World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Alpha Impressions – Dipping a cautious talon into scalie magic

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As with me playing any other MMORPG that isn’t Guild Wars 2, I must disclose beforehand that I am not the least familiar with World of Warcraft‘s systems. As such, I will merely give my view on the things I experienced in the World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Alpha Realm which may already be old hat, but were points I considered worthy enough to note.

For further reading, check out our interview with Ion Hazzikostas here, and an earlier one with Patrick Dawson and Laura Sardinha here.

DRAGONFLIGHT?
Should you happen to be unfamiliar with Dragonflight, this is the latest World of Warcraft expansion that follows Shadowlands and that expansion’s final major update, Eternity’s End. In quite the large departure from the realm of the dead, Dragonflight gives off the impression of being a “return to basics”, so to speak. The dragons are returning to their role of the caretakers of mortals as their ancestral home in the Dragon Isles have been lifted from the fog: quite literally as it would seem.
I got the opportunity to fumble around in an alpha build which is definitely missing a lot of things, so let’s just go through whatever pieces I get my plebian hands on.
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HOW TO MAKE A DRACTHYR
The expansion introduces a new race in the Dracthyr, which themselves are locked exclusively to the Evoker class as the first race / class combo. The Dracthyr’s racial traits allow them to fly, punt fools around with their wings or tail and seem generally superior to mere mortals in many ways. In making a character, you can design both their draconic and mortal form – known as your Visage – and freely switch between them. The game warns me that the Evoker is an advanced class and recommends me to start with something else for the tutorial, which is kind of them, really.

Aesthetically speaking, both the draconic forms and Visage forms don’t look that different between the male and female options prior to the customization which I like. I don’t know how uwu the dragon can really get in the full thing, but as you can see here, you can see the options for colours, facial structure, accessories, then you can fiddle with markings, spikes, fins, all that good stuff. Some of these details are carried over to your Visage, because yes, you are indeed assuming a more “regular” fleshy form to fit in with the puny beings.
HAVING TWO LEFT WINGS
The faux Prismatic Dragon gets flung into Azeroth much bemused to get started on a specific questline known as The Azure Span. I wanted to get familiar with the basic movements first though, and quietly balking at the two hotkey bars, I tabbed through the various menus first. Honestly, the Adventure Guide having so many pages felt quite daunting already even if I wasn’t going to be heading into any of them.

I did quite like the fact the whole “class / race” fantasy thing is there from the get-go, since as mentioned, you’re free to swap between your forms anytime you want. I shot off into the sky and bumped into a roof as I had absolutely no clue what I was doing but at least I didn’t fling myself off a cliff by accident. With that in mind, I perused the mounts section, noting the “Mount Equipment” slot. I’m not a good mount driver by any means, but yolo, right?

Once I’m done with the basic menuing, I finally got myself boosted to level 65 – out of the new 70 cap – to start on the prescribed quest. Dragonriding is not available in the vanilla towns as far as I can tell, so getting dropped into this forest area is the first time I got to try out a wyvern. The blue diamonds represent “Vigor”, a resource utilized for Dragonriding skills. You’ll be able to either surge forward or climb skyward, with the actions changing your flying speed.
Unfortunately, this current iteration of Dragonriding just does not feel good to me as it doesn’t feel like it has “weight”. I compared it to throwing a frisbee, as in, me feeling like the frisbee flying through the air, looking speedy but not “much”, if you get what I mean. I’ll hope for this part to be tweaked in full release because riding a dragon / wyvern / whathaveyou and controlling your momentum should feel “more”, is what I think. Once we actually get the complete experience, I’m down to try again.

Incidentally, no, you cannot be in your draconic form when you try Dragonriding. I’d hope to be able to fish in dragon form though, or will that scare the fish? I figured crafting was going to be too much for me so I opted to cha cha real smooth out of that. I did at least take a peek at the dizzying array of Stuff that’s possible to make which basically make no sense to me. H-hurray!

As for the talent trees, I list them down below, so for now, have a look at how the UI looks like at present. In the interest of checking out the crafting, I also took a peek at the UI for the non-Dracthyr talents for a comparison view.
Dracthyr Evoker / Devastation Talent UI.
Pandaren Monk Talent UI.
I gave the HUD Edit Mode a little try, which much like most things in the alpha, is a work in progress. I messed around with resizing the action bars since I felt like I was getting motion sick with all the empty space and just enlarged the icons like I needed reading glasses.

Not that it helped me much in combat. The skills look really cool in motion, even if the whole casting and such feels too slow to me. I concede this is a matter of taste and also needing more time to acclimatize to it, so I won’t pick at this too much. Unfortunately, this was also about the point where the quest bugged out for me, stalling my progress. At the very least, thanks to the handy indicator, even someone like me can shoot at drakes in a sky barrel.
It feels like the Devastation (DPS) specialization would feel extremely easy to execute while the healers (Preservation) have a higher skill ceiling due to the timing. I would cede to veterans to give their opinions though, since this isn’t a combat system I’m used to after all.

Now, from my rudimentary understanding, the Kirin Tor have been relatively neutral and have been protecting Azeroth, and Khadgar himself is here to protect us from the Primalist army as we set up our initial defenses so that Kalecgos will arrive… how far reaching has good ol’ Neltharion’s legacy been, really?

At least checking out the talent trees don’t need story progression, so tarry forth!
WHERE DO MY DRACTHYR’S ILEVELS GO
I’m sure it goes without saying the numbers and effects would be subject to change, but as a “veteran” MMO player, I’m quite familiar with the fervour of theorycrafters and their build plans. Here’s what I noted down for the brand new race / class combo:
GENERAL

                                        NAME

                                        DESCRIPTION

                                        Auto Attack

                                        Automatically attacks a target in melee with an equipped weapon. This ability can be toggled on or off.

