Pact and
other general ESO topics. Read on to learn more about this alliance,
and see if we chose your question!"
Will we be able to meet Joruun the Skald-King? What about the Tribunal of Morrowind, or the king/queen of Argonia? – By Brandon Donio
Yes, if you create an Ebonheart Pact character in The Elder Scrolls Online
and make certain choices as you play, you will have the opportunity to
meet Jorunn the Skald-King and members of the Tribunal. As for
Argonia’s royalty, at this point in Elder Scrolls history, Black Marsh
(“Argonia”) isn’t ruled by a monarchy – but there are certainly plenty
of other prominent Argonians to meet in the game.
Will the Companions be involved somehow? – By Jason Bryden
Yes, The Companions—the legendary group of Nord heroes you met in the
city of Whiterun in Skyrim—have been part of Nord culture since
Ysgramor’s arrival on the shores of Skyrim before the First Era, so they
certainly have a presence in ESO.
To what extent will the Tribunal feature in the Ebonheart Pact
storyline, and how far along in the main quest will we learn about the
pretender to the Tribunal? – By Josh James
As the rulers of Morrowind, both spiritually and politically, the
Tribunal are quite prominent in the Ebonheart Pact – especially
Almalexia, who’s been handling temporal affairs since the recent Akaviri
invasion. But a pretender to the Tribunal? Mother Morrowind would
dismiss the idea as absurd. Clearly impossible.
Are many changes being made to Skyrim to make it differ or
stand out from the Skyrim we have recently come to know and love? If so,
could you detail some of these changes? – By Brandon Donio
The Elder Scrolls Online is set 1,000 years earlier than
Skyrim, so you may notice that some of the ancient Nord ruins are a
little less worn and weathered than in Skyrim’s time. You’ll also find
towns, like Nimalten in the Rift, that are gone and nearly forgotten by
Skyrim’s Fourth Era, but are alive and thriving in ESO’s Second Era.
Will we be able to travel through Black Marsh? It is said that
only Argonians can travel to the heart of Black Marsh. Will every player
have the option to go there? – By John Ward
All members of the Ebonheart Pact will have an opportunity to visit
Shadowfen, the northwestern region of Black Marsh that borders on
Morrowind and includes the ancient city of Stormhold.
I've read that anyone can use any type of weapon or armor. Have
you thought about having alliance-only weapon/armor styles? (For
example, chitin armor available only to the Ebonhart Pact, since they
have exclusive access to chitin in Morrowind.) – By Jeremy Eddy
Armor in The Elder Scrolls Online is regionally appropriate,
whether it’s a loot drop, merchant stock, or quest reward; however, with
the right skills and materials, you’ll be able to craft items in any
racial style.
I always imagine all of the nasty, poisonous creatures living
in Black Marsh, and I think there's lots of potential there. Could you
detail any of your favourite critters from Black Marsh? – By Brandon Donio
If we had to pick just one, the huge reptilian wamasu that lurk in
the deep swamps are a big favorite around the ZeniMax Online Studios dev
office.
What are the meanings of these Ebonheart Pact insignias you
used for the Facebook and Twitter icons? I suspect that the one for
Morrowind represents the Tribunal, due to the three 'spikes'. The one
for Skyrim represents... the Dragonborn? What about the one for Black
Marsh? – By Yamir Ortiz
Good guesses—and correct. The one for Black Marsh is a stylized
rendering of an Argonian’s face – but whether it depicts some ancient
hero or ruler of Black Marsh history, or just represents the race as a
whole, only the Argonians know. And they’re not telling.
Where is the main base of Ebonheart Pact? In which city will we find Jorunn the Skald-King? – By Douglas Reis Silva
The throne of Eastern Skyrim is in Windhelm, but the great city of
Mournhold is the capital of the Ebonheart Pact, and it is there that
Jorunn presides over the Great Moot.
Hi, I've been playing The Elder Scrolls games since Morrowind,
and I have always played as an Argonian. Now that I've seen the
screenshot on your website called 'Argonian soldiers', I'm a little
disappointed, I was hoping for a more lizard, amphibian looking
Argonian. I assume their faces are flat for helmet modeling, But I hope
they'll look more like the one on the Ebonheart pact page. Also, they
should have badass horns... So can you tell me, is this the final
version of the Argonian? – By Rofaka
Customization of individual characters will allow for much more
variety than we’ve been able to convey in the screenshots released so
far. Also, we’re still fine-tuning the ESO character models, including the Argonians.
Last time we had the chance of discovering the land of
Morrowind, the different feelings to the Great Houses and the House Wars
was one of the most intriguing aspects to the game. Will we have an
opportunity to join the houses? If so, which of them will be joinable? I
just so loved the mushroom houses. – By Greg
The rivalries between the Dunmer Great Houses have deep roots, and
they are all important players in the politics of Morrowind. In fact,
House Telvanni – they of the mushroom towers – are estranged from the
other Houses at the time of ESO, and refused to join the
Ebonheart Pact. (We’ll share more about them in the future, you can be
sure.) Your characters will have opportunities to help (or hinder) all
the other Great Houses of Morrowind, though formal adoption into their
ranks won’t be part of the game at launch.
After a few nights of pure attempts on Emperor, Tribe defeats the
encounter in 11:44 minutes. Everyone stepped up their game to improve
their performance. This encounter is also our best 25 man world kill so far this expansion!
We moved on to Heart of Fear and killed Zor'lok with a near flawless
one-shot! Some folks already hate this fight due to his Attenuation
ability.
We tried a few attempts at Blade Lord Ta'yak before calling it a night. Our best attempt was around 6%!
The biggest update yet is just out. Issue #4 is filled to the brim
with tons of fresh content and new and deeper game systems. You can
enjoy a new Auxiliary Weapon – the Chainsaw, huge PvP enhancements, the
Albion Theatre, Reticule Combat and a new set of Missions!
Issue #4 also sets the stage for the big Raid in New York, which is
undergoing final testing and will be brought Live as soon as possible
"World of Warcraft turns eight on November 23, and we’d like to thank our amazing community for joining us in celebrating eight epic years of adventure. To celebrate, players who log in to World of Warcraft between November 18 and December 1 will receive a unique Feat of Strength achievement and Celebration Package item. Using your item will kick off the celebrations by shooting off fireworks*, applying a (cosmetic only) tabard to your character, and granting an 8% bonus to experience and reputation gains from any enemies defeated while active.
As an added treat, this year we’ve put together a little video to take you through the years from the original release of World of Warcraft to the newly revealed shores of Mists of Pandaria. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey. We know we have."
"As of 2:00 p.m. EST, the game has secured over $6.2 million and over 89,000 pledges. Star Citizen is now the highest-grossing crowd-funded gaming project ever, and more importantly it has met a laundry list of stretch goals
over and above its initial $2 million target and unlocked a slew of
additional features (including more ships, star systems, mod tools, base
types, and voice-acting)."
Elegon was our latest kill on 25 and was a complete DPS check. Once we
got the orb phases down, it was fairly easy after that. Only two people
survived enough to finish him off!
We only have one boss left on 25man Mogu-shan Vaults - Will of the
Emperor - for a complete 25man clear. We'll defeat him once we control
the adds better and dodge mechanics.
On an off-night, we took our first look at Imperial Vizier Zor'lok in
Heart of Fear with relative ease. He went down after we quickly learned
the mechanics.
Well done Tribe!
Our current 25man progress:
World: 1242
US: 448
Realm: 2 - US Bloodhoof
We'll be moving into the Heart of Fear shortly for further progression!
Warlock will be able to unlock green fire spell effects through the quest line that starts with The Codex of Xerrath.
