Today is the day for Dungeons and Dragons Online players to get their boots mired in water, mud, and secrets. Today marks the launch of the Sinister Secrets of Saltmarsh update, bringing with it a marshland full of enemies, a haunted manor, 10 new dungeons for players to plumb, and the Horizon Walker enhancement tree.
In addition to all of the content goodies, the patch notes outline adjustments like changes to the spellcasting system that makes casting more reliable and limits spells “dry firing” in certain situations; slightly smaller monster perception ranges; a host of adjustments to existing enhancement trees; and a complete refactor of the Scroll/Seal/Shard crafting system, among other updates.
The launch of Saltmarsh also comes with a special Elixer of Discovery item for subscribers, which will be dished out to VIPs who log in between now and Sunday, September 5th. An FAQ offers up some details on how to claim the item, as well as how to claim other goodies for pre-ordering the mini-expansion/paid-for update.
Readers will recall that SSG’s LOTRO likewise released a paid “mini-expansion” patch last year that provoked considerable hostility from the VIP playerbase. Last February, the studio acknowledged that debacle, then a week later announced that Saltmarsh would follow a similar model anyway, although at least this time it’s making clear that players can eventually purchase the content with points – as long as they’re willing to wait until next February.
