| WoW Archivist: The battle for Hillsbrad Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Subscription, MMORPG, WoW Archivist WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on March 14th and is included here by permission. Almost 10 years later, people still talk about the Southshore vs. Tarren Mill battles, the most infamous and celebrated world PvP in WoW history. They go on about how glorious it was, how they'd like to see that kind of intensity return to world PvP. It's not often, however, that they discuss the details. If you want to know exactly what it was like to fight in those battles, keep reading. I lived it. My old Tauren Hunter still bears the scars. Pull up a bench and pour yourself a glass of ale. I will tell you about the war. Continue reading WoW Archivist: The battle for Hillsbrad  WoW Archivist: The battle for Hillsbrad originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Trion CM confirms F2P ArcheAge coming to Americas and Europe this year Posted: 16 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Crafting Trion community manager Evan " Scapes" Berman has announced that ArcheAge's western alpha will expand in the weeks following GDC. In a post on AA's early-adopter fansite ArcheAge Source, Berman explained that pre-launch beta packages will be offered which grant closed beta access, and he confirmed that the fantasy sandbox will feature a free-to-play business model and launch "in the Americas and Europe this year, 2014." While he didn't address the controversial and game-changing 1.0 patch that developer XLGAMES has already pushed live in Korea, Berman did emphasize ArcheAge's sandbox features. "Both Trion Worlds and XLGAMES want ArcheAge to be a free-to-play sandbox that fits our 'no tricks, no traps' vision and will make development decisions to achieve that goal in Trion's territories." Finally, Berman said that Trion plans to offer cash shop items that "provide solid value and fun, while earned and crafted items are objectively superior." [Thanks Zenaphex and Oskar!] Trion CM confirms F2P ArcheAge coming to Americas and Europe this year originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| One Shots: Granny Freedom Posted: 16 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Guild Wars 2, One Shots, Champions Online, Miscellaneous It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a super-powered senior citizen with slight incontinence and a grappling hook! Well, there's something you don't see every day. Reader Dynatos brings this gripping image from Champions Online to our attention: "A superhero that has come back out of retirement, Granny Freedom grapples across Millennium City's skies on the lookout for both evil-doers and heroes who need a little help with their moral compass!" She's also never late for Denny's early bird specials. So what other visual treats do we have in store for you whippersnappers this week? Oh, wouldn't you like to know! Continue reading One Shots: Granny Freedom One Shots: Granny Freedom originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What do you hope to learn from GDC? Posted: 16 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, ArcheAge, Sandbox GDC 2014 starts tomorrow, and while I'm not making the trip this year, I still hope to learn a thing or two from all the news that's sure to follow. Chief on my want list is some sort of ArcheAge announcement from XLGAMES and/or Trion. What about you, Massively readers? Are you hoping for anything in particular from GDC this time around?  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!The Daily Grind: What do you hope to learn from GDC? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| RIFT's upcoming Arbiter soul melds wizard with tank Posted: 15 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT |
| Darkfall to add clan markets and realistic weather effects Posted: 15 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Darkfall, Economy, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Sandbox  If you haven't had enough snow this winter, you'll be able to get some more in Darkfall Unholy Wars! The PvP sandbox's upcoming patch is introducing realistic rain and snow weather effects. Snow will soon be dusting buildings, trees, ships, and the ground, significantly altering the visual landscape. Suddenly, those stark white mounts will no longer be such a liability! The update also includes a new way for clans and alliances to do business amongst themselves in the form of clan markets. The clan markets have individual permission settings, so business can be restricted to individuals (when clan-only), allies, non-enemies, or everyone. As an added benefit, clan markets won't have any courier fees or taxes, at least for the time being. These structures can be built within any clan holding, be it a a city or a hamlet, and trade can commence between all locations. Markets can be damaged to the point of deactivation or lost if holdings change owners. The patch is due out next week. Check out more details about these features and other fixes in the patch notes, and watch as snow covers the landscape and ships alike in the weather video below. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Continue reading Darkfall to add clan markets and realistic weather effects Darkfall to add clan markets and realistic weather effects originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The best of Massively's League of Legends column, The Summoner's Guidebook Posted: 15 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Massively Meta, Guides, Miscellaneous, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Former Massively writer Patrick Mackey was first brought onto the team to cover Champions Online in his Behind the Mask column, and he did so with technical expertise and brutal honesty that was even better-suited for his ultimate column here: The Summoners Guidebook, which for two years covered Riot Games' League of Legends, one of the biggest games on the planet. Today, in honor of that column's lengthy run, we share the very best of Patrick's articles. If you'd like to follow his future League of Legends blogging, you can find him at Boot Camp for Gamers. Continue reading The best of Massively's League of Legends column, The Summoner's Guidebook The best of Massively's League of Legends column, The Summoner's Guidebook originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Free for All: How a smaller workload affects my MMO playstyle Posted: 15 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Culture, Game Mechanics, Free-to-Play, Casual, Humor, Free for All, Miscellaneous As I'm sure you have all heard, we recently went through some budget and workflow changes here at Massively. For me, the revamp meant that I went from three columns, several livestreams, and the occasional news post down to a single column and an occasional stream or feature. A strange thing has happened, but I can't say that it's uncommon in the industry: Once my workload decreased, my gaming MMO habits changed. I have been sort of reset to the position I was in before I worked so much for this site, back to when I was a silly blogger who wrote and played just for fun. Allow me to explain. Continue reading Free for All: How a smaller workload affects my MMO playstyle Free for All: How a smaller workload affects my MMO playstyle originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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