Gaiscioch Community Notes Issue 2, 2020

Gaiscioch

Cead Mile Failte!

What a month we've had! Where to even start. We saw some massive reveals and updates in our world that have generated a ton of buzz in our community. We have a new chapter in the Living Saga in Guild Wars 2, a new chapter in Elder Scrolls Online, a new content pack releasing this month for World of Warcraft Classic, a new Gaiscioch Private server in Portal Knights, and my favorite news of the month, New World has changed it's direction to be more inclusive and friendly to non-pvpers. Lastly, Magic Legends was announced, but it's not quite what we hoped for. We'll cover all of this and more below!

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Gaiscioch Family News

Quarterly Gaiscioch Community Summit - Feb 1st @ 3PM PT

Anyone else feel like this Quarter went by fast? I blinked and its February already! I guess it's time to take down the Christmas tree :D. Well, let me tell you, these past 3 months have been all kinds of crazy. We've got big game news, big community news, and a lot of really cool things ahead. Be sure to join us, Saturday, February 1st at 3PM PT / 6PM ET for the Quarterly Gaiscioch Community Summit. We'll be covering community news, some game news, and answering any questions you have. We've had a wealth of new members join our community so this will be their first introduction to our community. Let's give them a good Gaiscioch welcome and help them learn a bit about the community. 

Tune in Live at: https://twitch.tv/gaiscioch

A Change of Direction for New World

When former ArenaNet lead producer Colin Johanson joined the team at Amazon Game Studios to begin work on New World, many of us were curious as to what it was going to become. We signed up for the beta and waited patiently to see it first hand. About two years ago several of us were invited to join the alpha program and much to our disappointment we learned the game was full loot open pvp. This, in an instant, meant that New World could never be a chapter we could explore. Those of us that stuck out the endless griefing and pking found that Amazon is REALLY good at making games. This game in alpha was more solid than most released titles on the market today. We kept going and kept reporting things we found all the while expressing our dislike for the always-on pvp system that encouraged players to grief one another without any real way to fight back.

Well, the alpha went dark while they took it back to the drawing board and was reannounced at this year's Video Game Awards with a new mystical look filled with magic and wonder. As information was revealed, it was noted that New World was no longer a forced PVP game and instead would focus on Consensual PvP that allowed players to opt into the PvP side of the game. New players are now protected and can't be repeatedly killed for finding a new stick. The game now shares a similar vein to the likes of Conqueror's Blade or Guild Wars 2 where you choose to PvP in the designated PvP areas. In addition, there are NPC raids on fortifications you own that provide PvE players the same enjoyment that PvPers can partake in.

This news instantly caused me to preorder New World and I am looking forward to seeing how many brave Gaiscioch we can find to explore this mystical land. I will certainly be livestreaming this one as beta becomes available, but have a lot of work to do to show people it's not the same New World that was originally announced. It is now a place we could potentially call home.

Check out the changes at https://www.newworld.com/en-us

Read about why they changed their PvP outlook.

Inside the Family

Gaiscioch Family Patreons:

Want to give a special shout-out to those members who are helping enable our community to do great things. Their financial support has allowed us to expand the tools at our disposal and maintain the community without burning a hole in my personal savings. While a still do pay a bit out of pocket their contributions have prevented me from having to work side gigs to keep us afloat and for that, I am eternally grateful. It's at a manageable level I am comfortable with. Without these Patreons, you'd be seeing a lot less of me. Thank you for keeping me in-game and focused on growing our community.

Avohaiel
WilliamBrandis
Radiologikal
Phyrehart
Kageshukuun
Venorik
Rhynor
verve
Blienmeis
CerrisCharredOak
Borrys
Isha
Varder
Zo
Birdee
Robdalf
Whoflung
kmfeternal
Trithian
Nikodemus
Weebitt
Thargond
Somercy2163
Ruuta
Eiahn
Randeth
Beliar
Jakemm
Donaliam
xrist04
Anja
Tip
Arkin
Garyc
JustMike

Support The Community

Gaiscioch Family Promotions:

I wanted to take a moment to say congratulations to a few members this month for accepting their next credo and stepping into a new role in our family.

Guardians (Seaimpín)

The Gaiscioch Family Guardians are an advanced part of the Veteran Members group and serve as the front line of our family. They help newer members learn about the family, our website, and our belief system. They occasionally will need to help get conversations back on track, or report misdoing's to the family elders. They act as advisors, guidance providers, and overall protectors of the family name. By this time a member should be involved in the family for more than 6 months and has been an active attendee in family events. For those who prefer fellowship over leadership this is the last stop on the family tree. Members must prove their leadership ability to progress to the Leadership ranks through the accumulation of both Valor Points (Earned through leading events.) as well as earning Tokens of Valor from lower ranked members of the family.

