Aika Repeatable Quests

One good thing to take advantage of when you reach the grinding level of 49 in Aika Online is the Repeatable Quests. These quests have a level cap as to when you can continue repeat the quests. These quests usually offer less exp than normal and main quests. However you should take advantage of repeatable quests by doing them at the same time as normal and main quests because the quests usually overlap.



Dread Market Combat
Level 30
Defeat 10 Dreadful Soldiers, Dreadful Snipers, and Dreadful Executioners at Dread Market. Afterwards, speak to the Quest Guide at the Halo of Zephron.
Reward: 8000 XP, 2000 Gold, Gift Box

Defeating Club Dread
Level 30
Defeat 15 Dreadful Assailants, 10 Dreadful Soldiers, and 10 Dreadful Guardians in Dread Market. Afterwards, talk to the Quest Guide at the Halo of Zephron.
Reward: 8000 XP, 2000 Gold, Gift Box

Ring Hunt
Level 30
Defeat Dreadful Assailants, Dreadful Soldiers, and Dreadful Guardians in Dread Market to collect 20 Club Dread Rings. Afterwards, talk to Quest Guide at the Halo of Zephron.
Reward: 8000 XP, 2000 Gold, Gift Box



Credits: Knol Beta, Aika Wiki

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Aika Grinding Guide

So have to train all the way from lv 49 to lv 51?!

Unfortunately, yes. There are no more quests when you reach Level 49 until 51. To save yourself from the misery, here's a few tips and tricks.

Important Notes:

# Many of these solo locations are great places for parties if soloing isn't your thing.
# I avoided ranged mobs as much as possible because I felt they took too long to gather for my Area of Effect skill.
# I added after each level where quests appear in case you don't wish to grind at certain locations till you get quests there.
# I used a double exp mark from levels 53 to 60 over fifty percent of the time played.
# I leveled mostly in Alethius from 50-52 (5 Exp Relics = 50% More Experience).
# Quests give around 15-20% (including kills) of your exp every level till level 58. After level 58, there are no more quests. From levels 58-60, it's a complete grind.
# I didn't do any of the guild quests because I felt they were a waste of money and time.



Level 50-51 (New Repeatable Daily Quest Added)

Solo Locations:

Stratus Farm: Overall Gank Precaution: Very High

* Pros: Excellent place to grind because the pumpkins/storks are clumped together. You can pull multiple mobs by running next to them or hitting them and they only do melee damage. Also, if you can form a party here, you can pull high volumes of storks and pumpkins.
* Cons: Heavily camped. Other nations love to gank people while at low health at this location. Like many places, the grind gets old fast and becomes boring easily.




Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate

* Pros: There are tons of mobs throughout Woodcutter’s Path. With a steady group, you can easilly kill 20 or more mobs per minute. Keep the purification potions! You’ll need 20 purification potions for the level 54 quests in the Totem Trail and you’ll need another 20 purification potions in Ashwood for the level 56 quests. Also, there’s a save point close by.
* Cons: Like the Status Farm, groups heavily camp the Totem Path and gets old. Also, other nations pass through Ashwood to get to Darkrane Forest. The Woodcutter’s Path is on the border of Ashwood!





Level 51-52 (Quests Now Available in Tasker Lumber Mill)

Solo Locations:

Stratus Farm: Overall Gank Precaution: Very High (Info Same as Above)

Lake Kisia: Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate

* Pros: The creatures aren’t too hard to kill and also, they melee. If you are able to camp the Nerine side of the lake (see picture), you can kill them and boss Nerine Tarnuzi. Tarnuzi is cake and gives a lot of exp. If you are unable to camp the Nerines, just pull the jellyfish and anglers as you go.
* Cons: Half the creatures will not attack you unless you attack them, making it harder to round up mobs. The mobs aren’t as plentiful as most places. The lake seems heavily camped during different times of the day. Depending on your class, I wouldn't recommend coming here till you can do your level 53 quests at this location.





Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Tasker Lumber Mill – Nova Sanja Group: Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate

* Pros: There are tons of Nova Sanjas south of Tasker Lumber Mill. The groups I joined would camp the Sanjas in the area before heading into Castor’s Corpse (see picture) because they are massed together and are easy to pull. Then they would pull the Sanjas between there and Tasker Lumber Mill until respawns. You can come here at level 50 but you will have quests when you reach level 51 which make you kill these Sanjas.
* Cons: The Nova Sanjas hit pretty hard which is a reason I refused to solo grind them. Also, it would be a good idea to bring some pots with you.





Level 52-53 (Quests Now Available in Castor's Corpse: Tapaeon)

Solo Locations:

Lake Kisia: Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Castor’s Corpse: Over Gank Precaution: Moderate

* Pros: Castor’s Corpse is the start of the level 52 quests which make the grinding in the area that much sweeter. The mobs are usually in groups of three with one range mob attacking you. The spirits are very easy to kill so I would recommend attacking them as well.
* Cons: The plants which come out of the ground get annoying quickly and may kill you suddenly if you over pull. Also, the mobs hit kind of hard on a level 52 cleric. Be careful because there are a lot of mobs wondering around in this location.





Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low

* Pros: The Sacred Grove at the bottom of Ascension Gate is the best exp in the game with a great and solid group. With the perfect group, you should be getting around anywhere from 5-15% exp an hour (really depends on your level). There is a save point at the top of the hill which makes life easier getting back to the Sacred Grove.
* Cons: Getting to the Sacred Grove is very hard. The dinos hit in the thousands while the Xlemias can slow you down. Also, dying at the Sacred Grove happens quite frequently so you really should use the save point there.





