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Nosgoth

Nosgoth is a 3D action MMO third person shooter from Psyonix. The game is based on the Legacy of Kain franchise and features fast-paced asymmetric combat between Humans and Vampires.

Publisher: Square Enix
Playerbase: Medium
Type: MMO Shooter
Release Date: Jan 21, 2015
Shut Down Date: May 31, 2016
Pros: +Fast-paced & fun combat. +Balanced gameplay. +Fair cash shop. +Good variety of classes.
Cons: -Few game modes. -Buggy gameplay at times. -Broken matchmaking.

Nosgoth Shut Down on May 31, 2016

Overview

Nosgoth Overview

Ruthless, gruesome, and adrenaline-pumping PvP action awaits you in Nosgoth, an asymmetrical third person shooter based on the Legacy of Kain franchise. Join the age-old war between Humans and Vampires and use each race’s distinct fighting style to your advantage. Take out Vampires from afar with an arsenal of ranged weaponry like crossbows, grenade launchers, and other vampire-killing specialized tools. Fly, scale walls, and climb roofs as a blood-thirsty Vampire waiting for that perfect opportunity to pounce on your prey and quickly take them out with your inhuman strength, speed, and abilities. Choose from two classic game modes and work together with your team to crush the opposition and live to fight another day. Nosgoth officially shut down on May 31, 2016.

Nosgoth Key Features:

  • Intense PvP – wreak havoc in this super fast-paced, asymmetrical combat system where each race has distinct weapons and abilities. Players must work together to ambush and take down their enemies, especially Humans, if they want to know the taste of victory.
  • Immerse Yourself in Kain's World – the game takes place after Raziel's execution and Kain's jump into the future. Participate in the epic war that breaks lose between Humans and Vampires.
  • No Need To Pay the main concern for F2P players is whether or not you have to pay to win. Fear not, for Square Enix stands by their long-standing belief that money should not influence power in the game.
  • Class Variety choose from two races, each complete with their own unique classes. Players must master both races in order to survive in Nosgoth.
  • Awesome Production Value – the dark and eerie atmosphere of the game is definitely enhanced with top-notch graphics, great SFX, and solid BGM. You'll feel like you're wandering around a haunted, gothic cathedral with your heart pounding in your ears.

Nosgoth Screenshots

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Nosgoth Featured Video

Nosgoth - Open Beta Launch Trailer

Classes

Nosgoth Classes

Humans:

  • Hunter – vampire hunters that have lived, trained, and fought for one thing: the annihilation of Vampires from Nosgoth. Hunters can equip a variety of quick-firing crossbows. They also carry Bolas which they can hurl at enemies to temporarily incapacitate them.
  • Alchemist – a female-only sect of arcane chemists with a thirst for explosions. They are equipped with hand cannons that fire globes that explode on impact. They also carry a variety of vials that they can throw at enemies to blind them, poison them, or burn them with a raging wall of flame.
  • Scout – masters of ranged combat who use terrain and distance to their advantage. They can snipe and weaken enemies before they even get close. They can also get up close and personal with their stash of throwing knives, call down a rain of arrows on enemy positions, or set traps that explode when a vampire runs over it.
  • Prophet – a sect that drinks blood to gain power. They use their own tainted blood to hex their bullets and curse the ground that their enemies walk on. Prophets are equipped with dual flintlock pistols that, aside from regular bullets, can fire hexed bullets that makes a target incorporeal, which disables their attacks while reducing any damage they take. They can use a vampire’s life force to heal themselves or their own life force to heal allies.
  • Vanguard – a class that excels in defending themselves and their allies. They are equipped with throwing axes which are less effective than the weapons used by other classes. Vanguards, however, can equip shields that can reduce damage by 90%, repel frontal attacks, and negate stagger effects. Vanguards can also use buffs to increase their allies’ movement speeds and HP regen.

Vampires:

  • Reaver – an assault initiation class that specializes in surprising and incapacitating targets. They prowl around in high places waiting for the right moment to Pounce on their targets and deal massive damage. Reavers can also use a variety of bombs, such as Shadow Bomb and Choking Haze, as ambush or escape tools.
  • Tyrant – the frontline shock troops of the Vampire legion. They have the largest HP in Nosgoth, which allows them to soak up damage as they smash through their prey. They have the ability to Ignore Pain, which reduces the damage they receive. They can also smash the ground to stun nearby enemies.
  • Sentinel – the assassins of the Vampire legion and remnants of Clan Razielim. They have developed large wings that gives them limited flight capabilities. They can pick off prey one by one and drop them from dizzying heights. They can also use Dive Bomb to inflict massive damage to targets on the ground, and Wing Flap to knock back and stagger enemies caught in the gust.
  • Deceiver – masters of illusion that rely on stealth and unpredictability to break through human defenses. They can execute specific targets with Backstab or deal large AoE damage with Infect. They are most effective disguised or invisible behind enemy lines where they can create chaos amongst the human team.
  • Summoner – immortals trapped in decaying bodies. They use forbidden powers from the Underworld to cast spells of destruction, protection, and summoning. They can conjure dark spheres of magic that deals damage over time and explodes after a few seconds. They can also summon creatures of the dark to assist them in combat and cast walls of dark magic to repel projectiles.

