After the fall of the Demon Lord , "Runes of Magic - The Elder Kingdoms" opens a completely new chapter. The expansion will take players to the whole new continent "Zandorya". On the ancient grounds of this region, the old kingdom of Dalanis lies in chaos and turmoil with plotters scheming behind the throne of the child-king Callaway. Only little remains of the old glory in the time of the legendary King Kalume. In total desperation, the people long for the return of the old heroes. The goal of all brave adventurers will be to support the young regent Callaway and bring order to this state of chaos. In terms of features, players can expect vast new regions, a new type of skill system, several new dungeons, an increase in the level cap to 60, new guild features like new guild drill grounds and new guild quests and a new monster card system. With the main release of Chapter III in May there will be a total of 9 different types of siege weapons for the guild wars between guild castles. There could probably also be some more in the future.

Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind Chapter 3?

Before the 'Great Banishment', Kalume, the king of the Humans, and Antaikolon, the king of the Elves, collected all the armies and forces at their disposal to fight the treacherous Demons. After a fierce battle which cost many humans and elves their lives the alliance managed to bring about the Great Banishment and dispel the Demons which finally brought peace back to the world.

Kalume chose seven heroes who had excelled in battle out of the innumerable allies who had fought in the war and appointed them as Lords with the responsibility of ensuring peace and freedom for the people. Only Tirsov Fireboot, the leader of the Fireboot Dwarves, rejected the offer and took his people into the recesses of the mountains where they could live out their lives without being affected by the outside world. As a farewell gesture Kalume presented Tirsov with the powerful Hurr'khan axe to show his gratitude for the Holy Oath shield which the dwarves had prepared. The remaining six military leaders were named by the king as Lords of the World, also to be known as the 'Six Old Lords'. They owed their existence to the Kingdom of Dalanis and to the crown of Kalume's descendents and always paid tribute to this.

Chapter 3 will add a new Skill System to the game, can you tell us about that?

If a player completes an equipment set he will obtain a special skill from it. Players may get up to five skills. They will have two slots at level 50, the remaining three slots will be unlocked one-by-one through events and further game updates. These set skills have no upper limit and are class interchangeable. The new skill system will give the players more freedom in choosing their skills in dealing with special enemies, situations and areas. Each player can have up to 10 set skills that they can choose from.

Is it difficult or risky to alter an existing game system so long after launch?

Yes, it can be tricky to make updates, but this is what is so cool about playing and developing persistent worlds: the game will change over time! What is most difficult is the simple reality that we cannot please everyone all the time. What we need to do is trust the vision the design team and to take into account the desires of the community as much as possible. Ultimately we have to stay true to what we know is good design and fun entertainment.

Can you tell us a little bit more about Thunderhoof Hills, the new zone being added with Chapter 3?

In the south of Zandorya lie the verdant Thunderhoof Hills which are surrounded by an imposing mountain range. The region is characterized by its green meadows, rushing waterfalls and wild rivers. Several settlements are nestled in this picturesque landscape as well as the Valley of Glory where mammoth effigies of ancient war heroes rise up to the sky as reminders of past glorious battles. These were the battles in which the legendary King Kalume and his mounted allies once fought against demons and after whom the region was named. Kalume recruited elves, dwarves and other creatures alongside humans such as the rhinoceros-like Kalo people. In recognition of their support Kalume divided up the land amongst these peoples so that the land of Thunderhoof Hills is still diversely populated today.Thunderhoof Hills will see a number of extensive quest lines [very few kill-quests, more like roleplay/adventure quests]

Guilds are getting some new love in this update. Can you fill us in?

New upgrades for guild castles will be available with Patch 3.0.0. Buildings within the castle can be upgraded to higher levels and stone fortifications can be constructed. Since constructing guild castles obviously requires resources new guild quests are also being introduced (available from Guild Level 11).

Chapter 3 will add the ability to change the difficulty settings on instanced dungeons. How will this work?

With Patch 3.0.0 you'll be able to adjust the difficulty level of the dungeons 'Hall of Survivors' and 'Heart of the Ocean' between 'normal' and 'easy'. The choice of difficulty will also have an effect on the quality of the item drops in that players that choose the difficulty level of 'normal' will receive more valuable loot.

What can Runes of Magic players expect down the line with the game?

Players can expect more heroic adventure! We will continue to add new challenges and features to the game over time. We will also continue to focus heavily on community with more in-game events, contests, and cool promotions. There's all kinds of ways we can extend the game experience to create more entertainment and fun for the community.

Is there anything coming in this new update that we haven't talked about yet?

We are expanding the in-game collectible monster card system. Now the cards will also provide a stat or skill increase. We're making improvements to the interface, and as part of that there will be a new Looking For Group interface to make finding groups easier. There's also a new Memento Exchange System and Elite Skill-Balancing. There's so many new features and improvements, it's amazing. I can't wait!