Vindictus Opens Up a New AP Shop [NA Exclusive]

True end game players rejoice! Nexon America is opening up a new shop in Vindictus and its aimed directly at you.  The Vindictus Support team announced the new feature on their Twitch preview, and it is now live!

New AP Shop

The AP Shop will be housed in the Colhen Inn with Ernmass as its shopkeeper.  Players will be able to use their accumulated Ability Points (AP)  as currency for the NX items available for sale.  According the Vindictus Staff, the items in the shop will rotate throughout its beta phase.  Items will be available for purchase with AP for players starting at level 40.


The Shop will initially feature the following items such as (limited time) Enhancement Runes, Clodogh's Dye Ampoules (Empty), and Goddess Revival Feathers.

Currently AP is used for ranking skills, using second transformation, restoring destroyed equipment and for testing your luck with Videks Power Infusions. Because every battle in the game provides AP, introducing another way to use it is more than welcome for those at true end game with completed characters and no desire to blow things up.

What the Store means for you:

1. Players will have a way to purchase limited NX items for zero monetary cost.
2. Players with maxed AP and excessive AP capsules will have an additional way to spend AP.
3. Market prices for Dyes will likely drop for a while (don't worry too much, Outfitter Dyes are on the way)

What you should know:

After getting to level 40 the AP Shop button will appear when talking to Ernmass in the Colhen Inn.

Current Merchandise:

• Merc Recover Potion (100AP) - Limit 3 daily
• Goddess Grace [Individual x1] (300AP) - Limit 1 daily
• Goddess Grace [Party x3] (1000AP) - Limit 1 time weekly
• Clodaghs Dye Ampoule (1000AP) - Limit 1 weekly (tradeable once filled)
• Enhancement Rune (5000AP) - Limit 1 weekly (first 2 weeks only)

The AP Shop is currently an exclusive to Nexon NA's version of Vindictus  (Mabinogi Heroes does not have this store).   This was an intriguing surprise since development for Vindictus is done by DevCat in Korea and they generally receive all updates prior to NA.  We asked Ruin3d (Communications Director, Vindictus - Nexon NA) for more information and here's what he had to say:

"Most content is created for all markets but every now and then we get the Devs to build us a feature we specifically wanted.  This was a request our team came up with and they built it for us.   

Not sure if it will get released elsewhere or not."

It looks like Nexon NA has finally started to take a look into the game to make some things make sense for the NA region. We look forward to any other changes they may come up with.  The Beta Phase is expected to last until October, so stock up on your goodies while you can!

Lynn Makes Headlines!

Our Lynn has certainly turned up the interest in Vindictus. Gaming sites everywhere are talking about "EU's" release of Lynn yesterday.

CALL TO ACTION

Lynn Coming Next Week [NA]

 LYNN NEXT WEEK!

Finally what you've all been waiting for. In response to the cries and pleads for information regarding Lynns release date, the Vindictus NA team has issued the following statement....

A New World Rises - Vindictus Changes [NA]

"Welcome to the New Vindictus. Welcome to a world beyond."

The times they are a changin' in Vindictus

Directly from the desk of...Zoltar, Vindictus Community Manager, More Changes in store for Vindictus NA...

This is a big one. Zoltar has posted a message indicating seemingly drastic changes for our world. A post entitled "A New World Rises" was added to the forums.

It reads like a memo, describing things to come, touching on major aspects of the CHANGE but remaining as ominous as ever, the message did manage to include a semi-official statement on the significance of the "new logo".

Click to read Zoltars Message

It seems that we will be getting a "sexier and sleeker" Vindictus coming with the new forums (thank gawd) and that the ingame in experience will also be changing... 

Whoa...whoa...whoa...Personally, I'm not sure what exactly to think about that part. I'm all for "good" change, but watering down the game is not something I'm up for.  While that MIGHT not be what is being indicated, I can't help but think about all those constant complaints on the forums. As loud and comprehensive as some of those complaints are there is good reason to avoid listening to them.  In fact, caving in to the majority of those would be bad for business. Ironically, I wrote a spoof article on that a few months ago called "This Isn't the Game You Want".