Full Review

Nosgoth Review

By Marc Marasigan

Nosgoth is a free-to-play dark fantasy 3D MMOTPS (Massive Multiplayer Online Third Person Shooter) developed by Psionix and published by Square Enix, a company known for role-playing games like Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy series. The game went into open beta on January 21, 2015 and can be downloaded from Steam as well as from Square Enix’s official website.

Nosgoth is set in the medieval fantasy world of Nosgoth, a world where Vampires rule the land and Humans are considered their slaves. The game is based on the Legacy of Kain games that first came out in 1996 for the PlayStation. The events of Nosgoth proceed the events of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, which was released in 1999 for both the PlayStation and Windows. After the execution of the vampire Raziel, Kain has seemingly disappeared when he uses the Chronoplast to travel to the future. His disappearance causes a bloody civil war to erupt among the Vampire clans, allowing their human slaves to organize themselves into a fighting force to be reckoned with. Players step into the midst of this war for control of Nosgoth.

Train Hard, Fight Easy

Players starting up the game for the first time are given the choice to go through a quick tutorial. The tutorial walks them through the basics of movement, combat, and how to use abilities and skills specific to each class and race like using weapons for humans, and climbing walls for vampires. Players aren’t required to go through the tutorial and can easily jump into the game by choosing skip. However, the tutorial rewards players with free abilities that they can use in combat. These abilities expire after a few days and can eventually be purchased from the item shop using in-game currency, but it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of an advantage over other newbies in the game. Nosgoth also features a New Recruit mode, which ensures that only players below Level 15 can play against each other. This gives newbies time to learn and adjust to the asymmetric combat and gameplay without being constantly owned by veterans of the game.

Brutal Battles

Nosgoth’s gameplay and combat is similar to Gunz, Ghost Recon: Phantoms, and other MMOTPS games. Two opposing teams fight it out in brutal and bloody 4v4 combat in a variety of maps. However, unlike typical MMOTPS games, Nosgoth features an asymmetric combat system similar to Left 4 Dead’s multiplayer mode, where each team is restricted to using certain types of weapons. Humans can use a variety of ranged weaponry, such as automatic crossbows, throwing knives, and exploding vials, while Vampires are limited to melee attacks and various superhuman abilities like the ability to fly, climb walls, reduce damage received, or stun enemies by slamming the ground. Players can initially pick from two classes, Hunter and Alchemist for Humans or Reaver and Tyrant for Vampires. The other classes can be unlocked with artifacts that are acquired every five levels or by purchasing them using Runestones, the game’s premium currency.

Combat in Nosgoth is fast-paced, heart-pounding, and will get your adrenaline pumping right off the bat. Battles can be a bit violent and gory though, and would probably be unsuitable for younger players. Sorry girls, no pasty, pale, sparkly vampires here. A cool feature is a vampire’s ability to drag humans around during their final moments and “Execute” them (crush their skulls against the wall or rip their throats out then drink their blood) to gain health. This adds a measure of realism and immersion to the game, aside from the fact that it looks freaking awesome. Terrain also plays a vital role in combat in Nosgoth, as Vampires can use their ability to climb walls to use a map’s vertical elements, like towers and roofs, to their advantage.

Trust Your Brothers-In-Arms

Nosgoth’s assymetric combat system puts a lot of emphasis on teamwork, especially when you’re playing as Humans. There is absolutely no way you can go toe to toe with a vampire and live to tell the tale. Sticking together and working as a team is vital to survival and winning rounds, a fact that newbies fail to grasp early in the game which almost always results in a Vampire win. Everything balances out, however, once players move out of the newbie leagues and learn to use the classes and skills to complement other members of the team. Vampires are also encouraged to use teamwork especially against a team of humans who know what they’re doing, but can generally just prowl around and use the terrain to hide and wait for that perfect opportunity to pounce or swoop in and grab a human player in their sharp and deadly claws. The only other game I can think of that sort of plays like Nosgoth is Savage and Savage 2 from S2 Games.

Stepping Into the Arena

Nosgoth uses a matchmaking system similar to other lobby-style MMOs, which automatically matches players up with other players looking for teammates. One complaint I have about the matchmaking is that the system doesn’t penalize leavers. Anybody can leave the game at any time without serious consequences, which just ruins the game for everyone. Nosgoth is also severely limited when it comes to game modes. I’m not sure if the devs plan to add more game modes in the future but, while Nosgoth’s combat can be fun and entertaining, the game’s lack of game modes can be a bit of a let-down for players looking for a bit of variety in the games they play. Currently, Nosgoth only has two playable game modes: Team Deathmatch and Flashpoint. These are both classic game modes found in most MMO shooters. Players randomly start out as either Humans or Vampires then automatically switch teams after every round. In Team Deathmatch, two opposing teams try to score as many kills as they can within a specified time limit. The first team to reach a certain amount of kills or the one with the most kills by the end of the round wins. On the other hand, Flashpoint, which can be unlocked at Level 10, has Humans trying to capture control points on the map within a specified time limit while the Vampires try to stop them. Humans win if they capture all the control points and Vampires win if they can stop the Human team long enough for the timer to run out.