Level 53-54 (Quests Now Available in Lake Kisia: Freedom's Hold)

Solo Locations:

Lake Kisia: Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Castor’s Corpse: Over Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)

Level 54-55 (Quests Now Available in Totem Trail: Woodcutter's Path)

Solo Locations:

Lake Kisia: Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Castor’s Corpse: Over Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (SOLO Version)

* Pros: The big difference between partying and soloing in this location is the volume of the pulls. You wont be pulling 20 mobs a minute but the mobs should be a lot easier around this level. Your level 54 quests will be available at this location too which makes grinding here much more satisfying.
* Cons: Like Castor’s Corpse, the plants get annoying quickly and may kill you unnoticed. Also, there are mobs which are ranged and are hard to gather for area of effect skills. The mobs don't hit like trucks but they do become painful the more you aggro in a single pull.





Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)

Level 55-56 (Quests Now Available in Anantor: Salia Pond)

Solo Locations:

Lake Kisia: Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Castor’s Corpse: Over Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above) (SOLO Version)

Ashwood Post: Overall Gank Precaution: Low

* Pros: There are tons of mobs between Ashwood Post and to Kynari Temple. You can create a grind path where you go in a circle endlessly killing mobs (see the pink circle in the picture). Sand Pearls frequently drop as well as Rubicine/Pellurite C. There is a save point and merchant to repair at Ashwood Post.
* Cons: The soldiers hit for a lot of damage. The Enticing Xlemias cast a 5 second slow which will make everything you are pulling swarm you and kill you. There are boss mobs in the pits around Ashwood Post which hit for 1000 damage and will have critical hits in the 2000 damage range. It may not be a good idea coming here this early on till a higher level so watch your health very closely.





Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)

Level 56-57 (Quests Now Available in Shrine of the High Castor)

Solo Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above) (SOLO Version)

Ashwood Post: Overall Gank Precaution: Low (Info Same as Above)

Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)

Level 57-58 (Quests Now Available in Ashwood Post)

Solo Locations:
Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above) (SOLO Version)

Ashwood Post: Overall Gank Precaution: Low (Info Same as Above)

Party Locations:

Totem Trail (Woodcutter’s Path): Overall Gank Precaution: Moderate (Info Same as Above)

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)

Level 58-59 (No New Quests)

Solo Locations:

Ashwood Post: Overall Gank Precaution: Low (Info Same as Above)

Party Locations:

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)

Level 59-60 (No New Quests)

Solo Locations:

Ashwood Post: Overall Gank Precaution: Low (Info Same as Above)

Party Locations:

Ascension Gate (Sacred Grove): Overall Gank Precaution: Very Low (Info Same as Above)




Credits: Guild Portal

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Aika Mirza Air Garden Guide

“In the uppermost reaches of the sky lies a floating island once inhabited by the oldest and wisest of the Mirzas. It was said that only Mirzas who live to be 120 years or older were allowed to reside in the beautiful city built atop that mystic land. There, the inhabitants were to live the rest of their lives in peace and serenity.

Eventually though, the new Sahrar Ungor struck a deal with the Zereca in order to invade the once peaceful and heavenly island. With their ruthlessness, the evil forces of the Zereca were able to overtake the Air Garden and slaughter its former inhabitants. Thus, the ancient paradise of the wise Mirza has been turned into just another blood-soaked fortress of war.”



~Ancient Mirzan History





After Mirzas get old, they use a portal to go to the air garden and spend rest of their lives there. The air garden is known as the place where Mirzas are granted eternal life and also a place created by 'Scinic' who is praised by Mirzas as the god. Before, Mirza's Air Garden could only be entered by those who were granted access by Sahrar. However, there is a rumor that new Sahrar Ungor often enters this place with his royal guards.


The entrance to this dungeon can be found at Ungor’s Forest: Altar of Ascension.

Use the blue glowing hexagonal crystal to activate the dungeon.



Requirements for entry:

• One party only and all members should be level 51 or higher

(for all available modes).

• Required Items for all members (sold by Darden the NPC):

o Ceras Lower Class (Normal mode) – 30,000g (without tax)

o Ceras Middle Class (Hard mode) – 60,000g (without tax)

o Ceras High Class (Elite mode) – 120,000g (without tax)

• There is no waiting time limit. The dungeon can be entered

multiple times a day.

• The time limits in this dungeon is relatively long:

o Normal – 3 hours

o Hard – 3hours and 30 minutes

o Elite – 4 hours



Guide:

First Area:

Here you will find Air Garden Gladiators and Air Garden Assassins (ranged). In the latter half of this area, you can also find Air Garden Royal Guards. There are a lot of mobs in this area and you need to be careful of the Air Garden Assassins who can paralyze you with Virulent Arrow.



Second Area:

This area is composed of a long series of eight rooms. Each room contains Mutant Minions (melee plant creatures), Hames of Curses, and Lazapas of Fury (melee demon types). The latter rooms have Hames of Screams as well. In these rooms, the mobs are all very close to each other so you will need to be careful with lures. The Lazapas also have the Warrior’s charge attack which can stun players for a few seconds.





