Filed under: Dragonica Online

Time running out on Dragonica Online promotion

by Patrick Mackey Mar 25th 2010 at 11:00PM

Filed under: Contests, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online, Giveaways

Last month, we announced that Dragonica Online was so confident that they had a quality free-to-play product that they decided to put the myth to the test. It takes a certain amount of guts to say that not only is your game the best, but that you'll give customers cash towards their game of choice if they don't think so. Fortunately for players of free-to-play side-scrolling MMOs, publisher THQ*ICE did just that.

Since February 23rd, the promotion has resulted in thousands of eager new players taking up the challenge. Over 95% of the players involved in the challenge have named Dragonica Online the winner in the showdown, giving THQ*ICE more than a little bragging rights. Still, all good things must come to an end, and the chance to earn a share of the $50,000 prize runs out on March 31st.

All you need to do to get in on the action is to head over to the official Dragonica site, register a new account, and tear up some mobs with some friends. Once you've hit level 19 and banked a few friend points, if you think that whatever side-scrolling MMO you played before Dragonica was more fun, THQ*ICE will hook you up with a $5 Ultimate Game Card that you can use for numerous free-to-play titles. If you liked what you saw during your time playing Dragonica, they will give you $5 towards Dragonica's online store plus a free in-game gift pack.

If you've never had the chance to experience Dragonica Online but were always interested, now is the time to check it out. With only 6 days left, time is running out fast to get in on the deal.

Gallery: Dragonica Online gallery

The Drakos Tower returns to Dragonica with all new challenges

by Krystalle Voecks Mar 2nd 2010 at 10:00PM

Filed under: Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

Dragonica -- the EU version of the game -- is gearing up to add the darkly sinister Drakos Tower back in to the game. Word is that the entire area has been completely redesigned from the previous incarnation, when only the first three floors were available. Now, players will have access to 20 floors of horrible, adorable monsters, great for Level 53-70 players. Of course, if you haven't made it that far in the game, don't worry! The team at gPotato (EU) have also started a "massive EXP event" until the update launches on the 4th, just perfect for players looking to level up.

Those brave inhabitants of Dragotaka who decide to take on the challenge will find themselves facing off against a half-robot, half-human creature; a spider crab; and a winged demon; all hell-bent on your destruction. Players will also learn more about the sinister secret lore of Dragonica as they quest through the revamped area. With that said, if you're not quite to that level yet, the update will additionally introduce the brand new crafting system -- ensuring a little something for everyone.

So, be sure to get those Dragonica patchers ready, and jump in to enjoy some bonus experience while you wait for the update on Thursday. Spooky surprises await!

Dragonica Online puts their money where their MMO is in a Side-Scroller Showdown

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 23rd 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Video, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

You've got to hand it to the folks at THQ*ICE -- it's pretty obvious they believe they have an excellent free-to-play side-scrolling MMO on their hands with Dragonica Online. Why? Because they're offering up $50,000 in prizes in their newest promotion, the "Side-Scroller Showdown" to see if players pick their MMO as the best side-scrolling free-to-play game!

Essentially, the idea is this: THQ*ICE want you to check out Dragonica Online. Log in, run around, have some fun, battle some monsters; then decide which side-scroller shall reign supreme. For participating, each player will receive $5 in-game credit in their favorite f2p side-scrolling MMO -- even if it's the competition! Of course, if you do pick Dragonica Online as your favorite side-scroller, not only will you get $5 worth of in-game credit, you'll also get a special "Side-Scroller Showdown" gift pack.

Dragonica launches new low-level dungeon

by Rubi Bayer Feb 1st 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

European Dragonica fans will soon find a little more to do in the early stages of the game. On February 4th, Dragonica will launch the Temple of Water.

The dungeon will be open and accessible to all players, but geared specifically toward those in the level 26-30 range. The Temple of Water is a name well known to the residents of Port of the Winds, but disturbing changes are being made recently. The once friendly water spirit Endairon has cut off communication, and strange water creatures have been seen near the Temple. Lord Steven is concerned, and asks that you look into the matter.

If you're a higher level player looking for a challenge, sit tight. A few weeks after the Temple of Water opens, Dragonica will be reopening the Drakos Dungeon, an area designed for players level 58-65. Either way, you'll want to make sure you explore both areas -- you may find some surprising connections between the two. Good luck!

