Everyone who plays Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been on the lookout for what improvements Funcom will be making to the game. Well, the preliminary update notes for the upcoming update have been posted on the AoC test live forums. Check out the notes for yourself in the full article!

 

Now that the first true expansion to one of the biggest MMORPGs in the market has arrived, the world of Guild Wars created by NCsoft is bound to change with Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Or at least, the meta game should shift towards heavier competition with new skills to choose from.

In the latest issue of State of the Game, the focus is on skills that already appear in battle often, and those potentially deadly ones that may soon see the spotlight. For the backline, monks might want to look at Cure Hex for extra utility with added healing power. Smoke Powder Defense is also good for monk assassins who love to kite - blinding enemies while retreating back to safety is priceless.

Frontline warriors and dervishes could dish out more crippling if they squeeze Knee Cutter into their skill bars. For mesmers in the midline who always encounter hectic situations, Power Lock seems to be a good alternative to shut enemies down more effectively. Elementalists may look at Shell Shock for some armor cracking and more painful spikes.

As this State of the Game's author believes, necromancers haven't been as crucial as other mainstay classes in GvG. This could change though, if Defile Defenses is used against warrior-heavy setups. For runners, Signet of Mystic Speed proves to be attractive. Not only is it a signet with fast recharge, it also provides up to 33% faster movement speed if a couple of enchantments are on the user.

For more in-depth analysis of these new skills, click on the Read link below.

The Guild Wars metagame changed radically when Nightfall was released. Tons of new skills and a couple of new characters make for a more demanding PvP gameplay. Since the dervish was introduced, players have tried and experimented all sorts of builds to make the most efficient scythe-wielding, transforming dude. Christian Bellisford, an established GW critic shares his views on the gods the dervish turned into.

Bellisford believes that nothing compares to Avatar of Melandru at the moment. Only through hexes and a proper strategy can you win against this havoc-wreaking god of nature.

    

More info about the analysis after the jump!

 

Taking another look at the rank list for the qualifying Arena 5v5 teams for the miniscule upper bracket, we see there's a new line up (though mostly unchanged) teams from each battlegroup that could stand to qualify for the main Arena tournaments. The qualification round is set to end on April 15, about the time you'd better comply with tax filing.

The list now stands at:

• Bloodlust – “Power Trip” from Tichondrius (professionally sponsored)
  
• Cataclysm – “Fuddruckers” from Auchindoun
• Cyclone – “Warm It Up” from Daggerspine (new placer)
• Emberstorm – “Front Line Assembly” from Tortheldrin
• Frenzy – “Dekens Mom” from Blade’s Edge (new placer)
• Nightfall – “C A P S L O C K C R E W” from Kel’Thuzad
• Rampage – “THE HUKHUKHUKHUKHUKS” from Illidan (new placer)
• Reckoning – “Portable Hotdog Steamers” from Smolderthorn
• Ruin – “Rerolled” from Azgalor
• Shadowburn – “The Challenge” from Dark Iron
• Stormstrike – “Yea We Lift” from Mal’Ganis
• Vengeance – “The Fighting Mongooses” from Mug’Thol
• Vindication – “Clan HeX” from Lightning’s Blade
• Whirlwind – “Lazy Town” from Cenarius

Now remember, this list only reflects the qualifiers for the actual Arena Tournament and not the season as a whole. So all those who are still working on grabbing those Epic Arena gear and a chance to win a Swift Netherdrake, can still continue to do so without being discouraged. We wish all these current qualifiers good luck as there are two more weeks to go. That's a lot of time for much to change.