Third Area:

The third area is a very long hallway with several enemies. There are Air Garden Gardeners, Thorn Minions, and Flams of Freezing. Here, the Thorn Minions can cast Wooden Thorn which can slow you, and the Flams have the ability to freeze you.



Fourth Area:

This is a medium sized room filled with Air Garden Spearmen, Air Garden Royal Soldiers, and Air Garden Snipers (ranged). You can also find Flams of Prohibitions here. In this area, the monsters usually bunch up into teams so you may need to kill them two to three at a time. The flams also patrol the area here and there. The Air Garden Snipers here can also cast Virulent Arrows that can paralyze players for a few seconds. Also, the Spearmen and Royal Soldiers can use small AoEs.

There are two bosses in this room: Bodyguard Captain Ahorn and Royal Guard Captain Garine. The two can cast Storm Blade which can both Silence and Immobilize

players.



Fifth Area:

This is a short room that looks like a swamp. This area houses Pus Butos and Herculean Bubas. The Pus Butos first cast Poison Sac, a ranged Slow debuff. Then they also use a small AoE gas attack that inflicts the Poison Pus DoT status ailment. The Bubas, on the other hand, can use AoE attacks.



On the last area is the boss named Gigantic Buto Ignahan. This boss can cast Buto-Buto, an AoE paralysis debuff. He can also buff himself with Poison Fluis that increases his defense, and he can cast Sleeping Sac when his health is low.



Sixth Area:

This area is filled with Deep Wood Trivions, Poison Needle Minions, and Ancient Trents. The Deep Wood Trivions can cast Sticky Sap, a slow debuff while the Poison Needle Minions can cast Poison Needle, a paralysis attack. The Ancient Trents can also cast Poison Needle and Poison Pus, a powerful DoT AoE.



Seventh Area:

The next are is also another hallway, this time with Deep Wood Trivions again and Titans. The Titans are basically bigger Bubas that have more AoEs and can stun with Powerful Hammer Chop. A few Poison Needle Minions can also be found here.



Eighth Area:

This area is rather small and it contains Darkness Croshus, Darkness Hunters, and a Gaff of Demolition. The Darkness Hunters can use Steel Whip Tail which can stun and a Darkness Breath AoE which reduces hit chance and can slow. When the Hunters have low HP, they can cast Steel Roar which enrages them.



The Gaff of Demolition here can use Touch of Demolition which is a slow debuff and a Light of Demolition AoE that can silence. In this area, you can harvest a lot of Glambeks.



Ninth Area:

Here you can find a few Flams of Electric Shocks, Iron Needle Minions, and Air Garden Managers. The Flams can cast Lightning Touch which is a DoT and the Minions can cast Steel Thorn which is a DoT that slows and reduces healing. The Air Garden Managers on the other hand can do small AoEs.



Tenth Area:

This are once again has Deep Wood Trivions and Poison Needle Trivions. It also has two Blood Witches. The Blood Witches can cast Thorn Strike which reduces healing. When their HP is low, they can cast Blood Curtain which increases their damage. That Blood Curtain also heals them if they take damage.



Eleventh Area:

This is a medium sized area with a tree in the middle. You can find two Gaffs of Demolitions here as well as Bloody Croshus and Bloody Hunters. Those Croshus and Hunters can cast Steel Spine Tail and Spine Tail which reduces healing value, and Blood Red Breath which reduces Armor Value.There are also a few more Glambeks in this area.



Twelfth Area:

This is a long area that has Lapiko’s Trivion (ranged) that can cast Acid Sap to reduce armor value. This area also has Hames of Cure (ranged) which can slow you with Raise Thorn, as well as heal itself. There are also Hames of Hypnosis here which can cast a sleep called Hypnotic of Forest and Thorn Awn that reduce healing. Near the end of this area, you will see fat orange flower stalks as part of the background. This is where the Lapiko’s Tatanas appear. Be careful as they might take you by surprise. At the end, you shall see two Hames of Cures and the boss Goddess of Wood Lapiko. Lapiko can cast Deadly Poison Thorn which is a strong DoT that can petrify. She can also cast Thorn Awl which reduces healing. She can also use Seed of Forest which inflicts massive damage after a certain time and Hatching which can paralyze.



Thirteenth Area:

This next area has Shiraz of Hells which are demon type knights. They can do small

AoEs and cast Fear of Death which is the fear status. If you take the West Path, you will go to an area filled with Darkness Hunters and Bloody Hunters. If you go to the NorthWest Path, you will find a clearing filled with Lazapas of Blast and Shiraz of Hell. The Lazapas of Blast are mostly similar to the Lazapas of Fury in that they can stun and have a powerful melee AoE.

In this room though, you will find Sahrar Ungor which can cast Powerful Storm Blade that immobilizes and Silences. He can also inflict Fear of Death. Once Sahrar Ungor dies, two Ungor Protect Souls spawn. These are basically more powerful versions of the Gaffs of Demolition.





Final Area, the Coliseum:

Here the main entrance is guarded by two Shiraz of Hell. The outer area has a few groups of Hell Wing Vespers that can inflict Super Sonic, a silence debuff. Inside the arena, you can find several Gaffs of Nemesis. These gaffs can use Armor of Demolition that can reflect damage. There are also two Shiraz of Hell beside the Seridunn Statue.

In the center, you will find Gorr, the giant plant-like monster. He can cast Raise Thorn which is a DoT immobilization debuff. Before you kill him, make sure that you all have slots in your inventory. Gorr will drop the Gor’s Heart which you will need to summon Seridunn.