                                        Armour Skills

                                        Passive.

                                        Evokers prefer to wear mail armour, although they can wear cloth and leather armour. Starting at level 27, you receive a 5% increase to your primary stat for wearing mail.

                                        Glide

                                        Racial. Instant. 1.5s cooldown.

                                        Reduces your falling speed. You can activate this ability with the jump key while falling.

                                        Awakened

                                        Racial Passive.

                                        Increases your mastery by 2.5%.

                                        Soar

                                        Racial. 1.5s cast. 5m cooldown.

                                        Muster your strength and launch into the air. Cooldown begins when you land.

                                        Discerning Eye (NYI)

                                        Racial Passive.

                                        Increases your Perception by 50. Perception increases the radius of tracking Mining and Herbalism nodes, and the chance of finding additional rare materials when gathering.

                                        Tail Swipe

                                        Racial. Instant. 45s cooldown.

                                        Lash out with your tail, knocking enemies within 6yds into the air.

                                        Dragonriding Basics

                                        Passive.

                                        While riding a dragonriding mount and falling from a high location, your dragon isle drake extends its wings to propel you both forward. Pointing yourself downward grants more momentum. Evening out can transfer that momentum forward.

                                        Pointing yourself upward slows you down. When at your slowest, you will start to fall slowly toward the ground, forward, and down. You also gain access to the following abilities: Surge Forward (Flap Forward). Skyward Ascent (Flap Upward).

                                        Visage

                                        Racial. Instant.

                                        Switch between your Dracthyr and Visage forms. Your Visage puts your party at ease, significantly increasing out of combat health regeneration.

                                        Essence Burst

                                        Passive.

                                        Your Living Flame has a 20% chance, and your Azure Strike has a 15% chance, to make your next Disintegrate, Pyre, or Charged Blast cost no Essence. Stacks 2 times.

                                        Wing Buffet

                                        Racial. Instant. 1.5m cooldown.

                                        With a powerful flap of your wings, knock away enemies in front of you.

                                        Familiar Skies (NYI)

                                        Racial Passive.

                                        You fly 20% on contitents that you have fully explored.

                                        Languages

                                        Racial Passive.

                                        Common, Draconic.

                                        Weapon Skills

                                        Passive.

                                        Evokers can use the following weapons: Axes, Daggers, Fist Weapons, Maces, Staves, Swords

                                        Lift Off

                                        Dragonriding. Passive.

                                        When mounted on a dragonriding mount, double jump to launch upward and start gliding forward.

                                        Winds of the Isles

                                        Dragonriding. Passive.

                                         You can detect and utilize gale winds that redirect your flight and propel you onward, boosting your speed in the direction of the gale.

                                        Master Riding

                                        Passive.

                                        You can now ride at the highest possible speed on your flying mount.

                                        Principles of Soaring

                                        Racial Passive.

                                        While Soaring through the air, pointing yourself toward any given direction sends you in that direction. Pointing yourself downward grants more momentum. Evening out can transfer that momentum forward.

                                        Pointing yourself upward slows you down. When at your slowest, you will start to fall slowly toward the ground, forward, and down. You also gain access to the following abilities: Surge Forward (Flap Forward a short distance, gaining speed). Skyward Ascent (Flap Upward, gaining height at the cost of some momentum).

                                        Thrill of the Skies

                                        Dragonriding. Passive.

                                        While dragonriding at high speeds, you regenerate 1 Vigor every 15s.

                                        Vigor

                                        Dragonriding. Passive.

                                        Dragonriding abilities spend Vigor. SPending time on the ground, whether mounted or dismounted, regenerates 1 Vigor every 30s.

EVOKER
Black boxes indicate where a particular skill line ends.

                                        NAME

                                        MAX RANK

                                        COLOUR

                                        MANA

                                        RANGE (YARD)

                                        CAST TIME

                                        COOLDOWN

                                        DESCRIPTION

                                        NEXT SKILL

                                        Landslide

                                        1

                                        Black

                                        3130

                                        10-40

                                        Instant

                                        1.5m

                                        Conjure a path of shifting stone towards the target location, rooting enemies for 30s. Damage may cancel the effect.
This talent is granted to your specialization for free and can't be unlearned.

                                        Natural Convergence

                                        Obsidian Scales

                                        1

                                        Black

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        2.5m

                                        Reinforce your scales, increasing your armour by 200% and reducing magic damage taken by 20%. Lasts 12s.

                                        Permeating Chill

                                        Expunge

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        1453

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        8s

                                        Expunge toxins affecting an ally, removing all Poison effects.

                                        Rescue

                                        Natural Convergence

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Disintegrate channels 20% faster.

                                        Forger of Mountains, Quell, Innate Magic

                                        Permeating Chill

                                        1

                                        Blue

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your damaging Blue spells reduce the target's movement speed by 50% for 3s.

                                        Innate Magic, Obsidian Bulwark, Enkindled

                                        Rescue

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        3354

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        24s

                                        Fly to an ally and heal them for 11519.

                                        Scarlet Adaptation, Cauterizing Flame

                                        Forger of Mountains

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Landslide's cooldown is reduced by 30s, and it can withstand 200% more damage before breaking.

                                        Innate Magic

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Essence regenerates 5 / 10% faster.

                                        Quell, Recall, Obsidian Bulwark Clobbering Sweep, Heavy Wingbeats

                                        Obsidian Bulwark

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Obsidian Scale's cooldown is reduced by 60s.

                                        Enkindled

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Living Flame deals 5 / 10% more damage and healing.

                                        Tailwind, Cauterizing Flame

                                        Scarlet Adaptation

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Store 20% of your effective healing, up to 10674. Your next damaging Living Flame consumes all stored healing to increase its damage dealt.

