In just a scant few days the first expansion for the monster hunting MMORPG RaiderZ will go live. Come April 3, MAIET Entertainment and Perfect World Entertainment will expand the adventures of Rendel to appease the free-to-play games growing fanbase. Only revealed on February 1, PWE has kept details of the Broken Silence expansion close to its chest. It wasn’t until early March that the company unleashed its first press blast, including the official trailer.

RaiderZ: Broken Silence will increase the level cap to level 40, unlock additional unique boss battles in the new zone of Cowen Marsh complete with delectable armor and weapon drops. Outside core content, the South Korean developer has added a few features, including a new PvP Battle Arena and much needed improvements to the party matching system.

Considering partying is so ingrained in the title’s design, the overhaul to the matchmaking is the best feature of Broken Silence in this blogger’s humble opinion.

Hit the jump for the latest and greatest from the world of Rendel and the upcoming Cowen Marsh zone. Continue Reading

The Open Beta phase of RaiderZ doesn’t truly open to all players until October 24, 2012, but early adopters gain access at 8:00 PM EST on October 22. That’d be today, just about 9 hours away! Assuming all goes well, I’ll be streaming my initial adventures of Rendel on LoreHound’s Twitch. Perfect World Entertainment isn’t let us go into the fray empty handed. The company has released yet another trailer, this time focusing on the high-end zone of Rietz.

The area of Rietz is home to the city of the same name, featuring lavish shops of all shapes and sizes. Home to the title’s social hub, the city is a sprawling area requiring all the norms of life, including sewers. Unlike the sewer alligator of legend, Rietz’ human waste disposal systems are home to otherworldly life. The devious monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some ugly, fearsome and ferocious, others more akin to expectations of a top dweller such as yourself.

They all have loot. “Rietz offers something for everyone, including trouble.”

Hit the jump for the zone trailer and a selection of stills from Rietz. Continue Reading

We hope you grabbed a Closed Beta key for RaiderZ from the Lore Hound promotion before they went, because the testing is about to begin. Just ahead of the CBT, Perfect World Entertainment is teasing the story behind an early boss encounter. The Goblin Golem is an abominable construct controlled by goblin magic that has ravaged the local countryside.

The trailer provides a detailed look at gameplay and how players must alter their strategy for every boss encounter. Reaction time is key if your group expects to take down the goblin-controlled behemoth. Of note is the coliseum environment the battle is done in. It appears that most of these encounters will see battle done in a quarantined area.

Check out the Goblin Golem trailer after the break.

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Is that enough booty for you?

LoreHound: First of all, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! We’re new to the game so we’ll start with the basics. Care to start by telling us about you? Who are you and what do you do? And of course, what’s your favorite monster?

Junhyung Kim: Hi, my name is Junhyung Kim and I’m the Game Producer for RaiderZ.

I love all of the Epic Monsters in RaiderZ since each monster has very different and complex attack patterns. If I had to choose one favorite, though, I would choose the “Goblin Golem”. The Goblin Golem can be found in Rengot Village. He is an incredibly challenging foe since he can smash, pounce, kick, grab and throw players! If you’re not careful, you might lose a lot of HP!

LH: One of the things that caught my eye is the focus on community. There is obviously a great deal of focus on grouping in this game – RaiderZ‘s tagline itself is a command to band together. I think this is a great thing, but is there anything for the solo player? Can I still progress if I’m on my own?

JK: Players will be able to progress through most of the game on their own. However, epic monsters will pose a challenge to those who choose to solo. It is advised that players form groups in order to defeat these Epic Monsters.

LH: Is RaiderZ driven more by character or player skill? Could completely new players join up with an experienced group immediately if they’re good enough, or should they spend time leveling skills and acquiring gear first?

JK: RaiderZ is a challenging game and success relies heavily on players’ skills. However, having good equipment will make progressing through the game much easier. As players naturally progress through each different map, they will be able to acquire materials to craft stronger weapons and armor relative to their levels. While upgrading to new gear is beneficial, it is not necessary.

LH: “Build a custom character” is like music to my ears. How will this affect group dynamics? Could a group of players all with primary tank specs take out an epic monster, or will a more balanced party be needed?

JK: Slaying Epic Monsters in RaiderZ is no easy feat! Each monster has its own random attack pattern, which includes dangerous grapples and devastating AoE attacks. Having a balanced team will be very beneficial since each player will be able to fill a certain role in these Epic Monster fights.

Hit the jump for the rest of the interview with Junhyung Kim.

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