January News, San Diego, CA. January 28, 2009
What do you get for a two year old these days? I have two kids of my own that are almost both teenagers and PlanetSide, my other baby is almost six. So I haven’t had a two year old to bounce on my knee for some time and I’m really not sure what to get her. Clothes or armor is always a good option but I think a baby at this age is more attracted to the bright and shiny things. I think the team is ready to bring those bright and shiny things to you once again in 2009.
2008 was a great year for us, especially considering we were a bunch of one year olds at the time! It’s another year later and we’ve doubled in age (Gosh, I hope that doesn’t keep happening – at that pace we’ll be a teenager in less than 5 years but I guess a good draw back is that we’ll be able to vote and drink in a little over 5 years, Woot!). Just imagine what we can do now that we’re two!
Recent Updates
Let me see if I can bring everyone up to speed on what exciting things are happening currently.
In December to celebrate the frosty time of year, we brought back the Festival of Gloriann to Telon, spreading cheer, goodies and goodness. We even welcomed the dark-gloomy races to take part in the holiday season. Relatively at the same time, we invited old players to come back and play Vanguard to see all of the positive change and improvements. The timing of this invitation is about to run out so if you haven’t taken advantage of it, you have until January 31st to log in and experience our latest enhancements for free.
Here’s a small recap of some of those recent additions:
- Some Races have had their professions expanded
- New Galleon ship schematics
- We added an all new Enhancement Slots to several items. Take many items and customize it just the way you wanted it
- Fishing! – We added a new fishing system to the game! Escaping the spouse and kids to the lake and ocean for some relaxation has a whole new meaning in game
- PVP Arena! Now you’ve got that area to create some bragging rights on Telon! Can’t settle things on your own in game? Take them to court! …er… Take matters into your hands and get to the Arena!
- New Raids for Level 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s!
- We brought back Randolph the Reindeer – If you haven’t gotten Randolph yet, well I don’t know what to tell you. You have a seasonal flying mount at your leisure to explore the rooftops all throughout Telon. So get in quickly!
- …and don’t forget about the Snowmen! Have fun with them but don’t get on their bad side
Happy Second Birthday!
With the Festival of Gloriann winding down, we are pleased to bring you the Winter Solstice Celebration in honor of our Second Birthday next week! We’re inviting everyone to bask in the warmer temperatures that approach and celebrate Telon, Vanguard and the beginning of our Third Year!
New quests await you in assisting the Winter Court. New rewards await you if you are successful in your adventures. A unique enhancement item, a new fishing pole and a new pet are yours for the taking. How could you say no in acquiring Snuggles, the winter wolf as your new best friend? Take it from all of us, it’s not possible!
The Visionary’s Signet of Promise
For those that are playing right now and for those that come back to Vanguard before February 28th, we have a special birthday present to give out – a big thank you for celebrating our Second Birthday with us! This highly-powerful ring is only available for a limited time so be sure to log in and take advantage of the opportunity to customize it through six different Enhancement Slots.
Steam
Vanguard is now available for download through Steam! On January 16, 2009, Vanguard, EverQuest and EverQuest II kicked off the launch by offering an introductory price (All three games), all expansions (EQ & EQII), adventure packs (EQ, EQII), special in game items and 30 days of free play (All three games). This was a great launch and commitment by SOE for getting Vanguard out to new and different audiences. In the next week or two, we hope to announce another business venture that will further expose Vanguard to more players. Stay tuned!
Very close….
In our next couple of updates, we’ve been preparing some really special features that include but are not limited to the following:
- Pantheon of the Ancients Dungeon – 6 man dungeon
- Pantheon Raid Dungeon – “Halls of Shattered Souls”
- Appearance slots
- Level cap increase to 55!
- A Customer-Popular-Request-Update – We’ve been conducting some polls on the forums to gather your interest on what you would like to see in Vanguard – Please check the forums to get up to speed on this topic
- Garuzamut Encounter
- Alternate Advancement
- Class Specific Weapons!
- New Hair Styles! Can you believe it? All we need now are Tails! (but that’s not on the immediate plan though J)
- Nexus 6 man dungeon
- Nexus Raid Dungeon!
As you can see, we’ve got some great things in the pipe that you will soon see.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for your valued support!
-Thom Terrazas on behalf of the Vanguard Team
