Runes of Magic recently hit the 2 million mark of registred users.

Runes of Magic hits million mark again
Now more than 2 million registrations

Frogster announces today that the online role play game, Runes of Magic has now recorded over 2 million registrations in Europe and the USA. Doing so the Berlin publisher reaches a further milestone in the marketing of its multi-award-winning MMORPG, just six months on from the release of the first chapter ‘Rise of the Demon Lord’’ in its German and English language versions. The second chapter ‘The Elven Prophecy’, launched recently in September, also saw the launch of additional French and Spanish language versions. The Russian language version is already in the starting blocks and preparations are on-going for further localised versions.

‘Runes of Magic has become a mega-seller in the few months since we launched. The 2 million registrations milestone we have now hit is yet further proof of the quality of our game and our communication strategy’, commented Rolf Klöppel, Director of Marketing & PR for Frogster Online Gaming.

A new high level dungeon for Runes of Magic has just been announced.

In the Cave of the Water Dragon
New six-player dungeon will expand the game world of Runes of Magic

In the course of the multi-staged release of the second chapter of Runes of Magic, “The Elven Prophecy”, Frogster will publish an additional content update next week. In conjunction with the ‘Aotulia Volcano’ zone, the publisher is adding the ‘Cave of the Water Dragon’ into the live version of the fantasy game world. The new dungeon offers groups of up to six players at the level cap of 55 to experience a fresh setting with new challenges and treasure.

Groups of adventurers will find access to the ‘Cave of the Water Dragon’ across the ‘Throne of the Water’ in the ‘Weeping Coast’ region. During their quest, the elemental being Polython will transport them into the throne room of Zanordoth, the old king of the Water Dragons. His demented son Lytfir has awoken from a lengthy slumber. With heavy heart, King Zanordoth banished the water dragon to the darkest corner of the cave after he turned against his alliance with the humans, forged long ago. Now, player groups have the task of sending the quick-tempered dragon back to rest. To achieve this goal, they need to collect several soul essences from around the instance. But there are some powerful elemental beings that make life difficult. The essences will let players receive a crystal ball from Zanordoth, which they can use to recapture Lytfir, sending him back to sleep. A new teaser video highlighting the new dungeon is available now at: www.runesofmagic.com/en/videos.html

A new teritory named Aotulia Volcano has just been announced for Runes of Magic.

It’s getting hot in Taborea    

New territory ‘Aotulia Volcano‘ expands Runes of Magic game world

Things are heating up in Taborea – the ‘Aotulia Volcano’ is about to erupt. The new territory in Runes of Magic has been where the malevolent Naga people have been exiled for centuries. The next content update will open the gates to this new region, which is characterized by boiling lava flows.

The ‘Aotulia Volcano’ is where the snake-like beings were banished following their defeat in the Great War against the alliance of the Elves and humans. Separated from the rest of Taborea by a magical wall, they’ve been waiting for years for the opportunity to escape. After the barrier fell, the Naga conquered north-western Taborea. Now adventurers will finally have the opportunity to advance into the heart of the Naga invasion. 

Here, under the ashen skies, is where heroes can take their final steps on the way to the level 55 cap, once they have left the ‘Savage Lands’ behind them. Numerous quests will unravel the history of the desolate zone around the volcano. A gigantic city at the foot of the volcano and new dungeons wait to be explored as players embark on challenging adventures.

The new territory of the ‘Aotulia Volcano’ will be open to all players at the end of September. To give you a glimpse of this new hot zone, there is a new in-game video available at:  www.runesofmagic.com/en/videos.html

The second chapter of Runes of Magic, The Elven Prophecy is now available for download and purchase.

The second chapter of Runes of Magic is now available online. ‘The Elven Prophecy’  expands the online role-playing game and adds Elves as a playable race with two new classes – Druids and Wardens. The major content addition offers more territories for beginners and advanced players in the fantasy world of Taborea. In parallel with the online launch, a new boxed version is in the shops today at €9.95 MSRP. Runes of Magic is of course still available as a free download via the official website: www.runesofmagic.com

The boxed version contains an in-game item package worth over 10 Euros bundled with the game software in addition to the game manual and a poster format world map. There is also an exclusive house pet – a Manticore – included in the bundle and this creature is exclusively reserved for purchasers of the boxed version. Frogster will be giving another advantage to those redeeming early: All players who redeem their box key on the official home page within five days of the release on 15th September, will exclusively receive the ‘Heavenly Black Wings’ item credited to them. A packed week of activity awaits players surrounding release day. Among the planned promotional events are a Level Competition where 3,000 in-game diamonds have been set aside for prizes.

