Asheron's Call

Turbine just unveiled a new Twitter page for Asheron's Call, which kicked things off by pointing players to the 2011 Producer's Letter from Rob "Severlin" Ciccolini. After looking back at the 2010 updates, Ciccolini dives into the team's plans for this year.

Ciccolini says that the major focus of 2011 will be on content, storyline and improved playability. The first big update will come in May, and here's what players can expect to see in the patch:

"This update focuses on new adventuring areas where characters can continue experiencing the storyline. It will also provide more direction for characters to find quests as they level from 50 to 100. We also want some interface improvements to make their appearance in May such as making an alternate examination window that doesn’t cover your backpack when you open it. There’s even a chance that the May update could also include the next playable race."

The team plans to add more armor, more character options and other new interface features during the monthly updates. Ciccolini also hints that the final race could be released in October.

The latest content update for Asheron's Call is now live, and this one adds the playable Empyrean race to the game. The Empyreans are actually the fourth new playable race added to the game this year. And if you've ever wanted to play as an evil bug, here's some good news: you can now jump into the PvP action as an Olthoi Soldier or a winged Spitter.

In addition to the Emyreans and Olthoi, Turbine has introduced the new Luminance end-game mechanic to Asheron's Call. Players over level 200 can now increase their abilities even more, from Critical Hit success to crafting. The update also adds Void Magic and a new level 200+ hunting area to the 11-year-old fantasy MMO.

Head over to our screenshots gallery to catch a glimpse of what the update has added to the game.

Way to go, Asheron's Call. When everyone else if focused on zombie pirates and cataclysms, you decide to blaze a new trail and center your may update around something we can all relate to: a wedding. Important and recognizable characters Hoshino Kei and Borelean Strathelar will be getting hitched this spring by none other than Asheron himself and you're invited.

The quests and tasks for Asheron's Call players are based around preparations for the wedding itself. The developers have been hard at work creating the appropriate outdoor setting for the wedding and organizing people to play the NPC's during the ceremony. Their developers diary talks about how planning an MMO wedding is strikingly similar to planning a real one and everyone at developer Turbine, including those who work on Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online, were putting in their opinions on what the wedding colors and decorations should be.

For more about the celebrations, check out the Asheron's Call update page.

A new playable race, new magic, new hairstyles and barbers, and multi-slot armor... Oh my! Asheron's Call players will be mighty pleased today to see some neat stuff coming down the line, including a brand new playable race, the Shadow! In addition to this new playable race, Turbine has also added a nifty new type of magic, called "Aetheria," which appears to be centered on the accumulation of powerful sigils to make your character stronger.

Finally, the really big news of the day is really the addition of more aesthetic options in Asheron's Call, including a Barber system for players to change their hairstyles at whim, and a new "Multi-Slot" armor that allows adventurers to have a little more control over the look of their armor.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Asheron's Call, and Turbine has special in-game live events planned throughout the day to celebrate the milestone. Here's the description straight from the patch notes: "Asheron has discovered that the portals of Dereth have become unstable after being open for 10 years. This is causing portals from the past to open in the present. Creatures from the past 10 years are suddenly going to appear all over Dereth. Asheron, Elysa, Borelean and others will need players help to contain this 'invasion' from the past."

In addition to fighting enemies from the past decade, players have been sharing their favorite memories since the launch of Asheron's Call in this thread on the official forums. How about you? What are your favorite Asheron's Call memories?