Rift at E3: First Look at Storm Legion!

Trion held a 16 minute live stream at E3 today, during which they gave players their first look at the upcoming expansion, Storm Legion. The scenery for a few of the dungeons were briefly shown as well as two of the overlands, one of which is interior. Several juicy tidbits were dropped during this live stream, detailed below.

  • The theme of the expansion is the "Rise of Crucia" and the discovery of the two new continents.
  • Quite a bit of lost technology is present on these continents; a "magi-tech feel" was used throughout the expansion areas.
  • The two new continents will make the existing world three times larger than what it currently is.
  • Patches will still continue to happen: 1.9 and 1.10 were mentioned.
  • A "new PTS server for the expansion" was briefly mentioned--possibly a beta server.
  • They're "pretty sure there will be a digital collector's edition."
  • More information on "dimensions", Trion's take on housing, will be released in the near future.

The overland areas shown were called Ashora and Tower of Dawn. Tower of Dawn is an interior, non-instanced overland, which is a break how contested content is currently presented in Rift. Two dungeons called Empryean Core (for level 60s) and Golem Foundry were also briefly shown.

While in Ashora, the QA team took on an epic, end-game difficulty battle against a colossi named Volan. New techniques such as power-up abilities were shown, and Volan even altered the geometry of the world during the battle; for example, at one point he broke through a wall to open up new areas. Ashora also featured purple orbs which are launchpads that spring your character (and mount!) high into the air.

We snagged some exciting screenshots from the live stream, which you can also watch in its entirety after the jump!

Sunstone Valley to Arrive by the End of Summer

UPDATE:  See the official preview on the Free Realms site!

First announced at Fan Faire 2009, players have been able to see Sunstone Valley on the map for a long time but have not been able to get to it.  This just in from E3: Sunstone Valley will be on live servers by the end of summer!  It'll have everything you love in Free Realms:  minigames, new collections, quests, and some fun new stuff!

There's a Gloam Invasion coming, and players will be able to choose to side with the druids or the dwarves of Sunstone Vally who are stranded in the area formerly known as Shrouded Glade. The event brings tons of new storylines, and there will actually be real, non-instanced combat in Shrouded Gloam, so bring your friends!

The Gloam Invasion starts next week, and Sunstone Vally is expected to go live by the end of summer.  You can see the whole interview from E3 on SOE's Twitch page, starting at 21:10. 

Many thanks to our friend Ragu for bringing us this juicy tidbit!

E3 DUST 514 Details Emerge With Gameplay Vid

DUST 514 is not just a sibling-game to big brother EVE Online, it's also getting its own little brother - a Vita app dubbed Neocom. Think of it like your own builder app for the game, allowing you to customize your game character as well as access social features. Also planned is a Home Space for the game, and even if PS Home isn't your thing, you might want to try anyway, as CCP is giving out 10,000 beta keys to the first people who log on. For now, wet your appetite on this awesome E3 gameplay trailer. 

Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 News

A convenient snippet of the E3 demo that was reserved entirely for The Old Republic, right here for everyone. Promises include a new HK Assassin droid, an increase to the level cap, a new PVP warzone, the Cathar as a playable race (most famous for Juhani from the first KOTOR game), and a new planet, Makeb. The video's right here for full details.