The release of ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ also marks the launch of Runes of Magic in France and Spain. The French and Spanish launches mark the end of the open beta phase in both countries and signal the start of official live operations. Runes of Magic is now playable in four fully localized language versions: German, English, Spanish and French.

 There is a new in-game video for the release of the second chapter at: www.runesofmagic.com/en/videos.html

New content is now available Runes of Magic by updating to patch version 1.9.

Runes of Magic Patch 1.9 ‘Naga’s Awakening’ heralds second chapter

Comprehensive update marks the start of ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’

The Naga are back: After a thousand years of banishment, the snake-like beings have succeeded in passing through the magical wall which once kept them from human civilisation. The new content update ‘Naga’s Awakening’ doesn’t just tell the story of the start of the Naga invasion, but also at the same time marks the beginning of Runes of Magic’s second chapter, ‘The Elven Prophecy’.

Players can explore the ‘Weeping Coast’ right away. In this swamp territory adventurers will meet the Naga for the very first time. New quests tell the history of the region and ultimately lead to the bottom of the ocean. In the group dungeon ‘Heart of the Ocean’, alongside fish people and other ocean dwellers, there lurks a powerful leader of the snake-like beings, ready to seize unwary players. With ‘Naga’s Awakening,’ Frogster has also raised the level cap to 52.

The content update also expands Runes of Magic with more open combat, and a Public Encounter. In ‘Varanas Nightmare’, up to 150 players can step into nightmare world where the regional capital Varanas is in ruins and under siege by undead skeletons and nightmare beings. At the end of the three stage challenge for experienced player groups, there is an encounter with the Demon Lord himself – this is the first time that the eponymous fiendish lord of the first chapter makes an appearance.

Additional content from the second chapter, ‘The Elven Prophecy’, including the new Elven classes and NPCs, will be published in the second phase of the launch on 15 September.

MMORPG investigated the second chapter of Runes of Magic and penned down some of their findings.

Up until now, Runes of Magic players have been restricted to human characters. Well, no longer will players be forced into the forms of foul-smelling, lumbering Men. Instead, they will be given the choice to play as an elegant and regal elf.

Fantasy racial stereotypes aside, the developers have worked hard to present not only their new race, but a story and area to match.

Environmentally speaking, the developers have done a great job of creating a new area that fits exactly the expectation for players of the elves. In other words, they're quite Tolkien-esque. The Elven town is built in the trees, with beautiful, naturalistic surroundings. Buildings are joined together via a series of bridges. It should be noted as well that the design of a new starter town has also changed the way that the game's tutorial runs. Previously, players were taken to a whole separate area to learn how to play the game. Now, the tutorial will be more integrated into the early game's quests.

TenTonHammer has a whole range of new screenshots showing the new content in Runes of Magic.

The release date for the second chapter of Runes of Magic named The Elven Prophecy has been set to 15 September.

Release Date for Runes of Magic Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy announced

Second Chapter available on 15 September

In the course of a multi-stage launch  Frogster will officially release the final content of Runes of Magic's second chapter on 15 September 2009. Leading up to that date, Berlin-based publisher Frogster will deploy a large content update to the servers. On the same day, a boxed version of ‘Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy’ will also be available in German, French and Spanish retail stores for €9,90 (RRP).

Included in the box are the game client on DVD and several exclusive collector's items: Players will have access to a Manticore pet, to accompany them on their journeys, a printed manual and a poster-sized world map of Taborea. Buyers will also have a time-limited mount at their disposal: a Thunder Wartiger.

To help players during their first steps in the game's world, a starter kit worth more than 10 Euros is also included in the box. The experience potion, for example, will help players level faster for a period of time, a special carpet will enable them to decorate their in-game house, or they can use the materials included in the starter kit to improve their weapons and armor.

In August, Frogster will release the first set of features and content to the live servers and with the box, Frogster will finalize the multi-phase launch of Runes of Magic ‘Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy’.

