‘Riders Of Icarus’ Soars Into Open Beta, Free-To-Play MMORPG Open To All PC Gamers
Mount-focused MMORPG Riders of Icarus finally hit open beta Wednesday. The free-to-play title from Nexon is now available for all PC gamers to try with several events going on during July and a collection of bug fixes at launch.
For those that aren’t familiar, Riders of Icarus is a fantasy action MMORPG that focuses on taming, collecting, and riding a range of powerful wild beasts. This includes everything from Dire Wolves to Dragons and Pegasus. Aerial combat is a core mechanic as heroes battle bosses in the air, but players can still expect plenty of dungeon exploring and ground combat with land mounts as well.
The level cap during the open beta will be locked at 25 with a bump up to level 35 later in the month. The reason for this is the content needed for the later levels is still being fine-tuned by the developer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygpQzkiUQdI
The launch of Parna’s Coast towards the end of July will expand the level cap. This snow-covered zone is meant for levels 25 through 35 and primarily focuses on ground combat while also offering opportunities for aerial combat.
Players will want to tame familiars from the region of Parna’s Coast as a permanent “Parna’s Frost” debuff is in effect for all mounts that originated from outside the region. This decreases the movement speed of non-native familiars.
The new region also contains a gigantic underground cave called the Cavern of the Veil. This plays home to Merumi zealots who worship Radan at a massive temple.
- Akrat, a plain containing exotic animals
- Cloying Wastes, a desert region
- Ellora Sanctuary, a forest with beautiful waterfalls
- Tritael Rift, an aerial region
Each new region will come with its own unique dungeons and familiars as well as its own distinct ecosystem. For example, Tritael Rift will feature Pegasi and other flying mounts while the Cloyin Wastes will feature griffins and golden bats. The legendary Torkai will be found in Ellora Sanctuary, and Akrat will house many “cute” familiars.
“Competing teams will be placed on opposite ends of the map, with PVE elements such as a boss and other monsters in the middle. While the competing teams are hunting monsters, they will eventually collide and PvP and PvE will blend together organically. Your team will need to balance attacking the boss and fending off any other teams who will try to steal your kill. The victor and the defeated will be determined by comparing the team scores.”
Until the new content is released, Nexon is offering Riders of Icarus a number of events during the month of July. Those that participated in the Closed Beta tests can pick up collectible gold or a silver Dragon Cap through July 20. Meanwhile, everyone that logs into the open beta through the same date will receive a free Dragon Fire Shoulder Raven. Also completing dungeons through July 20 will grant equipable items with an extra bonus offered for receiving the full set.
Meanwhile, staying logged into the open beta for 30 minutes or more every day through July 26 will reward players with a free item on each day. Finally, completing daily Achievements through July 27 will earn Hakanas Coins, which can be exchanged for random boxes full of rewards.
The premium service offerings are similar to what is offered by Elder Scrolls Online. Characters and familiars will receive an experience gain buff along with other bonuses such as a 10 percent increase in taming success rate and 10 percent more gold from killing monsters. It also comes with a Potion Bundle that you can activate every 24 hours to receive 20 Health Potions, 20 Familiar Stamina Potions, and one Taming Point Recovery Drink.
There is an extensive list of bug fixes with the release of the Riders of Icarus open beta. In addition to improvements to CPU utilization and framerate, various issues with quests, skills, and user interface problems were addressed. There is still a number of known issues Nexon is attempting to stamp down during the open beta. You can find the full list in the open beta launch notes.
[Image via Nexon]