Though Zoltar was rather ominous in the pronouncement of change, he did try to correlate the new logo to the change and describe how they felt it embraced the Celtic lore that resounds throughout Vindictus. This connection is a bit late and probably should have been delivered with the initial message to avoid the rollout reaction, but is appreciated none the less.  

I can say I most definitely am up for actually improving the game and player experience, both the little and big things without watering it down or catering to only one type of player. 

As someone who gets excited about any type of change from a business perspective, I'm especially intrigued as to what Nexon has in store for us and more importantly - how they handle the transition.  

Zoltars message can be read below and includes the following highlights.

Changes covered include:

• New Logo/Rebranding
• New Forums

In game Experience

• Combat
• Battle EXP
• Character Selection Screen
• Rebuild of the Monetization system...from the ground up

...I'm reserving my official judgement until we receive more about these changes "in print" and they become actualized. There is no sense in speculation right now but we'll be watching closely and providing some insight (and scrutiny) in the "Focus on Quality" segment.
______________________________________________________________________

Zoltars Avatar
(Stribog)

Posted by Zoltar, Vindictus Community Manager - Nexon [NA] [2:26 PM PST]

As you may have noticed, Vindictus now sports a new logo, both on the Nexon Launcher and in-game. Astute players may have noticed that the logo, inspired by the same Celtic mythology Vindictus is based on, features the goddess Morrighan at its center. This attention to detail not only shows our appreciation for the game's lore, but the direction we are taking Vindictus in the future. We want the style, look and feel of Vindictus to match the brutal combat and dark world players have come to know and love.


To that end, we are improving the in-game experience in addition to the new logo, new art, and new brand image. From technical changes that will improve the combat and battle experience to a more streamlined character selection window, we're implementing changes that will improve your Vindictus experience across the board. We're also redesigning our game forums to provide you with a deeper, more immersive, and more enriching community experience. More details on forum changes will arrive later this summer.

In addition, we're rebuilding the monetization system from the ground-up. We hate the label "pay-to-win" and want to ensure that Vindictus is fun for all. This is a work in progress, and we’ll have more details for you on our new shop system in the coming months.
Though we know change can be scary, we believe that ultimately these adjustments will better reflect the true spirit of Vindictus.

Welcome to the new Vindictus. Welcome to a world beyond.
- The Vindictus Team

Vindictus Family Welcomes Lynn

LYNN

Today the Nexon Europe Vindictus family formally introduced their region to:
 Lynn, the Dancing Blade.

Lynn - Princess of the Lost Kingdom

Players were pleasantly surprised to find the Story of Lynn impeccably posted on their website. Lynn is the upcoming character being released in both Europe and North America in the middle of June '14.

Nexon NA: Min Kim Appointed Chairman AIAS, Vindictus on Display

Nexon sporting a Vindictus background

Today Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) announced changes to its Board members including the promotion of our very own Min Kim as Chairman. The news also brings some exposure to Vindictus - the worlds best free to play action MMO.

Congratulations Min Kim!

The AIAS Board is composed of 15 volunteer directors, each of whom are leaders and trailblazers in their field.  AIAS is looking to the new Board to bring keen expertise from each of their respective fields to help advance the mission of AIAS projects and initiatives.

But that's not all. This is also great news for Vindictus. Check out that Nexon logo....Vindictus is prominently displayed on the AIAS press release as the backdrop for the Nexon logo.

Could this be another sign of change in the air?  Could Nexon really start advertising Vindictus more frequently? Could we, dare I say become the flagship of the NA branch?! Stay tuned, we'll be watching.

Update May 24

@VindiTrixie thank you! Really honored to be a part of it.
— Min Kim (@5toVe) May 24, 2014

To find out more about AIAS and the changes to the Board, please visit their site: Interactive.org
Keep reading for a Min Kim throwback...

Vindictus Receives New Logo

Change is in the air over at Vindictus [NA]

Friday, Nexons North American action title, Vindictus unveiled a new logo that sent shockwaves through its playerbase. Players were led on a scavenger hunt spanning several hours of hunting for clues revealed on Facebook, Twitter and the NA Forums.