                                        Quell

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        40s

                                        Interrupt an enemy's spellcasting and preventing any spell from that school of magic from being cast for 4s.

                                        Roar of Exhiliration, Suffused With Power

                                        Recall

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        You may reactivate Deep Breath within 3s after landing to travel back in time to your takeoff location.

                                        Draconic Legacy

                                        Clobbering Sweep

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Tail Swipe's cooldown is reduced by 45s.

                                        CHOOSE ONE

                                        Heavy Wingbeats

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Wing Buffet's cooldown is reduced by 45s.

                                        Tailwind

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Hover increases your movement speed by 70% for the first 4s.

                                        Extended Flight

                                        Cauterizing Flame

                                        1

                                        Red

                                        1453

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        1m

                                        Cauterize an ally's wounds, removing all Bleed, Poison, Curse and Disease effects. Heals for 9376 upon removing any effect.

                                        Attuned to the Dream, Sleep Walk

                                        Roar of Exhilaration

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Successfully interrupting an enemy with Quell generates 1 Essence.

                                        Suffused With Power

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your Magic damage done is increased by 2 / 4%.

                                        Blast Furnace

                                        Tip the Scales

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        2m

                                        Compress time to make your next empowered spell cast instantly at its maximum empower level.

                                        Draconic Legacy, Tempered Scales, Extended Flight

                                        Attuned to the Dream

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your healing done and healing received are increased by 2 / 4%.

                                        Bountiful Bloom

                                        Sleep Walk

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        2683

                                        25

                                        1.3s

                                        15s

                                        Incapacitate an enemy for 20s, causing them to sleep walk towards you. Damage has a chance to awaken them.

                                        Draconic Legacy

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your Stamina is increased by 2 / 4%.

                                        Exuberance

                                        Tempered Scales

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Magic damage taken reduced by 2 / 4%.

                                        Source of Magic

                                        Extended Flight

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Hover lasts 2 / 4s longer.

                                        Ancient Flame

                                        Bountiful Bloom

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Emerald Blossom heals 2 additional allies.

                                        Ancient Flame

                                        Blast Furnace

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Fire Breath's instant damage is increased by 10 / 20%.

                                        Unravel, Protracted Talons, Oppressing Roar

                                        Exuberance

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        While above 75% health, your movement speed is increased by 10%.

                                        Oppressing Roar

                                        Source of Magic

                                        1

                                        Blue

                                        N/A

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        N/A

                                        Redirect your excess magic to a friendly healer for 30m. When you cast an empowered spell, you restore 0.5% of their maximum mana per empower level. Limit 1.

                                        Fly With Me, Oppressing Roar

                                        Ancient Flame

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Healing yourself with Living Flame reduces the cast time of your next Living Flame by 40%.

                                        Fly With Me, Lush Growth, Renewing Blaze

                                        Unravel

                                        1

                                        Blue

                                        1118

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        9s

                                        Sunder an enemy's protective magic, dealing 13931 Spellfrost damage to absorb shields.

                                        Leaping Flames

                                        Protracted Talons

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Azure Strike damages 1 additional enemy.

                                        Leaping Flames

                                        Oppressing Roar

                                        1

                                        Black

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        2m

                                        Let out a bone-shaking roar at enemies in a cone in front of you, increasing the duration of crowd controls that affect them by 50% in the next 10s.

                                        Leaping Flames, Overawe, Aerial Mastery

                                        Fly With Me

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        3354

                                        30

                                        Instant

                                        1m

                                        Swoop to an ally and fly with them to the target location.

                                        Aerial Mastery, Twin Guardian

                                        Lush Growth

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Green spells restore 5 / 10% more health.

                                        Zephyr

                                        Renewing Blaze

                                        1

                                        Red

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        1.5m

                                        The flames of life surround you for 8s, healing you over 14s for 100% of damage taken.

                                        Fire Within, Pyrexia

                                        Leaping Flames

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Fire Breath causes your next Living Flame to strike 1 additional target per empower level.

                                        Terror of the Skies

                                        Overawe

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Oppressing Roar removes 1 Enrage effect from each enemy, and its cooldown is reduced by 20s for each Enrage dispelled.

                                        Aerial Mastery

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Hover gains 1 additional charge.

                                        Time Spiral

                                        Twin Guardian

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        You and your ally are protected from harm, absorbing damage equal to 30% of your maximum health for 5s.

                                        Zephyr

                                        Fire Within

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Renewing Blaze's cooldown is reduced by 30s.

                                        CHOOSE ONE. PROCEED TO Zephyr

                                        Pyrexia

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        While Renewing Blaze's initial effect is active, you receive 20% increased healing from all sources.

                                        Terror of the Skies

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Deep Breath stuns enemies for 3s.

                                        Time Spiral

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        2m

                                        Bend time, allowing you and your allies to cast their major movement ability once in the next 10s, even if it is on cooldown.

                                        Zephyr

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        2m

                                        Conjure an updraft to lift your party members within 25yds into the air, reducing damage taken from area-of-effect attacks by 20% and increasing movement speed by 30% for 8s.

SPECIALIZATION: DEVASTATION
Black boxes indicate where a particular skill line ends.

                                        NAME

                                        MAX RANK

                                        COLOUR

                                        COST

                                        RANGE (YARD)

                                        CAST TIME

                                        COOLDOWN

                                        DESCRIPTION

                                        NEXT SKILL

                                        Pyre

                                        1

                                        Red

                                        2 Essence

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        N/A

                                        Lob a ball of flame, dealing 3141 Fire damage to the target and nearby enemies. Reduces the cooldown of Fire Breath by 3s.

                                        Ruby Essence Burst, Azure Essence Burst

                                        Ruby Essence Burst

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your Living Flame has a 20% chance to cause an Essence Burst, making your next Disintegrate, Pyre, or Charged Blast cost no Essence.

