Filed under: Runes of Magic

Runes of Magic releases new trailer with patch 2.1.6

by Rubi Bayer Feb 4th 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

"The time has come to confront the Demon Lord." Frogster released the latest update for Runes of Magic earlier today, a patch that added Demon Stronghold to the game.

Demon Stronghold is a challenging new 12-man raid that reportedly brings some surprises to the table at its end, requiring players to think fast and fight even faster. We saw a nice array of screenshots recently, but if you'd like a better peek at the action before you head in, Frogster is happy to oblige.

They released a brand new trailer for Demon Stronghold today, giving nearly two minutes of in-game footage from beginning to end. It's a fast-paced, but extensive trailer, giving a nice look at the dungeon as well as an array of the baddies waiting to take you on. To top it all off, the video's finale gives us a preview of the Demon Lord himself.

This is one that you'll want to visit more than once in order to take in the surroundings -- but don't look around too long, Demon Lord Sirloth is waiting! Follow along after the jump for a look at the trailer.

Runes of Magic offering diamonds for surveys

by Krystalle Voecks Jan 31st 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Looking for a way to stock up on some Runes of Magic diamonds, but a bit short on cash? Well, the folks at Frogster Interactive have taken a page from things like Facebook games, and are offering a method to trade a bit of your time for some diamonds.

Through their new partnership with Sponsorpay, Runes of Magic players are able to take surveys and check out products and score a certain amount of free diamonds per offer. All you have to do is to log in to the RoM site, go to the diamond purchase page, select your server, and then select the free diamonds option. From there, you'll be taken to a page that will offer several different surveys or trial offers you can check out. With that said, as with any 'lead generation for in game cash' scenario you run across on the Internet, always make sure you read the fine print. The last thing players will want is those free diamonds hitting them in the wallet later because they didn't.

Runes of Magic collects over 40,000 Euros for charity

by Rubi Bayer Jan 27th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Remember the Save the Children charity event from Runes of Magic back at the end of November? Frogster created a special mount -- Moa's Charity Steed -- at a reduced price, and donated 3 Euros to Save the Children for each mount purchased.

The event lasted from November 20th until December 28th, and Frogster released the final numbers yesterday: "Thanks to the great efforts of our Runes of Magic community, Frogster has donated 40,000 Euros to the international charity organization Save the Children."

In those few weeks allotted for the event, players purchased over 12,500 Moa's Charity Steed mounts to support Save the Children, and the official announcement pointed out that 170 helpers from the charity are working in Haiti today, no doubt supported in large part by the generosity of RoM fans.

It's always great to see game studios and players step up and support a good cause this way, so we at Massively add our sincere thanks to Frogster's.

Runes of Magic unleashes Demon Lord in new dungeon

by Krystalle Voecks Jan 22nd 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Patches, Raiding, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

When Runes of Magic launched with the subtitle 'Rise of the Demon Lord' somehow we knew there would be a day when we faced off against the big guy. Sure enough, the folks at Frogster Interactive and Runewaker Entertainment have finally unleashed His Terrible Demonicness on the world of Taborea in the form of a shiny new 12-player dungeon.

Located in the Naga Plains, Demon Stronghold is a richly textured raid area, offering four mini-bosses before you come up against the Demon Lord Sirloth. Word is that the final fight is a 4-phase battle, which will challenge players to think fast. Those adventurers who succeed in defeating him will be able to carry off the Demon Lord's weapons.

We've gathered up some concept art and screenshots from this shiny new raid and piled them into a gallery for you to check out. Considering how cool this area looks, we're curious to see what kinds of goodies players will carry off from this new raid instance. Should be tasty!

Gallery: Runes of Magic: Demon Stronghold

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.

Runes of Magic brings more new content with Gates of Acropolis patch

by Rubi Bayer Dec 15th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Runes of Magic has a nice holiday gift for its fans in the form of new content, something we're always happy to hear about. Patch 2.1.5. -- Gates of the Acropolis -- brings the start of the Snowflake Festival, new elite skills for Elven characters, new quests, and an expansion of the plant system.

