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The folks at gPotato have continued to occupy a great deal of my gaming
time and attention again this week. Allods Online has wrapped up closed
beta 4, and two  new games were brought to market, style="font-style: italic;">Aika Online and style="font-style: italic;">Canaan Online.



While Canaan Online looks
to be standard fare browser-based gaming, the other release, style="font-style: italic;">Aika Online,
looks to take the portal to new heights with its full frontal assault
on PvP-centric gaming. Stay tuned to Ten Ton Hammer for lots more about
this title in the next few weeks. (If you want to take a quick look at
the beta, you can still grab a key here, but do it now because this
round of testing closes today.)



gPotato and its parent company
Gala Inc. were in the news quite a bit this week, and not just for
their new games. Irish business website “The Post” ran an interesting
feature on the company that spotlighted its growing market share and
ability to weather the recession due to the free-to-play model of its
games. We have been touting free-to-play games as recession proof for
months here at the Hammer. It’s good to see the word is spreading.



We
spotlight Allods Online once again in our continuing archetype preview
series, which wraps up next week with everyone’s favorite whipping
boys, the hybrids.

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Allods Online Class Preview - Part 3

As closed beta 4 winds to a close and Allods Online prepares for
open beta we want to roll out the last couple class previews. This week
we will look at the Healer archetype and the four classes that make up
the group. 



Healers are the cornerstone of any good
group, an essential part of raiding, and truly a difference-maker in
PvP. While Allods Online does have its own unique spin on healing, the
mechanics of the role follow the fairly predictable norms of the genre.
One welcome change for fans of the archetype, particularly for those
who also enjoy PvP, is that the Allods healers will be able to equip
plate armor at higher levels, adding an extra level of damage
mitigation, which should also add an extra level of frustration for
their foes. Some groups have even reported using their healers as off
tanks, which makes me giddy with anticipation since I haven't been able
to pull that off since I was a dwarf cleric in EverQuest.

 

During
the first three iterations of beta testing leveling a healer was akin
to undergoing oral surgery without anesthesia, however the improvements
that were made to combat speed in beta 4 have benefited all classes.
There is little noticeable difference between the kill speed of my
Heretic and my Brute. In fact, the changes seem to have closed the gap
a bit between the two. Maybe it was just less dreadfully obvious before
this latest version on the Brute than it was on the Heretic, the latter
made me want to stick rusty utensils in my eyes.



Aside from
the “OMG, its dead already!” combat speed improvements, beta 4 has
given healers more chance to shine as the stakes have been upped in
both PvE and, from what I have heard, in PvP as well. (Don't judge me,
I'll PvP eventually folks!) As someone who is perpetually bitten by the
healer bug I was initially dismayed by healing in Allods Online, but
with the recent improvements in the North American client my fears of a
repeat of Aion have been assuaged.



Healer

cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
Name Race Description style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Heretic Arisen Possibly the oddest of the lot, the Arisen Heretics are
atheists by
nature but their lack of faith doesn’t stop them from being among the
most devout of all the healers. By way of a strict adherence to the
vows, rituals and traditions of the faith, the Heretics have developed
the ability occasionally increase their wisdom for a short period of
time. Priest Elf While not originally disciples of the light, the
eternally vain
Elven people became converts with the death of Tensess, whose death
they viewed as beautiful in its dignity. Using the new powers of the
light to further perfect themselves, the elves have developed the
ability to purge their enemies of mana or energy..  Cleric Kanian The holy warriors of the Kanian people, the Cleric is
called upon
in peace time to proselytize to the people and in war time to fortify
the troops. The Kanian Cleric possesses an ability known as Tensess
Shield, which absorbs all damage for a brief time but then needs to be
recharged for future deployment.  Inquisitor style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Xadaganian Dispensing
their powers with equal parts reverence and intimidation, the
Xadaganian Inquisitor is an imposing figure that stikes fear in the
heart of opponents and elicits fervor from their allies. Their strong
faith allows them to free themselves and their parties from movement
impairments or other types of control attempts.

Often the toughest role in MMO gaming, healing can also be one of
the most rewarding if the mechanics behind it are solid. Fortunately,
Astrum Nival seems to be making the extra effort to get it right for
the North American market with Allods Online. 



Stay tuned next week as our series wraps up with a look at the hybrid
archetypes.



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• Allods
  Online Archetype Interview Series Part 1 - The Warrior
  
  Kicking off an 8 part series where we look at each archetype in the
  upcoming game.
  
• THQ
  and THQ*ICE to Grant Lucky Dragonica Online Player a $10,000 Wish
  
  Dragonica Online player to granted a 2010 wish, worth $10,000. A lucky
  free-to-play gamer is about to hit the jackpot!
• Free
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  The popular browser-based game hits a new milestone. As free-to-play
  gaming grows this is one game that is certain to lead the charge, tons
  of content updates assure future success.