                                        Volatility, Arcane Intensity

                                        Azure Essence Burst

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Azure Strike has a 15% chance to cause an Essence Burst, making your next Disintegrate, Pyre, or Charged Blast cost no Essence.

                                        Lay Waste, Arcane Intensity

                                        Volatility

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Pyre has a 15 / 30% chance to flare up and explode again on a nearby target.

                                        Dense Energy

                                        Arcane Intensity

                                        2

                                        Blue

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Disintegrate deals 10 / 20% more damage.

                                        Dense Energy, Essence Attunement

                                        Lay Waste

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Deep Breath's damage is increased by 10%.

                                        Essence Attunement

                                        Dense Energy

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Pyre's Essence cost is reduced by 1.

                                        Ruby Affinity, Dragonrage

                                        Essence Attunement

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Essence Burst stacks 2 times.

                                        Azure Affinity, Dragonrage

                                        Ruby Affinity

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Red spells deal 5 / 10% more damage and healing.

                                        Ruby Embers, Engulfing Blaze

                                        Dragonrage

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        2m

                                        Erupt with draconic fury and exhale Pyres at 3 enemies within 25yds. For 20s, Essence Burst's chance to occur is increased to 100%, and you gain the maximum benefit of Mastery: Giantkiller regardless of targets' health.

                                        Animosity

                                        Azure Affinity

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Blue spells deal 5 / 10% more damage and healing.

                                        Power Swell, Eternity Surge

                                        Ruby Embers

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Living Flame deals 695 damage over 12s to enemies, or restores 1363 health to allies over 12s. Stacks 3 times.

                                        CHOOSE ONE. PROCEED TO Firestorm, Cascading Power, Font of Magic

                                        Engulfing Blaze

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Living Flame deals 40% increased damage and healing, but its cast time is increased by 0.5s.

                                        Imminent Destruction

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Empower spells reach maximum level in 20% less time.

                                        Imposing Presence

                                        Animosity

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Dragonrage lasts 6s longer.

                                        Power Swell

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Empower spells increase your Essence regeneration rate by 50%. Lasts 2s per empower level.

                                        Imposing Presence

                                        Eternity Surge

                                        1

                                        Blue

                                        N/A

                                        25

                                        2s empower

                                        30s

                                        Focus your energies to release a salvo of pure magic, dealing 10281 Spellfrost damage to an enemy.

                                        Power Nexus, Causality, Continuum, Charged Blast

                                        I. Damages 1 enemy. | II. Damages 2 enemies. | III. Damages 3 enemies. | IV. Damages 4 enemies.

                                        Firestorm

                                        1

                                        Red

                                        N/A

                                        25

                                        1.8s

                                        20s

                                        An explosion bombards the target area with white-hot cinders, dealing 4290 Fire damage to enemies over 12s.

                                        Snapfire, Feed the Flames

                                        Cascading Power

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Essence Burst has a 10% chance to not be consumed.

                                        Font of Magic

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your empower spells' maximum level is increased by 1.

                                        Feed the Flames, Heat Wave

                                        Imposing Presence

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Quell's cooldown is reduced by 20s.

                                        Heat Wave, Honed Aggression

                                        Power Nexus

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Increases your maximum Essence to 6.

                                        Honed Aggression, Eternity's Span

                                        Causality

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Essence abilities reduce the remaining cooldown of Eternity Surge by 1s.

                                        CHOOSE ONE

                                        Continuum

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Eternity Surge critical strikes grant you Essence Burst.

                                        Charged Blast

                                        1

                                        Blue

                                        2 Essence

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        15s

                                        Exhale a bolt of concentrated power from your mouth for 3901 Spellfrost damage. Azure Strike increases the damage of Charged Blast by 100% for 3s, stacking 2 times.

                                        Eternity's Span, Arcane Reveberation, Expansive Maw

                                        Snapfire

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Living Flame has a 12% chance to reset the cooldown of Firestorm, and make your next one instant cast and deal 40% increased damage.

                                        Feed the Flames

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Pyre reduces the remaining cooldown of Fire Breath by 2s.

                                        Burnout, Ruin

                                        Heat Wave

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Fire Breath deals 20 / 40% more damage over time.

                                        Burnout

                                        Honed Aggression

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Azure Strike's damage is increased by 15 / 30%.

                                        Ruin, Focusing Iris

                                        Eternity's Span

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Eternity Surge and Azure Strike hit twice as many targets.

                                        Focusing Iris

                                        Arcane Reveberation

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Charged Blast has a 40% chance to instantly reset its own cooldown.

                                        CHOOSE ONE

                                        Expansive Maw

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Charged Blast deals 10% more damage and strikes 2 additional enemies.

                                        Burnout

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Fire Breath reduces the cast time of Living Flame by 4 / 8% for 4 / 8s.

                                        Everburning Flame

                                        Ruin

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        During Deep Breath and Dragonrage, you gain the maximum benefits of Mastery: Giantkiller regardless of targets' health.

                                        Tyranny

                                        Focusing Iris

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Disintegrate increases your damage done to the target by 5 / 10% for 4s.

                                        Scintillation

                                        Everburning Flame

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Pyre and Living Flame extend the duration of your Fire Breath's damage over time by 1s.

                                        Tyranny

                                        2

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Fire Breath and Eternity Surge reduce the remaining cooldown of Deep Breath and Dragonrage by 1s per empower level.

                                        Scintillation

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Disintegrate has a 6% chance each time it deals damage to cast a level I Eternity Surge at your target.

SPECIALIZATION: PRESERVATION
Black boxes indicate where a particular skill line ends.