In an interview with Runes of Magic Product Manager Matthias Fellinger amongst others the following was said:

MMORPG.com: How much new content will this expansion add?

Matthias Fellinger: I think it´s pretty safe to say that we are adding content for every type of player. We are offering a completely new race, the Elves, and two new classes, Warden and Druid, which don't just allow for a new gameplay experience, but also extend our innovative dual class system as well. There will be lots of new instances for groups as well as for raid parties, giving you an intense PvE feeling with complex boss fights and some very nice loot.

For PvP-players, we will implement new game modes and improve our current ones, so expect some nice player versus player fights. We will raise the level cap to 55 and, as mentioned before, add new areas with a massive amount of new quests for all you explorers out there. We are also working on new features like the "pet system," which we are already very proud of, that will add a completely new game experience. And - as always - we are working on improving the existing content we already offer in game.

Two new classes have been announced by Frogster for the Elven Prophecy update to Runes of Magic, for which som eartwork can be found in our gallery.

New classes in Runes of Magic

Frogster introduces the two new Elf classes: Wardens and Druids

Along with the release of the second chapter of Runes of Magic 'The Elven Prophecy' the secretive Elves will appear for the first time in September as a playable race in the world of Taborea. The publisher Frogster is presenting two Elf classes today, the close combat class of 'Warden' and the magical class, 'Druid' and in doing so gives a first glimpse of the mysterious woodland folk. 

Both classes are defined by their close connection with nature, which in turn also has a direct influence on the Elves' special abilities. Thus the Wardens have the power to call upon the power of nature spirits and can connect with the woodland plants which in turn strengthen them with the power of the forest. They therefore always fight with side by side with a companion of plant origin which channels its power to support the Warden. Thanks to his companion, the Warden can be highly adaptable in the most diverse of combat situations.

In contrast, the Druid's abilities are at first glance similar to those of the human Mage, but they are, however, not confined to destructive magical powers. They possess in fact a multitude of attack methods and healing spells. A particular unique strength they have is the ability to harness 'Nature's Power'. The Druid collects the power in his body during combat and this then brings about special effects which cause many abilities to be strengthened. Furthermore he has versatile magic at his command in the areas of healing, support and combat and rules over various elements.

Both Elf classes have numerous different skills which define them not only as dangerous adversaries, but also useful group members. For example, the Warden can cast thorny vines around opponents, which deliver physical damage every second, whereas the Druid in a group situation can raise the speed of attack for the group members for a given period.

One of the new zones in the upcoming add-on for Runes of Magic is named Weeping Coast and brings the level cap to 52 and adds some 200 new quests.

A video showing some details of the new area can be found here and some new screenshots in our gallery.

New zone introduced in Runes of Magic

The ‘Weeping Coast’ brings 200 new quests to Taborea

Frogster begins the implementation of the new content for the coming second chapter ‘The Elven Prophecy’ with a new zone for Runes of Magic. The Berlin based publisher is now publishing information about the region to be known as the ‘Weeping Coast’ which corresponds with the upper level limit being raised to 52 and invites adventurers to go exploring.

The swamp landscape with its branching channels lies in the northern part of the up until now known game world of Taborea. While fish-like creatures of a species known as ‘Tiktaalik’ make the marshes themselves unsafe, the temples found on the higher ground are populated by wild clans of trolls. Furthermore this is the first region where players will come across the Naga for the very first time. This saurian people are entwined in ancient secrets which players will slowly unravel as the second chapter progresses. 

A village built in a pueblo-style lies at the heart of the zone and serves as a central contact point with merchants and quest givers. Around 200 new tasks in the 'Weeping Coast’ will help adventurers to climb to level 52.

The opening up of the ‘Weeping Coast’ and with it, the start of the multi-stage launch of ‘The Elven Prophecy’ is scheduled for August this year. The climax of the official release will then happen one month later in September.

Runes of Magic will be released in the French and Spanish languages in September. This release will then also contain the Elven Prophecy add-on.

