Denizens of Nosgoth,

It has been more than two and a half years since we partnered with the wonderfully mad men and women at Psyonix to embark upon a rather ambitious adventure. Our goal was to bring the world of Nosgoth to life in a new and challenging manner; a manner which allowed players to wage asymmetric warfare against each other as both human and vampire-kind.

A massive amount of work has gone into making Nosgoth a reality, and continually bringing new developments to the game. Our own teams, as well as the great guys at Psyonix, have dedicated a huge portion of themselves to making Nosgoth bigger and better over the years. Not only that, but dedicated community members provided a great deal of feedback that has been tremendously beneficial to the game. We are eternally grateful. Thank you one and all.

The above only makes today’s announcement that much more difficult.

It is with a heavy heart and an immense sense of sadness that we must announce the end of Nosgoth’s development. Servers will continue to run until 31st May 2016, during which time you will be able to play the game as normal. After that date, Nosgoth will be taken offline for the last time.

This was not an easy decision to come to. It has been a pleasure to build this game with your help, but ultimately its audience hasn’t grown enough to sustain ongoing operations.

On behalf of the entire Nosgoth team we want to thank you all for your feedback, support and dedication to the game throughout Nosgoth’s life.

Should you have any additional questions, please read this FAQ:

• Can I still play the game?
  Yes, new and existing players will be able to continue to play Nosgoth until 31st May 2016. Players will no longer be able to make real world purchases in the game.
  
  
• Am I entitled to a refund?
  All purchases made since 1st March 2016 will be automatically refunded.
  
  
• Where and when can I claim a refund?
  You won't be required to claim a refund as all eligible refunds will be automatically processed in the next 14 days. Email notifications will be sent out when the refund has been processed. For all other inquiries, you can contact Square Enix customer support at support.nosgoth.com or Steam customer support support.steampowered.com.
  
  
• How long will it take to process the refund?
  Refunds for in game purchases or purchases through the web store will be processed as soon as possible and, in any case, within 14 days.
  Refunds for purchases of the Definitive Pack on the Steam Store will be processed from week commencing 18th April 2016.
  
  
• Where will I receive my refund?
  Any in-game purchases made through Steam Wallet will have credits refunded to their Steam Wallet. For purchases of the Definitive pack on Steam Store please see the Steam Refunds Payment Methods section for details on how these refunds will be applied http://steamoss.com/steamstore/steam_refunds_methods
  
  
• What happens to the Runestones and Gold in my account?
  You will be able to carry on using Runestones and Gold until the game is taken offline. Runestones are no longer available for purchase but you can still earn Gold by completing public matches.
  
  
• Will the automatic refund remove game content purchased since 1st March?
  No, no game content will be removed.
  
  
• What will happen to the forum on www.Nosgoth.com?[www.Nosgoth.com]
  The Nosgoth forum will remain online until 14th June 2016, after which it will be taken offline.
  
  
• What does this mean for the Legacy of Kain franchise?
  Any future Legacy of Kain project will be considered independently of Nosgoth and on the merits of the proposals alone.

Today's update primarily focuses on crushing bugs and making a number of balancing tweaks.

Sonic Boom
Following a considerable amount of feedback from the community, we have made a number of changes to Sonic Boom in order to bring it more closely in line with other abilities in Nosgoth.

• Minimum Cooldown: Sonic Boom’s minimum cooldown timer is now just under 8 seconds.
  
• Trigger Time & Sound Effect: Sonic Boom now features a 0.75s trigger time combined with a sound effect, providing the human team with a small amount of warning prior to the attack.

Crash On Exit
As of the update on the 14th of March, the Nosgoth executable had a difficult time saying farewell to you lovely people, and would often embrace your PC with an unrelenting farewell hug. We’ve sat down with the executable and had a heart to heart chat. It now understands that while a wonderful notion, not everyone can play 24/7.

Nosgoth no longer crashes on exit.

The Desktop Launcher
We’re rolling out the initial phase of Desktop Launcher Testing. You can now download the desktop launcher by logging into http://www.Nosgoth.com and clicking the play button.

If you experience any oddities with the launcher, please feel free to report them here[forums.eu.square-enix.com].

Loading Screen Tips
Nosgoth’s loading screens have been updated to provide helpful tips and info for new and ever improving players. A little while ago, we asked the community to put forward their own suggestions, many of which have formed the basis for the tips being added to the game today.

The Smoke Thickens
As the fires continue to burn, the concentration of smoke and smog across the land continues to increase.
The following maps now have darker skies:

• Freeport
  
• Provance
  
• Valeholm

General Improvements & Bug Fixes

• Beastmaster Ability Videos have been added to the in-game store
  
• A number of doors in The Fane have been given a new lick of paint
  
• The Desktop Launcher now displays the store page correctly
  
• It is no longer possible to launch Nosgoth on Steam and Desktop variants from the same account
  
• The Daily Challenge to achieve 30000 Team Score no longer bugs out for some players
  
• Chain Lightning no longer illuminates a cloaked Scout
  
• Random parties will no longer be created when exiting a match/lobby/tutorial
  
• In Capture the Body, the body is consistently represented by a body icon, rather than dot, on the mini map.
  
