Patch Notes 5-15-09

[Da6onet]

Some highlights I am particularly happy about
-Skill gain has increased significantly in all melee skills
-Vendor icons on minimap now display the vendor name
-Zoom added to World Map
-Axes melee range has increased
-Greataxes melee range has increased
-Crafting skill gain has been increased
-Requirements for getting trueforge armor and trueforge weapon skills have been modified.

Skills

    * Skill gain has increased significantly in all melee skills
    * Skill progression in archery has been increased significantly
    * You are now required to hit a valid target to gain skill in archery
    * Skilling up in magic has been increased significantly
    * Skill progression in spells requires the caster to hit a valid target
    * Number of successful hits required to reach surging mode again with spells has been extremely reduced
    * Knockback, Seize and Whirlwind have been modified and skill gain has increased

Gameplay / Fixes

    * Small adjustments made to melee reach depending on character race
    * Corrected spells that would skill up rigor without dealing damage
    * Corrected a problem some players had while buying skills and starter weapons from vendors
    * Corrected an issue in auto optimization
    * Fogginess of environments has been reduced
    * Various client side issues have been corrected
    * Clan Mines/Quarries/Groves/etc now start out at 25% capacity and their regrowth rate has been increased
    * Clan Guard Tower damage had been slightly increased

Monsters

    * Monster loot for Demon and Fire Giant has been updated
    * A.I. tactics have been enhanced and improved

User Interface

    * Improved worldmap and minimap marker information (You can use the options window to change this)
    * Zoom added to World Map
    * Improved crafting window
    * Improved tooltips for crafting window
    * New tooltip for spells display reagent requirements
    * Display of active weapon under hotbar updated, improved and fixed
    * New chat messages displaying who buffed or debuffed you
    * Vendor icons on minimap now display the vendor name
    * Player Journal and Clan pages now accessible trough external browsers. Go to http://web001.eu1.darkfallonline.com/darkfall and log in with your username and password
    * Trading window confirmation now displays the name of the person wanting to trade with you
    * Various skill descriptions have been improved
    * Various item descriptions have been improved
    * Various problems with Journal and Clan windows have been resolved

Weapons

Melee Range has increased:

* Axes
* Clubs
* Greataxes
* Greatclubs
* Knives

New Polearms have been added to the game:

* Guisarme
* Spetum
* Imperial halberd
* Polehammer
* Glaive
* Partisan
* Dragon tail
* Skewer

Visual Updates

We have made visual updates to:

    * Giant Dragon Skeletons
    * Blacksmith market stands
    * Kobold huts and props.
    * Harbor bases
    * Human keep bases
    * Human skeleton props
    * Minotaur Statues
    * Some player controlled ships
    * Miscellaneous props

New Quests

ORDER OF THE AXE - DWARVEN FACTION

    * A New Enemy
    * A link to the Leaders
    * Fire Standard Leaders
    * Helping Out
    * The Legendary Blacksmith

FIVE BEARDS TRADING COMPANY - DWARVEN FACTION

    * Masters of the Dark Taint
    * A Trading Post in Trouble
    * Protecting the Trading Post
    * Evigvanger is Safe
    * The Miners of Otredale

THE RADIANT CIRCLE - ALFAR FACTION

    * Rare Sightings
    * Forgotten Creatures
    * These New Neighbors
    * Castle Obad
    * Materials for Enchantments
    * The Fallen Necromancers
    * Shulgan the Cautious
    * A Matter of Security
    * The Cursed Ones

THE HARN MANDEAN - ALFAR FACTION

    * West of Nagast
    * Weak Minds

ALFAR CAPITAL

    * Tialanta the Fighter
    * Five Humans Less
    * Hunting Mirdain is Fun
    * True Predators
    * Big, Slow, Ugly and Stupid

OTHER ALFAR QUESTS

    * As Strange as they Come
    * Two Eyes
    * Hanthar's Gift
    * Dangerous Gnolls

Crafting

    * Crafting ingredients have been reduced for

        * Tribal Pike
        * Cultist Polearm

    * Crafting skill gain has been increased
    * Requirements for getting trueforge armor and trueforge weapon skills have been modified.
    * Improved crafting window
    * Improved tooltips for crafting window

World Building

There have been area and world building updates to:

    * Carpendale
    * Winterworth
    * Wetstone
    * Thangruk
    * Waterbourne
    * New NPCs have been added in Obad

Magic

    * 'Leech' spells no longer work on mounts
    * Mana cost for powerful spells has been reduced
    * Potential maximum damage for spells has been increased
    * Holy/Unholy damage will now drain stamina
    * Bone can now be bought from the arcanist

Spell Balancing

AIR MAGIC

    * Arrow shield: Effect has been significantly increased
    * Arrow ward: Reach has been increased
    * Come hither: Reach has been significantly increased
    * Exploding charge: Damage output has been increased
    * Guiding wind: Effect has been significantly increased
    * Lightning bolt: Reach has been significantly increased
    * Lightning ward: Effect increased, reach increased
    * Lightning weakness: Effect increased
    * Lightning shield: Effect increased
    * Thunderstorm: Reach and duration increased

