Weekly Recap #361 May 17th – Astellia Online, MapleStory 2, Aura Kingdom & More

Weekly Gaming News summary for the week of May 17th (May 10th – May 17th ).

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Astellia Online Reveals Enhancement System in New Blog: (1:09)

Astellia Online released a new blog that goes over one of the important systems in the game: The Enhancement System. Players that have gear that they can’t use, or is obsolete, can instead be dismantled. This permanently destroys the gear but instead gives Enhancement Stones, which are critical for the growth of gear as a whole. These stones come in various types (Armor, Weapons, Accessory), and are used in the Enhancement Window. If a piece of gear is below level 50, it cannot be upgraded past +6. At that point, you will need to evolve your gear. Evolving gear takes it to the next level bracket. For example, a level 26 weapon may evolve into a level 33 weapon.

These evolution levels are static and do not vary based on rarity. If you evolve a piece of gear and it is higher than your character’s level, you will not be able to re-equip it until you are the appropriate level. Evolution also resets the item’s Enhancement level. Should you evolve your gear to level 50, you will now have a maximum of 10 Enhancement levels, however, there are more challenges. After +3, you can experience failure. Some failures leave the item unchanged but consume the Asper and Enhancement Stones. You could also decrease the item level by one (and consume the materials). The worst failure consumes the materials and lowers the level by several points, instead of one. Further information can be found in the blog linked below, but I’ve got to say, talk about a high anxiety enhancement system. 

MapleStory’s MapleFest dropped News for MapleStory/MapleStory 2: (2:33)

This past week Around 500 fans came together to celebrate MapleStory and MapleStory 2 at the second annual MapleStory Fest with the event selling out in just four minutes. The event featured a live concert, a cosplay contest, and a handful of huge announcements. First, for MapleStory, a new update is coming on June 12th which will bring the first new character to be released after the Black Mage update: Pathfinder! For MapleStory 2, May 30th will see the launch of a new class called the Striker. The Striker is a fearless master of bare-handed martial arts who combines brute force and graceful technique to annihilate enemies. Alongside the new class comes Eye of Lapenta, which will introduce new storylines, new dungeons, and amazing ascendant gear. Not to mention the level cap will also be raised to 70 and this will activate all Rank 2 skills for all jobs. Lots of exciting stuff coming to MapleStory and MapleStory 2.  

Dauntless Reveals Console and Epic Games Store Launch Date: (3:35)

Next up, Phoenix Labs made a huge announcement this past week regarding Dauntless! The console versions of Dauntless for PS4 and Xbox One will launch on May 21st, that’s next week, alongside the PC version’s full launch on the Epic Games Store. To mark the occasion, a new Hunt Pass season will arrive on the Shattered Isles entitled the Hidden Blades hunt pass. This will bring the Moon Blossom Festival to life and offer thematic gear that will allow players to show off their inner ninja. Along with the event, there will be new improvements and content updates that recently arrived in the PC open beta launching on consoles. These include things like the Mastery system, mastery cards, and a new campaign rework. The “End of Hunt” screen also received a rework, giving far more information to Slayers. Lots of cool stuff around this launch hit up the link below for all the details. 

War Thunder’s ‘World War’ Open Beta Begins Today: (4:28)

Another really cool bit of news, Gaijin Entertainment announced this week that their Open Beta test for the highly anticipated World War mode has begun in War Thunder! This mode lets players re-enact famous battles in World War II. Battles are divided into Operations, which are based on real events and combat campaigns. This includes battles such as “Battle of El Alamein” or “Battle of Vitebsk”. Commanders of either side can move air and ground armies on a strategic map, and when those armies meet, battle sessions begin between players. Results of said battles can have significant effects on the outcome of the Operation, as the defeated side retreats and loses vehicles or even full regiments. The only players who can initiate a new Operation are Squadron Leaders (leaders of War Thunder’s player communities), but every player can participate even if they aren’t in a Squadron. This massive event will be the first in the new series of season based events and will run until June 10th.  

Caravan Stories Announces Open Beta for July: (5:27)

As I’ve mentioned in a past recap, Caravan Stories is a free-to-play anime-inspired MMORPG, and it’s coming to America on July 23rd, 2019. But ahead of that, an open beta will be available on July 16th. A mysterious gate of darkness, known as the Enigma manifested above Iyarr’s peaceful lands, and from it flooded evil and chaos. The once-tranquil land is shrouded in shadow, and it’s up to the heroes of Iyarr to save the world from its now-grim fate, in a story packed with emotion, memorable characters, and intrigue between kingdoms.

As the sun falls in Iyarr, new creatures begin to roam and threaten the party, and when day breaks, other creatures will join the battle instead, which requires new approaches and strategies to dealing with monsters. The time flow system will influence this dynamic world, where stories can unfurl at any moment. Up to six creatures and allies can band together, combining their skills and specialties to deal with whatever monsters and demons come their way. This is combined with a gorgeous watercolor art style and soundtrack. Maybe something to look forward to. 

Star Trek Online’s “Rise of Discovery” Expansion Hits PC: (6:35)

Perfect World announced on Tuesday that their latest update has arrived in Star Trek Online: Rise of Discovery. It’s available now on PC, and the release date for the console was also revealed to be June 25th, 2019. Star Trek Online continues to focus on the CBS television series, Star Trek: Discovery and players will travel back in time to board the U.S.S. Buran, and encounter Captain Gabriel Lorca (voiced by Jason Isaacs) and Commander Ellen Landry (voiced by Rekha Sharma) from the show. Captains can play through Rise of Discovery to uncover the startling chain of events that ultimately determined the fates of these compelling characters in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery.