                                        NAME

                                        MAX RANK

                                        COLOUR

                                        COST

                                        RANGE (YARD)

                                        CAST TIME

                                        COOLDOWN

                                        DESCRIPTION

                                        NEXT SKILL

                                        Reversion

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        2795 mana

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        8s

                                        Repair an ally's injuries, healing them for 6944 over 12s. When Reversion critically heals, its duration is extended by 1.8s.

                                        Dream Breath, Echo

                                        Dream Breath

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        5031 mana

                                        N/A

                                        2.5s empower

                                        25s

                                        Inhale, gathering the power of the Dream. Release to exhale, healing 5 injured allies in a 30yd cone in front of you.

                                        Temporal Compression, Essence Burst

                                        I. Heals for 6641 and incurs a 25s cooldown. | II. Heals for 7471 and incurs a 20s cooldown. | III. Heals for 8301 and incurs a 15s cooldown.

                                        Echo

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        2 Essence, 1901 mana

                                        25

                                        1.3s

                                        N/A

                                        Wrap an ally with temporal energy, healing them for 3589 and causing your next non-Echo healing spell to cast an additional time on that ally at 70% of normal healing.

                                        Essence Burst, Rewind

                                        Temporal Compression

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Each cast of a Bronze spell causes your next empower spell to reach maximum level in 5% less time, stacking up to 4 times.

                                        Spiritbloom

                                        Essence Burst

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Living Flame has a 20% chance to make your next Essence ability free.

                                        Live Giver's Flame

                                        Rewind

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        5590 mana

                                        40

                                        Instant

                                        4m

                                        Rewind 50% of damage taken in the last 5s by all allies within 40yds. Alaywas heals for at least 5358. Healing increased by 100% when not in a raid.

                                        Time Dilation

                                        Spiritbloom

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        4248 mana

                                        25

                                        2.5s empower

                                        30s

                                        Divert spiritual energy, healing an ally for 15136. Splits to injured allies within 25yds when empowered.

                                        Emerald Communion, Spiritual Clarity, Empath

                                        I. Heals one ally. | II. Heals a second ally. | III. Heals a third ally.

                                        Live Giver's Flame

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Fire Breath heals a nearby injured ally for 80% of damage done.

                                        Fluttering Seedlings

                                        Time Dilation

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        2236 mana

                                        25

                                        Instant

                                        1m

                                        Stretch time around an ally for the next 8s, causing 50% of damage they would take to instead be dealt over 8s.

                                        Golden Hour, Temporal Anomaly, Just In Time, Delay Harm

                                        Emerald Communion

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Channeled

                                        3m

                                        Commune with the Emerald Dream, restoring 20% health and 2% mana every 0.9s for 4.4s. Overhealing is transferred to a nearby injured ally. Castable while stunned, feared, or silenced.

                                        Flow State, Dreamwalker

                                        Spiritual Clarity

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Spiritbloom's cooldown is reduced by 15s.

                                        Empath

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Spiritbloom increases your Essence regeneration rate by 100% for 10s.

                                        Fluttering Seedlings

                                        3

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Emerald Blossom sends out 1 / 2 / 3 flying seedling(s) when it bursts, healing allies up to 30yds away for 1 / 2 / 3.

                                        Field of Dreams

                                        Essence Strike

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Azure Strike has a 15% chance to cause an Essence Burst, making your next Essence ability free.

                                        Lifeforce Mender

                                        Golden Hour

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Reversion instantly heals the target for 15% of damage taken in the last 5s.

                                        Time Lord

                                        Just In Time

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Time Dilation's cooldown is reduced by 2s each time you cast an Essence ability.

                                        Delay Harm

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Time Dilation delays 70% of damage taken.

                                        Temporal Anomaly

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        14534 mana

                                        N/A

                                        1.3s

                                        5.3s

                                        Send forward a vortex of temporal energy, healing 3 injured allies within 15yds every 1s for 1166. Last 6s.

                                        Nozdormu's Teachings, Temporal Disruption

                                        Flow State

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Emerald Communion increases your maximum health by 20% for 15s.

                                        CHOOSE ONE. PROCEED TO Lifebind

                                        Dreamwalker

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        You are able to move while communing with the Dream.

                                        Field of Dreams

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Gain a 30% chance for one of your Fluttering Seedlings to grow into a new Emerald Blossom.

                                        Lifebind, Call of Ysera

                                        Lifeforce Mender

                                        3

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Living Flame and Fire Breath deal additional damage and healing equal to 1 / 2 / 3% of your maximum health.

                                        Call of Ysera

                                        Time Lord

                                        3

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Echo replicates 10 / 20 / 30% additional healing.

                                        Call of Ysera, Time of Need

                                        Nozdormu's Teachings

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Temporal Anomaly can be cast instantly.

                                        CHOOSE ONE. PROCEED TO Time of Need

                                        Temporal Disruption

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Temporal Anomaly heals 40% more in 40% less time.

                                        Lifebind

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Rescue temporarily bonds your life with an ally, causing healing either of you receive to also heal the bonded partner for 40% of the amount. Lasts 5s.

                                        Sacral Empowerment, Exhilarating Burst, Grove Tender

                                        Call of Ysera

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Rescue increases the effectiveness of your next Dream Breath by 40%, or your next Living Flame by 100%.

                                        Grove Tender, Font of Magic, Temporal Artificer, Borrowed Time

                                        Time of Need

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        When you or an ally fall below 20% health, a version of yourself enters your timeline and heals them for 9261. Your alternate self continues healing for 8s before returning to their timeline. May only occur once very 90s.

                                        Temporal Artificer, Borrowed Time, Energy Loop, Time Keeper

                                        Sacral Empowerment

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Consuming a full Temporal Compression grants you Essence Burst.

                                        Renewing Breath

                                        Exhilarating Burst

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Each time you gain Essence Burst, your critical healing is increased by 20% for 8s.

