MMORPG.com Istaria Reporter Erin McManaway returns this week to talk about that game's most recent update.

A new menace is rearing its head on the Dalimond Peninsula, endangering travelers and putting the pressure on the already thin-stretched militia. In response, the Gifted of Istaria are called upon to defend Dalimond and the surrounding lands from the growing scourge of the Skulks!

"Scourge of the Skulks," the newest free content release for Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted, has just been patched live to all servers. The focus of this release is a complete revamp of the Tier 2 player experience, which encompasses all schools level 20-40. Though the release concentrates on mostly adventuring and exploring, there is new content for Tier 2 crafters and builders to get involved with, as well.

Read "Scourge of the Skulks" Free Update.

I can't believe this game is still around......but cudos to whoever is trying to revive it.  Not my cup of tea though.  Hate crafting and certainly don't want to play a game that makes it the primary focus.

Any game with a crafting focus and PVE focus instead of PVP is AWESOME in my books and I'm glad its still going strong, me and the missus will have to resub soon - she always loved being a dragon.

Congrats to the folks at Istaria, and here's hoping they try to smooth out their new player experience now.

Nothing like being unable to kill the mobs in your first combat quest :D

I tried the trial awhile back. It was a pretty good game for being all PvE. The thing that stood out most to me was the community. It was the most friendly community I'd ever seen in an MMO. The game itself isn't for me, but if your looking for a more laid back atmosphere with people that are willing to help you try this game out.

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

Congrats to the folks at Istaria, and here's hoping they try to smooth out their new player experience now.

 

Nothing like being unable to kill the mobs in your first combat quest :D

What new players? The very few that trickle in then trickle out again because the game just showing its age? The small dev team and the pace of development is just too slow. It's a game still running on Dx8 for crying out loud, Dx8 was already on the way out when the game was first released back in 2004.

They can't do much with this game, as the engine it's on is a outdated version, and they don't have the means to get the latest version of the engine license, this is going to remain an outdated relic that just going to fade away in the next 5 years. it really has nothing to offer in the next decade of MMO gaming.

Originally posted by IAmMMO

They can't do much with this game, as the engine it's on is a outdated version, and they don't have the means to get the latest version of the engine license, this is going to remain an outdated relic that just going to fade away in the next 5 years. it really has nothing to offer in the next decade of MMO gaming.

Haha. You are aware that a MMO which would shut down after 11 years of life time isn't exactly ... a failure?

And all this talk about the engine and DX8 ... I loved how the light was reflected on the snow in Kirasanct and how it changed color depending on the suns position in sky. Looks was never an issue for me with Istaria, community and the building efforts were great. I'm still very fondly looking back to those years and kudos to the very dedicated small dev team for what they managed since they took over!

 I'm just looking for more complex crafting than hitting a button and those massive numbers of ressources on needed to harvest. Never again a single piece of Kenaf - I had enough. :D

 If graphics were an issue to most gamers then games like UO, AC, DAoC,  & DF would cease to be talked about for one thing... But on the flip side as far as this game goes, it has a great crafting system but terrible community if you want to do any combat grouping. Good luck to anyone trying to get a group going for any quests. 99% of the time gamers there will ignore you unless you are a high level crafter with crafting resources to offer, lol.