• The Deceiver’s Dominate Mind now breaks the concentration required by the Beastmaster to maintain his bird form. Should a Treshawk be controlled by Dominate Mind, the Beastmaster will automatically revert to his Human form
  
• Having had the opportunity to study the Beastmaster’s transformation process, Deceiver’s no longer lose control of the Beastmaster when he transitions out of his Treshawk form.
  
• It is no longer possible to log out of the launcher while Nosgoth is running. This has been done to improve live service stability.
  
• The launcher now automatically closes all of its overlay windows when logging out
  
• Logging into the launcher via Facebook now displays an improved login window

Known Issue

• On the rare occasion, the map loading screen may bug out, resulting in a rather odd view of the map.

[cdn.sqexeu.com]Emerging from their humble abodes throughout the wilderness of Nosgoth, it’s time for the Beastmasters to stand and be counted in the ongoing war against the vampire scourge.

The Beastmaster - The Scourge of the Wild

Bloody-handed mystics who serve as vengeful instruments of the natural order, the Scourge have sworn to cleanse Nosgoth of the blight of Vampire-kind no matter what the cost. Beastmasters are ruthless fighters who use powerful firearms and primal magic to purge their foes, but are best known for their supernatural ability to temporarily take on the form of a bird of prey and take to the air to continue the hunt.

Check out the Beastmaster’s Class Warfare video for full details about the next fighter to enter the fray.

Daily Challenges

Daily Challenges have replaced the Daily Login reward. While slightly more challenging (the hint is in the name ;)) to complete, the overall loot drops are more valuable. By completing in-game tasks, you will earn points that go toward earning one of three unlocked chests. These chests can contain large sums of gold, better boosters, skins; and even Runestones and Keys!

Check out this post[forums.eu.square-enix.com] to learn more about Daily Challenges.
Good luck with your missions Denizens!

Human & Vampire Chests

As the war for Nosgoth heats up, the human race delves deeper into armouries of years gone by, searching for items imbued with arcane power. Equally, with the war intensifying, Vampires from across the land continue to step forward as they fight to save their race.
Quite a few new Human and Vampire skins will be available via these chests. Of particular note for fans of vampire kind is the ability to get new ghoul skins for your Summoner. These work in much the same way as the Vanguard’s various shields.
We'll be taking a closer look a these chests very soon. Stay tuned for more information!

New Sentinel Ability – Sonic Boom

Barrelling down through the sky, Sonic Boom allows the Sentinel to deal damage to, and knock back, multiple foes while remaining airborn.

Sonic Boom is a primary ability designed to enable the Sentinel to harass and stun the human team, setting up the other vampires to commence a feeding frenzy.

Steam Launcher

The Steam Launcher has been updated to run on the same backend as the Desktop Launcher, ensuring that you can add friends and create parties across either environment. Your Username and Avatar are also updated via the launcher now, as outlined here:
http://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=185503

Ping 2.0

Nosgoth’s ping system has received an upgrade to encourage further teamplay.

• Vampires can now ping dead human bodies to make a set of vicious jaws to appear, indicating that food is available.
  
• Humans can now ping health stations which make a blue cross appear above the station, indicating that someone on the human team wants to move there to heal.

League 4.0 & 5.0 In-Game Rewards

Raziel’s Pride, the League Beta 4.0 reward, is a special version of Sonic Boom. As with all special variants, the abilitie's performance characteristics can be replicated within the forge. This is the only Sonic Boom variant that will feature the occult visual effect.

Hunter’s Gold, the League Beta 5.0 reward is a special variant of the Beastmaster’s Hunter shotgun. As with all special variants, the weapon's performance characteristics can be replicated within the forge. While all that is gold does not glitter, Hunter’s Gold certainly does.

Two Vanguard Shields in the Store

The Vanguard has two brand new shields available in the store. One features a skeleton embedded into the front, and another formed entirely out of a dead animal skull.


When you next purchase the 2100 Runestone bundle or higher, you will receive a brand new Armored Tyrant skin free of charge as a thank you for your purchase.

Fighting for Freedom: Nosgoth & Just Cause 3

The fight to overthrow the despotic rule of Kain is the most noble of just causes.

Anyone who owns Just Cause 3 & Nosgoth on Steam will receive an extra special bundle in Nosgoth to aid with their freedom fighting efforts. The bundle contains:

• 1 x JC3 Grapple
  
• 1 x Medici Liberator Player Banner
  
• 1 x Medici Rebel Player Banner
  
• 1 x 2000 Gold

General Changes & Fixes

• The 5v5 Test Reward Banner has been granted to all players who earned it during the 5v5 Test.
  