Gearing Up

Like typical MMO shooters, Nosgoth players randomly get rewards by participating in matches regardless of whether they win or lose called Match Loot. Match loot can be in the form of weapons, primary and secondary abilities, as well as perks that give a player bonuses such as reduced fall damage or reduced damage from fires. Players also receive Gold and Experience points depending on how their team performs during the match. Gold can be used to purchase equipment, abilities, and perks from the in-game store. Alternatively, players can also purchase Runestones using real-world money to buy items from the store without having to earn the Gold and Experience points required. Aside from Match loot and the item store, players also receive daily rewards by simply logging on to the game. Rewards increase in rarity based on the number of consecutive days the player has logged in. Rewards range from Gold, Experience points, and Boosters for the first three days, to exclusive class skins, which can only be acquired from daily rewards, on the 7th consecutive day.

The Shadowy World of Nosgoth

Nosgoth uses the Unreal Engine 3, used in games like Mass Effect 3 and DC Universe Online. The game’s graphics, while not really groundbreaking, is still top-notch and definitely a visual treat. The maps and environment are dark and grim, which perfectly fit the overall theme and mood of the game. Characters and their skins are incredibly detailed and look really cool, especially from up close. However, the character animations seem a bit clunky in my opinion. The execution animations, however, while also a bit clunky, are absolutely badass. The music is where this game shines, the eerie music coupled with screams of fear and pain in the background will really set your heart pounding. The music, along with the brutal, fast-paced combat, makes for an immersive and adrenaline-pumping experience.

The In-Game Store

A nagging problem that most free-to-play games face is how to balance gameplay for F2P players and players willing to buy premium items. Square Enix stands by their belief of creating a fair experience for all without penalizing players who don’t want to spend money by not including items that are inherently better in their in-game store. A human Hunter, for example, already starts out equipped with a standard automatic crossbow that deals average damage and has a fairly standard clip size. The standard crossbow works well enough during combat. Players who prefer to deal more damage, however, can purchase a crossbow from the item store that deals more damaged but has a reduced clip capacity. The crossbow purchased from the item shop isn’t better than the standard one since it sacrifices clip size for damage. This crossbow can also be purchased using Gold earned by playing the game too. Weapons, Abilities, and Perks can be purchased using either Gold or Runestones (the premium currency) while skins, cosmetic item packs, as well as Gold and XP boosters can only be purchased using Runestones. Oh, and players can also purchase additional execution animations from the item store using Runestones. Nosgoth does a superb job of creating a balanced cash-shop that doesn't sell any kind of power, but rather just sells convenience/quick access to items that free users can farm up anyway.

Final Verdict – Great

Severely limited choice of game modes aside, Nosgoth is a game with lots of potential. Nosgoth brings players back to a world where Vampires are portrayed exactly as they’re supposed to be: violent, blood-thirsty monsters that can rip you apart with their bare hands as opposed to the good-looking, smooth-talking, vegetarian vampires that seem to be the norm nowadays. This, combined with bloody, violent, and action-packed asymmetric combat, should be enough to get most players to try it out. Great graphics and music that can make your skin crawl and make you jump out of your seat serves to complete the package of an already great game.

Screenshots

Nosgoth Screenshots

Videos

Nosgoth Videos

System Requirements

Nosgoth System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Dual Core 2 GHz or AMD Equivalent
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800 or ATI 2900
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 6 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel 2.5 GHz Quad Core / AMD Equivalent
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 260 Series or ATI 5850
RAM: 8 GB
Hard Disk Space: 10 GB

Music

Nosgoth Music & Soundtrack


Additional Info

Nosgoth Additional Information

Developer: Psyonix

Engine: Unreal 3

Composer(s): Kevin Riepl
Designer(s): Bill Beacham

Open Beta Date: January 21, 2015

Steam Release Date: January 21, 2015

Closure Date: May 31, 2016

Development History / Background:

Nosgoth was developed by San Siego, California-based game studio Psyonix, and powered by the Unreal 3 engine. Development for Nosgoth began in 2012 and the game was officially announced in June, 2013. Nosgoth's reveal built quite a bit of hype around the game, as Nosgoth is the first game associated with the Legacy of Kain franchise since 2003's Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Unlike the previous single-player story-driven Legacy of Kain games, Nosgoth is free-to-play and focuses on multiplayer PvP. Originally, Nosgoth was intended to be called Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun for the PlayStation 4, but the single player component was cancelled while the multiplayer component remained in active development. Despite its arena-based combat, Nosgoth isn't a MOBA, but rather an arena-based third person shooter. On April 08, 2016 Square Enix Europe announced that Nosgoth would be shut down on May 31, 2016, citing stagnant audience growth: "[...] ultimately its audience hasn’t grown enough to sustain ongoing operations." The Nosgoth forum remains online until June 14, 2016, after which it will be taken down.