Gameforge is making huge moves with Swords of Legends Online: This morning, the publisher announced not just a new expansion but a release in the CIS and a free-to-play switchover.
First, the expansion. It’s called The Firestone Legacy, and it’s being billed as a “2.0” for the whole game. It adds chapters 11 and 12 for the storyline, five new zones (Snowing Blossom Paradise, Changhe Mountain, Changfu Garden, Cloudscape Beyond Langquan Bridge, and Blade Peak on Taihua Mountain), five new 5–10 player dungeons, two new 10-20 person raids, new 3v3 and 10v10 PvP maps, a new “flight race,” a level cap bump beyond 37, new character slots, and two new classes: the Fox Mage, who uses “thorns and blossoms” to heal, and the Warrior, which comes with two gendered versions, the male Crystal Warrior, and the girl Spirit Warrior.
Second, the game is going free-to-play. “Over the past few months, player population growth has become a concern for our community—and we have listened,” Gameforge says. “[Wangyuan Shengtang & Aurogon and Gameforge] have jointly decided to remove the paywall and allow more players to join SOLO and enjoy the vast amounts of content currently available, with even more already planned through 2022 and beyond.” The companies promise that “all in-game purchases will remain cosmetic” and that “there will not be any pay-to-win elements.”
Finally, the game will launch in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, with finished localization to follow “so that they do not have to wait.”
The expansion is set to release in February, so you won’t have long to wait either.
Click to read abridged press releaseSwords of Legends Online Moves to Free-to-Play
Gameforge will be moving Swords of Legends Online to a free-to-play model with the release of the 2.0 update in late February of this year.
“The voices of our players and community have been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of our decision making—whether it is more content rolled out more quickly, localization updates, or otherwise—and this decision is no different,” said Noemi Feller, Vice President of Product at Gameforge. “Over the past few months, player population growth has become a concern for our community—and we have listened. After careful consideration and discussions with Wangyuan Shengtang & Aurogon, we have jointly decided to remove the paywall and allow more players to join SOLO and enjoy the vast amounts of content currently available, with even more already planned through 2022 and beyond.”
With the launch of 2.0, players can now forge their own legendary adventure completely free and without restrictions. All in-game purchases will remain cosmetic, as will Battle Passes. There will not be any pay-to-win elements. Players who have previously purchased the game will be eligible to receive a variety of exclusive cosmetics. The full details can be found on the FAQ located on the Swords of Legends Online community page: https://gf.link/SOLOF2PFaQEN.
Swords of Legends Online Comes to Fans in Russia and the CIS
Gameforge has acquired the rights to publish Swords of Legends Online in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. While text translations into Russian are currently in-progress and will be added to the game within a couple of months, Gameforge is making the game available to players in these regions for update 2.0’s launch and free-to-play so that they do not have to wait. The finished Russian builds will include text localization in Russian with English or the original Chinese voice acting. Full details can be found here: https://gameforge.com/en-GB/play/swords_of_legends_online.
Coming Soon: The First Expansion, Update 2.0: The Firestone Legacy
The long-awaited update 2.0: The Firestone Legacy—the first expansion to hit the game—is heading to Swords of Legends Online this February and will be completely free! With massive amounts of content, new character classes, new zones, dungeons, raids, PvP modes, and much, much more, there has never been a better time to soar the skies, hone your skills, and embark on an adventure of a lifetime!
Update 2.0: The Firestone Legacy includes:
New Class – Fox Mage: Joining the game for the first time with update 2.0: The Firestone Legacy, the magical Fox Mage uses the powers of thorns and blossoms to deal damage to enemies and heal her allies. This class will be available only with the new “girl” body type.
New Class – Warrior: These heavy-hitting champions of the battlefield thrive in various styles of combat. Condensed into two separate sub-classes—the male Crystal Warrior, and the girl Spirit Warrior—each possesses their own distinct masteries. Each warrior sub-class can provide players with unique new combat mechanics best suited for tanks and melee DPS.
New character slots will become available to players, allowing them the opportunity to check out each class in action!
Increased Level Cap: Mastery of the art of combat never stops, and the level cap will now exceed level 37. Players will now start as Students from levels 1 through 36, becoming Sages at level 37, allowing them to continue to hone their skills and bring their abilities to new heights.
The Story Continues: Following Chapter 10, which recently launched with update 1.1: The Forbidden Court, update 2.0: The Firestone Legacy will introduce Chapters 11 and 12, advancing the storyline and unraveling more of the lore and wonder that players have immersed themselves in since launch.
New Zones: The world of Shenzhou continues to grow with the introduction of five new zones: Snowing Blossom Paradise (a new starting zone for the Fox Mage and Warriors), Changhe Mountain (a new location for the new classes to level up), Changfu Garden, Cloudscape beyond Langquan Bridge, and Blade Peak on Taihua Mountain.
PvE and PvP: A staggering five new 5–10 player dungeons are coming to Swords of Legends Online, alongside two new 10–20 player raids! As for PvP, a new 3v3 map will be added in the form of the Astral Ravine, as well as a new 10v10 map by the name of Go in the Snow.
…and More: New activities, including an action-packed flight race that will have players soaring among the clouds at break-neck speeds as they race to the top of the leaderboards! Additional balancing and bug fixes will be implemented, as well as a special Battle Pass stacked with elaborate cosmetic items.