• All game modes can now be selected in private matches.
  
• The initial game loading screen has been updated to utilise the latest piece of Nosgoth Art
  
• The content of the end of match Leagues tab isn’t quite as shy as it was before. End of match Leagues information is now displayed correctly.
  
• A number of Out of Memory crashes have been fixed with this update
  
• Idle kick has been fixed to work more consistently. Don’t get kicked for being AFK!
  
• A rare health bar glitch prevented health indicators from updating. This has been fixed.
  
• Humans can no longer see bodies being dragged on the mini-map
  
• Noscam replication has been improved, making Noscam files slightly more accurate
  
• Particle effects left behind by vampires after death shall now dissipate into the ether.
  
• Characters can no longer spawn inside of each other on Silenced Cathedral
  
• Boosters now display their duration before being selected
  
• Many minor visual polish tweaks have been applied across all of the classes in Nosgoth.
  
• A great number of collision improvements have been made to Silenced Cathedral, many based on your feedback. Thanks!
  
• Anyone playing Nosgoth in 4k will no longer need to reinstall the game after changing resolution.
  
• “Get over here” achievement triggers more accurately.
  
• Multiple Localisation fixes have been implemented
  
• An Open Beta banner will be awarded to each player who participates in Nosgoth's Open Beta. This will happen once Nosgoth launches.

Known Issues:

• Some collision issues are still present in Silenced Cathedral
  
• League points at the end of Match may display incorrectly
  
• Cannot watch Desktop client Noscam files in Steam client
  
• The Friends tab in the League section may not populate
  
• Importing friends from Steam to the new social system does not currently work. This should be resolved within the next couple of days.

Want to see how your Nosgoth skills compare to the rest of the world? Like winning profile borders, keys, in-game gear and maybe even cash prizes? Then Nosgoth Leagues are for you! Here, your skills will be put to the test as you face some of the stiffest competition to be found across the world of Nosgoth. Compare your prowess to the rest in the world via global rankings, or maybe just focus on beating your friends. That one friend who insists he could 1v1 you but never takes you up on your challenge? With Leagues, you can get a good idea of whether or not he’s blowing hot air.

During the League Beta, we are trialing different League configurations to see which work the best, and which you guys like the most; before moving into the fully live Nosgoth Leagues Season 1 (as opposed to Nosgoth Leagues Beta).

League Beta 6.0:
As the Nosgoth League Beta series has progressed, we have experimented with a wide variety of League configurations. During the last few League betas, we have begun to hone in on the format that the majority of players seem to appreciate, which is great! One suggestion that we've seen from many League players is to increase the minimum level required to compete in Nosgoth Leagues. We've taken that feedback on board and have increased the mimimum level required to enter Leagues from level 10 to level 15. That approximately doubles the playtime required to unlock access to Nosgoth Leagues. With this change in place, we will be looking to see how it impacts the Leagues throughout a season.

This season will utilise the following format:

• 24/7 League – There are no limitations to League play times, compete whenever you want!
  
• Minimum Level 15 - Players must be at least level 15 to access Nosgoth Leagues
  
• 4v4 – While 5v5 TDM was very warmly received, 4v4 is where the heart of competitive Nosgoth lays.
  
• Max Party Size 2 – Grab a friend and jump onto the battlefield
  
• 1 Month Duration – Season 6.0 will last for approximately 1 month - Starting on March 1st and running until the 31st of March (inclusive)
  
• Age – Not for little Humans: As Nosgoth is a mature game, participants must of course be at least 18 years of age to play and compete.
  
• Terms and Conditions - You can check out the Terms & Conditions HERE, you must agree to these terms in-game in order to be eligible for prizing.

The Spoils of War
Featuring a new $10,000 prize pool for the season, League Beta 6.0 retains the same prize structure as seasons gone by. Whether you want to climb to the mightiest heights of the Eternal tier, or simply fight through the Leagues while having a good time with friends, we've got you covered. Cash prizing will be distributed in the following fashion:

This season’s Blood tier prize is an exclusive Nosgoth Leagues variant of the base Tyrant's Armour skin. These most devoted of Tyrants have demonstrated their dedication to high skilled compeition by permanently marking themselves with a Nosgoth Leagues symbol on the right side of their chest. Should you make it into the Blood tier or above, you too will have irrefutable proof of your hard earned exploit.


Join the fight today!
Signing up to the League is as simple as loading up Nosgoth, getting to at least level 15; and agreeing to the League Terms and Conditions (if you haven’t done so during previous League Beta seasons). With that done, you’ll want to jump into League matches to start racking up those points and climbing the leaderboard.

