We had a chance to check out Chapter V: Fires of Shadowforge for Frogster’s free-to-play MMO, Runes of Magic, during this year’s E3. This latest update, which is now live, makes a number of major additions to the game including playable magic-wielding Dwarves and their two new classes, the Warlock and Champion.
It’s true that Dwarves were present in Chapter IV of Runes of Magic, but they weren’t playable. In fact, it was the storyline of Chapter IV that basically set things up for the introduction of Dwarves in Shadowforge. The gist of the story is that the Dwarves were given magical power by a Demon Lord and ended up getting a bit carried away, corrupting themselves and ultimately turning to stone. Hundreds of years after these events, a number of scientists uncovered the petrified Dwarves and through many experiments were able to figure out a way to breathe life back into them.
Players playing the new Dwarven race will experience a storyline that involves setting the Dwarves back on the right track and acclimating to their new environment. This kicks off with the new area of Taffrock designed exclusively for the Dwarves. We weren’t able to pin down the exact level range of the new content, but it’s definitely focused on the beginner levels. The new zone even includes one of the update’s two new instances, the Taffrock Outskirts. This instance is found in the south of Taffrock and tasks the player with helping free the Dwarves from their petrified state.
The aforementioned new classes are exclusive to the Dwarves and fill two important group roles:
As one might surmise, the Champion is a bit of a tank, though he also wields dark magic and can even transform into a Runic Robot. We got to see the Runic Robot in action and it was certainly pretty neat!
The Warlock, on the other hand, is a ranged caster that uses psychic powers and dark elemental magic to support his group via powerful debuffs and force multiplying buffs.
Two new regions are introduced with Chapter V as well. These new regions, the Kingdom of Rorazan and Chrysalia are designed for both group and solo play. Additionally, players will be able to take part in a new high-level instance called the Aeternal Circle.
Last, but certainly not least, Runes of Magic is utilizing the Kalydo plug-in to give players the opportunity to enjoy the game via their browser. The browser version of Runes of Magic is currently in beta (until September 1st), but players can freely check it out right now. Players who insist on checking into Taborea just about anywhere they are will surely appreciate the small download and increased accessibility of the browser version.
Chapter V: Fires of Shadowforge is now available on live servers. Go forth and conquer with your blasphemous magic-wielding Dwarves!