  » Garyc   » Knox   » Rhikki

Veteran Members (Curadh)

Veteran Members have proven their devotion to the family by participating in events and contributing to the family's success. They have been active more than 90 days and have continued to be contributing members to the family.

  » Cerun   » Steerpike   » Stormkaster

Official Members (Lorgaire)

Official Members have earned the rank of Lorgaire and have accepted the Mark of the Kindred credo. They have officially decided to become members of the family and start their journey to ascend the roles of the Gaiscioch Family.

  » Lupak   » Mortem   » Shilka   » Thokar

Please Welcome Our Newest Members

Gaiscioch By The Numbers

Population
Group Active %
Guild Wars 2 202 44%
Elder Scrolls Online 154 34%
World of Warcraft: Classic 142 31%
Adventures 215 47%
Total 455
Magazine
Group Total
Subscribers 5,352
Readers 465,211
Views 1,643,075
Followers
Media Total
Twitch 1,052
YouTube 588
Twitter 910

Member Rewards

Vault Credits

Thanks For Reading!

[GIVEAWAY]
200 Family Vault Credits
Account Bound | Expires: February 10th, 2020

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The Hunt For
Chapter 7

127 Votes  |  Vote Now  |  Details
40 Votes  |  Vote Now  |  Details
16 Votes  |  Vote Now  |  Details
36 Votes  |  Vote Now  |  Details
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4 Votes  |  Vote Now  |  Details

Chapter Evaluation Goal: 40% Total Active Gaiscioch Population (182) or 200 Votes Pre-Launch.

Potential Chapter News

  1. Chronicles of Elyria Posts Journal, Looking Back on December 2019
    MMORPG.com
  2. Magic: Legends Coming To PC In 2020, PS4 and Xbox One In 2021
    MMORPG.com
  3. Creative Director of Ashes of Creation Shares Letter with Community
    MMORPG.com
  4. Cryptic’s Magic: Legends is an isometric RPG and not an MMORPG because of earth elemental butt
    Massively Overpowered
  5. Chronicles of Elyria is still working on the botched Settlers of Elyria event – and future events too
    Massively Overpowered
  6. Magic: Legends starts showing off with two classes and two worlds
    Massively Overpowered
  7. New Gameplay Trailer for Magic: Legends Shows Two Playable Classes
    Co-Optimus
  8. Magic: Legends devs show off Diablo-like gameplay
    GameSpace
  9. Not So Massively: Magic: Legends isn’t at all what I expected – it’s better
    Massively Overpowered
  10. The first gameplay footage of Magic: Legends is available now for your viewing pleasure
    Massively Overpowered

Chapter 4:
Guild Wars 2

Shadow In The Ice Launches January 28th

Rytlock and Crecia have fallen out of contact, and now it seems Braham is striking out on his own to find them. This is the worst moment for your allies to isolate themselves. Touch base with Jhavi at Jora’s Keep and learn what she knows.

Episode 2 of the Icebrood Saga is set to launch on January 28th bringing a wealth of new content to Guild Wars 2. Included in this release is an epic new story, a new zone Bjora Marches, Raven Attunement and Essence Manipulation: New Mastery Tiers, a New Strike Mission, New Rewards, and a new World Boss.

Join Foghladha on February 3rd at 6PM PT as we explore Bjora Marches and take on this new World Boss. 

Learn more at:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/january-28-2020/

Guild Wars 2 Events at a Glance

All Times Pacific

Mondays

Wednesdays

Fridays

Saturdays

Sundays

Top Guild Wars 2 News For January, 2020

  1. Lunar New Year Comes to Guild Wars 2 Next Week, PvP Season Underway Now
    MMORPG.com
  2. Guild Wars 2 previews Shadows in the Ice’s best features in new trailer
    Massively Overpowered
  3. Guild Wars 2 Streaming Schedule Shared for This Week
    MMORPG.com
  4. Datamining offers tantalizing clue about Guild Wars 2 controller support
    Massively Overpowered
  5. Vague Patch Notes: Guild Wars 2 might be the MMO that defined the last decade
    Massively Overpowered
  6. Guild Wars 2 launches its PvP League Season 20 and announces dates for the Lunar New Year
    Massively Overpowered
  7. Guild Wars 2 - A Look At The Cash Shop In 2020
    MMORPG.com
  8. Flameseeker Chronicles: Things to do when Guild Wars 2 feels stale
    Massively Overpowered
  9. Guild Wars 2’s Lunar New Year festival is live with a new cape and player-designed guild emblems
    Massively Overpowered
  10. Guild Wars 2: The Icebrood Saga Episode Two, Shadow in the Ice, Out January 28
    MMORPG.com

