Today in an email blast, Trion and XL Games announced that the western version of ArcheAge will be released with Patch 1.2. No doubt, despite everything outlining why this is a good choice for players, the only part of the entire lengthy post (also posted to the ArcheAge forums) that people will latch onto will be the part about beta being pushed back. The main reason why they reached this decision is because Patch 1.2 versus Patch 1,0, which the game was originally launching with, means that over 70,000 words need to be translated into French, English and German, and in order for accurate translations to happen, more time is required.

Currently, anyone who has bought into the alpha, will see this content pushed to the alpha servers, meaning that players will be testing partially translated content. While Trion says they have exhaustively tested this patch internally, if there's one thing that holds true with MMOs, it's that players will find a way to break things and discover all sorts of bugs, no matter how much something has been tested internally. While those who signed up or bought into beta aren't happy with beta being pushed back “by weeks,” it'll be good for alpha players to begin finding what all will be broken before an influx of new players arrive.

In addition to a better user experience and overall improvements that Trion feel will make a better game launch for the west, players have a long list of features to look forward to:

Patch 1.2 also introduces a host of exciting improvements on its own, including increased experience per Labor Point spent, a searchable crafting folio that works with recipe or ingredient names, significantly reduced (from Patch 1.0) glider turbulence on the high sea, and the ability to earn experience from crafting with maxed-out professions and participating in PvP during a war. Additionally, the Marketplace (in-game store) will be available before Beta begins and we'll grant testers sufficient currency to test it out. It's important to note that our previously announced game improvements such as international trade routes granting Gilda Stars, storyline quests earning experience, and trade packs dividing turn-in rewards 80/20 between pack holder and pack owner will persist through this update.

Now is the time for Trion to focus on feedback from the alpha testers, which they say they will collect based on how the game feels, which is important because the patch will only be partially translated. They expect that pushing this patch to the alpha servers will not require a wipe to the server, which could mean a learning experience for Trion, as well. While those waiting for beta might be disappointed that they now have to wait a few more weeks, getting ArcheAge's western launch right the first time will be a better overall experience for everyone. Sorting everything out and trying to relaunch a year later (I'm looking at you, Vanguard), hasn't worked well for games in the past. Games need to get their launch right or suffer.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our ArcheAge Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Vendolyn's been playing MMOs since 1999, although Vendolyn in-game often becomes a long-term shelved alt. When she's not gaming, she's likely marathoning some questionable TV show or babbling about music to no end. She really likes goats.

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