PAX Prime 2014 - Trion: Trove Beta, ArcheAge Release Dates Announced

Trion Worlds announced at PAX Prime this weekend that its westernized fantasy MMORPG ArcheAge will release on September 16. “Founders,” those who have financially backed the game to get access to the alpha and beta, can begin enjoying ArcheAge on September 12.

ArcheAge has been in closed beta since July 17 and will release an open beta from September 4-8 so that newcomers can try it out before fully committing. That said, ArcheAge is free-to-play, but it will also offer Patron subscriptions and non-recurring passes for more in-game content & bonuses.

Originally a Korean game, ArcheAge is a fantasy MMORPG that lets players level up pretty much anyway they choose – mining, item crafting, laying waste to inferior critters, etc. It features a deep progression system with 15 crafting skills, and it rewards players who under- or over-achieve when questing.

Apart from supporting player preferences, ArcheAge maximizes PvP combat with siege battles that scale up to 100 vs. 100 players. This is an opportunity for the game’s races to battle it out for precious resources and currency. Land, naval, and even sky combat (watch out for that glider) can comprise a siege, making for combat moments few games have hosted.

You can read more about ArcheAge by checking out our preview from GDC earlier this year.

Trion will also take vibrant sandbox MMORPG Trove into closed beta next month. Everything will carry over from beta into the game’s launch.

Trove presents a procedurally-generated world for players to explore and complete quests, but it also enables players to create their own environments. These quests include large structures and dungeons, and team up with their friends, or “clubs,” to further build out the world.

Players have several classes to choose from – at least 5 at this point in the game’s development – and can traverse the universe through portals, mounts, and vehicles. As with an unannounced class, much of the content – some of it in the procedurally-generated adventure realm – is community-contributed through the game’s sub-Reddit.

Trove is also a free-to-play game that will offer perks for paying players.

As for its established games, Trion will release the Nightmare Tide expansion on October 8 for RIFT, and it will update Defiance with Aftermath, a series of apocalypse-themed missions and events. 

Stick around Gamers Nexus via Twitter, Facebook, and especially YouTube for more announcements and coverage of PAX Prime 2014. 

- Nick "stuBEEF" Pinkerton.