Legacy Chapter 5:
Elder Scrolls Online

New Chapter Announced
Greymoor

At a special reveal in Las Vegas, Zenimax Online revealed their next chapter for Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor. This is the western region of Skyrim and features a dark story involving underground cities and Vampires. The trailer was pretty impressive and the feature list matches it in epicness. 

Greymoor features:

  • Western Skyrim zone
  • New Antiquities System
  • Epic new story part of the "Dark Heart of Skyrim" 
  • Kyne's Aegis 12-player Trial 
  • Harrowstorm World Events
  • New Delves, Public Dungeons, & World Bosses
  • New Collectibles, Crafting Motifs & Gear


Be sure to preorder now and get ready for its official launch on June 2nd. In addition, there is another year of DLC content planned surrounding this new chapter. For more information visit the official website.

Elder Scrolls Online Events at a Glance

All Times Pacific

Mondays

Wednesdays

Fridays

Saturdays

Sundays

Top Elder Scrolls Online News For January, 2020

  1. The Elder Scrolls Online has finally started the Undaunted event
    Massively Overpowered
  2. The Elder Scrolls Online is heading to Skyrim to deal with pesky vampires
    Rock Paper Shotgun
  3. Elder Scrolls Online is promising viewership shenanigans for Dark Heart of Skyrim reveal event
    Massively Overpowered
  4. The Next Year-Long Elder Scrolls Online Adventure Explores The Dark Heart Of Skyrim
    Kotaku
  5. Elder Scrolls Online Unveils Dark Heart of Skyrim, Greymoor Chapter Out May 18
    MMORPG.com
  6. The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Interview With Rich Lambert
    MMORPG.com
  7. OPINION: What We Could See in The Elder Scrolls Online Skyrim Reveal
    MMORPG.com
  8. The Elder Scrolls Online announces Greymoor chapter, Harrowstorm DLC, and Dark Heart of Skyrim
    Massively Overpowered
  9. Zenimax Announces The Dark Heart Of Skyrim And The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor
    GameSpace
  10. Elder Scrolls Online Adds Vampires in Greymoor Expansion, 'Dark Heart of Skyrim' Storyline
    Game Rant

Honorary Chapter 6:
World of Warcraft: Classic

February Content Release Incoming!

On Wednesday, February 12, World of Warcraft: Classic will receive its next major content update. With this content update comes Blackwing Lair, Level 50 Class Quests, New Reputation Rewards, Eternal Quintessence, along with Darkmoon Faire launching early in February. Be sure to head over to the WoW Classic Forums to check out the full announcement.

The Raiding Situation

As you've probably noticed we've been bleeding out a lot of high-level players. It is difficult to keep them involved in the end game when we don't have anyone willing and able to lead Raiding events. When we do get members who try there aren't enough people left to get them going. This is an age-old chicken or the egg problem we saw in RIFT. Unless we can find a group of people willing to stick out the wait and help people get to the place they need to be, we're going to have a rough road ahead. 

I understand if players wish to move on to other guilds in World of Warcraft: Classic, and welcome you to do so if that’s what you need to do. I do hope that we can find those select few who are willing to wait it out and put something together we can enjoy together. If not, then we will become a casual wow classic community that quests, explores dungeons and crafts together. Raiding has always been a rough spot with us as we are not a "hard-core" community. It typically takes an event leader to rise up and organize the troops for some good old raiding fun.

A Journey Through Azeroth

Join Foghladha Saturday mornings as we spend 2 weeks in each zone as we explore Azeroth together. Each week we form multiple groups based on level, to take on several of the harder group quests in each zone. As we proceed through the world we will be taking on tougher foes and exploring the far reaches of Azeroth. Be sure to check the schedule at https://www.gaiscioch.com/events/4068/