After Gorr dies, go to the northeast side of the arena to find the Totem of Seridunn. Use Gor’s Heart on it to awaken Seridunn from her slumber. Seridunn is a “Mixed” type boss monster that has a lot of AoEs. She has a wide variety of tricks, like Spirit Absorb and Pain Reverse. Pain Reverse is a buff that reflects damage dealt to her and also heals her when she receives damage. She can also cast Wound of Ground which decreases armor value. She can also cast Touch of Heaven’s Judgment which is a silence skill. She can also stun with Heaven’s Judgment when her health is low. Aside from those, Seridunn can also cast Fear, so this shall be an extremely challenging battle.


Additional Notes:

1. Seridunn drops Cores of Seridunn:

• Seridunn (Normal) – Blue Core of Seridunn

• Seridunn (Hard) – Green Core of Seridunn

• Seridunn (Elite) – Red Core of Seridunn

o Seridunn’s cores are tradable and when opened turns into a wide variety of

Magic Crystals.

2. In Mirza Air Garden Normal and Hard, you can receive Rank-C Hiras and Kaizes,

while in Elite, you will be able to obtain Rank-B Hiras and Kaizes.



Credits: Aika Wiki, Aika Global

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Woes of A Healer

It's strange how, despite knowing the trials and tribulations of rolling a healer or a healing capable class, I constantly do so in many of the MMORPGs that I play. Though I enjoy playing a healer class, I nearly always have an equal amount of QQ while playing, sometimes to the point of just giving up playing that character altogether. It's as if I never learn my lesson. I've tried a few times to get my head around why this is the case, and I'd like to think that I'm not the only person who's encountered this. Why do we roll healers even though we know the troubles we'll be going through?


I suppose the first reason why players such as myself roll healers in MMORPGs is because of personality. Some just enjoy playing as healers, or as a support role as opposed to offensive roles such as tanks or DPSers. Others may just be good at playing healers, therefore continuing to do so. The next most possible reason why players regularly roll healers is because of group roles. It's not uncommon for a group of friends to start playing an online game together, and because of the plans of playing together as a group, party roles are often assigned. From these roles, a healer is nearly always included, simply because having a healer in a group is essential for the group's survival, and having a healer you personally know is more convenient from having to pull a random player.


This would have meant death if no Healer was around


So what are the woes of playing a healer? First off are the woes of a healer in leveling. Healer classes are mostly party dependent. In order to level at a more or less acceptable rate, healers must most often party with other players. Unlike tank classes or DPS classes, for healers, solo play isn't very supported, unless the class is outfitted with offensive skills. And even if given offensive skills, these are usually few and not suitable for leveling. Aside from that, many online games make use of a skill point system for skills; going after offensive skills as a healer would be a waste of skill points, as these points could be used for support skills instead. Related to leveling as a healer, often the areas where a healer can level solo are sometimes limited. For example, a priest-like class with holy attribute skills and spells may be limited to mobs or areas with demon or undead type monsters, which, depending on the game, may be limited. Of course, this isn't always the case, but seems to be a common woe.


And last, quests, which can be great sources of money, equipment and experience, are sometimes impossible for healers to do alone. Quests that require a player to kill mini-boss-like mobs or venture into dangerous maps can be taxing sometimes to the point of sanity bending for low defense healer classes with few offensive skills.

Sadly, the woes of a healer don't end at leveling. Rolling a healer, aside from being difficult to level, comes with the high expectations that come with the class. As healers are often party dependent when it comes to leveling or questing, a large chunk of the responsibility for the party's survival lands on the shoulders of the healer. The healer is expected to keep the party alive. Though many party wipes or deaths may be caused by people not knowing their roles/not knowing what to do/not knowing anything, the healer is expected to pull miracles to save any member's life from near death, no matter the circumstance. When this can't be done (which is often, as healer are healers and not miracle workers), the party's healer often gets part, if not most of the blame. The QQ continues for healers even outside of battle. Since healers are a support class, they are also most likely to have numerous supportive buffs. If gameplay in the game is buff dependent, healers will most likely always be hounded for buffs, sometimes to the point of harassment.



Healers are not walking potions


Yet in the end, we still roll healers. Why is this the case? One reason could be that healers are a very self-sufficient class to play. As a healer class, one doesn't have to rely heavily on potions or healing items to survive, yet I suppose on the other hand one becomes dependent on mana healing items or potions. By being able to heal oneself, the player can save money. Aside from this, because of healing skills, there is less down time caused by regen. Another reason would be the indispensability of healers. Healers will always be needed. To an extent, one can say that there can never be too many healers (again, to an extent). In a boss battle, in questing or dungeon raiding, healers will nearly always be welcomed to join. Lastly, healers can still be fun to play for many.

In the end, what am I trying to say? As I've pointed out, healers have many reasons to QQ; having a hard time leveling, dealing with the high expectations that come with the class and sometimes even having to deal with harassment, even though there are many benefits to playing a healer, and that the class is essential to any online game. So make your healer's life a bit easier; respect them and treat them nicely. Keeping us alive isn't easy, and for that they deserve our gratitude.


Credits: MMOsite

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Cabal: Mercenaries Patch Notes

Straight from the busy office of ESTSoft in South Korea we have received ( finally) the updated patch notes Cabal Episode 5: Mercenaries. The update is jam-packed with lots of additions and changes that will probably fuel your delight and provide you energy for a couple of sleepless nights during this Holiday season.