The centerpiece of this patch, though, is the Zurhidon Stronghold, a brand new 12-man raid. The Zurhidon Stronghold continues the story began in "Rise of the Demon Lord." The stronghold is a huge bulwark placed by the Naga as part of their Acropolis on the Aotulia Volcano. Players can explore the fortress in parties of twelve, navigating among the lava streams and eventually taking on Sirloth, envoy of the Demon Lord. The end of the instance will bring about a battle with the Demon Lord himself, so make sure you're well prepared!

The new content for Runes of Magic will be available tomorrow.

Win a Runes of Magic Winter Holiday costume set

by Shawn Schuster Dec 11th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Giveaways

If you're feeling especially festive, and you're a Runes of Magic player, we have a special treat for you today. The good folks at Frogster stuffed our holiday stockings with 900 item keys for their newest in-game costume for the winter holidays. There are male and female version of this set, from which you can choose when you redeem your key.

To grab your key, simply head on over to our giveaway page and follow the directions there. You'll want to redeem your code at this link, where you'll choose between the male or female set. Click on through the jump below to see full screenshots of both costume sets. It's first-come-first-serve on these codes, so best of luck to all, and happy holidays!

Runes of Magic grabs another trophy for their efforts

by Seraphina Brennan Dec 10th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

"Best International PC Game of 2009." That's the title handed to Runes of Magic from the German Game Developer Awards public vote, which was awarded last night to the team in Berlin.

German gamers were invited to vote for their favorite game of 2009, and Runes of Magic took the vote and beat out other German games like Risen and Anno 1404 to claim the title. To go along with the news, Frogster has announced that Runes of Magic has claimed 2.5 million players in the US, Europe, and Korea all together.

We've always been impressed with Runes of Magic's quality gameplay mixed with their free-to-play subscription structure and this award is well deserved. Congratulations to the Runes of Magic team on their newest accomplishment!

One Shots: We don't need no water

by Krystalle Voecks Dec 4th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots, Runes of Magic

When it comes to places to take a nice relaxing ride, we have to admit -- lava pits inhabited with giant angry monsters don't often come to mind for us. For some reason, Remei, who sent in today's Runes of Magic One Shots, thought it would be a good place to mount up and capture a scenic postcard to send in. Brave or crazy -- you decide!

Have you been exploring parts of your favorite game that we haven't seen here? All games are welcome, all images too! Send us combat, posed shots, landscapes, you name it, to oneshots AT massively DOT com. Some information like your name, the name of the game, and a description of what's going on in the screenshot is awesome too. We'll post it up here and give you credit. Alternately, you could put yourself in danger and snap a picture of that as well. It's all up to you.

Gallery: One Shots

Runes of Magic spreads holiday cheer all around

by Eliot Lefebvre Dec 4th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, News items, Player Housing, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

It's that time of the year again, something you could tell by stepping into any mall in the US where seasonal music is now being piped in all day long. There's a connection to be drawn between malls and Runes of Magic, perhaps, since both want you to be ready and willing to buy -- but that doesn't mean Frogster's game isn't willing to give you something as a bit of a present. A lot of games have holiday-themed updates, and Runes of Magic is no exception, but they're pulling out a bit more than usual for this year's celebration.

The update for the game scheduled for mid-December promises to be fairly standard -- holiday-themed decorations in the cities, along with the chance to earn gifts and festive decorations by completing daily quests. But the advent calender is another story. Every day in December up to the 25th, a new piece of art is being put up for fans of the game to enjoy. The first three are already open, and the art work is certainly an attractive treat for the game's many fans. It might even entice you to stop in to the game itself and take a closer look at what they have to offer -- and it's better than going to the mall, since you won't have to listen to the Salvation Army band.

Runes of Magic Save the Children charity event

by Rubi Bayer Nov 28th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Frogster is kicking off the holiday season in Runes of Magic in the best way possible -- by running a promotion designed to give back to a good cause.