French and Spanish versions of Runes of Magic to be released in September

Teaser sites to register for beta and large scale community competition just launched

Following on from the success of the English and German versions, Frogster is now preparing the release of a French and Spanish language version of Runes of Magic. Both new localized versions are scheduled to be launched in September. The French and Spanish versions of the successful fantasy online game world with already over 1.000.000 registered players worldwide will commence from start with the additional content from 'Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy' just recently announced. Accordingly they will already include the Elves as a playable race, two new classes, new game regions, new dungeons and raid instances, a new pet system as well as a new soundtrack.

According to current plans, a closed beta test for both new language versions is scheduled to start in July on dedicated servers, which will host the French and Spanish community beyond release. An open beta phase will follow after a last character wipe in August so that players will be able to take their open beta characters with them into the launch version. A French and Spanish teaser site has just been launched, where players can register for the beta phases right away: http://www.runesofmagic.com/fr/ - http://www.runesofmagic.com/es. The site already features the new French and Spanish forums to facilitate the communication within the community. Moreover, a French and Spanish trailer is available on the teaser sites as of now.

Frogster has appointed WGames to take care of the Internet presence, the PR and the community management in France working together with the French PR agency VPCOM. Best Vision PR and Incubadora Web 2.0 will be responsible for PR, marketing and community management in Spain. A large-scale community competition has just been started accompanying the launch of the French teaser site, in which players can win complete clothing sets for their characters in Runes of Magic on different French portals:
http://www.runesofmagic.com/en/news,id593,armour_competition_finals.html.

Frogster announced at the E3 the next chapter of Runes of magic named 'The Elven Prophecy'. Here is the complete info:

E3 News: Frogster announces Chapter II of Runes of Magic for launch in September 2009

Second chapter with new regions, a new playable people, new classes, new instances, updated graphic engine and a new soundtrack to arrive in September

Under the name of ‘The Elven Prophecy’, Frogster is to turn over a new leaf with Chapter II of Runes of Magic scheduled for launch in September 2009. The publisher has announced this today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) currently being held in Los Angeles. At the exhibition, Frogster is already showing some new content from Chapter II like the new game region “Weeping Coast”.

As the name already suggests, the core element of ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ is the integration of the elven folk as a playable race. A widely branching background story entwines about the elves with lots of new challenges with the new pieces of lore being told by means of a multitude of new quests and epic quest series. Continuing ‘Chapter I – Rise of the Demon Lord’ the second chapter leads players into new game regions, steeped in elven history. It’s the eponymous elves who stand by mankind in their epic conflict against the demon’s menace.

According to the legends, demons of human origin – having degenerated into underworld beings under the influence of the runes – forged an alliance with the nagas in ancient times. Together, these evil forces brought war and devastation to the world of Taborea. An alliance of elves and humans succeeded in banishing the demons into the void and drove back the nagas behind a magical wall. However, when elven prince Sig’aylas removed the holy sword ‘Arclight’ from the wall to defend his human truelove, the wall perished and the naga threat flared up once again.

Together with the elves, ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ introduces two new character classes into the world of Runes of Magic. They complement the palette of selection possibilities within the tactically interesting dual class system, creating further combinations to choose from. Advanced players will look forward to new challenges in the form of new demanding dungeons, raid instances and new PvP modes. As a consequence of the copious new game content, ‘Chapter II – the Elven Prophecy’ raises the level cap for all characters in Runes of Magic to 55.

Along with the expansion Frogster is also integrating a new pet system in the Taborea game world. Players will then have the opportunity to actively train their companions, so that they can mature and fulfil valuable supporting roles in combat situations. On top of all this, the game atmosphere in Runes of Magic will receive a thorough general overhaul. The new game regions will really shine, thanks to improved graphics with new effects and hand-drawn textures. Moreover, the renowned sound-studio Dynamedion is recording a completely new soundtrack for the launch of Chapter II. Just as with the base version of Runes of Magic and all of the subsequent updates, Frogster will offer ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ as a free download.

Already in August, Frogster is going to integrate first content packages of ‘The Elven Prophecy’ like the new region “Weeping Coast” and raise the level cap to 52. The climax of Chapter II will follow with the official launch in September. “With the comprehensive Chapter II we will seamlessly linking in with our previous policy of regular content expansions for the Runes of Magic game world. And we will still be implementing regular content updates right up until we launch The Elven Prophecy,” Daniel Ullrich, Frogster’s Director Product Management, commented discussing the expansion plans.

In our gallery you can find some screenshots of this new chapter.