Estimated time of arrival of the patch is on the second week of December. Testing of the patch will happen starting this week and once ok, manual patch will be released to the public for you to download. Please take note that the notes below are not final and are SUBJECT TO CHANGES.


[ADDITIONS]

1. Mercenary System

A. Details

- A system which the user can summon a Mercenary during dungeon play.
- The Mercenary attacks the target monster. (Boxes/Gates/Traps are not applicable)


B. Purpose

- Support single play users.
- Make up the lack of party members.


C. Method

i. The Mercenary card has no functions when just kept in the user inventory, and registered to a special UI when right clicked. (There are no limits in register quantities, but identical Mercenary cards cannot be registered again)



ii. To use a Mercenary, a separate item for summoning is required.



D. Details of Mercenary cards.

i. It is tradable before, but becomes account bind after registered to the character.
ii. Only usable in Dungeons (DX, Quest, Mission, Etc)
iii. Maximum 1 Mercenary can be summoned at a time, and automatically disappears when the character dies.



E. Details of item for Mercenary summon.

i. A separate item is required in summoning Mercenaries.
ii. Summoning items have two types; Stackable but consumable item & Un-stackable periodical item. Both items cannot be registered to quick slots.
iii. Details of the two types



F. Details of Mercenaries

i. Grades
Normal, Epic, Rare & Unique

ii. Skills




iii. Each Mercenary skill has 3 minute cool time.
iv. Mercenaries are recognized as a party member, so the users cannot excess the maximum party members 7 including Mercenaries.



EX) The maximum Mercenary summon number of a 4 party member dungeon play is 3.



Sample image of Mercenary Cards:







2. Additional pet equipping system


A. Summary
- Equipping both pets at the same time is possible.
B. Details

- All 2 pets which are equipped in the basic/expanded slots gains pet EXP.
- Only the pet options applied to the basic pet slot will have effect to the character.
- All 2 pets in the basic/expanded pet slots will be shown in the game when equipped.
- ‘Pet Slot Extender’ is required to use the additional pet slot.



C. Pet Slot Extender

- An item which extends the character’s pet slot.
- Consumable and periodical instant item.
- As the useable period expires, the summoned pet at the expanded slot is unequipped from the slot, and the slot will be shown in red.



3. Additional Runes

A. Max Critical Rate Up rune added.
Usable above Lv. 147



B. Critical DMG rune added.
Usable above Lv. 147



4. New Soul, Honor Quests added.

A. Quest dungeons: Illusion Castle Radiant Hall, Illusion Castle Underworld
B. Start NPC: Rune Agent Flasha in Bloody Ice
C. Start item: Plate of Soul
D. Start Lv.: 160



5. Agent shop introducing Quest ‘Hursurf’s agent shop manual’ added

A. Start NPC: ‘Hursurf’ in Bloody Ice
B. Level Requirement.: Above Lv.10, Class level 1 (Do not need to complete the battle style level-up quest)
C. Mission: NPC conversation
D. Reward: None



6. Mission war introducing Quest ‘Introducing the Mission war’ Added

A. Start NPC: Instructor Harper in Port Lux
B. Level Requirement: Above Lv.52, Class level 6
C. Mission: NPC conversation
D. Reward: None



7. Agent shop convenient functions added

A. Previous/Next/Search functions.

(IMG:http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e89/gmravenx/7.png)

B. Favorites functions.



8. Able to move Channel within the same world without logging out.

9. Character buff saving function added.


A. The buff effect will be saved for 5 minutes after the character logs-out.
B. Buff potions except holy waters will also be saved.
Saving Craft single buff potion effect will be added soon.



10. Large scale item transaction function added to NPC shop.
A. Function can be used by Alt + Mouse left click.

11. Function of using Core Enhancers in large quantity added.
A. Designate the quantity use by right clicking on Core Enhancers.

12. Able to drag certain numbers of price in the agent shop.

A. Drag by Shift + Left/Right arrow keys, Home, End.
B. Able to delete certain numbers by Delete, Backspace keys.
C. Image



13. Dungeon information UI added.

A. [CABAL menu] > [Dungeon] > [Dungeon information]

B. Check minimum dungeon entrance Lv. / Battle style Lv., maximum party members, and dungeon location.
C. Added user entrance available dungeon list view function.



14. Dungeon channel chatting function added.

A. User will automatically enter the dungeon chatting channels as entering the dungeon (Except quest dungeons).
B. User will automatically leave the chatting channel out on dungeon Clear/Fail.
C. Shows the remaining time of the dungeon on the channel chat window.



15. Dungeon record UI added.

A. Each dungeon entrance UI shows the clear ranking record.
B. There are single/party ranking records, and they are renewed every hour.
C. Only the ID of the party leader is shown when the dungeon is played by party and renewed every hour.
D. The characters which the nation is set as GM are excluded.



16. Show the date of creation / access location of the character in the Select Character window.



17. Added character equipment view function.

A. Users can use the function by right clicking the ID in the buddies, guild, character menu, and chatting and choosing ‘view equipment’ menu.

