Happy New Year, folks! Fanfest Japan is over, and, if you’re anything like me, holiday celebrations dragged you away from keeping a close eye on things. Never fear! Here’s a summary of the important bits from the Stormblood keynote and producer Naoki Yoshida’s live letter XXXIV.
Elder Scrolls Online – Homestead to Launch on PTS on January 3rd
Zenimax isn’t resting on New Year’s Day and has announced that the Homestead update will be launching on the Public Test Server on Tuesday, January 3rd. Originally revealed to launch “sometime in January”, the deployment of Homestead so early in the month is a nice gift to kick off 2017. Homestead will be deployed on live servers in February.
Diablo 3 – 20th Anniversary Retrospective
Members of the original development team talk about the idea behind the Diablo series, their favorite moments and much, much more in this awesome 20th anniversary retrospective video.
DC Universe Online – Free Open Episodes to Continue Through January 31st
Here’s some great news going in to 2017 for DC Universe Online players: Daybreak has announced that Episodes 1-26 are open for all players through January 31st. Originally slated to end today, the team made the decision to extend Open Episodes for another month. The membership and purchase requirements have been lifted for the duration of the event. The only episode not included is the most recent one, Amazon Fury Part III.
Star Wars: The Old Republic – Fan-Made Tribute to Carrie Fisher
A lovely look at the Star Wars: The Old Republic player tribute to Carrie Fisher. Get a tissue. You’ll need it.
Black Desert Online – 2016 Wraps Up with a New World Boss
The fearsome Nouver has taken to the field in Black Desert Online as 2016 comes to a close. Nouver is a powerful dragon field that lives in the midst of the desert and who pelts players with fire and air. Defeat of Nouver can see players loot powerful sub-weapons.
Chronicles of Elyria – Looking Back at the Year that Was and a Peek Ahead
The latest (and long!) Chronicles of Elyria update has been penned and gives a look back at 2016 along with a peek ahead at 2017. The letter starts off with a brief discussion of how the team has grown to more than ten and that the company has moved in to spiffy new digs that will be able to house as many as twenty.
Crowfall – Taking a Look at the Templar
The final Crowfall Archetype to be examined for 2016 is the Templar. In a blog post on the official site, Mark Halash writes about the Templar’s Powers and UI, starting off with a discussion and reminder about “minimum viable powers”. From there, the article examines the history of Templars and the differences between Confessors, the liturgical/arcane part of the church, and Templars, the military/martial part of the same.
Elder Scrolls Online – ESO – Holiday Playthrough with RipperX #2
Check out part 2 of RipperX’s look at the Elder Scrolls Online in-game celebration called the New Life Festival.
Crowfall – The Road to Persistence
While in Austin, Red Thomas stopped in to see Gordon Walton and Todd Coleman about their game Crowfall. With recent patches adding multiple unique servers, the project seems to be on the cusp of persistence!