I know you’re begging to ask what the big deal is with newsletter subscriptions and how they are linked to getting MMOre Power in an MMO setting. All right, let me go straight to the point. Having a subscription to the newsletter of an online game affords you special items through what publishers call “promotional codes” attached to the monthly newsletter.

Oh, the items aren’t really what you would consider godly. They also generally don’t give big boost to character attributes and the like. But these items are very helpful in either leveling your characters or getting decent loot.

Take Atlus Online’s latest promo for newsletter subscribers to the online game Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent for example. This Halloween, players get three items: a Gold Premium Preview, which grants a character increased share of experience points and more gold, Sharp Horns, a snazzy headgear that brings out the demon in you, and a Creepy Crate, which contains a random goody.

Look what the newsletter dragged in: Goodies in the online game Neo Steam.

Neo Steam isn’t the only game that gives away goodies with its newsletter. Take my word for it, subscribing to an online game newsletter is worth it. If you’re afraid of spam, don’t fret. These newsletters only come once a month. Unless you’ve subscribed to newsletters of over a dozen games, you have nothing to worry about.

Who says gifts only come during birthdays and Christmas?

Post from: MMOtaku

While other MMORPGs market in its item malls some trinkets that boost experience points rates, NDOORS and Atlantica Online takes it a step further with the Blessing License, which essentially works the same except for the fact that it also increases attack power or damage by 150 percent and defense by 110 percent.

Atlantica Online Blessing License

These bonuses are pretty handy if you’re exploring shadow dungeons—high-spawn areas where your skills as a player may be put to the test—on your own. Couple the boost to attack and defense with the 150-percent bonus to experience points gained, then you have a formidable tool for leveling in the world of Atlantica Online.

This power, however, comes with a price. The Blessing License costs 1,499 Gcoins, which is roughly USD$15, on the Atlantica Online item mall. Fortunately, the license lasts for 30 days. It is suggested that you purchase a Blessing License only if you have lots of free time in your hands.

I’m saying this based on experience: My Blessing License is about to expire. I was unable to play Atlantica Online for around two weeks because of problems with my computer. So I wasted half of the USD$15 I paid for the license.

Don’t be discouraged. Just be aware that the clock runs on this item even when you’re offline. So is the Blessing License still a good buy? Of course! The license has seen my character through the worst that Atlantica Online can throw at her. I assure you that it’ll drastically change your gameplay experience—for the better.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a Blessing License and start delving into the belly of those shadow dungeons in Atlantica Online.

Atlantica Online player party versus mobs

Post from: MMOtaku

Whew!

Okay, as the title implies, Mirage Celestones, Immortal Stones and Fairy Stones are one and the same, and are used to upgrade equipment, from armors to weapons to accessories. No Perfect World adventurer can live without them—that is, unless you want to fight your way through mobs and other characters without the benefit of upgraded equipment, which have either higher hitpoint bonuses, physical defense or magical defense.

There are several ways to gain these stones, the more accessible of which is by combining fragments that you get from completing quests. It’s not as easy as it sounds. To create one Mirage Celestone, Immortal Stone or Fairy Stone, you need 25 fragments. Obviously, these fragments are called Celestone Fragments, Immortal Stone Fragments, and Fairy Stone Fragments.

Aside from fragments, NPCs may also give Heaven, Earth and Common Celestial Stones as quest rewards. These stones are actually useless on their own, but take one of each and combine them with the help of a jeweler NPC, then you’ll get one Celestone, Immortal Stone or Fairy Stone.

Before I end this post, I’d like you leave you with a little tip: Start upgrading equips when your character’s level is beyond 60 or 70. Upgrading prior to reaching higher levels is a waste since you’re going to change equipment almost every week (if you’re the type of bloke who plays eight or more hours a day). Believe me, you’d rather save up those precious stones to upgrade molds (you know, equipment whose names appear in yellow) or legendary equipment.

Screenshots taken by Joel from the online game Perfect World, published and operated in the Philippines by Level Up! Games and developed by China-based Perfect World Co. Ltd.

Post from: MMOtaku

In this edition, we’ll talk about mules and how they can help a fledgling hero cope with the hardships of leveling in any MMORPG. By “mules,” of course, we are talking about secondary or alternative character, which act as (you guessed it!) mobile and interactive storage bins.

Here’s a brief but more detailed description of a mule character courtesy of Wikipedia:

One of the most common uses for an alternate character is to act as a beast of burden, a “mule,” for a main character. Rather than using this caracter to actively participate in the game, the player who controls it just needs a way to hold and transport goods, and perhaps to obtain more of some resources which are limited for each character by the game rules.

In games such as Ultima Online, Everquest, World of Warcaft, and Lord of the Rings Online, mule characters often specialize in “trade skills.” These mule characters are used to manufacture high demand goods that can be used by the player’s main account, sold for profit or traded to other players for other highly sought items.

Introducing my Atlantica Online mule character Shandril.

Despite being seen as a cheat by some diehard role-playing game fanatics, the need for a mule in MMORPGs is indisputable, at least for those who know their way around a game and wish to make serious moolah by storing potentially valuable items in mule accounts and selling these for a profit.

Although you can create a mule character alongside your main character in a single account, I suggest you open a new account and create the mule there. Note that this is easier to do in a free-to-play online game than it is on pay-to-play or subscription games.

If you only have one computer or don’t have access to two computers, there are only two ways you can move items from your main character to the mule. First is by using the in-game mail service that lets you attach an item or currency to a message. The problem is not all MMORPGs have this feature.

The other way to move items between two characters is by launching two game clients. Remember that launching multiple game clients on a single computer is not permitted by some online games developers and operators. At the moment, the only online game I know that permits this is Atlantica Online. The drawback: If you don’t have a strong PC (Pentium Core2Duo, and at least 2GB memory and 512MB video card), you’re screwed.

Next time you run out of inventory space on your main character, remember that a mule is waiting in the wings to take the burden off your shoulders.

Post from: MMOtaku

Today, we’re featuring the Growth Vial, a powerful draught in Atlantica Online that raises a character’s attribute by five points. What? You need a potion just to raise stats in Atlantica? The answer is, “Yes.” Let me explain (for the benefit of those who aren’t fans of the popular massively multiplayer online turn-based strategy game).

Just like any other MMORPGs, characters in Atlantica Online have attributes that determine their strength—that is, of course, aside from the bonuses that equipment give. In Atlantica, a character has four attributes: strength, intelligence, dexterity and vitality. Very common, eh?

Unlike other MMORPGs, however, the only way to raise an Atlantica Online character’s stats—again aside from letting him or her don impressive armor and weapons—is with the Growth Vial. What determines the number of times you can use Growth Vials is the number of Bonus Points your character accumulates as he or she gains levels. There is another downside: the adding of stats is totally random. This means that when you use a Growth Vial, it can raise either of the four attributes.

Let’s take my character Cooky as an example. She’s a musician, a ranged character in the world of Atlantica Online. Her primary attribute is Dexterity, followed by Vitality (for health) and Intelligence (for more mana points). When you look at her stats, however, you’ll see a +30 to her strength that isn’t really needed.

Regardless of the downside, the Growth Vial remains an essential for your Atlantica Online character. To stock up on this draught, collect Commodity Boxes (which also give skill books).

Post from: MMOtaku