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."
Warlock will be able to unlock green fire spell effects through the quest line that starts with The Codex of Xerrath.
