Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Explorers of the wilderness area will be rewarded by finding totem-like lore items left behind by the generals of the giant-dragon war here - Stormreaver and the Truthful One. Clicking on the giant-skulls-on-pikes or the tree-trunk-sized swords opens up an ongoing narrative of the battle from both sides.

Additionally, the team is updating the in-game Monster Manual with a third installment, so completionists will want to hunt one of everything for that.

If you are wondering why there were so many Turbine staffers on call for this playsession, be assured that there is a good reason. The new epic raid, The Fall of Truth, requires a big group. Once we were done noodling around in the wilderness area, Producer Athena Peters put the call out, and several more Turbine staffers joined the party to show off their new raid.

This raid is a major showdown between Stormreaver, the meaglomaniacal Storm Giant boss, and the Truthful One, a powerful dracolich that has been manipulating the dragons in the area for a long time. Though he has been working behind the scenes for the past six years, this is the first time the Truthful One makes an actual appearance in the game. And he does manage to make a grand entrance worthy of the wait.

The raid is a two-boss arena-style fight with a mechanic that requires both bosses to be taken down within ten seconds of one another. To complicate matters further, there are groups of paired lesser giants and dragons thrown into the mix as well, making the whole scene chaotic and crazy. The fight requires a well-coordinated and experienced team, and a choreographed and orderly execution. The Turbine crew did exactly that while I ran around the room getting screenies.

The Fall of Truth has gotten a lot of positive response from the DDO community already - there's even a (currently) 3-page forum thread petitioning for its designer to get a pay increase. It is challenging and engaging and not just raw player punishment, and any type of character will find something to do here.

Update 17 is scheduled to launch sometime in February. Let us know what you're most looking forward to from this giant update in our comments!