B. Users can set at game tab in option  checking or un-checking ‘Allow equipment view’ in the character function menu.



18. Changed the reward box of the hidden quest in Illusion Castle Underworld.

19. Dungeon convenient functions added.

A. Added Start/Leave button for those who wishes to leave the dungeon without consuming entrance items.



B. Added “Give Up Dungeon” function.

- [CABAL menu] > [Dungeon] > [Give up dungeon]

- If the user gives up the dungeon, additional entrance items will be required when re-entering.



C. Added Dungeon pause function.

- [CABAL menu] > [Dungeon] > [Dungeon pause] during dungeon play.

- Basic keyboard shortcut: ‘ , ’
- Users can set the shortcut in [Option] > [Keyboard Setting]
- Users cannot use any other functions except chatting while pause mode.
- Dungeon pause function cannot be used during party play.
- Dungeon pause function cannot be used while combo mode is activated.
- After un-pause, the function will be unable to use for 1 minute.



20. Added new WEXP exchange NPC to mission war lobby

A. NPC name
- Capella: Contribution Officer Olivia
- Procyon: Contribution Officer Kyle
B. Exchange certain amount of WEXP with armor/essence Rune Cube.

(IMG:http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e89/gmravenx/13.png)

C. All of items from cubes are account bind except those from Essence Rune Cubes.
D. 4 types of armor will be created with 25% chance each
E. Able to produce rare/SIGMetal grade armors up to 2slot / item rank 6



21. Added mailing system
[/indent]A. Added send mail function.
B. Attaching items and Alz to mails is available. (Additional fee will be charged)
C. Sending mails to character in the same account is not allowed.[/indent]

22. Added new quest ‘Ring of the Tyrant’

A. Start level: Above Lv.125 (Battle style level 11 or above).
B. Start NPC: Core Alchemist Sullivan in Desert Scream.
C. Acquisition of Ring of Evil Spirit By hunting Leth Tyrant.
D. Reward: Ring of Tyrant (Unique / Account bound / Above Lv.125)
E. Item option





23. Added new Premium DX dungeon ‘Catacomb Frost’A. Added new category on Agent shop
i. [Dungeon Entry Items] – [Premium DX] – [New Frozen Clue]

[CHANGES]


1. Changed the difficulty level of certain dungeons.

A. List of changed Dungeons
- Illusion Castle Underworld / Illusion Castle Radiant Hall / Altar of Siena B1F / Altar of Siena B2F / Forbidden Island

B. Changed details

[General details]

- Decreased the HP of normal and boss monsters in certain dungeon.
- Increased the HP Regen Rate and attack damage of certain monsters.
- Decreased the defense of certain monsters.
- Decreased the damage of certain normal and boss monsters.
- Increased EXP amount of certain normal monsters.


[Illusion Castle Radiant Hall]
- Changed some monsters to have HP Regen Rate



[Altar of Siena B2F]
- Decreased the damage and attack range of Dorigo



2. Changes in drop of certain Dungeons.

A. List of changed Dungeons
- Illusion Castle Underworld / Illusion Castle Radiant Hall / Altar of Siena B1F / Altar of Siena B2F / Forbidden Island

B. Details of Changes

[General details]
- Item becomes account bind when used.
- All weapons, armors randomly drop with +0~+5 upgrade rate.
- Changed so that some weapons/armors with epic option level 6 will drop.
Ex) Mystic Headpiece of Deathblow(Critical DMG UP) with epic option level 6, epic option level will be 6% to 18% of Critical DMG.
- Slot Extender (Highest) will be dropped.

[Illusion Castle Underworld]
- Increased drop rate of Lycanus’s 1 slot unique weapons
- Changed drop rate of rare epic grade weapons/armors with up to 2 slots / item rank 6.

[Forbidden Island]
- Changed drop rate of SIGMetal epic grade weapons/armors with up to 2 slots / item rank 6.

[Altar of Siena B1F]
- Changed drop rate of rare epic grade weapons/armors with up to 2 slots / item rank 6.

[Altar of Siena B2F]
- Changed drop rate of SIGMetal epic grade weapons/armors with up to 2 slots / item rank 6.

[Illusion Castle Radiant Hall]
- Changed drop rate of Mithril epic grade of weapons/armors with up to 2 slots / item rank 5.
- Critical DMG UP Rune dropped.
- Increased drop rate of Drosnin’s Earrings



3. Changed the spawn number of ‘Bloody Lihorn Zombie’ to 3, and changed to be not aggressive to users.

4. Changed slot number for Essence Runes from 13 to 15.

5. Changed character maximum AP acquire amount from 500AP to 700AP.6. Changed the UI of Help on Upgrading items to be shown by clicking the “?” button.


7. Alarm message will be shown when there completed but un-rewarded daily quests when the character logs-off.

8. Changed the size of the buff icon on the right side of screen from 40 x 40 to 32 x 32.

9. Changed the price of Force Amplicator to 100,000,000 Alz at NPC shop.

10. Removed all the maze maps from the Quest dungeon.

11. Changed the dropped buff potion effect time from 3 to 10 minutes (Weaken dungeons)

12. Decreased the required quantity for collecting items of certain Honor quests and increased drop rate.

13. Changed the name of some items

A. Current
- Life/Mana potion
B. Changed
- HP/MP potion



14. Changes in option UI

A. Removed the ‘Set Up’ tab.
B. Added “Display” tab
C. Added the option of normal attack to be allowed during automatic attack.
- Option > Game

D. Added the option of ‘open the system menu’ by clicking ESC
- Option > Game
E. Added the Option UI open/close on ‘Key Set-up’
F. Changed the button of entering Channel chatting