World of Warcraft: Classic Events at a Glance

All Times Pacific

Mondays

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Thursdays

Saturdays

Sundays

Top World of Warcraft: Classic News For January, 2020

  1. Join MMORPG Writer Robin + Guildies for World of Warcraft Stream Tonight at 8p ET
    MMORPG.com
  2. Pandaren and Allied Race Death Knights Available in World of Warcraft Visions of N?Zoth If You Pre-Purchased Shadowlands
    MMORPG.com
  3. World of Warcraft Hotfix for BFA Season 3 PvP Issue Being Worked On
    MMORPG.com
  4. World of Warcraft Video Explores Why Vanilla Dungeons Were So Long
    MMORPG.com
  5. World of Warcraft Patch 8.3 Mounts and Horrific Visions Rewards Outlined
    MMORPG.com
  6. World of Warcraft launches patch 8.3, Visions of N’Zoth, today
    Massively Overpowered
  7. World of Warcraft Game Director, ?We currently don?t have any 8.3.5 plans?
    MMORPG.com
  8. World of Warcraft gets mounts and a new PvP season ready for next week’s update
    Massively Overpowered
  9. World of Warcraft – Save 30% on Race and Faction Changes
    GameSpace
  10. Blizzard is not planning World of Warcraft 8.3.5, so N’Zoth is the last big thing until Shadowlands
    Massively Overpowered

Popular Adventure:
Conqueror's Blade

Incoming Militia Attacks! Conqueror's Blade Introduces Cohorts & Legions.

Fasten your seat belts people, we're about to be attacked by the militia in Conqueror's Blade. My.games released a nice outline of how the new Cohorts and Legions systems work, and it's looking like we might see quite a few battles over the next few months. 

I jumped into a Cohort on my alt and took a look around to see how the system works. There are 5 Cohorts per Region and each Cohort can have up to 200 members. I'm not certain how Cohorts handle AFK players and wonder what happens when they fill up. There's a lot of turnover in Conqueror's Blade, so it will be interesting to see how they phase out the here today, gone tomorrow players. Each Territory War the Cohorts choose a single fief at random to attack totaling 5 locations per war. So far no Cohort has kept the territory they've taken but I imagine that will change as more players get involved.

Now the really rough spot for Cohorts is that the whole world becomes hostile to you. By default being hostile makes you unable to enter cities, gates, and villages. If a Fief has allowed you access it will charge you a 500% tax by default. On top of that, you show hostile to the entire population of people in houses. It's like having a giant KOS sticker on your forehead. 

To show the Cohorts an act of kindness, the Westweg Alliance has dropped our "Hostile" tax to 50% to match that of our "Neutral" tax. We have also unlocked our doors so that all Cohorts can seek refuge in our walls. I would like to ask everyone to please be overly kind to Cohorts. These are people looking for houses, and we want to make a good impression on them. If they like us they may even join us. 

Be sure to take a look at the announcement for details on the Cohort & Legion system.

A Rough Week Brings Amazing Support

On Saturday, January 18th, a house or alliance yet to be discovered placed a mercenary contract on our heads with our friends over at brutaL. They carried out the contract and wiped us off the map rather quickly. I spoke with brutaL during the engagement and he even gave me some tips for next time. While it's easy to get angry at brutaL, they honestly did us a kindness. They showed us what we're up against at the top tier. They gave us back our land the following battle and also shared with us some techniques to sideline the assault they threw at us using lower-level troops.

What I didn't expect was the amount of outrage the Conqueror's Blade community displayed after the attack. They called a first-ever server-wide United Nations meeting involving over 46 houses and alliances from all 4 regions. House after house voiced their outrage from the attack and voiced their support for our community. It was an hour and a half meeting that laid down rules of engagement for large houses and alliances, discussed rules for hiring mercenary houses, and the development of protected areas for new houses to play free of the big dogs. 

Out of the situation came a lot of good. They passed a vote making mercenary contracts public 24 hours after the territory war so that any future attacks would be revealing who hired them. In addition, they are in the process of determining max fief ownership sizes to allow more houses to own land. The outcry of support was rather touching and I am convinced that our server, at its core, is a great community that looks out for the little guys.

Westweg Alliance Homepage Update

If you haven't checked out the homepage for our alliance yet, be sure to give it a look. Our Conqueror's Blade page has a new Tiny URL at https://gsch.info/cb. Once you've logged in you can see a wealth of new information including:

  • House Progress
  • Top Prestige Earners (Top 10 By House & Top 25 Overall)
  • Fief Progress
  • A Complete Updated Fief Quest List for all of our fiefs.
  • Community News
  • Recently Added Members
  • Recent Guides written by our team.
  • Conqueror's Blade News

Be sure to head over to https://gsch.info/cb and give it a look.

