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The galaxy is burning. The Emperor’s loyal primarchs prepare to do battle with Warmaster Horus and his turncoat Legions on the black sand of Isstvan. Such dark times herald new and yet more terrible things still to come, and when Astropath Kai Zulane unwittingly learns a secret that threatens to tip the balance of the war, he is forced to flee for his life. Alongside a mysterious band of renegades, he plunges into the deadly underworld of Terra itself, hunted like a criminal by those he once trusted. In the face of betrayal, Kai must decide where his own loyalties lie and whether some truths should be buried forever.
(November 2011 • ISBN 9781849700863)
Trailer
Review
Ok, the book has been out since November and I only just finished it today, so sue me, I went on holiday for Christmas and was too busy to read (contrary to belief I do have a life outside gaming and Games Workshop things)
But yeah, finally finished The Outcast Dead, the fourth installment of The Horus Heresy series from Graham McNeill, of which my favourite Horus Heresy novel written by him so far has been Fulgrim and like Fulgrim, The Outcast Dead slowly, but surely gets the reader into the life of the main characters and although it feels slow, makes you care for them.
The Outcast Dead, (spoilers ahead) are a group of "traitor" Space Marines, help in an Imperial prison on Earth, but we are only introduced to them in the last third of the book and thats when all the main action takes place, however unlike other Horus Heresy novels that have, albeit brilliantly, surfed on a wave of action and lore, but The Outcast Dead is purely a character set up and one that works brilliantly and also makes you want to question the regime the Imperium lays down on mankind. A moral tale if ever there was one.
All in all, this is an amazing book to break up the amount of action from other books, especially after The First Heretic that came before and before Deliverance Lost (which I am starting tonight and really looking forward too)
All in all, if you are reading the Horus Heresy novels, you will enjoy this one as much as others. Graham McNeill has done a fantastic characterisation and you really get to know and like the characters, even the not so likable ones like Tagore, the World Eaters Sargeant
All in all, a great read, well worth buying and one to keep and reread in the future! All inmates must read ASAP
Trion World has announced this morning that some changes in subscription pricing have arrived in their popular MMO RIFT. The previous pricing schedule has been done away with, and the new prices will definitely make it easier for players to stay connected to RIFT.
Annual subscriptions are now just $99, for an entire year's worth of playing RIFT without having to worry about choosing a monthly option. The $99 plan equates to just $8.25 per month. The full pricing plan looks like this:
3-Month – $12.99 per month
6-Month – $10.99 per month
Annual – $8.25 per month
Trion also teases that they are working a major game update for RIFT, that should be due out within 'the next several weeks.' Each subscription purchased in January will come with a bonus 30-days of in-game time that goes into effect after your subscription period ends.
Good time to be a RIFT player! For more information on the game and its subscription options, drop by http://www.riftgame.com/.
As 2012 gets underway, En Masse Entertainment has announced that beta sign ups for TERA are now being taken. Devs indicate that several "closed phases" will be held with players attending by invitation only. This is similar to last year's "beta events".
Everyone who signs up for beta testing will be invited to the open beta when it's ready to get underway.
The amount of Exhaustion caused by a skill is now represented numerically next to a gray dot with a downward arrow.
Skills
Elementalist
Armor of Frost: reduced recharge to 20 seconds; added the following functionality: "You have +1 Water Magic." Removed "Ends if you use Fire Magic."
Blinding Surge: added the following functionality: "This spell has 25% armor penetration. If this spell strikes an attacking foe, all adjacent foes are also struck and this spell deals 50% more damage."
Double Dragon: increased casting time to 1 second; increased cost to 10 Energy; increased recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "Invoke the power of the Dragon. For 8 seconds, you and target ally are enchanted with Double Dragon. Adjacent foes are dealt 5…30 fire damage each second. Additionally, when you or your ally use skills that target a foe, that foe is set on fire for 0…3 seconds."
Elemental Attunement: rescaled duration to 25…60 seconds; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; added the following functionality: "You are attuned to Air, Fire, Water, and Earth and gain +1…2 to these attributes."
Energy Blast: reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
Energy Boon: changed skill type to enchantment spell; increased casting time to 1 second; increased cost to 10 Energy; reduced recharge to 20 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 36…60 seconds, Energy Boon raises the maximum Health of you and target ally by 1…3 for each point of your respective maximum Energy. When this enchantment is first applied, you and your target gain 1…12 Energy. You gain an additional 1 Energy for every 2 points you have in Energy Storage."
Ether Prodigy: increased duration to 8…20 seconds; reduced damage per point of Energy to 2.
Glimmering Mark: added the following functionality: "For 10 seconds, target foe and all foes adjacent to your target take 5…25 damage each second. Foes using attack skills are Blinded for 3 seconds."
Glyph of Energy: increased recharge to 25 seconds; now affects your next 1…3 spells; reduced Energy savings to 10…25; added the following functionality: "Your elemental attributes are increased by 1…2."
Gust: changed functionality to: "For 5…11 seconds, both you and target ally move 33% faster. When you cast this spell, all foes near you and your target take 15…70 cold damage. Foes struck by Gust while attacking or moving are knocked down."