 The effort was led by Zoltar - Community Manager [NA], feeding the clues directing the crowd to put together the puzzle. Piece by piece the tension built, excitement boiled and players were intrigued as they attempted to "Unravel the Mystery".

Once the final piece was in place, my fellow Vindiers processed the news...

Vindictus is getting a new logo. 

Nexon Reveals New Vindictus Logo

Change is in the air over at Vindictus [NA]

Friday, Nexons North American action title, Vindictus unveiled a new logo that sent shockwaves through its playerbase. Players were led on a scavenger hunt spanning several hours of hunting for clues revealed on Facebook, Twitter and the NA Forums.

 The effort was led by Zoltar - Community Manager [NA], feeding the clues directing the crowd to put together the puzzle. Piece by piece the tension built, excitement boiled and players were intrigued as they attempted to "Unravel the Mystery".

Once the final piece was in place, my fellow Vindiers processed the news...

Vindictus is getting a new logo. 

Part 2: Nexon Promises to Focus on Quality: Q1 - Strategy and Vindictus

Nexon has promised shareholders to renew its focus on quality this week as its first quarter results show revenue and profit growth have slowed.

Part 2 - Strategy and Vindictus

Part 1: Nexon Promises to Focus on Quality: Q1 - Financial Results

Nexon has promised shareholders to renew its focus on quality this week as its first quarter results show revenue and profit growth have slowed. What will this mean for Vindictus? Pt 1 of 2.

The Mahoney Era: Going after Whales

Nexons new CEO, Owen Mahoney talks about Free to Play games and his vision for expanding Nexon in the West.

From the Re/code interview : Free to Play is Not What You Think It Is:

[Q:] Re/code: What's the first step toward finding a better foothold in the West?

[A:] Owen Mahoney: We think there's a couple things. We're going to make immersive games that are properly done free-to-play. Free-to-play does not mean trick your customers into paying you money or give them something that is potentially free or supposedly free but, in fact, in order to really enjoy yourself, you have to pay money. That is not free-to-play. 

Going after whales is a fundamental misunderstanding of what that really is. Our objective is to bring really good, immersive, synchronous online gameplay to the West. We have to have an infrastructure, an operating team that can execute that as well as we do in Korea, China and Japan, and also we have to have the types of IP that really resonate with Western users.
---------------------------

Hopefully his vision will sink in on Vindictus quickly. Its a good vision even it isn't exactly what his operational support teams are putting out into the world.


We hope he's got his drill bit ready because the North American branch has some work to do.  The NA version of Vindictus hasn't exactly been operating under a best practice, Customer first mentality putting them far from this vision.  There have been more than their fair share of instances that have led to player dis-satisfaction - more than I care to count. They include massive bannings for "just" playing the game, lack of communication on everything from outages to events, erroneous mistakes (you can almost count on an Event notification having at least one mistake), and a Customer Service team that flat out does not seem to care about us as their customers (burnt out or not) - they can use a lot of work.

Here is to looking forward though. 

We are absolutely looking forward to toward any potential changes that might come from his leadership that trickle down and improve our game.  We're specifically hoping that Vindictus Production Managers - take a real honest look at those enhancement and enchant rates, drop rates, P2W events (and gachapons) and other "stuff"  that can be fixed to fit into the mold a bit better.

I'm sure we are willing to continue to deposit funds into the Nexon Piggy bank if the game were changed so that one did not have to depend on these things or even have them at all. There are other offerings that would probably make more money and leave us as players, feeling more fulfilled in the long run - like Dye Ampoules for Outfitters. <hint, hint - nudge, nudge>

I'd love a return to the "normalcy" that we used to have when we could pay for "fun, pretty and non-P2W" items instead of things that should be achievable by normal dedicated players. I would also personally like to see us have the service quality that EU does. Their Customer Support team is impeccable - they are both seen and heard and its a refreshing change from the laid back attitude of NA.

Read the full Q&A with info on the Westernization of Nexon here:
Free to Play is Not What You Think It Is