15. Users are now able to use movement skill(Dash/Blink) in Towns, Warp Centers, Safety Areas.

16. Changed Skill UI to be able to be re-ordered by drag-dropping skill icons.

17. Changed the Aura code change quest ‘Inner Discovery’ to repeatable quest.

A. Start NPC: Instructors in Bloody ice, Desert Scream, Green despair’
B. Level Requirement : Above Lv. 10 (Class level 2 or above)
C. Start items : Aura Transmuter (Core Alchemists in each village sell it at 10,000,000 Alz)
D. Mission: NPC conversation
E. Reward: Change Aura Code



18. Changed some buttons to be ‘disabled’ in certain situations.
A. Select Character – During Mission War
B. Change Channel – During Dungeon play

19. Changed Juke box to only display the BGM that is currently played.

20. Improvement of WExp Exchange.A. Added new UI when selecting ‘WExp Exchange’ from Officer Morrison on Port Lux.

21. Changed Premium item UI

A. Changed the UI name of Periodical Service to Premium Item (Details : Total information / Short-term service / Others)
B. Added Essence Rune, Title, National Reward to UI



22. Deleted ‘Epaulet of Dead B2F’ which was sold by Fort Runia’s Grocer.

[CORRECTIONS]


1. Corrected error that weapon equip/unequip wasn’t able while buffed

[CASH ITEMS]


1. Added check UI to be shown when user uses Gift box items.

2. Corrected error that the speed of bikes & boards become extremely slow after Holy Water of Speed effect expires.

3. Added new Epaulets.

4. Added new item: Chaos Box – Avatar (Premium)

5. Added new item ‘Protection of Veradrix’

A. Item enables character to restore 100% HP when character dies within 2 hours after item use.
B. The effect will be expired when the user doesn’t dies for 2 hours after item use.
C. Can be only used in dungeons. (Cannot be used in Mission War)
D. Items are able to set on quick slots and use by quick slot keys



6. Added new Blessing Beads



7. Changed name of some cash items



8. Added Cash Titles.



9. Added pledge of Sacrifice/ Protection

A. Pledge of Sacrifice

i. When the user uses ‘Pledge of sacrifice’ and the others accept the request, the user can transfer its EXP to the others in party until the period expiration.



B. Pledge of Protection

i. When user A with this item uses the item to a target party member B and B accepts it, all damage from B will be transferred to A until effect expiration. This effect counts for both monsters and users, and the damage inflicted to A will be resulted by B’s defense.



C. Common regulations

i. Users in pledge must be in valid distance of party buff/EXP.
ii. The pledge may be invalidated when the distance of both users goes over the valid distance of party buff/EXP, as well as when one user moves though channels or worlds.
iii. The pledge will be maintained for 5 minutes after one user logs-out during party play.
iv. If one of the users withdraws from the party or kicked out, the pledge will immediately expire no matter the leftover period.
v. The contract must be made by 2 people. (One on One)
vi. 2 pledges of Sacrifice/ Protection can be made at once. If user A is in pledge of sacrifice with user B, user A can pledge with user C, or from user C to A or B.



Credits: Cabal PH

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Cabal Episode 5: Mercenaries

This December CABAL Online, the fast-paced free-to-play MMORPG, will release its latest free content expansion – Episode IV: Mercenaries. Hot on the heels of Episode IV, which saw an increase to the level cap and the opening of a new region in the game in October, Episode V will continue to add exciting new content for players of all levels to enjoy, including NPC mercenaries, a mailing system and a complete overhaul to the dungeons and drop rate systems.



For the first time ever the update will go live globally during the same month, with players in the United States and Europe enjoying the content before players in Korea. It highlights the global nature of the game, with the development team keen to deliver on the content most wanted by players worldwide.

Mercenary System

The mercenary system will allow players to summon a helping hand, in the form of a NPC-controlled character, while inside the dungeons of the game. It opens up a brand new objective to achieve, with a whole variety of different mercenaries available to find and "recruit".




While group play and team work will remain an essential part of the game, the introduction of mercenaries will assist in the creation of balanced parties to take on the most challenging encounters. As a fully functioning member of the group (and counted as one of the seven party members), mercenaries will have a number of benefits. This includes buffs and stat boosts for the entire party, while mercenaries will join in by attacking monsters that either damage, or are damaged by, their summoner.





On launch six different mercenaries will be available, based off the six classes of the game and will be obtainable on completion of a series of quests. They will vary in strength with four different grades – normal, rare, epic and unique – with new and stronger mercenaries set for release in future updates.

Dungeon Leader boards

One of the central features of CABAL Online are the fast-paced, hugely chaotic, timed dungeons. From the solo DX dungeons – which require players to complete a quest within a very short time frame – to the large party dungeons which require quick thinking to complete before the clock runs out, getting the best possible time has long been an unrewarded aim.

This has finally been recognised within the game itself, with the introduction of a leader board system. On entering each dungeon, a clear ranking will be displayed of those who have completed it in the fastest time. It will set a clear goal and challenge, with the aim no longer to simply complete the dungeon but to do so in the fastest possible time.

To support the new competitive dungeons a number of other features have been added. This includes:

* The ability to pause a dungeon, for those incidents where a player needs to a break.
* A dungeon chat channel, so groups competing against one another can discuss how they are progressing.
* A dungeon interface, showing all of the dungeons inside of the game with the requirements to enter.





