MMO Weekly Recap #417 July 31st – RuneScape Desperate Measures, TERA Battle Arena, & More!

JamesBl0nde recaps the MMO gaming news for the week of July 31, 2020! Transcript and timestamps follow.

Shadow Arena gets into some pretty fierce and forbidden alchemy, Paladins introduces a new way to earn skins, DCUO’s new update lets players work with the council of wonder women, and TERA wants to try a moba game on for size.

Whats up guys! JamesBl0nde here with the weekly recap for gaming news and announcements for the week of July 31st 2020.

RuneScape: Desperate Measures: 0:18

And this past week RuneScape has launched a new update, continuing the Elder Gods storyline with a new quest: Desperate Measures. Available to all RuneScape members, the quest offers new insights and mysteries in the game’s lore, and also teases the upcoming Elder God Wars Dungeon. Taking on this quest line will require Archaeology and Agility to be level 50 or higher, but can grant several new rewards including Thok’s Stick, a Cosmic Focus, and more.

Shadow Arena: Gorgath: 0:51

In the Black Desert PvP spin-off Shadow Arena, a new hero has arrived: Gorgath. An alchemist who relies on the earth to call forth rocks to battle, Gorgath can adapt to close range and long range combat as the battle shifts. Gorgath even gets access to Forbidden Alchemy, a skill that lets him craft consumables, armor, and weapons in battle. Well that’s kinda handy. Shadow Arena also made a pass at ranking and progression in this latest patch, splitting rank and tier into two different systems, with new “Tier Points” earned after each match determining each player’s competitive tier.

Neverwinter: Avernus on Consoles: 1:25

In other MMO news, Neverwinter console players can celebrate with fire and brimstone this week as the game’s latest update, Avernus, is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This content update sends Neverwinter players into the wastelands of Avernus to assist a hollyphant in recovering her memories, meeting up with new allies, and going to battle with the ruler of Avernus himself. The update also includes the Path of the Fallen campaign, which includes new rewards and infernal war machines.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Coming to Steam: 1:55

Hot off the recent news about New Genesis, Phantasy Star Online 2 has announced it will launch on Steam on August 5. The Steam launch includes a few special rewards you can earn for logging in and playing from Steam, including a headcrab emote, Pyro’s Gas Mask, Crowbar Weapon Camo, Wheatly Evolution Device, TF2 Minigun Camo, and more. On the same day, the Episode 4 update will go live on PC and Xbox One, raising the level cap, adding new story and new locations to explore. Nice little update along with getting added to steam.

Paladins: Radiant Stars Update / Battle Pass: 2:27

In other news, Paladins has launched its Radiant Stars update this past week, with the main star being a new Battle Pass. This pass has over 100 things to unlock as you level through it, including skins for Io, Imani, Inara, and Seris. Also new in this update though is the Bounty Store, which lets players earn and exchange Bounty Coins for a rotating selection of skins. These new bounty coins are earned by doing daily quests and will have a varying price depending on how many players have actually purchased the skin. Pretty nice way to unlock skins for free, although they are majority recolors.

Magic Legends: Sanctifier Revealed: 3:01

Also this past week Magic: Legends, the upcoming free to play action RPG based on Magic: The Gathering, revealed another one of its playable classes at launch. The Sanctifier brings a new take on the classic support class, offering a long range character capable of smiting and healing with divine energy. This class can gain devotion through casting Salvation, which will even summon an Angel once it’s accrued enough stacks. The Sanctifier makes the fourth of five available classes at launch so keep an ear out for the final class reveal this fall, if we all make it that far that is.

ArcheAge Reveals Garden of the Gods: The Ipnysh Sanctuary: 3:32

Next up in the news, ArcheAge has revealed its next Garden of the Gods update, coming on August 13. The update will introduce the Ipnysh Sanctuary, a new dungeon unlocked through the main story line. This dungeon hides the new Immortal Warden gear, some of the strongest armor in the game with various effects to player skills. Also in this August update is the second season of the Mistsong Banquet, plus more PvP and balance changes.

Black Desert Online – Cursed Collaboration: 3:57

In a bit of interesting mmo news, Black Desert Online has kicked off a special collaboration with Netflix’s original series, Cursed. The event is available in mobile and on PC, with console’s event beginning on August 5. Players can take on a limited time quest which features characters from the Netflix series, and earn tokens that can be exchanged for rewards that include Cron Stones, Advice of Valks, and more. Make sure to log in and participate the next few weeks as the event will end on August 26. could be cool, but then again… I don’t know…

TERA Battle Arena Announced: 4:30

Likewise, En Masse had a surprise announcement this week: TERA Battle Arena. This is a new team-based battle mode, where players control heroes from TERA with their own skills, abilities, and cosmetics, and battle across different maps. Sounds and looks just like a MOBA! This is a separate game mode that will be available as a free download for players with the PC Tera client. More info is supposed to be coming in the next few weeks, so we’ll just have to wait and see if this plan works out. I’m kinda skeptical, but, who knows.

DCUO: Wonderverse Episode Released: 5:03

More mmo updates last week as DC Universe Online released its newest event and episode, Wonderverse. For the first time in DCUO history, players will ally with the Council of Wonder Women. Together they will face against the gods and work together to repair the wall that keeps their universes from collapsing. No pressure! The update includes new daily and weekly Open World missions, a new Solo and Alert, a new raid, and much more. This episode is free for members or can be purchased individually in the market place, and it’s available on PC and all consoles now.

Dauntless Clear Skies Update (Massively OP write-up): 5:37

Also this past week, Dauntless had launched its Clear Skies update, which features a completely revamped Ramsgate, the game’s central player hub. Players will find Ramsgate split into more organized areas on floating islands, and even a racing mini-game. You know because it was totally missing one of those. The update also includes some tweaks to the game’s sword mechanics, and a new Hunt Pass full of unlockable rewards. If you’re interested make sure to check the links below, MassivelyOP wrote a great preview of what to expect.

And finally let’s hit up the freebies for the weekend. First up, Quantum League will be available free this weekend on Steam until Monday morning, with a 50% off sale if you want to go ahead and pick it up permanently. Quantum League is a multiplayer 1v1 and 2v2 shooter with time-travel mechanics, and has just updated with a new map, spectator mode, and more. Disintegration is also available for free play on Steam this weekend, if you’re looking for a more serious sci-fi shooter. And over on the Epic Games Store, your free games to keep are 20XX, Barony, and Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP. Great downloads to grab, especially if you’re missing out on this weekend’s New World Density Test.

But with that being said, that’s about it for all the major news and announcements for this week. Be sure to stay safe, and keep your families healthy! Like always you can find more information on the news topics, linked in the description below, feel free to discuss the news or even more news in the comments below and don’t forget to like, subscribe, wash your hands a bunch, hit that little bell icon to get notifications and of course share this video! But until next time guys that’s going to be it for me… I’m JamesBl0nde… see ya out there gamers!