Path of Exile Open Beta Weekend!

Path of Exile is a dark fantasy themed action Free-To-Play MMORPG that is being developed by a New Zealand indie game studio, Grinding Gear Games. The game has heavy influences from Diablo II, but don't be fooled by just its appearance. Path of Exile has a very unique feel to it, alongside with the extensive 750 passive skill tree as well as its money system. The game will be open for beta testing for the public this weekend, starting from 30th March to 1st April. Throughout the weekend, Path of Exile will include the first two acts of the game, Default and Hardcore leagues, 5 character classes, more than 55 active skills and 40 support gems, and hundred of different item types.

If you've been looking for an MMORPG to play, make sure to try out Path of Exile during the open beta weekend. I personally have been playing it for quite a while in the closed beta, and I must say it has the potential to be a solid competitor to Diablo II and maybe even Diablo III. You can check out their website for more details, and they already have a countdown timer so that you can sit and wait.

Image source: http://gamelist.mmogamesite.com/mmo/path-of-exile.html

Elder Scrolls MMO?

The rumors of an Elder Scrolls MMO have been circulating for quite a while, but it has been revealed by Tom's Guide that Bethesda will be officially announcing Elder Scrolls Online in May 2012. The game is supposedly set at a full millennium before Skyrim, which is at least a few hundred years before any of the Elder Scrolls Series. Little is known about the MMO yet, but we do know that there will be three factions, each represented by either a dragon, a lion, or a bird. More information should be made known in the near future.

Elder Scrolls MMO? I'm sold, as long as they don't screw things up. Just imagine, thousands of players in town screaming "Fus Ro Dah", that would be quite the sight. This is yet another game I'm looking forward to in 2012, and I just hope that Bethesda will deliver.

Image source: http://www.gamezone.com/products/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/news/is-an-elder-scrolls-mmo-in-the-works

Aion going Free-To-Play on 28th February

NCSoft has announced that their original Pay-To-Play MMORPG, Aion will be relaunching as a Free-To-Play title. The entire game will be open to free players, with some limitations such as trading, chatting, poorer rewards from quests, and a few other restrictions. Apart from the limitations, F2P players can do everything else in the game.

There will be three different player statuses depending on the payment model they choose:

1. Starter
• Free to play users
• Limited game features
2. Veteran
• Former subscribers
• Nearly full game features
3. Gold Pack
• Ongoing subscribers
• Full game features with bonuses

It's not the first time that a P2P MMO has gone F2P in the past few years, and I think that going F2P is definitely the way forward in the world of MMOs.

You can sign up for Aion here: http://www.aionfreetoplay.com/website/free2play/ 

Image source: http://www.gamefluke.com/f2p-news/aion-going-free-to-play-in-europe-in-february/