Vindictus Responds: How to Report Scams

It seems like its been eons since forumers requested action against scammers in Vindictus as well as a clear definition of scamming. Scamming has been a long time problem in the game, perpetuated by both the lack of a real trading system and the malfunctioning mailbox.  Dozens of naive and trusting players have been the victims of scams and have pleaded with Nexon NA to do something about it.

Zoltar has issued this responded to requests for information about Nexons stance on scamming and how to report wrong doing. Today he posted the thread "How to Report Scams".

Scammers are officially on notice that bad trades and trickery will be dealt with and lead to potentially permanent account bans.

The best part about this is that Nexon has (FINALLY) also openly stated that the trading NX for gold and cash is against the TOS.  Hopefully this will alleviate some of the bad seeds in and around the Vindictus servers.

How to Report Scams

 Hey Mercenaries,
It saddens us to see more reports of player scamming recently. For those of you who aren’t aware of what this entails, it is when one player tricks another into sending them a valuable item with promises of enchanting / enhancing it or reimbursing them in some other way. The player who receives the item then goes back on their deal and keeps the item.
First and foremost a warning to players carrying out these scams. We are very serious about stopping this problem and when you are caught you will be punished. Because of the serious nature of these actions punishment sits outside of our banning guidelines so you may very well find your account plus any other associated ones permanently closed.

Here are a few tips for players to avoid being scammed:
• If something is too good to be true it probably is.
• Don’t send valuable items to another player so that they can enhance, enchant, increase quality or anything else. This is just asking to be scammed as there is no guarantee they are going to deliver.
• Don’t trade items for IOUs unless you know the person really well.
• Establish the identity of the person you are talking to. If they claim to be someone you know on an ‘alt’ either get them to get on their main to prove it or identify them some other way.
• Never share your account details, login or other personal information with people in-game.
• If you do take part in a ‘risky’ trade (which we advise against) screen grab the conversation, sent mail with attached item and anything else relevant. Having this proof helps clear things up much quicker in the event of a scam.

Please note trading NX for gold or NX items for gold is not just against the game’s terms of use but also more risky than straight item for gold trades. Although we will still take action against people scamming using these items we will not be returning any lost gold or items to players who get scammed as both parties are breaking the rules.

Steps to report a scam:
• First step is always to try and resolve things with the other player. There may have been an honest mistake.
• If a resolution isn’t possible, please contact our CS department and provide a detailed account using the following steps:
- CLICK HERE (please note, if you’re not already logged in you’ll need to do so and then click Submit a ticket)
- Under Game Selection choose Vindictus
- Under Category choose Report a Player
- Under Sub-Category choose Misconduct and Harassment
- In the Summary area please type Scammer on East, AU or West server (choose whichever server you were on)
- In the Character Reported area, please provide the character/name of the player you want us to investigate
- In the Details area, please provide us as much information as possible about the scam
- Under Options, click the Attach a file link and upload your screenshots (alternately, you can include a link to a photo hosting site in your Details)
- Click Finish
• CS will investigate your ticket and take action if sufficient evidence of wrong doing is found.

Again please take all reasonable measures you can to prevent being scammed and in any instance where this occurs send us a detailed description of what happened so we can take appropriate action.
Thanks

    

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!

Vindictus: July 2014 Patch Notes [NA]

Gates of Hell

Desolate Malina

July 2014 Patch Notes


Journey to the gates of hell and face a horror from beyond the grave in Vindictus’ Season 2, Episode 4- Part 1, out now!

Take on two new bosses, both the stuff of nightmares, and enjoy fun summer events and new additions to the cash shop. Read on for all the details on the newest update in Vindictus.

Inquisitor Ulchas - Desolate Malina

Terrifying New Bosses

Two new foes have crawled their way into Vindictus, and both are sure to have you waking in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat.

Ulchas is rumored to be an undead warrior or perhaps a demon from the underworld, but whatever he is, his strength is unparalleled. 

Ulchas can summon a sentient blade called an Aquillore to aid him in battle, and can restore his health when wounded, making him one of Vindictus' most challenging bosses. 