Improved Drop Rates

Combining with the new competitive incentive to enter the games dungeons, the drop rate system has been overhauled to provide a much more rewarding experience. The majority of high level equipment will now drop as "bind on equip", allowing a significantly higher drop rate of these items than in the past. This is an important, and no doubt a welcome, change for players of the game.





Ability to send mails (Mailing System)

A long requested feature has been the ability to use the games mailing system to send messages between players. This has now been made possible, with the option to send messages, gold and items to any player – whether online or offline – inside of the game.

Two pets to train (Dual Pets)

Expanding on the existing pet system, it will now be possible to equip two pets. Both of the pets will follow their owner and will level up to provide slots to be filled with stat boosts. CABAL has a huge range of pets to select from, ranging from flying parrots, to burrowing moles and ninja cats.





New Quests

A whole host of new challenging quests have been added to the game, including dungeon quests, starter quests and the quest to find the ‘Ring of Tyrant'. Continuing with the recent trend of adding difficult quests, with epic rewards, those who manage to obtain the Ring of Tyrant will equip one of the strongest rings to be found anywhere in the world of Nevareth. Added Functionality.





The gameplay has been made even smoother and more convenient with a whole host of improvements to the basic functionality. Notable improvements include:

*  Ability to switch channels in the game without the need to log out 
* Option of viewing another player's equipment 
* Alarm which notifies a logging out player that there are still daily quests to do 
* Favourite function to quickly find certain items in the Auction house

CABAL Episode V will go live globally this December. This is only a partial summary of the major new features, with other changes, additions and bug fixes planned.


Credits: MMOsite

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Blade & Soul vs. Arche Age vs. TERA

Blade & Soul, Arche Age and TERA have been listed among the most anticipated online games in South Korea for several months, and their popularity in the Chinese game portals is also as wide as that in South Korea. So, what on earth makes the three online games to stand out above the rest? Below are the analyses made by the specialists in the South Korean online game industry!


1. Development directors all come from NCsoft, and used to participate in the development of the Lineage series

From the form above, we can easily see that the development directors of the three games all "graduated" from NCsoft, the biggest self-development game company in South Korea.

TERA, crowned as "Project Lineage 3" at the very beginning, is actually a further title of the Lineage series (it has come to NHN so far).



TERA


Blade & Soul is created by the team of Jae Hyun Pae, who's once in charge of the Lineage series (it is still being developed by NCsoft now).

Arche Age is a product of Jake Song, who is crowned as the "Father of Lineage" in the South Korean online game industry and once developed the games like The Kingdom of the Winds (Arche Age is developed by self-established XL Games).



Arche Age


The above three game producers represent the success of the South Korean online game industry in the past 10 years, and their works are widely popular in USA and the various Asian and European countries. Moreover, as the three games cost more than 30 billion KRW each, the game quality can be guaranteed largely, which is also the main reason for players' enthusiasm.





2. Nonstop application of new technologies

Through surveys, we find that players' first impression of a new game derives from the game's related pictures and promotional videos. Thus, the game's success initially depends on its pictures and videos. The hottest game engines in the current game industry - Unreal Engine 3 and Cry Engine 2 are just applied in the three games' development.





So far, Unreal Engine 3 has been widely used in the development of Korean online games, like AVA and Lineage 2. The greatest highlight of this engine is that it can provide the game scenes as vivid as those in real life, and give players an immersed feel.





Developed by using Unreal Engine 3, TERA was well received by players in its previous tests, thanks to its gorgeous and vivid scenes.

Blade & Soul and TERA both employ Unreal Engine 3. NCsoft's art director once said that Blade & Soul brought in the imagined scenes by use of Unreal Engine 3's abundant drawing methods, and led players to a dreamlike gaming world.





Different from the above two games, Arche Age adopts Cry Engine 2. From the videos of its previous two tests, as well as the favorable feedback from the testers, we can see that the engine's application is also a guarantee of the game's high-quality graphics.


3. Different selling points

As the first unveiled game among the three ones, TERA catches players' eyes just because it takes full advantage of Unreal Engine 3 to present beautiful graphics and delicate character actions, and makes it available for players to experience real "MMO actions". Many game companies in South Korea are forced to give up such actions due to financial or technical problems. But in TERA, players can fully enjoy the fun of an orthodox action MMORPG.



Blade and Soul


From the concept arts and development notes officially unveiled by NCsoft, players in some degrees see that Blade & Soul, claimed to be a representative of fantasy-style martial arts games, is basically a game where players use flying skills to move and attack. The novel theme just guarantees the game's relatively high popularity.





Arche Age strives to provide players with a highly free UI system, which is unprecedented in the online game history. It allows players to do many innovative things like building houses and ships., making furniture, and planting trees. All these somewhat stand for the future growth direction of online games.


4. Forecast on the three games' official release date

TERA, which came out first, has witnessed the end of its third closed beta test. It is set to start its open beta on Jan. 1, 2011 or so. Therefore, it must the first game that meets the audience among the three ones.





The trial version of Blade & Soul has been released at Gstar 2010. As Blade & Soul is NCsoft's another blockbuster closely following Aion, its quality should absolutely be guaranteed even though there are repeated delays.

The latest Arche Age has carried out two rounds of test, and is expected to be released before Blade & Soul.





Credits: MMOsite

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