Runes of Magic has a brand new mount available in their item shop: the Moa's Charity Steed, pictured above. While most mounts are priced at 395 diamonds, this one has a special promo price of 295 diamonds. The Charity Steed is aptly named: every time someone purchases one of these new mounts, Frogster will donate 3 Euros ($4.50 USD) to the Save the Children Deutschland charity organization. Save the Children is a worldwide agency that is working in over 50 countries to improve the lives of children through parent education, literacy and nutrition programs, immunization clinics, and acting as advocates for children's rights. (The German site can be viewed here.)

The event is going on now and will last until December 28th, so you have plenty of time to pick up your new mount and enjoy doing a good deed.

One Shots: Tyger tyger burning bright

by Krystalle Voecks Nov 26th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Free-to-play, One Shots, Runes of Magic

While we're not quite sure what to make of this mount with the lion's head, antlers and odd electrical charges seeming to jump off its body, we can say it's a fairly pretty beastie - and it matches her outfit too. Add in a cliff overlooking the water with the purple mountains off in the snowy distance and you've got a nifty Runes of Magic screenshot. This picture postcard comes from Aetheress, who writes:This is my first time sending in a screenshot and I thought this was cool. I started playing Runes of Magic and it is incredibly enjoyable. This is a screenshot of me on a cliff in Ystra Highlands with an awesome costume, mount, and wings.

We love to see screens from MMOs both big and small, but we need you to send them in! It's really easy to do - just drop an email to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out, and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots

Runes of Magic cracks open the Lair of the Demon Dragon

by Seraphina Brennan Nov 18th 2009 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, Endgame, News items, Runes of Magic

What's more threatening to the world of Taborea than a dragon? A demon dragon, obviously! Duh! The only thing more threatening than that would be a emo teen-vampire dragon, but it's good that the team at Runewaker didn't go that far. (Or did they?)

This Thursday, the wrath of the demon dragon will be unleashed upon all high level players in patch 2.1.3. The dungeon contained in Aotulia Volcano is the new hardest 12 man raid in the game -- a worthy challenge to players at the top of their endgame.

Even if you're not super high level, the patch will also be introducing a cleaned up crafting system with a new, intuitive UI, and the special "Autumn Harvest" festival. Players will be able to stuff their faces at banquet tables scattered across the land in addition to participating in special holiday themed daily quests. So don't be afraid to jump in and enjoy the new patch this Thursday!

Runes of Magic and Playspan team up for game cards

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 17th 2009 at 9:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Runes of Magic has been enjoying a nice burst of success recently, and as a free-to-play game one of the biggest things that helps it is increased visibility and access to the game's microtransaction system. So it should come has little surprise that Frogster Interactive has teamed up with PlaySpan to start moving branded game cards into 7-Eleven stores, improving both visibility and accessibility in one fell swoop. In addition, Diamonds will be purchasable at PlaySpan's online store, already a hub for several popular free-to-play game currencies.

The game cards, which will come in $10 and $25 denominations, can be redeemed for in-game mounts, enhancements, and other improvements. Overall, this deal will give Runes of Magic a game card presence in over 46 thousand stores inside the US, a high visibility for a fairly young game that's pushing a still-developing business model. And it's certainly not going to hurt that you can pick up some game currency at the same time you grab a soda and one of those little taquito things for a snack on your way home from work.

Runes of Magic's milestone numbers

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 13th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Game mechanics, Crafting, Quests, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Free-to-play MMOs have been staking out an impressive share of the gaming audience, and one of their poster children is Runes of Magic. Frogster Interactive, is understandably pleased with the success that the game has enjoyed, so they've taken the time to share some interesting figures of the game's popularity.

The most recent chapter of the game, The Elven Prophecy, was released only a couple of months ago. Since then, over fifteen million quests have been completed (even more staggering when one considers that the game has recently cleared the two million mark for registered players). A quarter of a million bosses have been brought down in that span of time, as well as over sixteen million items crafted. Even allowing that some of those were likely craft grind fodder, those are impressive numbers.

Of course, one of the wonderful parts about any sort of free-to-play game is that any curiosity about the game can be satisfied by playing right away, which has no doubt contributed to the success Runes of Magic has enjoyed thus far. While it's not the biggest name in the industry, it's experiencing a groundswell of popularity, good news both for fans of the game and the business model alike.