Dungeons & Dragons Online will be Free Starting this Summer

courtesy of gamespot

When Turbine Inc. announced the start of the beta for Dungeons & Dragons Online's newest major upgrade, Eberron Unlimited, the developer also dropped a bombshell: The massively multiplayer online game will receive a free-to-play option for all its current and future players.

The upgrade, slated for this summer, will allow players to download and play the game free of charge, with revenue coming from microtransactions. Current subscribers will automatically be enrolled in its VIP program, which includes exclusive access to additional races, adventure packs, locales, and the upcoming Monk class.

Moreover, current subscribers will get "priority access" in the closed Beta of the new DDO Unlimited upgrade, which began today.

Players who choose the free-to-play plan are encouraged to buy additional content, such as potions, equipment, and adventure packs via the new DDO Store which coincides with the release of the Eberron Unlimited upgrade. VIP customers will accrue Turbine Points each month which can be used at the store to purchase virtual goods.

DDO Unlimited will offer over 100 updates, skills, quests, feats, and enhancements. It will also raise the level cap to 20, introduce the Monk class, and add more than a dozen new dungeons.

Mass Effect 2 heading to PC, Xbox 360 early 2010

BioWare has recently confirmed that Mass Effect 2 will be heading to PC and Xbox 360 in "early 2010". No mention of a PS3 version was announced.

Mass Effect sold over 1.6 million copies in just 6 weeks of its release. Calling it a success is a bit of an understatement. Bioware has confirmed that Mass Effect 2 has an "in-development" status while Mass Effect 3 is in "pre-development". Not much is known yet about Mass Effect 2, but Casey Hudson, the Project Director for BioWare, has said that players should keep their Mass Effect save-files, because decisions made by the player in the first game will continue to have influences on their character in the sequel.

BioWare has a long history of successful games with titles such as Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. There is no reason to believe that Mass Effect 2 will be any less of a blockbuster title.


On a side note, another soon-to-be-released (Q3/Q4 2009) game from BioWare is Dragon Age: Origins. It is described as a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series, but not set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Though Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player game, it will include a toolset that will allow for user-created content.

People who assume that Dragon Age: Origins will just be Mass Effect with a medieval setting will be sorely mistaken. What race and class you pick will determine which 1 of 6 paths you take from beginning till end and also what options and quests will be available within the game. Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled for a Q3/Q4 2009 release.