                                        Renewing Breath

                                        Grove Tender

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Dream Breath, Spiritbloom, and Emerald Blossom cost 10% less mana.

                                        Renewing Breath

                                        Font of Magic

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your empower spells' maximum level is increased by 1.

                                        Grace Period

                                        Temporal Artificer

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Rewind's cooldown is reduced by 60s.

                                        CHOOSE ONE. PROCEED TO Grace Period, Timeless Magic

                                        Borrowed Time

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Rewind has 2 charges, but its healing is reduced by 50%.

                                        Energy Loop

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Disintegrate generates 1200 mana over its duration.

                                        Timeless Magic

                                        Time Keeper

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Reversion has 2 charges.

                                        Timeless Magic

                                        Renewing Breath

                                        3

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Allies healed by Dream Breath are healed for an additional 10 / 20 / 30% over 8s.

                                        Dream Flight

                                        Grace Period

                                        3

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Your healing is increased by 5 / 10 / 15% on targets with your Reversion.

                                        Stasis

                                        Timeless Magic

                                        3

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Reversion, Time Dilation, and Echo last 2 / 4 / 6s longer.

                                        Cycle of Life

                                        Dream Flight

                                        1

                                        Green

                                        4472 mana

                                        10-60

                                        Instant

                                        1m

                                        Take in a deep breath and fly to the targeted location, healing all allies in your path for 7179 immediately, and 5026 over 15s.

                                        Stasis

                                        1

                                        Bronze

                                        4472 mana

                                        N/A

                                        Instant

                                        1.5m

                                        Causes your next 3 helpful spells to be duplicated and stored in a time lock. You may reactivate Stasis any time within 30s to quickly unleash their magic.

                                        Cycle of Life

                                        1

                                        N/A

                                        Passive

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        N/A

                                        Emerald Blossom leaves behind a tiny sproud which gathers 5% of your healing over 10s. The sprout then heals allies within 25yds, divided evenly among targets.

HERE BE DWAGON?
With only a small piece of Dragonflight under my belt, I’m not going to claim anything about its progression system and how it might work until a more complete PTR becomes available to obtain feedback from. As for myself, I like dragons even if my MMORPG career has seen me kill a lot of them, and there’s no denying that Dragonflight so far looks gorgeous.

Will this expansion truly be the grand return to the “classics” in modern World of Warcraft? Time will tell.

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Tags: Blizzard EntertainmentWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight


EA is looking For An Acquisition or Merger, And Has Spoken With Apple, Amazon, Disney and Comcast

Major video game publisher Electronic Arts or EA for short is reportedly looking for an acquisition or merger with another company.

As such EA has held meetings with companies like Apple, Amazon, Disney, and Comcast-NBCUniversal for a potential deal.

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According to Puck (via VGC), acquisition and merger negotiations between EA and Comcast had gotten the furthest but ended up being called off. The proposed newly merged company would be primarily controlled by Comcast CEO Briant Roberts.
“The general terms of the proposal, which lawyers and bankers for both sides negotiated for several weeks, would have seen the Roberts family take majority control of the combined entity. In the configuration most seriously discussed, the company would have been run by Wilson.”
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The deal fell through due to disagreements over the price and structure of the newly merged entity. The article says that EA also wanted a deal where CEO Andrew Wilson would remain as chief executive of the combined company.
Neither Comcast nor EA commented on the report however in a response to Gamespot, EA specifically said the following:
“We don’t comment on rumors and speculation relating to M&A [merger and aquicistion]. We are proud to be operating from a position of strength and growth, with a portfolio of amazing games, built around powerful IP, made by incredibly talented teams, and a network of more than half a billion players. We see a very bright future ahead.”
Several large game company acquisitions have occurred over the past couple of years most notably Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda and Activision-Blizzard.

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Tags: AmazonAppleComcastDisneyEA


GamerBraves Newsletter vol. 38 – What Game Pass Coming to Southeast Asia Means for Gaming in The Region

Microsoft’s Game Pass is coming to Southeast Asia (SEA), bringing the region what is basically ‘Netflix for games. For only RM15 a month (and 0.5RM for the preview), Malaysians will have access to over 100+ games from the Xbox Libary including brand new first-party games from day one.

Many local gamers are already singing the praises of the service. More games for less pay. However it does make one wonder, how will this affect gaming in the region, especially against the long-dominant rival of Xbox, Playstation.

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It should be noted that this release is specifically for PC game pass, not Xbox. The Xbox brand has traditionally not done well in Southeast Asia, seeing sales far below Playstation, Nintendo, and especially PC and mobile. Reasons for this are that Xbox consoles have not been officially released in the region (with the exception of Singapore) and the cultural dominance of Playstation and Nintendo. Japanese products and media are popular here, and as such, the two Japanese consoles tend to be more popular the the ‘Halo Machine’.
Game Pass coming to SEA, however, has a chance to change this. The Netflix subscription service-style of media distribution has changed how people consume media. More people don’t want to spend money on multiple individual products. The idea of an all-in-one platform for all your media needs is incredibly attractive with its practicality. What does mean for Game Pass in Southeast Asia, and what is Sony doing to compete with it? Find out by signing up for our newsletter below (it’s free):
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Give it a read and let us know what you think!

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Tags: MicrosoftPlayStation PlusSony Interactive EntertaimentXbox Game Pass


Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX announced for Switch, PC, and Mobile

Koei Tecmo has announced Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX for Switch, PC, and iOS. It will launch on December 9 worldwide.

If you grew up in the late 90s, I may remember Monster Rancher as one of the many creature collecting games trying to compete with Pokemon.

