Massive national invasions are the bread and butter of Aika Online, with hundreds of players teleporting together to invade enemy territories every day in epic clashes over matters of national pride and power. The focal points of these murderous raids are the Temples, which are guarded depositories provided by the Great Goddess Aika to house sacred relics - items which give stackable permanent buffs to the nation that possesses them. The fight for relics has raged on as each nation's leadership calculates defensive and offensive tactics for the three Temples at its disposal.

The second of the two new map regions unveiled in Ashes of Betrayal will add a new layer of military strategy to the thrill of Aika's Nation vs. Nation PvP by introducing a fourth Temple to the map. Kynari Temple in the scorched wilderness of Ashwood will be most impenetrable Temple yet, and plundering its relics will require bigger raids, deadlier skills, and sharper execution than ever before. Nations will call upon their loyal citizens to take up arms and prove their worth in battle as ambitions for ultimate supremacy intensify.

Not long ago, the charred lands known as Ashwood was part of the ancient forest which the proud Kynari call home. The now-infamous Ninth Unit of the Lakian Army was tricked by the usurper Darkrane into declaring war on the Kynari and burning a large swath of the forest to the ground in the Battle of Ashwood. The only creatures left are poisonous predatory monsters and the Kynari sentries Darkrane left behind to guard a mysterious secret. The all-new quest storyline in Ashwood continues the unfolding drama of Darkrane Forest as players search for the key to Darkrane's underhanded dominance.

The Sniper and Pistoleer Class Evolutions

This week, we’re highlighting the second tier evolutions of the Scout classes. The Scout classes, which includes the Dual Gunner and the Rifleman, are the agile and stealthy gunslingers among Aika’s different archetypes. When the level cap is raised to 60 in Ashes of Betrayal, the Dual Gunner and Rifleman will be able to advance to their more powerful Sniper and Pistoleer forms when they complete a special quest at level 50. Here’s a look at the new equipment at the Sniper and Pistoleer’s disposal once they hit level 56!

Archetype: Scout
First Tier Class Name: Rifleman
Second Tier Evolution Name: Sniper

The Scout archetype's signature skill is Stealth, which makes the character invisible to other players and NPCs just long enough to sneak past guards, regroup, or head for the hills. The buff's offensive utility is limited because its effects wear off as soon as the character attacks, leaving the gun-toting combatant vulnerable to retaliation. The Sniper can overcome this weak point by learning Predator, a level 59 skill which allows the character to attack while invisible and lasts 20+ seconds. As a bonus, Predator resets the cooldown on the Sniper's Stealth skill - if the Sniper is brought out of hiding by an area-of-effect attack, he can quickly hide again and make his getaway.

Archetype: Scout
First Tier Class Name: Dual Gunner
Second Tier Evolution Name: Pistoleer

While fast and deadly, the Dual Gunner tends to focus on one target at a time and can easily be defeated if surrounded. The self-buff Bloody Rose, available to the Pistoleer starting at level 59, completely flips this strategical assumption. Bloody Rose enhances the Pistoleer's firepower so that her every attack while the buff is active inflicts a certain amount of splash damage to enemies near her target. While a skill that gives all of the Pistoleer's attacks the ability to inflict area-of-effect damage is very appealing, Bloody Rose has a major downside: it can only be activated if the character has already cast the self-buff Hot Shot, which causes the Pistoleer's weapons to degrade faster even as it boosts her attack stats.

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Darkrane Forest: Treachery in Paradise

The first of the two new map regions unveiled in Ashes of Betrayal is Darkrane Forest, the sublime but troubled backdrop to a series of all-new Aika adventures. Featuring exotic new monsters and almost 100 new quests in an action-packed plot, Darkrane Forest will inspire the many fans of Aika's immersive storyline to fight once more against the treacherous forces that threaten the land of Lakia.

Darkrane Forest is the ancient home of a noble race of beings called the Kynari. Half-bird, half-man, the Kynari had long lived in peace with humanity under the rule of successive High Castors, their spiritual and political leaders. The tranquility was shattered when a young usurper, the ruthless Kynari Darkrane, manipulated the Lakian Army into declaring war on his own race and killing the wise High Castor Isaiah. Darkrane and his followers then seized power and began taking over the forest for unknown ends. As the skilled military officers known as Aitan, players will be thrown into the center of this civil unrest - their skills will be imperative to fighting the demons and mercenaries in Darkrane's underhanded alliances. It will take courage, cunning, and diplomacy to earn the trust of High Castor Isaiah's son Hakks and aid him in his struggle to expose Darkrane's deceit. As players uncover Darkrane's sinister plans and the greater forces that are fueling his ascension, all clues will point to a final showdown in a fantastical new instance dungeon which will be released later this year.

Aika has already been acclaimed by players and press alike for its superb PvE content, including beautiful graphics, compelling and entertaining quest localization, and satisfying gameplay. The epic challenges and lush scenery of Darkrane Forest will raise this standard to a new level. Players, steel yourselves, because Darkrane Forest will take you and your fairy familiar Pran into enterprises beyond imagination.

The Conqueror and Templar Class Evolutions

For Aika, adding an expansion doesn’t just mean new areas and quests. In Ashes of Betrayal, players will be able to PvP and PvE like never before with all-new class evolutions starting at level 51. Reaching the next tier will allow players to unlock powerful attacks, equip higher-level weaponry and armor, and customize their characters’ stats with additional points for every level gained. The stat point system combined with Aika’s flexible skill attack trees will let players create a nearly endless variety of unique character builds. Here's a sneak preview of the level 56 equipment for the Conqueror and Templar - the tier two forms of the Warrior and Paladin, the two Fighter archetype classes of Aika Online.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 at 11:06 am and is filed under MMO News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Puedes dejar una respuesta, o un trackback desde tu sitio web.