We know you guys are likely eager to see the Nosgoth Leagues Tryant, we're working hard to get a picture of him to you early next week. In the meantime, we would love to know whether or not you're happy to see an increase to the minimum required level to participate in Leagues? Let us know below!

FAQ
How will monetary prizes be delivered?

PayPal will be the primary method, although those who cannot use PayPal will be able to provide us with your bank account details.

We’re working in conjunction with the fine folks over at ESL to get the monetary prizes to the top 100 players. You’ll receive an email from Square Enix once the season is over with further steps to take.

When will I receive my prize?
All in-game prizing is typically delivered approximately a week after the season ends.

Cash prizes take approximately one and a half months to deliver. This is to provide ESL with enough time to contact you for the account details into which your winnings will be sent, and the processing of the payments to take place.

Where is Sonic Boom, my League Beat 4.0 prize?
Sonic Boom will be released alongside Nosgoth's next game update :)!

What about my beautiful golden Beastermaster shotgun?
That will be delivered to your inventory as soon as the Beastmaster is released.

A little while ago, we gave you guys the opportunity to ask questions about Nosgoth, with the chance to have them answered by the dev team. Well, on Thursday the 25th of February, we’re going to run the next official Nosgoth livestream! We’ll be playing games with you guys, giving away goodies, and answering plenty of those questions!

To anyone who witnessed the massacre that occurred during the last stream…*ahem*...I’ve been practicing (at least a little bit), I swear!

When and Where?

Join Oghamsmith & Psyonix_Ryan on Thursday the 25th of Feb at 6 PM GMT/10AM PDT

http://www.Twitch.tv/Nosgoth

If you don’t already have a Twitch account, make sure to create one now and follow the channel, we’ll be answering follow-up questions in the chat so don’t miss out on that!

Bring your friends, bring your family. Hell, bring your wives, husbands, sons, daughters, grandpas and grandmas; it’ll be fun for all of the family*!

*all of the family old enough to play a mature game of course ;).

Denizens of Nosgoth,

We want to provide you with a quick update with regards to the League Beta 4.0 prizing and its delivery.

As mentioned before, all in-game content (including keys and the Sentinel’s new ability, Sonic Boom), will be delivered alongside the next game release.

Players who have reached Eternal during Beta 4.0, do not fear if you haven't heard from us yet. We have not sent out any emails just yet with regards to your cash prize, as we’re waiting for the next game update to go live before sending out the mail blast.

We’re currently working to crush a handful of bugs before getting the next game update onto your PC. We don’t have a specific timeline as to when that’ll be as these bugs have proven to be tricky little critters, but we’re working through it as quickly as possible.

This delay should not affect the distribution of League Beta 5.0 rewards. No need to worry about that.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused, and thank you all for your patience.

All the best,
The Nosgoth Team

With so much speculation surrounding the Beastmaster and how he'll play, particularly with regards to his Treshawk form, we figured the best way to clear things up would be to simply show you. You've been asking to see the Beastmaster in action and here he is, hot off the presses!

Presenting, the Beastmaster:

For those wondering when they can get their hands on Nosgoth's next class, we published an update about that yesterday. You can read the full details here[forums.eu.square-enix.com], but the tl;dr version is that we've got a few more bugs to crush, and a bit more polish to apply to the update as a whole before it'll be ready to be sent to your PCs. The update won't be sent out this week, but it shouldn't be too long before you get your hands on the Beastmaster.

Hello there everyone!

We’re right in the middle of an extremely busy, and exciting, time for Nosgoth. The Silenced Cathedral is live, the Beastmaster is nearly here and Nosgoth’s release/move out of Early Access is fast approaching. We've been super busy over the last few weeks, and so haven't been able to be as active on the forum as we would like. With so much happening around Nosgoth, we felt it about time to gather up a big heaping pile of community questions, and do our best to answer as many as we can.

We’ll answer some of the most pressing questions on our next Community live stream (which we’re tentatively targeting for sometime either this or next week), so that you can ask follow-up questions in chat. If we don’t get to answer your question on the live stream, we’ll try to answer as many of them as we can in the forum.

To try and make sure that everyone has a chance to ask their questions, please limit the number of questions that you ask to no more than 10.

Please bear in mind that there may be some questions that we won’t be able to answer for various reasons, but we’ll do our best to cover most.

So, without further ado; please feel free to start popping your questions down below!

Denizens of Nosgoth!

Twitch.tv is a fantastic place for like-minded gamers to gather together, play (or watch) some games, and chat. The Nosgoth community has some awesome streamers, and we want to work together with the community to help spread the joy and entertainment that these streamers deliver. Not only that, but we also want to help promote newer upstarts who might be looking to get into streaming Nosgoth!

Interested? Follow the link below to learn more about this new initiative:

http://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=185730

All the best,
The Nosgoth Team