EARTH MAGIC:

    * Acid Rain: Reach significantly increased. Duration increased
    * Acid Shield: Effect significantly increased
    * Acid ward: Effect significantly increased
    * Disintegrate: Damage increased. Impact area increased
    * Gravity: Reach increased. Cooldown reduced
    * Impale: Damage increased
    * Ironskin: Effect increased. Reach increased
    * Pungent mist: Reach increased
    * Stamina leech: Reach increased
    * Stoneskin: Effect significantly increased
    * Tarnish : Effect significantly increased

FIRE MAGIC:

    * Dragonbreath: Reach increased
    * Fire Shield: Effect significantly increased
    * Fire ward: Effect significantly increased. Reach increased
    * Haste: Effect significantly increased. Reach increased
    * Inferno: Damage increased
    * Smoke signal: Reach increased
    * Volcano: Reach increased. Duration increased. Damage increased
    * Wall of fire: Reach increased
    * Weakening blaze: Effect significantly increased

GREATER MAGIC:

    * Beacon: Reach increased
    * Heal other : Reach increased
    * Infliction shield: Effect significantly increased
    * Infliction ward: Effect significantly increased
    * Insight: Effect significantly increased
    * Rend: Casting time reduced. Cooldown time reduced. Damage increased. Area of effect increased.
    * Telekinesis: Reach increased
    * Venom: Cooldown time reduced

LESSER MAGIC:

    * Health to mana: Effect significantly increased
    * Heal mount: Reach increased
    * Launch: Reach increased
    * Lay on hands: Reach increased
    * Magic ward: Reach increased
    * Mana drain: Effect significantly increased

NECROMANCY

    * Bludgeoning weakness : Effect significantly increased
    * Desecration : Effect significantly increased
    * Death fog : Reach increased
    * Infernal shield : Effect significantly increased
    * Infernal ward : Effect significantly increased. Reach increased
    * Mental weakness : Effect significantly increased.
    * Piercing weakness : Effect significantly increased
    * Slashing weakness : Effect significantly increased
    * Undeath : Effect significantly increased. Mana cost reduced
    * Unholy caress : Reach increased
    * Unholy flames : Effect increased. Mana cost slightly increased.
    * Vampiric touch : Reach increased

SPELL CHANTING

    * Bless other : Effect significantly increased
    * Blessing : Effect significantly increased. Reach increased
    * Hymn of Intellect : Reach increased. Effect increased
    * Hymn of Might : Reach increased. Effect increased
    * Hymn of Skill : Reach increased. Effect increased
    * Hymn of Swiftness : Reach increased. Effect increased
    * Hymn of Vigor : Reach increased. Effect increased

WATER MAGIC:

    * Blizzard : Cooldown slightly increased
    * Cold shield : Effect increased
    * Cold ward : Effect increased. Reach increased
    * Frostbite : Reach increased
    * Ice storm : Reach increased
    * Icicle : Slight damage decrease
    * Shards : Slight damage decrease
    * Toxic rain : Reach increase. Duration slightly decreased
    * Water breathing : Reach increased
    * Weakening chill : Effect significantly increased

WITCHCRAFT:

    * Disease : Effect increased
    * Insect swarm : Reach increased
    * Ominous drain : Effect increased
    * Palsy : Effect increased
    * Pestilence : Effect increased
    * Sluggish : Effect increased
    * Stupidity : Effect increased
    * Tongue Rot : Cooldown increased

[Zortarg]

nice.. finaly a magic buff.. cant wait so see it ingame... 430 mb dl... args will take a wile with my net.

[likwidtek]

Another epic patch

[Adad]

Wow real nice patch.  Did you hear that T?  We actually have to shoot something now  I didn't notice that mana missle has to hit a target...

[Demiabeille]

I thought there would be more interesting stuff, but cool nonetheless. Damn not being able to play til sunday!!!

[Adad]

Damn, love the map changes, you can zoom in pretty far (48x) on the world map, sweet!  Looses quality at that level, but still sweet.

[Anamodiel]

Skill progression has significantly increased.

There is no reason anyone shouldn't be playing this game now that skill progression is a lot easier. You won't be far behind most of us...

[Tbone]

That's how archery and magic should have been from the beginning. Too bad all the afkers have already skilled it up to 100. At least it should skill up faster now...

[likwidtek]

the map is fuckin orgasmic!   WOOOOOT

[ZephixLeer (Zephic)]

Yeah, I am a little bummed out that I didn't spam through more magic skill before this happened... but really, we're doing it right this way. No more shooting arrows or magic missles into the air, exploiting the mechanics.

[Anonymous]

Wow, these changes make me want to play like... NOW! I love the fact that I wont be hearing random mana missles everywhere I go, and now it's less likely that every player to be proficient in archery. The fact the it is now easier to skill up is another encouragement to get playing again. I will try to get on tomorrow!

[Jarimus]

The game is so much better on so many levels with this patch.

AV is doing great with the updates. In another month I can't wait to see where we are!