Lavasat the Sentinel - Gates of Hell

Lavasat is a demonic hound with a body of twisted metal and a heart that pumps molten magma. He can cut mercenaries in two with a flick of his tail, and is protected by towering Hellspikes. You'll have to use your wits and a bit of teamwork to destroy all six spikes before moving in for the kill.

To help you defeat these monstrosities, a special Episode 4 Raid Event is being held from Thursday, July 17 to Wednesday, July 30. During the event period, receive two extra raids against Lavasat and Ulchas. To read more about this and other events, click here

New Ping Meter

To help our players with connectivity, we have introduced ping meters to the Quest Board. Now before setting off on a raid, you can refer to the Quest Board to check a boat's connection relative to your own. Connection speeds are classified by color; please refer to the chart below for details: 

Status (Color)Ping/Latency

• Blue You may experience light lag
• Green You may experience moderate lag
• Yellow You may experience significant lag
• Orange You may experience severe lag
• Red Lag will most likely be very severe
• Black Lag cannot be determined

Blue Ping Meter (Great Host Connection)

Black Ping Meter (Cannot be Determined)

 New AP Shop

A new store has opened its doors and it's only accepting one form of currency- AP! That's right- now you can use AP to purchase select items, freeing up your wallets while upgrading your mercenary. With the AP Attendance Event, you can stock up on AP and then go nuts at the new store.

To access the shop, speak to NPC Ernmass in Colhen. The AP Shop is only available to players Level 40 and above, and is stocked with the following items:

Item Name - xQuantity | Price (AP)/Purchase Limit

• Merc Recovery Potions x20 | 100 AP / Daily 3
• Goddess Grace x1 | 300 AP / Daily 1
• Goddess Grace (Party) x3 | 1000 AP / Weekly 1
• Clodagh’s Dye Ampoule x1 | 1000 AP / Weekly 1
• Enhancement Rune x1 | 5000 AP / Weekly 1

Please note the purchase limitations for each item. For example, you can purchase the 20 pack of Merc Recovery Potions three times a day, but you can only purchase every other item in the shop once per day.

Notes:

• All items in the AP Shop will be available until the October update. Except for the Enhancement Runes, which will only be available for 2 weeks.
• Merc Recovery Potions expire after 2 days.
• All items are untradeable.
• Restrictions only apply to a single character- meaning if you purchase 1 Dye Ampoule with one of your characters, you can still purchase another with a different character.
• The AP Shop is currently in beta, and its contents are subject to change. New items will be added at a later date.

Cash Shop Update

New items are also coming to the cash shop. At the Supply Depot you can stock up on even more AP with the AP Package, a fantastic bargain. Over at the Avatar Shop, the call of the wild has turned the mercenaries of Vindictus into jungle beasts- two new inner armors are available, for both male and female characters.

Vindictus Wildman Inner

Vindictus Jungle Heat Inner

Finally, our most stylish new item: the Biker Avatar costume. Sporting the badge and colors of the V.R.M.C., or Vindictus Rebel Motorcycle Club, this all-leather getup comes in two variants, one with enhanced stats. Put one on and wannabe baddasses will know you really mean business.

Biker Outfitter - Guys

Biker Outfitter - Chicks

For the full rundown of July's new cash shop items, click here.

It sure is hot this summer. Must be all that hellfire coming from Lavasat's back. Looks like you're gonna need an extinguisher...Be sure to check back with Vindictus Trix for our July Content Review coming soon.

Vindictus: S2E4 Twitch Preview [NA]

Vindictus Hosts its 3rd Twitch Stream and reveals Season 2, Episode 4 - "No Gods, No Kings" (also known as Paradise of the NonBelievers).  Previews of upcoming raid bosses, new armor and weapon sets, a stream giveaway, and the very first reveal of the AP Store were on the roster as almost 800 viewers tuned in to this weeks demo.