Dragonica Online kicks off 2,500 dollar gift card contest

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 18th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Contests, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

We know what you're thinking. You're thinking that Dragonica Online is offering you a 2,500 dollar gift card to their own game. Well, that's what we thought too, but we were wrong. 100% wrong!

The Dragonica Online Water Series Game Card Sweepstakes (hereafter referred to as "the contest" because that's one huge name) is offering new players and old players a chance at a very sweet 2,500 dollar gift card to Best Buy, allowing you to stock up on all of your electronic needs! All you need to do to enter is simple -- simply sign up for a THQ*ICE passport, download Dragonica Online, and then log into the game before January 31st. Really, it's that simple. If you're already a Dragonica Online user, simply logging in will enter you into the contest.

Five first place winners will be grabbing a $25 limited edition Dragonica Online Water Series Game Card while 10 second place winners will find themselves the proud owner of a $10 limited edition Dragonica Online Water Series Game Card. We don't know what's so "limited edition" about them, but who wants to turn down game credit for logging in?

Remember, the contest only runs until January 31st, so make sure to log in to participate! Also, THQ*ICE runs the North American version of Dragonica, so sorry in advance to our friends overseas -- this one's not for you guys.

Massively's 2009 Winter Holiday Event Guide

by Rubi Bayer Dec 16th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Super-hero, Aion, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Lineage, Lineage 2, Lord of the Rings Online, MapleStory, Culture, Events, in-game, Warhammer Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima Online, MetaPlace, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Dragonica Online, Cities XL

It's that time of year again -- whatever holiday you are celebrating, the denizens of your favorite MMO are sure to be celebrating it too. Whether it's Festivult in Dungeons and Dragons Online, Wintersday in Guild Wars, or the Starlight Celebration in Final Fantasy XI, the theme is the same. There are presents, some sort of sugary treats, and tons of fun. Follow along with us as we check out who's partying in your favorite MMO and what you need to do to get in on the fun.

Play Dragonica Online "with a little help from your friends"

by Rubi Bayer Dec 11th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

THQ*ICE is launching a new event to help spread the word about Dragonica Online. Current players can invite their friends to join Dragonica Online and receive rewards for it during the "With a Little Help From Your Friends" event.

Here's how it works: log in to your THQ*ICE passport to find an invitation URL unique to your account. Use that URL to invite friends. You can win three Essence of Friendship items and a Magic Academy Uniform Package when one of three goals is achieved: five friends join and reach level five, three friends join and reach level ten, or one friend joins and reaches level twenty.

New players aren't left out in the cold either. Invited friends will receive five Essence of Friendship items and eight Party Warp Cards once they join and reach level eight.

If you're a Dragonica Online fan, it's a great time to invite your friends along for the ride! The event is going on now and will continue until January 11th.

Dragonica Online raises the Veil of Darkness

by Krystalle Voecks Nov 28th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Expansions, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

Not content to sit on their laurels with the recent launch of their fun free-to-play game, Dragonica Online, THQ*ICE has now added and expanded their world with their recent free expansion, the Veil of Darkness. This veil has now cut off the lands of Drakos from the population of loyal Dragonicans, and forebodes a new evil. Dragonica Online's newest update has been hotly anticipated by players for some time but was held back to ensure that the content was fixed up as best they could before they released it into the world -- always a plan we can get behind!

Among the myriad details of all the goodness jam packed into patch 1.1.4, the Veil of Darkness, players' max level is now 65, better equipping them to take on the 40+ new quests -- including new epic monster quests and dungeons. The pet system has now been incorporated, allowing players to complete quests to pick up friendly pets at level 20, 30, and 40. There are some really excellent additions to the shop too with new vanity items, items to expand bag space for the MMO pack-rats, and a recall card that allows players to save their location on the field map -- definitely a welcome option. Along with all of this the game has had a complete overhaul in terms of rebalancing to bring more fun to the table for players. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, be sure to pop over to the Dragonica Online site and read the full patch notes for all the specifics.