Conqueror's Blade Events at a Glance

All Times Pacific

Tuesdays

Fridays

Saturdays

Top Conqueror's Blade News For January, 2020

  1. Top 4 Units in Conqueror's Blade For Resource Gathering
    Gaiscioch Magazine
  2. Conqueror's Blade Paladin Armor Giveaway!
    MMORPG.com

Recreational:
Gaiscioch Adventures

New World Goes Consensual Raising it to our Watch List

As mentioned in my first announcement, New World has made a 180 on its stance of PvP. There is now no forced PvP and no risk to PvE players who do not wish to partake in PvP. As such we have relaunched our New World adventure and have begun taking sign-ups for all that want to be a part of the Gaiscioch company in New World. Head on over to the New World Adventure to sign up.

Gaiscioch Opens Portal Knights Private Server

What began as a Livestream on PlayStation 4, spawned a Christmas gift for my nephews, which has turned into the revitalization of our Gaiscioch Jr. program. We have launched our very own Portal Knights server for all to enjoy. There are only 4 slots available so space is limited at times but you can coordinate with GmaFoghladha (the guardian of the server) to ensure you and your little ones have a window to play in. It is a shared persistent world that we can build together. Be sure to hop in discord and set Portal Knights as a game your playing by following the instructions in the #getting-started channel. Also, head over to Gaiscioch.com and join the Portal Knights Adventure.

A Disappointing Turn for Magic Legends

To say I was excited when Magic Legends was announced is an understatement. However as more has been released about the game, I can't say I'm not heartbroken. The game was originally announced as an MMORPG based on the lore of Magic the Gathering. What we ended up getting was an ARPG in the vein of Diablo or Path of Exile. While there is still grouping and joining friends for adventures, groups are limited to 3 players and it's appearing that Guild Sizes are going to be tiny. There are talks with sizes being as few as 20 people. 

So it's safe to say this one will never be a chapter but it doesn't mean we can't have some fun with it as an adventure. I am downgrading this one from potential chapter to adventure and we'll continue to follow its development.

Torchlight Frontiers Becomes Torchlight III Downgrading MMO Status

In breaking news today, Torchlight Frontiers announced that they will be phasing out the MMORPG aspect of their game bringing the game back in line with the Torchlight II style of gameplay. They are keeping the player hubs where people can form up parties and head out but the outside world will now be instanced based. You will also be able to play the game single player. The game is moving away from the Free-2-Play model and moving to a Buy-2-Play model along with removing its cash shop. This is the second MMORPG this month that has pulled the massively out of their game in exchange for small scale cooperative play. All close on the heels of Pagan Online releasing with only a 2 player mode. Will this be a good thing for Torchlight? Time will tell.

Gaiscioch Adventure Events at a Glance

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New Adventures

Popular Adventures

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Gaiscioch Magazine News

Latest Features:

Be sure to check out our latest stories and gaming news at: https://www.gaisciochmagazine.com/

Gaiscioch Livestream News

Livestream Lineup

PlayStation Adventures
Gaiscioch Adventures
Gaiscioch Presents
Gaiscioch #ExtraLife

Schedule

PlayStation Adventures

Mondays at 3:00PM PST
Tuesdays at 3:00PM PST
Wednesdays at 3:00PM PST
Thursdays at 3:00PM PST
Fridays at 3:00PM PST

Gaiscioch Adventures

Fridays at 6:00PM PST
Saturdays at 11:30AM PST

Gaiscioch Athletics

Gaiscioch Flag-Football Wins 10th Championship

If you're new to Gaiscioch Flag-Football, you should probably know. We have a strange history when it comes to playoffs. A few years ago we had a team quit at half time and walk off the field giving us the championship. This year our Gaiscicoh team was warming up to take on the #1 seed in our division when the other team decided they didn't want to play after all. They got in their cars and left. Not a single word was exchanged, they just up and left. There we stood with the officials in the pouring rain watching them drive off. I seriously doubt they were intimidated by us as we were the #4 seed and had a worse record than them. But none the less whatever the reason they packed up and left.

Our second team Gaiscioch Dubh was ready to go following up on the first team victory. From the first play, we had their number. We put over 80 points on the board in a 50-minute game to defeat the number 3 seed. So, in the end, Gaiscioch ended up playing Gaiscioch Dubh for the championship in what history will know as the friendlies championship game ever played. Needless to say, Gaisicoch won. Congratulations to both Gaiscioch and Gaiscioch Dubh for winning our 10th league championship.

Slan Go Foill!
(Goodbye for Now)

Benjamin "Foghladha" Foley
Founder & Activities Director
Gaiscioch Social Gaming Community
E: foghladha@gaiscioch.com

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