Ice Prison: removed the following functionality: "This effect ends if target takes fire damage."
Invoke Lightning: now always causes 5 Exhaustion instead of conditionally causing 10 Exhaustion.
Lightning Surge: reduced cost to 10 Energy; reduced casting time to 1 second; added the following functionality: "Target foe has Cracked Armor for 5…20 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
Master of Magic: reduced recharge to 10 seconds; changed elemental attribute scaling to 8…14; removed Energy regeneration; removed the following functionality: "This enchantment ends if you use a non-Elementalist skill." Added the following functionality: "Your elemental spells return 30% of their Energy cost."
Mind Burn: changed functionality to: "Target foe and all adjacent foes take 15…60 fire damage. If you have more Energy than target foe, that foe and all adjacent foes take an additional 15…60 fire damage and are set on fire for 1…8 seconds."
Mind Freeze: increased damage to 10…60; increased additional damage to 10…60; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced duration to 1…5 seconds.
Mind Freeze (PvP): split for PvP; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced recharge to 5 seconds; reduced duration to 1…5 seconds.
Mirror of Ice: reduced casting time to 0.75 seconds; reduced Energy cost to 10; reduced recharge to 12; changed functionality to: "Shatter a Mirror of Ice. All foes near you and target ally take 15…70 cold damage and move 66% slower for 2…6 seconds. If you strike a foe hexed with Water Magic, Mirror of Ice recharges 50% faster.
Mist Form: reduced cost to 5 Energy; changed functionality to: "For 10…45 seconds, you take 33% less damage from foes under the effect of Water Magic hexes. Whenever you cast an elemental spell, all non-spirit allies in earshot are healed for 50…250% of the Energy cost of the spell."
Mist Form (PvP): split for PvP; reduced cost to 5 Energy; changed functionality to: "For 10…45 seconds, you take 33% less damage from foes under the effect of Water Magic hexes. Whenever you cast an elemental spell, all non-spirit allies in earshot are healed for 50…250% of the Energy cost of the spell. This spell does not heal allies above 80% Health."
Obsidian Flame: reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced casting time to 1.5 seconds.
Ride the Lightning: reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced damage to 10…70; you can now teleport to allies as well as enemies; added the following functionality: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 1…5 seconds."
Ride the Lightning (PvP): split for PvP; increased cost to 15 Energy; increased recharge to 10 seconds; reduced Exhaustion to 5; reduced damage to 10…70; you can now teleport to allies as well as enemies; added the following functionality: "All adjacent foes are Blinded for 1…5 seconds."
Second Wind: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced Exhaustion to 5; changed functionality to: "You gain 1 Energy and 5 Health for each point of Energy restricted by Exhaustion. You lose all enchantments."
Shatterstone: reduced cost to 10 Energy; changed functionality to: "Target foe is struck for 25…100 cold damage and is hexed with Shatterstone for 3 seconds. When Shatterstone ends, that foe and all nearby foes are struck for 25…100 cold damage."
Shockwave: changed functionality to: "All foes in the area take 15…60 earth damage and are Weakened for 1…10 seconds. Nearby foes also take +15…60 earth damage and have Cracked Armor for 1…10 seconds. Adjacent foes suffer the previous effects, take +15…60 earth damage, and are Blinded for 1…10 seconds."
Star Burst: reduced recharge to 7 seconds; changed functionality to: "Target touched foe and all foes in the area are struck for 7…112 fire damage and set on fire for 1…4 seconds. For each foe you hit, gain 2 Energy."
Stone Sheath: reduced recharge to 12 seconds; changed functionality to: "For 5…20 seconds, you and target ally have +1…35 armor and are immune to critical hits. When you cast this spell, all foes near you and your target take 15…70 earth damage and are Weakened for 5…20 seconds."
Teinai's Prison: removed the following functionality: "This effect ends if target takes fire damage."
Thunderclap: reduced recharge to 8 seconds; reduced damage to 10…50; added 25% armor penetration; changed functionality to: "Create a massive shockwave at target foe's location. Deals 10…50 lightning damage to target and all adjacent foes. Struck foes are interrupted and suffer from Cracked Armor and Weakness for 5…20 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
Ward Against Harm: changed functionality to: "Create a Ward Against Harm at this location. For 5…15 seconds, non-spirit allies in this area have +1…3 Health regeneration, +12…24 armor, and an additional +12…24 armor against elemental damage. This spell is disabled for 20 seconds."
Ward Against Harm (PvP): split for PvP; increased recharge to 30 seconds; changed functionality to: "Create a Ward Against Harm at this location. For 5…15 seconds, non-spirit allies in this area have +1…3 Health regeneration, +12…24 armor, and an additional +12…24 armor against elemental damage. This spell is disabled for 30 seconds."
Water Trident: changed functionality to: "Send out a fast-moving Water Trident, striking target foe and up to 2 adjacent foes for 10…90 cold damage if it hits. If it hits a moving foe, that foe is knocked down."