Massively's Thanksgiving 2009 MMO wrapup

by Rubi Bayer Nov 25th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Super-hero, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EverQuest, Guild Wars, Events, in-game, News items, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Earth Eternal, Champions Online, Dragonica Online

It's that time of year again -- Thanksgiving is tomorrow and all things turkey related have invaded the MMO world: hunting turkeys, eating turkeys, exchanging turkey parts for rewards, wielding turkey weapons, and even wearing turkeys on your head. Sending yourself into a tryptophan coma isn't the only thing to do, though. You'll find some non-turkey related PvP here and there, opportunities to spread Thanksgiving blessings, and even some new content. And of course, Thanksgiving bonuses, treats, and souvenirs are everywhere. Follow along after the jump for a look at what's going on for Thanksgiving.

Dragonica Online goes live in style

by Rubi Bayer Oct 15th 2009 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Expansions, Launches, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

Dragonica Online, the free-to-play MMO from THQ*ICE is finished with open beta and ready to party. They celebrate their grand opening today with contests, extra loot and XP, special items for sale, and...an expansion? Yep, that's right. The Tales of the Damned expansion releases at the same time, so it's safe to say that a lack of new content is not going to be a problem.

The Dragonica Online team clearly had a great time planning the grand opening, and their sense of fun is communicated throughout the game. The open market has temporarily become the Dragonica Online Black Market, offering up extra special items for a limited time. Logging in daily gets you a chance at a Dragonica Online game card, and they are getting their forums in on the act, opening a contest that requires posting screenshots. Throughout the fun are hints of an upcoming Halloween event as well. Best of all, Dragonica Online promises no character resets, so those of you who have already checked it out can head straight for the new level 50+ content.

If you haven't checked it out, it looks like THQ*ICE has put in more than enough time and effort on this to make it worth a look.

Dragonica announces details of new expansion

by Rubi Bayer Oct 9th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

Fans of the free-to-play MMO Dragonica are anticipating Tales of the Damned, the expansion due to be released later this month. Dragonica offered up a sneak peek yesterday in the form of screenshots and plenty of information on the expansion.

Tales of the Damned offers a new area, the Van Cliff dungeon, to bring new challenges to level 60+ players. It builds on familiar content, continuing a story told in the August update, and features three elite bosses that lead up to an even more formidable end boss, the giant Bone Dragon.

Dragonica isn't stopping at one new area with this expansion either. They'll also add a new tournament system for guilds, a level cap increase, new mission scoring, and an eagerly awaited pet system.

More new content will be released a few weeks after Tales of the Damned, in the form of Drakos' Tower. This new area will also build on a familiar story, one from the game's introduction. Drakos' Tower brings mazes and puzzles for players to solve, as well as three new bosses and new armor sets.

As with the original game, the new content is free, and will be introduced via a patch this month.

Pets coming to Dragonica as part of Tales of the Damned

by Krystalle Voecks Sep 24th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Expansions, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

If you're a fan of cute, action-packed free-to-play side-scrolling MMOs, then Dragonica is a solid choice. Of course, you then smack headlong into the question of which particular variant you're going to play. The United States has Dragonica Online operated by THQ*ICE, and Europe has Dragonica which is operated by Gala Networks. There's also several other variants maintained by other companies running under that exact same title to further confuse matters. Just to clarify: we're talking today about Gala Networks gPotato European variant of Dragonica. The interesting news (now that all that localization stuff is out of the way) is that pets are coming as part of the upcoming Tales of the Damned expansion.

Starting as wee eggs that players will get, each of the three new pets will hatch out and develop over time. At first they'll simply be "fashionable companions" that will add some stat bonuses to players' characteristics. Later, pets will have the ability to have passive skills (no word on what skills yet), fighting against monsters, and eventually being able to be used as mounts! The current three pets that will be offered initially will be Husky the dog, Felix the cat and Griffon the bird, all pictured above. In addition to these pets, players will also be getting controller support, a new Emporia Tournament system for guilds, new maps, dungeons, bosses, and the level cap will be raised to 65. Sounds like it's a good time to be a gPotato Dragonica player to us.

