Curious to know more about Spellborn NV's upcoming MMORPG? Well, we're glad to inform you that we were able to grab hold of the latest screenshots of the The Chronicles of Spellborn. This batch showcases the vast regions you guys can visit in the game. Get a glimpse of the MMORPG in the full article.

Every good game has its fair share of heroes and villains, and upcoming fantasy MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn is no exception. The lore for this video game is building itself quite nicely, and the developers from Spellborn NV wanted to give people an inside look on just some of the prominent figures from the rock-realms of the Shards.

First off, from the heroes we introduce Bazir Shadowcrest and Doyen Sellgret. They both hail from the city of Quarterstone and both have built up an impressive reputation in their own way. While Bazir, a Daevi rogue, and Doyen, a human Commander of the Marksmen, operate separately, they both aim to serve the Enclave in their own unique way.

And of course what are the heroes in a high fantasy realm without their fair share of villains to fight against. Shagaine Lusinfarn is just one of the antagonists who leads the fight against the Enclave. With his Brotherhood of the Glaive sowing chaos with each raid, he seek vengeance against the atrocities he feels House Maul has placed upon his head.

If there's one villain you definitely don't want to come across in your travels through the Shards, it's this one - Adinthalos, the General of the Demon Army Forces. While Adinthalos may no longer be living among the denizens of the realms, he still haunts the dreams of those who think they can go through life without facing the wrath of the Demon Armies.

All in all, The Chronicles of Spellborn is building up a lore that makes a great basis for any good fantasy game setting. Hopefully, we'll be seeing more updates like these from the developers as time goes on. In the meantime, take a look at some of the images we have of Doyen and Adinthalos from the game.

 

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away? The Grinch could have stolen it, but Spellborn International proves you can find Christmas anywhere if you know how to look.

They've set us a competition and the mechanics are as simple as they can get. They want you to come up with something - anything! - that represents both Spellborn and Christmas. They're opening the competition to accommodate any type of medium; it could be a poem, an artwork, a song, or heck, even a short movie! You can use whatever you want to use just as long as, when it comes down to it, the file you submit to them shouldn't exceed 4MB. If it's bigger than that, send them a URL linking to it.

Submissions will be accepted until December 31, and the best three entries will be awarded by a limited edition TCoS poster. Click the "Read" link for more info on how to submit your entries!

If you thought that you've seen the last of Dutch musicians Within Temptation, you're going to flip your mind with this video. Because not only is it a trailer for upcoming post-apocalyptic game The Chronicles of Spellborn. Oh, no, it isn't. The said Dutch (or Netherlander or Netherlandian, depending on where you live) band has also lent their musical talents to Spellborn International and came up with "The Howling."

Personally, I've never heard of Within Temptation, but watching this video reminds me of Evanescence and even Linkin Park. Their music is cool and seems to fit the game. Well, at least it fits the clips they show of the game. Nonetheless, it's a trippy video to watch. Besides, when was the last time there was a tie up between a real world music band and a video game - an MMO at that? OK, they do this often with Second Life, but I meant when was the last time a Dutch band tied up with an MMORPG? Hmm?

The game uses Unreal Engine 2.5, but for what its worth, the graphics look more like it was done with Unreal 3 (then again there isn't that much of a difference when you're watching a compressed Game Trailers vid, hehe). This third trailer/music video has definitely bumped TCoS up the ladder of anticipated titles. Care to see why?

For an MMO still in beta and having been around little more than a year, the MMORPG known as the The Chronicles of Spellborn has done quite well for itself. This past weekend, forum moderator Thee Nailros announced that it's 50,000th subscriber had signed up. "A very big thank you from all of us here at Spellborn HQ," he says.

They have now opened a general forum topic where any question can be asked. Six of these will be chosen and answered at two week intervals.

Before starting this new feature however, Thee Nailros decided to pick on one of the CoS community's most active member, who goes by the handle of "Wickens."  Here's a bit of the interview:

Thee Nailros: How did you first hear about about The Chronicles of Spellborn?