The update also introduces a brand new reputation and a system-wide update that removes player level restrictions for all premium Tier 6 starships across PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. To celebrate the release of Rise of Discovery, Star Trek Online is teaming up with Star Trek: The Cruise and SteelSeries on an exclusive giveaway for Star Trek fans! From now through May 26, players can visit the Star Trek Online blog to enter to win a cabin for two aboard Star Trek: The Cruise IV, a seven-day Caribbean voyage across the Atlantic with Star Trek royalty including William Shatner (Star Trek: The Original Series), Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Ethan Peck (Star Trek: Discovery) and more. The grand prize winner will also be granted every starship currently available in the C-Store of Star Trek Online on PC and a prize pack from SteelSeries. That’s kindof a cool giveaway if you ask me.  

Guild Wars 2: Living World Season 4 Finale Press Preview: (8:13)

Also mentioned last week, MMOHuts’ Jason got a chance to go hands-on with the Guild Wars 2 Living World Season 4 finale this past week! To see his thoughts on how well they wrapped up the season, hit up the full write up on MMOHuts.com, link in the description below! 

Dungeons & Dragons Online’s “Masterminds of Sharn” Expansion Releases: (8:28)

Next up, Daybreak Games released a new expansion for Dungeons and Dragons Online this past week entitled Masterminds of Sharn. The expansion will take players to one of the most iconic locations in the Eberron setting, Sharn. It will offer 16 new hand-crafted dungeons, a new raid, and new public and wilderness areas including the Cogs, deep beneath Sharn. Sharn also offers players the chance to play the new Tiefling race. There are a ton of horrific creatures to fight and new paths to discover, and of course new rewards to claim. Masterminds of Sharn also introduces guest Dungeon Masters, such as Campaign creator Keith Baker, and Maze Arcana’s Ruty Rutenburg and Kyle Vogt.  

Aura Kingdom Releases Patch 52: (9:08)

It seems like its been a while but, Patch 52 is now live for the Anime MMO Aura Kingdom! With this new update comes new dragon companions, new dungeons to explore, and a ton more. The legendary Elite Sky Tower will offer new special drops for only the most daring adventurers. Once a week, groups of 40 can prove their might in these challenging raids. If that’s not dangerous enough, Dawn Passage and Silent Ancient Castel are now explorable in Solo Extreme and Solo Hell modes! In addition, the Eidolon’s Muse and Zashi may also spawn. If they do, players will be rewarded with incredible loot for defeating them. You can also receive the aforementioned dragon companions by participating in the Gaia Chronicle event!  

Ironsight Reveals Upcoming Update: (9:52)

On a completely different note, Ironsight has a new update on the way from gamigo, that plans on adding quite a few new features and additions. Ironsight will be adding its own Battle Pass, the “Iron Pass”. It will be available to all players but can also be purchased to unlock even more exclusive rewards. The Iron Pass has 30 tiers, and players can take on seasonable challenges, as well as complete daily contracts to receive medals to unlock weapons with amazing skins, boxes and more.

Ranked Mode has been re-worked, and will be coming back with this update. A new feature will let players queue up with their friends, and each season will have four maps. Different dog tags will also be rewarded at the end of each season, depending on how well the players perform. Many of the challenging Multiplayer-Maps have been polished. Additional features included in the update are “Custom Match improvements” and a revamped “Loadout Screen UI” as well as the “Drone System,” which allows players to send their Drones and Mechs into battle. New skins such as the community created skin “Kraken” for the Desert Eagle complete the picture. 

Mad World MMO Reveals Upcoming Alpha Test: (11:00)

Jandisoft announced this week that their Alpha Test for the MMORPG Mad World MMO (yes, that’s the title, Mad World MMO) will begin on May 22nd. This test will be under a strict NDA, so distributing, copying, or sharing assets within the game is completely prohibited. Luckily we have this trailer to show you, Mad World MMO as you can tell, is a 2D isometric MMORPG set in a post-apocalyptic world with a really cool art style in my opinion. It offers both PVE raiding and competitive PVP along with plenty of other standard MMO content mainstays. If you’re interested, you’re in luck! There’s a link in the description where you can sign up for a chance to participate in the closed Alpha Test.  

Rocket Arena to enter Closed Beta in May 2019 from Nexon: (11:43)

Here’s another cool looking game in the news, Rocket Arena is an upcoming 3v3 cross-platform FPS from Nexon and Final Strike Games, and it’s about to enter its closed beta! The test will begin on May 23rd and will run through May 29th via the Nexon Launcher and Steam. Rocket Arena is set in the world of Crater and introduces gameplay mechanics that look to set it apart from other AAA shooters by focusing mainly on rockets with unique abilities.

As the name implies, In the game, you’ll be equipped with a blast meter that increases as you’re blasted by rockets. As the meter reaches its critical point, you’ll be susceptible to being knocked out of the arena. Similar to smash bros, This is the major kill condition of the game. The game also boasts dedicated matchmaking functionality, which considers the player skill and latency when pairing players up. At launch, Rocket Arena will have cross-platform play for PC and Xbox One, with the Playstation 4 version still in development.  

Runescape Partners with Twitch Prime for Loot Drops: (12:39)

And finally, for our last announcement, Runescape and Oldschool Runescape are giving away some awesome loot for members of Twitch Prime for a limited time! The first of these drops is available now and more awesome content will be launched throughout the summer for both newcomers and veteran adventurers alike. Players will receive exclusive loot like Runecoins, Treasure Hunt Keys, and Hearts of Ice as well as a one-month free membership in game. This event will run now through September 22nd, and we’ve got the full list of content drops and what they contain over on MMOHuts.com, check it out.