GM - Zinyden (L), CM - Zoltar (R)

Hosted by: Zoltar and Zinyden
GMs players:  Zinyden, SamoSam, Orkus

On screen characters [Ulchas]:  Crock (Karok - Zinyden), Kaichonu (Kai - SamoSam), and KobraKai (Kai)

On screen characters [Lavasat]:  Crock (Karok - Zinyden), KobraKai (Kai - Orkus), Kotaka (Lynn - SamoSam)

Clearing the Air

Previous streams have been met with a bit of discontent from the players because our GM's have been fairly beefed up beyond normal standards.  Zinyden took some time to explain why they needed it. Basically because they are demonstrating content designed for 8 people with being played with 3, they beefed up the characters to make the best use of time.  So yes "Naysayers", Ziny is rocking +15 everything but its so that the gameplay is a bit swifter which allows them to show us the the content as well as get through some of the bosses different states and transitions.

Preview - S2 E4, (Part One) 

"No Gods, No Kings"

New area being released is called "Annwyn" and is available from the Malina mission board. It houses both runs "Desolate Malina" (Ulchas, 6-man raid) and "Gates of Hell" (Lavasat).  All raids (Levels 50-69 and 70-85)  will require a higher level of skill, teamwork and attention not seen before.  Quick reflexes will be key to survival.

Inquisitor Ulchas

Shortly after your boat departs you've entered "Desolate Malina" as your party of 6 walks onto the shores of our once glorious getaway. The beachfront has been visibly darkened with despair. Exploration up to town reveals your foe and the battle against Inquisitor Ulchas begins.

Inquisitor Ulchas - Desolate Malina

Party Play - Inquisitor Ulchas Defeated

The team reviewed the battle quirks while actually fighting the boss.  Ulchas gave the trio hell but they were able to get through and demonstrate each of the stages. Ziny also outlined several tips and aspects of his attacks that only viewers were able to see.

Lavasat - Gates of Hell

Storyline progression will bring you to the Gates of Hell, once you arrive you are met with the beastly guardian, Lavasat. Reminiscent  of Lionotus mixed with a Kangaroo, Lavasat looks like it is sure to be fun.

Lavasat is an 8-man raid that does not require a lot of skill but does require that you pay attention.  Team work is favored over brute force with this guy. Players will have to first eliminate all of the "Hell Spikes" surrounding the entry.  During this pre-battle Lavasat does not take damage.  Use this stage to build SP for the battle.

Lavasat - Gates of Hell - S2E4

After each "Hell Spike" is destroyed, Lavasat will become dormant, resting where he lies giving the party the perfect opportunity to shift gears for the main attraction which  is concurring the bull.  This is a good time for Staffies to stack their skills and to regen and provide a corona for the party.  Players should use this break to repair and heal up.

During the next 15 minutes to an hour Lavasat will jump, leap, crush and inflame the party.  Tame him by using the chains provided by the game and lassoing his horns as he turns red. The objective is to steer him away from the lava pools flowing from the walls which allow him to regenerate his spiked armor along his back. Continually breaking armor plates will allow you a shot at the main break off which is his . Keeping him away from the lava walls is crucial because Lavasat only takes 30% of your damage dealt if he has full armor.  Once he's broken though, players will deal 150% damage.  Evies will have to learn to chain effectively or risk not obtaining the "El Matador" title and Chainblade Vellas will be a definite asset.

AP Shop

The AP Shop was revealed as a new Beta feature for the NA region. We will now have an opportunity to use excess AP to buy some NX items.  There aren't a lot of offerings right now but will be a great addition for players level 40 and above.

A few items included in the first beta include Enhancement Runes, Clodagh's Dye Ampoules, and Goddess/Party Graces.  Limitations include once weekly and once daily options but are available for all characters on an account as long as they are over level 40.

** Gold is not required to purchase AP Shop items. **

Ping Meter

The Ping Meter has been added within a week after being released to Korea.  The Ping Meter allows you to preview the hosts connection.  Avoid Yellow and Red meters as these will cause you pain.

Black bars are supposed to mean that the connection cannot be determined or that the boat has already left the dock.

Stick to Blue and Green meters for a solid playing experience.

New Armor & Weapons

With new raids comes new armors! Well, sort of.  The crew demonstrated Armageddon and Majesty gear including new armor and weapons, which will be available to craft once Part 2 is released. Armageddon (Level 80) is a fiery garb of doom, while Majesty (Level 70) shows the more elite side of the Royal Army uniform.