THQ*ICE's Dragonica Online to enter open beta on August 18th

by William Dobson Aug 13th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Dragonica Online

THQ*ICE's version of Dragonica Online is all set to transition into its open beta phase of testing next week, on the 18th of August. There's always been a bit of confusion regarding the different versions of this game and their various states of readiness, so we'll be very careful about explaining which one this is: THQ*ICE is responsible for the North American iteration of Dragonica Online. The three English versions have each been attempting to lock down users that try to connect to the wrong service by way of IP blocks. An easy way to see which one you should be registering for is to check the game's Wikipedia entry, which lists all of its publishers worldwide. Also, the NA version is the only one with "Online" in the name.

Phew! With that red tape out of the way we can return to your scheduled programming. Those interested in joining the open beta should head to the Open Beta Countdown page and sign up. The test officially kicks off at 2PM Pacific on Tuesday -- if you're too filled with Dragonica excitement to wait that long, then consider entering the "Craft a Dragonica Online T-Shirt" contest. The winning shirt will be made official, and the contest page promises a surprise for the creator: "The winning entrant will be immortalized in Dragonica Online history. Although we can't mention more on this at the moment, it's safe to say you won't soon forget winning!"

E3 2009: A complete roundup of Massively's coverage

by James Egan Jun 8th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Jumpgate Evolution, MMO industry, New titles, The Agency, All Points Bulletin, Global Agenda, Free Realms, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Champions Online, Home, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragonica Online, RIFT: Planes of Telara, Final Fantasy XIV

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 proved to be a significant event for the gaming industry once again, with a fair amount of news and announcements related to MMOs. Massively was there on the ground for E3 this year and we've been putting up breaking announcements, interviews, and hands-on previews throughout.

Given how much info came out of E3 on Massively, here's a roundup of our coverage, day-by-day. Be sure to check out the rest after the jump as there's plenty more content, plus you'll find E3 galleries for these games as you click through. To cap it all off, we've also put together an E3 2009 wrapup video for you at the end of this post. Read on to see where the MMO industry is headed in the next year and beyond!

Day One

Star Wars: The Old Republic world's first fully-voiced MMO

Final Fantasy XIV announced

Jumpgate Evolution releases E3 trailer

EA to publish All Points Bulletin in 2010

PlayStation Home hits 6.5 million accounts

Trion World Network unveils Heroes of Telara

Massively's day 1 video from the E3 floor

E3 2009: Massively's day 4 roundup

by James Egan Jun 6th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Champions Online, Dragonica Online

Wait a minute, day 4 of E3 2009? Remedial math skills? E3 was only a three-day event, but our own coverage of Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 is going to last a bit longer. We've still got a number of interviews and previews lined up for you in the coming days, today included, so we hope you'll keep reading this weekend. In the meantime, here are a few highlights of Massively's coverage of E3 2009 from yesterday:

Champions Online interview with Bill Roper on character customization

Torchlight, from creators of Mythos, to morph from single player to MMO

Rohan: Blood Feud to get crafting system in June

Massively's Dragonica Online Impressions

If you'd like to see more, we've got some eye candy after the jump, with galleries for Champions Online, Torchlight, Rohan: Blood Feud, and Dragonica Online.

Massively Features

Events Calendar

Name	Date
Dragon*Con	Sep 3-6, 2010
PAX Prime	Sep 3-5, 2010
Clone Wars Adventures Launch	Sep 15, 2010
Final Fantasy XIV Launch	Sep 30, 2010
GDC Online	Oct 5-8, 2010
LEGO Universe Launch	Oct 26, 2010
DCUO Launch	Nov 2, 2010

Massively Staff

Name	Title
Shawn Schuster	Editor-in-Chief
Seraphina Brennan	Senior Editor
Brianna Royce	West Coast Editor
Dan O'Halloran	Features Coordinator
Brendan Drain	Contributing Editor
Eliot Lefebvre	Contributing Editor
Jef Reahard	Contributing Editor
Justin Olivetti	Contributing Editor
Krystalle Voecks	Contributing Editor
Rubi Bayer	Contributing Editor
Tateru Nino	Contributing Editor
Beau Hindman	Columnist
Edward Marshall	Columnist
Greg Waller	Columnist
Jeremy Stratton	Columnist
Larry Everett	Columnist
MJ Guthrie	Columnist
Patrick Mackey	Columnist
Ryan Greene	Columnist
Lisa Poisso	Columnist