Blizzard's definitely starting to spice things up for all the active PvPers in World of Warcraft. Just recently, Blizzard poster Drysc put up a list of the current top 5v5 Arena teams from each Battlegroup on the official WoW forums. Here's the list:

• Bloodlust – "Power Trip" from Tichondrius
• Cataclysm – "Fuddruckers" from Auchindoun
• Cyclone – "Outplayed" from Daggerspine
• Emberstorm – "Front Line Assembly" from Tortheldrin
• Frenzy – "ATM" from Area 52
• Nightfall – "C A P S L O C K C R E W" from Kel’Thuzad
• Rampage – "Dejthstoneibilyfunecima" from Cho’gall
• Reckoning – "Portable Hotdog Steamers" from Smolderthorn
• Ruin – "Rerolled" from Azgalor
• Shadowburn – "The Challenge” from Dark Iron
• Stormstrike – "Yea We Lift” from Mal’Ganis
• Vengeance – "The Fighting Mongooses" from Mug’thol
• Vindication – "Clan HeX" from Lightning’s Blade
• Whirlwind – "Game blouses" from Cenarius

The teams listed above are currently competing for a spot in the qualifiers for the first ever WoW Arena Tournament. So, who are you guys rooting for? Leave a comment below and let us know.

For those of still getting your bearings in Guild Wars, take note that it's a PvP-focused MMORPG, hence a lot of the action takes place not against some evil, malevolent, elder god taking over the game's world, but rather against your fellow gamers, though they're probably no less evil and malevolent than the aforementioned elder-god.

With that detail drop-kicked out of the way, the most prevalent character build in-game are geared for PvP combat. In line with this, the game offers pre-fab character classes, with pre-set attributes, pre-set primary profession skills, and open slots for secondary profession skills. And of course, you'll have to find/craft your own weapons and armor - didn't think the devs would make this that easy, did you?

After you've decided on a character to play, up ahead is the list playable character classes, along with their six primary profession skills, a basic strategy guide per character, and a recommendation for your secondary skills once you unlock them. Remember your Sun Tzu: "Know thy enemy, know thyself."

The full article awaits after the jump!

If you've ever woken up half-naked and sweaty and lying beside your best friend, then you know you've just got nauseous memories. Luckily for you, Everquest II has a whole bag full of them, so you can share the anguish of it all. Welcome back to Everquest II's 27th Update Log. While there have been a lot of additions and tweaks to the game this time around, nothing gets us gamers going than the news about the Pouch of Nauseous Memories. Sure, we could talk about the increased experience for kills and the addition of two new god-based Live Events, but that's nothing compared to the epic addition for the Pouch of Nauseous Memories! What would be the point of talking about new tradeskill writs and new profession hats for Assassins, Bruisers, Defilers and Troubadours if there isn't any mention of your Nauseous Memories, right?

So... what the hell is this epic Pouch of Nauseous Memories update?

Simple: I can equip the Pouch of Nauseous Memories as a ranged weapon and whack people with the combined sadness of a thousand emo children! Now, if only we could have a pouch like that in the real world...

Anyway, get the full updates after the jump (click on the Full Article link below for all the details), and stop sulking, ok?

While the "Balanced Build" may be the best GvG templates in the Guild Wars universe, they require a great deal of skill, patience and cooperation between team members. But what exactly is a "Balanced Build"?

In GW, this consists of a balanced combination of classes (damage, utility and healing), put together in such a way as to remain flexible against a wide range of other type builds. For example, most balanced builds use Pressure and Spike in combination. While pressure is preferable, spikes will keep enemies guessing. Generally, these builds use two Warriors for offense. Others may use three Warriors, or add an Assassin to the lineup. The mid-line is made up of Mesmers, Rangers and Necromancers, each with their own specific function: Rangers harrass and block, while Mesmers can use a "shutdown" technique. Necromancers are generally "hexspammers," and are also able to inflict Disease. Finally, a variety of Monks are used for Defense. Having Healing Skills can be useful, and Elementalists can serve to remove hexes, but if one has more than two Monks, it may hinder the ability to Pressure.

Splitting is unusually taken into consideration when designing a Balanced Build. By splitting a build in half, one avoids having to face opponents in 7v7 and 8v8 settings. This is especially important when facing Spike teams, because potential damage can be minimized.

Some of the various builds one may face include Spikes, Hexes, Degenerative, and Pressure, each of which calls for different strategies - and the nature of the map upon which a battle is being fought can force a team to make further tactical changes.

Master Guild Wars strategist Jonathan Sharp has come up with detailed strategies and suggestions for each of these scenarios, ans well as "Mirror Matches,' in which one Balanced Build faces another. These strategies are discussed in greater detail on the Official GW Website.