Wrap Up

Ziny and Zolt wrapped up the Twitch Session with a brief overview of the following:

• New Battle Report (Available soon on YouTube)
• FAQ about S2E4 
• Discussion of upcoming events 

Twitch Giveaway

Winners of this weeks Twitch "Random" Giveaway were SuperiorKimchi, Xionosy and BlueSentienal.
Congratulations guys, we hope you got something awesome :)

Watch it in HD

Check out the videos replay for yourself here:

• No Gods, No Kings (Part 1 of 2)
• No Gods, No Kings (Part 2 of 2)

Be sure to Follow Vindictus to stay in the loop on all of the updates coming soon.

Vindictus is Advertising

We've been hearing tales of late night commercial sightings but today Zoltar has confirmed it,  Vindictus is running a TV ad campaign.  My heart literally leaped 30ft in the air when I heard this. We've waited sooooooooooooo long for this day...ADS!!!!!!!!!!!! Exposure!!!!!! Notoriety!!!!

The following video is running on channels such as Adult Swim, Esquire TV (G4tv), Comedy Central, Spike TV, and MTV2 overnight across the service region.

Not only that but we've also started seeing Google ads sporting Vindictus.  You can see a few here on this article.  This is awesome news because gamers everywhere are now in the target market for at least seeing Vindictus on their screen and wondering what its all about.  The brand awareness and visibility is guaranteed to be great for the game.  

~We love it, we love it~

We love the playerbase that this campaign is geared towards.  We love the fact that Vindictus is advertising! We love that these campaigns are sure to mean more players and more interest in Vindictus on all three servers.

Vindictus Announces S2E4 Lavasat and Ulchas

Season 2, Episode 4 has been confirmed for July

Special Announcement
Attention all Mercenaries, Royal Army Members and Coffer Chasers,

Season 2 Episode 4 has been confirmed for a 2 part release during the month of July. Zoltar our awesome CM, confirmed this news shortly before broadcasting a Twitch.stream moments ago.  No firm dates or details have been provided but now is the time to prepare yourselves...something wicked is coming this way!

Message from Zoltar, Vindictus CM [7:31PM EST]

Mercenaries we are happy to announce that hot on the heels of the release of Lynn we will be releasing the next episode of Season 2’s storyline.


The episode 4 content release will be split into two parts with the first hitting later this month, featuring new raid bosses Lavasat and Ulchas.


These new bosses will require teamwork and coordination to take them down, so make sure to start preparing for the upcoming battle!

Are you excited? Tell us what you think about splitting the Episode into two parts...love it or hate it?

The Changing Face of Vindictus NA

Ruin3d has provided the Forum Community with an update on the various actions and activities that the Nexon Support team has been putting in place for Vindictus. This includes the new image, community involvement and in game improvements.

We're capturing this so we can cheer as NexNA actualizes on these changes.  We also plan to hold their feet to the fire in the event these promises don't come to fruition.

What improvement are you most anticipating?  Do you feel positively about the changes? Talk to us in the comments below.

_________________________________________________________________
Ruin3d - Communications Director, Nexon NA (June 26, 2014)
Vindictus Forums


-------------------
Hey everyone,
I wanted to give you a quick update from Nexon America on Vindictus in our territory and some of the changes you will be seeing over the coming months.

As this might well get pretty lengthy I’m going to split it into sections.

Nexon Launcher
Some of you will have already noticed that Vindictus is now available on the new Nexon Launcher. The launcher is currently in beta but is already outperforming both web and desktop clients for speed of updates and stability.
A number of additional changes and features will come online in the near future.

To switch to the launcher download the installer here:

http://games.nexon.net/nexonlauncher/

It will automatically transfer your Vindictus files across so you won’t need to re-download the game.

Vindictus Websites

This week we launched a redesigned Vindictus landing page for new players. This summer we are starting a new advertising campaign for the game so needed a new landing experience to tell new players why they should play the game.

You can check out the full landing site here:

www.vindictus.nexon.net/landing


Help us spread the word by sharing this with friends you think might be interested in playing the game!
Coming next: A full website redesign and all new forums.