Wickens: I was getting bored with WoW's grind, and constant item grab so I was [looking] for a new game. That's when I saw TCoS. After a few hours of poking around on various websites, I was in awe. It sounded like someone finally took out the parts of the game that were  fun and annoying, then created a system that's just fun and gives you actual control over your character.

Thee Nailros: Was there a special reason why you signed up on TCoS.com (the community forum)?

Wickens: For a few weeks, I was basically just sitting in the background of the forums, reading and taking everything in about the game that I could. I quickly realized that the community feeling for this game is very different from most online communities. The people have a wonderful sense of humor, and sarcasm to go with it. Being able to joke around with forum/IRC members and not worry about getting flamed because they know you're just joking is a great breath of fresh air.

The most important thing to me though was the developers participation; It's outstanding! There's always a dev lurking somewhere on the forums. They dont hide from questions, and they're always willing to help anyone with anything.
They make their own topics, they talk about their lives with the rest of the community, just like any other forum member does. It really helps the users when they see that the devs are so dedicated to the game, that they take the time to talk with the community on a daily basis, and get to know us on a personal level.

Thee Nailros: What keeps you coming back to the forums on a regular base?

Wickens: The community is great. New people are always welcome with us and everyone does whatever they can to help people out with info about the game...people who post their own artwork, ideas and music themed towards the game is staggering.

Thee Nailros: After being around for several months, what are you most looking forward to in TCoS?

Wickens: The whole game. It's hard to narrow it down to specific things; Especially after they revealed the Daevi. If I had to choose, it would easily be the customization options when you make your character. Being a beta tester I cant say anything about it's current form, but I cant wait to see the final character creation system.

Thee Nailros: Is there anything you want to share with the TCoS community?

Wickens: Yes, there is; Boobies!

The Chronicles Of Spellborn is currently in beta, and is scheduled for a Q4 release.

If you've missed any Chronicles of Spellborn newsletters, don't fret. As of today, their newsletter archive is live. All bi-weekly newsletters will be archived after three days, and can be accessed without charge or registration requirement.

Currently, all issues are available, and the six most recent newsletters are available in French and German as well as English.

Currently in development by Spellborn International,  TCoS combines elements of sword and sorcery with science fiction. In the game universe, a civilization consisting of two races - humans and daevi - are struggling to survive inside hollow rocks, known as Shards, which are the remnants of the Ancestor world destroyed by the Deadspell Storm. Collectively, the Shards where survivors live are called "The Enclave," which is an Alliance of Five houses. The conflict is the result of power struggles among the Five Houses. As these are of a political nature, the term "good vs. evil" has little meaning; however, you will want to choose your allies carefully, and these shift constantly.

The game uses a unique animation and graphic style, and will use the Unreal Engine. It is scheduled for release later this year.

Spellborn International is betting that their flagship product, Chronicles of Spellborn, will attract new gamers and hook existing ones by integrating them into the fantasy world beyond the level of simple gameplay. As their marketing manager, Barry Hoffman put it, "It's not about killing rats; everything you are doing is part of the storyline."

CoS is based on the cutting-edge Unreal Engine and includes unique gaming elements like ancestral quests, guild uniforms, unique costumes and honor badges made from enemy loot, the ability to lock skills into a weapon, and the availability of high-level game elements to low-level characters.

The challenge for Spellborn International is the state of the market, in which MMO's spring up like weeds. How difficult is it for a new MMO to get attention?

“One of the things, of course, with MMOs is that people have to play it,"says Barry Hoffman.  "You can talk about it, you can show it but people have to play it. The biggest thing you can do is have a huge trial, a huge beta – if it is good, those playing it will shout it out. If it is bad, they will shout that out as well.”

Hoffman goes on to explain CoS's unique combat system. “It is twitch related, but it is not a hybrid system like others tried to do. Next to this is our skill bar.” The game's skillbook stores all skills available to a player, and are not tied to certain levels. In essence, skills acquired early on continue to be viable as players increase their power through leveling. Another strong element is the end-game, including the concept of "ancestral quests." Players begin quests that become part of the clan or guild history. Later generations of characters can take up the same quests, encountering the same challenges as their forebears.

CoS is scheduled for release in Q4. Players who'd like to participate in beta testing should sign up here.