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In celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX brings the cult classic simulation games to modern hardware. Here, players will raise their own monsters and train them to compete against other eccentric creatures in combat and tournaments. There are hundreds of different monster types, each with their own skills and abilities so every Rancher will be able to raise and train monsters that are a perfect fit for their personality and play style.
The special collection also includes content that was never originally featured in the original Western release, such as additional save slots, Freeze slots, and Monster Hall of Fame slots. New features have also been added to Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, including a memo feature to use while raising monsters, rankings for random battles, and a high-speed mode to play through the game faster.
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The Monster Rancher series was originally launched with a unique feature that allowed players to use physical CDs to generate monsters in the game, with each CD having a unique ID that would spawn a different monster. This feature has been re-worked in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, allowing players to search a database to find their desired CD and generate a monster from its data. This means players will be able to search a vast database of songs from around the world and generate monsters based on some of your favorite music.
It is worth noting that the two Monster Rancher games have already been released for the Switch and mobile devices via digital download. These DX versions however will feature quality of life improvements like a high-speed mode and additionally save files that these versions lack.
If you haven’t bought Monster Rancher yet, it sounds like this will be the definitive collection.
Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX will be released on the 9th of December worldwide for Switch, Steam and IOS.

Monster RancherDeveloper: KOEI TECMORelease Date: 2019-11-28Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch
Known as Monster Farm in Japan, players raise monsters to fight in tournaments.

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Tags: KOEI TECMOMonster RancherMonster Rancher 1Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DXMonster Rancher 2


The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? to launch on 28 May 2020

Frontier Works has just confirmed that its upcoming game, based on the The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? light novel series, which goes with the working title The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? ～Another Reincarnation～ will launch on 28 May 2020.

Once again to recap, the light novel series is super popular in Japan where it sold over 2.5mn copies, and will be getting an anime adaptation on 2 April 2020.  The synopsis as follows, courtesy of MyAnimeList:

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Shingo Ichinomiya, a 25-year-old man working at a firm company, while thinking of tomorrow’s busy working day, goes to sleep. However, when he woke up, he found himself in a room unknown to him and realized that he is inside a 6-years-old body, taking over his body and mind. He soon learns from the memories of the boy that the boy was born as the youngest child of a poor noble family living in a back country. Having no administrative skill, he can’t do anything to manage the vast land his family has. Fortunately, he is blessed with a very rare talent, the talent of magic. Unfortunately, while his talent could bring prosperity to his family, in his situation it only brought disaster. This is the story of the boy, Wendelin Von Benno Baumeister, opening his own path in a harsh world.
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? ～Another Reincarnation～ is being developed as a simulation RPG, and will feature an original story under the supervision of the novel’s author Y.A. Meanwhile, the light novel’s illustrator, Fuzichoco, will be handling character designs for the game, which is a definite plus.
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Pre-registration for the game is still up and players can sign up by following the official Twitter account. Do so if you want the usual early bird rewards. For more information, be sure to drop by the official website.

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Tags: AndroidFrontier WorksiOSRPGThe 8th Son


Tier One Entertainment raises funds for Pre-series A with Gobi Partners and Warner Music Group

Gaming and esports entertainment startup Tier One Entertainment raised an undisclosed amount on its recent Pre-series A round of funding.

Spearheading the Pre-series A round is venture capital firm Gobi Partners. Record label giant Warner Music Group also took part in the financing. Octava, a Singapore-based family office, KAYAC Inc, a Japan-based internet company and Atlas Ventures, the early stage investor of Tier One Entertainment rounds up the list of companies that joined the Pre-series A round.

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According to e-sports veteran and Tier One Entertainment Founder, Tryke Gutierrez:

“The gaming industry is going through a golden age and this funding will help accelerate our growth by allowing us to replicate our success in other markets. In just a few years of operations, we’ve found a winning formula in esports and gaming by developing a robust business model around top tier content creation and authentic distribution. We firmly believe that we are an Asian behemoth in the making and now that we have more support from established venture capital firms around the globe, Tier One Entertainment is now poised for explosive growth.”
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Renowned cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao, the Co-founder of Tier One Entertainment also stated:

“We have come a long way since our first business meeting at my home in 2017. With the growth of mobile gaming, streaming and esports as an avenue for youth entertainment, we came up with the foresight to develop and house these talents by building our very own YG Entertainment of gaming. We are truly grateful for our new backers for believing in our vision that we can take this company to the next level.”

Follow Tier One Entertainment on Facebook.

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Tags: Gobi PartnersTier One EntertainmentWarner Music Group


Creative Destruction has launched globally

It’s been a while since we had news on Creative Destruction, but the game finally went online globally on 13 June 2019. It is officially available on iOS, Android, and PC.

Developed by NetEase, Creative Destruction is a battle royale game. Although its official launch is quite recent, the game is already celebrating its first anniversary. In conjunction with the anniversary, the developers have been hosting lots of activities and giving away in-game exclusive suits.

The developers also announced “Hell Combat”, an anniversary special that gives players the chance to earn lots of diamonds. You can find out more about that event through the event page.

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We have included the download links below for those who want to try Creative Destruction. You can also head over to the official website to find out more about the game, or follow the Facebook Page for updates.

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Tags: AndroidCreative DestructioniOSMobileNetEase GamesPCSteam


A Day At Metronomik With Wan Hazmer!

It was like any other day until we got to interview the CEO of Metronomik, Wan Hazmer. Again, we had the pleasure to meet him despite his busy schedule making games for the community. Thanks to him sparing us his time, we were able to get some juicy news about his vision and mission of his new found company in Malaysia. We also got some insights of what he’s currently making as well!