Community

You will all be familiar with our rock-star CM Zoltar. He took the helm at the start of this year and has been working hard to improve communication and interaction with you, the community.

One of the first changes we made was adjusting the communication process, Nexon employees now post more frequently and we try to be more candid with our responses. We are all gamers so want to talk to you guys as players first.

Exclusive content is another focus area for us. This week we released the first of our Battle Reports, which is a new video series where Zoltar will show the community upcoming content.

You can watch episode #1 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFpjzhHo79c

Going forward we will have regular Battle Reports as well as Twitch streams, community events (in and out of game) and other exclusive content.

Customer Services

The Customer services and GM team have also been hard at work refining how they work. First up was revising the guidelines the GMs work by to ensure that less players are incorrectly caught up in actions taken to stop hackers. These guidelines are in play now and will be continually evaluated and improved.


We also now have more options for support with forum ban appeals, live chat and GM presence on the forums and on social. In the near future we hope to start opening up even more channels to help solve problems faster and more efficiently.

Game Service

Our game team is working hard to deliver the best experience for Nexon America customers.

As an example recently we took the decision to push Lynn back a week in order to fix some bugs and ensure a better service. We also chose not to release the Iset/Keaghan outfitters alongside Lynn as we wanted to evaluate the distribution method for them with the devs.

Our team is dedicated to helping make Vindictus a more enjoyable, more fair experience for everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, please continue to give us your feedback and we hope to keep improving our service.

Team Vindictus

Vindictus: Twitch Debut!

The Vindictus Support team streamed their first ever Twitch broadcast today.

Lynn Meets Her Fans on Twitch

The Twitch stream was one part of a two part effort to supply the Mercenaries with some much needed and appreciated communication and a preview of Lynns gameplay.

Announced just hours before hand, the crowd reached over 650 viewers for this first ever official stream of Vindictus live from the test server. Viewers were treated to more of Zoltar, Community Manager of Vindictus NA and a first ever glimpse of Zinyden, one of our favorite Content Analyst/GM's. The two were streaming from a "green" room in Nexon America HQ.

Zinyden (L), Zoltar (R)
Tag Team to answer questions about Lynn

Zoltar, CM

Zinyden - GM

The pair fielded questions from the very live and rambunctious chat stream and answered the number one question among players - "When is Lynn coming?"  The answer - "Soon." was given, teasing at the one-liner made infamous by our previous beloved CM, Alteris.

The Lynn preview consisted of Zinyden creating a Lynn, going through hair selection and available inners along with body model customization options. Zinyden then set his "noob" Lynn aside and treated the viewers to some action packed gameplay, featuring a fully developed Lynn.


Zinys beefed up model showed Sohee-Lynn, decked out in the best gear, welding a +15 Skeleton Glaive with a shiny beastly glow. Sohee reached 20K attack, 64 attack speed, 96 crit and boasted over 7K health making her the ultimate threat. She picked up her glaive and skipped off to battle showing NA the way of the Falling Petal. For about 45 minutes of gameplay we watched as Ziny and Zoltar answered questions while making their way through the challenges of Lakoria, Keaghan and Succubus Hero.

Despite a few technical difficulties the first Twitch broadcast was a success, leaving the viewers with more information than they had going in and a refreshed energy for the Lynn hype train!  At the end of the stream, 3 viewers were surprised with freebies, a Fusion Rune for each.

We can look forward to more Twitch Streams in the future.
Don't miss out!. Join Vindictus for their next Stream. on their official Twitch Channel.  http://www.twitch.tv/vindictus/

Congratulations to:

Kaitoo69, Prophetsama, Kurokuroi
Winners of the First Twitch Giveaway

Lynn is now live on the Nexon NA server - Go Play Today

Vindictus: June 2014 Patch Notes [NA]

As we continue to improve and restructure Vindictus, we are happy to announce the arrival of our newest character, Lynn. An exiled princess, Lynn is the youngest mercenary and one of the nimblest. Leaping from one corner of the battlefield to the other, her glaive spinning, Lynn creates a mesmerizing war dance as she fights

Lynn is here!

Vindictus: Enter a World Beyond

Enter a World Beyond...

Out with the old and in with the new. 
Just yesterday we were talking about how the old logo was ushered out in favor of the new logo that better suited the "darker and more depraved Vindictus"...well look at what the Vindictus NA team has been up to! 

Vindi's Community Manager, Zoltar presented the world with this fresh new trailer of Vindictus.

Vindictus releases a new gameplay trailer June 23, 2014. 

 Coinciding with the "World Beyond" message, the trailer features a snippet of the original cinematic trailer (refreshed to fit with the theme) and quickly proceeds to the new world filled with action shots of a few of our most treacherous foes from both Season 1 and Season 2. The trailer is simply stunning and of course puts the new logo and brand out front for all to see. The apocalyptic trailer concludes reminding players that Vindictus is FREE TO PLAY.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Play today - Vindictus - www.vindictus.nexon.net/landing

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....

Vindictus Celebrates Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day...Lets go Fishin!

This weekend Vindictus NA hosted a surprise Fathers Day Event!

Mercenaries were treated to a weekend full of pleasure on the docks. The Ignacht River was the place to be as the warriors put down their weapons and picked up fishing rods and harpoons. The Violent Tahtich never stood a chance!

What's that in them there waters?! None other than the coveted Sunken Treasure Chests. The chests were dumped by the boatload right into the sea for our Mercs to fish out. Those who were up to the task were dispatched onto boats and forced to relax while they popped out.

These chests are great ways to stock up on supplies, fishing material and 3-day hair and inner coupons. Some people have enough of both to keep them fabulous all year.

The Event ran from Friday to Monday morning before the raid reset. Though the chests didn't actually make it to shore until Saturday, the event was a nice gesture to honor Fathers. I like to think we honored Ernmass, (pictured above) as the (adoptive)Father of our Goddess..uh our friend Tieve...uh...a girl we used to know...

When was the last time your MMORPG celebrated Father's Day?

...This event was localized to only Nexon NA. The rest of the Nexon world was celebrating the World Cup.  Check it out. 

Review: May Content Release 2014

May was a busy month for Vindictus. Lets take a glimpse back at each of the  major changes that took place across both NA and EU regions.

May 2014 | Vindictus NA [EU]

May Changes and Updates:

• New Logo Introduced 5/16
• Golden Time Event Kicks Off
• Karok Clash 
• Pillar Karok Revamp 
• Changes for Season 2
• Changes to Gold Rewards
• S1: Hero Mode Raids 
• Shared Account Chest [NX Storage] 
• Lower level item changes 
• Shouts Have Been Changed
• Enchant Scrolls
• Outfitter Shop Update
• Ruin3d Delivers on Halos!

_________________________________________

New Logo Introduced 5/16

On May 16th Vindictus shocked the entire player base with new logo. This unveiling was done in piecemeal fashion leaving several confused as to why we needed a new logo, much less this one. The next week after the unveiling the logo was presented, a better clean version appeared along with the label “Vindictus”. 

Unfortunately, it was added to existing forums, which remained branded with the old gold and brown tones. The gold clashed horribly with the new platinum and made looking at it an eyesore. The logo does offer a slicker look than what was originally presented because it was accompanied by a new background and the sexy label. Doing this offered some hope that this might just work.

 

Nexon officials took to the forums to remind folks that the new logo would again be improved once added to the new forums which should appear in June. During the 1.92 patch the logo was added to both the game, Nexon Launcher, One can’t help but think that a comprehensive rollout would have been better. We look forward to the completed branding package set to appear with the forum revamp. Additional questions remain regarding whether or not this is specific for our version of Vindictus or if the new brand will be rolled out to each regional publisher. Read more here

Mega Events Kick Off

These two Events are fairly similar with both offering prizes for attendance. The prizes are spectacular however the events themselves caused quite a bit of confusion among the players.  From confusing instructions to failed award delivery and 2 major miscommunications this just leaves us shaking our heads asking what in the world is Nexon doing.

While the events are great on the outside offering some of the best gifts such as runes, outfitters and halos, Nexons service was a direct deterrent from enjoying them.  It will be nice when we won't be able to say this. Some mistakes are fine but its getting a bit hard to defend constant oversights.  However I will say, keep bringing events like this. They are great ways to entice players to come back and stick around a bit.