The Man – Wan Hazmer

Wan Hazmer is our very own Malaysian bred game developer who has worked with Square Enix, Japan; who’s also involved with the making of Final Fantasy XV. Back in 2016, we were privileged to have interviewed him prior to the release of the game. Now, we’re back again with him to find out what is he cooking with his team in the office.
With his new found team along with his wife Rie, they have created Metronomik in Malaysia with the help of MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation). Raised and settled in the Komune, Bangsar South, he and his team got real comfortable in their place doing what they love. You can see that from their activities on their Metronomik Facebook page as well!
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However his ambition in setting up Metronomik in Malaysia is more than just making great games. He has a noble aspiration to give back to the community by setting up a primary and secondary school. Not a school to teach about game developing but a school that cultivates creative and critical thinking. In our long history of school, we all did come to agree that we have been taught to study just to pass our examinations. We were never allowed to explore and express our creativity in school. Thus his aim to erect a primary and secondary school in the future to help cultivate the creative and critical thinking of our talent rich society.
Metronomik

Metronomik, nested in Komune, Bangsar South, is a team of young creative minds along with CEO Wan Hazmer that aims to bring in new life to the Malaysian game industry. To do that, Wan Hazmer and his team are dedicated to create their own original IP game, one game per year. His mission in setting up his company in Malaysia is also to set a direction for game developers in Malaysia to bring a fresh perspective with his experience in making AAA games. With the name Metronomik derived from the musical tool, metronome, it is to bring relevance to the kind of games that Metronomik does which are related to music.
“We all know, Wan Hazmer, lead game designer of Final Fantasy XV, right? But Wan Hazmer has a comfort of a 300 man team working with him, but can he make a game by himself?” said Wan Hazmer, CEO of Metronomik
Ever since Wan Hazmer found his own team, the game that he had envisioned for years has become many times better which makes him really proud to have his team. Though Metronomik is working diligently to bring their first game to life, Wan Hazmer is also a man that puts importance in work-life balance. Unlike the culture in Japan, OT (overtime) is common there and it’s also pretty common in our country as well. However he prefers to keep that work-life balance and cultivate that in his team now that he has control of that in Malaysia. He actually has a bell on his desk and rings it when it’s 7pm to shoo everyone out of the office!

Like every company, they all have meetings. But unlike normal meetings, Metronomik does it differently. They call it Sprint Meetings which they have every two weeks on Wednesdays. It’s called Sprint because it’s quick and precise – straight to the point, where during meetings they showcase all their artworks and rate on the credibility of certain features that they had discussed. That way, they pretty much saved plenty of time as they focus on the essentials.
Check out some of the work they have come up with so far:

Since Wan Hazmer was a former employee of Square Enix, he’s also very good friends with Hajime Tabata. They still do keep in touch which brings us to a possible collaboration with Square Enix in the future. That’d be something we’d like to see where two different cultures merge.
The Game

No Straight Roads, is the title of the game in the making by Metronomik! Yes we have gotten the name and some details about the game as well. Previously as mentioned in an article of ours, he mentioned that he’s looking to integrate music with gameplay that everyone can enjoy. One cool feature that we were let in is the music which will change dependent on the Boss’ HP; which we will talk about more later.

The game’s story revolves around an indie rock band where players control them to battle against the rising and dominant EDM (Electronic Dance Music) group. While you control the rock band, the theme of the music will of course be of the Rock genre. However the music changes when nearing a boss. You’d be able to hear the EDM music amplified as you get closer to the boss of the area.

As players battle against a boss, more rock music instruments will be heard which indicates the player’s dominance over the boss. When the Rock music is completely dominating the battle and EDM is completely unheard, that should mean the boss is defeated. But that’s not the end of it as there will be a final form of the boss too which will revive along with EDM playing in the background.
Being an original IP and the first game by Metronomik, it features really cool music elements and it’s made with Unreal Engine. The theme of the game was said to be based on a common theme and one might suggest that it’s about “Changing the World”. As an entertainment product, Wan Hazmer aims to develop a game that is relevant to the public whether its targeted to gamers or music enthusiast. We can expect a demo which could be ready around the end of April. The demo will feature a boss fight which we will be able to experience the music features that I’ve mentioned earlier. As for now, the game is slated to be released for PC and PS4.
Future Plans
Forming his own studio in Malaysia is not the only thing that was in his mind. When he first decided and told Final Fantasy XV director, Hajime Tabata, 5 years ago that he would take everything he had learnt to set up his company in Malaysia, Wan Hazmer wishes to help Malaysia build the creative industry as much as he can. He mentioned that Malaysia is a unique country with a diverse culture. With the diversity of cultures each with its own uniqueness, he aims to use it as a form of “weapon” to impart in games.

With MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation) supporting rising and new game developers, Wan Hazmer also would like to help the creative industry by setting up an R&D Culture Lab. Because we see so many cultures in games, it’s also a good way for us to impart some of our cultures in our games to let the world learn about us through games.
Through the R&D Culture Lab, the research will find answers to:

“What makes us special?”
“Why would anyone care about our culture?”

By answering both of these questions, this could help the creative industry market our culture overseas through entertainment.
As mentioned in the earlier paragraphs, he also plans to open his own primary and secondary schools. Though he has never mentioned this to anyone else, we now know that he has been working with educational institutions like KDU to provide talks on User Experience and also to improve the syllabus by including creative thinking into the syllabus.
His plans to erect primary and secondary schools are aimed to:

Nurture students with creative thinking
Provide the creative industry a different creative perspective

This could also set to be a role model for other schools to implement creative thinking in syllabuses instead of a linear syllabus.
Drops of Wisdom by Wan Hazmer
Are you a growing game developer in Malaysia? Ever wanted to start up your very own game developing company in Malaysia? Take it from someone who’s been there and done that! We were able to squeeze these out of him in these short but wise advises:

Question your game, “Will it be a hit?”
Implement your culture in a creative way which is relevant globally
When you have a game, “Just do it!” with proper planning and testing

And with that, we ended the interview with a picture together!

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Tags: Hajime TabataMalaysiaMDECMetronomikNo Straight RoadsPCPS4Square EnixWan Hazmer