Pillar Karok Revamp

Karoks rejoice. Pillar Karok got a much needed boost to his ego this month. From new skills to revamped ones, unlimited pillar toss and extended damage for clashing, Karoks everywhere are pumping their fists like never before. Results are in and this revamp is a win!

Check out the in-depth review by Kanzo. (Review: Pillar Karok Revamp) 

Removal of Jump

Kai - Gale Kick

Since its introduction with Season 2, jump has been a broken but somewhat useful mechanic in the game. Some loved it, some hated it, no matter which side you were on it doesn’t matter because jump is now gone!

DevCat removed jump basically stating that they found it more beneficial to proceed without it than to retrofit it properly into Season One and correct its improper clunky implementation.

Of course the gamers raged about this.  Some characters did in fact benefit from "jumping" more than others and there is no denying that jump made Season 2 "fun".   for several days about this but were soon diverted to other things.

Jump No More

Community Managers stated that feedback might be taken into consideration on whether or not to keep this removal active in our servers.

Changes for Season 2 

S2: Revamp (due to removal of jump)

Because jump was removed each boss within Season 2 that utilized jumpable attacks were revamped. All areas in which jump was required to “play” or proceed have also been revamped including adding ramps or refashioning areas to be a bit more similar to Season One in terms of getting around. Technically speaking Season 2 runs such as Misty and Ship Graveyard should be easier to navigate, while Twilight Desert will probably become more tedious because with as vast of an area as it is, strife jumping was a godsend.

Removed Dungeon Capabilities for S2 8-29, 30-49

Another big decision with this patch was the removal of dungeon and raiding capabilities for the lower level characters. Runs in the Season two area now start at level 50. This means the removal of the 8-29 runs and the 30-49 runs for all of Season two areas.  This change does not affect Season 1 runs as they are set up differently.

Stay in Season 1 Newbies, its better for you here

We suspect this change was due to the bots and the ability to obtain both AP and a high amount of EXP by bumrushing through the low level runs. This also created a sort of density in the higher level runs when people chose to do low level runs. This change will likely affect drop rates in a positive manner. With people having no option but to attend the higher level runs boats will be available, filled and producing more for the community.

Overall I think this was a positive change, even if it means a little more work to obtain those Seals of Dedication.

S2 - Storyline Now Starts at Level 50-69

Due to the other changes, the whole storyline has been revamped. Season 2 now starts up at level 50-69. This is a change from starting at level 20.  This is a reorganization that needed to happen to make the game a bit more fluid especially with the previously mentioned changes.  This now provides a direct way to make EXP without really having grind anything until after level 70.

Removal of Gold for Lower Levels

The lower levels were not exempt from major adjustments this month.  Nexon has decided to remove the Gold reward from all characters under level 20 for all runs. This move was described as a bot reduction tactic. It is sure to cause quite a bit of confusion among both new and old players who assume it is a glitch (and those that don't read patch notes :)) 

Unfortunately there isn't really an upside to this. Nexon has gone ahead and changed some items levels to accommodate storyline changes and has also moved several items to either drop from runs or be available from the NPC...in Malina...Malina the area you don't really get into now until after 50. The equipment items are now free which means that they are no longer money making items.  This part I don't like. They've taken away another means for the average player to generate gold because of bots and that sort of sucks.  

Another thing to note is skills are free up to level 20. Rank and learn as many skills as you can before you hit 20...after that it goes back to normal, having a fee associated with learning it. The AP costs have not changed. Training items now expire at level 20 rather than maintaining the ability to carry them into runs later in game. 

We'll see how this goes long term. I like the idea of crippling bots and making things "better" for the player base but I don't like the idea of having ill prepared players in end game.

S1: Hero Mode Raids

Hero mode raids were released! This includes hero mode versions of:

• The Giant -Titan
• Ahglan the Golem - Ahglan
• The Dark Dank Sewers - Thor
• Avatar of Destruction - Glas Ghiabhelann
• The Central Garden - Ingkells
• The Formorian Leader - Shakarr

The new raids drop 3 and 4 star versions of their respective equipment drops. While normally this would be a great thing, I see it as another blow to those with Expertise and the ability to craft these things already.  Runs like Titan dropped equipment that couldn't be crafted so this upgrade would be great for things like Broken Feather earrings and Dark Crest Helms and White Shark Masks. But for runs like Thor his equipment dropping is a direct hit to the crafters gold source again.  

Additionally, the raids just aren't that hard. Our crew crushed all of them with the exception of Glas which we expected to be harder than he was.  These raids will be a good time killer for those that like Season 1 mechanics better than Season 2 and like the oldies.  On a side note: Shakarr is a beast but interestingly fun for a hero solo.  It does feels like the communities DPS  has outgrown our Season 1 bosses.  We're looking forward to seeing difficult bosses make a return and maybe stick around in their original flavor a bit longer. Hero raids are an A+ because they get end-gamers back into Rocheste boats.

Shared Account Chest [NX Storage]

Finally Shared Account Storage is here!  This is a pretty simple concept to understand. The storage chest can be filled with various items and opened on all characters within the same account. If NA follows the same formula as the other regions, the chest will come as a part of an event and only be sold in the NX Depot after the 60 day versions expire.  This marketing tactic is kind of nice. However I do not look forward to the QQ from players that forget about the timer and have their NX items stuck in a locked Shared Storage chest.

According the list that came out in EU there are a bunch of great items that cannot be included in the storage such as Outfitters,

The list of items that EU can store are as follows:

Share Bear would be pleased

• AP Blessing Stone
• EXP Blessing Stone
• Luck Blessing Stone
• Goddess Feather (Event)
• Goddess Feather
• Divine Blessing Stone
• Gourmet Pet Food
• Major Skill Reset Capsule
• Goddess Grace
• Max Durability Increase Potion
• Minor Skill Reset Capsule
• Party Merc Recovery Potion
• Premium Fusion Rune
• Premium Pet Food
• Minor Skill Reset Capsule
• Pure Skill Reset Capsule
• Mercenary Voyage Blessing Stone
• Merc Recovery Potion
• Mercenary Potion Plus (5 days)
• Merc Recovery Potion Plus
• Weapon Fusion Rune (Event)

Shouts Have Been Changed

F1-F4 (Default)

• F1 - "Nice" to "Nice!"
• F2 -  "Thank you" to "Thanks!"
• F3 -  "I'm sorry" to "I'm sorry..."
• F4 -  "Well done" to "Well done!"

Ah the little things... Not much to say on this but its a bit cleaner, slightly more friendly. The power of the exclamation mark. 

Enchant Scrolls Bound to Bind

Scroll Resellers Beware

Enchant scrolls bind now - resellers and scam artists beware.

It will prevent scroll resellers from buying scrolls for dirt cheap and reselling them for higher. Yes that is normal business in a market however, it was to the point where things were exploited.  I agree this needed to change.  

Scrolls will still be able to be traded freely within an account but once the scroll is sent to another player, it will bind, requiring them to use it, NPC it or allow it to expire and destroy it.

New Outfitters

Outfitter Shop (Flamenco, Matador)

The Outfitter shop has also blessed players with the insanely sexy Flamenco outfitter and in preparation for upcoming Bull Fights, the true Matador garb for the guys.

Feast your eyes and marvel at their wonders:

Halos Arrive As Promised!

Great news North America....we have FINALLY received the Halos in mass

Fiona Earns her Halo

distribution. All participants that were able to black out their entire Bingo board during the Monster Bingo event are now the proud owners of Shiny Halos.

These Halos were a coveted item that NA player had previously been somewhat cheated out of due to miscommunications and a lapse in Management.  The Halos can be fused and traded among players and were in fact the more desired Shiny Halo rather then the Standard Halo with an antennae.

A sincere "THANK YOU" to Ruin3d from Nexon NA who took up the task of rectifying past wrongs and beautifying the servers.  Not only did he collect information from forum participants, he actually got these to the majority of players in an obtainable (non pay to win) event. 

Thank you Ruin3d! 

Whew! It was a busy month end for Vindictus, things are starting to look up. We'll try to do a review like this every month to keep you informed of ongoing changes to the game.